by Layman, Tate
They looked around, and noticed ropes hanging from the ceiling and large crates stacked up randomly in stacks of twos and threes. Just as she had seen in her vision. Tolman had told the teams that objects of use would be hidden around the game floor, so Whit wanted to see into the shadows and dark. Maybe there was something else there. Something they could use.
All of a sudden, Lindsey darted toward a stack of crates. Before Whit could follow her, she was climbing the stack. Whit held up the torch, trying to see what she was doing, and noticed something draped over the top of the crates. It looked like rope. Lindsey got to the top, grabbed whatever it was, and threw it down to Whit. When she caught it, Whit realized it was better than just rope – it was a net about the size of a small car. This was definitely a good find.
After they had searched around for another ten minutes, they headed back toward the safe zone to rendezvous with Misty, Rory, and Ellie. The other three hadn’t found anything, but were excited about the net.
“Okay, what now?” Ellie prompted.
“I say we need to know more about this place. Like what’s straight ahead?” Rory questioned. “I mean, we need to know what’s out there, so we can move around. Maybe we’ll find something else.”
“We better be careful. The other team could be anywhere,” Misty whispered, looking around.
Whit watched Misty and knew she was listening closely for any noises that would alert her to someone’s presence. She must not have heard anything, though, because she nodded for them to move forward.
The group edged around several stacks of crates, with Misty taking the lead and Rory watching their butts. Whit glanced around and saw a forest of crates. They went on for at least 100 yards before abruptly ending at a wall. The wall was made of some sort of rock, which meant there were lots of handholds and footholds. Easy to climb, she thought, remembering a rock climbing trip she had gone on with her parents.
The pain was unexpected and instantaneous. Just flashing back to that small memory felt like someone had taken a sledge hammer to her chest. She didn’t realize she had stopped walking until Ellie nudged her forward. Whit shook herself, trying to force the sadness back into the box she kept it in. She was thankful it was dark since she knew her face was wet with tears. She rubbed her hand across her face and focused on the game, trying to forget the piercing pain that still throbbed with her.
“Whit, you okay?” Misty whispered over her shoulder.
“Yeah, I’m good,” she answered, knowing Misty must have picked up on her distress with her senses.
The team continued to walk along the path until it opened up to a small pond. There was a row boat turned over next to the edge. Whit moved to the edge of the pond and noticed it was more like a pool, filled with dark water. She couldn’t tell how big it was, because the dark obscured that particular detail. Surely it couldn’t be that big, she thought. It was a new obstacle, though; the pool and wall hadn’t been in her visions, so she didn’t know anything about them or what was on the other side.
Suddenly Misty held up a hand, signaling silence. Whit froze, knowing Misty must’ve heard something or someone. She watched as Misty glanced around slowly. She didn’t know if Misty’s eyes were equipped to see in the darkness, but she knew they were better than hers. Everyone stayed still for what seemed like hours, but was probably only a couple of minutes. Then the stalker waved everyone forward. The group huddled together, keeping their eyes on the surrounding area. After a whispered discussion, they decided to split up and look around for twenty minutes, hoping to find another useful object or even come across some of the other team. Whit and Lindsey broke off to the right, moving away from the wall, while Ellie, Rory and Misty searched around the wall, hoping to get a look on the other side.
As the split up, Whit caught a glimpse of the huge clock on the wall over her head, it wasn’t really that bright, but if you knew where to look, it was easy to find. Time remaining was 4:47:26. She couldn’t believe it had already been over an hour, without any action whatsoever. No one had been captured yet. Heck, they hadn’t even seen the other team. Of course, for all she knew, the other team could be watching her at this very moment. She glanced around nervously, suddenly feeling hunted. This game certainly wasn’t for the faint of heart.
