Iggy hadn't realized he hadn't seen daylight since arriving in Elysium until Ivy brought him into the arena's stands.

The sky was a perfect blue, dotted with fluffy clouds that seemed like they were purposefully engineered in a weather lab. Warmth from the star in the center of the sea of blue spread across his skin, which had been substantially paled by the successive days of being kept indoors—whether it be the prison ship or his new prison.

Strong pillars of coarse stone rose in evenly-spaced increments throughout the stadium's endless rows of seating. Painted stands decorated with flags and advertisement boards reached out air above him, providing alternative angles for potential viewers to watch the entertainment. He spotted the three skyboxes—not counting the commentator's cube in the center of the arena—looking down on them all.

He couldn't imagine how long it must've taken them to build it all. Or how much it must've cost. Or how many lives were lost building it...

Closing his eyes, he dropped the thought. Now wasn't the time to sour his own mood with thoughts like those. The sky was clear, the air didn't smell like body odor and stale bread, and the sun felt amazing against his skin. He basked in the sunlight, almost forgetting why they'd been brought outside in the first place.

Tenn reminded him by coughing awkwardly. Iggy cracked one eye open to peer at the old man.

He couldn't seem to get comfortable in his seat. Granted, sitting on solid steel wasn't the most pleasant thing in the world, but Iggy couldn't complain too much. At least they were outside—even if for a few minutes. But as he watched Tenn fidgeting, he realized something else was bothering him.

"Hey, relax," Iggy told him. "It's just an interview."

"What's this lady's infatuation with us?" Tenn hissed. "I don't trust her."

Iggy rolled his eyes. "You don't trust anyone."

"You shouldn't either."

"I'm trusting you, remember?"

Tenn creased his brow at the boy. Then he wagged a finger at him. "Why aren't you more nervous?"

"What? I am nervous."

"Don't lie to me, boy."

Iggy wrung his hands. He figured now was the time to tell the man he'd been considering Ivy's earlier proposal. Tenn wouldn't like it, but perhaps he could get the man to change his mind. If the two of them could progress through the games as the partnership Moxi suggested they were, that'd make things much easier. Plus, Iggy enjoyed having a friend—even if said friend happened to be decades older than him.

"Fine," he said with an obnoxious sigh. Smiling sheepishly, he rubbed his neck. "Ivy kind of approached me after my race to, and I quote, tell my story." Tenn said nothing. "She thinks it'll help me win," he added. "I think she's right. Plus, if I can get the empire to believe I'm innocent, maybe they'll be persuaded to let me get home to my mother. Or at least send her some help while I'm away."

Tenn's expression softened, by his steely demeanor remained. "I don't plan on telling his woman anything. If I win these games, it'll be because of me, not some interviews of me sucking up to the empire."

"Hey, I'm not planning on doing any 'sucking up,'" he argued. "I'm just going to tell the truth."

"The truth doesn't always matter."

Iggy considered his words. He weighed them in his head, assessing their validity.

"Apologies for the wait," Ivy exclaimed as she rejoined them on the west wing of the stadium's bleachers. Her robot stood atop her shoulder, documenting everything with its creepy little, red eye. Iggy squinted at it.

"Why is that thing always following you?"

"CAMI is my eyes and ears," Ivy explained. The robot chirped at the mention of itself. Iggy noticed the faded lettering printed on top of its head for the first time. They read out C-4M1. "Sometimes I miss things. CAMI ever misses anything."

CAMI warbled again, its single, shuttering eye flashing for a moment as it shifted its metal, duck-like feet on its owner's shoulder.

Tenn rolled his eyes. "You people and your machines..."

"It's kinda cute..." Iggy muttered.

Ivy pushed up her glasses. "Remind me, where are you from again, Tenn?"

"Galenrad."

Ivy nodded before jotting something down on her digital tablet. She clearly knew more about Galenrad than Iggy did. All he knew about the planet was its location in the Cadmus Rift just outside of Elysian territory.

"That's one of the planets the empire could not seem to conquer during the First Expansion," Ivy said. "You come from a warrior civilization, yes?" Tenn nodded. "These games should be a walk in the park for someone like you, then."

"If I was still a young man, sure." Tenn rubbed the purplish bruise on his elbow. "But my body isn't as strong as it used to be."

"I see." She input something else into her device. "So, tell me a little about yourself. What was your life like before you got to Elysium?"

"No."

"No?"

Tenn cleared his throat. "I'd rather not do this."

Ivy's artificial smile crumbled like a sandcastle hit by a wave. "This interview could be very beneficial toward your—"

"I'll pass."

"I'd advise against that, Tenn."

