by Layman, Tate
She closed her eyes. She’d been such an idiot to trust him. Mark had made believe that he was scared to care about someone too much because of the situation with his mom. But that wasn’t true. He was still keeping secrets and playing games. Here she was thinking he’d changed, but really he hadn’t. He hadn’t even told her until the day before games started. Of course, now he couldn’t wait any longer. She would see his team together tomorrow.
Finally she realized that she had to say something. “I don’t even know why I bothered to give you a chance. You never changed, you were just hiding things. Gosh, I feel like such a stupid moron for believing you – the biggest flirt in school – would actually turn out to be a good guy.” Grabbing her bag, Whit walked as fast as she could out of the library. A tear escaped, but she dashed it away before anyone could see it. She would not cry over him. She’d made a mistake and she was paying for it, but he wasn’t worth her tears. She thought she heard him call her name, but she kept walking.
She tore through the halls and across the lawn, but slowed down as she got closer to the dorms. Almost against her will, she glanced behind her. A part of her hoped that he would come after her with some explanation that would clear everything up.
But he hadn’t followed her. The walkway was empty.
Chapter 25
The Dark Conquest tournament was scheduled to last the final two weeks of the semester. The championship game would take place on the last day before holiday break. Today, all the teams had been called to a final meeting in the auditorium. Mr. Tolman greeted each group and highlighted their team name on a clipboard he held.
After her argument with Nolan the day before, Whit had gone directly to Ellie and Rory for advice. They had agreed that Nolan was a jerk; first for not telling her right away, and second for allowing Darby to kiss and touch him. Her being on his team was bad enough, but the kiss made it ten times worse.
Now, as they walked toward the front of the auditorium, Whit just wanted to avoid seeing him if at all possible. She had known in her heart that she wasn’t ready to get involved with someone. It had only been six months since she lost her parents, and then with the visions and the move to Maverick, her heart had been through enough. But she hadn’t been able to resist him. He’d made her feel happy again, like maybe life would be okay. Now it seemed like she’d been right the first time. Focusing on the floor, she held back the tears that wanted to fall. Why did life have to suck so much?
Rory and Ellie steered her into the second row and into her seat. She could tell that they were worried about her again; it seemed like they were always taking care of her or trying to cheer her up, and she hated it. She hated being a burden to them.
Glancing at the girls on either side of her, she said, “I’m sorry I’m such a mess all the time.” She was determined not to cry.
“Don’t apologize. It’s what friends do,” Rory said with a squeeze to her hand.
“At some point, I’m going to be a mess. It’s just your turn right now,” Ellie winked. “It sucks, but someday you’ll have to repay the favor, and I’ll know I can count on you to take care of me.”
Whit realized how lucky she was to have these two wonderful friends, and hoped that she could return the favor if they ever needed it. Somehow they’d actually made her feel a bit better. Until she glanced up and noticed who was sitting in the front row. Nolan’s team. Complete with Darby.
Mr. Tolman started the meeting by repeating the description and overview of Dark Conquest. Whit tried to focus on him, rather than noticing that Nolan was sitting with Darby. She forced her attention to Mr. Tolman, ignoring Nolan when he turned around to stare at her.
The headmaster started by going over the tournament brackets for the first round of play. The team names were great. Silent Assassins, The Untouchables, Wrecking Crew, and Smokin’ Aces were just a few. Whit’s team, the Venomous Vixens, were up against the Black Frogs in the first round of play, starting at 8 the next morning. Whit could feel her nerves already tightening in anticipation. Most of the teams would miss several classes due to the games, but Tolman reminded everyone that all work had to be done whether they were in class or not, with the exception of Cooperative Learning.
He explained that since the games lasted six hours, only one game would be played each day. That’d also give the faculty time to reset the game floor and the many obstacles. He continued with uniforms, which would be handed out at the conclusion of the meeting. Food and water was permitted during game play, but the teams were required to carry it in themselves, which meant taking backpacks. However, all bags would be searched, to make sure the students were only bringing legal food and water. Whit had wondered about getting hungry and thirsty, and was relieved to hear that they could carry food and water in. For goodness sake, six hours was a long time, especially if she was running around the whole time.
Mr. Tolman also stressed that students did get injured occasionally during Dark Conquest, and told them to be aware of their surroundings at all times. Though it would be mostly dark, with only torches placed randomly throughout the warehouse, everyone needed to keep their guard up at all times. Whit started to feel a little scared at that. In her visions, she knew that at some point she might get hit on the head or trapped in a small area. She might also spontaneously figure out how to mindbend.
The question was, would any of that actually happen? Had those been visions, or just dreams?
Once they were dismissed, the teams had an hour to plan and discuss before they had to report back to class. Rory hustled the Venomous Vixens into one of the back corners of the auditorium, where she passed out the uniforms. These consisted of a long-sleeved shirts and pants. Whit held hers out for a long look. They were all black except for a stripe of red going down the middle of the shirt. She immediately looked around and noticed that all the uniforms were the same, except for the stripe color.
