[Daniel's Point of View]
As Brix entered the room, everyone was startled. His clothes were full of blood and it stained his body. At that point, I knew one of us had died again.
He could not speak properly, perhaps, it is because of what he might have witnessed. They're all trying to calm him down while I was freely observing the whole environment.
Who could be the deceiver among us? It's hard to tell.
So far, the puzzles I have been trying to piece together in my mind are not completed yet. My friends keep dying and I knew from the very first start that it wouldn't actually stop not until we find something.
Or maybe even if we can find evidence and find out who is really behind everything, this game won't still stop. We're like a foolish kids constantly gambling on a game that we know we're going to lose at.
Maybe everything is just a big show and it's all nonsense. Their only desire is to kill us in a way that they will have some fun.
These past few days, I only remember a few details that I can piece together with the next information I might have.
First, the time of the bell, there was no bell on Monday because Sierra died before the game even started. The next day, Tuesday, it was past seven o'clock when the bell rang and while today, it rang ten in the morning.
There must be a hidden reason behind those times, it's not just a random ones.
I also think that the clue they are giving would not make any sense, we can only get a possible answer from their actions or from things that are about to happen and have already happened.
I paused in a deep thought when I noticed Clark is standing in front of me. "Hey weird kid, what are you thinking? Care to share your thoughts with me?" He grin at me but I just shook my head. "I have nothing on my mind right now" He just nodded and went back to lying on his bed.
Just like what I have said, we should trust no one.
For now, it is still hard to believe a theory that there is really a deceiver among us, but I can't also say if I should trust my friends or not. It's just complicated. Too many what ifs and conceptions are running on my mind right now, I can't just let people know about it.
But I have something on my mind that we can do to have at least small progress.
That is to reveal our secrets.
The best way to know people is to dig their secrets that might involve their darkest sides. I know it wouldn't be easy. People can just lie or they can just simply fabricate things. Whatever the outcome will be of this idea of mine, it is up to me to judge it.
I cleared my throat, loud enough to get all their attention on me. "I have an idea" I began and I could see the confusement in their eyes.
"Truth or dare" I added.
"What do you mean?" Nicole asked and she seems interested to it. That's expected.
"We're currently in this hell, then we still have the audacity to play?" Kean asked.
"Game supposed to be fun, but we all know that it's not fun to lose a friend" I continued. "Just get straight to the point" Clark responded with the annoyed expression in his face. I took a deep breath before finally speaking again.
"We will play truth or dare. If you choose truth, then you are going to tell us your secret, but if you choose dare, then we are going to dare you to tell one thing that is confidential about you" after that explanation, I suddenly heard Clark's sarcastic laugh.
"What kind of nonsense stuff is that? I didn't know that you could be this stupid" and he still laughed. I looked at their reactions for a moment and I couldn't read whether they agreed with that idea of mine or not, but I knew what Nicole was thinking, I can't be wrong that she likes this idea.
"I think he's right, let's play that game. You don't have to laugh at that idea, Clark. After all, you also said that we don't know each other, so maybe it's time to really know each other" Nicole intercepted so Clark stopped laughing and glared at her. "Look who's talking"
"Do you guys really think that everyone would be honest? Hell no! If we could lie to ourselves then it is not that hard to also lie to others" He made a serious response and got off his bed.
"Yes, it sounds insane but I know it can help us find the answers to our questions" I replied but he just smiled sarcastically at me. He walked through the door but he barely stopped when I started talking again.
"Since I was the one who started this idea, I'll go first. This isn't really about choosing truth or dare, but this is all about telling your secrets. Maybe the greatest secret I have is about my parents" their eyes turned into questioning ones. Clark who was just a few steps towards the door was barely still, even with his back turned, I knew he was still listening.
"We are rich but their work is illegal. They're selling drugs and I myself witnessed it when a rich celebrity negotiated right in our house. They have a lot of connections, they are also involved in syndicates" I said without showing any single emotion. I know they were all surprised.
In my entire life, I never told anyone about a secret that even involved my parents. All the details are true and none of them is fabricated.
