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Yulia let out a deep sigh as she sat upon her red leather chair, wearing nothing but a deep-red silk robe that exposed her cleavage. Despite hiding away in her quarters as usual, she had dismissed the servant she had nearby, not wishing to have company of any kind. If needed, she could call someone in at any time.

She watched the video feed of Verdant Farm on multiple screens, a dull look in her eyes. 'This is supposed to be my show,' she lamented, twisting her luscious dark hair around her finger. The contestants would still live in separate housing if she had her way. They would have already completed the second Mollusk Match game and would be getting ready for a third.

When she learned Lucius would be sponsoring Mollusk Match, she knew it was only a matter of time before he derailed her plans. "How can you have any fun when you don't give them a fighting chance?" She spat under her breath. To make things worse, she was aware that Luciius met with Callum, though there was no way of knowing what was discussed behind closed doors. She doubted Callum was the type to enjoy a leisurely evening with someone like Lucius.

She focused on a monitor showing an overhead view of the pastures where Grace and Arina talked. Her gaze fixed upon Grace, her lips curling into a scowl. 'I won't let Grace be your prey, you fucking bastard.' She grabbed a bottle of wine from the end table and quickly popped the cork off. Grace was hers to watch over and judge, no one else's.

She briefly recalled a conversation with Margaret many years ago. She couldn't forget the pleading look in her eyes. 'I won't simply do as you asked either.' Regardless of shared history, Yulia only wished to play by her own rules. Without another thought, she took a massive swig of wine. The gears in her head turned, directing her toward plans for the future. She was done brooding and refused to back down.

Grace had enough on her mind without Uma appearing at such a tumultuous time. Upon looking at Uma's face, she noticed her eyes had changed from a deep brown to a marginally lighter yellow-brown. "How can we help you?" She cautiously asked before glancing toward Erina to see defensive body language and a strained expression.

"Relax! I'm not here to stir the pot," she insisted, grinning wide as she nonchalantly placed her hands behind her head.

"Then answer her question. What are you here for?" Arina asked with a hint of coldness.

Grace raised an eyebrow in mild shock but kept her mouth shut. She wasn't used to Arina exhibiting such iciness.

"I just wanted to see how Grace is doing," Uma insisted. "Mind if I borrow your girlfriend for a few minutes?" She asked while turning toward Arina.

Grace saw Arina's bewildered and saddened expression and quickly reached over, grabbing her dear friend's hand while meeting Uma's gaze. Her every instinct screamed to step in and protect Arina's feelings whenever possible. "I thought you weren't here to stir any pots," she sighed in frustration." That girlfriend's comment left a confusing pit in her stomach. What were these emotions supposed to mean? "Whatever it is, you can say it with Arina here." As soon as she said those words, panic set in. Something was wrong, but she couldn't put her finger on it.

Uma laughed and crossed her arms. "Okay, fine. I was curious to see if you worked out the rules for the ongoing Mollusk Match game. You remember what we discussed in private, right?"

Arina froze, remembering her interactions with Uma in the theater room. That doubt that had been instilled within her. "Grace. What is she talking about? What did the two of you discuss?" 

Grace froze and closed her eyes tightly. 'Shit. Am I stupid?' She had been keeping the truth hidden. As far as Arina knew, Grace had fully worked out the second game of Mollusk Match on her own. Grace had been so focused on the chaos around her and protecting Arina's feelings that she walked herself right into a corner. Didn't Uma want to keep everything hidden from Arina, though? Why would she deliberately force them into a situation like this? It would have made much more sense to find her when they were alone.

Uma sighed. "Well, I was originally interested in helping Grace alone. But, if she's going to be stubborn, then there's no avoiding it."

Grace wasn't sure if she or Uma was the stupid one, but it didn't matter now. "Uma clued me in on the fact the second game would begin with the arrival of the farmer. I was supposed to keep it a secret and wasn't made aware of the actual game rules. I had to figure everything out on my own." Maybe if she cut to the point, Arina would take it well.

