"Six Contestants Face Death in the Twisted 'Grimm Games.'" I read the headline aloud from my laptop. And to add insult to injury, the daring caption came straight from Arcanum Entertainment's website.

Even though I'd gotten used to the Games' popularity, I was still astonished to see such a nonchalant attitude toward toying with people's lives on television.

"Isn't it so uncannily sadistic?" Jade walked through the narrow doorway with a crisp sheet of paper in her grip. She approached my second-hand desk with urgency. Her usually admiring brown eyes narrowed in disgust. "You see this, girl? We're nearing 100,000 signatures and that's still not enough to get the state's attention."

"That's still not enough, especially since there are over five million residents in this state alone." I sighed, rubbing my temple out of habit. "We knew it was gonna be hard to bring an end to something so popular. But we're making headway, aren't we? The number of detractors is growing."

"No one wants to die competing for a one in six chance at a few million dollars and have their death broadcasted to the masses, their families." Jade scanned the sheet, her dark, kinky ringlets hung from her head to obscure one eye. The urge to swipe it back behind her ear nagged at me. "They yearn for an easier life, a chance at a better future. And whose fault is that?"

She slipped the paper on my desk before meeting my gaze. Her cute button nose was the opposite of my own but complimented her face so well, as the tone of her honey-kissed brown skin contoured her facial features naturally.

I agreed with a nod. "Arcanum gets away with this because the players are volunteers. They willingly sign up. And if desperate people exist, they will play, they'll participate, and even more will tune in."

"The viewers are being manipulated too and don't even know it." Her voice shook with grief, reminding me of her innocence. "They keep tuning in and placing bets on these poor contestants' lives in hopes of winning some kind of fortune of their own."

I often tried to mimic Jade's soft-spoken accent and feminine mannerisms to dodge attention and judgment from others, but my husky voice always took center stage. Until I reveal I have an identical twin sister with the same chestnut brown eyes, deep brown skin, and distinctive vocal inflections, that is.

"But you're right, we are making headway. All the picketing, petitions, and protests raising awareness about the bullshit of Arcanum might actually be working!" She nodded to the paper on my worn and weathered wooden desk. "It's not five million, but this is still the most signatures we've ever got."

"It must be to do with the last season of Grimm Games," I said. "With Tommy Miller out of sight, many people are getting suspicious."

Jade shook her head, and despite her hair obscuring one eye, I connected with the worry that lingered in them. "I wouldn't sign up for that sick competition even if my life depended on it."

"Sounds like an oxymoron if you ask me." I watched her as she fingered her locks before turning my attention to my computer screen. In the search bar, I typed: Tommy Miller.

The results turned up the latest article with an opening line that read: "The winner of season fourteen of Grimm Games and a twenty-million-dollar jackpot, twenty-year-old college freshman Tommy Miller, is stirring up controversy within Arcanum Entertainment's popular franchise."

I skimmed the rest of the info while trying to stay present for Jade. "If we could somehow get a candid interview with Tommy about what happens behind the scenes in Grimm Games, the truth could change a lot of minds."

"We would never get near any of the winners." Jade picked a loose thread from my beat-up shirt. "I mean, all fourteen winners are long gone, out of the country. The best we'll get is the show catching up with them through those where-are-they-now type updates during this month's Games," she scoffed, prompting me to look up into her sorrowful gaze.

"Yeah. True." I nodded.

"But they're smart for getting far away from this place." When she came around the desk, her tightlipped smile cued me into her incoming affection. Her warm arms snaked around my narrow shoulders to cradle me from behind. "You should do the same, babes. Get the hell out of the country. Go visit your family up north."

Full lips brushed the sensitive slope of my neck, and I embraced the shudder of pleasure that trickled along my spine. "You know that's impossible." I gripped her hands in mine, keeping them pressed to my collarbone.

"You're a human rights activist. You can leverage your work to stay abroad within the limits of your visa. Arrange a special talk or connect with Canadian organizations, then use the remaining time to be with family."

"My job is here." I squeezed her hand, and she responded by tightening them around me. "You're here. I'm not leaving you for nothing. Besides, Millie refuses to stay out of trouble and I feel like I have to keep an eye on her."

