When I opened my eyes, grogginess urged me to close them again. My mind whirled with questions. What happened? Where am I?

No longer did the stench of rotten eggs offend my nostrils. Only the waft of damp, putrid wood washed over me. I forced my eyelids open when the pressure of moist tree roots pressed into my back.

I pushed myself up to sit and finally took in my surroundings. My eyes adjusted to the silhouettes of tree branches that pushed through the surrounding darkness.

My mind took me back to the office in Arcanum headquarters and the massive, hairy beast man that forced its way into the room I was locked in.

Nothing in my immediate vicinity matched that memory.

I got to my feet, finally looking down at the tight bodysuit that covered me neck to ankle. A sleek pair of matching shoes with thick soles hugged my feet. How did I get into this suit? And what else happened between my time in the office and now?

I failed the test. Did they snatch my chances of becoming a contestant and helping Millie? If so, they wouldn't have put me in competition gear.

Did the games start? It didn't make sense. The games had another week before airing live.

Alone in the massive space, trees and foliage spread out for what seemed like miles. I searched the tops of the apple laden branches, finally seeing the infrastructure and scaffolding of the indoor film set.

My eyes registered on the super high beams of wood and metal on the ceiling where dozens of cameras pointed in various directions over the set. Along the grid were large, well-placed lights, as well as ropes and pulleys for the prop mechanics.

Using the fixed cameras and dim lights as breadcrumbs, I followed the rugged dirt path that led through the darkness to the unknown.

I pressed my hand along the rough trunk of the tree next to me to get my balance, and it undulated under my palm. I pulled my hand back with a gasp and visually examined its twitching branches.

Although a brisk breeze could have caused the rustling, wind was nowhere in the vicinity. There wasn't even a wispy gust from a fan to dry the sweat from my damp forehead.

The tree branches twisted and coiled on their own, and the uncertainty of their intention spooked me enough to rush me along the clear path ahead.

More trees shimmied and danced up ahead, unnerving me. Not even a wolf man could get under my skin the way a normally inanimate object coming to life did. And because Arcanum often genetically modified plant and animal species to create horrific Grimm Games enemies, I knew to stay alert.

I needed to get my bearings and find an exit, but no matter where I looked, an outlet was nowhere in sight. But out in brazen darkness were muffled voices.

I followed the mutters, slowly crunching dead leaves beneath my feet. The dancing trees behind me slowed their rhythm as I moved on and the voices ahead grew louder, leading me closer to the edge of the forest.

Bright red apples hung from the trees further up, the glow from a distant light illuminated the set like moonlight and emphasized the juicy red orbs.

The faint voice continued but I could only make out a few words. "Get ready to go to camera five. Zero in, in three, two..."

I stopped in my tracks, trying to locate the voice somewhere to my right. With one foot over the other, I successfully balanced over uneven ground toward the noise at the end of the path.

A full-length mirror with an ornate, rectangular wooden frame met me at the center of the dirt trail. At the foot of the mirror lay rotten apples that had fallen and collected there.

As I approached the mirror, I examined the reflection looking back at me. Although the hair got my attention, the fear in my reflection's chestnut brown eyes heightened my concern. My reflection's white hair stopped slightly above the shoulders in an asymmetrical bob, differing from my dark hair that remained in a ponytail.

I squinted, slowly moving closer to the mirror, taking in the black ink-like stain below the cheek area. Then it hit me.

"Millie?"

"Kam?" the reflection spoke. Her eyes widened at the realization. "Are you serious? What are you doing here?"

The rectangle no longer resembled a mirror but a doorway as it revealed my double on the other side. "Oh my god!" I rushed forward, stopping short of the frame that separated us. "Millie, it's you?"

She nodded, reaching through the doorway to pull me into her arms. Her initial grip was urgent, but her embrace was strong. "How are you here right now? Is this even real?" She broke the hug and scratched her temple as if debating if she should trust her own eyes.

"I came to get you out of here." I stepped back to give her a once over, realizing a painted wall of trees surrounded the doorway. Her five-eight figure seemed more fragile than the last time I saw her. "Why the hell did you sign up for the Games?"

"It's a long story, sis." She glanced over her shoulder. "And we don't have much time. Come on."

"No," I paused, preventing her from pulling me completely past the threshold. "We're leaving. We're getting the hell out of here."

"No, we're not." Her eyes narrowed and she cocked her head in pity. "No one leaves, Kam. They won't let you."

"Bullshit," I grabbed her wrist to pull her through to my side.

"No, Kam." She pulled her hand away, keeping her voice in a whisper. "Once you're in, you're in till the end. What are you even doing back here in the forest?"

"I came to get you."

"You mean you signed up?" She didn't blink.

"To get you out of here."

"Oh, fuck. I mean, fudge." She huffed, running her hand through her frosty strands. "The only way out is through, Kam. Dang it!"

"What do you mean?" I shook my head in confusion, trying to read her body language but only becoming more confused. "Just tell them you want out. That you quit. You concede. It's over."

