The morning of the second elimination ceremony, I awoke with a big pit growing in my stomach. I still hadn’t been able to speak to Julian about his potentially saving me today. I had talked more with Joyce, but he remained apathetic about the whole thing. Nicholas was avoiding me. Granted, I was

I wondered where he had been these past few days. I hoped he was okay. I wished more than anything that I could ask him what was going on. Did his absence have to do with the investigation? Or was he truly just being reckless? Thoughts and worries swirling in my head, I walked over to Elva for a

I continued to hold Susie’s hand as we were led into the staged area for the ceremony. The 14 of us that were left were lined up into three rows. Camera crews were setting up in front of us. On the other side, three small stages were arranged side by side, each with their own set of stairs. A thro

After Nicholas and Julian said my name, many things happened all at once. My breath was so shaky I felt lightheaded. The King and Queen both jumped to their feet in outrage. Many of the remaining girls descended from their standing places to complain aggressively to the producers and Nathan an

“I can tell by the look on your face that you’ve been thinking about me,” Terry said. My stomach twisted. The champagne I had enjoyed only a moment ago soured in my mouth. Susie shrunk, half-hiding behind me. Terry didn’t even look at her, his entire attention was focused on me. I didn’t

I couldn’t give up. There had to be a way out of this. I glanced around, desperate, but no one was looking at me anymore. Even if they did see me, they wouldn’t notice Terry pressing himself against me from the way he was so closely angled to my back. I felt hopeless, powerless. I missed my wolf

On the dance floor, Nicholas placed his hand on my hip. I placed mine of his shoulder. The orchestra began to play, and Nicholas led me forward in a dance. His jaw was clenched and he wasn’t looking at me. Even compared to our previous dances, his movements now were stiff and unnatural. He w

I spit my coffee out back into the cup. Julian smiled wide. “I guess right?” I rubbed my forehead. “It doesn’t matter what he thinks.” “Oh, no?” I wasn’t telling the truth and we both knew it. Of course I cared what Nicholas thought. Our kiss in the hallway the other night had rekind

My heart dropped down to the floor. I couldn’t believe my sister would be involved in this, yet there could be no denying it. That was her right there in their in the video. I certainly hadn’t bought those feathers myself. “The woman in black…” Julian watched me as he spoke. “He thought she

He was my lighthouse, guiding me back to the shore, safe through tumultuous waters. I stepped into him and fell into his chest. His arms wrapped around me on instinct. Gently, he eased me back into the room I’d left, and away from the hallway where anyone could have happened upon us. “Oh, sh