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“Them.” It’s a single accusation spoken in perfect english, her accent cutting its teeth on New Jersey glass. Her gaze darts from me to Lola, who is sitting rooted to the mattress in shock. I watch her eyes widen slightly. “When did they bring you here?”
“Yesterday.”
She waves away my attempts to help her up. “Then tomorrow is your first auction.”
“Auction?” Lola pounces on the word as the woman slowly rises to her feet.
“It’s Sunday,” she states, wincing as she straightens up, as if that’s all the explanation we need. “It’s time for them to bid on the new girls to enter Il Labirinto.”
My stomach lurches. “What the hell is Il Labirinto?”
But I already know the answer. It’s the place I can see from our window, where your mind gets twisted up and your screams are made.
“One of you will be chosen,” she says regretfully. “It’s inevitable.”
“Why?”
“Because you are a Santiago, and you are a Carrera.” She swings her bruised gaze between us again. “That means you’re the ultimate game, and the ultimate prize... Tomorrow night, you will run in Il Labirinto, and if you’re lucky, like me, then maybe you’ll survive it.”