A FIGURE LOITERED NEAR THE KITCHEN entrance. The broken mask that haunted my thoughts covered their face.

Instant adrenaline shocked my core, intensifying as the person sauntered closer. My fingers gripped my fork hard, ready to attack, but once I heard the sharp giggle, I sighed, going back to my food. Only one person made that sound.

That giggle turned into a squeal as the masked person twirled around the kitchen like an ecstasy-laced ballerina on steroids, prancing and kicking around.

It took me off guard, making the mask almost forgettable because the moves were just that hilarious.

A laugh blurted from my throat unexpectedly, catching me off guard.

Snatching the mask off, Jookie grinned down at me before bowing. "Ello, my princess peach. Did you enjoy my performance? I call it La Death Mask de Princess Peach."

I clapped. "It was absolutely breathtaking. Completely changed my whole existence."

He placed a hand over his heart. "I know. I just knew it would change lives." He wore a tight red-dotted dress shirt, sleeves rolled up to show off his tats, and some ripped blue jeans. His gray hair was straightened today, falling to his back. An elegant yet edgy aura generated from him.

I chuckled for a second and then stopped myself. Was I joking around with Jookie? I shouldn't be. He was the enemy and a sadistic monster. He was dancing around in the mask that he knew fucked with my mind.

How sick was that?

His freaky dance did relieve some of the stress harboring in my soul, but that heavy burden soon came back, scratching at my mind.

"What are you doing here?" I asked, coming off rude, which was something Betinia would never do.

I didn't know what it was, but Jookie made it easy for me to be real like I didn't have to hide. Not sure if that's a good or bad thing.

"Feisty, today are we?" Jookie licked his lips. "I'm just getting things ready for voting tonight," he said, playing with a strand of his hair. Sitting across from me, his beautiful violet-gray eyes scanned my body. "You look like you've had a rough night."

I munched on a sausage, never breaking eye contact before motioning to the mask beside him. "You were watching. You know what happened. I thought you were just trying to grind the wound in deeper."

"Yes, I was watching," he said, lips twitching. "And if I wanted to torture you, my luscious peach, I could do that without the stupid mask." He crunched the mask in his fingers, thick flakes and dust shuddering everywhere.

I jerked at the motion, pancake pieces falling from my mouth.

"At the end of the day, it's all dust and plaster. Nothing," he said, staring at me. "I just really want to know how you feel."

I snorted. "How I feel? Seriously? You guys basically mind-fucked me last night. Trudging up the worse experiences of my life. And for what? You're already keeping me prisoner and making me participate in this stupid show."

"We're all prisoners in some way, my sweet peach," Jookie said, tone harsh. "Just have to make do with what we got and be true to ourselves to survive the next moment."

True to ourselves? Was he telling me to be honest with myself? "That's easy for an outsider to say," I said. "If you've never been there, you don't get an opinion."

He shrugged while rolling his eyes. "Your life isn't as unique as you may think, my spicy peach. Bad shit happens to everyone. Everyone," he said, tone covered in ice chips. "You're selfish if you think otherwise."

"I know bad shit happens to other people," I started but was cut off.

"Then act like it," he barked at me.

The atmosphere shifted, becoming thick with tension and sizzling electricity. Both of us fed it, adding in anger and frustration that was radiating off our bodies like sun rays in the desert. I also added in a bit of confusion because I didn't understand what was going on.

Why the hell was he angry with me? That question tickled my brain, but the negative emotions coursing through me stopped me from looking for an answer. This game was using me as a pawn. I was just some piece to mess with until I died. It was bullshit. And here Jookie comes, trotting along telling me to suck it up.

Fuck you, Jookie.

I stared into his eyes. "I don't have to act like it. Who do I have to impress?"

He sighed, eyes fluttering. "It's not about impressing anyone. It's about getting your shit together."

"You mean forgetting the past," I said, realizing his point. Or what I think was his point. "You don't think last night should've affected me. I wasn't the only one." Aries and Demo bitched up a storm earlier about their visitors.

He massaged his temples. "It's not totally that. You're not playing the game to succeed. You're just playing."

"So? No one here gives a shit whether I live or die." Except for my sponsor and fuck whoever that was.

Jookie paused for a good minute, almost like he was listening to someone talk before his whole demeanor changed. A giant smile hugged his lips now. "The viewers do. You do have fans, my precious peach. People do care."

"My own mother didn't care about me, so why should I believe that?"

A cruel giggle clawed at his throat, eyes darkening. "You don't have to believe anything! You wanna die, right? Just like your family, perhaps?"

"Fuck you. You didn't know my family."

Averting his eyes, he began to braid a strand of his hair. "I know enough. More than you do actually. Especially about that day."

Intense angry vibrated through my bones, shooting through my fingers. "How do you know more than I do? You weren't there."

My therapist told me that my memories of that day might not totally be true. That the mind could omit things, or add things, or even delete things to protect itself. But still, how could he know more than me? If he did, Jookie got his info from someone else. So, how did they know more than me?

Confusion ate at the tiny particles in my brain, intensifying every time I blinked.

Jookie met my eyes, boring into them like he was trying to communicate a secret message. "That's the big mystery, isn't it? How do I know more than you?"

