V

It's gone— the door, and all traces of it. There's not even a small gap, nothing that suggests of anything other than a wall.

House Merca, and their damn building skills.

My forehead feels hot, and my neck is stiff from trying not to look down for such a long time. I've never been so hungry before— but I force it to the back of my mind.

My mind feels so weak, and so does my body.

And then my appetite disappears like mist as she comes in, tray of food in hand.

Strong perfume comes off of in clouds. My head pounds with nausea, and I instinctively turn myself away.

She clicks her tongue.

"Won't be too long now." She says, her voice sweet. It makes me wince. "I had this place specially made for you. The glass weakens the mind and body, drives one insane."

No damn. I'd noticed that since I'd woken up in here.

"Eat."

She suddenly commands. But I don't move a single inch, and that seems to piss her off to my satisfaction.

"I'm only going to say this one more time." The Empress hisses, and I press my forehead to the cool glass. "Eat the food."

White.

"If that's the way you want to act."

My closed eyes fly open when I suddenly feel slender fingers grip my collar, wrenching my head to the side.

Her amber eyes are inches from mine, and I freeze with shock. My eyes widen, and she smiles deeply.

"Your eyes are so green."

"Stop touching me."

Anger twists my features, and I stand up abruptly, shaking her grip off the collar of my shirt. But I move too quickly— when I hadn't since I'd come here.

Dizziness.

My legs give out from underneath my body. In a second I'm back down, breathing hard and my paled fingertips gripping onto the glass floor. The heavy nausea rolls through me, like waves.

She laughs.

"They say the eyes are the mirrors to the heart."

"I told you— this place will drive you insane." She murmurs, and my eyes sting just looking at her thin smile. "And very quickly. It's be so much easier to just give up."

"Why me?"

She raises her eyebrow, and my gaze grows darker.

"The other Blessed— there are so many choices. Go to them. Why—"

"Do you really have to ask that?"

Her laugh is cruel, and the smile is gone now as her fingers trace my lips. The movement is so quick that I don't even have time to shift back. And even if I do, there is no more space. It's only the wall against me.

I feel sick, knowing she's toying with me. Touching just enough to sting.

Damn this.

"You're so different from the others." She says, and runs her hand roughly up my thigh. Her touch is hungry, full of lust.

"Too pretty for your own good. You've always been. So distinctive in your beauty."

I bite my lip so hard I taste blood.

Her eyes flicker in amusement as she caresses the line of my jaw.

"Don't tell me that you didn't notice that even some of the men want you."

My head pounds, and I force my eyes close. Just wait for her to leave— for the storm to pass.

Think of White.

But even if I think of her, it isn't enough to drown out the feeling of the Empress' hands on my body. It's just like before— when she'd used me to satisfy herself and had left my trembling figure, marred with dark burns, on the ground.

It had always been like that.

Always.

She clicks her tongue.

And there is a rush of breath as her hands leave my chest. I feel her shift back, and get to her feet.

It's done.

"If that food isn't gone by the time I'm back." She says, and I hear the sharp click of heels on the glass as she walks away.

"Then dizziness won't be the only thing you will feel."

As soon as the door closes, all the tension melts from my body. She disappears the moment she's out— which means that this all has to be illusion.

But when I look down into miles of air below, my chest seizes painfully.

My breaths are rough as I stare into the cold glass wall, trying to forget about everything.

And even though I feel half-dead, the deep green eyes that stare back at me seem to glow.

Too damn pretty.

I sigh, no longer hungry at all.

_________________________

WHITE

"Jungkook!"

"Nope." He says, pushing me into his room. He looks dead tired, considering he'd teleported three people at one time. "Not coming out."

He scrunches his face at me.

"Come on, White." He crosses his arms, putting a finger on his lips as he looks quickly out the hall. "And hush. You're going to get us caught."

"Okay."

Quieting down a bit, I bite my lip and tap my feet. "But what do I do here? Just—"

Then all of a sudden, he shuts the door. My mouth falls open when I hear the click of a lock, and I barely stop myself from yelling his name on the top of my lungs.

Then an instinctive chill goes up my back.

Someone's watching me.

When I whip around, I fix my eyes straight into the forest outside Jungkook's window. For a second, I see a faint silhouette of someone there.

There's a flash of shadow, and then nothing.

What...?

But before I even have time to think about it, the door swings open. Morning is there, and I almost hug her, cold face and all.

"Of course you'd be in here." She mutters under her breath, almost-white eyes flickering. "Come out."

"Unnie!"

"Shh." She cuts my happy shout off, pressing a knife into my palm. "You know how to use one?"

I nod vigorously.

"Good. Follow me."

"Where are we going?" I whisper as I trace her steps in the familiar halls of the Palace. "Jungkook and Jin—"

"Jin and Jungkook have gone to find V. They're probably already there."

Her white eyes flash. "And we're going for the Empress."

I swallow the biggest lump in my throat when I hear that.

"Going for who?"

We both whip around at the familiar voice, and I see the Empress. She's right there. Right there.

My heart seizes with the memories of Jimin. She was like a living reminder that he was dead.

The Empress' eyes widen the moment it meets with mine, her face paling a slight shade. Morning's lips tighten, and I can see her entire body tense.

"Of course." She grinds her white teeth, amber eyes wild with fury. "V Winter."

An amber light instantly surrounds her body, and I can feel my Blessing torn away from me. But Morning only smiles grimly besides me, knives in hand.

She's fast.

The Empress releases a surprised cry as Morning comes down on her, eyes blazing white fire. I just gape and stand there.

She doesn't look like she needs any help at all.

"Jimin Winter is alive!"

Then everything stops.

My mind and body just stops working, but Morning raises back her arm and aims the knifepoint straight at the Empress' neck.

A fraction of a second.

My body moves by itself, and my Blessing is somehow back. Unnie's cold eyes turn even colder as I block the knife with my arm, the same way I did with V.

She hisses, the gasping Empress still pinned under her.

"What do you think you're doing?"

"Jimin is alive?" I shout, my hands wrapping around her jeweled neck. She nods, perfect hair messy, eyes desperate.

I don't know what expression I'm making right now, but Unnie shifts off the Empress. And before she can get up, I pin her back down with her thin neck still clutched between my fingers.

I growl.

"Start talking, or I swear I'm going to rip your face in half."

It annoys me even more when she starts talking in a calm, monotone voice.

"He was gone."

"What do you mean."

She takes a breath, eyes flickering towards Morning. I squeeze her neck harder, and she quickly looks back.

"I had one of the Blessed check after I ordered for him to be executed."

She presses her lips together.

"Jimin Winter was gone. And he wasn't in the place where all the dead go either. Bloodstains led into the forest, and body never found."

Blood rushes to my head, and hope sparks in my chest.

That night— Jimin's body. I'd seen him, right there. And then I had no idea what happened after I ran into the forest, and dared not to talk about it in the next day.

V.

He'd know something.

"At least you admit to that." My voice is flat and emotionless as I aim the knife at her throat.

"Then I guess it's fine if I do the same thing to you."