"Big sister instincts." Jade sighed and unraveled her arms from around me.

I snapped my head to look back at her and gauge her reaction. "Big sister by a full minute," I clarified. "It counts."

"Is she still roaming the streets?"

"Last I heard, she was staying with a few friends in their apartment downtown, but I haven't seen her in weeks." Probably more like months, but I wasn't counting.

"I wish she would just stay off of those dangerous streets." She sighed like a middle-aged mother although half the age. "Why is she so defiant? I'm so glad I am an only child."

"Sometimes I wish I were too." I rubbed my temple, trying to massage away the memory of the betrayal from someone who looked like me but was the complete opposite, especially when it came to morals and values.

Hiding the pain my sister caused over the years was tough, especially when my love for her was strong. But her betrayal quickly pushed that love aside. It's a battle we've fought ever since we chose to live life individually on our own terms.

Jade separated our bodies and sauntered away, giving me a full view of her voluptuous curves in her slightly oversized jean jumpsuit. "Remember, we're all meeting at Arcanum's headquarters in about an hour. We're passing out signs to anyone who shows up."

"I wouldn't miss it." I winked when she glanced over her shoulder, ensuring she could count on me as she flashed a bashful smile before leaving the space.

I pulled up online clips from the final episode of the last Grimm Games, preparing myself with a deep inhale. When Tommy Miller stood in the center of an enormous maze made of tall concrete walls, exhausted and barely breathing, I searched his bloody and injured face for an indication that he wanted out.

It always puzzled me that although there was a confidential waiting list of eager contestants, once inside the games, no one ever wanted to quit.

My breaths quickened as the host stood before the studio audience in a dapper black suit and tie as he pointed to the massive screen everyone's eyes were glued to. "Now here we are, ladies and gents! Welcome back to the final showdown of Tommy the Freshman versus the Big Bad Wolf in season fourteen of Grimm Games."

The audience erupted in applause and cheers, abruptly silenced by a deep, ominous growl that echoed through the arena. Startled gasps filled the studio, sprinkled with nervous laughter.

I cringed, thinking of the contestants barely hanging onto life while onlookers, safe from the danger, laughed at their pain.

"Now, we've reached the stage where our viewers can join in the excitement," the host continued, his grin infectious. "Get online or use the number at the bottom of your screens to place your bets on the winner of season fourteen's final round of Grimm Games."

"Holy hell," I huffed, shaking my head as the intricate graphics and info appeared on the screen.

The host turned to the spectators. "The studio audience can place their bets via the electronic keypad provided. Remember, if the player you bet on wins, you have a chance to win your share of the accumulative pool as well. So, here we go."

Although I watched the clip many times, my eyes still bulged as I witnessed Tommy struggle to make his way through the maze and to victory.

If he managed to make it through the twisted maze but chose the wrong door, the Big Bad Wolf would tear him to pieces before our very eyes.

I had to look away when he swung the axe into the beast, creating a gruesome spray of red. The sight, mixed with the audience's cheers, sent shivers down my spine.

It said a lot that we rooted for a contestant even after his decisions in the competition ultimately lead to the death of his competitors, a few even by his own hands. Thus is the name of the game.

In a sick, twisted way, Arcanum Entertainment was responsible for creating society's heroes.

What did that reveal about the nature of our society?

As my fingers grazed the laptop to close it, another headline caught my attention: "Human Rights Advocate Joins Grimm Games, Fighting to Crush Competitors and Seize the Sinister Twenty-Million-Dollar Jackpot!"

I quickly scanned the list of contestants, stopping when I landed on my name: Kamila Wendall.

My breath caught in my throat, and I pushed the laptop away as my reflex responded to the sudden shock. The computer flew from my desk to crash to the floor with a violent clunk. I stood from my chair so fast it toppled over behind me.

Jade must've heard the clatter as she gasped from the other room. "Kam?" she called out, the panic apparent in her sweet tone.

The words barely escaped my trembling lips as she rounded the corner. "I'm a contestant in the Grimm Games."