Selena
“Ergh, just my luck for it to be you here,” Kite snarled as she stepped into the cave.
My hackles rose and I felt instinctively protective of the safe space I'd found. Behind her, was a girl with mousy brown hair and an equally mousy face. Her wide, hazel eyes and small, button nose gave her the appearance of a creature stuck in the headlights of an oncoming car. Her dress was a dark grey, unlike the navy blue of Kite's. It occurred to me that it was an unfair advantage for us to be wearing darker colours, whilst other girls attempted to hide the bright dresses they'd been given to wear.
Kite had her stake clamped in her hand and blue blood, so dark it was almost black, dripped from it in thick globs.
“Did you kill one of them?” I gasped as the girls moved closer, dropping down in front of the dying embers of my fire without a word.
I got to my feet, feeling anxious to leave the cave in case they had led one of the Vs here.
“Yeah. It's not that hard.” Kite shrugged and the other girl shifted closer to her.
“What's your name?” I addressed the stranger.
“Tiffany,” she replied in a small voice. “Kite saved me.”
“I wouldn't call it that,” Kite snipped. “That V came at both of us. I was saving myself.”
“Still...” Tiffany took her stake from her bag, chucking it onto the fire. “I couldn't do it.”
“Idiot,” Kite muttered, but spared no time in stoking the fire with the toe of her boot. She turned to me with a smirk that skewed her pretty features. “Why are you still hanging around on this corner of the island anyway?”
“I just thought...” I couldn't finish my sentence, not wanting to admit the truth. I dropped down across from them as the heat of the fire tempted me in.
Kite's smile grew. “You thought the other girls would draw the Vampires away so you could take a safe stroll to the checkpoint.” I scowled at her and she tapped her temple with a satisfied smile. “Great minds think alike.”
My morals were thoroughly shaken by her words. I didn't want to admit that that was why I was holing up here a little longer than I should have.
The wind picked up outside, drawing the smoke out so it filtered into the sky.
I held my hands above the fire, warming my numb fingers. Tiffany played with the cuff on her wrist, twisting and turning the hologram of the map that was projected above it.
Kite glanced at it. “We should move soon.”
“We have hours,” Tiffany insisted.
“The quicker we get there, the sooner we're safe,” Kite snapped and I couldn't help but agree.
“As soon as the fire burns down, we'll go,” Tiffany said and we nodded our agreement.
Having Kite as an ally didn't appeal to me one bit. But if she'd killed a V already, perhaps she was useful to have around. Her fight wasn't with me any more, but that didn't mean I wouldn't stop watching my back around her.
The wind howled beyond the cave, loud enough to be heard over the streaming river.
My stomach grumbled loudly and Kite rolled her eyes. “Hungry, puppy?”
I ignored her, taking out one of the energy bars from my bag. It was wrapped in black paper with a large H printed on it. The hard oat bar inside didn't look particularly appealing, but I was too hungry to complain, wolfing it down in two bites.
As the fire flickered out, I tried to prepare myself mentally for moving beyond the cave. Already, it had become a sanctuary of sorts and my instincts urged me to stay there. But Kite was right, the sooner we got to the lighthouse, the better. I just hoped Cass had the same idea. I prayed she was still alive, making her way to safety as quickly as she could.
As we readied to leave, I stamped out the remains of the fire and slung my pack over my shoulders, pulling my ebony robe over it.
“A black dress seems like the best deal,” Kite muttered, eyeing my clothes. “I reckon someone likes you back at the castle.”
I spat a laugh, going to reply when a voice stopped me dead.
“Three little piggies, standing in a cave. Three little piggies, thought they would be safe.”
I snapped around to face the smiling Vampire in the cave entrance. He had a mop of grizzly dark hair that hung lankly around his gaunt face. His bright blue eyes were sunken and bloodshot and his lips were drawn back to reveal reddened gums and sharp yellow teeth.
My heart stumbled as I gazed at him, none of us making a move.
He breathed in deeply, his nostrils flaring, his eyes landing on me. “My, my, something smells good in here.”
“Go,” Kite hissed, but I was frozen to the spot.
She readied herself in a fighting stance, grinning back at the V. “Come and get your cut of bacon, then.”
My hands trembled as I prepared to run. Tiffany was twitching with how much she was shaking, clinging to Kite's side like a monkey to its mother.
The V lunged at us in a blur of movement and Kite moved almost as fast, shoving Tiffany into his outstretched arms.
A scream tore from her throat that sliced to my core. I cried out in horror as Kite darted past me, fleeing from the cave.
Tiffany was dragged to the ground in a swirl of grey material and blood splattered across the wall.
There was nothing I could do. Nothing but run.
My legs moved before I even realised I was running and the cold air engulfed me as I sprinted from the cave. Kite was nowhere in sight, but I didn't care. I wanted as far away from her as I did the V.
I charged in the direction of the waterfall, clambering up a muddy hill beside it.
By the time I reached the top, I was soaked and panting harder than I ever had in my life. I orientated myself on the map then kept running, fleeing into a thick forest, the tree trunks whipping past me, flashing in my periphery.
I didn't stop until I physically couldn't run any longer, dropping down behind a large pine and resting my back against the trunk. I gulped down the freezing air, crushing my knees to my chest as I tried to catch my breath enough to be quiet.
The snow hadn't reached the ground of the forest and it was relatively dry beneath the canopy. The smell of pine needles flooded my senses, a smell I'd once loved. I focused on the peace of the wood and the chattering of small mammals above, assuring me I was in no immediate danger.
I took the bottle of water from my pack, drinking nearly half before I forced myself to save it. I shut my eyes, reminded of the pine air freshener that hung in my mother's car. We'd only ever take her car when we were going somewhere nice. The park was where we took refuge from my stepfather, stealing a few hours of happiness, playing on the swings and soaking in the laughter of the other children.
I clung to the image and opened my eyes, calculating my next move. Tapping my cuff, I orientated myself on the map. The coast was west of the forest and I was thankful I could remain in the dark wood for now. So long as the buzz of life surrounded me in the forest, I convinced myself no Vs could be close. Standing, I started walking at a brisk pace, moving as quietly but as quickly as possible. From time to time I checked my heading, but I never stopped moving.
The trees were dense and the snap of twigs around me was so regular that I soon stopped jumping at the noise. My own boots sounded as loud as thunder as I walked, but there was nothing I could do about it.
As the trees thinned and the moonlight illuminated the snow beyond the forest edge, my heart rate picked up. The second I was out of the trees, I'd have no cover. What if the Vs were waiting out there to pick off the girls as they appeared?
I paused by one of the final trees, tucking myself behind it and peering out. Another twig snapped behind me and I ignored it, staring out at the snowy field before me. Grass peeked through the top of it, so I knew the land was flat.
