Jack shakes his head.
“Jack is very jaded about the idea of love and marriage,” Sophia clarifies.
“And children?” Niklaus says.
Jack looks down to his clasped hands on the table. He shakes his head again without a word.
Hmm. That’s interesting. He never wanted to have my mother and Aunt Scarlett?
“And you, Sophia?” I add.
Her high cheeks turn a deep maroon. “I’d love to have children and a loving husband one day. Two boys and a girl. It would be lovely to have the boys first so they can protect the little princess.”
My heart throbs.
“So, you two were born here? How long have you been imprisoned? What did you do to get in here?” I can’t keep up with the questions producing endlessly in my brain. And most importantly, how will they eventually end up back in the Chandelier City?
Sophia perks up to answer, but Jack places a firm hand on her shoulder.
“Not another word. I’m still not convinced you aren’t working for the brothers. Until you prove otherwise, no more questions.”
I want to keep pushing, but Niklaus pats my thigh, giving me a reassuring nod.
“Fine. Would you two mind filling us in on how to survive here then?” he says, changing the subject.
Jack lifts a bandage on his forearm, checking to see how it’s healing so far. I only catch a glimpse of the wound, but it’s deep and bright red. Still fresh.
“There is a House of Jester Night,” he says with mock excitement.
“A what?”
Sophia explains patiently, “It’s an event for the Vexamen Breed soldiers a couple nights a week. They send the inmates to the grand hall with a stage…and make us do awful things to entertain their twisted army.”
Niklaus and I exchange a look.
“You mean Fun House Night?” I ask.
“Never heard of that,” Jack replies.
Wow. We’ve traveled so far back, much has changed.
“Do you know what the theme is tonight?”
Sophia and Jack place their guesses to things I haven’t heard of from our parents. Hangman’s Sword, Screaming Fortune Wheel, Organ Grinder, Black Widow Show, Marionette Theater.
“What’s Marionette Theater?” Niklaus asks.
“They take a female prisoner who has too many strikes against her and place her on the stage alone. A long line of male inmates takes turns performing oral sex on her for the crowd. Whichever man brings her to orgasm gets exempt from the next three House of Jester Nights.”
“You’re fucking kidding me,” I choke.
“It’s sickening to watch,” Sophia agrees. “If the sentinels aren’t looking my way, I usually just place my hands over my ears and pray until it stops.”
“Sentinels make you watch?”
“You’ll be forced to take her place if you’re caught closing your eyes.”
I’m going to be sick.
