Chapter 6
SIX
A spark of light erupts in the darkness, slowly illuminating the entire hallway.
"This area is off-limits," a harsh voice says.
I squint my eyes as I try to make out the figure in front of me.
The color of his eyes is the first thing I notice—a deep swirling amber. I blink, unsure I'm seeing it right, and the next time I look at him, his eyes are just a regular warm brown. He straightens his back as he regards me skeptically, rising to his full height and towering over me. Good grief, how tall is this man? He must be well over two meters—that makes him over sixty centimeters taller than my slight frame.
"I-I'm sorry?" I whisper, forcing a smile. With that size, he could crush me with one hand. It's better to get on his good side.
"You need to leave. Now," he orders as he takes a step closer.
I instinctively back away. Right, so my options now are between being harvested for my organs and being murdered by this giant.
"I—" I wet my lips as my brain tries to find a proper explanation.
"Luce! There you are," Thea calls my name as she jogs toward us. Even in this low lighting, she looks absolutely stunning, her mane of red hair bouncing in the air. When she sees the newcomer, she comes to a halt, her eyes narrowing at him.
"What are you doing here?" She points a finger at him, her other hand balancing on her hip.
The stranger grinds his jaw as he shakes his head.
"I should be asking you the same. You know you're not supposed to be here."
"So that's it? You just came to ruin my fun?"
"Your fun? Do you hear yourself? You know what this is. You can't be here," he states resolutely, bypassing me and grabbing her hand.
"Don't you dare tell me what to do, Cer," she hisses, her eyes shooting daggers at him. "I'm sick of you ordering me around and following me wherever I go. You're so overbearing." She stomps her foot.
He shrugs.
"You're still coming back with me."
"No, I'm not."
"Yes, you are."
"No, I'm not, and you can't tell me what to do," she huffs, blowing a strand of hair out of her face. A twitch appears in his jaw as he attempts to stare her down in order to intimidate her, and that's enough for me to get red flags out of this interaction.
"Yes, you are. And don't make me repeat myself again, Thea. You know I hate that more than anything else," he speaks slowly, intently.
Thea swallows hard, her lips pressed together in worry.
Immediately, I think of the worst—that maybe he's her pimp and he's afraid she's going to tell people she's being exploited.
"Uhm, it doesn't seem like she wants to go anywhere," I interrupt, slowly getting to my feet and dusting my dress. My left arm is eerily numb despite the fact that I should be howling in pain given the fall I just took.
"Did anyone ask you ?" The man—Cer—raises a condescending brow at me before turning to Thea once more. "You're hanging out with humans now too?"
"Humans? Geez, I guess I should probably be happy you didn't call me a peasant," I add dryly.
He looks me up and down, seemingly disapproving of my appearance.
"That would, indeed, be more appropriate."
"Cer! You're being rude to my friend. Apologize!" Thea stomps her foot again, this time punching him lightly in the shoulder.
"Why should I apologize to a human?" He rolls his eyes. "It's almost time for the Game to start. We can't be seen here."
He makes to turn, his fingers tightly wound around Thea's arm as he drags her after him.
"Let her go," I muster all my courage as I insert myself between the two of them. "She doesn't want to go with you, and you can't force her."
"I knew you were going to be a good friend, Luce," Thea says dreamily. "Great minds think alike." She smirks at Cer before sticking her tongue out at him.
"Tell your human pet to stand down or she'll get hurt."
"She's not my pet!" Thea bursts out at the same time as I say, "I'm not a pet."
"I'm not leaving, Cer. I'm honor-bound to be here, and you know that means you can't remove me from the premises," Thea adds smugly.
Cer stops, pivoting to stare at her.
"Honor-bound? To whom?" He closes his eyes for a moment before he groans out loud. "What did you do, Thea? What did you get yourself into now?"
"It's nothing bad, I promise. It's just that I'm doing a favor for someone who did me a favor some time back," she says nervously.
Cer takes a deep breath, stepping away from us.
"How long do you have to stay?"
"Until the end."
"And her?" He points toward me.
"She's my new friend. Be nice," Thea quips as she hooks her arm through my right one.
Cer's gaze meets Thea's and for a moment, it looks as if they're having an unspoken conversation. The tension in the air is as thick as a cloud of dynamite, and I'm still wondering just what their relationship is.
I sit by idly, quietly thinking of my next move if Thea is indeed in danger—and if I am in danger. Maybe we should both make a run for it while we can...
"Fine. Let us go back, then."
"Us?" Thea blinks in surprise.
Cer's lips flatten into a thin line as he exhales wearily.
"I'm not leaving you here alone. Let's go."
He doesn't wait for any of us to reply as he turns his back, walking toward the club.
"Ugh!" Thea grits out. "He had to show up here, too."
