“Order! Order!” The judge bangs her gavel as the rest of the audience breaks into excited chatter, some going as far as to scream out in joy.
I look over my shoulder, mouthing “I love you” to Grace as she’s hauled out of the room. The broken expression on her face breaks my damn heart.
As they drag me back to my cell, I can’t help but laugh. I’ve spent the better part of my life wishing for it all to be over, and now that I’ve finally found a reason to live, it’s being taken away from me.
What terrible luck.
For three days, I’ve been sitting alone in the dark, waiting out my impending fate. I don’t eat, barely sleep, and most days, it feels like I’ve already died. I spend my hours losing myself in the memory of Grace, replaying her laugh over and over in my head. It’s the only thing that helps, the only thing stopping me from giving up. Because Ihaveto go on. For the chance to hold her again, I have to live.
But it doesn’t seem like that will be an option for much longer.
A gentle creaking sound has my eyes shooting open. I sit up, the back of my neck prickling in awareness as the feeding hatch opens.
That’s odd. It’s not time for my daily meal…
Before I have a chance to call out, an unfamiliar face appears in the slot. All I can see are a pair of violet-ringed eyes and a shock of white blond hair falling forward onto the stranger's forehead.
“Hello there,” the man says. His voice is eerily smooth—practically mechanical—and it sends a nervous shiver down my spine.
“Hey…” I clear my throat, wishing he would blinkjust onceso I could shake this uneasy feeling. “Can I help you?”
“It doesn’t seem so, no.”
“Okay…” I sit up straighter, the hair on my forearms prickling in awareness. “Who are you?”
“Me?” He tilts his head. “I’m nobody. Just a friendly ghost no one will remember tomorrow morning.”
“Okay… can you leave me alone, then? You’re kinda freaking me out.”
He chuckles, a low, predatory sound that has no business being on this earth. “Ironic, coming from the man who kills for sport.Red 7.Scourge of the night. Beast of Moriton. Lover of Grace Kent.” His strange-colored eyes twinkle with amusement as my expression morphs into one of utter shock. “You’re surprised I know this.”
“Surprisedis putting it mildly.” My fists clench at my sides. I’m not sure what this man wants, but I know with absolute certainty that he’sdangerous.If I let my guard down for one moment, it could be the end of me. “Whoareyou?” I demand, tired of playing this game of cat and mouse. “How do you know about Grace? What thefuckdo you want from me?”
“Temper, temper.” The corners of his eyes squint with a smile I can’t see. “Your good friend requested my services. So, here I am.Servicing.”
“I don’t have anygood friends,” I snarl. “You’re obviously lying.”
The man rolls his eyes. “Aren’t you a treat?”
“Excuse me if I’m lacking patience given my… circumstances.” I gesture at the four concrete walls of my cell. “Now I’ll ask one more time… whoareyou, and why are you here?”
He lets out a heavy sigh, closing his eyes like he’s trying to hold himself back from doing something drastic. “YourfriendViktor sent me. Viktor Marreaux? Tall guy, graying hair, kinda grumpy?”
“He… sent you to help me?”
The man nods. “Indeed. At a hefty price.” His eyes crease as that eerie smile spreads his lips once more. “So… would you like me to help you, Seven? Or do you still want me to leave you alone?”
I debate his offer for several moments. I don’t want to die, but something inside me rebels against the idea of accepting the strange man’s help. Still…
“I want to live,” I say, my chest squeezing with raw emotion. “For her, I need to live.” I close my eyes, letting out a heavy breath. “You’re sure you can get me out of here?”
“CanI? Of course.” His eyes twinkle with amusement. “It should be fun.”
“I think we have different definitions of that word.”
The stranger laughs, and the sound sends an anxious shiver down my spine. “I doubt that highly.”
Before I can say anything more, the food hatch slams closed. I think the man left, but then a scarred hand slides through the hatch, dropping a tiny black piece of plastic onto the ground.
