Page 47 of Wonder

At the words that fill the space around us – at one word in particular - my body goes cold. My head snaps toward Kayden, but he’s staring straight ahead, not looking at me. “It’ll be fine. Focus.”

But his shoulders are tense, the thick bands of muscle lifted up in a way that only happens when my twin is lying through his teeth.

A fuckingrace.

Swallowing, I concentrate on Red’s words. The bitch is enjoying this. I can tell by the tone of her voice. Although… there’s something off there too, something I can’t put my finger on.

Her melodic, deceptively sweet tone has us all frozen in place. “Our investors wish to select their preferred candidate for Wonderland. The caucus race will separate the strong from the weak. Identify which candidates may be at an advantage in these games… and those who may be otherwiselackingin the qualities required to succeed.”

Bitch.

I bare my teeth as if she might see, as if she might even bother to notice. But Red hasn’t truly looked in my direction for a long time.

She found me interesting enough, once. Even more so, once she realized I had a twin she could hold over my head. A twin who would do whatever the hell she wanted, whatever twisted task she asked of him, as long as it kept me out of a place like this.

She had a lot of fun testing his limits, before she became bored.

And none of it fucking mattered in the end. Both of us are here anyway, living out our final hellish hours under her gaze, part of her sadistic little set-up when we always swore we’d get away.

We swore we’d be free of her.

We should have known better.

And now—

I stare down at Kayden’s leg, as if I might be able to see the scarred, twisted skin that remains there all these years later as Red continues with her fucked-up instructions.

“The rules of the caucus race are simple enough. Yourun. You run, until you’re told to stop. Should you stop without being told, a penalty will need to be paid.”

Murmurs from the end of our line. I crane my head, taking in the girl. She shakes her head, an irritated look on her face as she argues with Buck and he holds his hands up, taking a step back.

Then I wrench my head back to Kayden. “Just take it slow.”

A muscle tics in his jaw. He turns to me, finally, and there’s nothing but anger in his face. And none of it’s for me, even though it fucking should be. “I’ll be fine, Aid. But you don’t stop. Not for me. Not for anything.”

“Sure.” I slide my hands into the pockets of my black trousers, tilting back on my feet. My words would be almost mocking, ifthey weren’t so fucking desperate. “Whatever you say. I’ll run like the damn wind, straight past you. I’ll try not to slip in the blood from the fucking bullet they put in your back. Don’t be such a self-sacrificing asshole.”

“I swear to god—,”

I take a step closer. “Youstop,Istop. So don’t youfucking stop. You understand me?”

The mask he prefers to wear slips a little. “I need you to promise me you’ll keep running.”

My hand reaches up, grips his shoulder. I squeeze it tightly. “If I promise you that, you won’t make it out. This way, you’ll keep running, you stubborn bastard.”

He’ll keep running, pushing through the pain until the old injury in his knee takes him out. And there’s fuck all either of us can do about it.

We don’t bother with goodbyes. Kayden has no patience for them and I don’t have the words to voice them, to give voice to the emotion that grips my throat with icy claws as we take our positions back on those checkered black and white squares.

Don’t leave me.

I can’t do this without you.

It tangles up in my chest, tightening and squeezing as we wait.

“Slowly,” I force out. “We don’t know how long this will last.”

Kayden only gives me a long suffering,no shitlook instead of responding. It’s a familiar one, and my chest spasms again.