Chapter 14: The Competition, Part 1

NINE

When I return with Michael's drink, the three men circle a small table, its surface at rib height. They talk politics, mostly. It's a conversation led by the man with the most power. Michael Sario. His power terrifies me. The way he manhandled me on a whim… I shudder.

I stand at Kade's side, on his left, with my hands behind my back, my fingers threaded together. I do my best to filter out their discussion, knowing better than to eavesdrop.

Sugary giggles across the courtyard catch my attention. Children, an even mix of boys and girls, chase each other through the throng of adults, ducking and dodging, shrieking in playful fear. The sound of their excitement is both a familiar melody and an alien symphony. They rush past, and I twist to watch them spill onto the field in a burst of colour. The children weave together, haphazard yet delicate, threads of joyous youth that leave sharp tendrils of bittersweet longing in the pit of my gut.

"Nine?" I whip my head and meet Michael's o