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She nods. "Let's go to her first. I want to know what her plan was.”
I gesture to the door to the left. Evie walks to it as I type in the code to enter. As the door opens, the stench of the room smacks us in the face like a heatwave. Nessa has a steel collar around her throat with chains connecting it to the wall. A small cot with a thin blanket lies to the side. A bucket for her to use is at the foot of the bed.
We’ve had people bring her food and water of the most basic kinds. They come to clean up her mess here and there. She hasn't had the chance to shower or change clothes. The stench of blood and body odor clings to her.
Her eyes widen as she takes in Evie approaching. You can see the moment she realizes her fate. Her whole body falls in on itself.
“Hello, Nessa,” Evie greets coldly. Nessa scrambles to her feet and backs up to the wall, as if she could outrun the predator approaching her. “I’ve been told an interesting story about you,” Evie continues. “The Kings here have informed me that you decided to try and sneak into my room in the middle of the night. Is that true?”
Evie reaches out, running her hand down Nessa’s arm in a power move. She wants her to know she has the ability to hurt her, but she’s choosing not to…yet. Since Nessa has clearly been broken by Damien's methods, she nods, not even trying to fight to hide the truth.
“Want to tell me why?” Evie asks, almost gently. Nessa’s face grows cold, the killer behind her eyes sparking to life.
“You know why,” she spits with venom lacing her words.
Evie doesn’t flinch, just turns her head to the side and analyzes the supposed future Reaper in front of her. “You see,” Evie says, still calm, “I really don’t. Where I grew up I didn’t have friends or hang out with other girls. I don’t really know what jealousy over another girl is like. I don’t understand how it fuels someone to do something as stupid as to try and sneak into a suite with four trained killers. Why someone would risk their life just to prove a small, sad little point of being able to attack someone while they are sleeping.” Evie steps back, looking Nessa up and down. “So, I’m asking you to enlighten me.”
“Do you even remember what you did?” Nessa asks her. Evie's brows twitch subtly, but she stays silent, waiting for her answer. I look back at Damien to see he’s leaning against the wall with his large arms folded over his chest. The smile on his face would make anyone believe he had gone crazy.
Well, he’s enjoying the show.
“When we were fighting, I almost had you. My arm was around your neck, you were seconds away from tapping out when you went limp in my arms. It made me stagger forward. You used that momentum to flip me over. You pinned me down by my neck as you crawled on top of me. I tapped out, but you kept your grip on me as you showed me your teeth.” She pushes herself up to seem taller.
“Savage had to come over and force you to let me go,” Nessa screams. “It’s like you were making a show out of it, out of how much I was at your mercy.” She shakes her head, her voice growing weak as she continues.
“That bastard Lionel recorded it. Somehow my father ended up seeing the video. He called me that night.”
Tears glisten in her eyes. “He said he had never been so disappointed in me. He wanted to strip me of my right to the Reapers. He wanted to strip my right to my family's legacy.”
Nessa leans back on the wall, letting herself slide to the floor. Evie doesn’t move. She doesn’t give any indication that what Nessa said is affecting her at all. She just watches her patiently.
“He said if I didn’t prove myself, then I was done,” Nessa says after a few moments of silence. Tears still streaming down her face. ”I guess now, none of it matters anyway.”
“What did you plan to do when you came to my room?” Evie asks.
Nessa looks away while she answers. “I just planned to pin you down the same way you did to me.” She looks at the floor. “I wanted you to feel the fear I felt when you didn’t let go. I wanted you to know what it was like to feel helpless.”
Evie’s fists clench. “Do you think I felt powerful in that video? Do you think I don’t know what it’s like to feel helpless?” she snaps at her. “You have no idea what helplessness is. I didn’t let go because, for a moment, I thought you were someone who made me feel helpless. It’s no excuse for not honoring your tap-out, but that’s where I was coming from. It had nothing to do with you.” Her hands flex at her sides before she turns around and walks out the door, slamming it behind her.
Damien and I exchange a glance at each other, neither of us sure what to do. Before one of us can go after her, she swings the door open wide, having apparently memorized the code from before.
She marches up to Nessa with the promise of death in her eyes, and I fear we’re going to have to intervene to stop her from killing today. Evie picks her up from the ground under the arm, and slams her into the wall, putting them eye to eye. Nessa looks like she’s already accepted her fate and avoids making eye contact.
“I’m going to give you a choice,” Evie offers. “I understand that I didn’t honor your tap-out, and I understand that some of the men in our lives enjoy making us feel lesser. However, you need to understand that just because your feelings were hurt, does not mean you try to attack someone in their sleep.” Her chest is heaving with her breaths, but her eyes are focused and unwavering.
Nessa nods. “What’s the choice?”
Evie takes a step back, crossing her arms over her chest. “I think what you’ve endured so far is a decent enough punishment, but I want to know who you are. You can have a blow at me. I won’t try to try to stop you, I’ll even let you record it and send it to your dick of a father. But, after you get that hit, you leave. You’re done here.”
Nessa's eyes light up slightly at what she’s offering, but she’s a smart girl and remains right where she is. “And the other option?”
“The other option is that I’ll fight you here and now. I’ll honor the tap-out, if that happens, and you honor mine. It will be a fair fight. I won’t use any advanced techniques. I’ll only use what you’ve been taught in class. When the fight is over, no matter who the winner is, you can go back to your room and resume classes.”
Nessa’s eyes widen in shock at the same time my mouth drops. “What?” I ask, drawing their attention to me.
Evie gives me her back like she doesn’t plan to explain what she’s offering. The girl would have assaulted her in her sleep, and she’s just going to let her walk away after offering her a fair fight?
“Little Shadow,” Damien says, walking towards her, “she could try to get to you again. It’s not safe having her here.”
