04/08/2025
THE BETRAYAL TEST
I stared at the box in my hands, willing it to vanish.
The vial glowed faintly like fire trapped in glass.
And that name… ZARA. Written in ink that looked too red to be ordinary.
“Why her?” I asked quietly.
Queen Mother didn’t even blink.
“She’s disloyal,” she said. “She whispered escape into your ears, didn’t she? Thought she could trick the system, smuggle herself into freedom. A sister in rebellion must be sacrificed.”
“No,” I said, shaking my head. “Zara brought me in. She protected me.”
Queen Mother smiled coldly. “Exactly. That’s why she must go. Love is the first weakness we kill.”
She stood and walked toward me slowly, like a serpent uncoiling.
“Loyalty isn’t tested when things are easy,” she whispered. “It’s tested when you’re asked to destroy what you love.”
Then she pressed a dagger into my other hand.
“You have until midnight,” she said. “Use the vial. Use the blade. Or lose your place forever.”
I left the room, breathless. My legs weak. My heart screaming.
Back in my room, I stared at the box like it might explode.
Zara knocked five minutes later. I hadn’t called her but she came anyway.
“Sandra… are you okay?” she asked. “You look pale.”
I looked at her really looked.
She wasn’t perfect. She wasn’t powerful. She was just tired, like me. A girl trying to survive.
“They want me to end you,” I whispered.
Zara froze. “What?”
I opened the box, showed her everything.
Tears filled her eyes.
“I warned you,” she said. “I told you this life is a trap wrapped in glitter.”
“I know,” I said, voice cracking. “But what do we do now?”
She wiped her eyes. Then looked at me with something close to madness or maybe courage.
“We flip the script,” she said. “If they want blood, we give them fire.”
I blinked. “You mean run?”
She shook her head. “No. We expose them. But it’ll cost us everything. Our faces, our freedom… maybe our lives.”
Silence.
Then I nodded.
I was done being owned. Done being a pawn.
That night, we packed quietly. I swallowed the sim card Queen Mother gave me. Zara flushed the vial.
But just as we were about to leave…
The hallway lights flickered.
And every mirror in the mansion cracked—at once.
Then came the voice. Cold. Everywhere.
“You thought we wouldn’t know? You thought you could run again, Sandra?”
“Now, both of you belong to the altar.”
And just like that...
The doors locked.
To be continued...
Mercy chi