Page 22

Bex

My head throbbed, a dull, persistent ache behind my eyes as a small army of stylists descended on me the moment we arrived. I barely registered their voices as they scrubbed away the blood from my skin, bathed me in scented water that stung the cuts on my skin, and wrapped me in silks and gauze and glittering jewels. Their hands worked quickly, painting my face in soft, practiced strokes, dabbing away the evidence of exhaustion until I looked like someone who belonged here. Someone Praxis would be proud to display.

I hated it.

Worse than the ache in my head, worse than the raw throb of my temple where dried blood had been carefully wiped away, was the knot in my chest. The ache of absence. I’d been whisked away from my partners the second we arrived, led down a different hall while the others were taken to their own stylists, their own cages to be polished and prepped for the show .

My partners.

The words echoed in my head. Maybe it was selfish to think of them that way, but I did. Zaffir, with his soft heart and haunted eyes. Ezra, steady and fierce. Briar’s protection, Thorne’s humor. They were mine, and I was theirs. At least I felt like they were.

I startled when Zaffir appeared beside me, offering a glass filled with something thick and vaguely green. “It’ll settle your stomach,” he murmured, his voice rough around the edges but gentle. “And keep you on your feet.”

I took it without question, downing half before I could think about the taste. Whatever it was, it worked. The spinning slowed, the edges of my vision steadied. I shot him a grateful look as Nova finished smudging black smoke around my eyes and brushing shimmer across my lips.

Then she stepped aside, letting me face the mirror.

I groaned softly. It wasn’t bad, the makeup was the familiar dark palette of the Collectives, but the rest of it…felt distinctly Praxis. The dress clung to me like liquid night, black beads and tiny jewels stitched into the corset bodice. It shimmered in the light, every movement sending a ripple of reflected color across the fabric. The neckline plunged deeper than necessary, the train of it trailing behind me.

It was stunning. And it would have fed my family for a year.

“Don’t look so glum, girl,” Nova said, tossing a glance my way as she dabbed powder along my jawline. “You’re a fan favorite. That’s something to be proud of.”

I met her eyes in the mirror, wishing I could find the words to explain just how hollow that title felt. How little pride I felt for the things I’d had to do just to survive.

“Yeah,” I said flatly, the word sitting heavy in my mouth.

She looked at me a moment longer, her sharp gaze softening just slightly, like a crack in armor. Then she turned back to the vanity, adjusting a gold pin in her hair.

“I’m glad you didn’t die in the canals,” she said, her voice almost offhand—like she was commenting on the weather—but the words carried a note of hesitation. A flicker of worry she hadn’t meant to reveal. It was the first real glimmer of humanity I’d seen in her.

“Thank you,” I replied, and to my own surprise, I meant it.

I forced myself to stand as a girl in a pale silver pantsuit appeared at my side, headset snug against her head, a clipboard in her arms. She smiled, professional and a little too rehearsed.

“You ready?” she asked.

I didn’t answer. Didn’t need to. She was already steering me down a long, winding hallway.

“Good luck,” Nova called after me. And I hated that I almost missed her presence as I was led away. She was a horrible woman with annoying tendencies, but at least I knew what to expect when she was around.

“You’re going out first,” the young girl said lightly.

“What about the others?” My voice came out rough, hoarse from disuse.

“They’ll follow after,” she replied with a dismissive wave.

“But–”

I didn’t get to finish the thought. A roar of sound cut through the corridor, the distant thrum of the crowd filtering through the studio walls. It was dizzying. My stomach flipped, bile clawing its way up my throat.

“And what a day it’s been!” Annalese’s voice boomed over the speakers. “Three Challengers perished during today’s trial, and three visitors as well, making this the deadliest single trial in Reclamation Run history!”

The crowd erupted in cheers. Cheers. Over death .

I gripped my stomach, the bile burning its way higher, but I swallowed it down.

“And we are all thrilled to announce,” Annalese cooed, “that we have a special guest in the studio with us tonight. You’ve asked for it, you’ve begged for it, we’ve seen the threads, the posts, the cries for more! So please, help me welcome, from Canyon Collective, Brexlyn Hollis!”

The door to the stage slid open.

