They lifted the mask a bit at the bottom, at the mouth, and pulled me toward them, the darkness blocking their identity. I tried to touch them, but they gripped my head, bringing me even closer.

Our lips locked in a tight embrace, metal scratching the side of my face from the mask. I made a noise of surprise, as they nibbled on my bottom lip. Every touch was soft and lush, a familiarity fleeting across my senses. It tugged at my brain, as that strawberry scent filled every crevice of my being.

Eyes widening, I reared back and grabbed for the mask, and they smacked my hand away, laughing.

Sorry — I didn't... but I had to consider it. Thanks.

"Who are you really?" I asked, holding my balled fist to my chest.

They jumped back, laughing. "What if I say we just committed incest?"

"What?" I said, wiping my mouth.

"Hi! I'm Angie. Nice to see ya again, sissy."

"You're not Angie," I said, mentally kicking myself for even giving myself a chance to believe that anything they said was real.

"Somebody had to sponsor you," they said. "What if I joined the game too? Just so I could kill you? I always hated you growing up. I did set your room on fire." They paused. "Or what if I'm another sibling? What if we didn't all die that day like you thought? Maybe you blocked it out since you're nuts. Or what if I'm a relative out for revenge? Your mother did kill your father — my uncle."

"Just stop it," I said, not wanting to hear anymore. "Shut up."

"Hitting too close to home?"

"I spent my whole life hating you," they said, moving closer.

"I don't know who you are, but you're not Angie. You're no one I know. Jookie and the producers fed you information about me. All of this nonsense about knowing me is just fake. You're trying to manipulate me like you did Layla. You're nothing but a pathetic troll. And I'm done."

I charged at them, and they charged back. We collided in a fury of rough kicks and gut punches. They got the upper hand and backhanded me.

I crashed into the wall, making everything shake, as something jabbed into my spine. I tried to run, but they tackled me to the floor. I kicked them off me and crawled toward the light.

They pulled me back by my skirt, ripping the hem and my underwear in the process, making me turn onto my back. I tried to kick, but they held something hard against my inner thigh.

"You kick me, and I'll jab this into your thigh, cutting your femoral artery," they said, digging. "You'll die in minutes. Not even Khan can save you."

I paused on my back, chest heaving with every loud pant.

They moved the sharp object up my thigh, lifting the rest of my destroyed skirt. "I can't wait to see how many times I can make you oink in a minute." The pink light flashed between my legs, making me so uncomfortable.

The sharp object slithered over my pelvis, and that's when I felt them pause. "What the fuck did you do to your pubic hair?" They asked, rearing back. "There's something written in it."

Tini. I thought it grew out.

"It says...F...U?"

"It means fuck you." I kneed them in the throat, the metal edge of the mask sending a harsh agony through my kneecap. They gargled and sagged back.

I shoved them away and crawled to my feet, booking it forward.

Not sure. I saw it when I took charge again. She does things like that when she's bored or wants to annoy me. When the new harry potter movie came out, she made it a lightning bolt. The things she can do with clippers.

The light was so close, and I sped up, hearing the gurgling and cursing behind me. The floor felt bumpy and rough, but I pumped my arms like I was running a marathon, knowing that if I—

Prickling pain skyrocketed up my thigh, as something sharp impaled my thigh, flinging me forward. I fell on my tummy, crawling the rest of the way, knowing the light was only a few feet away.

Yes.

The light glinted off my skin, as I crawled to the end, coming to a ledge instead of an exit. In front of me was a giant open area, thick wooden walls surrounding me. Holes impaled those structures, emitting dim white light. There was nowhere to go. Except for down. A long way down.

My nails dug into the edge of the ledge as I peered down into the black pit below. Fuck it. It was either die, or maybe die. Hopefully, this pit had a soft bottom. Tipping myself over, a gloved hand snaked around my calf, snatching me back.

"Piggy," they hissed, fingers digging into me.

I jiggled my leg. "Get off." I flung myself over the edge, my arms and upper torso hanging over the side.

They let out a haughty snicker. "You really are stupid, piggy. Didn't you realize that everything around you is mine? I spent months building this place. There's no exit from this — from me."

"Huh?"

"You thought this light — this area was a way out? Didn't I tell you that you were going to be a sacrifice? I wanted you to go this way. It was all part of my plan. You really should've just stayed with Gmie."

My heart dropped.

"Time for the real game, piggy." A loud click went off, the odor of smoke stroking my nostrils. "But I'll give you the emblem that you missed because you left. We always said we'd die with it." A blistering metal touched my ass cheek. "You branded Gmie. Now I'm branding you."

I screeched as they continued to shove the hot metal into my tender flesh, sending waves of agony up my lower back.

"You always called yourself the unicorn, and you were." Their voice came out soft and velvety. "One of a kind. You were my unicorn, and I was your courtesan. And we'll always be that, even in death." When those words left their mouth, their hand let go, letting me tumble into the pit. "Say hi to Peewee Blossom for me."

The open air gobbled me up, taking me airborne. I squealed, darkness bleeding down my throat, as my body felt weightless, plummeting like a thrown rock over a cliff. It took mere seconds for the blackness to paint my entire world, fear on my breath and anxiety in my lungs.

"Bye, bye, piggy. You won't be escaping this time."

♟