by Azalea Ellis
“My sister and I used to play in here all the time when we were kids. It was our secret place. And it’s got a perfect view through her bedroom window.” She pointed.
Through the window, I saw three masked people moving around inside the bedroom. One was on Chanelle’s computer, one was rifling through her drawers, and the other was waving a scanning wand of some kind over every inch of her room. Visible through the breathing holes in the masks, their mouths moved silently behind the window glass. I scooted forward in a futile attempt to hear. “We’re too far away.”
China shook her head and closed her eyes. “I think I can hear them. I’ve got a lot of Seeds in Perception. Give me a second to focus.”
She took a few deep breaths and seemed to be concentrating so hard I found myself holding my own breath for fear of disturbing her. Then she started to speak. “Hurry up! The sun’s almost all the way up; we need to be out of here soon.”
“I’m going as fast as I can. It’s not our fault that Davis girl had a party going on at her house. Took us forever to get in and out without being seen.”
The other laughed. “Yeah, but with a girl like that, no one would have any trouble believing she ran away.”
I let out a slow, silent breath. She was relaying their conversation to me, somehow hearing their voices clearly through a window and ten meters of air. Amazing.
She continued repeating, “Wonder what NIX is going to do with all of them.”
“Research, idiot. They’re going to study them three ways from Tuesday. I betcha we’ll be doing the Mendell drop with samples from them within days.”
“Would you two shut up? There are other people in this house, you know. What if they heard your voices and decided to come check up on the little sleeping girly, and found us instead? Keep it quiet.”
China waited for a while longer and then opened her eyes again. “Seems like they listened to him. I can’t hear anything.”
I nodded. The masked figures inside weren’t moving their mouths anymore. They took some of Chanelle’s things and put them in a bag. A couple minutes later, they climbed deftly out of the window and left over the fence on the other side, much the same way I had, only more graceful. The gentle rumble of an engine cut the silence, and a plain multi-member pod slipped off down the brightening street.
I relaxed in their absence. “That was amazing, China. Good job.”
She bit her lip. “Not amazing enough. All we got was some cryptic conversation. I should have been listening from the beginning, but I was too focused on hiding.”
I smiled. “It was more than just some cryptic conversation, China. We got plenty.”
China closed her eyes and took a deep, deep breath, then released it along with some of her tension. “Yeah. Chanelle’s still alive.” She opened her eyes, and they locked on mine. “At least for now. Tell me everything that happened last night.”
I did, starting from the time Chanelle tackled and protected me to the point where she followed Mr. Wolf into the darkness, conveniently glossing over my weaker moments and general uselessness.
“So…NIX has her. Who, or what, is NIX?”
“It’s probably the ones who created this Game. Not a person. An organization. They’re too powerful for anything else,” I said.
“And as long as they’ve got tests or whatever to run on her, they’ll keep her alive, right? What’s the Mendell drop?”
I shook my head. “I don’t know. But perhaps it’s some sort of testing facility. They said they’d be taking samples. And when I was made a Player, they matched my blood to confirm my identity.” I bit my much abused bottom lip and held a finger to my lips. “Bunny might be listening,” I mouthed silently.
She nodded understanding and took off her link, tossing it away. She motioned for me to do the same. “There aren’t any mics out here,” she said. “Chanelle and I searched.”
“How?”
“If you concentrate really hard, and your Perception is really high, you can hear them.”
What a useful skill. I made sure to consciously keep my thoughts shielded from any intention to communicate with Bunny, and said, “Did you have a medical test at your school a few months ago?”
Her pale eyebrows drew down. “Yes. Blood and tissue tests, physical exam, and they took our pictures…” she trailed off. “You think that was them? NIX?”
