3 - The Devil I Bargain With

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I wake up the next morning with one thought beating in my skull like a second heartbeat:

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I wake up the next morning with one thought beating in my skull like a second heartbeat:

I need a plan.
A real one.

One that gets me out of here alive. And preferably one that doesn't involve Rafe in any meaningful capacity.

I sit up, the sheets cold, the room colder. Rafe is asleep on the floor, one arm thrown over his eyes, hiding from the sun that isn't even hitting him.

For a second — I consider waking him. Then I remember literally everything about him, and the second shrivels up and dies.

I walk to the window quietly. A guard stands right outside, staring straight ahead like a statue with a gun.

"Hey! Hey. I need to talk to Mr. Singh. Hey go get Mr. Singh." I knock on the glass, my pulse already climbing with whatever half-formed plan is building in my chest.

Behind me, Rafe stirs.
"What are you doing?"

I ignore him.
"Hey you! I need to talk to Mr. Singh."

"Shut up. Shut up. Shut up. Hey. What are you doing?" Rafe scrambles to his feet.

"Like I owe you an explanation," I scoff.

"Think for a second. Stella what are you doing?"

I move to the door and start banging.
"Hello?"

"Hey! What're you doing?" Rafe repeats, like if he says it enough times I'll suddenly listen.

"Don't talk to me!" I snap, the exhaustion of the last day sharpening every word.

"You're lying about this diary thing. You know where it is."

"No I don't."

"You don't? Okay," he scoffs.

"You wish," I mumble and return to the window.

"Okay listen I wouldn't tell me either. But he's never gonna believe we don't know something all right? Singh killed that—" Rafe starts.

"Hey!" I shove his hand away before he can touch me, an old instinct rising fast in my chest.

"Look around Stella I'm the only friend you got."

Before I can answer, the door opens. A guard walks in, all business.

"I need to talk to Mr. Singh. I have something to tell him. It's urgent," I say immediately, my heart pounding with the risk of it.

"Yes," the guard says, and grabs my arm.

Rafe tries to say something, but I'm already gone.







Singh is sitting at a table eating lunch like this is a business retreat, not....whatever the hell this actually is.

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