Of course, while she was looking around the room, she noticed Nolan’s team gathered near the stage. He was sitting on the front of the stage, facing her, with his eyes shut. Whit looked at him for a second. He looked normal, like nothing had happened. She, on the other hand, probably looked like something the cat dragged in. She hadn’t taken the time to really fix her hair, just throwing it up into a short ponytail. Her jeans and sweatshirt were wrinkled, and she knew that her face was splotchy from crying. If he looked in her direction at all, he would know how much he’d hurt her. Why hadn’t she spent a little bit more time getting ready? She decided that as soon as the teams were dismissed back to class, she would slip away to the restroom and try to fix herself up a bit.
At the end of the hour, all the teams left the auditorium and headed to class. Rory and Ellie walked in the opposite direction toward Technology and Home Ec, while Whit slipped into the nearest restroom. She quickly splashed her face with some cold water and brushed her hair back into a more stylish ponytail. Since she didn’t have her makeup, that was the best she could do. She surveyed herself in the mirror and felt a little better about how she looked. As she walked down the hall toward the art room, she kept her eyes down, trying to avoid all interaction. She didn’t feel like talking to anyone.
Her plan was working fine until someone stepped in her way, blocking her path. Glancing up, Whit wished she hadn’t. It was Darby. Whit tried to edge around her, but Darby moved, forcing her to stop again.
“Whitni, so sorry to hear about you and Nolan. Of course, to be perfectly honest, I’m surprised you two lasted that long,” Darby said with a smirk, which Whit noticed took nothing away from her beauty. It just wasn’t fair that she could look so pretty while being such a bitch.
Whit rolled her eyes and pretended to be indifferent. “Yeah, me too. But I mean, how could I possibly compete with someone like you, who’s so giving when it comes to guys?” She smiled, hoping her smile looked as mean as Darby’s smirk.
Darby snarled. “Bitch,” she muttered as she stormed away in a huff. Whit couldn’t help grinning; being an ass to
Darby had actually made her feel better. And she was quite proud of herself for finally insulting her without stumbling over her words.
Now if she could just deal with Nolan the same way, she thought as she made her way to Art.
Chapter 26
Dinner that night was eventful to say the least. Whit’s team ate together and went over their strategy as best they could. They knew the Black Frogs had two casters, a stalker, and two vampires. The team had two guys and three girls, which meant they’d probably be stronger and maybe faster than the Vixens. But their strategy seemed like a good one, so they stuck with it. It hadn’t changed much over the weeks of practice. The plan was still for Misty to track the enemy, Whit to lure them out into the open, then Lindsey or Ellie would use their skills to trap them before Rory would cart them off to the hold. With the cafeteria so crowded and amped up about the competition, Whit’s team had to whisper so no one would overhear their strategy.
Whit couldn’t help glancing around the cafeteria as they talked, trying to spot Nolan. Did he miss her at all, or had he really already moved on to Darby? She just couldn’t believe that he’d fooled her so completely, and wondered how long it had been going on with Darby. And why hadn’t anyone else told her? Had they known? She couldn’t believe that they had; they would have told her if they’d heard anything.
Not that it made it hurt any less.
At least dinner didn’t last long. With their first game starting at 8 in the morning, her team agreed that everyone should go to bed early. Whit threw away her trash and listened as Rory talked about Jason, a guy from her English class, who was super hot and had lips she’d been dreaming about. Whit and Ellie laughed and teased Rory about her boy craziness as they exited the cafeteria.
They had just started down the path towards the dorms when someone tugged on Whit’s elbow. Turning around, she came face to face with the big lying flirt himself. Ellie and Rory looked at Whit, clearly wanting some direction on what to do. Whit nodded at them and they hurried away, obviously trying to give them some privacy.
“What do you want?”she asked as she pulled her arm away from his touch.
“We need to talk.”
“Nope, we don’t.” Whit turned and tried to walk away without stomping in anger, but felt his fingers on her arm again. “Don’t touch me!” she snarled, whirling around to face him.
He raised both his hands. “Look, it’s not what you think. Darby’s just on the team, nothing’s going on between us. There hasn’t been anyone but you since the party.”
“Sure looked like something was going on in the library yesterday when she kissed you. And what about you lying to me about her being on your team? Is that supposed to make me believe you?” She was so angry and disappointed in him. But she wanted to hear what he had to say, so she waited.
“I didn’t lie to –”
“Omission is a lie,” she snapped, cutting him off.
“I knew you’d be pissed so I didn’t tell you. I’m sorry about that, I should’ve told you. But I didn’t want us to fight,” he finished, covering his face with his hands.
Whit was confused. When she listened to him, he sounded so sad and sincere, but was that just part of his act to keep girls interested? Or was he being real? Could she trust him at all, or believe what he was saying? Since she didn’t know what to say, she just stood there.
“Look, as far as Darby goes, the team needed someone and she wasn’t on a team. I would’ve asked you, but you were already with Rory. I know what I did was shitty, and all I can do is ask for forgiveness and another chance,” he said, shoving a hand through his hair in frustration. “I don’t want to lose you. You’re one of my best friends.”
