10. 10 – Alyss
10 – Alyss
I squint at the woman in front of me as my body tilts to the side.
Harsh hands grab me before I hit the floor, pulling me upright as I feign weakness, shaking my head. “I…,”
“Don’t be an idiot.” Her words are cold, as cold as the rest of her. “You think you can lie to my face?”
She’s beautiful, but she reminds me of a viper. Pretty to look at - but linger too long and you’ll feel fangs in your throat. Deep red hair flows down her back almost to her hips, kohl-lined emerald-green eyes set in a tanned face that watches me without blinking.
She could be my age, or twenty years older. I can’t tell.
I drop the act, my face hardening. “You must be Red.”
She walks around me slowly, the silken folds of her gown dragging over my legs as I kneel. “You’re not one of our patrons. Who invited you here?”
I say nothing as she watches me.
Her next words are curt. “You should at least curtsey while you’re thinking what to say - it saves time.”
As if she’s a fucking queen .
As I stare at her, she waves a hand. “Search her.”
Beside me, Hatter shifts as those hands grab me again, more invasive this time. Efficiently, they strip me of the cash I carried in my bra. The man who dosed me steps forward, handing her my phone. “Broken. We’ll need to extract the data.”
I loosen a breath; thankful I decided not to bring any identification with me.
Red turns my phone over in her hands, staring down at the shattered screen. Red’s mouth tightens infinitesimally, the movement so small that it’s easily missed. But I’m watching her. She looks down at me, her green gaze narrowing. “Tell me your name, girl.”
I hold her eyes. “Tell me yours, first. It sure as hell isn’t Red.”
The smile curls up her lips, her words a mocking drawl. “I want to know how she got into my fucking club, Knave. Find out for me.”
The first kick lands directly in my kidneys. Agony radiates through my side as I fly forward and hands tangle in my hair, dragging me back.
Knave leans down to mutter in my ear. “Tell her how you got in.”
I twist and spit in his face. “Go fuck yourself.”
He lifts me, my scalp screaming in fiery pain as I struggle against him. “I can do this all fucking day.”
And enjoy it.
There’s shouting around me. Roaring , as Hatter launches himself toward me. But there are more of them , holding him down as Knave drops me and pulls out a knife.
And then Hatter is shouting over the ruckus, his face pale as he bellows at Red, twisting to get out from the men pinning him down. “ I invited her !”
She holds up one hand, and everyone pauses. Panting, I wrap an arm around my aching kidneys as Hatter struggles to pull himself out from the men holding him. “ I fucking invited her. I met her last night, and I invited her. She’s not hiding anything – she doesn’t know anything. She’s nobody, Red. Just a girl I met.”
“Just a girl you met,” Red repeats slowly. “Last night .”
My eyes dart to Buck. He sags beneath his own captors, dark eyes meeting mine.
There’s a warning there. And it feels, impossibly, as if the tension ratchets up tenfold as Red considers Hatter’s words.
As if it changes something.
“Get them up.” Red strolls back to her throne as we’re all pulled to our feet. I stumble, my side radiating with pain as she settles into the gaudy golden seat, her eyes landing on me.
“Was he good, girl? Last night? Did he say all the right things?”
The question takes me by surprise. There’s jealousy there, beneath the sneer on her face. As if he belongs to her.
My hands curl into fists. “Yes.”
Hatter’s face deepens in color as I glance over to him, something like shame flooding it, and I despise myself a little for even answering. But it’s anger and shock that fills her expression, as if she didn’t expect me to play along with her little game and she’s livid at the response.
She wipes it away, but not quickly enough.
And then Red tilts her head, a question in her eyes. “He’s quite mad, you know.”
I don’t bother to hide the smirk that stretches my lips, showing her my teeth. “All the best people are.”
She hesitates, then. I hold her gaze, not backing down.
“You don’t scare me,” I say finally. Quietly. “I have faced far worse nightmares than some petty bitch with cheap nails and a power complex. And my name is Alyss.”
Beside me, Buck groans, dropping his head.
Red watches me in silence, but two spots of color flare high on her cheeks. “Do you know what we do here, Alyss ?”
I press my lips together, refusing to give her anything.
“We make dreams come true,” she says softly. Red leans forward, her eyes gleaming as if she’s imparting some great secret. “And nightmares, too. All the darkest, deepest desires a person can have – we recreate those desires, outside of the mind. We bring them to life, and our investors beg for more.”
Well, that doesn’t sound good.
“I’ve seen this horror movie before,” I say stonily. “It was shit the first time.”
She goes on, ignoring me even as her nail taps against the armrest of her throne. “And someone like you – oh, they’re going to enjoy playing with you, Alyss. You’re going to be perfect for my new game. The star, if you will. Everyone loves an underdog, after all.”
“Red.” A choked, hoarse plea from Hatter. “ Please. I’m begging you—,”
“And you .” She turns on him, her eyes flaring wide with fury. “Have I not given you everything? Did I not give you exactly what you asked for – begged for – when you came crawling to my door, Hatter? You bound yourself to me of your own free will, and you have broken our agreement.”
He pales further, color leaching from his golden skin. “I know. Just – just let her go, Red. It won’t happen again.”
“I don’t think so,” she says quietly. “A lesson must be learned. You have disappointed me more than anyone else ever has.”
Hatter’s shoulders curve in, before he straightens. And his eyes burn as he faces her, his chin lifting. “I fucking hate you.”
She stares at him a moment longer with what looks like hurt on her face before moving on to Buck. He stands silent at my side, a tic building in his jaw.
“It’s been fun, Buck,” Red says, more casually. As if she really couldn’t give a fuck about him. “But I find myself growing bored of your face. I wasn’t expecting to add Hatter to the donation pile, but you’re well overdue for replacement. The investors will be delighted to see some familiar faces in the field.”
She looks behind us as we stand, frozen. “Take them. The other one too. Transport them with the rest. We have our group, it seems. Let the game begin.”
Transport—
I twist to face Hatter. He’s staring at me, those doe eyes wide with panic. “I’m sorry. Alyss – fuck , I’m so sorry—,”
My inhale is sharp, my body stilling in shock as a needle is jammed into his neck.
His eyes linger on mine even as they dull. Buck swears beside me as I twist to see them doing the same to him. He staggers, dropping to his knees as he shakes his head.
Red grins at me. And her voice is a purr as a sting embeds in my own neck.
“Off with their heads,” she murmurs, as my vision starts to swim.
She splits into two, three, five – all of them grinning wide, until all I see is that smile, wide and victorious.
“Goodbye, Alyss.”