Chapter 19 #2
Murmurs scatter through the room, and Jun and I exchange looks.
“Instead, this trial requires attention to detail. You must know who to trust—and be able to tell when someone is lying. There will be eight people in a group, and within each group, seven are innocents. One is a murderer. The murderer will pick people off one by one. It is your job, innocent, to know who to trust. Ally with each other, and avoid the ones you believe to be suspicious.”
It doesn’t feel like a game of intellect at all. It’s a game of trickery. I hold my breath, captured by anxiety.
Professor Stark continues. “If you are the killer, every ten minutes, you must kill one person by poking them in the back. Do so with subtlety. If you figure out who the killer is, report it to a Professor, and you win. If you’re killed before you find the killer, you lose.
If you guess the wrong person, you lose.
You must wait for thirty seconds after the poke to perform your death. ”
It’s a game, but it’s twisted. This game is what keeps people from immortality. It’s the line between life and death.
“You will not continue to the next trial if you lose this one,” Professor Stark says.
The rules are clear. It’s a game of Mafia, but the stakes are higher than a typical party game. We’re more likely to lose than win. This is preferable to a puzzle or riddle, but it’s still difficult to play.
Jun and I have an advantage. Unlike the others, we’ve come with an ally… someone we can really trust.
“The first ten minutes begin now,” Professor Stark says. “Eat, drink, and mingle. You will receive further instruction as the game continues.”
Murmurs fill the room.
The Professors split us into smaller groups. Jun and I join six other students. They introduce themselves as Daisy, Janna, Gio, Arthur, Selina, and Augustin.
I know a few of them through classes, but most are strangers.
“We aren’t taking any additional allies,” I say to Jun.
“I was thinking the same.”
“Then what’s the plan?”
“We pay attention, and we watch each other’s backs. Keep it simple.”
It’s easy enough. Jun and I stand off to the side, and no one bothers us, but it’s not the best way to play the game. This isn’t how we’ll gather information, but it will keep us alive.
Professor Stark speaks to the group: “Five minutes to make your kill.”
A few minutes pass, and Daisy approaches us, smiling politely.
“Are you enjoying the food?” she asks.
I can hear the rapid patter of her heart.
“The food is wonderful.” We haven’t touched it. “Are you?”
“Yes!” she squeaks.
I lean in closer, tilting my head to the side. “You seem nervous. You didn’t come here to kill me, Daisy. Did you?”
“No.” She lets out a puff of laughter. “Of course not.”
“Who were you with before this?”
“No one!”
“Thank you for the information,” Jun says. Not that she gave any. He flashes a dangerous smile. “Have a good rest of your night.”
It’s a way of dismissing her—though I still worry she’s the killer. She would be a highly nervous killer and unlikely to win, but it may work in our favor.
Daisy walks away, approaching Augustin. I make a note of them together, just in case, but the answer comes sooner than expected.
Daisy lets out a retching sound, and I clutch onto Jun’s arm.
It’s an act, I remind myself—and not a good one. She’s overacting. Not that she cares. Not that it matters.
Daisy just lost her chance at immortality.
All around the room, eyes lock onto us. We were the last to be seen with her before she crawled off to die next to Augustin. He didn’t have time to act, so him being the killer is unlikely—in my book, he’s clear.
This doesn’t look good for us.
“Daisy is out!” My father rings a bell. “Please excuse yourself from the hall.”
She’s the first to be cut. I feel bad for her, but it’s clear she isn’t ready to be part of the Order.
She exits quietly, and the attention is still on Jun and me.
“They’re going to think we did it,” I say. “We were the last to speak with her.”
“Let them think it.” He lifts a brow. “We know we’re innocent.”
He’s right. A wrong guess this early in the game will get them out of the race.
Sure enough, Gio heads to the teachers to give his answer. He sits off to the side, and we don’t know who he guessed… but if it was us, he’s out.
We’re left with Selina, Janna, Arthur, and Augustin.
Selina is beautiful, with matching purple eyes and hair—likely a merperson or someone with fairy ancestry. She has the two men wrapped around her finger, and when she glances at Jun, I realize she wants to wrap him up, too.
Typical.
“Don’t,” I whisper, shaking my head at him. “Just watch.”
“I wasn’t going to—”
Before Selina confirms my suspicion, Professor Fairweather speaks from the front of the hall. “Dance with a partner!”
Music swells. I’m not in the mood to dance, but we don’t have a choice.
The show must go on.
Each person in the room picks a partner, and, of course, that leaves Jun and me together. We’re quickly thrust into a waltz, one that many of the students don’t seem to know, but Jun and I are both well-practiced.
“You’ve surprised me again,” I say.
His fingers press into my back. “C’mon. You know I can dance.”
“Not like this.”
“I took lessons. It’s drilled into my head, but that doesn’t mean I like it.”
“But you should.” I press closer to him—unnecessary for the dance, but it may be one of the few chances I get at proximity, and after our night together, I crave it.
He moves smoothly, leading me through the steps others are stumbling through.
“Change partners!” my father yells.
My eyes widen.
I don’t want to leave Jun—but if it’s part of the game, we must. Regretfully, I slip out of his hands, and we pick other partners. In the shuffle, I end up pressed to Selina.
Her vibrant eyes lock on mine. She’s as good a dancer as Jun and finds herself in the leading position between us. Dominating.
“Your father is Profess Cruz, isn’t he?” she asks—likely an attempt at small talk.
“He is. Do you see the resemblance?”
“Oh, it’s uncanny.”
“Not the first time I’ve heard that.”
“And he clearly sprung for dance lessons. I’m impressed.”
“Thank you. You are far too kind.”
“Your ally is good, too. I’m hoping to dance with him if we switch again.”
“You would be lucky.” I smiled tightly. “He’s my mate. Just so you know.”
It’s a lie, and not a necessary one for this conversation, but something wicked possesses me to say it.
She lifts a brow. “Apologies. I hope I didn’t overstep.”
“You didn’t. It’s fine—”
“Switch partners!”
As I detangle from Selina, I can’t fight the thought that I narrowly escaped death. A fake one, thankfully.
There’s another shuffle and a song change.
I end up with Augustin. He’s as pale as a ghost. His hands shake as he tries to lead me through the dance, and I barely avoid him stepping on my feet.
“Settle down.” I laugh. “They’re not judging us on our ability to waltz.”
“God, I hope not.”
“What are you—”