The hairs raised on the back of my neck and I snapped around, overwhelmed with the feeling of someone watching me. It was irrational, because of course people were watching me. A hundred men betting on me living or dying, I didn't know which.
My eyes flitted from tree to tree, every fluttering leaf causing my heart to jolt. But if a V was waiting there, surely they would have attacked me by now?
I forced my eyes back on the field ahead and stepped out into the snow. In the distance, I could just make out the coast where several black rocks jutted into the sky. Moving to the nearest pine tree, I snapped off a branch with a fan of needles on one end.
Setting my eye on the horizon, I started moving, finding the snow only a few inches deep. As I'd predicted, my boots left deep tracks behind me so I leant an arm back, dragging the branch so it covered them as I moved. It wasn't entirely effective, but unless a V was looking for my tracks here, they wouldn't be easily noticed. And I wasn't leaving anything up to chance.
The plain of land dropped down toward the coast and I spied the lighthouse in the far distance, like a beacon of hope, stark white beneath the moon.
A scream ripped through the air and I froze, searching for the source. It was hard to tell how far away it had come from, but as I waited, the girl was revealed, darting out of a small group of trees in the distance.
Between here and the lighthouse, coloured dots far ahead marked girls running toward it.
I was well behind, but even from here, I could see the blurs of Vampires charging after them across the snow.
I counted four girls and three Vs. Those weren't good odds. Screams rose into the night and all I could do was stand there as the first girl fell and a stream of red flew across the snow.
My legs trembled, urging me to run. Ahead of me was a bloodbath, but going back wasn't an option.
Glancing at the dark rocks at the edge of the cliff, an idea came to me. Praying the other girls were enough of a distraction – and hating myself for doing so – I dropped the branch and charged flat out toward the cliff.
I moved faster than even I thought was possible, leaving great rifts in the snow where I bounded through it.
Screams sliced through the air, over and over, ending as abruptly as they'd started.
My boots hit the rocks, but I kept moving until I'd risen onto higher ground where the sea spray had washed away the snow.
Crouching down low, I caught my breath, gathering up the hood of my robe and keeping my bare hands concealed within it. Then, ever so slowly, I started moving across the sharp black stones, praying I was camouflaged against them. I remained on my hands and knees, despite my dress continually snagging on the rocks.
Every now and then, I glanced up to check the Vs weren't near, but the three out in the field were still feasting on the girls. My stomach churned and I shut my eyes for a moment to force away the nausea. I'd never been particularly squeamish. My mother couldn't even watch trailers for horror movies without feeling queasy. I, on the other hand, could watch blood and gore without batting an eye. Well, I had been able to. Seeing it in real life wasn't like the movies. And I was certain this moment would stay with me forever, or for however long I had left on this earth.
As I drew closer, a flash of red hair caught my attention and my heart nearly stopped working.
Cass.
With a guilty breath of relief, I realised it was a female Vampire's hair, flowing over the snow as she fed on a girl's neck.
I closed my eyes, freeing myself from the sight for a second before I continued. I'd moved past two of the Vs already, but the final one wasn't far from the lighthouse, now standing guard, wiping blood from the corner of his mouth and sucking it off his fingertips. A girl was at his feet in a lilac gown, the skirt twisted awkwardly around her legs.
Fear inched deeper into my chest as I approached, keeping my movements to the minimum as I used my own dark dress to my benefit. Perhaps Kite had been right. I didn't deserve this advantage over the other girls.
Foamy sea water sprayed over me as huge waves crashed onto the rocks at the base of the cliff. The lower the cliff dropped, the more water soaked the path I was taking. My hands slipped and slid on the rocks, but somehow I managed to keep going, setting my eye on the lighthouse and nothing else.
I moved as far as I could without risking the final V spotting me. His scraggly locks hung around him; his cheekbones were sharp enough to cut glass.
With him barring my way, I couldn't move any further.
Crawling behind a protrusion of rock, I rested my back against it, keeping hidden whilst I waited for the V to move. A sickening thought ran through my mind as I realised the distraction I was waiting for was another girl to appear.
A howl cut through the air, echoing across the island from the forest.
The two Vs that were feeding on the fallen girls stood upright immediately, snapping around to face the wood.
The red-haired V sniffed the air and called out to the others. “It came from the east.”
The V standing guard by the lighthouse stepped forward, nodding to the others. “Go.”
They sprinted off into the night, leaving him behind. The wind ruffled my dress and seconds later, brushed through the V's coppery hair. He inhaled deeply then stepped forward, gazing across the field, no doubt having caught my scent.
I counted my breaths to keep calm, ducking my head behind the rocks.
I glanced toward the nearest body; I recognised her golden brown skin and dark eyes, but couldn't remember her name. My gaze fell on the stake that was inches from her outstretched hand.
If I ran, perhaps I could make it to the weapon in time. But that was a big might and I wasn't sure I was willing to bet my life on it.
With a jolt of my heart, the decision was made for me as my hand slipped down the rock and my palm sliced open.
My inhale was echoed by the Vampire standing close by.
In a heartbeat, I was running, sprinting and stumbling toward the dark-haired girl on the ground. The V had a hundred metres to sprint, I had five.
My hand clamped around the stake the same moment taloned nails gripped my hair.
I was yanked backwards and, in the momentum, I swung, kicking and screaming as I angled the stake upwards.
Bone cracked and splintered. Dark blood spewed and the V's grip in my hair released.
I gasped as the full weight of the Vampire slumped on top of me. I struggled to move. To breathe.
The stake was buried so deeply in his chest, I couldn't remove it.
Slithering out from beneath him with a groan of horror, I clambered to my feet, dripping in oozing dark blood as I fled toward the lighthouse.
The outcrop of rock was uneven, the stones skittering under my boots. I was almost at the door when someone cried my name.
“Selena!” Cass's voice made me snap around. My fingers hovered above the handle, but I was frozen in place. I couldn't leave her.
We may not have known each other that long, but she'd been my rock in prison. We were the same now, the two of us fighting for survival on this infernal island.
She was sprinting across the ground, her green dress gathered above her knees, clamped in her fists. A V charged behind her, gaining speed with each passing second.
“Run!” I cried as the lighthouse door swung open.
Before I could move to meet her, a cold hand clamped around my wrist. I turned in alarm, coming face to face with Varick, his expression fierce.
“Inside,” he demanded, but I shook my head, trying to free myself of him.
I turned to face Cass, stumbling as she reached the rocks. The V was almost upon her when a flash of black fur and snarling teeth collided with it. Cass smashed into me and I stumbled back against Varick. He dragged us inside, slamming the door and shutting out the freezing air.
Our panting was the only sound to fill the space.
“What ?” I asked, breathless as I turned to Varick for answers.
“Some dumb animal,” he muttered, heading up a winding staircase.
We hurried to follow, jogging up the stairs as if one of the Vs might burst through the lighthouse door at any moment.
“Merry as ever,” Cass murmured to me and I broke a nervous smile.
