I forced myself out of bed the next morning. Every bone in my body ached with worry, for both Rachel and the oncoming events. The woman police officer called to tell me Rachel stabilized, and that she would be okay. She suffered a mild concussion and bleeding because of the way her head hit the wooden pew. She would be completely fine after some rest, and would probably even go home tonight.
My father already left to help the playhouse with their set and things, considering the show opened in a few hours. My event also opened in a few hours. I searched the house for some scoring note about my actions, but I couldn't locate one, so I assumed that he didn't know about my late night excursion to help Rachel. My heart ached. Rachel would recover; the hospital and police said so. Now I could only embrace the eternal suffering of this event that my dad forbid me to attend. I snatched my house keys and my backpack, which only contained my gem that I earned and a few bottles of water. Everything completely hinged on tonight.
My breath hitched in my throat as I stepped outside and headed for the bus. I could explain this to my dad once everything blew over. I would tell him I didn't want to miss the highlight of my Senior year, and so I lied to participate. I needed to protect my friends. A horrible feeling that the Badgers intended to make everyone's life Hell as soon as we stepped through those doors wormed into my head.
School property seemed much less inviting than usual. Upon entering, I noticed many students lingering around several tents set up by the main entrance. Different teams, for the most part, located their tents in different places; few intermingled. Darkly colored, kind eyes gazed into mine from a distance, and I trotted over to their owner.
"Nice to see you, Fey. How are you?" Justin smiled at me, and extended a slender, dark hand to shake. I firmly shook his hand, glad to see a happy and friendly face since last night.
"I'm really shaken. I mean, it's been a long night." I answered, voice wavering. Images of the aftermath I witnessed only made me guess at the carnage that occurred earlier that evening. My instincts told me that Justin needed to know, because he still kept Rachel as a part of his team. She was supposed to go in with him to the big event tonight.
"I know what you mean." The satyr answered before I could get more words out. He rubbed the back of his head and tears pricked at the edges of his eyes. I hated to interrupt him, but I had to tell him before I lost every ounce of courage that I built up.
"Rachel got really hurt last night. She's in the hospital. I'm not sure what happened, but I found her lying on the floor." My voice cracked and betrayed my upset feelings.
"Wait; did you call the Hospital for her?" Justin cut me off and stared at me in utter surprise.
"You knew?" I asked, also caught off guard. How did Justin know about her being in the hospital already?
"Her little sister called me. She told me about someone calling the hospital and police for Rachel. Someone attacked her in the middle of the night while looking for the Opal Ring of Sanctitude." He explained, and his hands shook as his dark eyes trailed across the ground. I didn't even think about it. My feelings of worry for Rachel overrode any attempt to find a stupid, fake ring. "Was it there?"
"I didn't look." My face heated up in slight shame. "I was too worried about her to think about that."
A hurricane of relief destroyed Justin's face at my heightened interest in the safety of his friend and my girlfriend versus the useless artifact. He reached into a pocket in his jacket, and pulled out his phone. His fingers tapped the screen a few times, and sickening dread soaked his face after a few seconds of silence passed. Reluctantly, he turned the screen towards me. The points for Taylor's ransom displayed on the screen where Rowdy delivered them back to their team for a point reward, but above that, the Badgers gained 300 points. My heart took a deep dive into my gut, and then shredded itself into millions of pieces. One of the Badgers attacked Rachel.
"We're not bringing in another member as a stand-in. We're going in with only four participants to honor her placement." Justin answered, and the three people standing not too far from him stepped closer, nodding their individual agreement. Previously, they only engaged in conversation with each other, but I suppose they decided to join ours.
"Hello Fey, I don't think we ever got to meet." The first waved at me. Her short auburn hair swished about and her bangs slanted across her forehead in a swooping manner. Her green eyes showed the kindness and love for her team. She wore an animal-clad t-shirt, what I would consider normal jeans, and large, gold hoop earrings. "I'm Shelby Lyons. I'm a tamer."
"And I'm Avery Deleon." Avery waved her hand to draw my attention. Her nails were painted black, and her t-shirt with an image from some horror anime I swore that I've seen before contrasted with the rest of her look. A pastel pink ribbon poised high up in her neatly bobbed, platinum blonde hair. This matched her pastel pink skirt. Her brown eyes carried no judgement. "I'm a ghoul."