"Who is he?" I ask before I lower my voice to a whisper. "Are you in danger from him? You can tell me if you are and we can figure out a plan to escape together. I'm not in peak physical condition, of course, but I can get rather inventive if need be and?—"
"You silly goose." Thea giggles. "We're not in danger from him. Hmm..." She pauses, stroking her chin thoughtfully. "Maybe it's even better that he's here."
My lashes flutter in confusion.
"I thought you didn't want him here..."
"I said that because I love ruffling his feathers. He's my brother." She waves her hand, dismissing my concerns. "We should follow him back. The game will start any moment."
She leads me back to the club, the corridor suddenly full of light.
"I don't understand... What game are you talking about? What is this place?"
"The Wishing Game is?—"
"Please don't give me another cryptic answer." I sigh. "I only came here forced by circumstances, and without knowing what it is, I'd like to leave."
She takes a deep breath.
"I'm sorry to be the bearer of bad news, Luce, but you can't leave. Once you stepped foot into this building and the doorman validated your invite, you can't leave until the event is over."
"But... What... That can't be legal!" I squeak, although it's a little ironic of me to invoke legalities when I am on the run from the law—albeit for nothing of my own doing.
She gives me a sad smile.
"I guess someone really wanted to make sure you came here."
I'm about to ask her what she means by that, but the music becomes louder as we get back to the club. Thea doesn't let go of my hand as she leads me back to our seats—which are still, miraculously, unoccupied.
Her brother is already sitting there, his hand on his chin as he intently studies the people around. He's...odd. Besides the fact that he insulted me to my face and never even deigned to apologize, there's something off about him.
Thea plops herself on the seat next to him, seemingly deriving great amusement from her brother's grimace. She pulls me into the seat next to her.
"At least tell me we're not in any danger," I murmur as I fidget with my fingers.
"For now, no. But don't worry. Cer's always ready to save us. Isn't that right, big bro?" Thea giggles as she rubs her shoulder against Cer's.
He grumbles something under his breath, but he makes no attempt to extricate himself from her. In fact, I could almost swear I note a slight curl of his lips. Hm... Maybe I misjudged him and he's actually a good, caring brother who was just worried about his sister.
"Can't you at least give me a hint about this? I'm really wary about all the secrecy."
"I'm guessing you didn't read the invite properly, did you?"
My cheeks heat up as I slowly shake my head.
"I had more important things to do," I mumble.
"And yet you're here," she says, watching me intently.
"I just happened to be here at the right time." I sigh. "Someone was following me and I thought I was lucky to find this place. Now, I'm not so sure anymore..."
"Someone was following you?" Her eyes flash.
"It's a long story." I give her a tight smile. I'm not about to tell a person I just met that I'm wanted by the police.
"Maybe it's fate. Right place, right time? Don't you humans have a saying for that?"
"There you go again with 'humans.' Is this some slang I'm not aware of?" English is my second language and while I've learned a lot in the past few years, I'm still not the best when it comes to slang or online speech.
Thea shoots a quick look at Cer, but he just shrugs as if telling her it's your mess . Clearing her throat, she gives me a wide smile.
"Something like that," she says, the words forced.
My skepticism increases despite liking the girl. There's something off about her and her brother. They know more than they're letting on, and that only makes me feel more uneasy about what's to come.
I could try to make a run for it again, but somehow I doubt I'd even make it to the exit, let alone past the bouncer. One glance at Thea and Cer, and I realize they must have guessed what I was thinking about because they both shake their heads at me.
"Tell me what was on the invite." I change the topic as I feel the air around us grow thicker. No way out, got it—for now .
"It's exactly what the name implies—a wishing game. Everyone is here to compete to have their most ardent wishes come true."
What? Is this some sort of reality show? I look around, but I don't spot any cameras. Then again, they could very well be hidden to get our natural reactions.
"And how does that work?" I ask apprehensively.
"Do you think people care about the how as long as they get their wish?" She shrugs, and it's not lost on me that she evades answering. "You, too, must have a wish, or you wouldn't be here," she further prevaricates.
"I—"
Do I? Yes, of course I do. I want revenge for what happened to Nikki. I want his killers to pay for everything they put him through.
I nod slowly.
"Vengeance," I whisper. "I'd wish for something the law will not give me."
She smiles kindly at me.
" Just vengeance? If you could have anything in the world. Anything at all, would it be just vengeance?"
I stare at her, my mouth hanging open as a thought flashes through my mind.
My most ardent wish.
Nikki .
"I see that you do." She nods, her expression almost sad. "Whatever happens next, Luce, I want you to always ask yourself if what you wish for is worth the sacrifice."
Sacrifice? What sacrifice?
More alarm bells go off in my brain, and this time, not even the alcohol I consumed can keep me from freaking out.
"What do you mean by that?"