“Are there wolves on the island?” I asked Varick.
“Wolves, snakes, bears. You name it, it's probably here.”
We entered a vast wooden room with a fire burning on one side. Food was laid out on a long, oak table and mattresses were spread in rows beyond that. One side of the room was taken up by a vast window that overlooked the tempestuous sea.
Ten other girls were already here, helping themselves to food and sitting in rows of chairs that faced a huge screen on the wall. My gut turned over as I realised the footage was a live broadcast of the game. Kite was amongst the girls already present, as were Briony and Marie, sticking close to one another in two seats at the back of the chairs. I noted only twenty were laid out, despite there being twenty five of us in the game.
“Eat,” Varick snapped at us and Cass jumped, hurrying to comply.
I glared at him, unmoving. “Been enjoying the show?”
“It's been riveting,” he remarked dryly, glancing me up and down. “Showers are in the back. New clothes, too.”
“Another dress?” I raised a brow.
“Of course, and a sleeping suit for the evening.”
“Sleeping suit? What are you, from the 19th century?”
“18th actually.” He surveyed me closely and a chill ran down my spine. Why did he make me feel so exposed?
“I hope you brought your own dinner,” I muttered as I walked away and his dark laughter followed me.
I passed by the table of food, despite my rumbling belly, and headed to the showers. The V blood was soaking through my dress, sticking to my skin. It was cool and thick, unlike any blood I'd ever seen.
The bathroom was lined with creaking floorboards and wooden stalls that barely covered any of my body as I stripped off inside one.
Turning on the water, I nearly sank to my knees with the heavenly feel of the warm shower. I stood beneath the stream until every inch of my blood had reheated and I could finally feel my toes again.
Snug jumpsuits were stacked beside china basins, and I quickly pulled mine from the pile: black with my name embroidered across the back in white. I chucked the vile remains of my dress into a large wicker bin and returned to the main room, helping myself to some food.
“She's not going to make it,” Kite was talking to a blonde girl whose name I recalled as Angelina. The two of them were watching one of the girls on the screen who was racing toward the lighthouse with two stakes in her hands. A V took her down before she even reached the rocks and a collective inhale sounded throughout the room. My stomach tied itself in a tight knot.
I chucked my plate down on the table, no longer hungry. Marching toward the door, I found myself desperate to escape this hell. I couldn't sit here watching girls die whilst filling my belly. It was twisted.
Varick flew into my way, blocking the door. “And where do you think you're going?”
I gazed up at him, practically spitting venom. “I can't be in here with that playing.” I swung an arm back to point at the screen and Cass's eyes wheeled my way. She'd joined Marie and Briony on the seats.
“There's nowhere else to go,” he growled.
“This is a lighthouse, isn't it?” I snapped. “Where's the light?”
Kite's voice carried to me. “You could learn a thing or two by watching this, pup.”
I ignored her, staring resolutely through Varick's chest as if I could will him to move by sheer determination.
My shoulders sagged as I gave up and I whispered, “Please.”
Varick stiffened for a moment then moved aside, taking my arm. “Fine, but I'm going with you. I'm not having you committing suicide off the tower.”
“What do you care?” I snipped, following him into the hall and heading further up the spiral staircase.
“Because, if you kill yourself on my watch, I'll get the blame.”
“If I wanted to kill myself, don't you think I would have tried hugging a Vampire earlier?”
Varick regarded me with a hint of amusement in his eyes. “Well if you do make the decision to kill yourself, I'd be grateful if you let me do the honours.”
I glowered at him as he opened the door at the top of the stairs. A ring of windows surrounded an enormous orb lantern. It was caked in dust, evidently having gone unused for years, but the metal still shone beneath it.
The room was cold but bearable. I moved to the furthest window, dropping down and gazing out at the moonlight shimmering on the dark sea. Yes, this was better. At least it was quiet in here.
The door clicked as it closed and I was painfully aware of being alone with a Vampire. The only thing stopping him from eating me was a bunch of humans running this death game. So I didn't have a whole lot of faith that he would keep his fangs to himself. But I could finally breathe again in here, and I wasn't willing to give that up just yet.
As the silence stretched on, my eyes were drawn to the sky, pin-pricked with a million stars, brighter than I'd ever seen.
“Do you believe in god?” I asked quietly, my mind overwhelmed by the enormity of our surroundings. Perhaps I was here for a reason. Perhaps I was cursed by some higher being.
“What kind of god would let a man like me live forever?” Varick said, appearing beside me. Instead of sitting down, he leant against the railing ringing the windows, looking out at the sea.
“So you were this pleasant as a human too?” I remarked.
He smirked at me and I almost broke a smile. Christ, what was wrong with me? Varick was as sick as the Vs that hunted me out on that island.
I rested my chin on my knees. “Well if there is a god, I'm pretty sure he's punishing me.”
“And why would he do that?” Varick turned to me, tilting his head to the side.
I dropped my eyes. “I'm a killer.”
“Killing a man who tormented you and your mother isn't much of a crime.”
I sat up straighter. “You know about that?”
He shrugged casually. “I'm required to read the files of the girls who are brought here. They're condensed into notes for the spectators. To help them decide who to bid on.”
I wrinkled my nose in disgust. “I'd like to see them survive out here.”
Varick's mouth hooked up at the corner. “Oh believe me, Selena, I would too.”
The door opened and I glanced around, finding Cass, Briony and Marie creeping through the door.
“Are you alright?” Cass asked, her eyes flitting between Varick and I.
I nodded, standing and moving toward her. She'd changed into a dark green jumpsuit and the girls stood beside her in yellow and gold.
“I can't watch the game,” I admitted.
“It's over,” Briony said, running a hand through her chestnut hair. “The last girl just got here.”
Varick moved past them and Marie shrank against the wall so he didn't touch her. “Be back downstairs in one minute,” he barked at us before disappearing down the stairs.
“How can you stand being around him?” Marie folded her slim arms, shuddering.
I shrugged because I didn't really have an answer. Something about Varick was different from the other Vs, not only that he looked like an angel and acted with rationale, but he seemed almost human at times.
We headed downstairs and, thankfully, the screen had been switched off. The showers sounded from the other room where the last arrivals were cleaning up.
One girl, however, was huddled on the floor by the table, rocking back and forth with her head buried in her silver dress.
“Who's that?” Briony whispered as Marie clutched her arm. shrugging.
Varick paced the room, causing girls to jump from their seats every time he walked past. As he reached the sobbing girl, she screamed, crawling backwards across the floorboards to escape him.
“You need to rest,” he demanded in a tone that wasn't at all comforting.
I marched over, elbowing him aside. He didn't move an inch so I ducked around him, kneeling before the dark-skinned girl and blocking him out of sight.
