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My eighth call to Harry goes straight to voicemail. I’m pissed now. Where the hell is he and why won’t he take my goddamn calls?
Axel is an arsehole. He didn’t need to push me under the water like that yesterday. I’ll be damned if I let his stupid mind games trigger old traumas. He was probably hoping it would, but I’m stronger now. As if a little water could scare me after I’ve been forged in fire.
I pick up my phone again and move to the contacts, wondering if there’s any mutual people saved in my address book that I can reach out to to touch base with Harry. It’s been wiped, bar four entries: Harry, The Father, The Son, and The Spirit. Everyone else is gone.
“For fucks’ sake!” I cry. This takes the piss. They must have got their hands on my phone when I was in the pool. Just then there’s a knock at my door and I fling it open in temper, even though I know it could be an innocent flatmate who doesn’t deserve my ire standing on the other side.
There, blocking the doorway, the light, and the whole damn hallway it feels like, are The Holy Fucking Trinity. Standing shoulder to shoulder, with Axel front and centre, they cut commanding figures with stony faces and folded arms. My own hands fly to my hips and I glare at them.
“Give me back my goddamn phone contacts,” I demand, angrily. “And my AirPods!”
Axel steps forward, invading my room and my personal space. The other two follow suit, closing the door behind them. The click of the lock turning echoes throughout the room and then the silence is deafening.
Axel throws something at me and my hands automatically reach out to catch it against my chest. I look down and see a small box of ointment. I blink. I don’t trust him, so yeah, I won’t be using anything he gives me. I might do a little research and visit a pharmacist though.
“You’re The Doe,” Axel says. “You don’t need any other contacts in your phone besides us three.”
“Why leave Harry in there then?” I frown.
“Because we knew you’d be calling him. He won’t answer though. He won’t even get your missed calls. And all of his messages to you have been rerouted to us.”
Of course they have. Because Axel is just that much of a control freak. It reminds me of when we were in school and he would control who talked to me, who dated me, even how far the guys were willing to go with me – which wasn’t far at all. Everyone was so damn terrified of ending up on the wrong side of him. Truly his father’s son in that respect.
“He’s not being very nice about us.” The Spirit tuts. It’s the jokey, dismissive way that he says it, that makes my veins run with ice. I’ve heard that tone before, seen the fallout from Kaiden’s ‘friendly little chats’.
“Don’t hurt him,” I whisper, my eyes wide and pleading. I know all too well that these three are dangerous and not to be messed with.
“Well, we could keep him safe...for a price,” Axel offers. I’m not stupid. I know there’s not really a deal on the table, it’s just a move by the master manipulator extraordinaire to get me to do whatever it is he wants.
“Name it.” My eyes blaze with anger, but I know the only way to get rid of these three from my room is to power through and hear them out.
“You’re The Doe, you take part in the Hunting Grounds, you let us help you.”
“Explain.”
“You’ll find out soon enough.”
“Nope. Not good enough. I need an actual explanation. Why the fuck do I have this tattoo on me?”
“I’ve told you! You’re—” Axel never loses his cool, but he almost sounds exasperated with me.
“The Doe! I get it!” I explode. “What I don’t understand, is why me? And what the hell does that mean? And what is the Hunting Ground? And why do I need a fucking permanent brand in order to take part?!”
“The tattoo protects you until the game – the Hunting Ground – begins,” The Spirit helpfully supplies.
“Which is when?” I demand.
“A few weeks away.”
“Well, that’s helpfully vague,” I snap. “And what does this game involve?” I cross my arms over my chest. Something isn’t adding up here.
“The contenders fight each other…” The Spirit hesitates. He’s withholding.
“And…?”
“And hunt The Doe.”
“Fuck you.” White hot rage blinds me and I throw the first thing I can get my hands on at Kaiden. Turns out it’s a stapler and I’m a mean shot.
