We all made our way to the cafeteria where we agreed to meet after our respective searches. We saw the others sitting at the table waiting for us.

“Glad to see you all,” Keon said.

“You sure took your time,” Carmen said, crossing her arms.

“Whose fault is that?!” Miles said.

“Probably yours,” Carmen said. “I feel bad for Emma having to babysit you. It can’t have been easy.”

“It wasn’t,” Emma responded.

“Don’t agree with her!” Miles said.

“So, what did you all find?” Keon asked.

We explained everything we found in the store, supply closet, locker rooms, and the baseball field to the others.

“That supply closet is definitely going to be an issue,” Keon said. “It’s filled to the brim with dangerous objects.”

“If you get rid of them all then how are we supposed to play?!” Miles said.

“You’re not five. You will survive,” Carmen said.

“That’s not fair!” Miles said.

“Safety is the first priority,” Keon said. “We’ll cross that bridge when we get to it though. Let’s tell you what we saw on our search.”

“I’ll start,” Atticus said, standing up like he was about to give a presentation. “The basketball court was the first place we checked. It was just a normal basketball court. It had the same flooring, painted lines, and two hoops on opposite sides of the room that you’d expect. There was nothing else of note in the room.”

“So, it was just a basketball court?” Conrad asked.

“That’s what I said. Just an average basketball court,” Atticus said.

“Hell yeah!” Miles said. “Nothing dangerous means we can ball up!”

“Take this more seriously,” Keon said. “The next place we checked was the soccer field, and it’s a pretty similar story.”

“Yeah, it was just a stupid soccer field,” Maya said. “I don’t care even a little bit about sports, so this place is turning out to be a real bummer.”

“Soccer is a pretty big deal to a lot of people around the world though!” Robbie said. “People have gotten killed because of the passion they felt towards their teams. Humans are truly incredible!”

“Killing someone over a dumb sport is the stupidest shit I’ve ever heard,” Maya said. “I always see these grown men crying on social media when their teams lose. It’s pathetic.”

“Don’t talk shit about sports!” Miles said. “Sports bring people together! Whether you’re watching them or playing them, you can form permanent bonds with others that can last a lifetime!”

“You guys can bond all you want. Just leave me and Mia out of it,” Maya said.

“But I like sports…” Mia said.

“You do?!” Maya said.

“Do you two have anything in common other than your looks?” Miles asked.

“Of course we d-” Maya said.

“Not really,” Mia said, cutting her off. “I still love her though.”

“A lot of siblings are quite different from each other, even if they’re twins. It’s fine if you have your differences,” Emma said. “I have a twin brother, and while we’re both obsessed with math, he’s definitely a lot more expressive and excitable than I am. We butt heads a lot.”

“Yeah, I’ve got an older sister, and she’s the most sociable and outgoing person I’ve ever met,” I added.

“You have a sister?!” Marin said. “You never told me that!”

“Me either!” Sabrina said, standing up and slamming her hands on the table.

“S-sorry, it just never came up…” I said.

“You gotta tell me about her later,” Marin said. “I’m an only child, so I wanna know what it’s like to have a sibling.”

“Sure.”

“Okay, enough about our family trees,” Carmen said. “So, now that we have an understanding of what’s on this floor, what can we do with this information?”

“Well, Alex did say in the shop that we’d be learning of a way to gain money to use in there soon,” Emma said. “It’s possible that it’s related to the next motive.”

“Everything on this floor is related to sports, except for that shop,” Cyrus said. “I think it’s pretty safe to say that sports are going to have something to do with us making money.”

“You think so?” Amber asked.

“Think about it,” he said. “They never gave us any chance to earn money on the previous floor, so I think it’s safe to assume that the way to make money is on this floor, and since everything is related to sports here, I think it’s safe to say that earning money is going to have to do with sports in some way. Everyone better prepare to get their cleats on.”

“If we have to play sports for money, then this is a nightmare…” Maya said.

“It was already a nightmare before that, Maya…” Carmen said, shaking her head. “I, for one, welcome it. From what you all described, there seems to be a lot of necessary things in that shop I want to get my hands on, so I’ll play their game.”

“Me too!” Marin said. “There’s a lot of necessities and comfort items in there that would definitely make our stay here miles better.”

“Keeping morale high is important in this place,” Keon said. “Let’s treat this as an opportunity. Maybe we can even find something that will aid in our escape.”

“I doubt they’d have something like that in there,” Cyrus said. “I’ll let you keep dreaming though.”

“If we get a little creative, then maybe we can outsmart them with something in that shop,” Keon continued. “It’s worth a shot. We’ll need to go through all the inventory in more depth later.”

“So, what’s the plan with the dangerous objects in there?” Amber said. “There were tools and other potential weapons available for sale, and we can’t take the items out and make them hard to get to like before…”

“We’ll have to track the money that each person gains, and then when it gets lower, we know that they bought something,” Keon said. “All things bought in that store will have to be made known to all of us. Like I said, we can’t keep any secrets from each other. Once we know more about the circumstances surrounding the money, we’ll be able to make a more concrete plan.”

