Page 15 of The Wallflower

We spend a minute hopping around, stretching, and generally preparing as our adrenaline spikes. I feel like I might vibrate out of my body.

I get a similar feeling for every game, but this is so much more. Every year, it's the same, but I know there's a real prize waiting for me this year. There’s a pit in my gut and an ache in my chest. I’m more ready than I’ve ever been.

Sebastian waves a flare gun around for effect, keeping it aimed at the sky. “On your mark. Get set...”

We all brace, ready to run. He shoots the flare into the air, and everyone takes off like a shot.

Everyone except me. I want to give her a little time to get some distance to make my catching her all the sweeter.

Will she fight? Run? Kick? Punch? Scream?

I’ve seen it all and more, but I’ve never heardherscream, and I can’t wait.

During the few seconds I held her in the library, I knew she’d make the perfect prey.

I stroll toward the tree line. Everyone is already gone. Jackets are discarded at the edge of the forest. Shoes, bags, clothing, and all sorts of accessories were abandoned to be reclaimed later.

I step over a pile of clothing and cut across the tree line. It's darker now, and I close my eyes as I walk slowly to adjust to the lack of light. Once I can see a little clearer, with nothing more than the fading twilight and a few scattered lanterns, I pick up my pace. Not because I need to move fast to get to her, butbecause I'm losing my grip on my patience. All I want is to catch her, to claim her, and call her mine.

The forest sounds are louder now as crickets and other animals are scared out of the underbrush. More than the natural sounds, there are unnatural ones too. People fucking hard and rough in the fallen leaves. Others scream through the woods as their pursuers give chase.

I smile to myself. There will be a lot of sore, tired people come morning...some who won't even make it that long.

Someone crashes through the trees to my right, but I don't flinch, not when I know it's not her. Even if she's running, she'd do it quietly. Her life is controlled and precise. She might run, but she'd keep to the path, heading in the direction of her goal. All I need to do is follow until my little wallflower gets tired. It won't take long to catch up with her.

The trees sway in a slight breeze, a chill already building in the air. I'm warm enough walking, but she'll be cold eventually. If she behaves, I'll make sure we both have everything we need by the end of the night.

A high-pitched scream sounds to my left, and I spot someone in the dark grab a girl off her feet and slam her back into a pile of crunching leaves.

I stop for a moment and watch, wondering if her scream is for real or if she's just one of the women who pretends to be scared, only to run into one of the chaser's arms the second she's caught.

The man, Nathan, by the look of him, grasps her hips up and ruts against her, both of them still clothed.

She claws at the leaves and the earth, trying to pull herself away. There's no fear on her face, as far as I can tell, but she's definitely trying to get away. At least for now.

I smile and lean against the tree as he clamors after her, his hands easily grabbing her small frame and holding her down.For a second more, she struggles, and he holds her tight, putting more of his weight into her, her hips and legs pinned now.

Once she accepts she's caught, he strips her black leggings down her plush hips, holding her tight around the waist. First one side, then the other. She squeals as her bare ass is exposed to the cold night air, and he slaps it hard enough to make her squeal again.

A moment later, Nathan stops, catching sight of me. "You want some? I'm happy to share my prize with you."

The girl glances over her shoulder at me. A panicked look appears in her eyes but then disappears when she sees who he’s talking to.

I shake my head and move along. "No thanks, I have my eye on something else. You two kids have fun."

More sound spills through the forest. Screaming, moaning, fucking...everything. The perimeters are mostly blocked off so we have privacy. The gates around the estate ensure no one will wander in as well. We've kept our members and participants as safe as we are able. The rest is up to them.

Leaves crunch under my boots as I continue, the anticipation building. I scan the fields, the leaves, and the small clearings for her, but find nothing. She's not out here for sex. If she's smart, she'll avoid the others and continue to the cabin. What I've learned about her in the last twenty-four hours is that she needs the money. Unlike me, she's here on scholarship. At least most of her tuition is. The rest she pays out of pocket in installments, and she's been late on payments for a while.

I shove my hands into my pockets and pick up my pace. I'm dying to hear her voice again, to speak to her. No doubt she'll fight me like she did in the library. Only this time, she's on my turf. There's no escape. I curl my hands into fists, my pockets tightening across them. I need to calm down, or everything will go too fast.

I walk faster to burn off some of my excess energy. There will be more than enough for her, but I don't want to push her too far too fast.

The leaves swish and fly around my feet. As I enter a small clearing, I catch sight of blond hair and stop short.

The woman is on her back, her blond hair spilled across the ground in a halo around her. I march closer, about ready to snatch her up and fucking destroy the man with his hands up her dress.

But then the clouds part enough to shine some of the barely risen moonlight down, and I recognize her friend, the one who begged me for an invitation.