"You've met me, of course. It'll be good to have a friend on the inside." Harriet, the short orc, grinned brightly. Everyone dressed their best tonight, much more into character, and ready to take on whatever might be in their way.
"Of course." I smiled, though it faded swiftly after remembering that my own team waited for me not too far away. "I have to go, Justin. I'm glad I got to talk to you all, though." After saying our goodbyes, good lucks, and best wishes, I started searching through the tents to find my own team. Eventually, I made out the image of Rowdy's tattoos and Nashita's hijab, but a megaphone halted my progress before I could speak to them beyond an acknowledgement of my arrival.
The megaphone's speaker called out for everyone to gather at the entrance, with the participants up front. I dropped my bag near the Pheonix tents on my way. Slowly, the people began to shift, and I made my way to the front of the crowd next to Nashita, Rowdy, Leighton, and Melissa. We all remained silent as our eyes and the rest of the crowd watched every move of the person on the top of the foundation. Taylor put the megaphone down and smiled sadly.
"For some of you who are not aware, Miss Rachel Gales was hurt in an accident last night. She is in the hospital, but will recover soon and return. Mr. Justin Roe, leader of her team, informed me that he will not choose a replacement candidate and instead will enter the event with only four people. We dedicate tonight to her." They cleared their throat, easily speaking in front of people with the voice of a caring mother. Somehow, Taylor always sounded so soothing and eloquent with their words. In fact, their very presence always felt alleviating.
"For those who wish to, as you are not required to participate, I will lead a prayer for her recovery. You may pray to whichever faith you worship, or simply send your best wishes." They smiled, and with fluttering eyes closed, they bowed their head. Some in the crowd ducked their heads as they did, some lifted their eyes to the sky, some stared on, some did nothing. I looked ahead at Taylor, as I wasn't quite the religious person, but I did hope in my heart that she would recover well. I already missed her.
"Please allow Rachel a safe recovery and ease the pain of her relatives and friends through this trying time. Please do the best to help prevent this type of travesty in the future." Though the prayer sounded somewhat bland, I did understand that Taylor tried to accommodate the multiple religions within the school, so they experienced difficulty stating a particular God's name, considering several in the audience prayed to different people. I heard several 'amen's echo through the night air, including one to my left, which the person pronounced a bit differently. After a moment of silence passed, Taylor continued.
"Now, our participants are, from the Obsidian Honeybadgers, Abigail Johnson, Ezekiel Flynn, Dexter Fenton, Jacy Ramsey, and myself." The demon answered, calling off the names submitted from memory. As Taylor called certain names, hoots and hollers from the audience clamored out in their favor. "From Copper Phoenix, Nashita Baksh, Rudy Washington, Melissa Boyd, Leighton Hyles, and Felicity Norris are competing. Tariq Baksh, Lark Everset, Winifred Delacroix, Michael Gordon, and Damian Woronoff will represent Vanguard's Elite. Arthur Cross, Miles Claymore, Rory Harlem, Jules Krieger, and Anita Ward are participating for Bronzed Syndicate. Then finally, the Crimson Gauntlet members enrolled are Justin Roe, Harriet Wrile, Avery Deleon, and Shelby Lyons." A final, gargantuan applause rang out in appreciation for everyone.
"As stated in the rules, I must confiscate your phones for tonight. Don't worry, they'll be waiting safely outside for you when you return. I promise." Taylor reminded us, picking up a box and then going from participant to participant collecting the devices. I told them I left mine at home, which felt less embarrassing than telling them why I didn't really have it. Arthur didn't bring his either, and I wondered faintly if it had anything to do with his fight with Zeke. My wandering eyes scanned players that I hadn't met yet, curious about who their identities.
I met all of the Badger participants, but again, Abigail removed her presence from the entire campus. My eyes drifted over to the two Vanguard members foreign to my memory.
The first one donned a sparkling shirt and a nice, dark jacket that with darts in the back that made the fabric cling to his frame. The dying light shaded his orange hair, and his brown eyes scrutinized the doors with the anxious anticipation of a small child. The second had black hair, but it had most definitely been dyed, as blonde roots just barely showed through at the top of his short haircut. His blue eyes kept to himself for the most part, and with a bit of hilarity, I noticed he had a small ukulele strapped to his back and an ocarina around a necklace at his throat. Why would anyone need something like that for this?