“Maybe. They had access to that test, even if it wasn’t them implementing it. It makes sense though, doesn’t it? I’ve got a theory. They’re using us like test subjects. Human rats. That’s what the examination was for. To make sure we were healthy, because they didn’t want to waste their money on a faulty product.” I leaned forward, talking faster. “I mean, can you imagine how expensive we must be? The technology they’re displaying, I can’t imagine what kind of funding they must have…”
“Why are they doing this to us?” She looked like a small, wounded animal, a look fairly designed to inspire protective feelings.
But I was reminded of my goal, instead. “I don’t know. But remember the message Chanelle gave me for you?”
“She said for me to live?” China frowned. “What does that mean?”
I shrugged. “I think it means exactly that. She wanted you to be safe, to stay alive. And she sent me to you so we could help each other. As long as we’re alive, there’s hope that we can escape. For us, and for Chanelle. I want to help you, if you’ll do the same for me. I want us both to live.” I imbued my voice with sincerity.
The truth of it all was I wanted to live, and I thought she might be able to help me with that. “In the Trial, I saw people trip each other so they could get more Seeds. Killing people who are stuck in the same hell right next to them, just to get ahead a step or two. That’s not right.” It wasn’t smart. “Let’s have each other’s backs. I’ll look out for you if you do the same for me.” I held out my hand to her. “Allies?”
She stared into my eyes searchingly, then nodded and gripped my hand with her smaller one. “Allies.”
We talked for a bit longer, exchanging contact information and speculation, and then I left for my home, and she for her room. If Bunny were to check in on me, I didn’t want my GPS to reveal my knowledge of the cleanup crew. I looked back at the house, standing deceptively sturdy against the backdrop of the sunrise-stained sky. “I’m sorry, China.” I whispered, so low even I could barely hear my own voice, safe from even her superhuman hearing. “But I need your strength, because I’m not going to die yet.”
Chapter 8
We stopped checking for monsters under our beds when we realized they were inside us.
— The Joker
Two days later, the song played again, and I entered my second Trial.
I’d been walking down a crowded street, thinking about the things my most recent net searches had uncovered. With more information, I knew better what clues to search for. There were online conspiracy groups who questioned the increased number of child runaways and mysterious disappearances. It had started five years ago, and they had theories from serial-killer cover ups, to human trafficking, to government experiments. The enforcers of course found nothing, and these were dismissed as the crazy ravings of distraught parents. And because I knew what to look for, I noticed the connection to parenting groups, where they worried about their children being victims of a bullying ring, or part of some sort of secret fight club. Of course, their children were fighting for their lives in the Trials, but they had to keep it a secret from their families, so other explanations for the wounds were created.
As the first faint strains of music entered my head, I’d panicked a little. I scrambled for the nearest side street, and the nearest alley from there, all the while muttering under my breath, “Bunny? Bunny, I need to talk to you. Now!”
WHAT IS IT?
—Bunny—
“I’m hearing the song again, that one that filled me up, and then I was in the other place, in the Trial, and it’s too soon. I’m not ready, I haven’
t prepared yet, and I thought I’d have more time…” I took a deep breath and swallowed hard to cut off my babbling.
IT’S PROBABLY A SPECIAL TRIAL, SEPARATE FROM THE NORMAL ONES. I THINK THIS IS YOUR CHARACTERISTIC TRIAL. IT’S GOING TO TEST YOUR REACTIONS, AND THEN YOU’LL GET A SKILL BASED ON YOUR PERFORMANCE.
—Bunny—
“It’s too soon, Bunny! I’m not even recovered from the last time yet! I thought we were supposed to have ten days! That’s what China said, and I’m—” once again I cut myself off. I was scared. But I didn’t want to say it aloud, because if I didn’t, I could pretend the fear wasn’t real. And then maybe it wouldn’t be.
SUCK IT UP. YOU DON’T HAVE TIME TO WHINE. THE BONESHAKER DOESN’T LAST FOR LONG, AND YOU’RE ALMOST OUT OF TIME. PULL IT TOGETHER, KICK SOME ASS, AND WE’LL TALK ABOUT IT WHEN YOU GET BACK.