As her eyes roamed across the room, she spotted what looked like a wooden doorway, and nudged Lindsey to get her attention. She pointed toward the door and Lindsey nodded, agreeing that they needed to check it out. As they peeked through the doorway, Whit immediately recognized the hallway. This place had been in the vision where she made herself invisible. They walked down the long hallway, which split off several times, seeing that it became a sort of maze. There were a few closed doors, but they checked and found them all locked. Lindsey tapped her watch then, indicating that it was time to meet up with the rest of the team.
Once they were back at the water, Lindsey and Whit surveyed their surroundings. The other team was there somewhere, waiting for their chance. Suddenly she heard footsteps and pulled Lindsey behind a nearby crate, peeking around the corner. She stepped forward as soon as she spotted Rory. What she hadn’t been expecting was the boy Rory had with her. She held his wrists behind his back, not causing him pain, but restraining him nonetheless. Whit noticed that Rory was grinning from ear to ear. The other group crept toward Whit and Lindsey, and Ellie stepped forward.
“Don’t look into his eyes or at his smile, he’s a vampire,” she said. “He’ll mesmerize you, and that’s all it’ll take for one of you guys to release him. If you look at him, focus on his neck and chest.”
The group started walking back toward their safe zone, keeping their prisoner in the center of the group. It took about ten minutes to get back to the hold, where Rory gently bumped the boy into the hold, shutting the door behind him. She told Whit and Lindsey quietly about the capture, grinning. Ellie had been used as bait to draw him out, and then Rory had overpowered him. They hadn’t expected him to be alone, but no one had tried to help him.
They still didn’t know if anyone else had been around.
They decided that Lindsey and Ellie would guard him, since Lindsey could use ice to restrain him if necessary and Ellie was immune to his powers.
Whit grabbed the net, realizing that they needed to capture more of the other team. She quickly explained her plan to Rory and Misty, who both smiled and nodded. They headed into the crates, keeping together. The plan was for Whit to use her telekinetic power to hold the net over a specific spot, while acting as the bait herself. Once she dropped the net on whoever came to catch her, Rory would tighten it down, trapping whoever was inside. Misty was leading the hunt and would signal when she heard anyone approaching. That was how they’d know to set the trap.
The girls got into place and waited. Time slowly ticked away. Whit glanced to the countdown to see 4:01:15. They were ahead for the moment, but they needed to capture more of the other team if they were going to win. She stood out in an open area, trying to look helpless, and worked to keep the net steady overhead.
Finally, after almost ten minutes, Misty pointed behind her. Someone was coming. Whit tried to remain calm, but her nerves were causing the net to wave around. She felt the telekinesis sapping her energy, and wasn’t sure how much longer she’d be able to hold it. She kept her back turned, knowing the enemy was sneaking up on her. Rory hung from one of the ropes above them, ready to jump on top of the net. Whit felt goose bumps rise on her arms, and knew they were close. Then she heard them. It took all her willpower to stay exposed and wait them out.
After what seemed like an eternity, Rory whistled and Whit dropped the net. She heard a loud huff and some scrambling behind her, and whirled around. Rory jumped down and pulled the net tight. Whit squinted through the dark at the squirming bundle and couldn’t believe her eyes. They had captured not one, but two people.
The two girls were clearly surprised and angry, but Rory had both of them subdued. She looked completely at ease holding both girl
s tightly inside the net. Whit saw one girl raise her hand slightly, trying to mount a defense, and a chunk of ice hit the crate next to Whit. The net started to freeze, and Whit knew that at any moment the girls would break free from it. Before that could happen, Rory picked the net up – with the two girls inside – and slung it over her shoulder. The caster and the other girl crumpled into a ball of arms and legs, completely unable to move. Whit watched in awe as Rory started walking back toward their hold, looking completely at ease.
Whit laughed quietly to herself and shook her head. It looked absolutely ridiculous. Rory was tiny, but there she was carrying two girls in a huge net. She even started skipping at one point on the way back to the safe zone.
Whit turned, and once again spotted the doorway that led to the maze of halls. Without thinking, she moved in that direction. As she crossed through the doorway, she glimpsed Rory and Misty moving around a crate and out of sight. She knew she needed to catch up to them, but really wanted to see if her vision would come true. This was where she’d done the mindbending in her vision. Could it actually happen? If she was in here, could she figure it out? Could she actually make other people believe something that wasn’t true by pushing ideas into their heads?
