Demo gripped me back by my hair, dragging me back across the floor. Stinging agony sprinted across my scalp from her pulling. I grunted, trying to wiggle out of her hold, but I couldn't so I lurched forward instead, making her tumble onto the ground with me.

"You're just a useless bitch," I said, slapping her across the face once she landed next to me. "You're just a stupid fucking flunky."

Demo cried out and then lodged herself at me, trying to slap me back. But I put an arm up, blocking her attacks while wrapping my legs around her waist, squeezing her ribs with my thighs until she lost her breath and paused.

Within a second of that pause, I backhanded her off of me and was about to jump on top of her but masculine arms stopped me. Khan.

"Calm down," he whispered in my ear, arms wrapped around my tummy from behind.

The raw anger spewing through me didn't want to be calmed, but Khan wouldn't let me go, no matter how hard I tugged so I just sagged against him, defeated.

Sebastian held back Demo who was bleeding from her nose again as she coughed and yelled at me.

Aries kneeled near the pit, helping Gmie onto the ledge. His hand slapped her awake because she was just floating there, dazed with bugs just crawling in and out of her. Once conscious, she slithered across the floor, gasping for breath.

While coughing and screaming at the same time, she sneered up at me from the ground. "You're done bitch. Done. Believe that!"

And again, I tried to go for her, but Khan held on. "You're not going to get between her and Aries," he whispered. "Chill."

My heart thundered in my chest, causing shivers to slink up and down my spine. I just wanted to get my hands on her — just let me hurt her some more. Please.

"God, I think I just came in my pants." Jookie licked his lips, shivering. "You really know how to show a guy a good time, my bloody peach." He looked from the coughing Gmie to Khan holding me back. "I'm liking how this is unfolding... but we don't have time to focus on it more because we have to break the five-way tie by—"

He cut himself off, finger going to his ear, listening. Head nodding a couple of times, he grinned. "Well, we were originally going to have another climbing session to pick the Bottom Doe Three, but the producers have something else in mind." He stared around at all of us. "Losers. Meet in the common room at midnight for the new challenge. If you don't, you're dead. Byeeee."

Waving to us once more, Jookie hurried away with some guards to the side door, never looking back.

A beefy guard from the side stomped toward us. "Follow me. I'm taking you back to your quarters." Then he turned, walking toward some double doors. Some of the contestants followed behind them.

Khan still held me for a second as Aries helped Gmie to her feet and Sebastian kept his hands on Demo. He didn't let me go until both of them finished glaring at me and started following the group ahead.

"You alright?" he asked as we both began walking, guards flanking behind us.

Was I alright? Everything hurt. Gmie was still alive. I only had one shoe because a shark ate the other one. And I let Tini in again. Just let her slip right through like nothing, and she made me almost fucking kill Gmie. Bitch did deserve it though.

I wanted to scream, "Fuck no. I'm not okay" but Betinia was front and center now, Tini still struggling along the surface. "I'm fine."

Khan watched me for a while, never saying anything else. We walked through the doors and down a dim-lit hallway. I limped, feeling cold seep through my one barefoot, making me shiver.

It took fifteen minutes for the guard to lead us back to the common room. He slammed the doors behind us, locking us in again, but not before leaving several cameramen behind.

"You're going to pay for this, bitch," Gmie said, leering at me.

"Your days are numbered," Demo followed up.

No. It's not right. fuck you.

I didn't comment on Demo's and Gmie's threats but just ran away toward my room, wanting silence. But once I got there, I remembered that my keys were still in Khan's room, along with Duke. Fuck. I started to walk to Khan's room, but my body disagreed, and I just collapsed onto my ass in front of my door.

Pulling my knees to my chest, I smacked my head onto my thighs, sighing.

Shut up, she's not a psychopath like you. Yeah, but at what cost?

The constant back and forth in my head was starting to take a toll on my mind. I just needed Tini to disperse. To go deep down into the quarters of my unconscious psyche where she was before, but she wouldn't. And now, it felt like she was controlling me sometimes.

