Page 31 of Cursed

“Still, what? Still free?” she asks in a hushed tone. “What happened to you?”

I can’t help but let a hollow laugh escape me. “Let’s say I learned some things about myself tonight that I’m not entirely comfortable with.”

I avoid her gaze, subconsciously rubbing at my wrists where the restraints bit into my skin. The marks are visible—red and angry.

“Have you seen Cora?” Mira asks, her tone urgent.

I feel my expression change before I can control it. The memory of what I witnessed earlier surfaces, uncomfortable and vivid. I glance away, then back at her, uncertain how much to reveal.

“Sadie, please. She’s my best friend. I need to know if she’s okay.”

“I...” I start, then stop, my fingers nervously picking at the torn fabric of my dress. How do I explain what I saw? “I saw something, but I don’t know if telling you will help or make things worse for everyone involved.”

“What did you see?” Mira presses.

I look away, unable to meet her eyes as I remember the scene.

“I saw her,” I whisper, my voice barely audible. “About an hour ago, maybe less. She was... There were three men.”

Mira’s face pales. “I saw them on the screens... Is she okay?”

“They had her in one of the larger chambers. The kind with the fancy furniture and...” My voice breaks slightly as the memory resurfaces. “They were all over her. Taking turns.”

“Was she fighting them? Was she hurt?” Mira asks, her voice tight with concern.

“That’s just it.” I finally meet her eyes, trying to convey the complexity of what I witnessed. “I couldn’t tell. She was making noise, but... some of it sounded like she was enjoying it, and other times she seemed maybe overwhelmed.”

Mira’s grip tightens on my arm, urgency in her touch. “Where? Where did you see this?”

“Two levels down, east wing. But Mira, wait—” I catch her wrist as she starts to move. “It gets worse. I heard the men talking beforehand.”

“Talking about what?”

My stomach twists as I recall their conversation. “They mentioned her father, Mayor Pike, and mentioned holding him accountable for the damage he caused to their businesses and reputations. They weren’t random hunters, Mira. They specifically targeted her.”

Mira looks stunned, realization dawning on her face. “They’re using her for revenge.”

“That’s what it sounded like. And the worst part?” I lower my voice further. “I think she’s starting to figure it out, but she’s so deep in whatever headspace they’ve put her in that she can’t seem to process it properly.”

Mira leans against the wall, her expression sick with worry. I can see the guilt forming on her face, as though she’s somehow responsible.

“This whole thing is so fucked up,” I say quietly, the words spilling out. “All of it. The way they hunt us like animals, the way our bodies respond even when our minds are screaming no, the way they make us complicit in our own...” I trail off, unable to finish the thought.

“I have to find her,” Mira says, pushing away from the wall.

“Mira, no. You can’t save her. Not from this.” The certainty in my voice comes from my own recent experience.

“I know,” she whispers.

We’re all trapped by our own choices, by the contracts we signed, by the doors we willingly walked through.

“We all signed up for this,” Mira says, seemingly more to herself than to me. “Each of us walked through those doors knowing what could happen.”

I nod, the irony not lost on me. “But knowing and understanding are two different things. I thought I was smart enough to handle whatever they threw at us. I thought I could outthink them, use my tech skills to find advantages.”

I gesture to my torn dress and the marks on my arms. “Turns out being hunted isn’t something you can hack your way out of.”

“They don’t just want our bodies,” Mira says. “They want our minds too and to make us complicit.”