Before she could chicken out, she walked down the hall and around the first bend. She slowed when she heard footsteps, then stopped and crouched in the hallway, just like she had in the vision. The footsteps grew louder, and now she could also hear whispering. This was the moment. She’d either be able to fool them or get caught.
Concentrating intensely, Whit started to chant in her head, “I’m invisible,” over and over and over. She kept her eyes shut so she wouldn’t get distracted. Finally she opened her eyes. She felt the breath slam out of her lungs. The guy and girl were less than 2 feet away, looking in her direction. She focused again, closing her eyes. “I’m invisible,” she thought, terrified that she’d be spotted at any second. But the pair continued past without stopping.
Whit exhaled, and the pair stopped. They must’ve heard her. She tried to focus on bending their minds to keep them from hearing her, but it was too late. They’d already turned and walked back toward her, stopping within inches of her crouched position.
“Did you hear that?” asked the guy.
“Sounded like someone was right behind us,” the girl said, glancing from side to side.
“They had someone with mind power didn’t they?”
The boy slowly raised his hand and a fireball appeared. He blasted the area around him, causing Whit to jump and run for the doorway. She heard them yelling and knew she had lost her invisibility. Before she could cross the threshold, the doorway caught on fire, trapping her. She thought about jumping through it, but worried that she’d catch on fire. The boy laughed as he and girl slowly walked toward her.
“Not bad, mindbender. You almost had us fooled,” he said.
Glancing from the boy to the smiling girl, Whit was amazed by her beauty. The girl asked Whit to follow her and, without thinking, she agreed. Only later in the hold would she understand that the girl was a vampire and had mesmerized her.
Whit blinked several times to clear her head and glanced around at her surroundings. Where was she? How had she gotten here? She was standing in front of a door in an area that looked exactly like her team’s safe zone and hold. She spotted a boy and girl behind her and immediately began to remember bits and pieces. They’d chased her and then girl had smiled. That’s the last thing she remembered. The boy moved forward and pushed Whit into the hold. She collapsed into a chair as the door closed. What had happened exactly? She didn’t remember the walk but she knew the girl was a vampire, which meant she’d been mesmerized and compelled. Whit felt a bit freaked out by the loss of her memory and understood why vampires were so feared.
Well, at least one fear she wouldn’t have to deal with in the hold was the dark. Thank goodness there were lights. She didn’t think she could handle sitting in the dark for the three remaining hours. She tried to remember the walk from the hallway to their hold, but it was a blur. Man, that mesmerizing stuff was strong. She couldn’t remember much about the area after they crossed the wall. It was like she’d been blinded.
Maybe she could escape, she realized suddenly. She knew from the rules that the door couldn’t be locked, but were they guarding her? That she didn’t know. She touched the doorknob and immediately jumped back with a yelp. It had burned her hand. The burn wasn’t bad, but felt tender and ached a bit. They’d heated the metal, then, though she didn’t think there was an actual fire on the other side. Whit needed a plan and maybe some help from her teammates. But what were the chances of them coming for her? She guessed she could try mindbending again. Maybe if she concentrated hard enough, she could get out of here.
She visualized the guy and girl that caught her. Focusing on them, she tried to push the idea that someone was moving around close by and that they needed to go and check it out. She attempted to push thoughts in their directions for several minutes, but her mind felt sluggish and tired. Hovering the net and being invisible must’ve taken a lot out of her. She was still stunned that she had been successful, and smiled to herself as her eyes closed. She let her mind relax. After a few minutes, the tension in her muscles that had kept her alert out on the game floor eased. Her eyes felt so heavy that she didn’t think she could open them again.
