To his credit, Christian didn’t seem fazed by Imara. Girls probably flung themselves at him all the time. He wasn’t exactly unattractive.
“Only if you’re okay with it, Gemma,” Christian said. “I don’t want to intrude.”
“It’s fine.” She tried to hide her annoyance. He already had paid too close attention to her. Maybe she’d get lucky, and he’d be gone after the next test. “The more the merrier, or whatever they used to say.”
“That settles it, then.” Imara removed her arm from Gemma to flip her hip-length, silky black hair over her shoulder. She winked at Christian. “You get to be our new ally.”
“Splendid,” Christian said flatly, scratching his clean-shaven cheek.
Gemma almost laughed. He had no interest in Imara at all. She was going to be so mad when Christian turned her down later.
Breakfast was amazing, even better than the day before. Fruits from off-world, full of flavors Gemma had never tasted: pastries, shaved meats, and cheeses.
Gemma’s biochip chirped. She jolted, banging her knee on the table. “Mother—”
“You heard that too?” Imara asked.
The Kaizen pushed open the doors to the cafeteria and stepped inside, a cocky grin plastered on her face.
Gemma’s heart flipped. Something was about to happen.
“When you hear your number called, you will exit this room and follow an instructor to your next test,” the Kaizen said. “Best of luck to you all. Not that it’ll do you any good. Ta, ta!”
The Kaizen whirled around and left as several androids strolled in. Though covered with sleek, white metal, they were so humanoid that Gemma’s hairs stood on end. She sucked in a deep breath as the androids’ large, neon-blue eyes stared straight ahead.
Contestants began to leave the room in groups of six, following one of the androids, and Gemma’s knees bounced as she waited for her number,one-three-four, to be called.
Separating the participants was strange. She tried to think like their game master, or at least about how previous Trials had been conducted according to the Dissent. She didn’t remember contestants ever being split up before.
What have you come up with now, Rami?
Nearly thirty people were gone by the time Gemma’s number was called. She jumped from her seat, anxious to get her next trial over with and one step closer to her goal. It didn’t matter if it was her against everyone or her against five others. She would take them all down if she had to. She was not getting dismissed today.
But when Imara and Christian both stood, Gemma’s stomach sank. Of all the remaining participants in the room, they were the two she’d had the unfortunate privilege of getting to know a little. Getting sent back to Perileos was essentially a death sentence. She didn’t want that fate for either of them.
Her brows furrowed.What happened to not caring about making friends, Gemma?
Shoving down her nerves, she continued toward the exit of the cafeteria.
And stopped in her tracks.
The guy with the buzzed, pink hair—the same one who’d nearly killed her during the obstacle course—was leaving the room too.
Imara bumped into her, and Christian side-stepped them just in time.
“Blazes, Gemma,” Imara said.
“Sorry.” Gemma swallowed deeply as she watched Pink Hair Guy enter the hall. He’d saved her life, her mission. What if she were the one needing to help him? Could she do it if it meant risking her chance to win the Trials?
“Are you coming?” Imara drawled from the exit’s doorway.
Gemma blinked and gave her head a small shake, pulling herself back to reality.
In the hallway, along with Imara, Christian, and Pink Hair Guy were two more men: one with vibrant ginger hair, and another with an ebony complexion that gleamed in the synthetic light. Imara hadn’t been joking when she told Gemma how outnumbered the women were.
The six of them followed their android through the maze of their black, white, and cyan halls.
“So, since it seems we’ve been split into a team,” the guy with the ginger hair spoke, “I think we should introduce ourselves. I’m Hawk Gallowood.”
