Page 13

SASHAY-SHANTAY

SYDNEY

We got ushered into the next area so fast I almost forgot it was to be stripped and measured. Krista, however, did not forget , as evidenced by her squeals of excitement as they positioned each one of us on pedestals. A swarm of fucking designers and tailors in funky outfits descended on us like locusts, jabbering loudly to one another in small four person teams. I guess this is why there’s a lag between the rooms; they’re all beholden to these wacky humans and their pet supes figuring out how they want to dress us up for their rabid audience.

I despise this kind of foppery on principle—not that I’ve had much chance since the camps—but I hate it even more when I know it’s because we’re circus acts. My arms and legs are getting tired from being spread out like the Vitruvian man, and I have no intention of allowing anyone to put me in something with glitter.

Prison be damned, I’m not a fucking Barbie doll.

“You’ll have a competition uniform, of course. Then a selection of gear branded by your team with your name on them—school uniform, gym kit, sleepwear, casual wear, lounge wear, and the like. The only thing you’ll be measured for, but not given at first, is formal wear for events we throw throughout the run of the show. Those will be earned in various ways that the hosts will make everyone aware of. It might be through performance or grades, winning a mini-challenge, or even through votes and social media.”

I blink. What the hell? No one in the camps is allowed more than basic tech and it’s heavily curated, so social media is pretty much out. Unlike humans, we’re all basically fetuses when it comes to the whims of the populace living on the Internet now. “Social media?”

Thad snorts and the crew at his legs grumble about moving. He can’t help smirking at me and I know if I turn my head to look at Huck, he’ll be doing the same. I’m not good with actual people, much less hordes of dipshits online. This will be a disaster of epic proportions if they think I’m going to be able to schmooze donors or some shit.

“Why the derision, Thaddeus? It will be fun!”

Elias takes this one before my guys can. “Supes haven’t been permitted unfettered internet, much less social media, since the First Sweep, you twit. Do none of you lick-spittles have a clue about what these camps are and how we’re treated?”

“You’ve got hundreds of supes in every camp across the nation who don’t have a damn clue how to work shit online. We know the names of things the news here allows in reports—like TikTok—but we have not one single clue how to work it, nor do we have devices capable of it.” Rory looks like he’s going to burst into laughter again, and the vampire next to him simply appears disgusted.

I think that’s his natural state, though.

“None of you have… phones?” Our coordinator looks horrified and again, I want to bash her head into a wall. She’s acting as if smartphones are the most egregious thing people in Tempest Seven lack—what a goddamn moron.

“We have phones, darlin’, but nothing like we had before your demented leader went on an IRL Purge,” Huck says with a sneer. “Flip phones, if you’re lucky or know how to shake it with the right humans, and that’s about it.”

“But… but how do you know what’s going on? Who tells you what’s in style or what books to read?” The blond looks so confused I almost pity her, but if this cluelessness is indicative of how little education most of the humans in our country have, it explains a lot about why nothing has ever gotten better.

“For fuck’s sake,” Sebastian mutters. “They don’t know shit.”

“No duh,” I shoot back as my gaze narrows on Krista. “We only wear what they give us or someone makes. The second is infrequent because, again , you’d have to earn material to do so. We read whatever is in the school libraries, and yes, that’s one of our few ways to amuse ourselves. We’re prisoners , Krista. They treat us all like this, and supes like Dante worse. Get it through your thick skull.”

Her eyes widen and for a moment, I see a flicker of sorrow in them. It flitters away like confetti, though, and she pulls out her tablet to start making notes. I don’t blame her; it’s easier to swallow our condition if you distance yourself from it. “Okay, so we’ll need lessons on interacting with the public, both in person and online. We’ll need to requisition enough devices for all of you and then I’ll have to assist you with setup as a group.”

“How is everyone else doing this?” Thad looks at her curiously. “I’d think someone would have had to… order… that many smartphones or whatever before this sideshow got started.”

“I don’t know, honestly, but we’ve been told to fill out the forms for anything basic we need for our teams. This certainly falls under that, and I imagine the other coordinators are doing the same thing right now.”

That is, if any of their supes are brave enough to speak up or haven’t been booty calling for unregulated tech.

But I don’t say that because hell if I’m going to rat people desperate enough to pimp themselves for shit like Instagram. It’s not something I’d do, nor is it something I’d expect my friends to do, but everyone has their reasons. Sighing, I look down at the team moving around me in frustration. I don’t know why this is taking so long, but I’d really like some time away from this mountain of crap to decompress.

“Okay, gentleman!” Krista claps with a bright smile. “Thank you for your help, but the guards will lead you into the waiting room for the dorm tour now. Our tailors have to take measurements from Miss Sydney that are not meant for your eyes.”

Oh, double fuck me; I’m going to have to get naked in front of this bitch.