“Don't worry about him. We're safe here. Come with me.” I took her ice-cold fingers, clutching them between mine and pulling her to her feet. Leading her into the bathroom, I helped her out of her snow-caked dress before guiding her into a shower cubicle.
She shivered beneath the stream, starting to sob again.
“What's your name?” I asked softly, leaning my back against the door of the stall.
“V-Vienna,” she stuttered through another choked sob.
“I'm Selena.”
“We're never getting off this island, Selena.”
“Don't think like that. They said whoever survives will go home.”
“But what do you really think they'll do with us?” she demanded, her sobs turning to anger. “Keep us for another game? Throw us to the Vs anyway? They're not going to let us leave.”
My heart sank at her words, but I had to have hope. Surely we would be able to leave if we made it through the game? It was the only thing keeping any of us going.
The door opened and Varick appeared. “Anyone injured report to me immediately.” He stalked away and I sighed as I followed, curling my injured hand into a fist.
Varick was waiting by the table and a small queue of five girls lined up before him. Varick bit down on his thumb and squeezed blood into six small glasses.
“Drink,” he ordered as the girls filed toward him, taking a glass with wide eyes and heading away. I frowned as I approached him and his eyes fixed on mine.
“Take it,” he demanded, his voice so willful that I nearly gave into it. Glaring at him, I slowly took the glass of my own volition. Varick's blood wasn't like the other Vampires' had been. It was thicker than a human's, but dark red as it should have been. He gestured for us to drink, seeming bored.
“Why would I drink this?” I asked as the other girls gathered nearby. Evidently I was the only one bold enough to ask.
“Vampire blood has healing properties.” Varick leant back against the table.
“Ironic,” I muttered, but some of the more badly injured girls hesitantly sipped from their glasses.
I watched in disbelief as the cuts on their arms and torsos healed before my eyes. Before I could change my mind, I knocked back the blood in one, figuring 'what the hell?' A vile tang of metal filled my mouth and I nearly spat it out. The resulting tingling in my hand made me pause and within seconds, the cut had stitched itself together, vanishing like magic.
I gazed at my palm in shock, unable to believe what I'd just witnessed.
Kite was amongst the injured group, with long scratch marks down her arm that I hoped hadn't come from another sacrificed girl. She grinned at the sight of her own wounds healing. “So if a V bites me, should I bite them back and start drinking?”
Varick barked a laugh. “I would love for you to give that a try, sweetheart.”
Kite seemed satisfied by his response, swinging her hips as she walked away.
The room slowly fell silent and all eyes turned to Varick. He gestured toward the beds with his chin. “Bed. Now. No questions.”
“Bed?” snapped Angelina. “Surely the sun is going to come up soon?”
“We're in the arctic circle. Polar night reigns here for the next six months.”
A murmur of discontent passed through the group.
I huffed a breath, moving to Cass's side and heading over to the mattresses. Vienna crept out of the bathroom in her silver jumpsuit and I gestured for her to join us. Keeping a wary eye on Varick, she did so, dropping onto the mattress beside mine. I was at the edge of the row, the closest to Varick of everyone. He stood by the door, gazing at us unblinkingly as if he were lost in his own thoughts.
The eternal night was playing havoc with my internal clock but as I shut my eyes, exhaustion swept in and I was soon consumed by the waiting nightmares.
◐☼◐
“Hands flat on the table, Selena,” the rasping voice of my drunken stepfather crawled over me.
I whimpered as I obeyed, my six year old hands so tiny on the wide surface of the dining table.
“Are you sorry?” he growled, sipping from a bottle of whiskey. The smell was vile, the putrid stench reminding me of him and him alone.
“Yes, Elijah.”
He struck my knuckles with his belt, the buckle looped around his hand.
I cried out as the skin tore and my small body began to shake.
“You will call me dad, do-ya understand? How many more times am I gonna have to say it?!”
“You're not my dad,” I squeaked, despite knowing the consequences of my words.
Elijah thrashed my knuckles three more times until blood ran smoothly across the table.
“Please baby, don't,” Mum sobbed from the corner, her own arms whipped bloody. “She's just a little girl. She doesn't understand.”
“It's been two years, Rachel! She needs-ta understand,” he slurred, his blue eyes, peppered with grey, slid over me. “Your waste-a space father abandoned you and ya mother. I'm the one who looks after you both. You get that?”
I shook my head, determined to defy him for my daddy's sake. “You'll never be my daddy.”
The belt whipped through the air, the dark brown leather coiled like a snake-
I woke, bolting upright and clutching my head.
“No, no, no,” I whispered, raking my nails through my hair. The nightmare prickled my skin like ants scurrying over my body. Sweat trickled down my spine as I clambered out of bed, desperate to find some water. It appeared before me in Varick's hand, his nostril's flaring as he took in my scent. His eyes fixed on mine, dragging me into them like I was falling into the deepest of wells.
“Calm,” he commanded and I was almost pulled into the lull of his voice. I teetered on the edge of his ability to control me and pulled back with all my might.
I whipped my head hard to the right, forcing my eyes from his. Wordlessly, he took my hand and placed the glass of water in it.
“How did you manage that?” he breathed, almost to himself.
“I don't know,” I hissed. “But I'd be grateful if you stopped trying to worm your way into my head.”
“I can't read your mind.”
“No? Well I guess that's ten points to Edward Cullen then, isn't it?”
He grimaced at me. “Vampires are a bit grimmer in real life, sweetheart.”
“You can say that again.”
“Go back to sleep, Selena. I was only trying to help.”
I bit back another retort, not wanting to wake the other girls. We all had to face another day on the island tomorrow, and the least everyone deserved was a good night's sleep before it. Not that I'd be privy to one of those myself.
I sipped the cool water, tipping it up and finishing it.
I glanced over my shoulder at the mattress I'd vacated, an icy chill running through me. That bed was a gateway back to my nightmares. But if I didn't get any rest before tomorrow, I was going to have to face nightmares of the real kind in an exhausted state.
“If you don't fight it, I can help you sleep,” Varick murmured, stepping closer.
“The dreams...” I shook my head. “I'll just wake again.”
“Not if you let me help,” he urged.
My throat grew dry as he invaded my personal space, gazing down at me with those alluring green eyes. Like the smooth surface of two lakes shining at me.
It took everything I had not to draw away from him. Survival was driving the decision. Rest was vital, and if Varick could offer it to me, I had to take it.
I felt the moment his will butted up against mine. He didn't blink as he gazed at me and I was pretty sure I didn't either. My instincts fought to keep him out, but I battled them back, letting him in.
As soon as I stopped fighting, everything changed. My mind melted into a slushy pool so every thought I had was fleeting, vanishing as quickly as it appeared.
“No one's going to hurt you,” he said in a smooth voice. He really was captivating to look at. Ruggedly handsome with dewy skin and an addictive, saccharine scent.
A dreamy smile tugged at my mouth as I bought into his words and their safe promise. “No one,” I echoed.