My peripheral vision struck that Clark was finally out the door and everyone was slightly bent down. I knew it, it won't work the way I think, but with all the details that I have on my mind, a progress will be made depending on the actions they will take after this.
"You don't have to force yourself to say something. This is just a voluntarily game, it's up to you if you will cooperate" I added and decided to lie down on my bed.
I was about to close my eyes but before I could even do that, Lexie, Clay, and Xander came to my bed.
"We don't want to be part of the truth or dare you're saying, the three of us know each other well, we're not also interested in what you and your other friends are going to say. If anyone needs to identify and know each other, it's only the circle of your friends" Lexie said at length and I only nodded as a response.
I just kept quiet but something crossed my mind.
That's weird, I'm talking in general and there's no particular circle of friends I'm pertaining to. We are all in this hell. Are they trying to avoid to reveal theirs?
[Nicole's Point of View]
I was stunned because of the idea of Daniel. He has never been this talkative before, he always tend to be quiet and say nothing but it is way different now.
At first, I didn't know how to react but I suddenly realized that he is actually right. But even me, I find it hard to open up who I really am and show them all. Even if we considered each other as friends, we can't deny the fact that we really knew nothing about everyone's secrets.
Now I am also beginning to doubt the faith of our friendships or whether if there really is. With each passing day, we see each other's true colors and that measures how well we know each other.
Everyone remained silent because I knew no one wanted to tell about the secret they were keeping. For Clark, it was a funny idea but for me it would be a big help.
Since a few minutes had passed and no one was still speaking, I decided to go to Daniel's bed to talk to him.
He opened his eyes when I approached him and looked at me without expressing any emotion. "Can we talk?" he didn't respond and just waited for what I would say next. "I mean, not here, somewhere and only the two of us" I added and left the room.
"Why are you bringing me here?" Daniel's question when we arrived at the women's comfort room. I did not answer it, instead, I closed the primary door of the entire bathroom and looked at each cubicle.
I also quickly checked every corner of the bathroom and I confirmed that there are no CCTV and mini speakers like the one that attached in the room we were staying in.
"There aren't CCTV and mini speakers in this area so it's safe if we talk" I said and then he looked around. "Just the two of us? Why don't we include the others?"
"Because I know somebody's watching our every move and listening to what we're talking about in that room, if we include everyone in this conversation, then that somebody would easily notice us" I gave a long explanation and he just nodded.
"I know you also have a lot of things on your mind that can lead to answers, that's why you think of that idea, right?" He only nodded again.
"Now, all I need are your opinions, theories, and concepts" I said and I noticed that he slightly averted his eyes from meeting mine. "Sorry, but I can't even trust you, I only trust myself" he answered and I smiled sparingly.
I wasn't surprise with his response, I was expecting him to say that.
"Alright, it's fine. I'll take that as a yes, that you believe someone among us is really a deceiver" that must be his reason, he believes that someone must not know about the ideas he's thinking or else it will ruin everything, or his life would even be in danger.
Smart move, Daniel. You have the same mind set as mine. I can't trust anyone but you're an exception.
Maybe in this game that we are the ones being played, if there is something little by little that I am learning, it is to trust my feelings. I used to depend on facts only, that it is only to see is to believe, but now I have learned to trust my instincts.
Because not in all cases, you will be capable of seeing facts, sometimes, you have to work out a way to know those particular facts, and that way is to trust how you feel.
"Let's just say that you won't share yours, I'll be fine with that. But let me share mine so you will have time to think about it and you can combine them together"
"Why are you doing this? For me to trust you?" He asked and I could not trace sarcasm in his tone, I know he is just really clueless.
"No, trusting me is your decision and I'm not convincing you to do that. I'm doing this for our friends because I promised to myself that I will do something, but my capabilities are limited and I need someone who could help me and I think it's you"
A few seconds of silence intervened between the two of us before he decided to speak. "What do you have?" When he asked that, I immediately pulled out the small notebook and ball pen I had hidden in my pocket.
