As soon as the soft hand fit snuggly into mine I grew paralyzed. "Jade?" When no one answered, I tugged at the heavy tarp, nearly crawling under to see for myself. It was too snug to see much, but from what I could make out, I knew it was her.

Her stature, her double squeeze, even the slightly oversized jean jumpsuit she wore was enough to inform me the person beneath the cloth was my beloved.

I yanked at the tarp trying to detach it from the cable as the voice of another audience member sounded through the speakers and appeared on screen.

"I don't know what those two are thinking. Lying about who they are? It's like they're trying too hard to be the heroes of this game, but it just comes off as deceitful. I mean, who can trust anything they say or do now? It's not just about survival, it's about trust, and they've blown that out of the water."

I didn't look up at the massive screen above the arena, until Chuck Gillian's voice took over to introduce the game.

"Alright everyone, hold onto your seats because we've got a special twist in store for our controversial contestant, Kamila the Activist! It seems she and her sister Millicent the Vagrant have been weaving a little web of deception. In our brand-new game, 'Choose Your Poison,' Kamila will be faced with the ultimate decision. She must decide who gets a lifeline and who takes the plunge into the well of darkness. It's a test of loyalty, a game of life and death, and it's guaranteed to keep you on the edge of your seat. Will Kamila make the ultimate sacrifice for family, or will she let the well of water reveal the cold truth? Grimm Games has never been more intense!"

The planks that led to each person began to retract and force me back to the edge of the stage, leaving a wide gap of dark water between them and me.

"Now, here's a curveball for you, folks! Which one among our participants is the real Kamila?" The audience reacted with "oohs" and "ahhs" as the view onscreen switched between me and the three under the tarps. The host chuckled at his own joke, poking fun at what everyone already knew. Millie had pretended to be me, and the cat had long been let out of the bag. "Let's delve into the labyrinth of truth and deception as the games continue. Kamila, are you ready to face the consequences of your own intricate web?"

As the lights illuminated the tarps, I quickly took in my surroundings. Each person was far from being volunteers and were obviously unwilling participants as their hands were tied to the slab behind them, keeping them from moving.

Each person had a bright red apple secured about ten feet above their heads. As the cable attached to the tarps went taut, it heaved the cover straight up, revealing the people underneath.

As I suspected, Millie was secured to the pole on the right. Her eyes quickly scanned the massive area as a band of fabric tightly covered her mouth and held her head in place, but she remained calm.

On the opposite side, a man of average height and a tattered shirt wiggled and fought against the restraints. Dirt and grime tainted his aged pale skin. He struggled to free the fabric from his mouth by violently whipping and turning his head.

And in the center of them all stood Jade. The fear in her large, brown eyes was prevalent as she stared at me unblinking.

"Jade?" I called out. "Millie?"

Neither of them could reply.

However, the man continued to twist and thrash around to try to free himself.

"Our next game is a true test of precision and nerve. Kamila, our resilient contestant, has a razor-sharp blade and only 60 seconds. She must use her skills to target each falling apple before it reaches the heads of our three brave volunteers. Each apple represents a life, and each life teeters on the edge of a murky water well. If Kamila succeeds and takes out an apple, that volunteer is spared. If she fails, well, down they go and down they stay. It's a game of split-second decisions, folks. Kamila, the clock is ticking. Can she save them all, or will she watch as they plunge into the depths below?"

Finally, with enough effort the fabric dropped from over the man's mouth. "You gotta help me. Please, I have a family."

As the man spoke, so did the host, drowning out his pleas.

"Now let's not just see this as a game but as a mirror reflecting the intricate layers of Kamila's life. Her sister, embodying family ties; her workmate, symbolizing her responsibilities; and a member of the public, the faceless masses she advocates for. Each one speaks volumes, asking Kamila to define what truly matters. Is it family, duty, or the broader public she serves? Which life will she choose to save, and what does that say about the woman behind the blade?"

They obviously refrained from acknowledging Jade as my girlfriend because that would expose their manipulative tactics and reveal to the public that these individuals weren't volunteers, making it personal. Would having this information alter the perception of a contestant the public already distrusted or hated?

"Before we dive into the heart-pounding game, let's take a closer look at our devious contestant Kamila." On the massive screen, a video played of me and Millie hugging for the first time in the ornate door frame that separated the enchanted forest from the warehouse of straw. "First, we explore her role as a loving sister, where bonds are tested and emotions run high."

I met her gaze. "Millie, I will get you out of there," I called out.

"Then, we peel back the layers of her life as an impassioned activist, tirelessly working for change." Footage of Jade and I at the protest outside of Arcanum's headquarters played on the large screen.