Someone shifted in the bed behind me, but I didn't care to look.
Varick lifted a hand, brushing locks of ebony hair behind my ear. “You'll sleep soundly until I wake you in the morning.”
I nodded, a yawn dragging my mouth open.
“Bed,” he encouraged and I obeyed, walking back to my mattress and sliding under the covers.
Sleep came swiftly and the sweet nothingness took me away, void of nightmares, void of all but one thing: a shimmering, green lake.
◐☼◐
“Up,” Varick's voice woke me and I sprang to my feet. The control he'd had on me was gone and the shame of what I'd let him do washed over me. Had I been so weak that I'd let a Vampire into my mind?
I felt Cass's eyes on me as we queued in line for breakfast, helping ourselves to cereals and fruit laid out on the table.
“I saw you last night,” she muttered.
“Saw me?” I said in a high voice, piling my muesli with grapes.
“Talking to him.” She nodded her head in Varick's direction.
My cheeks began to burn. What kind of explanation could I give for what Varick had done?
“I had a nightmare,” I admitted, my cheeks flaming further. I sounded like a whinging child.
“So you went to the Vampire for comfort?” she snorted.
I nodded vaguely, reaching for a large jug of yoghurt that I drizzled over my breakfast. Cass snatched my arm, nearly spilling the yoghurt across the table. My heart leapt upwards as she pinned me with a remember-I-went-to-prison-too stare.
“What?” I hissed.
“Don't go making friends with it,” she snapped, glancing over her shoulder. “You can't trust one of them.”
“I don't trust him.”
“You could have woken me up if you needed someone to talk to.” Her eyes flashed with hurt and my stomach knotted.
“I didn't talk to him Cass. I got up to get some water and he was just there.”
She nodded, giving in. “I'm just looking out for you.”
“Course.” I smiled. “We'll stick together today, right?”
“You bet.” She plucked the jug of yoghurt from my hand and doused her cornflakes in it. Her bowl had a croissant balancing precariously on the side.
“Hungry?” I teased.
“I'm gonna get what I can take. Who knows if they'll even give us food today.” She headed past me and I hastily snatched up two bagels in response.
Kite, who had already eaten one breakfast, lined up again beside me. As she reached over me for a bowl of chopped pineapple, she opened her mouth and spat in my muesli.
I clutched the bowl tighter, about to throw it in Kite's face, when a blur of movement occurred in my periphery. Varick appeared, snatching my wrists to halt me.
“No fighting.”
“We weren't fighting,” Kite said innocently, batting her eyelashes at Varick.
I glared at her, chucking my bowl down and marching off to join Cass on a group of chairs she, Briony and Marie had arranged into a circle.
“Where's your breakfast?” Cass demanded.
“Not hungry,” I grumbled.
Varick appeared a moment later, dumping a bowl of muesli and yoghurt in my lap. “You forgot this.”
“I don't want it.” I grimaced.
“This one is minus the topping.” He strode away and I glanced back at the table where he was already scraping the remains of my last bowl into a bin. He was like the bloody Flash.
Feeling too hungry to complain, I plucked the spoon from the bowl and began eating. I felt the other girls' eyes on me, but refused to meet them as I ate.
When everyone had crammed as much food down their throats as possible, Varick ordered an assembly and we lined up on the rows of wooden chairs.
Varick stood before the screen with a trolley in place behind him. “Today, you'll be heading further north on the island.” The screen lit up behind him and a map illuminated, zooming into the new section we would be travelling to today. An area was highlighted in red on the north eastern coast; the other side of the island from where we were now.
A collective groan sounded throughout the group.
“Think of yesterday as a rehearsal, today will be hell,” Varick announced, pointing to the screen. “You have twice the distance to cover and twice the Vs to avoid.” He swung his finger toward the Helsing castle on the south east coast where we'd started. “The Vs are released from here. So you have about a twenty minute advantage today. Use it wisely.” He gave us all an intense look, his eyes landing on me. He turned to the trolley behind him, revealing a row of fresh stakes and bags beneath it. “New weapons, new supplies.” He grabbed up a handful and passed them out until everyone was armed. “Get dressed. You leave in fifteen minutes.”
Panic broke out and Vienna let out a wail of fear, hunkering down in her chair. “I can't,” she moaned and Briony laid a hand on her back.
“Come on, we'll stick together.”
“P-promise?” she sobbed.
“Promise,” Marie confirmed, leaning across Briony.
The bathroom was mayhem as the girls scrambled to find their dresses. I was the last to reach mine, and when I did, I found only a bright red dress remaining.
My heart stuttered as I gazed around the girls, searching for my dress. My eyes fell on the blonde bombshell Angelina who was being helped into my ebony gown by Kite. I strode towards them, my blood heating with anger.
I thrust her dress at her. “Give it back.”
Angelina's pale green eyes swivelled onto me then round to Kite.
Kite gave me an up and down look. “Angelina has light hair. She's already at a disadvantage.”
My neck heated up as I felt everyone in the room turning their attention to us. “It's mine,” I snarled.
“The Vs like you,” Angelina said lightly, adjusting the bust of the dress.
“Yeah, Selena. Why not go complain to your Vampire friend out there?” Kite sneered and some of the girls in the room muttered their agreement.
“He's not my friend,” I snarled, my hand tightening around the crimson dress.
Cass appeared in her green velvet gown, glaring at Kite and Angelina. “We can't swap dresses.”
“Who says?” Angelina placed a hand on her hip, looking like a dark queen in my dress. “Besides, Selena's already at an advantage with all that snow white skin and black, seaweed hair. She blends right into the landscape.”
A few of the girls giggled and my cheeks scorched. Cass stepped forward, squaring her shoulders, but I took her arm, guiding her away.
“Forget it,” I muttered, not wanting to turn any of the girls against her. It was dangerous enough as it was out on the island without having enemies amongst ourselves.
“Tell Varick,” she hissed as we exited the bathroom.
I shook my head firmly. “That will make them hate me more.”
Cass sighed in acknowledgement and I headed toward the beds, grabbing a sheet and asking Cass to hold it up whilst I changed.
Cass laced up the back of the crimson dress and I resigned myself to its colour. Perhaps it was only fair I didn't have an advantage today.
“No!” Varick barked the second Cass dropped the sheet. “Not happening.” He moved toward me like a tsunami and grabbed my arm, dragging me toward the bathroom.
“No wait – please,” I begged, trying to halt him.
He stopped inches from the doorway, his eyes sliding to mine.
“They already think I'm friends with you. Don't do this. I don't need more enemies out there than I already have.”
“This dress is not meant for you,” he snarled, revealing his sharpened canines.
I tried to snatch my arm from his grip, but it was like a vice. “Some of the dresses are more advantageous than others, right?”
He nodded slowly, easing his grip on my wrist.
