The flyer lands after a couple of good hours of sleep and I leave it and walk through the dark and rain to my dorm room. I enter the room and throw my clothes into the dirty hamper and go into the bathroom. I start the shower making it nearly steaming hot and start to hose myself off with the hot water. After I get all the mud off I used my hands to sorta clean the shower from the dark mud and after I just stand there enjoying the warmth. Eventually, I get bored of being alone with my thoughts and step out. I find some underwear and leap into my bed. As soon as I am snuggled in I am out once again.

I am awoken by a knocking on my door and I slowly slide out of bed walking to the door rubbing my eyes and stretching out my limbs. Before I answer I yawn loudly and open the door a hair. Outside to my surprise is Dusty. She has a massive black eye, and a bandage over her nose, and bruising around her neck. I really did a number on her. Yet her expression isn't angry or belligerent in any way. It's hard to explain, and I can't place the look she is giving me, but I have seen it before, I just can't remember where.

I clear my throat and ask,

"Well, this is unexpected, but how may I help you?"

Her weight shifts side to side for a moment before she stammers out,

"I-I wish to congratulate you on your win of the survival and evasion course... or whatever it is called... I have come to deliver your reward."

I pause for a moment and freeze in fight or flight mode, but she reveals a manila envelope and hands it to me. I thank her and before I close the door she stops me and asks,

"Tell me... What happened to you to get like you did during that last fight? You said some things... I don't understand. I get it you fought those insurgents, but I gather you didn't mean them when you said you learned to fight in order to kill."

I look at her apologetically and reply,

"I'm very sorry... but, I do not, and cannot wish to tell you. It's something for me to know and others to wonder."

She shakes her head and says,

"That's not healthy."

I nod and say,

"An neither is sharing the information. At least not sharing can extend my lifespan."

With that, I close the door before she can say anything else. I feel bad though, she is right. I should just cry it out and spill the beans to someone. The deep feelings inside, but I can't. Not just because I'm scared of facing the law or anyone seeking revenge. I am unable to tell everything. I feel sad about things I can't remember, and miss people I don't know. I want to share, and I'm sure Dusty is one of the few I can actually share all this with, but I can't because my mind is empty and has nothing on the answers I seek.

I sigh and sit down on my bed and open the envelope. Inside are a few sheets of paper. I slide them out and begin reading them. One sheet is just completely blank but has a page number on the bottom. Very clearly a mistake. The next sheet goes on to just give congratulations on victory and a long paragraph describing what I learned and how I applied the teachings of the academy to win. Which is bullshit. The final sheet is my reward. A $400 gift card. One of the kinds that work anywhere. The old dollar-store visas as my dad would have called them. I pocket it and find aside from that the envelope is empty. I am quite happy with the reward, but I can easily see some of the rich kids mad about it. I smile to myself happy with my ability to show off a little, even if no one saw it at all. It's never a bad idea to be proud of yourself.

Still, I don't get my reaction to the fight with Dusty. I held back as not to hurt her, but everything just felt off somehow. I shake my head and let out a long breath to center myself once more. I pull on some clothes and decide to break out the new bit of cash and get myself some breakfast. Maybe if I can find a doughnut shop I'll get some of those rather than my usual protein-heavy breakfast. I feel that since I went a couple of days without food I deserve some less than healthy options.

I slide my shoes on and as I open the door to head out I run smack into Genevieve who looks pretty rough. I apologize as I help her off the ground as I am large enough to easily knock her over. She assures me it's okay, just bad timing. Her eyes have dark circles around them and her hair is a mess with lots of frays and looks almost fuzzy. I comment,

"What's up with you, looks like you lost a catfight."

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She glares at me and replies,

"I have never in my life been in a wild forest. I have never in my life been forced to sleep outside, or ration food. I didn't sleep, and I hardly ate, not to mention I almost froze to death out there. I don't know how you fucking did it but I have no idea how it's possible..."

Her tone is the most informal I've ever heard her use and it's surprising. I didn't know this situation was that traumatizing for her. I ask kindly,

"How did Seraphina do? "

She shakes her head sorrowfully,

"She was taken out in the first two hours, she hasn't left her room and has been a mess. I haven't gotten any words out of her why she's so freaked out. It is my belief that as bad as I am, and was with the wild, she is far worse having lived in far better conditions than I."