Chapter 28
Glancing around, Whit saw several students shoving suitcases into cars and hugging each other good bye. She heard people talking about holiday plans and getting together during the break. She stood in front of her dorm with Mona, who pointed toward the car and headed in that direction, carrying a suitcase. Whit shivered, noticing how cold the air was, then started walking to Mona’s car. A hand tapped her shoulder before she had taken two steps. Turning around, Whit saw it was Nolan. He was smiling, although his eyes looked sad.
“I just wanted to tell you bye before you left,” he said, glancing at the ground. “Hope you have a good break.”
“Yeah, you too. I guess I’ll see you when we get back to school,” Whit said sadly.
She wanted to hug and kiss him, but he’d said he was done with her. Looking at him, she started to feel herself tearing up. No, she wouldn’t cry in front of him.
“I’ve got to go, my mom and sister are here. Bye, Whit.” He waved, then walked around the side of the dorm building.
Whit stood there and watched as he disappeared. Tears slipped down her face and she wanted to run after him with all her heart. So why didn’t she? What was holding her back? She turned and jogged toward Mona, who was leaning against her car.
Whit jerked awake as the door of the hold opened. The caster shoved Misty into the room, then slammed the door.
“What happened?” Whit asked, jumping out of her seat.
“I got caught, that’s what happened!” Misty snarled.
Whit sat back down, not waiting to get into it with her. Maybe she just needed to cool down. The minutes ticked by in silence. Whit really wanted to ask how much time remained, but Misty still looked angry, so she kept quiet. She wondered how anyone had been able to sneak up and capture a stalker, but didn’t want to ask a stupid question. She also knew that the guy and girl were the only remaining members of the Black Frogs free. How had they captured Misty and guard her at the same time? Had Misty attempted to rescue her?
Whit walked to the door and tapped the doorknob, but found that it was still flaming hot. Did the caster heat it up and then go hunting with the vampire girl? Whit bet that was it. Either way, they couldn’t stay here if they wanted to win. She started thinking that if they could just wait a few minutes, the caster would leave again.
If only she had tried the door again earlier, instead of falling asleep and having that useless dream.
“Whit, I’m sorry,” Misty grumbled with her hands over her face. “I shouldn’t have taken it out on you. I was just pissed that I got caught.”
“It’s fine. What happ
ened?”
“Rory and I were almost back to the hold when we noticed you’d disappeared. We took the caster and stalker to the hold, then headed back out to where we lost you. Rory had just walked through the doorway of that hallway maze thing when flames shot up and cut me off from her. I knew it was the caster, I just didn’t know where he was. I focused my senses on finding him, but before I could figure it out, a girl appeared with a huge smile. I should’ve known and looked away. But I didn’t, and then it was too late. I don’t really remember very much after that. Stupid vampire,” she growled. “What about you? How’d they get you?”
“I was in the hallway maze and I heard them coming. There was nowhere to go, so I tried mindbending. I was actually invisible for about a second before they saw me. Then she got me with that smile. Just like you.” Whit sat down, propping her elbows on her knees. “How much time is left? I’ve lost track of time in here.”
“There were only two hours left last I saw. I bet by now, it is down to an hour and a half, or maybe less. We need to get out of here.”
Whit nodded. “The caster heated the doorknob so it’s too hot to touch. But I think they heat it up and then leave to go hunt. I don’t think they’re guarding us. I mean, they’re the last two players on the Black Frogs, right?”
“Yeah, I bet your right,” Misty said, walking toward the door. She tucked her hand inside her shirt. “Only one way to find out,” she said, reaching out and lightly touching the knob. She quickly jumped back. “Holy shit that’s hot!”she yelled, shaking her hand. “He must have heated that up to boiling point! Any ideas?”
Whit thought and thought, then rechecked the knob, but every time it was too hot to hold onto. She even took off her shirt and attempted to use it like a pot holder, but the shirt was too thin. Probably on purpose. She knew time was counting down, and the game was close. If the Black Frogs captured one more, it would be tied. And that was only if no one had managed to escape from their hold. Although Whit was sure Lindsey was keeping the door frozen solid. Just the opposite of her situation.