“So maybe it's only fair we swap?” I stared him down and he reluctantly released my arm.
“Fine. But if you lose your stake again today, Selena. I'm going to personally kill you myself.”
“You're not allowed to hurt us,” I breathed.
“Accidents happen,” he growled, shifting closer.
It did nothing to improve my situation as Kite opened the door at that very moment, finding us within inches of each other.
I shrank away from Varick, moving quickly to join Cass, but I didn't miss the mutterings from the other girls as they judged me.
“Right. Out. Good luck. Whatever.” Varick pointed to the door.
We filed through the doorway and Cass clung to my side. “Selena, I'm not ready for another day of this.”
“We'll be fine,” I said, though I didn't even believe it myself. “We'll figure it out together.”
Varick had to force Vienna through the door after us and my gut wrenched at us leaving her behind. Falling back, I kept close to her side as Varick herded us down the stairs. “You can stay with us today, if you like?”
She glanced up and, for the first time, there was hope in her eyes. “Are you sure?”
“Of course.”
Briony and Marie were waiting at the foot of the stairs for us and I smiled around in surprise at the group we'd formed.
Varick prowled through the crowd, opening the door of the lighthouse. “Remember. Twenty minutes.”
A horn sounded across the island and Varick gestured for us to go.
Everyone started sprinting across the rocks, some pushing and shoving to reach the front. Marie lost her footing and Briony caught her before the other girls crashed into her, pulling her to her feet.
I jogged in time with Cass and Vienna, watching as the girls split off in different directions across the field.
“What's our plan?” Briony shot over her shoulder.
Most of the girls were heading directly east, evidently planning to head up the coast on the other side of the island.
“I say we stay on this coast for as long as we can, then cross to the north, avoid the high ground in the centre of the island in case its difficult to traverse,” I said, pointing to the map illuminated above my cuff.
The others assented and we veered left, hugging the cliff as we continued to jog onwards. Vienna was the first to slow, panting and clutching her side. We paused to take a breather and I turned back, squinting toward the horizon where we'd left the lighthouse far behind. I pictured Varick watching us on the screen and wondered what he was thinking. Was he entertained by our deaths? The thought made me ill.
The cliff began to drop down, lower and lower until the rocks met with the water. Trees and moss covered the ground, providing shelter from the prevailing wind.
We moved further into the trees, keeping the sea to our left as we headed north, hiking on for hours.
The land curved inwards, forming a bay where the water gurgled and bubbled amongst the rocks. Our water bottles were already running low, but there was nowhere we could fill them up here.
I tapped the cuff on my wrist and the timer shone above it. We had nearly twenty four hours to reach the next checkpoint. We needed water in that time if we were going to keep this pace up.
“We need to head inland,” I urged.
My legs trembled as we paused to take a break, my muscles tired from overexertion.
“Why?” Cass panted, holding a stitch in her side.
I took out my water bottle, taking a small sip of the final inch at the bottom. “Water,” I gasped.
Briony nodded her agreement, shaking her empty bottle as evidence.
“They could give us more than a litre,” Marie complained.
Vienna was anxiously gazing toward the forest that clung to the beach edge, jumping at every sound, clearly not listening to our conversation.
I checked our location on the map and found we were still achingly far away from the checkpoint. “If we continue at this pace, it'll take us another eight hours to be level with the checkpoint. Then we still have to cross the island...” I frowned, trying to assess the distance. If my assessment was accurate, it would take at least another six hours to cross the island, and that was without stopping. At some point we would need to rest. That only left six hours spare.
Marie moved over the slippery rocks to the sea's edge, crouching down and using the seawater to wash the sweat from her face. Standing, she gazed out at the horizon, her body stiff.
“What if we built a raft and just...sailed out of here?”
“Then we'd be poisoned, Marie,” Briony snapped, pointing to the back of her neck.
“Oh...yeah,” Marie sighed, looking crestfallen as she tiptoed her way back up the beach.
Vienna had followed her to the water's edge, her shoulders shivering.
“You've never been the brightest button,” Briony teased as Marie joined her side, tugging at her pigtails.
“Let's go,” Cass encouraged, her flame-red hair flowing in the wind. I didn't like how much of a target it made her, but I guess my dress was just as eye-catching now.
“Do you think Vampires can swim?” Vienna remarked, turning to us.
“Yes, I do,” I said. “And probably really well.”
Vienna sighed, picking up the hem of her skirt and heading back to join us on the mossy hill.
With a loud, ear-wrenching snap of metal on bone, a bear trap closed around Vienna's leg. Her scream was unlike anything I'd ever heard: a gut-churning shriek of pain that seemed to echo around the entire island.
Briony charged to her side, clamping a hand over her mouth as the rest of us gazed on in abject shock.
I was the next to act, rushing to her side and dropping to my knees to inspect the contraption. Bile rose in my throat as I took in the damage the serrated teeth had done to her leg.
“Shh, hush now, it's okay,” Briony soothed as Vienna writhed in her arms.
“They'll hear us. They'll smell the blood,” Marie murmured, her eyes wide as she watched.
“Get something strong – a stick – something,” I barked at her and she hurried off into the trees lining the shore.
Cass sat opposite me and we dug our fingers into the metal, trying to prise it apart.
Vienna let out another scream and Briony almost smacked her with how hard she pressed her hand to her mouth.
“Hush, please, please,” Briony tried. “We'll get you out, don't worry.”
But I had no idea how we would do that. My fingernails broke as I clawed at the metal, heaving with all my might to get it open.
I shared a look of horror with Cass, both of us knowing we couldn't open it.
Marie returned with a long branch and hurried down the beach to help. She wedged it between two of the teeth and Vienna spasmed as it knocked her leg.
“Careful!” Briony hissed at her.
“I'm trying,” Marie said in a panic, positioning the stick into the trap. When it was wedged in far enough, we all took hold of the branch, pulling in one direction as hard as we could. With a splintering of wood, the branch snapped in two, but the lower piece remained inside, leaving a slight gap.
“We need something stronger,” I said, looking to Cass.
After a stretch of painful silence, I huffed as I made a decision, opening my pack and taking out my stake. As I wedged it into the trap, I could almost hear Varick cursing my name, but I couldn't leave Vienna here to die.
I wrapped my hands around the wood and Cass clasped my wrists, pushing toward me whilst I pulled.
Incredibly, the trap began to open.
I gasped my relief as the gap widened enough for Briony to pull Vienna's leg free. I couldn't hold the stake in place a second longer and tried to yank it out of the trap. It was no good and the stake smashed in its jaws, splitting in half.
I hurried to my feet, pushing the fact that I was now weaponless again far from my mind. Vienna hummed and moaned her pain as Briony tentatively removed her hand from her mouth.
“Don't scream,” she pleaded and Vienna nodded, tears sailing silently down her cheeks.
“We have to move,” Cass hissed, glancing left and right. “Vs will be coming.”
