30 Minutes Earlier
Nina sat in front of the mirror, a brush in her hand as she combed through her hair.
She'd been at it for the last hour, her palms dripping with sweat.
Finally, she set the brush down and picked up the lip stain. Her fingers trembled as she opened the small box and dabbed her finger into it, pressing it slowly against her lip. She pressed her lips together as she stared at her own reflection.
Her shoulders were trembling.
Her hands were shaking.
She swallowed hard as she pressed her hands together in her lap and held them there.
Her face was pale. No matter how many times she'd tried to even her breathing out it stayed pale.
The guards were stationed around the room, four of them, their eyes moving across every corner and shadow and back again without stopping.
Nobody spoke.
Nobody had said anything in the last hour. The room was so quiet, the low tick of the clock on the wall was very loud in her ears.
She glanced at it.
It was almost midnight.
