The air in the unit feels charged by the slide of my palm and her ragged gasps through the speakers. I’m reclaiming her focus. I watch her face, the way her mouth hangs open; her head thrashes against the pillows.
"Now, stop fighting it. Take your pleasure, Omega. Let the world go quiet."
Zora jolts, her body going rigid as she finally crashes into a soft, messy climax. She lets out a long, broken sigh that sounds like pure relief, her back slamming into the mattress as the tension snaps. She falls back into the pillows, her hand still resting against the slickness of her thighs.
I follow her a second later, my release hitting with a force that leaves me breathless and shaking in the chair.
"That is all for tonight, Omega. Until next time."
I don't wait for her to answer. I click off the feed.
Taking off the mask, I lean back, the cool air of the unit hitting my damp skin. Adrenaline courses through my veins, making me want to go for a run, but I also have the weight of the secret gathering in my gut. We are gaslighting her, even if we do it to keep her safe. She thinks her instincts are broken when they’re the only thing telling her the truth.
I clean up and walk out. The building remains quiet. We finally got her here. I’m going to make sure she never wants to leave.
Thefirealarmscreams,jolting me from sleep. I sit up fast, my heart thumping against my ribs. The noise continues, jarring and unrelenting. A cold sweat breaks out all over as my hands shake. My head spins from the sudden volume.
The scent of burning cedar hits my nose. The walls show the steady pulse of red light, no flames. Yet the smell of wood-smoke grows stronger with every ragged breath. My brain drags me back to 2011. The room gets hotter as my face burns and sweat breaks out on my forehead.
Panic claws at my throat. I scramble out of bed, my bare feet hitting the cold stone floor. Every flash if evacuation alarm makes my vision blur. I run for the hallway. I need the fire escape.
"Urie!" I scan the dark corners. "Sawyer! Help!" I know they're close; they have been ever since last week when the intruder left the incense in my kitchen. Nobody answers. The place feels way too big. I reach the living room. The the storm raging outside.
I sprint for the fire exit on the far end of the living room. I push the bar on the heavy door. It doesn't budge. I throw my shoulderinto it. Nothing. Someone trapped me here. They planned this.I spin around, my back hitting the cold steel. The red lights keep flashing, turning the room into a mess of moving shadows. I scan the kitchen, the sofa, and the foyer."Who's there?" I grip the door handle behind my back.
A shadow detaches from the wall near the laundry room. It shifts against the pulsing red light, moving with a deliberately slow pace. A man emerges out into the open. He wears a dark jacket, buttoned to the chin. I squint, trying to figure out his identity. He looks like one of the many staff members I see in the halls, but my brain won't lock onto his features. With no distinct marks on his face, he remains a total stranger to me.
He stops a few feet away and just stares, making my skin crawl. He tilts his head to the side, his expression shifting into a terrifying smile. "I cleared the path for you, Sunflower. I spent fifteen years planning our exit while you hid in plain sight. I've watched you for months. I sent the notes. I even stood right outside your door while you let that Alpha curl up on your floor like a pet."
What the fuck is he talking about?I grip the door behind me.
"Who are you? How did you get in here?" I shift my weight, looking for any path to the kitchen so I can grab a knife.
He grimaces, his expression twisting into something ugly. "I stayed in the dark while you let these lapdogs in suits guard your cage. They think they can keep what belongs to me. We have a promise to keep, and I intend to make sure you remember."
I search my mind. I look for a face in the yard or a voice from the orphanage. Nothing comes up. "I don't know you." I keep my voice low. "I don't remember any promise."
The man's expression darkens. He takes a step toward me, curling his hands into fists . The alarm didn't start because of a fire. He started it to flush me out.
He laughs, a harsh sound that cuts through the siren’s wail. "You don't remember me?"
He gestures to his chest with a trembling hand. "I stayed in that room while the roof came down because I thought you’d come back. I called for you, Sunflower. I screamed your name until my lungs burned. But you ran to Reid."
The name hits me, Reid. The boy from my dreams; the one who pulled me through the smoke and saved my life. I look at this man, my stomach turning. He talks as if he lived that moment with me.
He sneers, taking another step. "You still have no idea. You always lacked the sense to see what stood right in front of you." He reaches for his sleeves, yanking them up to his elbows. Then he hikes up his pant legs. Under the red strobes, the horror he hides beneath his clothes comes into view. Thick, ropey burn scars cover his forearms and shins. The skin looks like melted wax.
"The boys you played with in the yard." He points toward the ceiling. "The ones who followed you around like lost dogs. They own this building, Sunflower! They’ve gotten all your sponsors to reach out to you. They run your life."
I shake my head, my back still pressed against the barricaded exit. "That's impossible. They're just staff. They're all Betas."
Even as the words leave my mouth, doubt flickers in my mind. My body reacted to Urie in a way that defies logic.
"They act as Alphas." He spits toward the floor. "They've lied to you since the day you walked into this building. They watch you. They track your heart rate while you sleep. They built this whole place just to keep you in a cage as theirs, but you’re not theirs."
He moves closer, his shadow stretching across the floor. "I suffered for you. I carry the marks. Those Alphas... they just bought you. I’m giving you a choice, Sunflower. Choose me. I willcherish you like I always have. We can leave this place and find happiness like we had before the fire."
I stare at his face, the realization of his deep delusions sinking in. I remember a boy from the shelter now. Not a friend. I remember a boy who stood in the shadows of the cafeteria. The one who watched me from across the yard without ever saying a word. I even woke up to him watching me sleep once in the girls' dorm. He scared me then, but he is terrifying now.Roman,that was his name.
