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“Did you hear anything else about the riot?” I said.
“Some of the prisoners got killed, some survived, some of the gangs extended their territory, some lost it,” he said with a shrug. “Pretty much what you’d expect.”
I ran a finger around his purple nipple and wondered how much of the recent developments in the Prize Pool I ought to share with him. It was entirely possible he knew something about Ivy or Agatha’s whereabouts.
“Three of the other girls went missing,” I said.
“During the riot?” Trayem said.
“They wouldn’t dare go missing otherwise. One was called Ivy. She was in a relationship with Kren, the former champion. They disappeared at the same time. Apparently, the Supervisor’s shuttlecraft disappeared too. It got some of us wondering if maybe they escaped.”
“It’s possible,” Trayem said without commitment.
What else did I expect? He was a regular prisoner. There was no reason to think he would know anymore more about it than I did.
“Wait,” Trayem said. “Ivy? Did you say she was claimed by Kren?”
“Yes. He chose her every day.”
Trayem’s chest rumbled. When I looked up at him, I saw he was chuckling to himself and shaking his head lightly.
“What is it?”
He waved a hand.
“Nothing. I thought… Never mind. I don’t know if they escaped. But it doesn’t take a genius to figure out. If they’re gone and the supervisor’s shuttlecraft went missing, and they happened to be in his apartment when all those things happened… I would say it’s pretty much a shut case.”
I had barely allowed myself to believe she had escaped. I hoped it was the case but from the very first moment, I had long since learned hope was not a valuable commodity in this place.
It made me grin to imagine Ivy somewhere out there among the stars, her fated mate at her side, leading the kind of life the rest of us could only dream of.
Now, I was the one chuckling to myself.
“What’s wrong with you now?” Trayem said.
He ran a hand over my arm soothingly, sending goosebumps prickling my skin.
“Nothing,” I said, snuggling in closer to him. “It’s just a nice thought.”
“What about your other friends?”
“What other friends?”
“You said more than one of your friends went missing.”
That’s when my good feelings subsided.
“One…” I said, finding it hard to say the words. “The thing that almost happened to me actually did happen to her. She… She didn’t survive.”
Trayem was silent for a long moment.
“What about the other one?”
“She disappeared. Her name’s Agatha. She was always kind. I sure hope they don’t find her cut up into tiny pieces.”
“I’m sorry you’re here,” Trayem said. “I’m sorry things didn’t work out better for you.”
“Things didn’t work out well for anybody in here. That’s why they’re here. Everybody’s a prisoner.”
