AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“We’re just waiting for Harlow to start explaining why on earth I found comprehensive plans on the Guards and The Games in her chest of drawers,” Ezra tells Sawyer before focusing back on Harlow. “Are you with them?”
“What? No, of course I’m not with the Guards.”
“Then what is going on?” Ezra says.
Suddenly, it all clicks into place. “You’re planning to enter,” I say in shock. Ezra gapes at her, and she sucks her bottom lip between her teeth, looking between us.
“Let’s all calm down,” Sawyer says, moving to Harlow’s side.
“Calm down? Harlow, why are you keeping this from us?” Ezra throws the papers down on the table.
“I’ve only known you for five minutes,” she reminds Ezra.
“Nice.” He scoffs.
“You’ve known me for two years,” I remind her, but her eyes narrow.
“Some things you don’t share with work friends,” she says.
“Tell us about The Games,” I say, not wanting it to descend into an argument if I can help it. I need to know how far she’s going.
“What about them? You’re right. I’m entering. We’re entering,” she corrects herself, looking to Sawyer.
“For who?” Ezra leans against the counter opposite me, and Sawyer stands near Harlow, arms braced against the couch as though ready to leap into action.
“For us,” she says.
“People don’t just enter The Games,” Ezra reasons. It is unusual. The Guards and the Seconds are the biggest factions, and a few other high-powered and wealthy groups normally try when The Games come up. Seeing as there’s four territories in our state, and one Games for each territory, there’s not a huge amount of people fighting for the spot. Not to mention thoseweeded outin the preliminary rounds... You need to be rich, influential, or just plain brave to sign up and make it through to the actual Games. Ideally, all three. To conquer the different rounds and actually win as an independent is near impossible. Harlow is literally putting her life in danger. And for what?
“Maybe not, but they can,” Harlow says defiantly.
“I know that, but they don’t. The powerful groups with all the money and firepower always win them with their fucking armies. The Guards and the Seconds and—”
“Yeah, and look how that’s working out for all of the ordinary people who have to live here,” Harlow exclaims. “The Guards are getting worse and worse. Your area is the worst, Nico, followed closely by where we grew up, and the territories are shifting all the time. The gangs areexpandingall the time. Look at what happened at Chung’s! There’s so many innocent people who didn’t sign up for this turf war.”
“And you’re signing up voluntarily,” Ezra says like a plea, like he’s begging Harlow to change her mind.
“The Seconds might win this time,” I reason.
“You think that’s better?! They’re just as savage. They’re monsters. We saw the fallout of them losing last time.” The memory of meeting Sawyer’s father, of what my family did to him, hits me like a bullet through the chest. She’s right. We are monsters.
“And what if you enter and the Guards find out you’re running against them?” Ezra pleads. “Do you think they won’t make you an easy target?”
She shrugs as if that isn’t a big deal, but I’ve felt firsthand how brutal the current generation of Guards can be. “We’ll deal with that when the time comes. We might get kicked out so early they don’t even notice us.”
“And if you don’t?” Ezra asks.
“Look, you’re not going to change my mind,” she says, folding her arms defiantly.
“I’m not trying to.” Her disbelieving look shows she’s not buying Ezra’s shit for a second. “Well, maybe I am, but the whole thing sounds insane to me. Rich people pick people to do their dirty work for them, and then they take control. The whole system is so corrupt it’s insane, and I don’t want you to become known to them in a bad way, or worse, to not come out of The Games alive.”
“The system is crooked, but the people they train are onlypeople,just like us. They go through the stages like anyone can.”
“But they have dispensable numbers to replace those who are injured. Who do you have?” My voice is getting louder, but she’s not listening to us. She can’t possibly think this is a good idea.
“Nico—”
“No.” I shut Sawyer down. “You’re not thinking this through. You can’t do this. It’s a stupid idea, and it’s going to get someone killed.”