"If it's for Grace, then I guess it's fine for me to scheme with both of you," Uma plainly stated before smiling wide.  

"What do you mean by that? Why is Grace special to you?" Arina demanded, her eyes narrowing.

Grace shivered upon feeling Arina tightly clutching her arm. It was hard to believe Arina had been so aloof the last few days. "Honestly, I'd like to know that as well."

Uma hesitated and touched her cheek as she considered their words. "That's a good question, huh? Is it possible to care so deeply about someone you barely know?"

Arina winced. "I-- I think it is. But that still doesn't answer the question."

"It seems both of you have a grasp on what needs to be done. In that case, I'll just talk to both of you later. The thing I wanted to discuss can wait until another time," Uma shrugged.

Grace frowned, feeling frustrated. "If it could wait until later, then why go through all of--" she struggled to find the right word. "This."

"Oh! To be honest, I'm a bit of a dummy," she innocently stated. "I'm the kind of girl who tries to get by on charisma and cuteness, you see."

Grace couldn't help but feel bewildered. "I just-- okay. We'll talk later," she replied in bewilderment.

After Uma left, Grace clenched her fists. 'I hope Arina isn't pissed…' She turned to her friend and weakly smiled. "She's-- a handful, I suppose. I guess we should probably talk," she suggested, knowing she had to confront her problems head-on.

Arina closed her eyes and breathed deeply before exhaling from her nostrils. She then looked toward Grace. "I'm not going to be rash. Just tell me what's going on, okay?"

Grace looked away from Arina, gripping her wrist as she contemplated her next words. It was truly setting in just how little she knew about Arina. Considering how close they had become, she was sure feeling left out and disregarded wasn't fun. "Of course."

She detailed how Uma found her in the bathroom and when they spoke out near the stable. Furthermore, she elaborated on how she had promised to keep everything a secret, making everything significantly more confusing when Uma behaved erratically. 

Arina took Grace's every word, a calm expression on her face. A small voice in her head urged her toward atypical, aggressive actions. 'I shouldn't let anyone take Grace from me. I should keep a closer eye on h-- no, no… Calm down.' A primal urge welled within when she saw Grace's soft, feminine form and smelled her scent. "From what you explained, it sounds like you tried your best to respect Uma's privacy while ensuring I can pass the second game. Is that about right?"

Grace hadn't expected such a reasonable response, but why? Arina had brooded for a day or two, but it wasn't like she had explicitly given Grace a reason to suspect Arina would behave irrationally. 'Am I insecure?' She mused, deciding to ruminate later. "You nailed it, yeah. Uma could be a huge help-- for both of us. I just wanted to get us through to the next game without making any more enemies."  

Arina nodded, a slight smile appearing on her face. "I understand. Let's work together and not keep any secrets whenever possible, okay?" She gently placed a hand on Grace's shoulder.

Grace felt an overwhelming sense of relief as if a great weight was lifted from her shoulders. "Of course; I wouldn't have it any other way." Despite her giddiness toward reaching a resolution with Arina, it was impossible to shake the looming dread brewing within her psyche. Beyond the usual concerns of Mollusk Match, she still couldn't shake the feeling that Arina was changing in a way that transcends the physical.

The next few days were a whirlwind. The contestants were all forced to contend with the fact that their transformations could progress on a dime and without warning. Grace and Arina met with Phoebe once more and clued her in on the assumed rules of the current game, and before long, the four girls marched out to tend the fields.

Ella had been terrified to go outside and expose her current condition, but the other three offered reassurance and assisted her in getting out to the field. All the while, Grace managed to repress that ball of fear that threatened to unravel whenever she came face to face with Ella.

After working through one of the farmer's break periods, their suspicions were partially confirmed when he returned and continued working from where the girls left off without reprimanding the girls who waited nearby.