When talking about the empress Geneveives tone returns to its normal formal tone. I give her a once over and ask,

"Do you have a hairbrush handy? I think I see some stick-tites in your hair."

She runs her hands through her hair rapidly looking at me confused, but I can see some tick-seeds stuck in her hair. She sighs and pulls a foldable brush from her back pocket. I take it and yank her into my room by her arm. She tries to protest, but I already have her in the bathroom. I begin going after the little shits stuck in her hair.

Thankfully her hair is naturally straight so there are very few tangles to hang up on, but with the force, I'm using to get the seeds out of her hair, it probably hurts quite badly. She initially was complaining but once she saw how many were in her hair she went silent and just grimaces every time I yank too hard. Eventually, after a half-hour I manage to get her hair almost completely clean and due to the force I brushed her hair is also mostly straight, she may also go bald in the next few years due to my efforts, but that's a future problem.

She thanks me for helping her out and says,

"I got to go take a shower now, I feel a bit... gross. I recommend checking on the empress during this time. Maybe your more... rugged way of thinking can help her out. "

I nod and as she leaves I shake my head as I toss the brush into my sink. The number of seeds in her hair looked as if she had crawled headfirst into a whole grove of beggars lice. Maybe she did. Who knows. I spend some time picking up seeds and flushing them down the toilet before checking myself and picking off a few that fell off of her and onto my clothes.

After this, I head over to Seraphina's room and knock gently on the door. I hear nothing for a little while but then the door opens suddenly revealing Seraphina wrapped up in a blanket with only the lower portion of her face exposed. I shake my head and say,

"Knight in shining armor, at your service..."

She stares at me for a little and asks,

"Did... you win?"

I smile and nod and she turns around while opening the door wide. I see a hand appear from behind the blanket which motions me in and I oblige. I take her desk chair and sit down in it while she flops onto her bed and curls up again. I take a deep breath and ask,

"Alright, spill it. What's wrong?"

She stays quiet for a short while before she says quietly,

"I just don't understand how you could have lasted almost four days out there..."

I shake my head and reply,

"Yeah, it was hard, but I've been through worse. and also I just kinda refuse to lose."

I hear a light laugh come from her and I ask in a kind voice,

"What's wrong little empress? Did the big mean forest scare you?"

There is another brief silence before she explains,

"I-I don't know what came over me. As soon as I was dropped off, and the quiet of the forest fell over me I felt my knees grow weak. My blood ran cold and I couldn't catch my breath. Every noise felt like a horrible monster was rushing me down and the cold cut through my clothing like a knife... I-I became panicked and I needed to escape. I just started running. I dropped my stuff and ran like my life was on the line. I got so lost and confused. I was so scared, more than I'd ever been in my life. The same fear I felt when that gun was pointed at me... I turned myself in, to the first hunter I found, I had to get out of there...

I-I am so embarrassed with me. Giving in just like that. What will people think of me when they hear I just panicked and gave in?"

I shake my head clicking my tongue and say,

"Well, I wouldn't worry about it. Just say you are too good for it or something. I'm sure the other imperials will buy it. I get why you were scared. A deep and dark forest like that is pretty spooky especially if you aren't used to it. Even I get a little antsy in dark forests when I'm alone, and hell I grew up running around in forests like that... sorta.

If it makes you feel better I'll say this. The next time you're lost in the woods like that, or have to be in them... I'll be there. Just call out for me and I'll come and keep you safe from whatever scares you in the woods. Well, I wouldn't be much of a knight if I left you alone out there."

She raises her head and asks,

"Promise?"

I nod and say yes. She then sits up more fully and says to me in a more normal voice,

"Alright... I'll hold you to it. Now get out... I need to get dressed."

I quickly get up and hurry out of the room and close the door behind me hoping I could escape this situation before something stupid, like a misunderstanding, happens and someone calls me a pervert or something. As the door finally closes behind me I turn and see a fully dressed and clean Genevieve who looks much better than before. She has a slight smile on her face and I feel my blood run cold. She simply asks,

"How was the Empress? Was she decent before you entered the room?"

I laugh nervously and reply,

"I assume so because she invited me in..."

Genevieve's smile slowly melts into a scowl and her eyes become daggers and she says in a cheery voice... far to cheery,

" That's wonderful. I will go and check with her now. We shall see if you get to keep your manhood."

Before she can move I dodge around her and sprint as fast as I can out of the building. It seems, the more I try to avoid bad situations, the more they find me...