All of the Syndicate participants except for one, Anita, looked familiar and Justin introduced me to the Gauntlet players that I hadn't met prior to today. The girl I assumed to be Anita had an eyepatch on, but in her nervousness, she switched the patch to the other eye. She probably wore it just for show, and to accentuate her cyclops character. She displayed a headband on her head with a spike at the peak, probably meant to be a horn. This cone almost made her as tall as the rest of her team. Her arms sported bracers dotted with studs and spikes.
"Please forgive the absence of the Badger's Administrator, Abigail. Due to the large nature of the event, there was a lot to do, and she's simply inside finishing everything up." Taylor smiled, and rumbles slowly washed through the crowd. Yeah, we expected that by now. I wouldn't be surprised if Abigail didn't even participate in the event at all. "Follow me inside, and we will enter the ethereal field."
They swiftly turned and headed for the door with confident steps. The cape that clipped around their neck waved gracefully behind them in the slowly picking up wind. They even crafted a pair of horns for to wear with their costume tonight, along with contacts and makeup to make the person look more ethereal and supernatural. The participants climbed the two stairs up onto the platform that Taylor stood on just a moment before. We slipped in through the doors and into the entrance hall that I learned the familiar smell of, but something felt amiss.
Taylor crossed the entrance hall and went into the lobby. The confidence slowly left their feet, making their limbs wobble. I never thought Taylor would do something that would make me uncomfortable, and yet, they did; they did something that made my stomach roll. Their soothing vibe still permeated the air, but they turned and crossed through the middle of the crowd. The blonde ignored the questions of their actions by the participants, and then locked the door that led back outside.
"What in the hell do you think you're doing?" Arthur hissed viciously, and when I looked over at him, he seemed to be so much more aggressive and intimidating than before. An image of an angry wolf with raised hackles and fur replaced him in my mind.
"Just a precaution. We don't want any cheating, people could get in and help their team if it's unlocked." Taylor explained, eyes honest. Arthur slowly began to calm down, and I felt more at ease. Tiny, soothing, and precious Taylor couldn't harm anyone.
"Now," The demon started, looking over the recently quieted mass of people. "I will explain the rules again, so that nothing is lost in translation, so to speak. You will all be at a starting point soon, with each team starting on and 'owning' a separate floor. You will start in your safe room, which will contain items that will help you on your quest. Your goal is to take over floors, catch prisoners, and eliminate players. You will take over a floor if a member of your team logs in to the laptop in the saferoom. You will then have to keep that room secure, also, as anyone can still take it. Any eliminated players will have to remain on the ground at the place of elimination so that active players will not mistake them for people who are still in the game. Players with revival powers can revive eliminated players."
They took a breath, looked around to see if anyone had any questions, and then continued. "Any rebuff items that you've received throughout the year do not have effect in this place because of the field surrounding us all. They will only take effect if you have them with you at this moment." I saw Tariq playing with his necklace, and my heart took a dive. I left my gem outside, and I would need it if I ever faced Abigial. "When the sun rises, an announcement will sound over the intercom, and the event will end. Then, the team with the most floors captured and most players still standing will win, and the leaders will have the honor of designing next year's storyline." They smiled softly, but then it faltered. Their lips twitched into a sad frown. Tears pricked at the sides of their blue eyes, and my emotions twisted in confusion. Did something upset them?
"Taylor, are you alright?" I started to speak, and after a few moments of silence, Taylor began to cry. Huge, rolling tears tainted their makeup and pulled it down their cheeks.
"I'm sorry. So sorry, everyone." The voice of the trembling child shattered, breaking into fragments and sounding slightly warped.
"What do you mean?" Tariq yelled, getting angry, and just as heated as Arthur, who was riled up again and ready to fight.
Taylor reached into a large satchel at their side and pulled out a weird device that I know I've seen before. They turned the crank on the object and a hazy, foul-smelling gas hissed out of the cylinder as they dropped it. I covered my nose, but I could already feel the air burning my lungs. My head spun, and a giggle climbed into my throat due to the woozy nature of my head.
Arthur lunged at Taylor's throat, angrily screeching profanities that I've never heard airborne before, and Taylor screamed in terror. I screamed for him to let go of them, but the words came out slurred and confusing. I sounded like a gargled mess. Arthur tackled them to the ground, laying down punch after punch until his arms became heavy and he slumped over to the floor. The warped colors soon took over my head, too. I slumped to my knees, then to the ground in a deep sleep.