Hollow Hearts (The Harkwright Trilogy)

It’s a woman’s voice this time and I step back into my dress and I don’t know why, but something possesses me to do it slowly and my eyes meet the glass as I do up the corset and then walk towards the door.

The Mountain is standing on the other side of the door and I can’t look at him, I feel... raw. A guy I don’t know just outlined my body with a goddamn flower and spoke dirty to me and I liked it. That scares me more than this whole situation, because I’m not that kind of girl. Cole is the only guy I’ve ever truly been attracted to and I wouldn’t dream of letting him do something like that to me. Although this isn’t about me, it’s for Poppy and my mom. Besides, would it really be so bad to enjoy it just a little? They’ll get my body, use me and throw me away. Why can’t I do the same to them in return?

The Mountain says nothing as he leads me to yet another door and types in a code, I roll my shoulders back and straighten them before stepping inside and I find myself on a stage with the rest of the candidates. There's a row of chairs lining the ground below and a viewing platform up above, I can’t make out the features but there are definitely people up there and I have a feeling it's the Harkwright guys.

A woman steps up onto the stage with a microphone and a slip of A4 paper in her hand. She looks at it before us and she goes through row after row. The stage can show twenty girls at once and I’m luckily in the back row. Ten of those girls get through the other ten are escorted out, I can see tears, anger and even relief. I wonder what will be on my face when I get escorted from this place.

She keeps going through the names until there’s only our row left and five spots remaining. She’s already got rid of five of them, just fifteen left to go.

“Maria Cross, we have considered your circumstances, but we have decided that you will not be selected. Only one spot remains for a virgin and you’re barely one.”

“This is bullshit, your boy told me if I opened my mouth for him then I would get in,” she shouts out as two guys even bigger than the mountain appear beside her.

“You should have been better at sucking cock then,” is shouted out from the viewing platform and the amount of laughs he gets is disgusting.

She’s led away and I can see a lot of nervous faces, I’m guessing this deal was made to a lot of girls here. They still need to assign the girls who will become known as two and four. As well as number Fifty and a few in betwe

en. I didn’t suck anyone off so I’m guessing that means I'm out.

“Marcia Cross, unlike your twin you have proven yourself to be a worthy candidate, therefore you will be granted the position of number two. Congratulations,” her smile is ridiculous as she looks up at the guys and gives them a wink.

They give two more girls their spots, number fifty and thirty-eight meaning only one remains. Everyone is shuffling on the spot, hoping it’s theirs but most look resigned to be shown the door.

“Luna Carter, zero.”

Zero, that can’t be good. I’ve failed before I even had a chance to start, I’m sorry Poppy. It doesn’t make sense though, they led the others out when they failed so why am I still standing here?

They announce four more girls as a zero before they give the fourth spot to a girl named Katia Roberts, she’s a hair flicker for sure.

Everyone is led off the stage and to their future apart from the five of us, and clearly no one else in my little group knows what a zero means either.

Someone walks down from the viewing platform and up the steps until he is standing on the stage, my chest seizes as a shock of recognition passes through me, but I fight to remain composed. He looks us over before coming to a stand still with a huge smirk on his face.

“Harkwright Academy isn’t for the faint hearted and some just can’t… lets say cope with the responsibilities, while other just prove to be unworthy of the position. The weak usually show themselves within the first month,” his gaze locks on me and I know he’s already placing me in the weak category. His voice isn’t familiar and I don’t think he was one of the men questioning me in that room. Although I recognize him. “Therefore we have a contingency in place and this is where the zeros come in. You will be a reserve, you will have a room to share between the five of you. Only true numbers get their own room and if you prove yourselves and one of the others falter, then you could rise in the ranks. To be honest, the girls don’t even have to be stupid bitches who can’t cope, you just have to be better. Good luck ladies, you have one month to prove to us we made a mistake in not selecting you.”

He starts to walk away before coming close to me, his eyes drilling into mine. I want to look away but I don’t dare show him any weakness.

“Good luck Snow, let's see if your company is better within our walls than you were on the train. Although if I come to you, it won’t be for a conversation,” he runs his fingers across my jaw before swaggering off and the moment I’m taken back to my room I sink into my chair and finally stop fighting my tears.

I’m in, despite everything and I have no fucking clue what I’m going to do. Despite my bravado earlier, I don’t think I can own what I will do and use them in the same way. I’m screwed.

6

First Day Jitters

We’re taken in our own car with blacked-out windows so we can’t even see the academy until we arrive outside. I thought being zeros together may have given us something to talk about, a group to lean on but it isn’t happening. I can see it in the way they look at each other and me. They’re all working out the strong from the weak, who they need to watch and who will be easy to crush beneath their kitten heels.

The Mountain is in here with us but he isn’t talking this time, occasionally his eyes will pass over the length of me and I keep having to make sure the skirt of my dress hasn't ridden up too far. He doesn’t need to see what’s hiding beneath it, I’ve already had fifteen guys do that today.

It isn’t going to take us long to get there, it’s a ten-minute walk at least but we’re not allowed to be seen by the public. We are only for the Harkwrights and their staff now.

“I’m scared,” someone squeaks out, Caitlyn I think and every set of eyes turns to look at her, except from the Mountain.

“No one cares, get that into your head. No one will care about how you are feeling as long as you are in the Academy, keep your feelings to yourself,” says one of the other girls, Carly who clearly has an attitude problem.

I think Caitlyn looks like the type of girl who will cry when she’s on her own, I feel for her but I can’t help her. I don’t even know if I can help myself.

“We’re here,” says the Mountain as he opens the door and steps out and then one by one, so do we. I swallow hard as I look up at my new home. From this point, I can’t even see the gate we drove through, past the luscious grounds with beautiful flowers, topiaries and I think there’s even a maze off to one side. The only proof we even drove up here is the gravel path that winds around the stunning views that are filling my eyes.