Suddenly Whit felt exhausted, both emotionally and physically. “I’ve got to go. We have our first game tomorrow, so … Well, I guess I just don’t know right now,” she said. She turned and started walking back to the dorms.
“I already miss you,” he said to her back. As she walked away, she heard his footsteps fade in the opposite direction.
Chapter 27
Whit was wishing her team wasn’t in the first game as they waited to enter the release room. If they’d played tomorrow instead of today, they might’ve gotten information about what the playing area was like. But being first meant they were going in blind except for what Whit remembered from her dreams.
She’d tried to dream about the game last night, but had ended up tossing and turning. Her thoughts and nerves had kept her awake long into the night. Thoughts that questioned every aspect of her relationship with Nolan had plagued her. She recalled many of their conversations and wondered if she had just been a distraction like all the others. But she couldn’t make herself believe that. They were friends. They had talked about their families, shared their problems, their worries. She knew all about his parents’ divorce and had watched him struggle with his mom’s depression. But that didn’t explain why he had lied about Darby? Why hadn’t he just told her? She could admit to herself that she would’ve gotten mad. Could she be overreacting? She just didn’t know and those thoughts had kept her awake.
Whit yawned as her team crossed the threshold into the release room. They would stay there until the horn sounded and the game began. A digital clock in front of them counted down to the start time: 11:14, 11:13, 11:12 …
This morning, before they started, her team had looked into the members of the Black Frogs and formulated a plan. They had kept it pretty loose, considering they only knew what Whit remembered from her dreams about the playing area. The Black Frogs were made up of two casters – one fire and one ice – two vampires, and a stalker. They were all seniors, and since no one on Whit’s team was close friends with any of them, that’s all they’d been able to find out.
The Venomous Vixens’ plan was pretty basic. At the start of the game, everyone would work together to find their opponents and capture them. Once they had their prisoners in the hold, someone would have to stay back guard them. They had decided to wait until that happened to figure out who would be the best guard. Whit thought Misty would be ideal because she could detect anyone close by with her super senses, but then again if anyone got close to the hold Lindsey could use her ice magic to keep them away or freeze them. If that happened, they might even be able to capture someone else. Rory had suggested that Ellie and Whit could take turns acting as bait to draw out opposing team members and then somehow the team would nab them, probably using Rory’s super physical abilities or Lindsey’s ice. Whit hoped there’d be props inside the game area so that she could use telekinetically to help her team. There was a lot they didn’t know, so their plans were pretty flexible.
As they waited in the release room, Whit felt the nervousness coming off her teammates. They had been waiting for about eight minutes, while the clock continued to count down: 3:20, 3:19, 3:18. Ellie had talked nonstop from the moment they entered the room, obviously hoping to keep everyone’s minds off the countdown, but even her peppiness had its limits. Rory, on the other hand, was the only calm person in the room. She sat in the corner, smiling coolly. Finally, with only two minutes left on the clock, she got up and moved toward the game door. She turned around and grinned.
“Okay, you guys know the plan. But we’ll change it if we have to once we get in there. Remember to look around the area, so you know what’s going on. Don’t let anyone sneak up on you, and don’t get separated. You should be able to see at least one of us at all times. First, we need to check out our safe zone, and look to see if there’s anything around we can use. We can’t restrain them at all once they’re captured, but if there’s rope or something, we might be able to make a trap. So everyone keep your eyes open. Stay close until we know for sure that our plan’s a good one.”
Everyone looked at the clock, feeling a bit calmer. The countdown was at ten seconds, and quickly ticked down to zero. Then she heard the horn blast. Her team surged through the door into the playing area, breathless with excitement.
Th
ey stopped in a huddle right inside the door. Whit glanced around, but it was dark. She noticed a torch a few feet away and moved to grab it. Once she had it in her hand, she felt a little bit better. The darkness scared the shit out of her. She waved the torch around, cutting through the blackness. She could make out shapes, but couldn’t actually identify anything until she was right up next to it.
“Whit, bring that torch over here. We need to see the safe zone,” Rory called.
Whit walked over, handed the torch to Rory, and followed her around the safe zone area, which was marked with a red box. This box meant they couldn’t be captured, but also meant they couldn’t capture anyone here. Rory led the group over to the holding room, which was exactly as described – an empty room with chairs. At least it had a small light, Whit thought. It would be absolutely terrifying to be captured and then held in the pitch black. She didn’t want to think about being captured herself, but if she was, she’d be thanking whoever had put that light in there.
Rory handed the torch back to Whit then, having found one of her own. After some discussion, they agreed to split into two groups and search close by for anything usable. Whit and Lindsey went to the left, while the other three searched the right side.
They’d only been walking for a moment when Lindsey grabbed Whit’s hand. Whit jumped and whirled around, assuming something was wrong.
“Nothing’s wrong, just didn’t want to lose you,” Lindsey said, giggling nervously. “This dark is really freaking me out. I don’t know if I can do this for six hours.” Her voice quivered.
Whit felt scared too, but knew saying so wouldn’t help. “We’ll get used to it. Our eyes just need to adjust, then we’ll be able to see.” At least she hoped so.
