Page 29 of The Wishing Game

She smiles kindly at me.

"Justvengeance? If you could have anything in the world.Anythingat all, would it be just vengeance?"

I stare at her, my mouth hanging open as a thought flashes through my mind.

My most ardent wish.

Nikki.

"I see that you do." She nods, her expression almost sad. "Whatever happens next, Luce, I want you to always ask yourself if what you wish for is worth the sacrifice."

Sacrifice? What sacrifice?

More alarm bells go off in my brain, and this time, not even the alcohol I consumed can keep me from freaking out.

"What do you mean by that?"

SEVEN

Thea opens her mouth to speak, but Cer places his hand on top of hers. She inhales sharply at the contact, her body tensing. Eventually, she just shakes her head at me, her lips tipped up in an apologetic smile.

And by God, that scares me even more.

I don't get to ask her further as the music suddenly stops and the lights dim.

Thea claps her hands, her eyes sparkling with joy.

"It's starting. Oh my, it's starting," she squeals.

"Why are you so excited?" I frown. Looking back, she's been this way from the beginning—ecstatic to just be here. Does she want to compete in this so badly? Is it for a wish? What is her wish?

More questions flood my mind as I realize I know nothing about these strangers, just like I know nothing about this supposed game I've been invited to.

"It's my first time here," Thea breathes out in awe, her eyes searching the room for something. "I wasn't allowed here before," she says, almost absentmindedly.

"It's him! That's Inu." She jumps to her feet as she points to the stage.

With my attention on Thea, I didn't see that someone appeared on the stage. The lights surrounding the outer area have turned a deep red, while the floor lighting of the stage is a bright white. The audience is mostly invisible now as the focus is solely on the two newcomers.

The man—who I assume to be Inu—is dressed in a pair of black leather pants paired with a sparkly silver tank top. His bleached blond hair is spiky, reminiscent of the early 2000s. He has a pair of black sunglasses on, obscuring most of his face. He must be one of those people I've seen memes on the internet about who doesn't remove his sunglasses indoors.

Next to him is a woman, her hair just as blond as Inu's. She's wearing a silver pleated skirt that matches Inu's tank top, and she has a glittery bra as her top. Her breasts are...generous. That cleavage area alone has the men in the audience audibly panting at the sight of her, whistles and lewd jokes flittering through the club.

They both smile at the audience, waving to get more reaction out of the crowd.

"I can't believe he's here!" Thea jumps up and down.

"That's enough, Thea," Cer grumbles as he pulls her back down onto her seat. "You're going to make a spectacle of yourself."

"So what?" She shrugs, her eyes still glued to the stage. "When will I have the chance to see Inu again?" She gushes audibly.

"Who is he?" I ask, frowning.

"He's the most famous entertainer. His parties are legendary, or so I heard..." she trails off when her brother shoots her a look of annoyance.

Entertainer? So this is a reality show after all? But where are the cameras?

Oh my God! Is this live? Will I be on TV? Then the police will know exactly where to come look for me and...

---