“Shhh,” Sarah whispers.
A faint ding sounds, and, like last time, we are led out of the room and down the hall. There aren’t any windows. No doors to plan an exit. They make us follow them this way, and by now, I’ve realized we are for sure underground in an inescapable labyrinth.
“Oh God, oh God. I’m going to throw up,” a girl whispers from somewhere ahead of me.
The hall becomes narrower and darker. Bass, so heavy it’s as though it thuds in my chest, rattles my ribs. The space between each of us closes, and as we’re led backstage, we’re shoulder to shoulder.
Clammy hands grab at my forearm, and I spin to grab Tonya’s hand. It’s so dark, the only light a deep crimson that makes everything look like it’s bleeding, and I shift my bra to adjust the vial inside.
It wasn’t as hard as I thought. I noticed two other girls doing the same. I kept it under my bed until it was time to go, pretending to tuck in my sheets when they came to get us. Sneaking it into the sports bra wasn’t the problem; getting it out undetected once on the table was. Luckily, they allowed us to get dressed ourselves, so it was a simple switch from my sports bra to the sequined bustier. Now, the smooth and sweaty glass vial is tucked under my right breast.
I keep my eyes forward as they herd us behind the velvet curtain and fashion chains around each of our ankles. I can’t help but wonder why they do this. If we’re so buried underground, why chain us? Part of me hopes someone got away once. I can imagine her darting off stage and getting lost in the sea of men, then navigating her way out.
The emcee rattles off the rules for the night, his shadow twitching across the wall while the men’s laughter fades into rough snorts and shuffling feet.
My skin prickles and my gut twists. The only saving grace I have for tonight is this bottle of GHB. Get through this. Find a way to get it into his system. Edmond said he’d be out until it was time for them to return me to the society. I can only hope that’s the truth.
Though even with the knowledge I have a weapon to fight back, my chest tightens, and a creeping ache settles in my belly. Eyes cast downward, I tilt my head at Tonya’s trembling frame. She doesn’t have any.
She went through all that last week, and her only saving grace is that she gets someone else. Someone gentle?
Shame burns behind my eyes, and I blink fast, hoping it’ll pass. I can’t look at her. Can’t see the gouges in her wrists from being bound, or the slashes in her thighs.
Breathe, I remind myself. Get through this.
But something coils around my ribs. My mother’s words …
Bloom.
I—
The velvet curtain drags apart, and the cheers of the men in the crowd are barely audible over the pounding in my ears. Blinding lights hit, shifting the mass of faces into a blur.
Men with women attending to them sit in the crowd with Os of pleasure seared into their parted mouths. Movement. Noise. Gold. Wait?—
Gold.
Balloons, bunches tied around chairs. Gold chalices raised in appreciation at us instead of glasses. As the sea of eyes comes into focus, so do the outfits of the members. They all wear gold ties, and the dancers are dressed in gold bottoms, breasts dotted with two gold coin pasties.
There’s a gasp from one girl, and when I follow her attention to the ceiling, I want to vomit. Massive gold cages hang down, but inside. Women. Handfuls of naked women.
I shouldn’t look, but I do. I count the women—those dancing for them, and the naked ones posed above us. Over twenty. There are over twenty women here, complacent and uncaring that we’re here against our will. What happened to women protecting women?
Cologne clings to the musky air. It’s expensive, suffocating, and mixes with the bile burning in the back of my throat. Sucking in a breath, I inhale as the emcee begins bidding with Mercy. She’s ushered forward, taking the gaze of the crowd with her.
I glimpse Tonya, shaking hard beside me; the chains at her ankles rattle. Fear etches itself onto her sunken pale face. The other girls’ eyes dart around the room, but hers stay unfocused and bloodshot, like she’s forgotten how to breathe.
She wobbles, and when the bids top fifty thousand, I can’t take it anymore.
I reach out, my fingers grasping hers, and I yank her into me. Murmurs ascend from the crowd, and the emcee’s voice fades. “Give us one second.”
Two guards step onto the stage toward us, and I quickly pull Tonya into me, using her body to block my hand. It isn’t far-fetched; anyone with sense could tell she was on the verge of fainting. I’m helping her. At least that’s what it looks like.
Fast, I shove a hand into my bra and pull out the vial of GHB, placing it in her bra. When she feels the cool glass, her eyes snap to mine and widen. “Put it in his drink, mouth, anything. It’ll knock him out.”
I nod at her as two deft hands rip me from her and drag me center stage.
“Since seven-fifty-five is so eager this evening, we will move on to her.”
