Holly must have fallen asleep, though she didn't even remember her eyes closing. There had been a loud bang, like glass shattering. Had that been part of her dream? On the end of the couch, Quix was snoring, hugging his braid as if it was a stuffed toy. Was this truly one of the people she had been running away from in terror for so long? She leaned forward as she watched him sleep. Was he faking it? "Are you done pouting yet?" hissed a voice behind her.

"Fake?" Holly repeated. She didn't have the strength to try to free herself any longer. "All fake?""Every last one," Krim agreed. "This entire world has been created for you. To study you, to judge you.""Judge me?" Holly frowned. "I don't understand. Why am I being judged? By who?" how could she even ask questions? Her mind was still trying to comprehend what Krim had revealed. There was no way this entire world was fake, was there? None of it made sense.Krim picked up his pace as they got farther and farther away from the others. "Death can explain more if he feels like it. I don't know how much I should give away. I don't need to put myself in danger over this.""You said you'd tell me everything," Holly reminded. Inside, her world was spinning. None of this made sense. "Why would this world be created for me? Why? And who did it?""You want all those answers?" Krim twisted his neck to study her. "Then I need something from you. It's the only

Holly didn't know when the pain stopped. How could so much agony come from the tips of fingernails? But they had been like knives, slicing her skin, causing her blood to flow. But where had they gone now? The servant was gone without a word, and so was the master as well. Now it was just her alone and tied up. Was this a ruse on their part?"Holly," the whisper was close to her ear and she turned to meet Quix's eyes. "Stay quiet," he whispered as he went to work on her restraints. They popped off and he pulled her into his arms, closing his eyes as he willed them to travel.Nothing happened. They were still in the bowels of Death's trap. Holly sobbed."Don't worry," Quix whispered. "I have a plan."Holly didn't believe him. This had to be a trap. If she showed any sign of hope, it would slam down on her. The pain she had endured already was just the start. They were going to do so much more to her. "Leave me," she whispered. 

"Dagon?" Holly whispered. She remembered that name and that voice. "Are you really Dagon?"He nodded. "I am, and as I told you, I'm here to save you." He frowned at Quix. "First of all, I'll take care of that trash for you."Holly's arms came around Quix as she pulled him closer to her. "He's not trash, he saved me."Dagon stepped closer his eyes narrowing. "Saved you? Let me see you, take that cover off."Holly flushed and shook her head. "No way, I-"She was interrupted as Dagon took the corner of the blanket and swept it away leaving her huddling against Quix for warmth. Dagon's lip flared seeing the reaper's state of undress but if faded away as his eyes roamed over Holly. His dark blue eyes shimmered like the depths of the ocean as his fist clenched. "Those marks, tell me what happened to you, right now."Holly swallowed, she didn't even want to remember a single moment of that. "I was captured," she whispered

Holly stared at her teacher and Quix as they waited for her in the cramped room. "Why can't the others be here?""Someone has to guard the building. Krim could come back in, or he could send his necromancy experiments. I'm staying by your side to get you out of here in the worst-case scenario." Quix replied.Holly sighed. As much as she appreciated Quix being there. The more time she spent around him the more she was becoming hyper-aware of everything about him. He even had long lush eyelashes she kept sneaking peeks at.  Quix turned toward her and smirked. The smirk grew even more as she flushed and looked away from him. How could she let herself be caught like that? She had never been like this with her boyfriend. "Holly, come here," Dagon ordered. "Are you going to test to see the amount of magic power I have again?" she demanded with a sigh. They were never going to get anywhere if they just tread the same ground over and