LADY ANNA'S HALL
They were summoned before nightfall.
That alone was enough to steal the breath from Curly's lungs.
Lady Anna stood at the center of the hall, dressed in dark red, her presence sharp and suffocating. Storm stood to her right. Danger to her left.
The contrast between them was striking — Storm calm and controlled, Danger tense, jaw tight.
"You were attacked," Lady Anna said, her voice deceptively soft.
No one answered.
"Outside my territory," she continued. "By LOS EMPIRE."
Her gaze moved slowly across the girls, finally settling on Curly.
"You," she said. "Step forward."
Curly's heart nearly stopped.
Micka squeezed her hand briefly before letting go.
Curly stepped forward, head bowed.
"Look at me," Lady Anna commanded.
Curly obeyed.
Lady Anna studied her face closely — too closely.
"Were you harmed?" she asked.
"No, my lady."
A pause.
"Unfortunate," Lady Anna said calmly.
Danger stiffened.
Storm's eyes flickered toward his mother, warning silent but clear.
Lady Anna turned sharply. "Storm, your security failed."
"Yes, my lady," he replied evenly.
She faced Danger next. "And you."
Danger lifted his head. "I acted to protect the asset."
"The asset," Lady Anna repeated coldly. "You disobeyed orders."
"I prevented casualties."
She stepped closer to him. "You don't get to decide what is worth saving."
The hall fell deathly silent.
"Leave us," Lady Anna said to the girls.
Curly didn't hesitate.
---
SLAVE HOUSE — LATE NIGHT
Angela cried quietly into her pillow.
"I don't want to die here," she whispered.
Micka sat beside her, rubbing her back. "We won't. We're stronger than this place."
Sony remained seated on her bed, staring at the wall.
Curly watched her for a long moment before speaking.
"You weren't scared," Curly said softly.
Sony finally turned.
"Fear clouds judgment," she replied.
"That doesn't mean you don't feel it."
Sony studied Curly carefully. "You're observant."
"I survive by noticing things."
A pause.
Sony sighed faintly. "LOS EMPIRE doesn't attack randomly."
Curly's breath caught. "You know this."
"I know patterns," Sony corrected. "And today wasn't about territory."
"Then what was it about?"
Sony looked away. "Sometimes silence is safer than truth."
---
DANGER — ALONE
Danger stood in the medical wing, blood cleaned from his arm but anger still burning in his chest.
He heard footsteps.
Storm stopped beside him.
"She wanted you punished," Storm said quietly.
Danger scoffed. "She always does."
"I stopped her," Storm added. "This time."
Danger looked at him sharply. "Why?"
Storm hesitated. "Because LOS EMPIRE crossed a line."
"That's not the reason," Danger replied.
Storm met his gaze. "Then you already know the answer."
---
LADY ANNA — PRIVATE CHAMBER
Lady Anna poured herself a glass of wine, her hands steady.
"They found her," she murmured to herself.
She lifted the glass, eyes cold and distant.
"No," she corrected softly. "They noticed her."
She took a slow sip.
"And that," she said calmly, "changes everything."
---
SLAVE HOUSE
Curly lay awake long after the lights dimmed.
The walls felt closer.
The air heavier.
Somewhere beyond her door, decisions were being made — decisions that involved her whether she liked it or not.
She hugged her knees to her chest.
For the first time since arriving at WAN EMPIRE, Curly understood something clearly:
Survival was no longer enough.