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Nuas she pulled away, theescape difficult She jued to stay on her feet, bolting for the crowd

Chaos erupted like a volcano, violent and sudden Men shouted, and Haven held her breath as Frankie reacted, his un A shot exploded beside Haven, and she ju Nuh her forehead and splattering Haven’s blue-jean dress with fresh blood

Hyperventilating, Haven’s chest painfully heaved as she stared at the body on the floor by her bare feet Blood strea the girl’s blonde hair a deep shade of red Her icy blue eyes reh her skin

Frankie returned the gun to his coat and bent down to Haven’s level She tried to turn away froripped the back of her neck and forced her to look at Number 33

“That’s what happens when people forget their place,” he said, his voice as cold as the dead eyes she stared into “Remember that”

He stood, resu his earlier position as he clutched her shoulders The auction continued as if nothing had happened—as if an innocent girl weren’t slain in front of them all Nuave her a second thought

No one, that is, except Haven The vision of it would haunt her forever

TEN YEARS LATER

1

The hot, dry air burned Haven’s chest She gasped, struggling to breathe, as the dust kicked up by her frantic feet made it hard for her to see It wasn’t as if it would help anyway, since it was pitch black out and she had no idea where she was Everything appeared the sa but desert all around

Her feet felt like they were on fire as every rew harder and harder to continue with each step, her strength deteriorating as her adrenaline faded A bang rang out, her footsteps faltering as she swung in the direction of the noise, spotting a faint glow of light in the distance A house

She darted toward it, trying to yell for help but no sound escaped her throat Her body revolted against her, giving out when she needed it hter the harder she ran until all she saas a flash of white Blinded, she tripped and collapsed to the ground, pain running through her in waves as the light surrounding her burned out entirely

The basement was dark and damp, the only exit a set of metal doors locked with heavy chains With no s, it eltering, the air polluted with the stench of sewer Dried blood tinged the concrete floor like old splatters of red paint, a grotesque canvas of prolonged misery

Haven lay in the corner, her frail body un, except for the subtle rise and fall of her chest Her long brown hair, usually soth By society’s standards, she was as sickly as they cos, her ribs could be counted through her bruised and bloodied skin She thought herself to be healthy, though She’d seen people worse than her before