“I do.”
How could Kira forget?
Those rules had kept her and the rest alive during the dark time in the camp.
“Perhaps you should follow the third one a bit more closely today,” he advised.
It wasn’t hard to figure out the one he meant.
The rule that stated they should only ever show what was absolutely necessary. The one that told them to survive—but only by the narrowest margin possible.
It was so their masters would underestimate them.
If a person didn’t know fully what you were capable of, they couldn’t defend against you.
Kira couldn’t understand why Alexander mentioned that rule to her. She strolled after the rest, trying to puzzle out the meaning behind his words.
Up ahead, Raider, Devon, and Joule had already reached the circle and had started to force their way inside.
To Kira’s surprise, Selene didn’t join them.
She reversed course toward the maze, a corridor once again extending in front of her. Alexander followed.
“Where are you two going?” Kira asked.
Alexander didn’t stop. “Our fate does not lie in this direction.”
A frown crossed Kira’s face. Then why had they come?
“Worry about them later,” Jin instructed. “The window is closing.”
Kira started forward again, only for her steps to slow a second later. There was something inside that resisted the idea of continuing in her current direction.
In front of her, Devon was the first to breach the circle’s barrier. Sweat showed on his forehead as he turned to encourage Joule and Raider.
Behind Kira, those who’d waited in ambush and those who were just reaching the area raced toward the safe zone.
Kira saw why a second later as the fierot advanced in this direction, flushing everyone in front of him.
They had no choice but to reach the safe zone or be evicted from the arena.
Joule finally made it through. Raider seconds later.
They beckoned her, screaming for her to get inside.
Kira’s pace didn’t pick up. Instead, it slowed further.
More and more, the feeling or repulsion was getting harder to ignore. Something whispering that she was heading the wrong way.
Kira stopped on the periphery of the circle, unable to take another step.
“What are you doing?” Raider asked, staring at her as if he could force her to claim that last foot of space.
Good question.
Kira looked up at the box where she knew Graydon was. From this distance she couldn’t see his expression but something about the way he stood seemed to urge her to listen to that little voice.
“Kira, you need to hurry. There’s only one slot left,” Joule urged.
