Be smart, little mouse.
I take off back in the direction I came from, now paranoid that they’ll find me near the train and discover it if they weren’t already aware of it. I don’t want to chance it if they weren’t.
After several minutes of jogging, I catch a glimpse of black hair and a feminine stature before it disappears behind a tree.
“Hey!” I call out, hoping whoever it is, they’ll know the way back.
The person emerges from the other end of the tree, and I realize that it’s Jillian.
She looks over to me, eyes wide and breathing heavily. She doesn’t look much worse than I do, which is honestly relieving.
“You made it,” she says softly. We meet each other in the middle and her eyes look me up and down, likely looking for injuries.
“I did,” I respond, still breathless. Up until Zade’s training, I’ve never exerted this much energy in my entire life.
“Do you know how to get back?” I ask.
She glances around. “I think so. If not, they’ll come get us.”
I nod, and we begin to walk.
“Have you been through the Culling before?” I ask.
She seems to have so much knowledge for it being her first time.
“No, you only go through it once,” she answers.
“Except if you’re Sydney,” I mutter, though I’m relieved to hear that I’ll never have to do this again.
Jillian snorts. “That’s true. She knows the maze like the back of her hand now.”
“Is she the one who taught you how to get through it?”
She shakes her head. “When I first arrived, I was even more combative than you. Francesca considered me too much of a risk to put in the Culling until she could set me straight, so I had watched other girls go through it first. I learned a lot from them.” She pauses. “And I also witnessed everything that happened after. Look, you need to prepare for—"
A deep booming laugh interrupts whatever she was going to say. Jillian and I both flinch and turn toward the sound. Xavier emerges from behind a tree, and my poor overused heart speeds up once more.
“Well, diamond, I guess you proved me wrong this time,” he chuckles, his eyes sweeping my body up and down in a predatory way.
As much as it tickles their manhood to catch us during the Culling, it also means that we’re deemed unworthy to be auctioned off. And that means they're allowed to dole out our punishment for tonight only. So, while escaping Xavier might’ve ruffled his feathers, it’s still an accomplishment.
Because now he gets to keep me.
Swallowing nervously, I say, “I guess I did.”
He purses his lips and nods, and then tips his chin in the direction that we need to go.
“I’d be happy to escort you fine ladies, if you don’t mind,” he offers, his voice deepening.
Jillian and I glance at each other, but ultimately, we nod our heads. Because what else are we supposed to fucking say?
No, go away, you have cooties.
If only it were that easy.
He directs us outside of the maze so we can avoid the tripwires. It takes thirty-five long grueling minutes to make it back to the house. Thirty-five minutes of bouts of uncomfortable silence, stilted conversation, and the anticipation of buying me.
Jillian and I are exhausted, both of us stumbling several times from our quaking knees and fried nerves.