Page 104 of The Wishing Game

"Nikki..." I whisper, my eyes wide.

I take a step forward. He walks farther away from me.

The swirling tendrils speed up until only small black particles remain. One moment he's there, the next he's gone.

Just like that.

A loud noise explodes in the background, the sound echoing the agony in my soul. My mouth falls open as pain slices me in half. He's mad at me. I swallow hard as I hug my arms to myself, hoping for a modicum of warmth.

He came with the cold, and now he stole my warmth, too.

And even though my determination doesn't falter, my spirits plummet until all I can feel is desolation.

Coldness and desolation.

TWENTY-FIVE

Still rooted to the spot, I'm so caught up in my own despair that I barely realize someone is next to me. A figure looms over me, and I slowly lift my gaze up, frowning at the familiar face. She's the girl from the club, isn't she?

"How didyouget here?" she demands, a disgusted expression on her face. Black hair and equally dark eyes, she's wearing a cute costume that's cut in the back to make way for her beautiful white tail that even now sways from side to side.

"Huh?" I frown.

I stare at her, not comprehending what she's referring to. Is she mistaking me for someone else?

Behind her, I note three men with protective stances, glaring at me. She's not the only one who has a tail. The others do as well, only theirs are a combination of red, black, and white. I'm not sure what exactly they are, but maybe I should ask Thea to give me a lesson on all the species that I'm likely to encounter in this competition.

"It's her." She points at me, looking back at the other men. "She's the one who touched my tail," she accuses.

My eyes widen in shock.

Getting to my feet, I give them a shaky smile as I put my palms up.

"I didn't. It was just a misunderstanding..."

"Ahumantouched your tail?" One of the men growls, taking a step forward.

What... How the hell did I get myself into this?

"I didn't. I really didn't. I only mentioned it was very pretty," I say, slowly backing away. But even if I had, why are they reacting like this for something as simple as touching a tail? There's a sense of danger that seeps into my bones. My fight or flight instinct is activated as I look right and left in an attempt to find an exit since I think it's high time I returned to the suite.

But just as I take a step back, I'm smacked across the face by a different tail—one that's not nearly as fluffy as the girl's. Losing my equilibrium, I fall to the grass. I bring my hand to my lips, wiping away blood from the blow.

"What the..." I mumble, half in shock. Looking back at them, I find the girl sporting a twisted smile while one of the men by her side is swaying his red tail in the air, a smug expression on his face.

"I don't know how you made it here,human, but you'll pay for your audacity," she sneers at me.

What audacity? I didn't do anything!

"You're insane," I mumble, wobbling to my feet.

She puts a hand up, calling one of the other men to her and giving him a signal. My eyes flare open with fear as I realize this won't stop at just one blow.

"Let's not get ahead of ourselves. You know I didn't touch your tail. I just complimented it." I try once more to reason with them.

But it's soon evident that not only does it not matter if I touched her tail or not, but that by taking me out, they're just eliminating competition. Since our first trial was isolated, I forgot that not only are we competing against outside obstacles, but also against each other.

The man's lips pull up in a smirk as he whispers something to her. She nods, giving him permission to act.

---