—Bunny—
I wanted to throw a few choice cuss words back at Bunny, but the song was in my bones. I closed my eyes to keep them from rattling out of my head, and it stopped.
I was prepared for the nausea and dizziness, so I stood up and observed my surroundings despite the sickness, knowing it would pass.
I stood in the midst of a field with tall green grass up to my chest. The sun shone down so brightly I had to squint until my eyes didn’t burn from the light. The colors were somehow deeper than any I’d seen before. The sky was a clear, piercing blue, a bit too dark a color. The grass was a green that made me think of strength, life, and the insatiable desire to grow. The air smelled…off, fruity and earthy and green. I breathed it in, and shuddered. Normally it would be a pleasant smell, but I couldn’t help but associate it with blood and death.
I saw that other Players were there, too, poking out of the gently waving green sea. Furrows were cut through the grass in straight lines, paths leading to a few scattered buildings a couple hundred meters away. The buildings weren’t like any I’d seen before. They seemed to have been built for beauty rather than economy of space, and twisted and lounged in strange, sometimes organic and sometimes geometric shapes.
On the other side, the field stopped abruptly at the edge of a line of thick trees. These weren’t the giant trees of my last Trial, but thick and so closely spaced they blocked out the light beneath their leaves.
Players were moving to where the cube hung, over a place where the paths in the field converged. I started toward it as well, slowly, because being heavier made me clumsy. I stumbled from the grass onto a narrow road. It was lined with thin strips of metal running along the stone path in straight lines.
I leaned down to touch them, and the sight of my trembling arm widened my eyes. “My ID link!” It was basically a computer, mobile phone, and official identification all rolled into one. I tried to call my mother, but the screen was blank, and the link lay unresponsive on my forearm. “Out of range? The only places out of range are caves and lead boxes! Don’t screw with me! I can see the sky; I should have service.” I smacked the forearm sheath in sudden desperation, but it continued to ignore me.
A young boy giggled at me, and shook his head. “They don’t work here. I tried last time. You shouldn’t bring electric things with you. They get scrambled and broke by the Boneshaker.”
“But the VR chip in my neck still works, even though it goes through the Boneshaker.”
The kid shrugged. “It’s inside your body.”
“Oh.” I stood up. “How many times have you been here?”
“Once before,” he said, and a different emotion wiped the smile off his face.
I knew that feeling like a close friend. It was fear. “Me, too.”
A guy my age laughed softly. “Oh, that’s too bad. Usually you’ve got time to strengthen a bit more before the Characteristic Trial.”
I focused on his handsome face. “You know about this, about what’s going on?”
He smirked, and looked me up and down. “I do. This is our chance to gain the weapons to become gods.”
“What does that mean?” I took a step forward, wanting to drag an explanation for all this out of him.
“That’s the point of all this, you know. They’re seeing who can become a god.” He gestured to the floating cube. “What did you think it meant?”
It read slightly different than the last time.
HERE YOU WILL BE TRIED, YOUR MEASURE TAKEN. THE LIVING WILL BE GRANTED A POWER TO MATCH.
I wanted to scream, but restrained myself to a flurry of questions. “What does that mean? Who’s ‘seeing?’ What is this place, this game? What weapons do you mean? Illegal things, like guns or knives?”
He smiled again, and looked up at the sky. A flapping sound filled the air, and I followed his gaze. Hundreds of crows flew towards us from every direction.
I threw myself backward into the grass and crouched down.
The guy gave me a surprised look and laughed. “It’s only the Examiner. Relax.”
The small boy smiled at me, an innocent expression that made me wonder just how old he was. Definitely too young to be playing in this Game. Just what kind of monster would do that to a child?
The crows settled around the group of Players in the small stone clearing like a shimmering black shroud over the earth. When nothing happened, I crept back out again.