“Humiliating…. I just want to stab…”

My grumbles disappear into the loud chaos that is the waiting room for the supe teams who have tours next. Every other room so far has been one group at a time, but in their infinite wisdom, the organizers of this clown show have at least ten teams milling about in here under the watchful eyes of guards with those damn electrical prod sticks and their pet witches. A shiver of fear runs up my spine as I look around for Huck and Thad. The parallels to the human Holocaust are a boogeyman tale for all the children and teens gathered into the supe camps and have been since the First Sweeps.

If they’d execute millions of their own because of some charismatic psycho once, they’d do it to us in a heartbeat.

I let out a sigh of relief when I find them in a corner, grimacing as Stormbringer babbles, Elias glares at everyone, and the vampire leans against a wall with an annoyed expression. It could be worse, I suppose; my eyes dart around the room, clocking the vibe from the others parked here. While there are two or three bored looking teams that must have been fully formed before this, the rest of them all appear disjointed and restless. That bodes well for competition since not everyone is smart enough to grasp that fucking over your teammates will lead to losing or worse, death.

“Syd!” Thad waves me over when our eyes meet and I force my legs to propel me through the throng of people I don’t know.

The amount of bodies brushing mine and the noise make my skin crawl. It’s bringing me back to the round up where my dad died, and my chest constricts as anxiety spikes inside of me. I hate this weakness with a fierce passion and it’s why I avoid emotions that aren’t righteous fury. I don’t want to accept his death, nor how he died. No, I want it to fuel me so I never end up in that situation because of some misguided delusion that life is fair.

Fine, I’m irrevocably damaged. Sue me.

When I get to their spot, I glance at the new members of our team. Sebastian ignores me—a blessing, if you ask me—and Rory continues talking about his family’s downfall. From what I catch, they must have been as naive and gullible as my father. None of them were killed, but they were definitely stripped of money and titles, then imprisoned in camps across the country. Their family was some sort of mage royalty or something, so Rory is determined to restore their honor. He’s being far too open with the information, and I’m certain it will get him killed during this bullshit.

Turning my head to the dragon, I note that he’s staring at me as if he can hear my thoughts. I have no fucking clue if that’s one of the ‘dangerous’ powers his kind hold that lead him to be double imprisoned, so I sneer at him. His lips curve up just a hair and he sniffs the air delicately, then smirks at me.

Son of a bitch, he knows I was scared.

“When are we getting out of here?” I say as I pull my gaze from his to look at my friends. “I’m surprised they’re allowing us to… mingle… as it were.”

Huck chuckles and leans back in his chair, his legs sprawled out and his hat tipped back casually. “But we’re not, sweet pea. You’d think that would happen as we’re not the animals they make us out to be. Unfortunately, the desire to get the hell out of Dodge has everyone closing ranks.”

“It’s a social experiment,” Thad mutters. “They’re probably watching the film. It shows them their plan worked—the teams won’t band together to rise up against them because they’re so desperate to win.”

My nose wrinkles and I tilt my head at the bear. “That’s awfully cynical for you, buddy. Isn’t that my job?”

He snorts, shaking his head. “I try to be more positive to temper your rough edges, Syd. It doesn’t mean I don’t see all the bad crap going down here.”

Fair enough. I’m bitter enough for all three of us.

“Aw, isn’t that sweet?” Sebastian snarks from his corner. “He weawy wikes you.”

Before he can utter another word, I’m in his face with the tip of my knife barely protruding from my sleeve so no one can see it. His eyes widen and I give him a slow, satisfied smile. “Shut. Up. Traitor. I’ve had enough of your shit for today.”

“Damn, girl,” Rory whistles as his eyes burn into my back. “You got moves for someone who doesn’t have magic to throw around.”

Whipping around, I release the irritating vamp and stalk towards the flirty mage. “You should shut your yap, too. I don’t have nearly as developed hearing as most of the supes here and I heard you blabbing your shit from the doorway. Giving the enemy your pain is an amateur move.”

Elias snorts, his lips quirking up briefly. “She’s right, spellcaster. You’re both idiots. This set-up isn’t simply for the humans to watch us; it’s also to allow teams to note weaknesses of their competition. The two of you have been feeding them information the entire time while the bear and the demon simply sat back.”

I lean in, looking down at Rory when I’m close enough. “You need to learn when to shut the hell up, mage. Your mouth could get us killed.”

His brow arches and my stomach flutters when his smile gets wicked. “Who says any of that shit is true? I wasn’t dropped off the turnip truck yesterday, Vicious. If you think I’m not playing the angles at all times, you’re out of your pretty skull.”

Pulling back, I roll my eyes at the ceiling and rub the back of my neck. These fucking men are infuriating and I have no idea how the fuck I’m going to survive having to deal with five dudes who think they know better than me about everything. My hand slips over the tiny cut where the doc took the Marker out and I feel a spark of energy crawl over my fingers.

Oh, shit. Maybe he really did unbind my fucking powers.