Aros Abcurse.
With a feral-sounding growl catching in the back of my throat, I glanced at the other two rooms that I had already cleaned.
Yael AbcurseandSiret Abcurse.
I didn’t even bother looking at Room Number 1. I knew what it would say. My luck was just that bad.
Coen Abcurse. A.k.a., Pain Master of Blesswood. The guy with the crossbow.
“Motherf—” I paused, my tantrum on the verge of spilling out, when a dweller pushed out of Room Number 8, his cart pulled behind him.
He blinked at me, his mouth falling open, and I recognised Atti.
“You’re a recruit!” he accused, his voice a hiss as he moved closer.
“You’re a boy!” I returned, a dose of horror shot into my tone, my finger raised in a point. “What are you doing in the girl’s area?”
He had a moment. He totally had a moment. I could see it all over his face—before he realised that he’d just finished cleaning the rooms that he always cleaned, and then confusion descended.
“What areyoudoing in themaledorm?”
“Exploring my sexuality.” I leaned against the cart, propping my elbow, wiping my expression into something neutral. “How am I doing?”
“I can see your nipples. Your shirt’s wet.”
My elbow slipped, and I almost toppled over, but my chin caught me against the edge of the cart. “I knew the boobs would be a problem,” I groused, rubbing the pain out of my jaw. “I knew it. I tried to tell her, but she wouldn’t listen to me.”
“Who?”
“Emmy. Remember? Grumpy Emmy?”
“Oh yeah, she looked kinda uptight.”
“She’s not.”
“Really?”
“Okay, maybe a little. Do you have a shirt I can borrow? Maybe a cap? Maybe some pants? And a fake moustache?”
He laughed, glancing down the hall before looking back to me. “You seriously got assigned to their dorms?”
“Yeah, the leader of our village gave me a boy’s name on the form. Think they’ll reassign me?”
“Probably.” He stroked his chin, trying to hide his growing smile. “With those five, you can expect a reassignment at some stage.”
“Likewhen, exactly?”
“When they’re done playing with you, given that you’re still alive. I’m in room 17, in the dweller residence. Come and find me once you’re done. I’ll lend you some clothes.”
“Thanks, Atti. I’ll put in a good word for you with the big boys,” I promised, jerking a finger over my shoulder to the doors behind me.
His smile stretched, taking over his whole face. “Try not to get yourself sacrificed,” he warned, pushing his cart away.
Five
After I finishedthe Abcurse rooms, rushing through the last two like my life depended on it—which it almost definitely did—I found myself sneaking into the dweller residence with Atti. He’d finished his dorms at the same time as me and decided it was safer to show me where to go, rather than leave me to my own devices.
Howdid he know me so well already? Maybe he was just smart like that. Smart like Emmy. Smart like every other damned dweller in Blesswood.