"But it's not. Actually, it's only begun for you." She looked over her shoulder making my hair stand up on the nape of my neck envisioning what could have her so on edge. "It feels like I've been here forever though. I lost track of time. Days maybe. A week."

"You've been competing here for a week?" I scratched my temple, thinking. "The Games aren't supposed to air for a few more days."

"Miss Know-It-All really doesn't get it?" She reached through the doorway to grab my shoulders. The frame remained between us, emphasizing our physical split for the last few months. "They lie to us, Kam. You out of all people should know not to believe a thing they say."

"But—" I stared into her anxious eyes. "I mean, it's always been a live show like the others."

"News flash, it's not." Again, her attention went to whatever was happening behind her. "And I don't think it ever was. It's all a huge sham and no matter what you do or say, they don't listen. They don't care. But I don't have time to explain it. We gotta get to a safe zone before the next game begins."

"I'm confused."

"I know, just follow me."

"Follow you? Where are you going?" I looked behind her, trying to determine the threat that kept her on edge.

"We have to find a safe zone before those monsters find us." She tugged my hand until I gave up and slipped through the narrow doorway and into her space. The lighting in the space suddenly changed.

An eerie sepia yellow hue illuminated the large warehouse and dozens of hay piles lay as far as the eyes could see. The piles were various sizes, some as tall as fifteen feet high.

"What is this place?"

"I'm not sure." She huffed. "I think it's part of a story. It reminds me of the room I woke up in days ago."

"Sounds like they're big on drugging their contestants," I started, thinking of all the possible lawsuits swamping their lawyers. "First, I'm in one of their offices with a hidden egg and a wolfman. Next thing you know, I'm here. Wearing this."

"Not very flattering," she mumbled and sighed in annoyance. "But you get used to it."

I grabbed her wrist again, asserting my big-sister dominance. "Why did you do this, Millie? Why get involved with the Games?"

"Twenty mil is a lot of money," but before I could react, she added, "but after experiencing this in person, I quickly realized surviving and getting out of here sounded like a better plan."

"You think?" I growled through clenched teeth. "Risking your life for twenty million anything is never worth it. You could've come to me if you needed money."

"Funny, sis." Her eyes fixed on me as the strands of white hair framed her gaunt face. "Like the time I needed a place to stay, and you told me to get my crap together before you would welcome me in?"

"That was after you were arrested for stealing a pack of cigs and was booked under my name." I huffed. "You don't even smoke!"

"It was to pay back a friend for a favor, okay?" She sneered. "That's what you do when you really appreciate someone. You pay them back by any means necessary. And I thought if I used your name, the police would let me off with a warning."

"Which leads us here," I went on, ignoring her previous comment. "Here you go again, using my name to sign up for this barbaric bullshit."

She rolled her eyes. "Do you have to swear?"

"Yes, especially when my little sister is signing up for the sadistic games I'm trying to shut down and using my name to do so!"

"Because I failed my survival assessment the first time, and after waiting on the list for years, they wouldn't give me another chance," she confessed. "But becoming you gave me that chance."

"Failed?" I remembered the bold black letters back in the office on the red TV screen that spelled out that exact word. "I think I was unsuccessful too but I'm here."

"They let you through even though you failed?" She searched my eyes for an explanation. "What did you tell them?" Again, she looked over her shoulder and lowered her voice. "You must've done or said something to get in."

"I made a deal with the showrunner, Mother Holle." I took her cue and lowered my voice too. "The deal was I would sign up if she let me compete alongside you. I wanted to come to convince you to leave. But I don't trust them, especially that Mother Holle," I went on. "She knows you're not who you said you were. She knows all about us. And she offered me a spot in the Games. I think she wants to spruce up the show with something new. And if that's what she wants, that's what we'll give her by getting out of here together."

"You think it'll be that easy?" Her face became more serious than I ever knew her to be. "You have no idea what I've been through. You research the show, you know all the players and winners, you know the fairytales and folklore inside and out, but you have no idea how to win. You failed your test, sis."

"A stupid wizard and an egg—"

"You're supposed to keep the egg from staining red or you'll become like the wizard's victims, chopped to pieces." She shook her head. "You lost and you're only here because of a stupid deal you made. A deal that gives them everything they want, ratings, engagement, money, power. You're not as great or as smart as you think you are, sis. Wake up!"

Stunned, I stared with my jaw agape. I didn't appreciate how she used 'sis' like a bad word. "I came here to save you."

"Like a damsel? Like I can't take care of myself even though I've done it for years."

"Yes, you've done it but poorly." I sneered, feeling her lack of appreciation manifest in my hollow gut.

"And yet you're in the same situation as I am." She mimicked the look on my face, making me realize how stupid I must've looked. "You're no hero. You're no better than me or any of us, Kam. You're a loser. And you should've never come because now you put me in a position to save you."

My heart stopped. Years of butting heads and not seeing eye to eye accumulated in a single hot tear gliding down my cheek. "I—"

A distance menacing growl interrupted us and echoed across the set, sending chills along the nape of my neck.

"We don't have time." Millie grabbed my wrist as I had done to her earlier. "Let's find a safe zone before something finds us."