Under My Skin by Shawntelle Madison

someone had attached to the back of my neck were all pieces of a puzzle that suddenly came together into a dreadful picture.
    Don’t let them use the Vorhees Unit on you! Claire’s warning echoed through my head. It was too late. Far too late. Who’d do such a thing to people?
    My trembling fingers searched every contour of my face. Touched my lips. Pressed into my dry cheeks. Nothing had changed. Yet my life had taken an unexpected turn.
    I’d been bought and sold and now I knew the horrific truth: General Dagon wasn’t dead.
    He lived inside of me.

CHAPTER TWELVE

    “He can’t be inside of me…” I whispered. “He can’t.”
    “Took you long enough to figure it out, girl ,” the General said.
    If I could’ve hit him, I would’ve been tempted to do it.
    My existence now belonged to someone else. The very idea that an old man lived in my head made me want to wash every inch of my skin. I wanted to do something, anything to take away the feeling of violation.
    As I continued to recover in bed, a hundred regrets and should haves hit me. I should have told Zoe what Claire said to me. I should have grabbed Zoe and run away. I should have done something to stop this from happening to me, to all of us.
    General Dagon’s voice interrupted my thoughts. “ I made the perfect choice.”
    Rebecca sat in her seat as usual. Captain Belfry took a new spot. Right next to the door. This time I didn’t care if they heard me. I’d have to speak out loud for the General to hear me.
    “I can’t believe you did this to me,” I said. “It’ll take some time for me to ignore you, but, sooner or later, I will.”
    Rebecca’s head whipped up.
    “You’re not the first person to try this.” He chuckled. “ Although, I will admit my fourth host did put up quite a fight. I dissolved his mind until he was a quivering puddle of brain goo, perfect for me to rebuild as my own.”
    Rebecca opened her mouth to speak, but paused when I tilted my head to glare at her. When the anger subsided, I only had bitter words for everyone in the room. “You’re all a bunch of liars.”
    “Welcome to the real world. It’s a cold place, and nothing’s promised to anyone.”
    “Bite me,” I replied.
    “Your impudence is nothing new to me. But you need to get used to reality. I am here now and soon you will be me.”
    “If you’re trying to frighten me, you’re doing a fabulous job.”
    “Why should I lie to you? You’ve been through the ceremony. You saw the auction. The Guild has done this for centuries for the good of the people.” He spoke as if I should be proud of the gift I’d given him. As he spoke, I imagined the teen boy whose brain he dissolved into goo. Did he have to listen to the General yip-yap like this all the time?
    My parents had lectured Danny and I like this before. It wasn’t as if I didn’t know how to tune people out, but it was rather hard now. He spoke in my ears, and, with the pain in my back, I couldn’t focus for too long.
    “Have you ever wondered how the Guild have managed to maintain peace in Myria for so long? It’s because our leadership is wise and that wisdom comes from living beyond what the human body can sustain.”
    My eyes narrowed to slits.
    “Your family lives freely because of people like me who defend our island from invaders, he bit out. You’d be a fool not to realize what freedoms you take for granted. What sacrifices I’ve made for Myria.”
    What nerve. “Do you really think I’d find the sacrifice of my life as a good enough excuse?”
    For the next half hour, he continued to rant. When someone knocked on the door, Rebecca left her seat to answer it.
    Des came in, with another woman, pushing a cart of food.
    “Good, I needed someone to relieve me for a while.” Rebecca sighed and leaned in to whisper to Des, “She knows.”
    These people were unbelievable. Why bother whispering anymore?
    Des tentatively approached the bed as Rebecca left. When I didn’t acknowledge