THE MOONLIGHT DWINDLED as Aubrey led Sophie further into the depths of the castle. The sound of her wedges clicking against the stone was the only sound that passed between them. Sophie kept her arms folded across her chest. Her lips were pressed into a firm line.

Her heart still pounded away inside her chest like it was on steroids.

"Here," Aubrey said. She stopped in front of a massive wooden door, with a fearsome dragon engraved on it. Sophie's neck craned back. She stared at the dragon's gnarly fangs, terrified.

Aubrey shoved through the door, and stepped inside. She folded her arms across her chest. "This is where you'll stay during the games."

Sophie took a timid step inside. Her gaze flicked around the room, taking in her extravagant surroundings. It was like the girl's dormitory, only condensed. High ceilings stretched far above their heads, covered in gentle engravings. The images were slight and hard to discern. A series of pastel couches were clustered together in one corner, surrounding a flat-screen that was as big as the wall behind it.

A kitchen-like area comprised of the rest of the room, with white marble counters and stainless steel appliances. In the center stood small white-wooden table with a pastel green vase on top, filled with a bouquet of bright pink flowers.

Through an intricately carved archway, the rest of the room opened into a bedroom. Four comfortably sized beds spread out across the room, each covered in a mass of pillows and blankets. A door opened beside each bed, into a full bathroom and walk-in closet.

Sophie grimaced. "It's nice."

"The other female Day-Class contestant should arrive soon," Aubrey said.

"What about the other two girls?" Sophie glanced at her from over her shoulder.

Aubrey stood by the door, her arms folded across her chest. A guarded expression remained on her face. "Did you not learn anything from our little chat in the hallway?"

Sophie gulped.

"The Night Class are vampires," Aubrey continued. Her eyes glistened with ice. "We feed on pathetic humans like you, sometimes without meaning to. The Night Class and Day Class aren't supposed to mingle."

A realization slammed against Sophie, hard.

"I understand now," she murmured. Her fingers pressed against her mouth with thought. "You're not mad at me because of Wolfe. You're mad because you think that I have something with Wolfe, when your brother is interested in me."

Aubrey changed then.

The temperature of the room dropped ice cold, colder than Sophie had ever felt before. Her wedges clicked ominously against the floor as she stalked closer, the sound echoing in the massive room. Aubrey's fingers stretched wide and angled sharp, her manicured nails like claws. Her lips pulled back over her fangs, and her gaze turned lethal. "What did you say?"

Sophie shivered. Aubrey managed to tower over her, even though Sophie remained standing this time. "I said that you are upset that Eli likes me."

"No," Aubrey growled low, menacingly. She jabbed a clawed finger at Sophie's chest. "I don't give a rat's ass about who Eli wants to mess around with. He can do what he wants. I do care about you trying to steal my boyfriend."

"Are you sure?" Sophie gulped. Her resolution had faded. Maybe her intuition had been wrong; Aubrey seemed pretty mad about Mr. Wolfe.

Aubrey opened her mouth to answer, but another voice interrupted. "I would really appreciate it if you didn't try to eat my future mate."

Sophie and Aubrey whipped around, eyes wide. Aubrey recovered first. The most godawful sound escaped her lips; the snarl of a very angry beast. Her hand raked out, claws glinting in the fluorescent lighting.

Eli bolted forward, and appeared in front of Sophie in a blur. His hand caught Aubrey's, preventing her nails from slicing Sophie in half. He hissed at her. "Get a grip!"

Aubrey's eyes blazed. She wrenched her hand free from Eli's grasp and stalked toward the door. "You're not supposed to be in here," she snapped just before the door slammed shut behind her.

Sophie blinked. The shock that coursed through her body burned. Eli turned toward her, his smile apologetic. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah," she breathed.

"I thought so," he said, and his smile grew. His hand reached out and clasped around her wrist. He gently tugged her toward the kitchen area, and eased her down into one of the chairs. Then he walked toward the fridge and started to pilfer through the food. "Are you in the mood for pasta?"