"Good thing I don't take advice from Elysians." He crossed his arms.

Ivy simply huffed before shifting her attention to Iggy. "Will you be doing the same?"

He looked at the old man, his eyes wide. The Andradan simply shrugged at him. That wasn't helpful, he thought. Part of him wanted to follow Tenn's lead and tell the reporter off. But another part of him knew appealing to the crowd could help him get far in the games. And he needed to get far. He needed to win.

Tenn hadn't disclosed anything about his life back home, but Iggy doubted he had a family. If he did, they couldn't have meant too much to him considering the fact he never mentioned them.

Iggy, on the other hand, had a mother who needed him. He'd do whatever it took to return to her. Exhaling, he shook his head at Ivy and forced a smile onto his face.

"I'll do the interview."

She grinned. CAMI clicked excitedly.

Beside him, Tenn cast his unimpressed gaze to the arena's pit below them. For the time being, he'd have to ignore the old man's judgment. Tenn embodied the definition of a lone wolf; chances are, no one relied on him the same way he relied on no one. That wasn't the case for Iggy. His mother needed him. The Andradan would never understand his motivations.

Ivy took a seat beside him. CAMI began recording their conversation after attaching itself to the ledge it'd been placed on.

"Ready to get started?"

"Ready as I'll ever be."

"That's what I like to hear." Ivy gave her robot a silent countdown with her fingers. Once she reached zero, she clapped her hands together and introduced herself to an invisible audience. She then introduced Iggy, who responded by waving awkwardly at CAMI. "Today, we're bringing you an exclusive straight from Neon City in the wonderful Au Grattus Arena. Out of all our contestants, the one sitting beside me has to be the one I'm most intrigued about."

His face went red. Did she mean that, or was it just for the cameras? He never thought anything about himself was interesting. Certainly not interesting enough for an entire interview.

"Iggy, you once told me how your family immigrated to Novr from Yensari. Could you tell me a little bit more about that?"

"Er, there's not really much to say. We moved when I was a child. They never told me why."

"I see, I see." Ivy cleared her throat. "You also told me your father disappeared shortly after you moved to Novr. Is his disappearance still a mystery?"

Iggy's jaw tightened. "I thought this interview was about me?"

"It is, Iggy. I just want the people at home to get the chance to know you on a deeper level."

"Right..." He looked to Tenn for help, but the man wasn't even paying attention. Gritting his teeth, he faced Ivy again. "Er, yeah, my father's disappearance is still a mystery. I'm not sure I'll ever find out what actually happened."

"A true pity. Do you think the burden his abrupt departure placed on you and your mother is what led to you becoming a thief on Novr?"

His mouth twitched at her question. He bit his tongue to avoid saying something unsavory. He wasn't a thief, but of course, she didn't know that. After all, he told her he was arrested for theft. What else was she meant to believe?

"What was it you stole? You never said." Ivy pushed for an answer. "Food? Medicine? Salt from the mines you worked in?"

"How'd you know I worked in the mines?"

She shrugged. "What can I say? I do my research."

His heart stopped. What else did she know? Uncomfortable warmth spread across his face. The sun above which once felt amazing on his skin now felt unbearable. Shifting in his seat, he looked away from the reporter beside him.

"Technically, I didn't steal anything. I found it—" Eyes wide, he stopped himself. He'd nearly let it slip that he found his father's pendant. It hid in the pocket of his shorts. Most times he forgot it was there, but now it felt like an anchor trying to pull him into the ground. He absentmindedly stuck his hand in his pocket and closed his fist around the pendant.

Ivy peered at him over the thin rims of her glasses. "You found what?"

"Nothing," he said quickly. "Forget I said anything."

The reporter snapped at CAMI. The robot beeped twice. Iggy gave them both a speculative glance. Before he could question the woman, she lobbed another question at him.

"How have you enjoyed your experience here in Neon City? Surely it's a step up from Novr and Yensari."

Novr certainly didn't compare to Elysium—at least the empire's capital planet didn't have frequent sandstorms and food shortages. But he doubted it compared to Yensari. His memories of his homeworld were faint, nothing more than faded paintings in the back of his mind, but he would've chosen its lush grasslands over the industrial, metal-filled world of Elysium.

Aircrafts soared overhead, cutting through the perfect clouds. They screamed across the sky, leaving energy trails in their wake as they darted to their destinations.

It was a sight he'd grown accustomed to. Ships never stopped coming and going through Novr's burnt orange atmosphere. He assumed most planets owned by the Elysians operated similarly. No matter how advanced their technology got, their ships wouldn't fail to continue darkening the skies.

