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She reminded me of the children in Brazell’s care, and wasthan to the pale ivory complexion of most of the Territory’s people Her skin was bronze Not tanned froroup was snared in a flow of spectators heading into a big red-and-white-striped tent It was the acrobatics tent, where trahtly costu round I watched as one htrope, only to be disqualified when he fell during his solo tu me His expression triumphant

"What?" I asked

"You’re an acrobat!"

"I was an acrobat"

Rand waved his hands "Doesn’t ht!"

It mattered to me Reyad had tainted acrobatics The ti was gone, and I couldn’t i any happiness froroup watched the contestants Grunts of effort, sweat-soaked costu for the days when all that worriedtie had taken up acrobatics We had scavenged and begged for materials to set up a practice area behind the stables Our rass until the stable master took pity on our bruised bodies One day we arrived to find a thick coating of dung-scented straw carpeting our practice area

Brazell’s teachers had encouraged us to discover so to be their calling, I had been fascinated by the acrobatic displays since my first fire festival

Despite hours of practice, I failed during the qualifying round at ural competition The disappointment stabbed my heart, but I healed the ache with resolve I spent the next year covered with black-and-bluesprains too numerous to count When the festival returned, I passed the qualifiers and the initial round only to fall off the tightrope in the second Each year I worked hard and advanced steadily I won through to the final round the year before Brazell and Reyad claimed me as their laboratory rat

Brazell and Reyad didn’t allow me to practice acrobatics, but that didn’t stopahenever Reyad was on soht by Reyad a week before the festival, when he arrived ho so hard that I failed to notice hi routine His expression, a er and elation, caused the beads of sweat onhis orders, I was forbidden to go to the festival that year And as an added deterrent to disobedience, I was punished for the duration of the festival Each evening for five nights,

Reyad forced rin on his face, he stared at ht He draped heavy chains from a metal collar around my neck to metal cuffs on my wrists and ankles I wanted to screaer him further

Pleasure at my fear and humiliation made his face flush as he droveA lashing sting ontoo slow The chains battered ed atordeal The cuffs began to rub s

When Brazell participated in the experiments, Reyad meticulously followed his father’s instructions, but when he was alone with me the indifferent exercises turned vicious Sokan, to assist him, and they made my hell a contest to see who invented the best way to test my endurance

I was in constant fear that I would h to force him to cross the only line he seemed to have drawn For all the torture and pain he inflicted, he never raped me So I somersaulted and cartwheeled with chains just to keep hi that line

Rand’s heavy arm fell across my shoulders I flinched back into the present

"Yelena! What’s wrong?" Rand’s eyes, full of concern, searched htize to ht these for us"

I thanked Sareide, and his young face whitened He averted his gaze Without thinking, I took a s, I ate and wondered ild stories had been told about e usually enjoyed scaring each other with ihten ourselves at the orphanage after the lanterns had been blown out and ere in bed waiting for sleep Whispered stories about le We told gruesoe, who just seeiven to us of where they orking, and we never encountered any of them in town or in the manor house So we created horrible scenarios about their fates

How I hts with the other children when I was finally able to rest after spending a day with Reyad He had isolated iven a s and my spirits crushed, I would lie awake and recite those tales in my mind until I fell asleep