The red light cast our surroundings in a blood-colored tinge, including the very murky water that completely concealed the man. A few air bubbles broke the liquid's surface before it went still again.

"Oh, my god!" I called out in disbelief. First, a helpless man was drowning in front of our very eyes, and I couldn't reach him without jeopardizing everything and diving into the water. What made me hesitate was not knowing if the pool was merely brimming with water or something else meant to incapacitate me? I couldn't risk it.

Secondly, an invisible force had made my blade go off course and veer sharply to the left. Never had my aim been so profoundly bad as it was at this moment.

The alarm stopped and the host's voice replaced it on the massive screen above the playing stage. "Well, well, well! Seems like our fiery contestant is eager to dive right into the action, folks! But hold your horses, Kamila. I'm the maestro here, the puppeteer orchestrating this warped symphony. Did I give you the green light? I don't recall."

The cameras switched to the disgruntled audience, revealing a snapshot of their shock and disapproval.

The host's tone shifted from faux surprise to a sly grin. "You're quite the renegade, aren't you? Bucking the rules, challenging the order. I believe that's what makes you so compelling, Kamila. But let's not get ahead of ourselves. I've got the reins, my dear. The games truly begin when I say so."

Chuck Gillian's voice took on a somber note as he addressed the audience, his words dripping with theatrical regret. "We've just witnessed a twist in the tale, a deviation from the script. Kamila's impulsive move has consequences, grave consequences. By disregarding the carefully crafted rules of the game, she's not just risking her fate but the fate of those she's sworn to protect. A reflection of her duty outside of the Games."

He paused for effect, letting the weight of the moment settle. "Now, whether you love her or loathe her, Kamila must grapple with the knowledge that her actions, her defiance, may have cost a volunteer their life. The guilt she bears is a weighty punishment in itself. Now let's see how this unruly twist unfolds in the dark depths of the Grimm Games." The subtle menace in his tone hinted at the escalating stakes and the impending chaos yet to come.

My eyes scanned the dark water as the weight of the man's death washed over me. Chuck's announcement sealed the deal and threw out any possibility of the man surviving being submerged for so long.

Chuck Gillian's dramatic demeanor only intensified the suspense for both the live audience and possibly those watching the spectacle unfold on screens around the country.

The red lights finally disappeared and changed back to the previous stage lights. I had no desire to wait until they found an additional way to punish me for not playing by their rules. I needed Jade and Millie out of danger as soon as possible.

"The magnets." When I looked back at the directing of the voice, Spencer pointed to a large metal panel beside the ropes and pulleys above the stage where the tarps now rested.

Was whatever in the metal box interfering with the function of my blade? Were they cheating, throwing off my aim with a magnetic field?

Cowards.

I threw my blade again, this time toward the metal box. And the crescent metal immediately swerved to the left, barely grazing the edge of it, and producing a spark. As it returned like a boomerang, it hit and clung to my cuff with force.

"Cheaters!" I screamed, pointing to the box like Spencer had.

Chuck Gillian's only response was a dismissive and delayed, "The game starts now."

The audience cheered, clapped, and went wild.

Bright spotlights shifted, theatrically sweeping over Millie, Jade, and the stage, bathing them in bright light. The countdown started on the screen at the same time. I nearly missed it, being distracted by the lights and the lengthy submergence of the tied-up man. Despite the distractions, the sixty seconds decreased steadily.

Chuck Gillian's smarmy voice reverberated through the arena. His words were laced with a calculated hint of rationalization. "Ladies and gentlemen, what you're seeing isn't just a mere spectacle, it's a bespoke creation, a contraption originally designed for an alternative twisted game in the Grimm arsenal. However, as fate would have it, a last-minute decision by the crafty minds in our production took this diabolical device and tailored it specifically for our very own resident deceiver, Kamila. A poetic reminder, if you will, that rules exist for a reason in the Grimm Games, and to challenge them comes at a cost."

The audience, no strangers to the unpredictable nature of the Games, murmured with a mix of anticipation and curiosity. Chuck's voice continued to narrate the grim reality unfolding before them. "So, as the clock ticks, Kamila faces a challenge not just of skill but of consequence. Every move she makes, every decision she takes, echoes not just in the cavernous depths of this arena but in the hearts of the spectators. Let this be a lesson, a haunting reminder, that in the Grimm Games, the line between victory and peril is as thin as the blade Kamila now wields."

I took a deep breath, staring at the crimson apples positioned ten feet above Millie and Jade's head. The decision came directly from my instinct. Considering that production might try to make me fail with the use of their magnets, I calculated the trajectory of the blade.