"Fuck if I know," I said, glaring at him. "Just spit it out."

He gave me a joyous smile, braiding faster. "And what's the fun in that? It's all about the mystery, my delectable peach."

My fist clenched around my fork, wanting to stab him in the hand. He must've sensed what I wanted to do because he blew me a kiss before moving back a couple inches.

Getting into it with him wouldn't get me anywhere, so I ate another chunk of pancake. "It's whatever."

"Giving up?" he said, cocking his head.

My natural curiosity buzzed with excitement, wanting to know what he knew, but why act needy? It wouldn't get me anywhere. "No. Just waiting." I took a bite of my sausage. "Shouldn't you be asking me about voting, anyway?"

His fingers touched his forehead, leaning forward. "Yes. That would be a safer topic. So, who are you voting for?"

I did come to my decision last night, and it wasn't Rucker. "I'm not telling you."

He pouted. "Why not? Haven't we become friends? You can trust me."

I bit into my pancake, letting the fork dance along my teeth. "I want to keep it a secret. Gotta keep everyone on edge, right?"

He grinned before licking his teeth. "Of course. Who doesn't love a good secret? Let's just hope it lives up to the hype."

Oh, it will.

The kitchen door swung open, and Sebastian sauntered in, looking fresh and clean from a shower, hair damp. A fruity aroma wafted off his body, making me think of fresh fruit on a spring day.

"Hey, Betinia," he said before smiling, but then he spotted Jookie. In an instant, his features went from excited to suspicious, never taking his eyes off Jookie as he stood behind me.

The guys connected at the eyes, an electric fire blazing between them for a second. Sweat dewed my forehead from the instant radiating warmth that consumed the air.

Jookie got to his feet, breaking the connection. "See you tonight, my princess peach," he said, eyes still on Sebastian for a second before leaving.

"Ah, what was that?" I asked Sebastian.

He shrugged before walking over to the counter to grab a fresh plate and sitting next to me. "He's a creep and he's totally overdramatic and weird."

What's wrong with being weird?

I shrugged, putting on a pleasant face on. "He's the host, right? That's probably what the creators of this game like about him. He puts a special flair on everything and keeps the audience entertained."

Sebastian frowned, munching on some bacon. "When something is overdramatic, it ruins everything. It feels fake. Cheapens the viewer experience. Just look at his outfit. Pink polka-dots and green pants?"

Wasn't Jookie wearing red and blue today? I shook my head, ignoring my questioning mind. "I'm guessing you're a big film buff?"

He looked embarrassed. "Kind of. It's an art really."

"Like modeling?"

"Yeah, I like photography, but nothing's like film," he said, getting lost in a trance. "Film is all about capturing human expression in raw form. So beautiful. There's nothing else like it in the world. Not many directors can do it — capture that true emotion. It's utterly breathtaking."

Before I could respond, multiple voices interrupted me, talking loudly outside the kitchen. Everyone filed inside, except for Rucker, Yaz, Layla, and Khan. Most of them grabbed steaming plates and crowded around or at the island.

Gmie rolled her eyes, picking at her pancakes. "I can't believe you did that."

"What? Fuck Rucker?" Chi laughed, playing with her red strands before sitting across from me with Gmie and Demo at her right. "He's fucking hot, so I did it. Gladly." She fixed her tight top, showing off more cleavage.

Tiran stared down at Chi, sneaking glances at her chest while munching quickly on a pancake.

Gmie tightened up her bun before snorting. "He's a child murderer."

Chi laughed, letting out an obnoxious sound. "So? His dick's huge. That's all that matters, right?"

Demo shrugged. "I'm gay so..."

Aries brushed his short hair back with his fingers, bright hazel eyes gleaming. "I don't see the big deal. With everything going on, finding a release is a good thing."

Chi drummed her long nails on the table before sneaking a glance a Gmie. "People put this huge stigma on sex. It's not a big deal." She shrugged. "Watch out, you'll be banging people too. Men and women can't be this close together and under these sorts of circumstances without fucking each other. It's a fact."

Was that true? Would I be losing my virginity on live television?

None of the contestants were horrible looking. Actually, everyone was quite attractive now that I thought about it.

I wasn't a prude, but I was very inexperienced. I never judged people on being sexually active though. Hey, go be free. It's your body. But under these circumstances, I'd follow horror movie law. People who had sex died first.

Plus, could you really trust the person you're having sex with? They could murder you right in the middle of it.

Aries cleared his throat. "So. When voting is over tonight, does the pact end?"

"The pact to not kill each other?" Sebastian asked, looking around at all of us.

That was the pact we made when we first got here. A slight truce until we settled in.

"Yeah," Aries said, nodding.

"Yes," Sebastian said, answering for everyone. "It will end."

Gmie shrugged, swallowing a piece of meat. "It's not a big deal. That's why we're here. Only four can win. Remember?"

Four. That number still bothered me. Wasn't that such a weird winner number for a competition? Usually, it was one winner or top three but four?

Gmie eyed me, staring deep into my eyes. "So yeah. At midnight, the pact is over, and everyone should watch their backs."

♟♙♟