Capewood (Book I) *Completed*

Julian

"COME OUT AND FACE ME, COWARD!" I scream at the wall in my room. It's dark, and the only thing between me and the door is a table, a chair, and a chandelier lamp that is swinging eerily above me. "EROS COME OUT NOW!" 

I hear a door begin to unlock and I stop screaming. Eros' smug smile walks into the room and looks at me almost amused. "Are you done throwing a temper tantrum? You sound like a child," says Eros as he walks over to me. I try to lunge at him, but I'm tied down to the chair. 

"Untie me, and you won't be so cocky!" I tell him. "I'm tired of your dumbass attitude. You killed all those people-"

I'm interrupted by his fist connecting with my face. I spit out a tooth and look up at him in shock. My head is ringing, and for a second, I swear I see stars. "I'm tired of you kids thinking you can talk to me however you want," says Eros walking around to the other side of the table. "I am your superior after all,"

"You're not my superior," I say as I give him a death glare. "You're just a deranged psycho murder who enjoys this crap!" I say. "You're a monster Eros,"

"Don't blame the monster, Julian," he says solemnly, "Blame the creator," He scoots his chair back and places his feet onto the table. His head sinks back, and for the first time since I met him, I'm able to see his face. He has glasses that are squared and bright green eyes. His brown hair falls to his shoulders, and he quickly ties it up in a hair tie. His nose is crooked, you can tell it's been broken before, and he has a goatee that is impressive. His teeth are still sickly straight and white. "Do I look like a monster, Julian?" 

To be honest, he looks like a pedophile, but I know better than to say anything. Tears well up in his eyes, and he looks over at me with a lost puppy expression. "I was chosen just like one of you," he whispers to me. "I was selected to be a contestant so very long ago, and I won," he says nodding to himself. "I was terrified. I was just a boy from Wisconsin working full-time in a run-down coffee shop. I had no girlfriend," Shocker. "I didn't get into any colleges, and I didn't see any way to get out of the situation I was in," 

"So I joined this game and won, and then my whole life got better!" I say in a mocking tone. "Am I supposed to feel sorry for you?" I ask. 

"You're not going to get the rest of my story if you don't stop," he says firmly. "And I think that it is something you'll want to hear." 

I resist the urge to roll my eyes and nod in his direction to continue. He takes a deep sigh and then looks at me with a satisfied expression. "Very well, let's continue," he flips his hood back up, and he laughs a creepy maniac laugh as he looks at the wall directly behind me. "I remember the night I killed the first Eros," he smiles at me. "You know that Eros is the ancient God of chaos? I come from a long line of them. Eros isn't even my real name," he says with a laugh, "Gus Richards, but that doesn't exactly strike fear into the hearts of people, does it?" 

"You killed the first Eros?" 

"Not the first Eros, we are many," he says correcting me, "But I did kill the one who made the game the way it was. He lost his vision," he says with a frown. "I was fascinated by him. He was a large reason as to why I felt the need to win the game!" he says. "Do you know why I chose you, Julian?" he asks me.

"Could it be my dashing good looks and charm?" I ask through gritted teeth. 

"I cast you in this game as an extra," he says, "I didn't expect you to make it past the first night, let alone to make it to the final three. You were a filler for the real contenders, like Ms. Sharp or Ms. LaClair, but she changed things," 

My face pales when he mentions Autumn. I had almost forgotten that she was in the games. That was the beauty of being drugged I guess, you forget about your immediate surroundings. A feeling of guilt sweeps over me as I realize that for a second, even though it was just a second, I forgot about her. 

"She brought something out in you that even I didn't see," he says. "It's funny what love can do, Julian. I guess we really should be thanking Ms. MacDonald for what she had you accomplish, right? You owe her your life,"

"I should have saved her," I whisper. "She deserves to be here, not me," 

"That is where you're wrong, Julian," says Eros as he gets up from the desk. He leans over the table and puts his face inches from mine. "I learned one thing from the Eros before me that stuck with me. Everything happens the way it is supposed to," He sits back down on the chair and pops his feet up, "Ms. MacDonald was a special girl, probably slated to be Ms. Louisana one day," says Eros frowning, "She just didn't make the cut," 

Tears well up in my eyes as he talks about her like she's nothing. Like her memory or legacy, she left behind isn't important. "Stop talking about her," I whisper. "You don't deserve to speak her name,"

"Autumn, Autumn, Autumn," responds Eros with a sly smile. "Listen up, Julian," he says. "Want to know how I got to be the way I am?" he says, "Here's the truth, I was given the same choice that you were given right now." He claps his hands, and the lights turn on in the room. There is a blue button that sits right next to the exit of the room.

"Here is your choice," says Eros, "You can ignore what I'm about to say and walk down that single hallway and hopefully fight your way through the last two contestants and earn your way home," he holds up a single finger, "Or, you can press that blue button. The hallway will close, and you can join me in my fight," he gets up from the chair and walks behind me and starts picking at the knots to my rope. "The choice is yours, Julian," 

He goes to the door and exits the room, closing the door behind him, and I'm left alone with my thoughts. I sit in the room and get up from the chair, walking over the wall my eyes travel from the blue button to the doorknob. Either way could be a damning choice. 

Autumn, what should I do?

I close my eyes and stick my hand to my decision.