Free Rival Demons by Sarra Cannon

and dreams for the Order.
    And yet, as soon as it was done, she was
different. She'd been brainwashed somehow to believe that the
Order's wishes were now her own. It wouldn't be long before they
did the same thing to Lark and to Allison and to every other girl
in every other demon gate town.
    What gave them the right to steal our lives and
our power? What gave them the right to steal our choices?
    I had escaped, but not every girl had that
chance.
    If it were up to Jackson, I would stay here,
hiding out from the Order of Shadows for the rest of my life. I
knew he only wanted me to be safe. But I couldn't stay. Not
forever. I would live here just long enough to get my strength
back, and then I would return to Peachville. Somehow, I would have
my revenge and put a stop to their ways.
    Of course, it would be easier with Jackson and
the others fighting by my side, but even if I had to fight alone, I
would do it.
    I turned off the hot water and wrapped myself in
a soft towel that smelled of fresh flowers. I walked into my new
room with its fancy furniture and unbelievably comfortable bed. I
was lucky to be here, I knew. But that didn't mean I belonged
here.
    Not by a long shot.
    Proof of this lay on the floor at my feet. I
leaned down and scooped the dirty ritual dress off the tile. As I
held it in my hands, I made a promise to myself. I would never be
that helpless again. I gripped the tattered garment tighter in my
fist.
    I was going to learn to be powerful. Somehow, I
was going to find a way to free Aerden and myself. And if I
survived long enough, I would close the Peachville gate and make
sure that the Order never enslaved another demon or witch in the
name of my ancestors.
    With passion and determination burning in my
chest, I ripped a strip of bloodied cloth from the hem of the white
dress and wrapped it around my wrist like a ribbon. Then and there,
I vowed to wear it until I either died or won. It would serve as a
constant reminder of my new purpose. My new destiny.
    I will never forget.
     
     
Twinge of Pain
    Despite my renewed passion, there wasn't much I
could do to fight back while I was trapped here in this apartment.
Jackson had made it pretty clear that Mary Anne and I needed to
stay in the suite. He had someone come by each day to stock our
kitchen with exotic fruits and vegetables. There was also some kind
beef jerky stuff for us to chew on, but we were definitely not
eating anything gourmet. Personally, I wondered how they were able
to get fresh fruits and such way down here. Did they have a garden
somewhere?
    These were the kinds of things I spent my days
thinking about since there was absolutely nothing to do down here.
We didn't have any magazines or TV or books. Mary Anne spent a lot
of time in her room sleeping, but she was slowly getting her color
back and starting to act more like herself. Still, I spent a lot of
time alone.
    And alone time is not exactly something I
needed. I'd gotten enough of that during my prison time at
Shadowford. Of course, being shacked up in an opulent suite of
rooms with my own shower and bed was much more comfortable, so I
knew I shouldn't complain.
    Over the course of the first week we spent in
the Underground, I barely saw Jackson at all. He came by a couple
of times to briefly check on Mary Anne, but he never stopped to
really talk to me. Our eyes would meet and I knew there was a lot
left unsaid between us, but neither of us said what we were really
feeling. I missed him like crazy. I just didn't want him to know
that.
    "I'm getting cabin fever," I said to Mary Anne
on our eighth day of quarantine. "I don't think I can take this
much longer."
    We'd been sitting together on the fur couch
playing a game of twenty questions. After six games, I'd had
enough.
    "I know what you mean," she said. "This place is
nice and all, but it's starting to feel a bit like prison."
    I nodded, picking at a hangnail on my index
finger. "So I guess the question is what are we going to do