I only got those things once when I hid in the guidance office.
I opened the first page of the notebook and showed what I had written there, I really meant to write so that I would be ready in case I will be one to die next day. For at least I will leave something important.
I brought it close to him and I let him read what I wrote.
Eliminate The Deceiver Game.
Question: Are really the Terms and Conditions Agreement why we are here?
Sequence of death: Sierra, Alliyah, Shane.
Q: Is there a pattern of who will die next?
Time of bell: Monday - Blank, Tuesday - 7AM, Wednesday - 10AM
Q: Is it possible that there is also a hidden pattern as to why the times are like this?
Important note: The clues they give should not be always considered as a truth because there is a greater chance that those are just fabricated to convince us all. But there is also a big possibility that there is a traitor among us because even before we went to this school, the sender knew a lot of information, about where we live, what our full name is and even our phone numbers.
Q: If there really is, is it possible that s/he is not alone?
Suspicious people (but accusations should be avoided as long as there is no solid evidence): Keisha, she's been acting weird since Shane died, she always seems to be thinking of something. Moreover, Brix still does not speak about what he actually witnessed. Kean, I feel like something hasn't been said yet about the origin of the game.
When I finished showing him the contents of the notebook, he was momentarily stunned, a few more seconds passed and I waited for him to speak. "Thanks for this, about all my thoughts, just give me a little time to think and I'll tell you about them. It also includes other plans that I think you can fix even better"
[Brix's Point of View]
I woke up catching my breath. I looked around for a while and only then did I notice that the sun is about to rise, which means it is Thursday today. It is still a bit dark and I knew everyone is still asleep.
I dreamed of Shane, I saw again the tragedy that had befallen her. I also remembered the last word she said. It was Keisha. What did she really have to do with Shane's death? Couldn't she be the deceiver among us? And she killed Shane out of anger because I cheated on her?
Maybe that's what really happened! I will never forgive Keisha!
I didn't realize that my feet spontaneously stepped onto Keisha's bed. I grabbed her shoulder and shook it hard. "Fuck you, Keisha! Fuck you! Why did you kill Shane?!" she barely woke up and was startled at what I did.
The tears I had been holding back escaped, I can see the fear in her eyes, but I want to keep going. I need to know the truth. "Answer me! Answer me! Fuck you, Keisha! Why did you do that?!"
I felt our friends wake up and force me away from Keisha and stop me from what I was doing.
"W-What are you talking about? I-I have nothing to do with Shane's death" my jaw tightened when I heard that. "You liar bitch! Before Shane died, your name was her last word!"
Due to my great annoyance, I chose to leave that room because I couldn't bear to see Keisha's face.
---
I decided not to go back to that room, I would just wait for the bell to ring and I would face those assholes myself! They are going to hell! They have no mercy!
I didn't know how many more hours had passed but I estimated it was past eight in the morning when I heard the bell ring, a few seconds and it stopped. I waited a few more minutes and decided to go to the hall.
"You're a fucking asshole! Show yourself, you coward! Face me now!" My yell echoed in the quiet atmosphere. "You're a fucking coward! You're a fucking piece of shit, for fuck sake, you can only kill women?! Shame on you! Why don't you try to kill me?! I'm challenging you, asshole!" I shouted again and was catching my breath.
I was currently holding onto my knees when I heard quick footsteps from behind and when I looked back at it, I saw a man wearing a black cloth and wearing a mask, he was approaching me. I couldn't identify the object he's holding in his back.
I barely backed away and that made me fell to the ground. "Wait!" he stopped right in front of me, I wanted to know the answer. "W-What did Keisha have to do with Shane's death?" He stared at me for a moment and then laughed, that voice was also the last time I heard, it isn't his and he is definitely using a voice changer.
"Keisha is one of the deceivers HAHAHAHA! She fooled all of you!" I heard a series of laugh and I fell on a deep thought. This can't be. "And by the way, challenge accepted!" he shouted again and I looked at him. It was too late when I realized that it was a baseball bat that he was holding and he is about to hit me in the face.