Isaac Woodman
T1 2025 - "Did you hear about the VIP holders ?" A strange voice murmured in a conspiratorial manner.
"No, what's that?" another voice stated. I turned my head to the two hunched over figures, they seemed just a few years younger than me, one had a mass of unkempt black hair and the other had blonde hair that was cut quite short. They were lit only by the pale moonlight that tore its way through the holes in the concrete. I kept an ear open to their conversation, information was valuable these days, and depending on what this was, I was at least guaranteed a meal or two.
"I heard this from a friend of mine, one of those actors."
"Bullshit, you have no other friends."
"I do, It's just that, she, um, is quite, uh, shy, yeah shy."
"Sure, sure, no wonder I haven't heard of her before."
"It's the truth," the black haired one looked annoyed by his friend's obvious distrust of his words, "do you want me to continue?" the blonde gestured for him to continue. "Now then, where was I?" he paused for a few seconds too long, and I thought that maybe they had seen me, but my momentary fears were soon forgotten as the man continued. "My friend had selected an option for a VIP pass, since money is no longer usable. And you would never guess what it does." he paused again for dramatic effect, but judging by the grim expression on the blonde, it was obvious that he wasn't entirely impressed.
"I don't know, what does it do?" The words came out without a hint of intrigue, but the black haired man didn't seem to notice.
"It, it allows them to see what the next theatre is."
"And that is good how?"
"It allows them to decide on whether it is a good idea to participate, imagine if one took place on the ocean, but one of the actors is scared of the ocean, then, they can back out." The blonde seemed to consider it for a few seconds.
"Who did you hear that from?" and as the black haired friend went to open his mouth, the blonde interrupted, "and don't say it's your actor friend. We both know that was a lie." The black haired friend dipped his head in disappointment before stating that he had overheard two actors talking about it. I stood and stalked off, finding a more quiet place to sleep.
T2 2025 - Two weeks had passed by without a hitch, I had instructed Sebastian on what to say if he was ever approached and he followed my instructions to the letter. After sitting down and speaking to the three friends about Sebastian's downfall and the aftermath of his failure, they were uncertain. Jacob had gone off to the barn to practice his control over his powers, his gaze continually shifted to his hand whenever he used his powers, the hand shaking whenever he remembered the tribulations that he had gone through. I only really saw him when he came out to grab food or drink, he was always sweating and when he brushed past, I could feel the heat from under his skin. The flames underneath bubbling away, angry at their own powerlessness. Each time I saw him, I offered him a helping hand which he shrugged off, wanting to figure this out on his own.
"It's not cheating," I would say, but he didn't seem to see it that way, I think he saw my advice as more of a shortcut. Henry on the other hand, seemed to flit between helping Jacob and helping Sebastian. He seemed to not like me that much, but as I told them more and more about the direness of the situation, he seemed to open up a bit around me. Lastly, Sebastian was different. I don't know what had happened in the time since I left, but he was much more amenable to my suggestions, to such a degree that he seemed like someone else. When I asked him if something was wrong, he would just say the same thing.
"Nothing is wrong, I'm just doing what you are telling me to do, should I not do that ?" his response unnerved me, he seemed like he was thinking of something else whenever he was speaking to me. If the other two had noticed something off, then they kept it to themselves.
As we fell asleep on the night of the 24th, I was greeted with a very familiar sight. In front of me stood a colossal marble building that reached into the heavens above. The many columns stood defiant against the weight of the building and the sounds of applause radiated out from an open set of double doors that were at least triple my own height. Light washed over me as I walked forwards, entering the ornate building. Inside, the flowing velvet carpets tickled my bare feet and with each step down the corridor of smooth stone, my attire began to change. Black socks wrapped around my feet in a material as close to the clouds as it could be, with another step, black shoes encased my feet, the polish reflecting my face. Black trousers unfolded from the pants that I wore, a clear crease down the center of each leg. A crisp white shirt blossomed out from my back, closely followed by a black overcoat and bright red tie. The entire process had taken a few brief moments and as I emerged into the foyer, I was in a much better looking attire than I had slept in.
"Isaac?" a voice stated from behind me and I turned to see Jacob. He wore a vibrant ruby coloured waistcoat, with an intricate pearlescent design on the back which connoted a roaring inferno that seemed to change with each blink. Black trousers and shoes accompanied the look and it looked good on him. "Where are we? We aren't in a, what do you call it, theatre. Right?" he looked about as he spoke.
"Not quite. This is the VIP room." I gestured to the space around me. Railings could be seen in the distance which gave access to an elegant staircase where the first floor was. Sounds of laughter could be heard faintly, along with gasps, some enchanted with whatever was being played. Furthest away from us was a giant screen, which took up the entire wall opposite the entrance and exit. Displayed on it was a number, five. I did a double take on the number shown, Wait five, how is it five ? My thoughts were answered a few moments later when a new figure walked through the entryway. He wore a pair of dark grey trousers and a sapphire shirt, he had with him a tall cane made from a material like ivory, the craftsmanship impeccable. His long black hair was tied behind him in a ponytail that reached just below the back of his neck. I recognised the figure instantly and It took all of my willpower to not embrace the younger figure.
"What the fuck?" Levin muttered with a sense of astonishment. He looked down at himself seemingly approving the look. "Where-" he started saying, but stopped as he noticed us and headed over. "Hey, I've seen you on tv."
"When were we on tv?" Jacob said, turning to me.