As expected, it took only a short time for the other girls to catch on. Rose, Eun-Ju, and Lisa were the first to join them on day one. There was some concern over Ella getting bullied, but that thankfully didn't happen. Rose had half-formed rabbit ears and a puff-ball tail sticking out from the hem of her pants, while Lisa had elongated bovine ears, horns, and a still-stubby cow tail along with her disproportionately massive tits. Considering their transformations and the dire stakes, Grace assumed they had better things to worry about than Ella. Eun-ju still didn't seem far along in her transformation and kept her head down when she worked. She was challenging to deal with but didn't seem like the type to be outwardly antagonistic.

While piercing a hoe into the soil, Grace wiped the sweat from her brow and glanced up to see Edith and Gina hesitantly standing near the fence, peering toward them. From a glance, noticeable, curved horns sprouted from Edith's head, but it was hard to make out any potential changes for Gina.

Grace considered shouting for them to join the group, but Ruby approached from behind and began angrily reprimanding them.  

Grace tilted her head and raised an eyebrow, unable to make out Ruby's words. Seconds later, the three departed back to Verdant Manor. 'What's her deal? She's damning them,' she grunted and shook her head before returning her focus to work.

The next day, the same group of girls went out to work as soon as possible. In a matter of minutes, Kalea showed up, waving her crimson-feathered wing while acting seemingly unphased by her rapid transformation a few days prior. "Wow! This is the first time I'm getting a good look. Ella's really fucked up, huh? Are those hooves??? Can she even speak?" She laughed with a wide grin.

A look of pure hatred flitted across Phoebe's face, her slit-like pupils narrowing. She clenched her hands in anger, the artificial sun glistening on the spattering of emerald green scales on her face, neck, and arms. All the while, Ella trembled and averted her gaze, not having the will to argue.

Grace was about to interject when Lisa looked up from her work, casting a death glare on Kale's way. "Are you actually going to do something useful for once?" She demanded.

Kalea's visage soured. "Excuse me? Was I talkin' to you?" She asked dangerously.

Lisa rolled her eyes. "No one is remotely scared of you, by the way. If anything, we look at you with pity."

Kalea slowly and deliberately walked forward, locking eyes with Lisa. "You look at me with pity, huh? You think I'm pitiable?"

Lisa met her gaze, wholly unfettered. "It takes a special breed of dumb to attack the farmer, and now you'll have to till the fields with one working arm if you don't want to start laying eggs."

"I'm happy to beat the shit out of you. Do you think I'm scared of those State of Union Government fuckwits? I should thank you for giving me a reason to release some of this pent-up energy," Kalea insisted, still closing the gap between them.

"I wouldn't recommend taking another step, Young Miss," chimed Charles as he approached the nearby fence and leaned against it with a water bottle in hand. Break time was up in five minutes, so he wandered back to await his turn. "You won't even land a single blow before you're on your ass transforming."

Kalea whipped her face toward Charles, staring daggers into him.

"No point in starting work now. Why don't you take a timeout?" The farmer suggested while flashing a toothy smile.

The girls all stopped their work to watch the altercation unfold. When Kalea eventually turned and reluctantly took her leave, Grace breathed an audible sigh of relief. "If she comes back again, it better be with a hoe in hand." There was another thought ebbing at the back of her mind. Where was Uma during all of this?

Yulia watched the contestants as the days marched on. By the end of the week, she saw all the girls but Ruby, Edith, Gina, and Uma working the farm. The former three weren't engaging due to Ruby's meddling, but Uma was another matter.

After a moment of contemplation, she shook her head. 'It's not important.' Without wasting any more time, she turned on the intercom to make an announcement to all twelve contestants. As of this moment, they were halfway through one of Charles' breaks, working away. 

"Everyone stop what you're doing and listen!" Yulia demanded. "I will provide you with preliminary information regarding the soon-to-start third match of Mollusk Match! Don't make me repeat myself."

CHAPTER END

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