67
“You can’t be serious!” Thorun repeats for the third time as she stares at the contest name on the card in front of her. “I thought Evelyn was joking when she said she’d competed as a baby!”
“I swear sometimes you don’t listen to anything I say.” I throw my hands into the air. “I told you there was a challenge involving babies.”
“Yes, but real, live babies?” Her tone is incredulous, “risking the lives of consenting, or mostly consenting adults is one thing. Risking an infant’s life is another thing entirely. It’s barbaric!”
“Get a grip, dumbass,” Miranda snorts. “If you knew anything at all about this Game you’d know only two babies have ever been lost in the entire history of this challenge.”
“Contestants sacrifice everything to ensure they’re kept safe,” Silke adds, “because if anything happens to the small person, the competitor is immediately eliminated.”
“Small person?” Thorun shakes her head. “They’re infants!”
“Infants whose mothers have deliberately enrolled them into this challenge,” Claire shrugs, “because they want fame for their daughters and they want what Evelyn had.”
“A knife in the throat?” Thorun gasps.
“No, dipshit,” Miranda laughs, “a chance to be on the Games when they grow up. They’ve got a much better chance of being selected if they were already here before.”
“I once knew a man who liked to dress as a baby,” Sona muses, “I liked feeding him, but I grew weary of changing his diapers. I never knew babies pooped so much.”
“There’s something very wrong with you,” Aditi says with finality.
“There’s something wrong with all of you if you think this is OK,” Thorun whispers.
Rising, I beckon her to follow me as I leave the room.
When we reach our wing I take the baby challenge card from her trembling, white fingers and motion for her to sit on her bed.
“Listen,” I shake my head. “This challenge is going to be hard, but it usually doesn’t involve weapons, just a puzzle to solve under a time limitation.”
“In a water cave system, under a mountain, in the dark,” she whispers.
“Yes, apparently. But we also get to spend time with the bachelor.”
“How?”
“He accompanies the women on this challenge, if he feels like it, to get to know how they react under pressure — how they’ll be as mothers.
The vampire bachelors are looking for royal wives who’ll be great mothers while at the same time completing their royal obligations.
The whole reason they marry us is to have children. ”
“Not this one,” Thorun shakes her head.
“Pardon?”
“He doesn’t want children,” she sniffs, wiping away a stray tear. “It’s how I knew he was never going to pick me and that I’m doomed in this show.”
“What are you talking about?” I frown at her, exasperated at where the conversation has headed. I don’t care if he doesn’t pick her; I don’t care that she’s upset, or why.
‘Why the hell did I bring her back here?’
“You know, my grandmother always said you can be the most beautiful yellow in the world, but if a man’s favourite colour is blue, you’ll never be good enough,” She murmurs.
“Thorun, you’re killing me. What the fuck are you talking about?”
“I’m yellow,” she says quietly. “I want children. I don’t sail.
I don’t cook. I don’t want to live in a castle surrounded by royals and do royal things.
I want to go back to my island and beachcomb for the rest of my days and never have to fear for my life again.
I’m his yellow, and he’s looking for blue.
And he’s my yellow, and I’m looking for green. ”
I throw my hands into the air and shout.
“Basta cosi!”
“There’s no point telling me enough is enough! I’m trying to tell you that even if I were to win this game, I’m not compatible with him!” she shouts back. “I don’t want to risk a baby’s life to try and win something I don’t want!”
“So what?” I snap, “Do you want me to end it for you here and now?”
“What?”
“I’ve got a bucket-full of sleeping tablets. Say the word and you can drink up and drop off.”
“No,” She scowls.
“Then shut up and get ready. We’ve got to wear these stupid mother-fucking catsuits again, and if your whining wasn’t enough to push me to murder you, these sure as hell will.”
I hold up my catsuit and flap it around her face to emphasise my words, and she rises and pushes it aside to embrace me.
“Stop it. Get off!” I mutter as she squeezes me.
“Thank you, Cat,” she sniffles in my ear.
“I’ll probably drown you later,” I mutter, pushing her away, “so give it a rest.”
“You won’t.” She rolls her eyes, turning from me to put on her suit.
“You’re right,” I look at her and grin evilly as I zip myself into the skin-tight catsuit. I need to win tonight. I need time with Jaguar to question him about his immortality claim, and I have an enemy, or two, that need elimination.
“Drowning you will have to wait. I plan to kill the twins tonight, and I think I just might have figured out a way.”
She meets my eyes, and her own widen.
“No,” she shakes her head, correctly understanding my Machiavellian expression. “No, Cat. I can’t.”
“You can and you will.”