Read with BonusRead with Bonus

Chapter 3

{{ Alexis' POV 🌌 }}

Alexis Moon woke up to total darkness. The only thing she could sense was the cold stone beneath her body. She couldn't see anything. Couldn't hear anything. The air around her was stale and stank of blood. She tried to push herself up into a sitting position, but a sudden, sharp pain shot to her head. What had happened to her? Through the pounding in her head, she was able to glimpse the memory of someone knocking her out with a blow to the head.

As her eyes started to adjust to the darkness, the throbbing in her head began to weaken. She was slowly regaining her senses, finally able to fully assess her situation.

Alexis was in a cell, every visible inch covered in flat, grey stone. With a tremendous effort, she heaved herself to her feet, legs shaking. Slowly, she began to make her way towards the small slat of bars set into the opposite wall.

By the time she had made it to the other side of the small cell, her eyes had fully adjusted to the gloomy lighting. Maybe it was the lighting, but she looked much paler than usual and that was saying something.

Alexis looked like a ghost compared to her surroundings. Her pale complexion coupled with her deep black hair that was accented with a royal blue streak gave her an otherworldly aura. Her bangs had been in dire need of a trim, which only looked worse after the whole knocking-out business. Her eyes were a striking, cat-like amber color that gleamed a wicked golden when she smiled.

As if to add to her already shocking appearance, her face was a picture of high cheekbones and a sharp jawline, accompanied by a long, jagged scar that ran from the top of her forehead down to her chin. She was tall, with broad shoulders and a wide stance, but looked skinny nonetheless.

After examining the small world that was visible through the bars, she noticed a large rusted nail that jutted out of the wall, just outside of the cell.

She was wondering how she might be able to reach through the bars when she was interrupted by a pair of boots making their way toward her cell. A face appeared behind the bars and the whole wall began to shift until half of it had disappeared leaving a large gap in its place.

"Try and escape and you'll regret it," the man standing in the middle of the gap growled.

"Couldn't come up with a real threat?" Alexis taunted.

Right as the words left her mouth the guard pulled a gun from his side and pointed it at her. "I don't have time for arrogance. Either I restrain you and shoot you in both legs or I restrain you and you walk with me out of this cell."

Alexis glared at the guard for a few moments before he holstered his gun and walked into the cell placing a pair of handcuffs on her wrists. He grabbed her arm and led her out of the cell, down a hallway made of the same stone, and finally into a brightly lit room. Releasing her arm, the guard removed the cuffs, flashed her a sneer, and left the room. The door slid shut behind him and Alexis was once again alone.

{{ Willow's POV 🌿 }}

Willow Beech flinched as a long needle was stuck into her arm. Her dirty-blond hair was plastered to her filthy forehead and there were spots of dry blood up and down her arms.

She was sitting in a bright white room whose only ornament was the white table and chair in the middle. After she had been brought into the bright room, a person in a white lab coat had entered with a cart decorated with medical supplies.

The nurse removed the needle, set it back on the cart, and commanded in a monotone voice, "Move your hair away from your neck."

After Willow complied she felt another prick behind her ear. This time it was harder not to cry. The nurse swiped a thin wipe across the pinprick of blood just as a guard opened the door and stepped into the room.

"Are you almost done?" he addressed the nurse who was putting the syringe on the cart.

"Yes, she's ready, whenever he needs her."

Ready? Ready for what? But she knew what the exchange meant. She had just been prepped and cleared for the games.

The nurse stood and pushed the cart out of the open door. The guard moved over to where Willow was seated and gestured for her to stand, holding onto her arm as they followed the nurse out of the door.

Willow felt panic creep up her spine and down her arms into her fingertips. She wasn't ready to die.

Previous Chapter
Next Chapter