brutal

Chapter 10

VERENA

Jasper stopped the car in front of the towering Siege building and sighed. Kai told me public tryouts happened once every year- that day was today.

Though I was asked to join by Kai himself, I wasn't going to tryout alone. Hundreds of people littered the entrance to the building, the bustling paparazzi and reporters excluded.

The crowd went wild when Crave, her real name still unknown, got out of her red sports car and tossed the key to the valet. They all parted for her as she made her way to the entrance and signed some merchandise of hers from some of the fans mixed in with all the others.

One of the things I hated about Siege was that if you were one of them, you're instantly a celebrity. Apart from Kai and the others, they loved the publicity. Obviously some of them didn't join just for the fame, but it was inevitable that some of them did join for just that.

"You nervous, Brutal?" Jasper whispered next to me.

I rolled my eyes at him. Starting today, I reminded them that we had to be careful about our identities because the game we played was truly dangerous, especially when my family didn't know I had an ulterior motive in joining.

Pulling down the mirror and fixing my hair, I steeled myself. This wouldn't be too different from my previous missions, why should I be any different? "No, Verena is not nervous. Got it?"

He raised his hands in defense and unlocked the doors. I gave him a knowing nod before opening it and stepping out to join the growing crowd.

It wasn't too difficult to navigate through the throng. Some assigned Siege members stood next to a sign that said PARTICIPANTS HERE with an arrow pointing to a closed-off section to a path inside the building.

I fished my pocket for the ticket I was asked to present to them and handed it to the outstretched hand of the girl that looked bored to death. She quickly read through the 9-digit code on the paper and looked up at me, then looked back to the ticket and placed it inside her belt-bag.

She nodded once at me then looked away to the next participant in line. I quickly made my way down the path, examining the tall glass building next to me and entering it.

Metal detectors and more Siege members greeted me at the entrance. Weapons were strictly forbidden at tryouts and any unauthorized weaponry will lead to automatic disqualification.

I passed through the detector with ease, my face giving no indication whatsoever to the hidden glass blade I had hidden deep in my boot, or to the leather watch I wore that could emanate a small amount of gas enough to knock a person twice my size.

My arm suddenly got pulled by lithe fingers and I was about to throw a right hook at whoever touched me even if I was inside the Siege. The punch never touched the perpetrator, thankfully, when a large hand caught it a few inches before it could touch Crave's cheek.

Her eyes went wide and her jaw hardened, and I stared in shock with what I had just done. Think of something quick. Blame it on paranoia or instinct. Do something.

It was short lived however when she quickly smiled and laughed. Crave pulled the man's hand down and it almost dragged me along with him, but he grabbed my shoulder and righted me before I could topple over.