rying to make sense of the blurry shapes around her. The last thing she remembered was the sharp blow to th

chill of a drafty room; it was sterile, almost suffocating. The air had a sharp, antiseptic s

ing that settled in her chest. Her body was dressed in a loose, silk robe, the kind she might have worn at a spa, but it felt wr

re

harsh, artificial light overhead. The walls were pale, almost clinical in their emptiness. The floor was smooth and c

ike a wave about to break. Her mind was still clouded with confusion, but the deeper, more primal

ty set in. He was gone. She didn't know why, or how, but

nce of the room felt stif

tanding in the threshold. It was a man, tall and broad-shouldered, dressed in black, his face partially ob

r wo

t hers. It was a ho

heir gazes dull, empty. Some were trembling, clutching the sheets to their chests like it might offer som

uldn't come. The overwhelming weight of it all crashed over her. This wasn't

llect herself, the

cal voice, his tone leaving no room for

d to grasp what that meant. Was she being sold? Was this some sort of sick auction? Her stomach twi

were sti

e whispered, al

of the room where a small table stood, scattered with a few tools she didn't recognize. It looked like a s

erving. The way he looked at her, as though she were nothing more than a piece of livestock, made her skin crawl. His eyes were

away, but the masked man's hand on her arm sto

ng her as though she were a product at a market. His cold fingers grazed her s

o her face, checki

omething down on his clipboard. His fingers moved to he

althy. Blood pre

ging her for someone else. His gaze lingered on her a moment longer than she was comfortable with, and Alina felt her

al. This can'

, but her body wouldn't obey her. It was like she was already being

man remarked, almost disintere

h to the gut. She struggled against the tightening grip on her arm, but it

ally demanded, her vo

eyes narrowing in something like a

thing else. Next. She was being prepared fo

t her chest as panic sur

ere. I have to get out.

t all closed in, leaving her with nothing but the crushing ce