Chapter 25 Ivy
IVY
Every morsel inside me shifts into overdrive as I see my brother’s face appear on the wall, smiling and eating lunch in the Belgrave cafeteria.
“I don’t give a fuck who you are. If you as much as touch my brother, I will kill you.”
“We don’t want to harm him. It gets messy and complicated. All you have to do is follow the rules, play the game, and your brother will enjoy the luxury of breathing a little longer.”
Brooke gasps. “You’ll really kill our families if we don’t want to play?”
“Yes,” Decider answers frankly.
“So, if I don’t want to do your asinine little dares, you’re going to kill my brother.”
“Yes,” he repeats.
“What if we try and we can’t do it? If we’re not able to do it?”
“If you attempt and fail, they’ll live. If you quit, he dies. Simple. The spot you’ve taken is a privilege. Many would kill to be in your place. You don’t have the option of backing out without authentic effort.”
“And let me guess, you get to decide if effort is authentic.”
“Yes,” he responds.
I glance over at Brooke, and she looks as sick as I feel enraged.
This can’t be real.
“Bullshit. That’s what it is. I didn’t sign up for some hush-hush amusement.”
Decider ignores me as red lettering projects onto the wall.
One member of each duo must be an invitee.
If one fails, both fail.
“That’s it?” Remy asks.
“Yes,” Decider answers, then waves over the room. “Thirteen players, thirteen dares.”
I glance around. “Math isn’t my strong subject, but six teams of two is twelve players. Is Casper joining the game too?”
Luca shifts closer to me, muttering under his breath, “Keep your mouth shut.”
“What? I can’t play the game if I don’t understand what the hell is going on. And counting should be the simple part, right?”
The dude hesitates with his answer for the first time. I can feel a harsh stare on me before he answers, “The thirteenth player is the Deceiver. It could be someone in this room. Or someone hidden in the shadows.”
“The Deceiver.” I shake my head. Who the fuck comes up with this shit, and how the hell did I get wrapped up in it? This has to be a hallucination. I did have a few sips of whiskey before I fell asleep. Maybe it was spiked or something.
“What does the Deceiver do?” Garrett asks.
“They decide many things including how the game plays out,” Decider states.
“Shouldn’t that be up to the Decider?” I ask, earning another shut-the-fuck-up gape from Luca and a chuckle from Micah. At least he gets how absurd this is.
“Throughout Mercy, the invitee’s partner will prove to be the invitee’s most important decision, because that ally will make or break the game for them.
Winning is not just about the wealth and privilege that comes with the prize, but the lifetime of knowledge and access to boundless influence.
Good luck to you all,” Decider says, yet I don’t think he’s wishing me the best of luck.
“Now, it’s time for you to complete the dare—whisper. This will be the easiest task you’ll face. Get to know your partner. Ask anything. Answer everything. And get to know each other. Because you will be each other’s lifeline.”
Just fucking fabulous. “Can we switch teammates?”
“No. Teams were formed during the last round.”
“I didn’t know I was actually tethering myself to him for real last round.” I didn’t even know I was actually playing a freaking game.
“Yeah, I’ll switch. I’d rather whisper to Ivy than Garrett,” Remy proclaims.
It’s not appealing but better than the bonehead beside me. “Can you decide to change the rule so we can swap?”
Decider doesn’t respond, merely dismisses us with a wave of his hand. Dickhead.
Two hooded figures appear and guide each pair to a tomb with nothing but two chairs facing each other in the middle. Once Luca and I take a seat, a blindfold is handed to each of us as we’re instructed, “Put them on.”
“Well, this is a fucking fabulous way to spend my night.”
“Stop complaining. Everyone knows this is an easy one.”
“That’s because they’re not locked in here with you.”
I hear his easy laugh and find myself wanting to see the expression on his face.
I’ve yet to see him with a genuine smile that wasn’t in place when he was tormenting me.
He’s all brooding and serious. Micah is the easygoing one.
But somehow, even though they’re twins, the same expression on his brother will look much different.
I sigh, trying to not think of the moron across from me that I have to get to know. “Fine, I’ll go first. Why are you such a miserable human being and feel the need to torment others?”
“I’m not miserable. Just bored.”
It’s my turn to laugh. “So, tormenting me is nothing but a hobby. Got it. This is so stupid. I’ll never get to know you. And I’ll never trust you for sure, Mr. Lifeline.”
There’s a little shuffling noise, and I sense him getting closer. Sure enough, I feel what I assume are his legs brush against the outsides of mine. “What do you want to know?”
“Why are you really here?”
“To win.”
“That’s it. Just to win some juvenile game.”
