Chapter 39 Adi
Adi
The elimination filming was so long that, despite the fact they were supposed to be in suspense, Adi kept tuning out.
First, Fitzy had gone on and on about Louis’s tragic death.
Then they’d watched the in memoriam that had been cobbled together last-minute, showing boring highlights from Louis’s life—everything from winning a national spelling bee to marrying Ranielle.
Then a bunch of past contestants showed up to talk about their memories of the great Game Master.
Last, Ranielle spent a few minutes in front of the cameras, dabbing at the corners of her eyes with a handkerchief while she lied through her teeth about how upset she was.
While Ranielle spoke, Adi’s thoughts were on clues and lies, and an imagined vision of Alicia Angelos lying dead and wet in that coffin.
Suffocation. Gloves over the face. Hosed down to remove DNA. Would require immense strength . . .
Do not trust the Russells.
The Game Master on the hotel floor. A fake suicide. A fake confession.
I know Louis didn’t kill himself.
Alicia had been seeing Louis. Louis had been feeding her cheats. Ranielle had found out.
Ranielle Russell had killed Alicia Angelos.
They hadn’t posted it on the Domain yet. They had to make sure there was no possible way Ranielle could wriggle out of this. They might have their suspicions, but the Real Game Master’s promised evidence for the finale would hopefully be enough to see her convicted.
By the time Fitzy started talking about the most recent round, Adi’s legs were aching and he just wanted to get on with it. This was a competition, and Adi wanted to know who had won the damn thing.
The screen played footage from the fun house.
Jarius ripping off his shirt for no apparent reason.
Nadia and Keegan from Mind Hack trying to climb through the spinning tunnel at the same time and ending up in a guffawing heap.
Adi figuring out the runes in the graffiti without having to use the cipher.
All four members of Team Dread doing the twist in the final room and shouting in unison, “Screw you, Pennywise!”
“This round,” said Fitzy, “two of our teams had a disadvantage! First, Team Helsing used their snag on Team Dread.”
The screen showed Jarius and Delphi in handcuffs, kicking stuffed animals across the floor to try to get them onto the right squares.
Then it flashed to Neil victoriously pulling three keys out of the clown’s maw—and the relief on everyone’s faces when they realized two of them were for the handcuffs.
Adi’s mouth twisted. It would’ve served them right to be stuck in handcuffs the whole time. But hopefully the snag had done its job and kept them from being in first place. Again.
“While Team Dread opted to use their remaining snag by swapping out Helsing’s dexterity challenger!”
The screen flashed to their team talking to Fitzy before the round, Sierra proclaiming confidently about Beck, “He has mad skills.”
It cut to Fitzy holding an envelope. “Carter Kelly, they’ve chosen you!”
The expression on her face for that split second was utter horror, but then the video clip showed her throwing the darts. Popping the four correct balloons. 3-1-4-15. One. After. Another.
On the risers, Adi offered Carter a fist bump, and she grinned shyly as she returned it.
“Wow,” said Fitzy, clapping his hands. “This escape room is going down in history. Teams, how do you feel you did?”
Impatience clawed at Adi’s throat. Fitzy talked too much. They needed to get on with the scoring.
He knew that wasn’t how reality TV worked. He knew the director and producers had to drag out every little drop of suspense. As stressful as the show was to watch when complete strangers were waiting to find out their fate, it was almost unbearable when it was his own team under the stage lights.
“Carter Kelly!” Fitzy crossed the stage with his microphone.
“You dominated this season’s dexterity challenge.
Once you found the first ticket, it became clockwork.
Popping all four balloons in a row, almost like you knew which balloons held the magic tickets.
Tell me, was it luck, or did those balloons hold some secret the other teams didn’t pick up on? ”
“Um. I mean . . . it was . . . easy as pi?” said Carter. Her voice came out wobbly.
Fitzy’s lips crooked to one side, amused. “Care to explain?”
“Like . . . the number?”
Fitzy waited a beat, then rolled his hand at her, urging her to go on.
“For real?” Adi said under his breath.
She giggled nervously. “It was your clue, remember? Or, sorry . . . the Game Master’s clue. It’s all fun and games at the carnival.”
Across the stage, Jarius groaned. “Pi. Obviously.” He reached over and smacked Neil on the shoulder. “Why didn’t you get that?”
But Fitzy looked confused, even as he tried to chuckle through it. “And that was . . . helpful?”
Carter stared at him. “Very. He didn’t mean pie, the food. He meant pi, the number. You know . . . 3.1415926535897—”
Adi squeezed Carter’s arm and she cut herself off.
“That’s our Solve Specialist,” said Beck, beaming.
Carter continued, “Once I figured out that was what the clue meant, I just had to pop the right balloons. And, thankfully”—her gaze flickered to Team Dread—“I happen to be quite good at darts.”
“Well,” said Fitzy, “there’s no doubt that your quick thinking and skillful dart-throwing gave your team a great start. Are we ready to find out your final times?”
“Yes,” said Sierra loudly as some of the other contestants cheered.
“I’m ready, too,” said Fitzy. “Team leaders. This way, please.”
The scoreboard lit up with the three remaining team names.
Dread
Mind Hack
Helsing
Adi hardly breathed. All he saw was that clock, ticking and flashing.
And then—he heard it.
The cheers from Jarius and his team as their final time flashed.
Dread36:16
And, what felt like hours later . . . Mind Hack cheering even louder.
Mind Hack35:42
Adi forced himself to be stoic. (Let us be in the finals. Let us be in the finals. Let us—)
Helsing27:17
Sierra hollered, punching the air. Beck and Carter screamed. In a blur, Carter whirled around and hugged Adi, almost toppling him from the riser.
“We did it!” Carter screamed in Adi’s ear.
“You did it!” he countered.
She spun away to hug Beck, both of them shrieking that they were going to the finale.
Adi felt off-kilter, as if a support beam had fallen from under him. First place.
“Helsing and Mind Hack, congratulations!” yelled Fitzy. “You’re going to the finale! Unfortunately, Team Dread, that means that your next escape will be right out of this stu—”
“Hold on, Fitzy,” said Jarius, so loud that his voice cut through the speakers like a scythe. “Before we go on, I think there’s something everyone needs to know.”
Fitzy glanced at Ranielle offstage, who was frowning and speaking into her headset as a buzz of confusion passed around the studio.
Jarius turned toward Adi’s team, a smirk on his boyish face.
“Helsing can’t be going to the finale,” he said, “because I have proof they cheated.”