The bright lights blinded me for a moment, as they warmed my face. The crowd was packed, bodies packed shoulder to shoulder, faces alight with feverish excitement. I froze, just for a breath. My heart was pounding so hard it filled my ears, drowning out the cheers.

Then I stepped forward.

Annalese bounced toward me, practically glowing beneath the harsh studio lights. Her golden jumpsuit clung to her like a second skin. She looked like a living trophy.

Before I could brace myself, she linked her arm through mine, her manicured nails cool against my skin. The contact made me tense, but I forced my face into something resembling a smile as she led me toward a long, gleaming couch that looked more like a prop than an actual piece of furniture. I sank down onto the plush cushions, my body heavy, aching. Annalese slid gracefully into a rounded chair opposite me, crossing one glittering leg over the other.

The crowd still hadn’t quieted. They screamed, chanted my name like it belonged to them now.

“Brex-lyn! Brex-lyn!”

It made my skin crawl.

I didn’t belong here. I wanted to run, to disappear into the shadows.

My gaze found the cameras, unblinking, predatory things trained on me from every angle. And behind one of them stood Zaffir. He didn’t smile, but he met my eyes and gave me a sharp, quick nod. A reminder. Steady yourself. Play the part. Survive.

Annalese beamed at the crowd and then turned her weaponized charm on me.

“Brexlyn,” she purred, “I know I speak for most of Nexum when I say you’ve quickly become one of our absolute favorite Challengers in Reclamation Run history, isn’t that right?” She gestured to the crowd, and they roared their approval like obedient dogs.

I managed a soft, “Thank you all,” though it barely carried over the noise.

Annalese didn’t miss a beat. “From the moment we first met you, saying goodbye to your best friend and little brother,” she reminded them, voice syrupy sweet. The crowd responded on cue with a collective, sentimental awww . “And vowing to win the medical trials for him. We were all so touched.”

I swallowed the knot in my throat. “I love them,” I said, voice steady even as my stomach twisted. “I’d do anything for those two.”

Annalese clapped her hands together like a delighted child. “And you’ve shown that to us, trial after brutal trial. You and your fellow Canyon Challenger have already outperformed anyone from Canyon in over a decade. Tell me, how does it feel to carry your Collective’s hopes like this?”

I hesitated, turning the words over in my head before choosing the truth. “It feels like it’s still not enough.”

The room shifted. The crowd quieted just enough for the tension to settle. Annalese blinked, a flicker of unease beneath her perfect exterior. “How so?” she asked, the question light but laced with warning.

I dropped my voice to a whisper. “Because no matter how well we do this year. We’ll be right back at zero in twelve months.”

For a split second, I saw it, the flash of irritation in her eyes. And then it was gone, replaced by a dazzling smile.

“But what a beautiful year it’ll be,” she crooned, “because of you!”

The crowd erupted again, and I caught Zaffir’s subtle shake of his head. Careful, his look warned.

Annalese forged ahead, perfectly unshaken. “Now, Brexlyn, there are twelve Challengers remaining. How do you think you fare for the medical trial?”

Twelve. That meant eight people–innocent people–have already lost their lives in pursuit of Reclamation.

I straightened my shoulders, forcing resolve into my voice. “I think I have a team behind me that’s going to help me save my brother’s life. And that means everything.”

That, apparently, was the right answer.

Annalese beamed, her expression alight like I’d finally delivered the line she’d been waiting for all along. A puppet hitting its mark. “Beautifully said,” she praised, her voice smooth as glass. Then her smile sharpened, too bright. “Speaking of your brother… Praxis has a little surprise for you.”

My stomach dropped, my pulse stuttering. Hope and dread twisted together, rising thick in my throat. I forced myself to keep my expression neutral, but inside I was already bracing for a blow I couldn’t predict. If he was here…if they did something to him. What twisted game was Praxis going to play?

The screen behind Annalese flickered to life. At first it was just static.

And then two faces.

Faces so familiar, so achingly perfect and heartbreakingly far away that the breath caught in my chest. My eyes burned as tears blurred my vision.

“Jax?” I whispered, my voice cracking like glass underfoot. “Ava!”