“How is she supposed to walk?” Briony snapped.
“We'll carry her.” I shed my cloak. Cass got the idea and removed her own, laying it on top of mine to make a strong sling. Carefully, Briony lowered Vienna onto it and we wound the ends up so she'd be easier to carry.
Marie knelt before her and with a harsh snap of metal on metal, another trap went off, her cloak having trailed over it. She gasped in fright.
I gazed around the rocks and, to my horror, spotted more of them in nearly every crevice.
“Oh...” Cass followed my gaze. We were ten feet from shore. How no more of us had stepped on one was a bloody miracle.
“Oh my god,” Marie breathed.
“What?” Vienna groaned and Briony waved a hand.
“Nothing, nothing. Just relax. We'll have to bind up that leg.”
Marie inhaled deeply then focused her attention on Vienna's injury.
“Here, give me her stake,” I said and Briony fished it out of Vienna's bag. Cass and I stood guard as Marie tended to Vienna's wound, wrapping strips of her cloak around it.
As I watched the trees, shadows seemed to dance between them. Any second now, a V would burst from them, I was certain. I steadied my feet, my eyes flitting from the bear traps to the woods.
“Okay, that should stop the bleeding.” Marie stood, taking hold of one end of the cloaks whilst Briony took the other.
Cass glanced at me with a 'we're screwed' expression, but what choice did we have? We couldn't leave her.
“Follow me,” I instructed, eyeing the rocks and carefully stepping between them. The girls followed in a tight line and I knew with a frightening certainty, that I was acting as the guinea pig. If any of the traps went off, it'd be me that stepped on it first.
When we'd moved a few feet, a V stepped out of the woods. She had flowing golden hair and her hazel eyes were bright and shining, looking healthier than the Vs I'd seen yesterday.
“Oh dear, what's happened?” She feigned sympathy, bending down and picking up a handful of pebbles.
My heart stalled as I waited for her next move, clutching the stake tightly in my hand. With perfect aim, she threw a pebble at a trap close to the rock I was standing on. It went off with a loud clap that nearly caused me to stumble.
“Bitch,” Cass hissed. “Why not come and get us?” She raised the stake in her hand, looking fierce.
I tried to imitate her, but was sure I didn't look quite so intimidating.
“But this is so much more fun.” The V threw another pebble and Marie squeaked as a loud snap sounded.
Another V appeared up on a rocky outcrop jutting into the sea beside us.
“Smells good.” He sniffed the air, his eyes wild with hunger and his black hair patchy where it had fallen out. He was obviously less well fed than the female and I feared he'd be quicker to act.
“What are you waiting for, Genevieve?” the male snarled, licking his pale blue lips. “I'm starved.”
“Have a little patience,” she replied, but he didn't waste another second, springing forward onto the beach and heading straight for Vienna.
“Lift it!” Briony screeched and, as one, she and Marie yanked the cloaks taught so the V collided with the middle of the stretcher, lost his footing and tumbled back onto the rocks. With a sickening snap, a bear trap crunched around his head and black blood spewed into the air, splattering across Vienna.
Genevieve launched at us, screeching her rage as she charged. Cass and I split apart, prancing from rock to rock. Genevieve was slower in her hunt, evidently not wanting to suffer the same fate as the other V.
“So pretty,” she purred at Cass, stalking her, sniffing the air.
Cass positioned her stake and had to move backwards across the rocks, unable to look behind her as she moved. Her foot slipped and Genevieve lunged toward her.
“No!” I cried, but she was several feet away and there was nothing I could do.
Marie and Briony had made it to the shore with Vienna, carrying her up the hill as fast as they could.
“Go!” I shouted at them. “We'll catch up.”
With brief nods, they disappeared into the trees, the shadows swallowing them whole.
Cass fell onto her back, her head just inches from a trap as the V straddled her. Cass slashed her stake upwards, but Genevieve swiped it from her hand and it rattled across the rocks. I moved toward them as fast as I could, but I had to watch every step I took.
Genevieve took hold of Cass's neck, pushing her head toward the trap beneath her.
I bit my tongue on a scream, instead hoping to surprise the V as I reached her. I couldn't stab her from the front, so prayed I was strong enough to reach her heart from the back. With all my strength, and a very unfeminine grunt, I buried the stake in her ribs. She screamed out and I was pushed backwards as she threw me off.
Somehow, I caught my balance and shifted my weight forwards. In my momentum, I slammed a foot into the stake. With a horrible, gurgling sound, the Vampire slumped onto Cass and blood spilled over her back, the dark liquid the deepest of reds.
I kicked the V off of Cass and dragged her up by a hand. “Are you okay?”
She clasped my palm tightly, nodding, though her face was pale. I yanked the stake free of the dead Vampire and silently, we hurried as fast as we could off of the beach into the woods.
The darkness was oppressive compared to the silver moonlight out on the beach, but I felt immediately safer amongst the close-knit boughs. The sound of our quickened breaths seemed painfully loud as we moved, but we didn't slow, not even for a second.
I wanted to get as far away from that beach as possible and Cass evidently felt the same way.
“Briony?” I hissed into the night, but there was no response. Their footfalls would have been loud enough to hear if they were close, so we continued on regardless.
When we'd travelled for nearly thirty minutes, we stopped to regroup. I gulped down the last of my water and Cass did the same, but it wasn't anywhere near enough. Sweat trickled down my brow, the collar of my dress already soaked through with it. But the longer we stood there, the more the wind cooled my skin and, without my cloak, I began to shiver.
When we'd stopped panting enough to hear anything else, a musical sound filled my ears. A stream was close by, and that meant fresh water.
We followed the noise, hastening our steps as we drew closer. Muttered voices reached my ears and I gasped in relief, hurrying out into a small clearing where moonlight shone on a narrow stream, winding through the rocks.
Briony and Marie were knelt beside Vienna on the ground, filling their water bottles. Their heads snapped around as we approached and Marie pressed a hand to her heart.
“Thank god it's you.”
“Who else?” Cass teased, dropping to her knees and filling her water bottle. I mimicked her, checking the clearness of the water in the moonlight. It looked pure and a small sip revealed it to taste like heaven. I gulped down a whole bottle before refilling it.
Briony held a bottle to Vienna's lips which were turning blue. I frowned, dropping to her side. She was splattered with V blood, covering her silver gown in great globs.
I sucked in a breath in realisation. Dipping my finger into the blood, I brought it to Vienna's mouth. “Drink this!”
“Ew – Selena.” Cass wrinkled her nose.
“It can heal her. Varick gave me some of his blood before. It healed the cut on my hand.”
Everyone's eyes went wide as they turned to Vienna. She grimaced as she sucked the blood from my finger, then spluttered as it went down.
“That's disgusting!” she spat.
“Better that than die,” I insisted, wiping more blood onto my finger so she could swallow it easier.