When I threw the crescent blade, I curved it slightly to the right to compensate for the tug of the magnets. It missed the target and hit the wooden pole just below the apple but above Jade's head, splintering off a chunk of the damage. The timer continued to count down, making my heartbeat faster.

"Oh, that was a close call, folks!" Chuck's reaction was delayed by a few seconds which helped me stay focused on the clock and the task at hand.

With a twist of my cuffed wrist, the blade returned, snapping to the brass with force.

With no time wasted, I flung the blade again, this time adjusting my aim. In a split second, the sharpened edge struck the apple and Jade plummeted into the pool of liquid, plank and all.

It took every fiber of my being to stop myself from diving in after her, but only half a minute was left on the timer to free Millie. I couldn't mess up now. The consequences of inaction were watching my beloved sister drown before my eyes with no way of freeing her.

I hurled the blade again, missing Millie's apple and the pole entirely. The blade whooshed off into the darkened distance. "Fuck!" I yelled in frustration. As soon as the blade snapped to my forearm, I took it in hand again. "You can do this," I reminded myself, taking a deep breath to center myself and focus.

With only seconds left on the clock, I heaved my weapon and screamed in terror as the blade hit the pole beside Millie's head instead.

Jade emerged from the dark water with a huge gulp of air, startling me.

My emotions soared, a whirlwind that left me grappling with a mix of feelings. Gratitude washed over me as Jade emerged from the murky liquid, a beacon of relief in the chaos. Yet, my attention swiftly snapped back to the bright red apple above Millie. As if Millie could sense the few remaining seconds, she became more frantic trying to escape the restraints.

I didn't allow the host's voice to distract me as he contemplated, "Will Kamila succeed in saving her sister with mere seconds remaining? Let's watch."

This time when the blade left my hand it hit the apple, splitting it in two red halves. Millie instantly dropped into the water with a couple seconds to spare. She plunged in beside Jade who was struggling to climb out of the pool like a drenched cat.

Jade's curly, thick ringlets covered her face and shoulders like a soggy curtain, keeping her from swimming properly. Upon retrieving the blade with a quick flick of the wrist, I ran to the edge of the pool to pull Jade out.

"Millie?" She pointed to the water, barely getting the words out as she coughed up liquid.

With no platform to get closer to Millie, I scanned the surface of the water that rippled from her plunge. Seeing bubbles, I held my breath until Millie finally emerged. She burst through the surface, splashing the liquid around her.

"Grab my hand." I anchored myself at the edge of the pool and extended my palm to pull her in. To my surprise, she ignored my attempt to help and swam to the edge to pull herself up and over the rim. I stood to welcome her in a hug but instead of embracing me, she slammed me to my ass with an angry shove.

"This is all your fault, Kam," she yelled.

Stunned and defensive, I yelled back, "I fucking helped you." I allowed Jade to pull me up and into her soaking arms. Instinctively, I wrapped a comforting arm around Jade to pull her closer.

"I never asked for your help," Millie went on. "Having you here is going to not only kill me but Jade too. We're all barely breathing because you decided to play hero. That man is dead now." She pointed to the pool but kept her angry gaze on me.

My jaw dropped as her brazen ungrateful cockiness robbed whatever words that were forming on my tongue.

In heavy breaths, Jade came to my defense. "We care about you, Millie."

"Care about yourselves like you've been doing," she shot back. She didn't even bother to remove her stark white hair that clung to the side of her face. Before I could say another word, commotion behind us caused us to turn to investigate.

Sonya had infiltrated the arena, launching an assault on the chain-link fence that held the Jeffrey brothers captive. Yet, her objective wasn't liberation. Instead, she ran her knife along the fence, producing a grating noise that reverberated through the air. At this point the enclosure acted as protection rather than confinement.

The brothers huddled at the distant edge of the cube, strategically creating distance between themselves and Sonya's blade, which she attempted to thrust through the openings to reach them.

"What the hell!" I called out to get her attention and act as a distraction.

She halted, shooting me a fierce glare. Yet, the true terror loomed just behind her. The wolfman emerged into the spotlight, illuminated by the sudden focus on the unfolding commotion.

Sonya limped away quicker than I had anticipated, leaving the wolfman with a pair of brothers in his sights.

Doubt crept in, and I wondered if her involvement in the ruckus was a carefully planned maneuver to lure the Big Bad Wolf to our location. A part of me also questioned the extent to which the producers of the Games might have orchestrated the chaos.

The gaze of the daunting beast remained fixated on the brothers, its eyes unwavering even as drool glistened and dripped down its agape canine snout.