Iggy blinked at Ivy, totally blanking on her question. "Er, sorry, could you repeat that?"

"How are you enjoying Elysium?"

Right. "It's...um...been a decent experience...I guess? Haven't really seen much of it, you know. Been stuck inside the arena since I got here."

"Speaking of the arena, congratulations again on finishing fifth during the race. You narrowly snagged the fifth spotted from Ohr-Tyff Vonnir, otherwise known as Vonn. I heard you two had quite the rivalry since meeting on the ship that brought you here."

The mention of Vonn made him bristle. Rivalry wasn't exactly how he'd describe their relationship. The memory of the man's unfortunate death plagued his mind for a few moments until he pushed it into the deep, dark hole other memories he chose to repress roamed in.

"Are you excited for the next challenge?" Ivy inquired.

"You're joking, right?"

"I'm being quite serious."

He scoffed. "Excited isn't the word I'd use."

"After the first few challenges, ratings have been through the roof. We're expected to have a full house in just a few days' time when the next challenge rolls around. The entire empire is waiting on the edge of their seats to see what happens next."

Iggy wasn't one of them. Though, he did wonder what the next game was going to be. He got lucky when he discovered the first challenge would be a race. He wouldn't get that lucky again.

Unless...

He put on the fakest smile possible and glanced at Ivy. "It's kind of hard to be excited about something I know little about, you know? I mean, you can only speculate so much. If I knew what the challenge was, it'd be a little easier to get excited."

Ivy nodded slowly at him. "That's a fair point. Many people have been wondering what the next challenge will be. After that race, the bar has been set pretty high. Though, I'm sure they'll be just as satisfied—if not more so—after the next one. It's set to be a nail-biter."

His eyes lit up. "You know what the next challenge will be?"

"I'm not allowed to say."

"Yeah...yeah, I get that. But surely you could give us a tiny hint. If not for me, for the people back home?"

Out of the corner of his eye, he spotted Tenn watching their interview from the railing overlooking the arena's inner circle. He no longer looked unimpressed.

Ivy laughed nervously before tucking a stray strand of hair behind her ears. "I could get in a lot of trouble for that."

"But think about the anticipation it'd build."

"You make another great point, Iggy." She mulled over his suggestion. Iggy sat on his hands in an attempt to keep himself from wringing them out as if they were soaked with water.

Tenn once advised him to gain the upper hand. For as long as he could remember, Iggy never had an advantage over anyone. He grew up poor, small, and weak. But now he had a chance to gain an advantage over his other tributes. Of course, it wasn't fair to them, but he didn't owe them fairness. They'd kill him at any opportunity. He had to be prepared to do something similar if he wanted to win. This was just the advantage he needed to place himself ahead of the pack.

He just needed Ivy to throw him a bone.

Chuckling, the reporter turned to CAMI. "Iggy right here is quite the firestarter, isn't he? He's convinced me to give you all a quick insight on the next challenge in just two days' time." She leaned in close to the robot as if whispering in a friend's ear. "From what I've heard, it's a team-based, combat-focused game. That's all I'll say."

Iggy's blood ran cold. Combat-focused?

He barely survived the Skimmer race. While he still trained with Tenn every day, but he wasn't a seasoned fighter yet. He just learned how to throw a proper punch without hurting himself. His ankle, while almost fully healed, still bugged him every now and then.

A combat game would ruin him.

The prospect of having to fight, and potentially kill, the other tributes tightened around his throat like a boa. Sweat beaded on his temple. Tenn warned him about the possibility, but he prayed that it wouldn't happen. His prayers hadn't been answered. In two days' time, he'd have to fight.

For real this time.

"Alright, Iggy, I've just got one last question for you," Ivy said. He could barely focus on her words. "What are you willing to do to win these games?"

He swallowed hard. His mind traveled back to his sick mother. Her pills should've run out by now. She wouldn't survive for much longer without them.

His fear fled his body, forced out by the determination filling his veins. He looked CAMI straight in its single eye, his hard stare directed at everyone potentially watching his interview.

"What am I willing to do?" He paused. "I'm willing to do whatever it takes."

Ivy beamed at him. "That's quite the spirit, Iggy. I'm wishing you good luck for the next game. Though, something tells me you won't need it." She faced her robot. "Well, folks, that's all the time we have today. Until next time." She snapped. CAMI stopped recording. A hollow silence fluttered through the quiet arena.

Iggy meant what he said.

He'd do whatever it took to survive.

Not for himself. Not for the glory of victory. Not for any of that. He needed to leave Elysium in one piece, not in a body bag. When that second challenge came, he couldn't hesitate.

He wouldn't.

Because if he did, it'd cost him his life.