The Luna Choosing Game

“We were renting an apartment with a friend of mine, Anna. I worked hard for that life. Sometimes I even,

well… I’ve let more experiences happen than I should have, for the sake of a paycheck.”

My hands ached. Looking down I realized I held the wooden armrests of the chair in a white–knuckled

grip. I attempted to loosen my hold. “Were you harmed?”

“Not for the lack of effort on their part,” Piper said. “My boss at this last job was particularly vile, but your

guards came to retrieve me at just the right moment.”

My grip returned tenfold. The wood creaked.

I wanted to tell her that she was safe now, and that people like that would never be able to touch her again. I wanted her to give me this vermin’s name so I could chase him down and have him locked in the

dungeon.

I considered yet doing the last one, when Elva’s condition wasn’t quite so dire. But the previous I could

I

not promise.

With the first elimination coming up, I did not know if she would continue to be allowed to stay at the palace. And the minute she was beyond these walls, I could not protect her without drawing unwanted

attention to us both.

I

do what I could. I sat in the

early morning hours, Elva’s fever finally broke, and Piper was able to relax. I rose to send

to alert the physician.

returned to Piper, she was fast asleep. She must have been so

to worry anymore, her body sunk fast

wake her, I hooked an arm under her knees and the

to the other

up over her tired body

to my chair and watched over Piper and Elva both until

me in the morning. When I saw him enter the room,

had predicted a miniscule chance of rain, but

holding something back. Unusual. He typically told

for further

“Mark?”

think you need to see it for yourself. The royal family is

me, where Piper and Elva continued to doze, even as

over them in

with that assurance was I able to

Mark nodded.

glance behind me, then I made my