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CHARLOTTE

“ K neel in a line in the center of the room. Hands on your thighs and heads down. We will wait to hear from The Master,” the big masked guy tells us.

He has big green eyes, and at one point I swear I caught a glimpse of his hair peek through, a really dark green.

We shuffle into line in order, and I drop to my knees into position.

As I swallow, I can taste the chocolate. It’s annoying because it’s really fucking good.

The silence is deafening apart from the girl to my left with her erratic breathing.

She needs to calm down before she has a panic attack.

Beside me, the blonde who’d earlier sized me up with disdain, snickers, her platinum hair catching the light. She has a slow, knowing smirk spread across her face; the sound of her quiet laughter echoes faintly in my ears.

“That was easy. I enjoyed it,” she whispers, and I cringe.

“What, you didn’t? You aren’t into kinky stuff, I take it?” she continues, and I squeeze my fists.

“Oh, whatever. I’m going to win these games, anyway.”

I roll my eyes, a silent expression of my disbelief.

I keep my head down as the manipulated voice comes from a speaker in the ceiling.

“What a group of good girls I have this year. I’ve started you off easy, haven’t I? That was almost a treat.”

He chuckles, and my skin crawls.

“Now, you all read the contracts. You know one of you has to go. Your time in Decadence is unfortunately over.”

I swallow the lump in my throat and close my eyes. I hope I did enough. I try not to think of Vlad and the things he does to me. But that bit of fury might come in useful.

“Contestant three. Please stand.”

A wave of dizziness washes over me as I push myself upright, my head bows low, my heart hammering in my chest.

“Congratulations. You have made it into the second room. Please let my men escort you to the door.”

I nod, feeling the guy’s surprisingly firm grip on my bicep as he stands next to me.

“What do you say to The Master?” he growls under his breath.

Boston. That’s the accent. I think.

“Thank you,” I almost whisper.

“Thank you, what?” the voice from above says.

I let out a breath.

“Thank you, sir.”

“Good job.”

I’m escorted to the door in front. He gets his keys on the chain of his pants and unlocks it. Okay, so my guard has a key. I’ll need those and his thumb.

“Find table three and sit,” he orders.

I wince at the thought. My ass stings like a bitch, I really don’t want to sit down.

As the door slams shut behind me, I look up straight into the camera. My eyes go wide. Almost like being caught snooping as a kid.

I rush over to the table and pull out a chair.

There’s three items.

A purple toy device, almost U-shaped with buttons. A sharp, pointed blade and a drawing. The entwined D’s, the same design on the raw iron gates as I arrived at the factory.

I tap my finger on the white, wooden desk, playing out different scenarios as I take the knife in my hand.

The guard assesses me, keeping his eyes neutral. I wonder what he’s thinking?

I could slit the guard’s throats and run. But that doesn’t help me or Isabella. I clench my fists as the door opens again. This time, three more girls are shoved through the door.

One nearly falls on her trembling legs.

“Get your hands off me,” the irritating blonde girl hisses.

I roll my eyes.

I can’t wait to see her lose. Spoiled brat.

They move silently to their desks. The nervous girl with the red hair looks to me, and her eyes water.

“It’s okay,” I mouth to her.

Although I don’t have a clue if it is or not.

As the door clicks shut, only four guards re-enter, meaning two are with the first losing contestant. I frown at the door.

They can’t be?—

The sound of a gunshot rips through the silence from the room in front of me, making my ears ring.

The girl beside me erupts into a fit of hysterical crying, her sobs echoing around us; it’s distracting. I keep my eyes fixed on my guard, squeezing my blade handle tighter.

Not even a flinch. Emotionless.

Psychotic.

Every hair on my body stands up. This truly is a game of survival.

Part of me believed it was bullshit to elicit fear. Yet, that gunshot confirms that is not the case.

That changes everything.

I cannot lose. There is no way I am dying before I get to The Master.