Air caught in my throat and my heart skipped a beat at the realization. They've been watching me and obtaining footage for a long time. How much further were they willing to go to ruin my character in and outside of the Games?

"I won't let anything happen to you, Jade!" We locked eyes, even as hers were red and puffy with tears.

"And finally," the host went on. "We uncover her public persona, where duty and responsibility take center stage." At that, footage revealed the man amid many sign-holding picketers at the Arcanum protest with a half-eaten apple in his hand. "Kamila's journey is not just a game, it's a window into the complexities of her existence."

My eyes landed on the mysterious "volunteer" and memories of his half-eaten apple smacking the side of my head rushed in. I instinctively ran my fingertips along my temple to gauge any lingering damage.

"Please," he begged, not able to see the screen behind him. "Get me out of here."

The shock of the depth Arcanum was willing to go hit hard. "You were the man who threw an apple at me," I said it aloud for him to confirm.

His eyes squinted as the realization registered. "They told me to do it. I'm on your side. Believe me, I hate the Games as much as you. I was there to support the cause. You have to believe me."

The host continued to interview the audience and keep them engaged with questions about the games and contestants. My attention was on the man before me.

"You called me a traitor before that apple hit me in my face." I shook my head, denying his so-called support. "That hurt!"

"They told me to." He tried pulling his hands from the metal shackle that held him snuggly in place. "Listen, some men in suits promised me payment if I threw the apple. Do you know how it feels to starve? I was gonna eat the whole thing, but those men told me you signed up for the Games. I never felt such rage because you and Ensemble Org were our only chance to gut this place."

I glanced to Spencer and Dylan who remained trapped within a chain linked frame connected to the fence surrounding the stage, unable to help as their attention was captured by whatever was on the screen. While the audience spoke about their mistrust of 'the twins,' I tuned them out to examine the restraints on Jade and Millie to come up with a plan.

The metal around their ankles and wrists were fastened so tight it bit into the sliver of exposed skin. My crescent blade was no match for their restraints.

My gaze traveled up each of the poles and stopped briefly once the red apple was spotted. It seemed to be a contraption similar to a dunk tank where a player hits a target that triggers a platform to fall, dunking the participant into the water.

However, something told me this game wasn't that simple or innocent.

My heart raced as I took in the frightening look in Jade's wide eyes. I was the only one who could save her and Millie. Did I have it in me?

"I'm sorry, Jade. I shouldn't have gotten you involved in this. I swear I'll make Arcanum pay."

The man continued his pleas while Chuck Gillian entertained the audience with jokes and banter onscreen. Anything to distract them from the harsh brutality of the entire production.

"I didn't sign up for this. Please," the man went on. "I'm telling you, they put something in that apple. I shouldn't have eaten it. I wasn't supposed to. But they knew how long I been without food. They counted on me eating it. I see that now. Those bastards."

I paused briefly, allowing his words to sink in. Is that how they got him to "volunteer" for this game, adding sedatives to the apple they gave him? Did the sedative in his apple somehow make me immune or tolerant to its effects? Could that be why I prematurely awakened from the sedative backstage?

I sneered at the host on the screen, but it was the image of Mother Holle's face that burned in my mind.

She planned this since the very beginning, probably orchestrating our meeting at Arcanum, Jade's capture, and my downfall in the Games. And the cameras were rolling the entire time.

I pulled the blade from my cuff and focused on the apple ten feet above Jade's head. I'd have to move quickly, before the game officially started or a countdown begun. If they were allowed to regularly break the rules, so was I.

I focused on the shiny rosy skin of the apple as it reflected the lights of the stadium. If I could accurately target Sonya's foot with my blade, I was confident I could hit the apple above Jade's head and retrieve the blade fast enough to get the apple above Millie in no time.

I could save them both in seconds.

My grip tightened on the crescent blade and when I felt ready, I raised the cold metal and threw it at the target.

The blade twirled through the air at the red fruit before drastically darting to the left out of nowhere, hitting the wooden pole above the man's head.

The lights immediately turned red, and a loud noise howled from the speakers like alarm bells, bringing attention to my act.

Before I could fully register what was going on and retrieve my blade, the apple plummeted straight down the pole. Once it touched the man's head, a loud clink sounded through the alarm and the man dropped into the water with his wrists and ankles still restrained to the plank behind him.

Just as fast as the blade returned to my cuff, the top of his head disappeared under the murky water. I anticipated him emerging, but seconds quickly passed with only large air bubbles breaking the surface.