“Wait. I have another idea.” It’s obvious we’re both stubborn fools and he is going to follow me no matter what. My choice is to abandon my plan and go back with him. Where? I don’t know. But I’m pretty sure he wouldn’t let me out of his sight until he knows for sure this is over.
Or I can accept that he’s along for the ride. So, I fumble in my bag a second time, and I come up with a silvery potion. This one is thicker, the dose higher. Almost a full six ounces that needs to be ingested to work. I hand him the vial through the barrier.
He takes it with a frown.
“Drink it.”
“What is it?”
“Invisibility potion.”
He blinks, shock crossing his face followed quickly by resolve. He gulps down the contents of the vial and smacks his lips. “Minty,” he remarks, and I almost laugh. Almost.
He looks down at his body. “Did it work?”
My lips part, about to say no, but then his skin turns luminescent. A moment later, his whole form shimmers. “It’s working,” I whisper.
I blink, and in that instant, Jarron disappears completely from view. I’m shocked at something that was entirely my own doing. I can’t believe any of this is happening.
“That one will only last about thirty minutes,” I warn. “Less than the nullifier.”
I don’t know if he acknowledges me because as far as I can tell, the hallway is empty. “Jarron?”
The gentle sweep of fingers crosses my cheek then down my jaw. I shiver against his touch.
“I think I like this potion,” he whispers softly as his fingers drift down my neck all the way to my collar bone before I knock him away.
“You ready?” I ask.
No response.
“I’ll take that as a yes.” I turn and press deeper into the quiet, shadowed halls of Minor Hall, with an invisible demon prince beside me.
50
No Room For Fear
The entrance lobbyof Minor Hall feels tiny, with the shadows shifting and the air stiff and still. There’s no sign of anyone or anything. I’m not even sure where to go. Where would they hold a competition like the one I saw in the my sister’s report? Minor Hall is not big.
I walk forward slowly. I glance all around, waiting for a sign or someone to jump and drug me or something. I can’t see or hear Jarron. The only sign he’s still with me is the gentle caress of his breath on my shoulder when I stop at the first set of archways. To the right is the common room. To the left, the dining hall.
I peer into both—no sign of anything strange.
A few more steps until I reach the next set of open doorways. The game room to the left, the study hall is to the right, and at first, I think there is nothing out of the ordinary there either, but then I realize the tables of study hall are gone. The walls are still covered in shelves of books, but the rest of the room has been cleared out.
I walk toward the only room that seems to have something different about it. The moment I step inside, a flash of red makes me flinch.
Welcome,the words float in a sort of red liquid. It pops then forms into another word.Candice.
All right, guess I’m in the right place.
Movement in the shadows pulls my attention to the wall to the right. Three small figures sit up against the bookshelves.
“Candice?” a soft voice says.
I flinch, but I recognize the voice. “Corrine?”
I take three quick steps into the dark room. Corrine stands, shoulders slumped. There’s a girl I don’t recognize still sitting beside her. And a few feet over is a boy. More contestants, I guess? The people I’m supposed to kill if I’m not able to get out before it gets that far.
