ASTRID
The hours pass so slowly in this cell, I feel as if I’ve been imprisoned for days. With no sunlight as a time marker, how does one even tell?
Is losing my mind better or worse than a whipping?
At this point, I honestly can’t decide. Now that I’m forced to sit still, the horror of the last day wraps itself tight around my neck: the sound of my fellow Bell Run participants being torn apart, Luca’s ruined neck, the choking scent of his blood. Everett’s betrayal.
It’s too much. I’m about to yell for the guard, to accept my punishment, when I hear footsteps. I settle back, making myself as small and scared-looking as possible.
When the guard walks into view, I see that he’s not alone.
“Master!” I whimper, sounding pleased and petulant and pathetic all at once. If Cayden doesn’t vou