One crow, larger than the others, landed on top of the cube and looked down at all of us with a cocked head and beady little bird eye. It opened its mouth, and a half-mechanic, half-cute voice came from it. “Hello, Players. I am this Trial’s Examiner.” Its beak stayed constantly open while the words came out, as if a speaker in the back of its throat did all the “talking.”
“Those are my eyes and ears.” It gestured to the other crows with its beak.
Their little eyes glittered, a sea of sparkles. It was unnatural, revolting, and the hair of my arms and the back of my neck prickled stiff.
The crow’s voice came out again. “This Trial is a special type of test. All the choices and actions you make, your every move, is measured. If you survive until the end, you will be given a Skill that matches your assessment. Please reach into the cube and retrieve your token.”
The handsome guy sunk his hand eagerly into the wall of the cube, which melted over his disappearing skin until he drew something out.
Nothing happened to him, so I thrust my own hand forward. I clenched my teeth when the cube didn’t stop me, instead seeming to suck and pull at my flesh. I felt something small and hard, clenched my fist around it, and yanked backward. In my hand was a small black ball.
I examined it for markings while the other Players took their own tokens, but it was perfectly smooth, and surprisingly heavy. I tucked it into my shirt pocket.
The crow started to speak again. “There are only two rules to win. Do not give up possession of your token. You will not be able to return without it. And do not die. You may take each other’s tokens through battle or trickery, but greater potential rewards create a harder challenge. If you are not prepared for an increased difficulty level, do not take additional tokens.” It cocked its head as if listening to something in the distance. “Let the Trial begin.” And with that, all the crows flapped into chaos, rising into the sky like a cloud of darkness.
* * *
I covered my face with my hands to protect it from the crows’ beating wings and claws, and when I lifted them, I saw everyone had burst into motion. I saw some running through the field for the trees in the distance, some fighting over each other’s tokens already, and some going for the strange buildings. The small boy and the guy who’d known what was happening were both gone already.
I hesitated for a moment, and then ran down the lined stone path toward the buildings. Protective walls around me and a small place to hide sounded perfect.
The path split in three directions, and I turned to the right. The path split again, and I took the right again, which led to an oval building that looked like a gargantuan, half-sunken egg. Vines sprung from the ground and curled up its surface as if anchoring
it to the earth.
A shriek, like that from a bird of prey, cut through the air behind me like a high-pitched razor. Someone shouted, and then the shouting changed to screaming. I could tell the difference, because the screams were desperate and filled with fear.
I shuddered and didn’t look back as I entered a small doorway cut through the side of the vine-covered building. That was stupid, because the floor dropped away beneath my feet as soon as I touched it, and I fell, screaming.
My scream cut off abruptly as my landing knocked the air out of my lungs. I rolled to my hands and knees and sucked desperately for the dust-filled air. Something snicked above me, and every last drop of light cut out. When I could once again breathe, I patted at the ground, sweeping my arms around to get my bearings. Heavy dust and…sticks. I followed the sticks to other, attached sticks, and came to a horrible realization. “Not sticks…” I snatched my hands back, coughed, and gagged.
I fumbled with my link sheath, and its screen lit up the small compartment I sat in. A large skeleton lay beside me, and I scuttled back only to rattle another stack of old bones. I turned in a circle, and saw that I was in a seamless square box, about three meters in every direction. Three large skeletons and one normal-sized one kept me company.
I saw a small black ball amongst the half-inch layer of dust made of their decayed bodies. I brushed it off, and realized it was a token, just like the one I had. I dropped it immediately. The crow had said having more than one made the Trial even harder, and I didn’t want the walls to suddenly start pouring water down on me and filling up the room, or some other equally deadly twist. I only needed my own token to get out alive.
I stood up and put my hand on one of the walls, hoping to feel some seam or crack I could get at, but it slid away at the touch of my hand, meshing into the adjacent wall. A corridor stretched out in front of me, lit with warm light. Beautiful pale blue flowers with large, droopy petals stretched out over the floor and walls.
