My Mom's warning stuck with me as we drove down the road. I contemplated asking the man when the game actually begin, but I doubted he would give me a straight answer. Those who returned from Iridian were unable to speak about the details of the game, but I heard the rules and setting changed every year.  'Must be a lot of work to change your entire pack every year.' Rayna mused, 'If they change the rules and setting, why are they so secretive about the game itself?' 'Maybe, they're trying to hide the fact that they don't have Magic. After all, Grandpa Kent said Magic left us a long time ago.' I shrugged. 'Maintaining a healthy skepticism, I see.' Rayna chuckled, 'Grandpa Kent also said, the only place that still has Magic is the Iridescence Pack.' 'Maybe they don't want people finding out how some of the contestants vanish, or how some are driven mad.' I grimaced, feeling the food I had eaten at my birthday party swirl within

I had slept like the dead, only waking to the sound of two unfamiliar feminine voices. Sliding the door to my small sleeping quarters open, I peeked my head from the room. The woman with a permanent sneer on her face, Liliana, was chatting with another woman, one I hadn't seen before. I assumed she was the fifth contestant on our small portion of the train. Her hair was impossibly long and curly, her skin a shade of deep bronze. She looked as though she spent most of her days under the sun. I'd have assumed she worked outside if it weren't for the shimmering crystal necklace that wrapped around her throat. She held the same air of superiority Liliana sported. Whatever conversation they were having halted at my entrance. Two sneers turned on me, and I didn't bother resisting the urge to roll my eyes.  'Already making enemies, I see.' Rayna yawned, shaking out her fur.  'I didn't do anything.' I snorted, padding down the hallway to the small bathroo

Yesterday we had let Helena choose one of the decanters, and today Camille wanted a turn. I had warned them both about the decanters marked with a small star, and was pleased that they took my word seriously.  I had scanned the bottom of each bottle, noting how they either had a small star, or a large eight-pointed star carved onto the bottom. Only one bottle had the carving of a crescent moon, and I was growing more and more curious of its effects. The nameless waiter hadn't said anything about the bottle with the crescent moon, and I could no longer stifle my curiosity. Once we arrived at the Iridescence Pack, I would no longer have the opportunity to try it. The decanter with the crescent moon held a liquid the shade of night, though the color was anything but flat. Inky black mixed with deep shades of indigo, plum, and silver. Tomorrow would be my turn to choose, and I wanted to try the decanter with the crescent moon. Camille chose a pleasant beig

I wish I could've said I woke up before I plummeted to my death, but I didn't. I remained awake--if you could call it that, the entire horrific free fall.  I fell through the air, gravity pulling me down without mercy. Stars danced around my eyes as I flipped, my eyes widening as I watched the vast ocean grow closer and closer. Fear and nausea swirled in my gut, my entire body tingling with that 'free-fall' feeling, the one where your stomach jumps and lodges itself somewhere it shouldn't be. The feeling you get on a roller coaster when you're speeding down a steep slope, the point where everyone puts their hands in the air and screams. I've always hated roller coasters, couldn't stand the way they twisted your stomach into knots, or the way the wind battered you senseless. I would have traded this for a million roller coaster rides.  I wanted to scream, but the wind ripped the sound from my lungs. My mouth hung open; my eyes wide as

A million questions ran through my mind, all regarding my Grandpa's old photograph. He would have told me if he'd been to Iridian before, I was sure of that much. Mom had warned me about Iridian as if she had first-hand knowledge, but I couldn't imagine my Mom going to Iridian and taking that picture. Cameras weren't even allowed during Iridian, which only made me more frustrated and curious. There was no way my Grandpa or Mom had come from the Iridescence Pack. The thought made my stomach roll with unease. They couldn't have lied to me, they wouldn't have. Yet, somehow that photograph made its way into my Grandpa's box.  I followed Camille and Helena up the stairs and through the large front doors, gaping at the room around us. The foyer, as most wealthy people called it, was basically a large empty room. Crystal chandeliers etched in gold hung from the arched ceiling, thick Persian rugs covered the floor like a long red carpet. Thick maroon curtains were draped o