Page 9 of Taken to the Shadow Realm

The new girl groaned and pushed herself up from the bed. Both Eve and I paused to look at her.

“I’m awake, Jesus H. Chri?—“

When her eyes popped open to look at us, they went wide, and she stopped speaking. She took in our matching slips, the high beds, and the expensive drapery before her eyes wandered back to us.

The emotions were just pouring out of her.

Orange and yellow.

Orange for alarm. Yellow for curiosity… But there was no hint of fear.

Yet.

“Are you okay?” I asked hesitantly.

“I’m… as good as I could be after getting kidnapped,” she replied almost casually.

Eve threw her head back with a loud laugh.

Eve’s blue hair shimmered in the light, a playful light yellow dying the emotions that swirled around her as she moved. When she wiped the fake tears from her eyes, she gave the new girl a smirk.

“At least your brain’s working,” she commented before nudging me with her elbow. “This is Iris. I’m Eve. There are a few other girls, but it’s been a while since we’ve seen them. I assume they’re dead.”

“Eve!” I hissed.

My eyes shot toward the girl, partly wondering why and partly concerned when there was still no fear in her emotions. Just like Eve, she seemed somehow well suited for this type of environment.

I, on the other hand, had been a ball of nerves since I arrived here.

“I’m Mia, by the way,” she said, a forced smile gracing her face.

I gave her a small nod before glaring at Eve.

“We don’t know what happened to them, but you shouldn’t scare her,” I muttered.

We could guess, and I was sure our guesses were pretty accurate with the information we gleaned over the time we had been here, but there was no need to cause undue stress on someone who had just woken up in literal hell.

“Can’t you tell if she is or not?” Eve asked, giving me a look.

“I’m not that good of an actor,” Mia said with a small laugh, her hand coming to tug at her hair. “I’m still trying to digest everything, so I’m not sure my mind knows how to be anything but confused right now.”

Eve sat up straight, giving Mia a devilish smile.

“No, that’s her thing,” she explained. “She can see it, can’t you, little mouse?”

Fuck. I hated when she called me that. The men my father made me see would often call me something similar, but the way she said it felt more like an insult than anything else.

“Don’t call me that,” I ordered.

“See what?” Mia asked, desperation slipping into her voice. “Please. I’m losing it here.”

I pursed my lips, not sure how much I’d like to share.

I had never shared what I could see before, but as soon as Eve saw me interact with the previous girls, she somehow knew.

“I can read emotions,” I said after a moment. “See them. Kinda like an aura.” Sometimes feel them too, if they were overpowering enough, but that I would keep

to myself.

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