Page 6

Iris

“I t’s been too long. Maybe we should wake her?” I whispered, taking a look at our newest addition.

“The longer she sleeps, the better,” Eve said, crossing her arms and looking at the sleeping girl with a scowl.

It had been a few days since we were both forced into this small room. There had been others, but slowly our numbers dwindled until it was only us. The girl lying there on fluffy blankets was new to our group.

Eve might act harsh and unaffected, but she cared about each and every girl that came through here. I could tell from the color of her concern, painting the room in light orange as it floated off her.

“But maybe we can think of a way to escap?—“

“You know that’s not an option,” she hissed, giving me a look. “Just let her be blissfully unaware of our situation. I’d join her if I could.”

Never in my life had I felt such an insane need to escape. Even when Father had been forcing me into marriage. Even when the men he gave me to raised their hand to me. Even when Mother looked the other way.

All of that had been hard, but I could endure it. But this? Ever since I woke up in this room, I knew I had to run.

The room itself looked harmless enough. The walls might show exposed brick, but they were draped in beautiful tapestries, and the floor was covered in rugs made of a similar material. A large chandelier hung above us, its light reflecting off the fabrics.

Gorgeous. Expensive. I had seen enough material like it to last me a lifetime, all of it in my father’s pristine mansion.

But the emotions that had soaked into the fabric over time were enough to make my stomach twist.

Lingering emotions weren’t a constant thing. But when they did happen, they always gave me the chills. And since they had brought in another girl, I was getting more and more worried that our time would come soon.

“What if they come?—“

The new girl groaned and pushed herself up from the bed. Both Eve and I paused to look at her.

“I’m awake, Jesus H. Chri?—“

When her eyes popped open to look at us, they went wide, and she stopped speaking. She took in our matching slips, the high beds, and the expensive drapery before her eyes wandered back to us.

The emotions were just pouring out of her.

Orange and yellow.

Orange for alarm. Yellow for curiosity… But there was no hint of fear.

Yet.

“Are you okay?” I asked hesitantly.

“I’m… as good as I could be after getting kidnapped,” she replied almost casually.

Eve threw her head back with a loud laugh.

Eve’s blue hair shimmered in the light, a playful light yellow dying the emotions that swirled around her as she moved. When she wiped the fake tears from her eyes, she gave the new girl a smirk.

“At least your brain’s working,” she commented before nudging me with her elbow. “This is Iris. I’m Eve. There are a few other girls, but it’s been a while since we’ve seen them. I assume they’re dead.”

“Eve! ” I hissed.

My eyes shot toward the girl, partly wondering why and partly concerned when there was still no fear in her emotions. Just like Eve, she seemed somehow well suited for this type of environment.

I, on the other hand, had been a ball of nerves since I arrived here.

“I’m Mia, by the way,” she said, a forced smile gracing her face.

I gave her a small nod before glaring at Eve.

“We don’t know what happened to them, but you shouldn’t scare her,” I muttered.

We could guess, and I was sure our guesses were pretty accurate with the information we gleaned over the time we had been here, but there was no need to cause undue stress on someone who had just woken up in literal hell.

“Can’t you tell if she is or not?” Eve asked, giving me a look.

“I’m not that good of an actor,” Mia said with a small laugh, her hand coming to tug at her hair. “I’m still trying to digest everything, so I’m not sure my mind knows how to be anything but confused right now.”

Eve sat up straight, giving Mia a devilish smile.

“No, that’s her thing,” she explained. “She can see it, can’t you, little mouse?”

Fuck. I hated when she called me that. The men my father made me see would often call me something similar, but the way she said it felt more like an insult than anything else.

“Don’t call me that,” I ordered.

“See what?” Mia asked, desperation slipping into her voice. “Please. I’m losing it here.”

I pursed my lips, not sure how much I’d like to share.

I had never shared what I could see before, but as soon as Eve saw me interact with the previous girls, she somehow knew.

“I can read emotions,” I said after a moment. “ See them. Kinda like an aura.” Sometimes feel them too, if they were overpowering enough, but that I would keep

to myself.

She swallowed thickly, a deep purple sprouting from her. Fear.

Damn. We were so close.

“So, what can you… see?”

My eyes shifted to look down at my hands.

“You’re confused. It’s frustrating you. You weren’t scared… until I told you about my gift. Sorry.”

Guilt gnawed at me. If it hadn’t been for me, she might have been able to stay in her non-frightened bubble a bit longer.

“It’s not you. It’s just this whole situation?—“

“It’s okay, I was freaked out about it too,” Eve said, cutting her off. “I don’t like people seeing into me like that. Which brings me to you. What can you do? Read minds? Fly? Teleport?”

I looked up at Mia slowly. The fear was still in her aura.

“What do you mean?” she asked.

“It took a lot of talking, but we figured it out between us and the few that came before you. We all have something. Iris is auras. I can tell when someone lies. And you?”

She stilled as panic rose in her. Bursts of oranges and purples mixed together. The swirls were so violent I worried for her sanity.

“She’s having a breakdown,” I said, sitting up straight.

“ No, ” she said quickly. There was something in her aura. A flicker of deep orange, but then it was gone. “It’s just… She called me a spirit seer.”

What was that? I blinked, trying to clear the swirl of colors in my vision, but it didn’t help.

Eve relaxed by me, an easy smile spreading across her face. “Well, then maybe you can spot the one that comes into our room to deliver food.“

I couldn’t look at Mia. She was hiding something. Something I wasn’t sure would hurt or help us.

“Food?” she asked when no one spoke. “How long have you been here?”

“Almost a week,” Eve said. “Iris is on day three.”

I only had a moment to clamp down my own emotions before I was attacked with ones that caused my stomach to twist. We all turned to the door as it was forced open.

The room was bathed in darkness as it got closer, rendering me speechless.

Fear gnawed at my insides and closed my throat.

“Oh, it’s the food,” Eve commented as if it were just a normal thing. “Don’t try to run. That’s how the last one disappeared.”

I turned to stare at my hands, trying to push away the onslaught of fear those emotions brought me. Whatever it was, it wasn’t human. Their aura was sticky, and even though most of the auras never carried feelings, this one felt so heavy it threatened to suffocate me.

“So… did you see it?” Eve asked Mia.

My eyes wandered to the newest recruit.

“That wasn’t a ghost,” she murmured. “Whatever it was…”

She shuddered, unable to continue.

“It’s angry and in pain,” I whispered. “Maybe another type of demon?”

Eve shook her head. “If that was the case, we would see it.”

I shut my mouth, unable to add anything else to the conversations. I just hoped those emotions wouldn’t follow me into my dreams.