Great chapter! I like how you balance Mary’s acts of cruelty against her more reasonable relationships with her friends and family. The way you write her thought process and her conversations about power dynamics are what really elevate the story.

Victor is not a very interesting character so far, but I like Fred a lot! Watching Mary orchestrate everything was awesome!

Regarding Judy, you previously wrote “In those games she could be a queen who decided the fate of the victims, … or even a victim, camouflaged among the others, listening to their plans to escape and savoring their pain and fear.” I would love to see either of those scenarios written out.

I’m still #TeamLester. I realized that he has grown up his whole life without fear thanks to Mary’s seal, unlike Judy who I assume at one point was vulnerable. How does that affect his personality? How does it affect his relationships? Are people jealous of his status?

You’ve written several times that Mary feels very protective of her family. I want to see this in action. We haven’t seen Mary actually get mad yet, and I wonder what she would do to someone who tried to hurt her mom or brother. Maybe a relative of someone she killed seeking revenge?

Does Mary always go for the kill, or does she ever deliberately maim, cripple, blind, etc.?

Keep it up!