Lucas leaned against the wall, arms crossed, as chaos erupted in the room. The announcement had lit a fire under the participants, and everyone was scrambling to form teams. Negotiations were heated, alliances were made and broken in seconds, and the air buzzed with tension.
Lucas took a deep breath. Alright, Lucas. You've got this. Don't overthink it. A boy about his age with sharp eyes and a confident smirk approached him.
"You're 389, right?" he asked. "I'm Finn, 115. You look like you could use a team."
Lucas blinked. "That obvious, huh?"
Finn shrugged. "I've got an eye for the lone wolves. Besides, I've already got two people. We just need a fourth."
Lucas glanced over at the other two members. One was a tall, athletic girl with piercing eyes and an air of authority. The other was a hulking guy with biceps the size of Lucas's head. They didn't exactly scream "underdog."
"You're building quite the squad," Lucas said.
"You're smart enough to recognize that," Finn replied. "So, you in?"
Lucas hesitated. Trusting strangers didn't come easy, but it wasn't like he had better options. "Fine. But if this backfires, I'm haunting you in the afterlife."
Finn grinned. "Deal."
…
Once all the teams were formed, the speaker crackled to life again. "ALL TEAMS HAVE BEEN ASSEMBLED. THE FIRST GAME WILL NOW BE REVEALED."
A screen lit up on the far wall, and the rules of the game appeared in bold text:
GAME: LIES AND LEVERS
Objective: Two teams will compete in a test of deception and strategy. Each team starts with five levers. The opposing team's goal is to identify which levers are "trapped" (rigged to trigger a penalty) and which are safe to pull. Teams take turns asking the opposing team questions. If a team believes they've uncovered a lie, they may pull a lever to test their theory. The first team to correctly disarm three traps wins.
Rules:
At least two of your levers must be trapped.
The remaining three must be safe.
Lies are allowed, but consistent storytelling is key. Contradictions will work against you.
If your team pulls a trapped lever, you lose a point.If your team pulls a safe lever, you gain a point.
The screen flickered off, leaving the room buzzing with speculation.
"Deception and traps?" Lucas muttered. "Fantastic. Just my luck."