_*]:min-w-0 !gap-3.5">The arm woke Maria up three hours early. It wasn't the normal wake-up sound—this one was sharper, meaner.

  "Attention all in Sectors A through F," the voice from the ceiling said. "Get ready for special check. Priority One."

  The whole room got noisy fast. People grabbed their work clothes with shaky hands. Maria sat up quick, knowing right away what the special arm meant.

  "Blood check," Thomas whispered from the next bed. His voice was scared. "Lord's coming."

  Something cold and heavy filled Maria's belly. In Blood Farm #17, when people said "lord's coming," it meant the big demon who owned everything was picking people for special use. Those taken almost never came back. Some went to the big house for feeding. Some went to the testing rooms. The lucky ones cleaned floors in the demon's house. The unlucky ones... nobody talked about them.

  Guards moved through the sleeping area, yelling orders. "All to washing now! Clean everything! Anyone with marks go to medical! Move!"

  Maria got in line for the washing area, her mind racing. The tingling in her fingers from st night hadn't gone away completely. She opened and closed her hands, hoping the feeling would stop. Being noticed during check-time was bad—being pin and quiet was safest.

  In the washing area, cold water came down from pipes above. The soap burned skin but took away human smell—demons liked their blood bags to have no smell except blood. Maria washed like she'd been taught since she was little.

  A young woman next to her was shaking so bad she could barely wash. Maria knew her—Sarah, who'd been told her blood was getting worse. A check-time now would be really bad for her.

  "They'll take me," Sarah whispered, her voice breaking. "My numbers are bad this month."

  "Breathe," Maria said quietly so guards wouldn't hear. "Remember what I told you. They can take your blood, but not what's inside."

  "I can't do this."

  "You can." Maria kept her voice steady even though she was scared too. "The light sees you. Count each breath like I showed you."

  Sarah's shaking got a little less as she started counting breaths like Maria had taught during prayer time. This made Maria feel a bit better in all the coldness of wash-time.

  After washing, they were pushed into the big blood room—a huge space with white walls and bright lights where they usually took blood. Today, instead of the normal blood chairs, they stood in rows by height and blood type. Maria was in the third row, marked as Type AB with "fast healing."

  "Stand in lines and don't move," the head guard shouted. "Keep eyes down. Don't talk unless we ask you something. Anyone who breaks rules goes to punishment room."

  Everyone in the room got quiet and scared. Everyone knew what "punishment room" meant. They would take so much blood you'd pass out, while making others watch to learn their lesson.

  Maria could feel the fear coming from everyone around her. In the row ahead, she saw some people from her prayer group—the ones who gathered in secret to say The Promise. They stood stiff and scared, like they'd forgotten all the words of hope they'd practiced.

  She caught Thomas's eye for a second as he stood in a far row. The little nod he gave meant something without words: Stay strong. Remember what we believe.

  Hours went by as they stood without moving. Guards walked up and down the rows, hitting anyone whose back wasn't straight with their shock sticks. One young man fainted from fear and was dragged away fast. Nobody dared to look where they took him.

  Maria's legs got numb, but she didn't dare move. Instead, she thought about the words of The Promise, saying them in her head, letting the familiar words calm her scared heart:

  When we've suffered enough, When our blood has paid the price...

  The big doors at the end of the room finally opened. The room seemed to get colder as people came in. Maria kept her eyes down like she was supposed to, but she could see a bit from the corner of her eye—fancy bck clothes, pale skin, people who moved like they owned everything and everyone.

  The farm boss's voice shook a little as he talked to the visitors. "Lord Constantine, we're honored you came to check. Everyone's ready like you asked."

  "Hmm." The demon lord's voice was soft, almost nice—which somehow made it scarier. "The blood reports have been off these st months. I want to know why there's less good blood from Sector C."

  "Of course, my lord. We've made new rules to fix that. If you'll look at these numbers..."

  The voices moved slowly through the room as the demons walked past the rows, sometimes stopping to look closer at someone. Maria breathed steady, kept her eyes on the floor, tried to seem invisible.

  The footsteps came to her row. Then stopped right in front of her.

