NPOV

Dakota slammed his cards on the floor. "I win!"

"Again? You've got to be kidding me." Katie leaned forward to get a better look at his kings and queens.

 She wasn't the only victim of exasperation. Clovis, Nyssa, and Mitchell let out a collective groan as Dakota cashed in his victory. They passed him cigarettes and he smirked.

"Where do you even get those?" I asked, watching the exchange from my bunk.

"Clients." Nyssa's voice was harsh, but the resentment wasn't towards me. "It probably makes them feel better or something.... eases their conscience a bit."

"That's really fucked up."

"We know. But taking the stuff is better than getting beat over it."

"Besides, how else would we gamble?" Dakota joked, trying to lighten the mood.

To my surprise, it kind of worked. People's laughs were small and insincere, but they were still laughing.

I shuddered. Dakota, who was raped less than hour ago, was pretending like it didn't happen. Looking at their faces, I couldn't find any fight in them at all. It scared me because I didn't think I would be able to flip my emotions the way they could.

Then I remembered all of the practice I've had over the years. I was already used to switching back and forth between my life with Octavian and my life with Will. I wasn't in danger of getting whiplash.

Maybe it will be easier. I thought, trying to convince myself of the lies. At least I will be a total stranger raping you, not someone you know. They won't stick around the way Octavian did. They won't play mind games like Octavian did.

There isn't anyone you love left for them to threaten.

"How much longer do you think they'll be?" Michell asked, the words coming out as a whisper. "I'm worried. The other room is still empty, so they could be at it for hours before Lycaon kicks them out and lets her come back down...."

My heart froze over, but not for the right reason. Not out of sympathy for Mitchell's sister - I was still too selfish for that. The reality of it all was that she was the only one upstairs, which meant that any one of us could be next. 

Clovis put his arm around him, "I've seen Lacy handle a lot. I'm sure she's fine."

Dakota's expression darkened. Lacy was not fine.

He didn't say anything about it, though. He shuffled the deck of cards and started to deal. "Are you sure you don't want to play?"

I nodded. "I'm sure. I like watching."

"Nico, you got a minute?" I heard Clarisse's voice from the other side of the room.

Everyone paused, recalling the last conversation the two of us had.

A million scenarios went through my head. I would be lying if I said Clarisse didn't intimidate me, but I needed to see what she wanted. I doubted she just wanted to hang out. Surely it was important.

"Yeah," I said, the final nail in the coffin. "I'm coming."

I stood up, ignoring Katie's raised eyebrow, and made my way to the other side of the room.

Clarisse had the top bunk in the corner. She peered down at me expectantly. "Well? Are you going to just stand there, or are you coming up?"

"Like, up there? On your bunk?" I asked, feeling stupid.

She rolled her eyes. "Where else?"

My face flushing, I climbed the ladder to join her. She crossed her legs and shifted to make room for me, but we were still inches apart.

Her expression was an unreadable mix of emotions that caught me off guard.

"What is it?" I kept my tone cautious.

"I'm sorry." She finally whispered, sounding genuine. She dropped her eyes and studied the sheets. "I didn't mean what I said.... I was angry and I took it out on you."

I pushed my sleeves to cover my hands, not wanting to look her in the face. "You don't have to apologize. I mean, you were right."

"No, I wasn't." 

She turned and started pulling something out from in-between the mattress and the frame. After the struggle, she passed it to me.

It was a picture of her and some other girl. They were smiling in front of a ferris wheel, holding balloons and stuffed animals. "Her name was Silena. She was my best friend."

"What happened?" I asked, even though I was dreading the answer.

"After we were given to Lycaon, she met Beckendorf."

Clarisse paused, checking over her shoulder to see if anyone was listening. Although we were out of earshot from the rest of the group, she continued in a whisper.

"They fell in love. He wanted to run away with her, to escape. Everyone told them it wouldn't work, but they refused to listen. Lycaon found out about their plan before they had the chance to try. He gagged Beckdorf, covered him in gas, and burned him alive in front of us. Silena killed herself two days later."

My mouth felt like it was full of sawdust. The silence stretched while I tried to come up with something to say. I didn't want to give her empty, meaningless words.

But, in the end, that's exactly what I did. "I'm sorry."

"Whatever. It is what it is." Clarisse's voice was shaky, but she forced a neutral expression. "My point is that I shouldn't have snapped at you the way I did, okay? I shouldn't have said those things. It's not who I am."

A slamming noise interrupted us. Lycaon was bringing down a client.

People moved fast. In seconds, Clarisse and I were standing in front of her bunk. I saw Clovis throw his cards on his bed, while Dakota scrambled to hide his cigarettes. Clients may give you things, but that doesn't mean you're allowed to have them.

Clarisse relaxed beside me. She whispered, "Don't worry, it's just Minos. He never picks anyone. He still comes in on occasion, but none of us are ever good enough. He's very rich - Lycaon spends more time kissing his ass than doing anything else."

I was terrified.

The man was older, I guessed in his late forties. He was tall and lean, with a beard that was pointed like a spear. His seriousness matched the well-trimmed suit he wore.

His eyes locked onto mine.

Minos surged forward, and Lycaon trailed behind uncertainly. "Sir?"

"I want him for the day." He said sharply, gesturing towards me. "There's something.... special about him. Don't bother us."

A/N ~ Now I'm sad AND behind on studying. Fuck calculus. Fuck chemistry. I have exams tomorrow and I hate everything.

BUT WAIT, I got tagged to do something by JMpieguy2001, so let's answer that and then I can get back to crying.

1. I'm ugly so the best you people get is me goofing off at Barnes and Noble.

2. 17 (I'm going to college next year and I'll still be writing fanfic lmao)

3. LEIGHANN

4. December 22, 1999

5. Well, technically I'm from Oklahoma. I've moved over ten times, so I don't really feel like I'm from anywhere. I've been in Georgia longer than I expected to be.

6. I don't have a favorite. Everyone's been awesome.

7. Neptune - Sleeping at Last (Honestly the band is so good. You should listen to them.)

8. Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter

9. It looks like I'm going to get valedictorian, as long as I don't fuck it up. My counselor told me that my current class rank is number one and that I'm pretty far ahead. (My parents have been all over me about school and scholarships and college applications. THE PRESSURE OMFG.)

10. OKAY SO my sister and I were driving home, and we got stopped at a red light. I DEADASS MAKE EYE CONTACT with the teenager in the car next to us, who was - I shit you not - pouring ranch dressing out of a bottle onto his hand and licking it off. I started laughing and he flipped me off. Ranch Boy is still mentioned in my household today.

11. When I got my dog.

12. When someone works really hard. I love seeing people actually TRY to succeed, versus it coming naturally to them.

13. When someone doesn't respect my boundaries.

14. I have one friend irl, but I like to think that everyone on here makes up for that.

15. Tired.

16. Katie McGrath.

17. Fuck, I don't know. Chris Pratt's nice.

18. Being forgotten about.

19. Pineapple on pizza (fite me).

20. Commitment.

Well, that was fun. I'll tag a few of you, but none of you have to do it (obviously):

sun_angel_

CharaAT

Webkinzluver5

Athensgeek3

emotionallypizza