PROLOGUE: BIANCA
The night is just as harsh as every other for a peasant college girl like her—or me.
I rush through my shower as I returned from college. I yank my waitress uniform and smear over some makeup over my tired face. Dominic can’t see anyone look damn plain. He’ll say “Why keep that damn beauty, and not monetize it.” His Germany accent making it more humorous. And everyone realized it is no joke when he fired Kate for skipping her lipsticks.
I don’t know what this little girl had got herself into, but living her life was really hard. Like hell! Even thought I don’t know what my past life looked like, how comfortable or satisfying it was, I can say this is harsh and weakening. Because I know I’ve never felt this broke, weak, helpless, and lonely.
The worse letter of her life still sits in the lower drawer beside the study table. The Richardson’s. “We’re sorry…” She had just lost a scholarship from the Richardson Groups. And those pieces of s**t can’t be sorry for that. For a mere hopeless girl whose life will be ruined because of their unfulfilled promise. The folks literally rule everything in the city. Pure and impure, beliefs and politics.
My mind goes back to the tuition fees reminder mail. Her department has one of the most expensive tuition fee. Her responsibilities are too heavy to carry. Paying tuition fee of Seson College for even a first year student is no play—and I can’t quit school. I can’t risk losing my camouflage. Not now that I’m still getting piece together about my past.
I’m literally not related to anyone. Her mother died a year ago and nobody never stops by except that one friend. Her only one friend that feels like a hundred.
“Bianca.” Her voice is loud and croak as always. That kind of voice that will make someone doubt if she is a man or trans.
“Getting ready, Olivia.” That is completely different from what remember to be my voice. But the different, the better anyway.
“That’s good,” she says opening the door into my room. She live in the second apartment down the street, but my room was the fastest to her tiny legs. Her face is as soft and round like a greased basketball, his curly hair pack into a ponytail, making her alluring eyeballs visible, with the blue warmth crawling inside the both of them. Her uniform look more fit than mine—maybe because I’m a fake, or because she is prettier.
I don’t know where the two of them met or what bonded them but—they are really close. “I got your favorite vanilla ice cream,” she chuckle as she sit on the bed behind me, rushing into her bag.
“I told you I don’t like that anymore.” My hand fasten my stuffs into my handbag as I spoke. The last time I had that goddamn vanilla was a no joke—I purged for half a week.
“That’s a lie.” She brings out the ice cream cup from her bag, and put it before me. “The other day was not caused by the ice cream, I know, you’ve been eating this since childhood, how come you stop it over night. And you made me love it too. So no going back, okay?”
I only manage a nod and open the cup. “Anyway, we have to get to the bar quickly. Or Dominion would-“
“No.” She cuts me off. “Let’s just get going, I hate imagining what he’d do.”
I quickly place the ice cream in the mini fridge by the corner of the room, and we both walk out.
The walk to the bar isn’t so long, especially with Olivia beside me, throwing a joke every single second like she has all day.
“You know what, I wanted to tell you something very important,” she says starring into my eye as we walk.
“What’s that? You sounding oddly serious.” Her soft tone making me more anxious.
“I’m really serious now.” She hangs her right arm around my neck. “I hate seeing you kicked out of college the other day because of the tuition fees. It really broke me. Someone in your department needs a very solid support to be able to concentrate well on your studies. And now the Richardson want to keep eating their evil founded money.”
“You can’t say that.” I quickly cover her mouth. “Anyone might hear you.”
“Who cares?” She looks around like she really could face anyone.
“So tell me, what are you driving at?”
“I overheard something from the others from the bar.” Her voice lowers to a whisper.
“And what’s that?” The eagerness in me multiply.
“The wait and get.”
I stretch my neck, trying to hear more but that was all. “And what possibly could that mean?”
“A lottery.”
“Just tell me the details already.” My voice shaky as we already get to the bar entrance. I don’t want to get my head around guessing through the night.
“We wait over after the normal day work, and men came over to choose anyone.”
“Choose anyone?”
“And everyone one that waited get paid.”
What? That seems like a real lottery. Someone get used and everyone get paid.
But if that happens to be me?
“Girls,” Dominion shouts from the window. “You’re late already.”
We quickly hasten up and find each other way to her duty.
But I don’t know what the f**k to do? The s**t or not. I have to maintain a proper cover till I remember anything about my past, and dropping out of college will not help that. I have to stay in college before anything can come afterwards.
And the only obstruction is that enormous tuition fee.
And the question is how the f**k am I going to raise it?