  "This one." The lord's voice sounded like he was picking a piece of fruit. "Blood type?"

  "AB positive, my lord," the boss said quick. "Heals very fast. Good for ninety-three percent extraction."

  "Interesting. Look up."

  Maria realized with horror that he was talking to her. Slowly, she raised her eyes, trying to keep her face empty despite the fear running through her. For the first time, she saw the lord of Blood Farm #17 right in front of her.

  He looked young—maybe thirty—with a fancy face and dark hair pushed back from his pale forehead. His eyes were a weird yellow-brown that reminded Maria of her own eyes during her monthly curse. He wore what she guessed was demon fancy clothes—yers of bck with bits of red that looked like fresh blood.

  "This one," the lord said, pointing directly at Maria as if he'd been looking for her specifically. "How has she developed?"

  Maria's heart pounded hard. The lord knew her? How? She kept her eyes down, afraid to look up.

  "AB positive, my lord," the boss said quickly. "Heals very fast. Good for ninety-three percent extraction. One of our best producers."

  "Look at me," the lord ordered.

  Slowly, Maria raised her eyes, trying to keep her face empty despite the fear running through her. The lord of Blood Farm #17 studied her with cold interest.

  "She's reached full maturity," he said, seeming pleased. "Eighteen years now, correct? The timing is perfect."

  "Yes, my lord," the boss said, sounding confused. "Has she been of special interest to you?"

  The lord smiled slightly. "I've been waiting for this one to reach proper age. Her parents were quite exceptional specimens in my collection before I got bored of them and sent them to Baron Cassian's territory." He leaned closer, sniffing a little. "The bloodline has developed nicely."

  Maria felt the tingling in her fingers get stronger as he watched her. No, not now. The moon was still two weeks away. The curse couldn't happen here, not with so many watching.

  "She's never shown any... unusual traits?" the lord asked, his eyes fixed on Maria.

  The boss hesitated. "She heals faster than most. Otherwise, she's been a model resource."

  "How interesting. She's hidden it well." Lord Constantine's smile widened slightly. "It's time she joined my personal collection, as pnned. I'll take her back to the estate today, along with those two as well." He pointed at two other people standing nearby.

  "Of course, my lord. Should I get them ready to move right away?"

  "Yes. I'll get them myself after finishing the check."

  The demons moved on, still looking at other people in rows. Maria stood frozen, the words stuck in her head. I'll take this one. She'd been picked. She would leave Blood Farm #17, maybe never coming back.

  As they were marched out of the big room toward the getting-ready area, Maria passed close to some people from her prayer group. She could see the fear and sadness in their eyes—not just for themselves, but for her. Their prayer leader was being taken away.

  "I'll come back," she whispered, hoping they'd pass her words along. "Keep saying The Promise. Keep your souls clean."

  It was all she could give them—not a goodbye, but a small hope. Maria had no idea if she'd ever see them again, but she couldn't leave them with nothing to hold onto.

  In the getting-ready area, they got new gray clothes, a bit better than their old ones. Their arm marks were scanned many times and guards put more information in their little light-screens. Nobody would tell them what was happening or where they were going.

  Sarah came to Maria while they waited, her face white with fear for her friend. "What do we do without you?" she whispered when the guards weren't looking.

  "Remember what I taught you," Maria answered softly. "The light sees everything. The pain has meaning. One day it ends."

  "But you're the one who knows the words."

  "The words are in you too now. Keep saying them. Teach others."

  A guard saw them whispering and came toward them with a mean look. Sarah quickly moved away, leaving Maria alone with her thoughts.

  As Maria was led toward the moving-away area, she saw one st look at the sleeping pce where she'd lived her whole life. For all its badness, it was the only home she knew. The people inside were the only ones she cared about.

  She closed her eyes for a second, saying a quiet prayer.

  Light that watches us, help me stay strong. If this is a test, I'm ready. If this is pain I need, I'll take it. But please, don't let me forget who I am.

  The getting-ready room door closed behind her with a heavy sound. Whatever waited next—whatever the demon lord wanted with her—Maria would face it with the light inside her. It was all she ever had, and all she could take with her now.