He exhales, his voice is closer when he replies, “Fine. I’m here to win and make sure my brother doesn’t.”
That’s probably the most honest and revealing answer I’ve heard from him. “Are you the Deceiver?”
“No,” he quickly responds.
“Would you tell me if you were?”
“Yes. We’re a team. I win. You win. No point in lying now.”
“Charming. So, why are you so against Micah winning?”
“Because he’d gain power and influence that he’ll use to control me. And the only thing worse than a tyrant is a tyrant with authority.”
“Winning Mercy will give him authority? What kind of game is this?”
“An ancient one that we’ve heard rumors about our entire life. But no one will divulge the specifics of the game. So, we all come in as equals and earn our spot.”
“Spot for what? This makes no sense to me still. Do you get a bunch of money?”
“Yes, money is included but it’s more about the reach, the power that comes with knowing the right people in the right places. We don’t know who the leaders of the secret society are. They’re all Belgrave alumni and have more influence than you’ll ever realize.”
“Belgrave Secret Society. Wow.”
“Their official name is the Keepers of Mercy.”
“Original. But I guess Hooters was already taken,” I state while still trying to digest all of it. “So, Micah can’t get the job because he’ll abuse his power. But he’s the nice one. Are you sure he’s the issue?”
“You’re so naive. Even when the truth is in front of your face, you still can’t see it.”
The remark hits a nerve. “I can’t see shit right now because I’m wrapped up in some self-indulgent pissing contest that I want no part of.”
He doesn’t speak and I pray he will tell me what I want to hear now more than ever. “Will they really hurt my brother?”
“Yes.”
Not what I wanted to hear.
“How do I keep him safe?” He’s the only person important to me. And they knew it.
“Play the game. Follow the rules. And keep your mouth shut.”
Sounds simple but it feels anything but. The thought of someone taking Zachary makes me want to burn the entire institute down. “If they hurt him, I will make good on my threat.”
“That’s your biggest mistake. You revealed your weakness.”
“No, my biggest mistake was walking into Belgrave Academy. I could’ve avoided all this shit had I just stayed at Willowbrook High.”
Silence.
“Hello?” I call out even though I still feel his legs resting against mine.
“What?”
“Why are you being so quiet now?”
“You didn’t ask a question.”
Even when I can’t see him, I want to deck him in the nose. “Fine. What’s your weakness?”
“I don’t have one.”
“Yeah. Okay. Great getting to know you.”
He shifts again before he says, “I don’t.”
“So, if they threaten Micah or someone else in your family, you’d just let them murder them?”
“I learned a long time ago not to get attached to anyone.” His answer is flat and way too calm considering the topic.
“Great. I’m playing a game of dare with the Tin Man.”
“Tin Man?”
“Yeah. A heartless, hollow metal guy. Don’t tell me you never watched The Wizard of Oz.”
He waits a solid minute before he replies, “Yes, I’ve seen it. It was my mom’s favorite movie. And I’ll be your best chance of getting out. Because that’s all you want. To save yourself no matter the cost. So, who’s really heartless?”
“This game is already stupid.”
We sit in silence for few minutes until I finally ask, “What happened to your mom?”
“One day she walked out of our lives and never came back.”
“Oh, the way you said it made it sound like she was …” My voice fades off because I don’t want to say the word he says bluntly.
“Dead.”
“That’s a little harsh.” I focus on his heartless attitude so I can push my own feelings welling up about my mom out.
“So is abandoning your kids and never looking back.”
“True,” I reply. It’s not like he cares about causing me misery, so why should I spare his feelings? “Is that why you’re such an unemotional asshat?”
“Partly,” he replies.
There’s another stretch of silence until I hear footsteps. I listen as our phones chime in unison, and we’re instructed, “Take off the blindfolds.”
“Time to go. We have our next dare.” Luca holds up his phone, but I don’t look at mine.
“What is it now?”
“We have to ruin someone’s night.”
“Already done,” I utter, looking at my unwanted ally and least-favorite person.
Once we’re walking through the cemetery, Remy asks, “Apparently there’s someone who needs to be knocked down a few notches. Why else would they have us target them?”
“Yeah, I know a few of those asshats too.” I eye Luca as we make our way to our vehicles, Brooke and Micah in front of us. I never got a good answer out of her about the injury, but she did say she was safe. I’ll believe it when I see it. Or don’t see any more marks on her.
I glance at my phone, but the message has already disappeared. But I recall all of it. Ruin if you dare. It’s time to spoil someone’s night. Go to the Northshore Bonnaire estate and collect one of the senator’s prized automobiles. The last team to arrive back here is out of Mercy.