"Each theatre performance is broadcast live to the world," I answered, "because we were the only group to all stay alive, ours went on for the longest. So it wouldn't surprise me if everyone had seen us." Jacob looked horrified for a moment.
"Yeah, you were great." Levin stated beaming. He acted the same as he always had, and I was glad for it.
"I'm Isaac, this is Jacob." I stuck my hand out to Levin to shake, which he did.
"Levin." Jacob followed suit, offering his own hand to the teenager.
"Can I ask you something, Levin ?"
"Sure."
"Why did you pick this option? Surely, the money would've been beneficial." As soon as I mentioned money, his mood seemed to darken.
"There would've been no point." It was only then that I realised something about his past, and I mentally called myself an idiot for asking the obvious. Luckily, the silence in the room subsided as a new figure entered. He wore a white suit that almost made him blend into the creamy textures of the wall behind him, however, unlike everyone else, an opulent mask covered the top half of his face. It took me a few moments to recognise him.
"Henry?" Jacob muttered, before laughing to himself.
"Hey, don't laugh, I didn't choose to wear this," Henry responded, before trying in vain to take the mask off. After a few moments, he gave up and looked around for the first time, "where are we?" I explained myself again. "Huh, it looks incredible." he whistled softly as he appreciated the decor. The four of us stood talking, waiting for the remaining three people. Harold entered next, wearing a casual suit and bowtie that fit his youthful build well. Henry ran over, greeting the child. Sebastian was next, wearing black shoes, trousers, and a black suit jacket, a sapphire shirt beneath. Like Levin, he also held a cane, but his was made from gold that refracted the amber light of the room, giving Sebastian a golden glow. A top hat adorned his head, which made Jacob laugh, even though the top hat seemed to complete his look. Jacob's laughter came to a standstill however when the final figure walked through the entrance, she was tightly wrapped in a flowing dress of violets and reds, the pattern continuously shifting like droplets of ink in water. Unlike her unkempt appearance during the first trial just under two weeks ago, she wore an elegant mask of make-up and her short brunette hair was nicely styled. All of the men, apart from Harold, looked over at her, trying their hardest not to stare. Even I couldn't help it, she was stunning. Levin broke the silence though.
"I'm Levin, what's your name?" he was confident as he spoke.
"It's Mira. Pleasure to meet you, but where are we?" she looked around, noticing the group of us and headed over.
"This is the VIP Suite." I explained myself again. "How are you?" I asked after I had explained myself.
"All right, I guess, but what exactly is this place?" I went to speak but was interrupted by the flickering of the screen, which turned from a blank white to displaying the figure I had seen in that starting room, the woman who had given me the piece of card.
"Oh, it's him," Mira said aloud.
"Wait, him?" Henry asked.
"Her, his, appearance changes to the opposite gender, so the six of us see her as a female, whilst Mira will see him as a male."
"But why though?" Jacob asked and I shrugged.
"I don't really know."
"That's a surprise." Henry muttered under his breath.
"Congratulations everyone for their terrific performance during the first trial. We are here to celebrate the best moments and nominate the best performance so stay tuned, enjoy the free food and drinks and we will start the ceremony soon." The screen turned back to a blank white and displayed the current time. I immediately went to the bar, ordering myself a drink of wine that would've in the past been too expensive. It tasted exquisite, like ambrosia.
"What are we expected to do?" Mira said after following my lead, ordering a cocktail that sounded like a sexual position.
"We enjoy ourselves, you won't get drunk here, and you can eat any food that you want, without it interfering with any diets." I paused for a second, unsure of whether to continue, but after contemplation, I decided otherwise, "I don't know why this place exists, but it is a means for us, the actors, to relax and enjoy ourselves. Think of this as a dream and out there as a nightmare. It makes the ordeal much easier."
"Huh." she muttered before taking a drink.
"What?"
"I just don't get you. You speak as though you have already experienced this before. First back in that white room, and secondly here. I don't want to force you to say anything you don't want to, but," she trailed off. "Forget it, thank you for your help back then." With that she wandered off, leaving me alone and confused.
"Not one for the ladies then?" I turned to see Levin by my side, in his hand was a drink that looked like sugar if it had been transmuted into liquid. "I didn't mean to eavesdrop, but you are very, what's the word? Peculiar? No, umm," he stopped to think.
"Look, I apologise for my question earlier, I know how hard money is for you." Levin's face turned to shock as I looked at him, realising my mistake. He wasn't that friend I had left back in the dying world. I was a stranger to him, as much as he was to me.
"How do you know about that?" Fury rose in his tone as he placed the drink on the counter. I didn't know how to answer, so I didn't, not right away. I was torn between letting him in on the truth or lying to him, we weren't being spied on here, and he was a valuable ally but, one wrong move and the plan will be messed up. I remembered what Levin had told me, his secrets, remembered his words alongside the secrets of the others I was close to and made my decision.
"I know you. I know what you can do, and I need to tell you what I can do so that you believe me. Have you ever played a videogame before ?" Levin seemed perplexed by the question but nodded anyway, the confusion in his face eating away at the fury that bubbled behind his eyes. "Well, I can put down checkpoints, allowing me to come back after dying. I've already lived through this for twenty years, you used to be a friend." The fury was now almost entirely gone, replaced by intrigue and uncertainty.
"That's a dreadful lie, but," he thought to himself, "It seems plausible, especially now," he gestured with his cane at the surroundings. "I don't believe you yet, but if you don't mind telling me what I was like, then well, I might just believe you."