33
“A week isn’t long enough to prepare,” I groan as we sit in our room and contemplate the contest details, limited as they are, before us.
“If this trial is being held in the former torture chambers of The Inquisition, and it says the task involves ‘knowledge,’ then presumably we need to brush up on our Spanish history,” Evelyn murmurs as she paints her toenails.
“Or they could mean knowledge about one another…” Thorun starts, “like you mentioned before. We don’t really know each other.”
“Yes,” Sona says in her sing-song voice, “after all, the Inquisition was all about gaining information and confessions from their victims. Perhaps we have to confess things to one another.”
Thorun smiles, her eyes bright.
“Like truth or dare. I’ll start.”
“Thorun!” I snap, exasperation leaching into my tone, “I told you, that’s not how this Game is played.”
“You said knowledge is power,” she shrugs.
“Yes!” I shout, gesticulating wildly to punctuate my words. “It gives power to other competitors!”
“But this time we’re collaborators,” Sona shrugs. “Thorun and I agree. Two against one.”
“Of course you do,” Evelyn snipes, “but so far all I’ve heard you two gasbag about is Thorun talking about fish and you talking about all the kinky sex you’ve had. Two against two.”
“But is it kinky?” Sona asks in her little girl's voice. “Many men like being choked…”
“Sona!” I groan. “Please, no more. No more stories.”
Thorun starts giggling, and Evelyn curses. Presumably having messed up a nail.
We all look up at a perfunctory knock on the open door as Miranda steps into the room.
“What do you want?” I snap.
“Now is that any way to treat your neighbour?” She smiles sweetly, referencing the fact that their room is right across the hall from ours. “I came to see how you’re faring with your instructions, and to offer an olive branch.”
“What do you mean?” Thorun asks.
“I mean,” Miranda goes on as she casually circles the room, touching this and that and looking around as though she’s just a visitor and not a spy, “we could join forces, your room and ours, and take out another, stronger room.”
“There can only be one room winner,” I frown.
“Yes,” she nods. “I’m suggesting we team up to take out another room, one we both agree on, and then come in at first and second place. You first, of course.”
“And what possible advantage does that give you?” Evelyn asks slyly.
“That way none of us gets eliminated, obviously,” Miranda shrugs, her pasted-on smile slipping slightly.
“Which room do you want to eliminate?” Sona asks innocently.
‘Oh, good work.’
“Naturally that’s something we can discuss when we have an agreement,” Miranda cocks her head and studies Sona, perhaps with some new appreciation for the weirdo. Certainly I hadn’t seen that question coming from her, although it had been on the tip of my tongue.
‘The enemy of my enemy is my friend.’
“So what do you say?” Miranda smiles broadly, “After all, there’s strength in numbers.”
“Yes, there is,” I rise and stretch as I move to take her by the arm and steer her towards the door. “My understanding is that you only have three in your room now, due to the demise of Regina. And the contestants bunking with you are not exactly strong.”
Evelyn nods her assent and counts off on her fingers as she speaks.
“Ethiopia, vacant as a birdhouse in Winter; Greece spends so much time in front of a mirror it’s a wonder she hasn’t slipped into another dimension, and you, the snake charmer with the target on your back. If I were you, I’d be looking for allies too.”
“Look elsewhere,” I snarl, pushing her out the door.
“Your loss,” she shouts as I slam the door on her and lean my back against it, silently meeting the eyes of my roommates before stalking to Thorun.
“Give me that!”
Reaching over I snatch the challenge description. It clearly says ‘knowledge’ several times and indicates that, without cooperation, our experience will result in us re-living something akin to the Inquisition.
All I can think about when I hear this is the witch trials and women being burned at the stake.
I have no idea how that’s all going to fit with whatever challenge we’re about to embark on, but I’m not totally surprised to be thrown a curveball.
Although the contests in other seasons may have been more regular than ours have been, each quest is no longer familiar or as cookie-cutter as it once was.
It’s as though year after year the tests become more deadly and more diabolical.
Our first challenge was a literal walk in the park.
‘Mannaggia, yes. Yes it was.’
“I think this one is going to be particularly bad,” I eventually murmur.
“What makes you say that?” Sona asks.
“Because the first one was too easy,” I say quietly, meeting Evelyn’s measured look.
She nods slowly as though weighing my words and recognising I’m right.
“Then I guess we'd better prepare. Tell us something about you, Catriona,” she eventually says, her voice tight. “You’re a closed book. If Thorun is right, we need to get to know one another.”
“Not a chance,” I shake my head. “You allied with the twins and Miranda in the first challenge. I’d trust you as far as I could spit you.”
“You did?” Thorun asks wide-eyed. “You didn’t tell me that, Evelyn. No wonder she asked us to join forces with them.”
The American shrugs and cocks her head to one side, studying her nails and not meeting my eyes.
“Sure, I made a strategic alliance in the heat of the moment. That doesn’t mean I’m joined at the hip with her.”
“And the twins?” I narrow my eyes at her.
“The way I see it,” she rises and stretches like a Siamese cat, graceful and beautiful, “this challenge, we need to help one another; you, me, the shitty little Nepalese, and the Icelander who thinks she’s on a Brownie camp and is going to get us all killed.
After that, all bets are off. Now, if you’re satisfied with your cross-examination, how about telling us why you keep talking as though you’re our self-appointed leader? What’s special about you?”
It grates on my nerves to open my mouth and tell this bitch anything, but if we have to share strengths to join forces, and if I have to prove why I’m the one that should lead our room, not her, then that’s what I’ll do.
“I have no problem killing,” I shrug. “I’ve been brought up surrounded by deceit and relied upon violence to keep myself safe for years. I don’t like people in general, you all included, and I’ll take out anyone, do anything, to win this game.”
“We’ll all do anything to win this game,” Eleanor snorts.
“I killed my best friend to get here,” I add, smiling as they all gasp.