I don't need you! Go away.

Fuck you. I will not turn into my mother.

You are her. Everything about you is her.

The argument in my mind began to become too much, and I opened my eyes, trying to block it all out for a second, which caused me to make eye contact with Tiran's old room.

It looked empty, walls stripped white. He was gone. Dead. Mutilated.

I laughed, knowing that could be my fate if I didn't win this next challenge.

"Betinia," Sebastian said, walking down the hall. He still looked like shit, but his blue eyes shined through all of that as he came to a stop next to me, sitting beside me on the floor. "How are you?"

I spread my legs out in front of me, staring at my one barefoot that was caked in filth. "Fucked." Peering down at my dirty nails, I sighed. "Utterly fucked."

He nudged me with his elbow. "You'll be okay."

"With Gmie's target on my back? Probably not." She had way more allies than I did, and I knew they'd jump me again if they had the chance.

"Why didn't you knock on my door when she was trying to kill you?" He brushed a hand through his dirty blonde hair, causing a dead roach to tumble out.

"I was trying to survive," I said with a shrug. "I didn't have time to really seek out help."

He let out a breath. "I just can't believe she tried to kill you that fast. The pact just ended hours ago."

"The bitch is ruthless." If I wasn't her target, I'd probably respect her for her dedication and tactic. "And slightly nutso. She'll do anything to win."

"I'll talk to her."

My lips released a harsh laugh. "And what? Get her to stop? You think your powers of persuasion and charm are that good?"

He twinkled his fingers at me. "Don't underestimate me. I once got a nun's panties."

"What?"

"I got mad skills. Just wait and see." He shrugged. "Plus, my mom told me I was born special."

I snorted. "I bet," I said, scratching my hair, causing maggots to tumble out. Ugh.

He shook his head, watching the maggots slither away. "That challenge... I never thought I'd ever endure something like that."

"Me neither. Those fucking polls were ridiculous. I just wanted to choke the shit out of Jookie every time he said a new one."

"Me too," he said, curling his lips in disgust. "God, I can't stand him. He looked like a fucking Christmas tree with those green lights in his hair."

"Green? I thought they were blue."

"Maybe, doesn't matter — I just want to strangle him," he said. "His presence just makes everything worse. Like he embellishes everything."

"Well, it is his job," I said, shrugging. I wonder how he even got that job?

"Still, he doesn't have to be so fucking happy — it's fucking distracting," he said before sighing.

I arched a brow, looking at him. "Didn't expect you to say that."

"Why not?"

"You're the perfect nice guy," I said, being honest. "Everyone likes you — you're basically almost leader. You have blue eyes. Blonde hair. You're like the perfect milk carton ad."

"You make it sound like it's a bad thing," he said, looking up at the ceiling. "I spent my whole life trying to be perfect. It's all I ever wanted, you know?"

"Why?"

"I grew up on a farm in Iowa," he said not looking at me. "I was dirt poor and overweight. I was bullied all the time. I had no friends besides my brother."

"I've been there before." I wasn't the popular type back then, before my family was murdered. Popularity was Angie's thing. I was the weird kid, so all the kids my age avoided me, and I used to cry about it a lot. My mother would always console me and say it would get better.

That's why I begged my parents for that Disney birthday party, so they'd like me. It was all going as planned until everyone found Duke in that present box. That stunt just made me more of an outcast.

Sebastian looked at the wall in front of us. "I was miserable back then. All I did was watch movies and television. I loved watching all the beautiful, perfect people. Pretending they were my friends. I wanted so bad to be them, thinking it would make my life better— finally make me happy." He shrugged, letting out a bitter laugh. "But how does a little poor overweight farmer boy get beauty and perfection?"

"I don't know."

He sagged his shoulders. "Because of my parents. They were murdered."

My heart stopped. "How?"

♟♙♟