CHAPTER 10
LANDRY
“Why can’t she just let you present on Monday? I mean, I know the class will probably be dead and Taken will be going on but at least you could still present it to somebody?” Olivia asked.
“Yeah, or even possibly the week after that once everyone is back in class?” Bexley suggested.
I shook my head, pulling my comforter tighter against me. “She said that she cancelled all of her classes next week to give us a break after midterms, and that we’ll be transitioning into new material the following week. Basically, she said that she doesn’t want to come in on her week off, and the week after is moving on to different topics. Trust me, I tried, but she’s standing firm. Her last email just said ‘ I’m sorry, but my decision is final ’, essentially dismissing me.” I dropped my head back against my headboard, squeezing my eyes shut to keep the tears from falling .
I had emailed professor Lee as soon as I had gotten home, right before Olivia and Bexley had rushed over, skipping their classes for the rest of the day after finding out about what happened. I guess somebody in the class must have texted them. That, or someone had posted the whole thing on social media somewhere, which wouldn’t surprise me knowing this school. I wouldn’t be checking my socials any time soon, too scared at what I might find.
I’m still not entirely sure how I had gotten to the clinic, but I had woken up about an hour later, the nurse letting me know that I had indeed had some sort of allergic reaction. She hadn’t needed to administer any medication thankfully, saying that I had just needed to sleep it off. She did say that she made sure to keep an eye on my vitals the entire time. The odd thing is, I don’t remember having any food allergies. At least none that I knew of.
Maybe I had developed an allergy to the bananas in my smoothie, or possibly avocados from the toast I had this morning? I mean, I had heard somewhere that some people develop random allergies even in adulthood, I had just never believed it until now.
“And what about your grade? There’s no way she can give you a zero, can she? You have the proof that you put in the work.” Bexley asked. Both she and Olivia now sat on my bed, having ordered us some Chinese takeout and helped me shower since I had still felt a bit weak after the episode earlier.
“She’s giving me a ‘no grade’ since it was a medical emergency that was out of my control, so it won’t count on my grade at all. Which I guess is better than failing it, but I still could have used a good midterm score—It was supposed to count for thirty percent of my overall grade. She said she would just change it to where my final exam would count for fifty percent and my coursework would count for the other fifty.” I explained.
I just wanted to cry. Not only did I get no grade for something that I had spent weeks working on, and the fact that I had been so excited to present something that I was actually passionate about, but on top of all of that, I had stripped in front of my entire class. I was mortified. Olivia had tried to console me by telling me that at least I had been wearing a super cute bra, and I didn't know if I wanted to laugh or cry at that.
“Aw babes, I’m so sorry.” Olivia offered, crawling up to lay next to me and embracing me in a hug, Bexley following to do the same.
“What can we do to make you feel better?” Bexley asked.
“You guys wanna have a slumber party and binge-watch Bridgerton?” I asked, already knowing that they would be game for it.
“Deal!” Olivia agreed, “Oh and by the way, TJ texted saying that he and the guys heard what happened and that they hope you feel better. I told them it was an allergic reaction but that you slept if off and are feeling better now.”
“That’s sweet, tell them thank you.” I said.
Bexley made us some popcorn and we settled into my king-size bed. We didn’t even end up paying much attention, talking over the show the majority of the time.
“Oh my gosh!” Olivia jerked up, turning her wide eyes towards us as we waited for an explanation for her outburst.
“Today is the Friday of midterms week!” She exclaimed .
Bexley and I exchanged a glance, neither of us understanding the significance of this realization.
“They send out the Taken invitations today!”
I had completely forgotten that the games started tonight, especially after the events from this morning. According to what Olivia had told us, they send out the invitations directly after the last midterm on campus took place, giving us until midnight to accept or decline. A mix of trepidation and excitement shot through me at the thought. I was thrilled to get the chance to play, though I still had so many questions.
“I’m so nervous,” Bexley admitted, wrapping her arms around her knees. “How do they even get everyone’s phone numbers?” She asked.
