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I squeezed her hand. “It’s rigged, we know that.”
“Fucking bullshit,” she said again, her grip on my fingers crushing.
The Seekers were looking worse for wear as they climbed up onto the stage. But still, they cheered. They cheered with the blood of multiples on their hands. Smiled with the weight of the dead on their shoulders.
The Ghost looked better than the others, but hadn’t escaped unscathed. She had a split lip and was holding her arm, which looked to be dislocated, but she was alive. And that was more than many of the other Ghosts could have dreamed of.
Vic practically vibrated with anger beside me.
The once-excited crowd was subdued—getting a taste of the games would do that to the players. I didn’t doubt that they’d be reliving this night for years to come. And not as the dream that our parents and the media made it out to be.
As a nightmare.
Many thought this would be easy, that they would come out of the games unscathed—but the silence surrounding us told me just how wrong they’d been.
“They were going afterSeekers,” Vic said, her voice dropping low. “You see the scores? The next highest is nearly half what theirs are.”
I did already notice, though I’d tried not to. Really, what I wanted was to go home and wash all the dry, sticky blood off my body.
I’d been one of the stupid fucks who was cocky enough to think that my soul would stay intact after I left the arena, and now I was paying the price.Sort of.
“Can I come over after this?” I asked, looking down at her. “There’s the survivor’s party tonight… but I’d like some time to decompress,” I swallowed hard. “With you, if you’re comfortable.”
Vic looked up at me and turned her mask to the side so I could get a better look at the smile splitting her muddy face.
“How many times did we fuck each other in front of millions of people tonight?” she asked. “You really going to be shy now, kitten?”
My face flushed, and I had to clear my throat before continuing.
“I meant everything I said,” I whispered. “You’re my wholeworld, Vic. I’m just making sure I’m not stepping over any boundaries.”
“Are you mad at me?” she asked. “After knowing everything I did to try and get back at your dad?”
“Never,” I said, shaking my head. “He deserves everything that he’s gonna get and more. My only regret is that I couldn’t help sooner.”
She took her mask off fully, tilting her head to the side so that her teal hair shifted behind her. “I haven’t cleaned up… not that there is much to clean up,” she said. “But I’d love for you to come home with me. If you don’t mind a very icy shower.”
My entire body seemed to relax at her words. Someday I’d have to face my empty house, my brother’s body bag waiting for me on the doorstep… but that could wait for another time.
“I’m sure I can think of a way to warm us up,” I hedged.
Vic laughed. “Let’s get the fuck out of here, I’m sick of looking at these losers.”
“Okay.”
She tugged my hand, leading me toward the exit where the final stretch of our games waited.
The press line.
The “winners” got there first, the remaining players slowly making their way to the doors themselves.
I couldn’t help but tense as we got into closer proximity with each other. It was only a couple of hours ago that they were trying to kill us.
That I was trying to kill them.
Out of all the stages of the Devil’s Playground, this had to be my least favorite.
“Ready?” I asked Vic, planting my feet just out of view.
