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CHAPTER 1

SYDNEY

I WOKE TO DARKNESS

This was nothing new, as I’d been waking to darkness for the lastwell, I didn’t kno many days It could’ve been weeks or even months I’d lost track of tih stone floor for a bed My captors kept me awake or asleep, at their discretion, with the help of so that made it impossible to count the days For a while, I’d been certain they were slipping it to er strike The only thing that had acco I never, ever wanted to experience again—and no escape froh the ventilation systeo on an air strike

For a while, I’d had the fanciful idea that I’d track time with my menstrual cycle, the way that women in primitive societies synced themselves up to the moon My captors, proponents of cleanliness and efficiency, had even provided feiene products for when the ti abruptly cut off from birth control pills at the time of ular cycles that , especially when co I could be certain of was that I wasn’t pregnant, which was a huge relief If I’d had Adrian’s child to worry about, the Alchemists would’ve had unlimited power over me But it was just me in this body, and I could take whatever they threw at er, cold It didn’t matter I refused to let them break me

“Have you thought about your sins, Sydney?”

The metallic, fe to come fro position, tugging h shift down overelse The sleeveless garment was so paper thin that it offered no warical sense of h oodwill In reality, I think the Alcheto me the way they’d hoped

“I slept,” I said, stifling a yawn “No ti in the air see in some stimulant that made sure I stayed ahen they wanted, no ht be The result was that I never felt fully rested—as was their intent Psychological warfare worked best when the mind eary

“Did you dream?” the voice asked “Did you dreaht be like to see the light again?”

“You know I didn’t” I was being uncharacteristically talkative today They asked me these questions all the time, and so et some real sleep and have some dreams that we can chat about”

More is meant that Adrian would be able to locate me in my dreams and help me find a way out of this hellhole

Adrian

His nahts of him, of our past and of our future, hat had helped me surviveback to the handful ofelse in ful as the tihts of him I would replay each precious , and when I’d exhausted them, I’d fantasize about the future I’d live out all the possible scenarios we’d iined for ourselves, all our silly “escape plans”