“Nobody is really sure, I think it’s a general assumption that the Gamemaker or Gamemakers either have access to school records or a way to hack into the system to obtain all of them. Nobody really knows though, since the Gamemakers are kept secret.” Olivia explained.
“Gamemakers? Geez, that makes it sound like an episode of Squid Games or something. Kinda creepy.” I mused, grabbing a handful of popcorn. “So, who are these ‘Gamemakers’ anyways?”
“Again, nothing is confirmed, but it’s assumed that either one student or a small group of students run them, and that when that person or people graduate, they pass the position down to one of the winners from a previous year. It would make sense since they’ve been going on for over a decade.”
“Makes sense.” I agreed. It definitely sounded plausible. “What do the winners get anyway?” I asked, realizing that she hadn’t answered that question last time we had discussed Taken .
“Nobody knows.” Olivia shrugged. Bexley and I exchanged a glance, and she was the one to take the turn asking “What do you mean, nobody knows what the prize is?”
“It’s like some big secret. You don’t know what the prize is until you win. Some rumors say that it’s access to some secret room on campus, some say that it’s a cash prize. Some people even think that it’s an invitation to some secret society. All we know is that past winners have confirmed that there’s a prize, but also that they’re sworn to secrecy and face repercussions if they tell. So nobody knows.”
My intrigue was definitely piqued by this new knowledge. It wasn’t even the prize that I necessarily cared for, but just the prospect of figuring out what the prize was.
Olivia had proceeded to tell us all about her time playing last year. With the way she explained it, being abducted didn’t seem bad at all. Getting to do absolutely nothing for a week besides watch TV and read? Count me in. They had almost made it to finals but the other girl on her team had been abducted later on in the week. Apparently, each team was made up of both males and females to keep things fair considering that females tended to be easier targets. Being both female and freshman, Bexley and I would have to be extra careful since we lacked the experience that the upper-classmen had. We would certainly be prime targets.
“When does the last midterm end today?” Bexley asked Olivia.
“I’m not too sure, it can vary every year depending on the professors’ schedules, but I’m pretty sure that Friday classes don’t go later than five o’clock. Most professors prefer to schedule any evening classes earlier in the week. ”
I reached across my nightstand, grabbing my phone and checking the time, the girls doing the same. It read four forty-six. My heart started beating faster, the anticipation thrumming through me.
We fell back into watching the show, the three of us less chatty as we awaited the text, counting down the minutes in our heads. It was half past five when it finally came through, all of us already with phones in hand. My heart raced as I read through the entirety of it.
UNKNOWN:
Landry Andrews,
Please consider this your official invitation into Taken.
The purpose of the game is to abduct and avoid. Should you accept, you will be sent a team name along with the names of your fellow comrades. Disclosing the names of fellow comrades is discouraged but not forbidden. It will be your own responsibility to seek out these comrades and decide on a strategy and home base where you will keep your hostage. You will have 24 hours to do this.
In exactly 24 hours, your team will receive a text containing the name of the team that you will be targeting, along with the names of the players in said team. Your mission as a team is to successfully abduct one person from your target team and keep that player hostage until the game ends and finals begin on Friday, exactly one week from today.
It is important to note that meanwhile, your team and the names of the players on your team have been sent to a different group, listing your team as their target.
The goal of this mission is not only to abduct a target, but to keep your team intact. If a player on your team is successfully abducted by a different team, your team will no longer qualify for the final round.
Finals will be held at 6:00 PM on Friday, October 11th at a disclosed location. Only teams that have successfully remained whole and have a hostage in their possession will be invited to participate.
GAME RULES
Hostages must be provided reasonable care, including shelter, food and water.
No weapons.
No excessive force or intentional bodily harm.
Refusal to follow the rules will result in immediate removal from the game. Players will be asked to sign a waiver upon entering stating that the game cannot be held liable for any trauma or bodily injuries .
Once the game has started, withdrawals will only be accepted in cases of injuries requiring immediate medical attention or loss of life.
By accepting this invitation, you are consenting to be a possible target of abduction.
Landry Andrews, would you like to participate in Taken?
Reply Y for Yes and N for No
-The Gamemakers