Sophie rested against the back of her chair, her eyes glued to Eli. "I'm always in the mood for food," she murmured. The scene played repeatedly in her mind; Eli's blurred movements, the animalistic twinge to his tone.

It kind of terrified her.

Eli nodded. He made quick work of the pasta, and within ten minutes sat across from Sophie, nibbling on his fork. Sophie stared at the pasta, hollow.

"You don't have to eat that, you know," she said.

"But I like it," he answered. Then he scooped up a bunch of noodles and shoved it into his mouth. He chewed and then swallowed.

Her eyebrows crinkled. "But don't you drink blood?"

Eli shrugged. "Every now and then, yeah. A vampire needs human blood in order to sustain life. But that doesn't mean that we drink it every meal." He frowned, and looked wounded. "I happen to like human food."

"I didn't mean to offend you," Sophie said. She frowned and leaned forward, taking her first bite of the pasta. It was smothered in home-made marinara sauce and parmesan cheese, and it was very good.

Eli watched her shovel several bites into her mouth, his lips twitching around a smile. "You weren't supposed to find out so soon," he admitted. "I'm just glad you haven't thrown anything at me yet. Or kicked me out. Most humans do."

"I'm not like most humans," Sophie observed. Then she sighed and took a sip of her water. "Didn't Aubrey say that you weren't supposed to be in here?"

The amusement grew within his eyes. He nodded and pushed what remained of his pasta around with his fork. "Once the games start, we're not supposed to interact with the contestants. We're not supposed to pick favorites."

"Ooo," Sophie sang half-heartedly, "You're breaking the rules."

Eli grinned. "You're worth it."

Sophie flushed bright red. The shock had faded from her system, and she'd started to relax. It surprised her that Sophie was able to relax in front of him, considering Eli was a vampire. She took another bite of pasta and shook her head. "Will you get in trouble?"

"Nah," Eli hummed. "The Headmaster would never risk upsetting me."

"What do you mean?" she asked, confused.

Eli finished his pasta and stood. "I've really said too much already," he mused. His eyes remained glued to hers, amused. "You have a big day tomorrow."

Sophie grimaced.

He gestured toward her plate, and Sophie passed it to him. The rest of her appetite had flown south for the winter. He cleaned the kitchen and then walked toward Sophie.

She watched him approach, wary. He leaned down and pressed his lips to her forehead. "Get some rest. I'll see you tomorrow."

"I require at least a fancy steak-dinner before I let anybody kiss me." Sophie's cheeks burned.

Eli grinned. "Dully noted. I'll make steak next time."

She rolled her eyes.

He chuckled, low and warm, and walked toward the door. He paused and glanced back at her. His eyes smoldered. "I just wanted you to know that I won't force you into anything," he said. "When you win, I mean. If you don't want to be mated to me, I'll suck it up."

Sophie grimaced. "I have to win first." Then she softened and glanced down at the table. "Thanks for dinner. I'll keep that in mind."

The door clicked shut behind him. Sophie sighed and looked around. A heavy wariness settled over her. She stood and grabbed her bag. It had dropped to the ground when Aubrey had lashed out at Sophie. She stalked toward the bedroom area and disappeared into the nearest bathroom. The bag plopped against the counter and she pulled it open.

She wiggled into a pair of black leggings and an oversized t-shirt. Then she grabbed Naruto and walked back into the main bedroom.

Another girl had entered by then. She stood by a bed farther toward the back, her duffle-bag resting on the edge of the bed.

"Hello," Sophie greeted. She placed Naruto down on her bed and started to yank at the covers.

The girl turned. Her hair was colored a dark, raven's wing black. Hints of indigo and lilac shimmered within the strands beneath the fluorescent lights. Her eyes grew hard when she spied Sophie. "Oh," she said. "I forgot you'd won too. I guess I shouldn't have been surprised."

Sophie frowned.

"Don't bother talking to me," the girl continued. She snottily turned her back to Sophie and then disappeared into the bathroom.

Sophie flinched when the door slammed shut.

