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“I got it,” Nat said, putting her mask back on. She rose her arm and shot out her power, turning the thing into pure stone.

A breath of relief rushed out of me. “Thank you,” I said.

“No sweat,” she replied, shrugging.

Fuck, that was close.

We headed out, and I placed my mask back on, tying it tightly behind my head.

My body felt bruised and sore with every step.

Dex walked ahead of us with a new torch he’d made after the last one burned out, and we followed behind.

He’d chosen to go to the right and really either way felt uncertain, so we hoped it was the correct choice.

This tunnel that we found ourselves in was wide and made of even more bones. Moisture dripped from above splashing every now and then on the stone floor. At least it wasn’t acid, which I found out when it dripped right on my head, making me panic for a moment, before I realized I was fine.

“So, you and Dex seemed awfully cozy last night,” Nat said, walking next to me.

She’d cleaned off the gash above her mask and now the area had dried in a jagged looking gouge. It was deep and probably could use some stitches.

“I wouldn’t say cozy.”

“It looked pretty cozy from where I was sitting.”

“Well, tell that to the crick in my neck that I woke up with,”

Nat gave a quiet, half-hearted laugh. “I’m only asking because that ring on your finger seems pretty important.”

I sighed, “It is.”

“So—”

“So, I’m just trying to get through these games alive,” My tone was defensive and clipped.

Nat had hit a nerve because if the situation were reversed, and Theo had been the one to be summoned, I wouldn’t be okay with him getting cozy with a fellow contestant.

But then he hadn’t even come to say goodbye to me.

I would have shown up for him. And I couldn’t help but remember all the times he had tried to keep me in my place.

Small and obedient. Like a good little wife in training.

I was tired of being what everyone else expected of me.

I was tired of living small. I wanted to experience life to the fullest, especially after being threatened with my own mortality.

But was that enough of an excuse for my behavior?

I didn’t know the answer and I was all twisted up inside about it.

But down here it was a different world. Where the rules that usually applied to everyday life were thrown into a wood chipper.

When the god of death’s game was breathing down your neck, threatening to end your very life at a moment’s notice, you learned to take stock of the things you’d always thought you’d known as fact.

“Did you end up with the power you wanted?” Nat asked changing the subject.

“No,” I said with a sigh. Nat looked over at me, tilting her head. “I wanted The Healer, actually.”

“No way, that one’s like a death sentence.”

“I know, but it was the one that I could use to save my maman. She’s been sick for a long time, and we don’t know how much time she has left. What about you?”

“Oh, yeah. I debated between this one and strength but turning things to stone is much cooler.”

“Definitely,” I agreed.

“So— up there. What were you doing before this?” Nat asked.

“Studying. I was a week away from my finals. You?”

“Baking. I was a baker.”

“Really?”

“What?”

“I just wouldn’t have pegged you as a baker. You seem so— formidable.”

She laughed then, “And bakers can’t be formidable?”

“I guess they can.”

“Do you have a favorite thing you like to bake?” I asked after a minute.

“Wedding cakes. Some people come in with the most outlandish and creative ideas. Things that would seem impossible, and it’s my job to make their wishes come true.”

“Like a genie.”

“Yeah.” Her mouth quirked up in a half smile. “I guess so.”

“What are you two talking about back there?” Dex asked, turning his head partly to look back at us.

“Your annoying tight ass,” Nat quipped back making a smile tug at my lips.

“Oh, is that right?”

“Yep. We agree. It’s annoying as hell,” I said.

He hung back, waiting for us to catch up.

“We were talking about wedding cakes,” Nat said.

Dex gave me a look that was conflicted, and I realized he maybe thought I was talking about mine.

“Nat’s a baker. She likes designing wedding cakes,” I said. “We were talking about what we were doing. You know before this,” I felt like I was talking nervously, rambling. “What about you? What were you doing, before the summons?”

Dex’s jaw flexed and he raised the torch a little higher as he stared off ahead. The shadows from the flame licked at his face, dancing across the gold-plated mask he wore.

“I was?—”

“Wait. Do you hear that?” Nat asked in a hushed tone.

I strained my ears to hear whatever it was that had spooked Nat. At first, I didn’t hear anything but our own footsteps. But then a soft crackling came from up ahead and a dim pulsating light began to grow brighter.

Flames.

Dex grabbed me by my wrist and pulled me back towards the way we had come. The other team was fast approaching, and it seemed The Pyro was still alive, and headed right in our direction.

The tunnel quickly became hot with the flames as we ran right into three contestants that were ready and waiting for us. Trapping us between them and a wall of fire.