Chapter 8 #5
It was a small velvet jewelry box, and inside was a massive, brilliantly cut diamond ring.
I closed the box and slid it into my pocket before I immediately began my descent.
Once I reached the ground again, I pulled the ring box out to show Tyler.
“Damn,” he murmured as he gazed at the sparkly piece. “That’s a fat ring.”
“Do you want it?” I asked as I held it out in offering to him. “You still need to claim a piece of jewelry for Claire.”
“No way, man.” He quickly shook his head. “You found it, you got it, you keep it. I’ll take the earrings, though.”
I pocketed the ring again before I pulled the earrings out and handed them to the man.
The moment the velvet box touched Tyler’s hand, the disembodied voice came back.
“Congratulations, you’ve successfully completed the third round.”
I immediately felt my body begin to hum, and I shut my eyes tightly as the blue light flashed.
When I opened my eyes again, we were standing outside the glass dome, next to the women. And when I glanced around, I realized all of us were there.
Zade was still covered in blood and open wounds, but at least he was alive. It didn’t look like he could stand, though, and he was positioned on the ground, half sitting up, half laying prone.
Somehow, Kyle had made it out of his shitty situation in one piece.
Of course he had.
His arms were torn up, and he had several claw marks on his face, but they didn’t look like much compared to the injuries I’d given him earlier. On top of the wounds on his upper body, it looked like his legs had been ravaged as well.
One side of his dress pants was torn up pretty badly, while the other pant leg had been ripped away completely to reveal bare, bloody skin.
At least he hadn’t walked away completely unscathed.
Martin had several wounds on his arms, but they didn’t look nearly as bad as the wounds on Tyler’s arm, or Zade’s body.
Besides the long, burning spot where the one viscerid had dug its claws into me, I was fine. Certainly better off than the rest of my companions.
I’d been very, very lucky.
“Males, please line up across from your assigned female and hold out your gifts,” the announcer ordered.
The women all formed a line, and I carefully positioned myself in front of Sadie while the other men found their teammates.
Zade couldn’t move at all, and Annabelle moved over to him on trembling legs. He’d been too injured to find her a gift, and Tyler and I hadn’t been able to get our hands on more than two items.
Once we were all in position, the announcer continued.
“The couple without a gift will now be disqualified.” The voice spoke so matter-of-factly.
I didn’t even see any drones around or anything, but suddenly, there was a bright beam of light where Zade and Annabelle had been standing, and when the light disappeared, there was nothing there but two sizzling piles of ash.
They were gone.
Even though we all knew deep down that it was coming, everyone still reacted at the vaporization of their two teammates.
Claire stumbled back in shock, and tears began to stream down her face, while Clarisse let out a scream.
Sadie covered her mouth with her hands, and her eyes were wide and frightened.
Parker’s hand moved to grasp Sadie’s arm in a comforting motion while her other hand was clenched tightly at her side.
Martin and Kyle were both openly sweating, and Martin had stumbled back slightly as well. Tyler and I exchanged nervous glances. We’d been the most mentally prepared for what was to come, but it still hurt to watch.
Zade hadn’t deserved that, and neither had Annabelle.
“Males,” the robotic voice continued as if there hadn’t been two sudden deaths right in front of us. “Please present your gifts to your assigned females.”
It took a couple seconds for everyone to calm down again, but we all fell back into place pretty quickly, because nobody wanted to take the chance of getting vaporized due to disobedience.
Surprisingly, Martin was the first to move this time, and he stepped forward and presented the amethyst bracelet to Clarisse. She awkwardly held out her arm, and he removed the bracelet from the box and clasped it around her wrist.
“Congratulations, you have completed the trial, and you have both earned one favor point,” the voice announced.
That seemed to get Kyle’s attention.
He quickly limped closer to Parker and held out the necklace. Parker seemed hesitant, but she reluctantly turned and held her hair to allow Kyle to clasp the emerald pendant around her neck.
The same thing happened.
“Congratulations, you have completed the trial, and you have both earned three favor points,” the voice said.
Next, it was Tyler’s turn. He stepped forward and awkwardly held out the earrings to Claire while she carefully picked the sapphires up and placed them in her ears.
“Congratulations, you have completed the trial, and you have both earned two favor points.”
Now, it was my turn.
I stepped closer to Sadie, and I awkwardly held the ring box up. Offering up my gift felt more intimate than the others’ gifts did because it looked like a freaking engagement ring.
Fortunately, Sadie seemed to notice my discomfort, and she gave me a gentle smile before she held up her left hand, fingers spread out, with the middle one slightly raised.
It was as if she was giving me silent instructions to choose that finger rather than her ring one.
I picked up the diamond ring, and I carefully slid it onto her middle finger.
It fit perfectly, and I wondered if that was another bit of alien technology.
The moment the ring was in place, something different happened.
My collar began to vibrate loudly, and I could hear Sadie’s doing the same. Then they both suddenly lit up with a soft, undeniable, matching pink color.
I met her confused expression with one of my own, and then the disembodied voice spoke again.
“Congratulations, you have found your match.”