Her heart sunk heavily inside her chest. So much for getting along with her new roommate, she thought grimly. Sophie stalked back into the main area and flipped out the lights. Then she returned to her bed and crawled inside. The only light emanated from the crack beneath other girl's bathroom door.

The next morning hit hard, and Sophie wasn't ready. Despite the absence of her alarm clock, Sophie managed to keep her six o'clock routine alive. She climbed free from the warmth of her covers and sleepily made her bed.

Her gaze scanned over the beds. The other girl lay clustered within a cocoon of blankets in the farthest one, her face hidden behind a mass of dark hair.

Sophie shook her head and disappeared into her bathroom to shower. When she emerged, the girl had woken up. She sat in her bed, looking rumpled and confused.

"You're even uglier in the daylight," she remarked as Sophie stepped out of her bathroom.

"At least I don't wake up like that," Sophie quipped. The heavy wariness from the night before still plagued her, and she was in no mood to deal with this girl's crap.

As she stepped into the kitchen, the girl followed. "I don't understand why Eli even looks at you."

Sophie grunted. "Join the party."

"I mean, you're not even pretty!" The girl sounded genuinely flabbergasted. She yanked a chair away from the table and plopped down in it.

Sophie tried to ignore her. She opened the fridge and rummaged through its contents. It was filled with a various amount of foods, ranging from instant meals to actual ingredients. She pulled out a banana and a pack of cold pop-tarts.

The girl continued to rant. "I can't believe that you actually made it this far. Like, you didn't even try! It's ridiculous. Plenty of gorgeous girls actually campaigned and worked to get nominated, and all you had to do was bat your eyes."

Sophie nibbled on her breakfast.

"That's it!" The girl suddenly bolted to her feet. She rushed toward Sophie and jabbed a finger into her face. "You must be doing Eli. That's the only way that you could have made it this far."

"Or not," Sophie snapped.

The girl stepped back and folded her arms across her chest. Her gaze blazed. "I want you to stay away from my Eli. I actually worked my butt off to get here, and I'm not going to give in to the likes of you."

"Whatever," Sophie muttered. She finished her breakfast and then moved away. This time, the girl didn't follow.

Ten minutes later, the door opened to reveal a fresh-faced Aubrey, looking as pleasant as ever. Sophie eyed her warily as she stepped inside. Aubrey looked around, smiling kindly. "Are you both ready?"

The other girl nodded hastily. She'd slathered a thick layer of makeup over her face and over-lined her lips during the limited time that she didn't spend berating Sophie. Her dark hair fell down around her shoulders in soft waves, and almost blended in with her dark tank-top.

Sophie stood. The outfit that she sported was similar to the one that she'd worn last night, only these leggings ended around her knees. Her hair had been pulled back into a ponytail that brushed her shoulders.

Aubrey led them into the hallway, and down a little ways. The stone hallway opened into a vivid green courtyard. Sophie's eyes widened; she didn't know that something like this was even possible in the depths of the castle.

"Whoa," the girl beside her gasped.

Sophie glanced over the field again. It was filled with varied structures; a massive rock wall, a track with spinning logs, and a rope that stretched high above a dark pit. It looked like something Sophie expected from an old military movie.

"What's this?" she wondered aloud.

"The first challenge, duh," the girl snapped beside her. She stalked after Aubrey, trying to engage her 'future sister-in-law' in a compelling conversation about fashion.

Sophie followed reluctantly.

They approached a massive wooden stage-like structure, where six others stood; two female and four male. As Sophie neared, she realized that only two of the males seemed as nervous as she felt. One had dark skin and a shaved head. The other had a shock of bright curly red hair. His fingers twitched nervously at his sides.

The other four seemed to eye their surroundings stoically. Sophie stepped up beside them and looked around. It took all she had not to grimace at the sight of the camera lenses that flew around her face like flies.

Her gaze swept over the field. A stark white line had been painted in front of them. Sophie sighed. So the first game would test physical strength...

It makes me happy to think that this chapter marked the point when Obscure (originally called The Mating Game or TMG) was at 40k reads! As of now, roughly three years later, we are at 5.6 million! Thank you so much for taking the time to read this story! ♡