After three more mouthfuls, she gasped, sitting upright. “No way...” She dragged up her tattered dress, revealing a mess of blood, the remnants of the wound almost entirely healed already.
Marie threw her arms around her. “Oh Vienna!”
Vienna started sobbing and Briony quickly hushed her with a light smack on the arm.
“You need to get this blood off you,” I urged, glancing over my shoulder. “The Vs will smell it.”
Vienna nodded, standing and testing her leg which was miraculously healed. I sank back on my heels in amazement.
As Vienna started towards the stream, Cass caught hold of her skirt. “Stop. Take your clothes off. You'll freeze in wet clothes.”
Vienna whimpered as she undid her dress, baring her skin to the arctic wind. We turned our backs, giving her some privacy as she washed the blood from her body.
She dried herself on the outside of her robe before pulling on the stained dress. Cass took out her knife and cut away the hem where Vienna's blood mixed with the V's. When she was finished, she gathered up our blood-sodden cloaks, took a few large rocks and weighed them down underwater before rinsing off her hands. We'd have to manage without our cloaks, I guessed.
“Okay, we should get moving.” Cass stood, checking her map and pointing in the direction we needed to head.
I moved to Vienna's side, holding out the stake I'd taken from her. “Here.”
She recoiled from it. “No, please. You keep it. I'm no good with that thing.”
I hesitated, not liking the idea of leaving her unarmed. But she was already moving away, her decision made.
We walked on through the quiet wood, travelling for what seemed an eternity. I checked my map from time to time to be certain we were still on course, but we'd lost precious time during our run-in with the Vs.
When we finally parted from the trees, my stomach was beginning to growl, but I was reluctant to take another break. The other girls evidently felt the same as we journeyed on for another two hours across rocky ground, having to make our way carefully because of the ice that clung to it.
“We didn't account for rough terrain. This is going to slow us down even more,” Cass muttered as she joined my side.
“The plan was to skirt around this high ground,” I said. “We shouldn't have moved east so early.”
Cass sighed, clutching my arm and we used each other for support as we tried not to slip on the jagged rocks. The snow had melted in places and I was certain the temperature had risen, if only a fraction.
Hope sparked in my chest as I spotted the sea twinkling beneath the moonlight in the far distance.
“What's the checkpoint?” I asked, bringing up my map again. The flashing red light that marked the checkpoint seemed to be on an empty patch of land further up the eastern coast.
After another few hours, we finally reached the coast where a sheer cliff dropped a hundred metres onto sharp rocks. We steered clear of the edge, but followed it north, ducking into the cover of trees whenever we could. Most of the land there was rocky and barren, the trees few and far between, leaving us as sitting ducks most of the time. The fact that no Vs had shown up was nothing short of a miracle.
As we passed through another little copse, Marie stumbled to her knees. Briony rushed to help her, pulling her up. “Oh Marie, you're so clumsy.”
“I'm exhausted, Briony,” she moaned, getting up on shaky legs.
I gazed around the small covering of pines. “Let's take a rest. We have time. We'll take shifts to get some sleep.”
Cass chucked her pack to the earthy floor. “I'm game.”
Vienna sighed heavily as she dropped down onto the damp earth, propping herself up against a tree trunk.
“I'll take first watch,” I said.
“Me too.” Briony nodded, placing her stake on a log as she rearranged her pack. I hadn't put Vienna's down since I'd killed the Vampire with it. Coming so close to death had kept me on edge ever since.
Briony and I perched on the fallen pine, sitting side by side to keep each other warm. A fire was tempting but too risky out here on the cliff. So, instead, I wolfed down several granola bars and a pack of dried fruit whilst picturing flames in my mind. It was almost comforting, but didn't do much to banish the cold that was inching into my bones. The other girls managed to sleep despite it.
“So how did you and Marie end up here?” I whispered.
Briony sighed. “The short story is that we were kidnapped from our prison in Paris - like every other girl who's here.”
“What's the long version?” I nudged her and she grinned mischievously.
“Marie and I grew up together. She started seeing this boy, Pierre – a complete waste of space in my opinion – but she loved him. Marie's the sweetest girl, but she can be a little naïve at times.” Briony glanced over at the girl who was snoozing soundly with her head propped up on her bag. “Pierre started hitting her, and I told her so many times to leave him. But she wouldn't listen.” Briony shook her head and her dark curls bounced around her shoulders. “One day, she phoned me saying 'Briony, Briony, you must come help me, Pierre has gone crazy.”
I frowned, leaning in closer as she told the story.
“So I rushed to her place, I had to take the bus as I hadn't yet passed my driver's test. I would have taken a cab, but I didn't have a single euro to my name. If only I had...” She gave a weak smile. “When I arrived, I found Marie being beaten by him. By that bastard I'd warned her about all along. I knocked, but no one answered. Then I heard Marie screaming. I climbed through an open window and ran to the kitchen where I found him beating her. I didn't even think, I just grabbed a cooking pot and smacked him over the head with it.”
I gasped, my pulse rising. “Is that why you went to prison?”
Briony shook her head solemnly. “I snatched the keys to his car and we ran to it. Marie sat beside me in the passenger seat all bruised up. I was about to drive us far, far away from that place, when Pierre appeared – out of nowhere I tell you – and I don't know what happened...I just snapped.” She clicked her fingers and the sound seemed to reverberate through the air. “I ran that bastard down and his body went flying. Perhaps we still might have been let off, but that was before Marie took a knife from the glove compartment – apparently he liked to carry them around, that was the kind of freak he was – and she unsheathed this huge blade, got out of the car and just started...stabbing.”
I glanced away from Briony, trying to process the story. My eyes fell on the small form of Marie who seemed so innocent and fragile. I couldn't picture her doing such a thing, but if Pierre had been anything like as abusive as my stepfather, I knew what she'd been through.
I took a breath and laid a hand on Briony's wrist, unsure what to say, only that, in a twisted way, I understood. I knew what it was like to snap. I supposed we all had that in common. We had killer's blood and perhaps that's what made us so perfect for this game.
We soon woke the girls so Briony and I could take a turn at resting. I couldn't sleep a wink, tossing and turning on the mossy ground. Eventually, I gave up and we let Briony sleep for a little while longer before waking her.
“Final push girls,” Cass said, stretching her spine. “We can do this. Just think of the hot meal...comfy bed.”
The other girls sighed dreamily.
But my attention was elsewhere, trained on the trees beyond them where two, large yellow eyes were staring right at me.
I pointed in horror and everyone flung around. But as I hurried forward with my stake, I found the wood empty. No V, no animal, nothing.
I blinked to clear the fog in my mind. “Sorry,” I muttered. “I think I'm overtired.”
Everyone seemed concerned by my reaction as we moved on in tense silence, heading north toward our next point of refuge. The frightening thing was, I was sure I hadn't imagined those eyes.