“Bex!” Jax’s face lit up, his eyes going wide as he recognized me. “I can see you!”

I felt the tears spill over as I pressed my hand to my mouth, trying to trap the sob that threatened to escape. “I can see you too, sprout,” I choked. “Oh God, Jax… it’s really you.”

He grinned, but it was a little too stiff, a little too rehearsed, and I saw it, the tightness around his mouth, the way his shoulders didn’t move when he spoke.

“Hi, Bex,” Ava added her soft eyes meeting mine, with something that looked like guilt.

“How are you both?” I asked quickly.

“I’m okay,” Jax said, because of course he would, he was never one to admit his pain, even to me.

“We miss you,” Ava added.

“I’m so sorry I’m not there with you.”

“It’s okay,” he cut in quickly. “Ava’s pretty cool.”

Ava smiled, but it didn’t quite reach her eyes as she playfully rubbed her knuckles on top of his head. He chuckled and swatted her hand away. My heart constricted at the ease the two of them shared. I loved them so much.

I didn’t give a damn that the entire arena was watching, that my mic was live, that my face was undoubtedly plastered across every screen in the Collectives and in Praxis itself. None of it mattered.

“And you,” I pressed, desperate, my voice lowering as if that could protect him. “Your legs? Are they- ?”

He shrugged, a gesture so familiar it hurt. “Eh.” That tiny wince in his expression undid me. I knew what that meant. I knew he was lying through his teeth for my sake .

“I miss you, sprout,” I whispered. “I miss both of you.”

“We miss you too,” Jax grinned, that same crooked smile he used to give me when he knew he wasn’t fooling anyone. “But you’re kind of kicking ass, so… that’s pretty cool.”

The audience laughed. I barely registered it.

“Hey, watch your language, sprout,” I teased through tears.

Annalese’s voice cut through, slicing the moment clean. “Your sister has been doing some truly extraordinary things out here, Jax,” she purred. “How’s Canyon reacting to her success?”

Jax’s gaze darted up to Ava, a silent exchange. He swallowed. “People are real proud. They… they keep saying you guys might finally make a difference. Ava says you might be the one who changes everything.”

The words should’ve filled me with pride. Should’ve felt like a rallying cry. But they just made my throat tighten. Because deep down, I knew. No matter what I did here, no matter how hard I fought, it wouldn’t be enough. Praxis didn’t play fair. Praxis didn’t lose.

And Jax… Jax was going to suffer for it.

“Ava, do you have anything to say to Brexlyn?” Annalese prompted. And Ava’s mouth opened before she pulled it shut again. Sighing, her eyes filled with unshed tears.

“Ava?” I asked, leaning forward as if she were really in front of me.

“It’s not fair,” she whispered.

“I know,” I responded quietly. “But I’m trying to do what you told me to. To come back home to you guys. In one piece.”

She nodded, tears slipping down her cheeks. “I really do believe you can do what no one else ever has. What Canyon, and all of Nexum has been waiting for. ”

I narrowed my eyes. What was she talking about?

“We’ll need to end the call here shortly,” Annalese announced, chipper and heartless. “Is there anything else you’d like to say to your sister, Jax?”

He didn’t hesitate.

“I love you,” he said softly.

I swallowed the lump in my throat, nodding. “I love you too, sprout. I’ll see you both soon. I promise.”

“May the stars shine on you, Brexlyn Hollis,” Ava whispered through her tears, echoing her words from the vote.

Then the screen blinked to black.

And the cold hit me instantly. Like someone had doused a fire inside me, leaving only ash and empty air. The crowd roared their approval, but it felt distant.

“What a heartfelt reunion,” Annalese cooed, turning toward me with a grin sharp enough to cut. “Brexlyn, tell us, how did it feel, seeing your brother again?”

I forced myself to clear my throat, dragging the sleeve of my jacket across my damp cheeks. “Too good to be true,” I managed.

“And Praxis made that happen for you!” she chirped, all faux warmth.

I met her gaze then, steady and sharp.

“Now that you’ve seen him…” Annalese leaned in, her voice dropping like she was letting me in on a secret, though the whole world was watching. “Has your focus been renewed?”

I exhaled slowly. “Yeah. It has.”