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The valet looked me up and down, something glinting in his eye. Why was he looking at me like a shiny new toy?
I. Could. Not. Compete.
Mateo smiled slowly enough that it made my skin crawl.
I held up my hands, which had already grown clammy. “I don’t want to audition for anything, I need—”
“Señorita, I’m not sure exactly where you are from, but Señor Castillas is the best mentor there is. You should be kissing the toes of whoever gave you this audition.” Mateo paled, and then quickly apologized for his undue familiarity.
He was acting so out of place. I had no idea that some Trabajadores behaved like this. Then, he looked behind me. “No parents with you today?”
It had been years since anyone mentioned parents to me, and it caught me off guard enough that he ran right over any thought I had of interrupting.
“I’m sure that your parents would be nothing but overjoyed for you to work with the famed Antonio Castillas Morales.” The way the valet enunciated the name made me roll my eyes. He narrowed his eyes. “I don’t know who’s currently listed as a mentor, but you and I both know that your future depends on the outcome of these games. I’m doing you a favor.”
“How dare you speak to me this way,” I snapped, finally finding my voice.
Mateo smirked. “Did you forget I’m helping you? If you want, I would be happy to call your parents and tell them about the opportunity. I wouldn’t mention that you were arriving at the hotel, asking to see a man who is one of the most eligible bachelors.”
My cheeks went red hot. If the thought hadn’t startled me so much, I might’ve realized that most parents wouldn’t be upset by their daughter making an advantageous marriage.
However, if they tried to call my parents at all, the flimsy lies I had woven would come undone in less time than it takes to pirouette. All that I was trying to avoid, punishment and pain, would become a promise.
I glanced at the car that had pulled up behind me. I needed to get inside. The fewer people I was seen by, the better. “Fine,” I murmured. I felt defeated. I was ashamed, scared, and stranded in this new world that I knew very little about.
“Excellent,” Mateo grinned, and then gestured for me to walk first. As soon as I started walking, he said loudly, “What a pleasure it is to meet you, Señorita Valarde.”
A thick crimson colored carpet lined the way up the steps. I walked carefully, wishing I could somehow cover the ruined fabric. I wished that I had more time to speak with Maestra Cecelia. I prayed she wouldn’t kill me if I took longer than expected.
That was, if I didn’t die here first.
Chapter9
This is Not a Place for Friends
Mateo led me into the Grand Hotel’s lobby. I was surprised to see that it largely mirrored what the theater looked like, though time had not slowly eroded this place, like sand chipping away at large boulders. The paper-thin walls, breathtaking vaulted ceilings, and delicate clusters of thin columns were still intact.
I stared at the olive-colored wallpaper, admiring the bits of gold leafing that were scattered throughout. Mateo was walking fast enough to break some sort of foot racing record.
Dancing made me strong, and it gave me endurance. The walking wasn’t a problem, but my nerves certainly accelerated the beating of my heart. Or maybe that was simply the nerves. Something that I had hoped would only rob me of my morning would surely rob me of my entire day.
Potentially my entire life. Tears collected on the waterlines of my eyes, and I wished I’d never walked downstairs and caught Fernando with the damned cuff link.
“Where are we going?” I asked nervously as we approached a staircase which had a path leading upward as well as down into a basement.
Mateo paused, and turned around with one smooth movement. He was a snake. I thought Élites were treated with the utmost respect.
It didn’t feel like I was being respected right now.
He smiled, and the hair on the back of my neck stood up. “The auditions are held in our lower level. Señor Castillas Morales requested that they be down there to ensure extra privacy.”
I fidgeted with the gold cuff link in my right pocket, pushing it back and forth against the soft fabric. “Very well,” I said and took a deep breath.
“Adelante, Señorita,” Mateo said with an exaggerated bow of his head and a sweep of his long arm.
The steps were also carpeted, which made it nearly impossible to be heard as we descended. When the whisper of hushed voices trailed up to meet us, my heart skipped a beat. I was going to be paraded around in front of other people. What did they call people like these? Candidates? I was going into a den of lethal candidates.
Even if the point of the tournament wasn’t to kill each other, they still had the power to do so. They were conniving, and not above stealing from each other or ruining someone else’s reputation. Whatever it took to get ahead.
