Page 35 of Auctioned Innocence
“Such lovely bone structure,” she muses, turning my face side to side with clinical detachment. “The Renaldi genes served you well. Though we’ll need to do something about that stubborn set of your jaw.”
I keep my expression neutral even as my skin crawls.
In the mirrored wall behind her I catch sight of the others.
Six other girls in various stages of preparation.
Six other girls whose lives, like mine, have been reduced to price tags and selling points.
Maisie is closest, being worked on by another stylist, her tall frame draped in something pink and ethereal that makes her look like a fairy tale princess.
The irony isn’t lost on me—the princess awaiting not a prince, but a purchaser.
Jessica sits trembling while a makeup artist tries to cover the tear tracks on her cheeks.
Eighteen years old.
She’s eerily silent, her blue eyes vacant.
Breaking already.
Beside her, Ava winces as a stylist covers the bruises on her shoulders with concealer.
The marks from her escape attempt are still vivid against her dark skin.
But there’s a calculating anger in her eyes that tells me she hasn’t given up.
Just regrouping.
She catches me watching and gives an almost imperceptible nod. Another potential ally.
Natalie sits unnaturally still, back perfectly straight, eyes fixed on nothing.
She hasn’t spoken since Madame Rouge’s psychological dismantling.
The stylist working on her might as well be arranging a mannequin.
In the corner, Zoe’s hands won’t stop shaking.
Whatever medication they’re withholding is clearly something she needs.
She’s muttering to herself, fingers twitching against the emerald green fabric of her dress.
The guards watch her more closely than the others.
They consider her unpredictable. Dangerous, maybe.
Then there’s Kira, the Russian diplomat’s daughter.
Unlike the rest of us, she looks almost bored.
She meets my eyes in the mirror and raises one perfectly shaped eyebrow.
A challenge or a question? I can’t quite tell, but there’s intelligence in that gaze.
Calculation.
I avert my eyes before meeting Maisie’s.