“So, I have to get everyone’s permission before I buy some tampons? You’re a sicko,” Maya said.

“You know why we’re doing this,” Keon said. “There’s no room for shyness here.”

“I’m not shy about it!” Maya said. “I just don’t see why everyone’s gotta know!”

“We can adjust the rules once we know more,” Keon said. “Let’s deal with all these issues at a later time. Now, I’d like to discuss the supply closet. There’s absolutely no way we can let those items be accessible to everyone. We need to find a safe location to move them to.”

Just then, we heard the cafeteria door shoot open. Out of it walked Levi. He was strutting his way over to the table we were all sitting at. He had a smug look on his face. This was definitely not going to be a pleasant visit.

“Hello, everyone!” he said. Everyone just looked at him silently. “I accidentally overheard your conversations, so I wanted to clear some things up for you all.”

“‘Accidentally,’ my ass,” Conrad said.

“Keep out of our conversations, jackass!” Marin said.

“I don’t expect that language from you of all people, Marin!” Levi said, putting his hand over his mouth. “How crass!”

“Suck my balls!” Marin yelled.

“You tell ‘em, Marin!” Maya said while showing Levi both of her middle fingers.

“My word!” Levi said, acting as if he was just dealt a fatal blow.

“Just tell us what you’re bothering us for,” Keon said.

“It’s about the supply closet,” he said. “I am updating the handbook with a new rule, so I wanted to make sure to tell you all personally.”

“Wh-what kind of rule?” Keon asked.

“Items from the supply closet are not allowed to be moved to the first floor, and they must all be returned to the closet before the nighttime announcement,” he said.

“You always have to try and make our lives more difficult…” Keon said.

“This is for all of your sake!” Levi responded. “It’s a compromise. I told you I am good at that, didn't I? You won’t have to worry about those ‘dangerous’ objects being brought to the dorms overnight now, and they aren’t even allowed on the first floor, so why wouldn’t you be happy with that?”

“We don’t want people to have access to the dangerous items at all!” Keon barked. “I see right through your intentions. You’re leaving room for a murder any way you can.”

“You must have no trust for your fellow classmates, Keon,” Levi said. “Having all these objects available during the day is going to be very important very soon. You’ll see.”

“Is this about the new motive? The way for us to make money here?” Carmen asked.

“My, you are all so sharp! Truly the best of the best!” Levi said. “I guess that’s why you all got invited to this wonderful school! Yes, you are correct. I might as well tell you all the info now so you can sleep on it tonight. I’m fine with giving you a little bit of an early start on your strategies.”

“Let’s hear it then,” Keon said.

“As you’ve deduced, sports are indeed going to be your way to make money to spend at our wonderful shop! But before I go into more detail, I’ll tell you all the hours of the shop. Alex will be the primary cashier there, and be there from 1pm-5pm, and then from 8pm-10pm. The shop will not be open at night and the doors will be impenetrable. It will be impossible to steal from the shop, or break into it, so don’t even think about it. Now, about the new motive, it’s a sports tournament! Isn’t that exciting?!”

“Sports tournament…?” Amber said.

“Yes! The intensity of competition! Putting it all on the line for your team! Strengthening your teamwork and bonds! It’s the sports tournament arc!” Levi said.

“This isn’t some anime!” Marin said.

“Regardless, that’s how you all will be earning your money to use in the shops. The amount you earn will be based on your stats in each respective game. The better you do, the more money you will earn to use in the shop and trust me there are some items that you will definitely want to get your hands on. The order of the sports being played will be basketball, soccer, then lastly, baseball. There will be two teams and one game for each respective sport. Tomorrow will be the draft that will decide the two teams. There will be two practice days before each sport where you and your team may use the equipment in the supply closet to get better, so you can earn more money during the games.”

“Wouldn’t this system just make it so everyone will only play for themselves to bump up their stats? Doesn’t seem that good for teamwork,” Carmen said.

“That’s why you should let me finish,” Levi said coldly. “You definitely want your team to win in the end. This tournament is a best-of-three and the first team to lose in two of the games… must vote for someone on their team to be executed!” Levi gave us all a big grin.

The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

“E-executed?!” Amber yelled.

“I thought we’d only need to vote during a trial!” Keon yelled. “Are you changing the rules again?!”

“I am in fact,” Levi said. “I want this tournament to really mean something! You’re not only playing for points, but you’re playing to guarantee that you get to keep your lives! It’s as high stakes as it gets! Every game matters so much! Passion! Pride! Intensity! Effort! You have to leave everything out on the field if you want to survive!”

“You sick fucking bastard,” Carmen said.

“I will admit a little something to you all, so you don’t get the wrong idea about the stakes here,” Levi said. “It is, in fact, true that we cannot kill you all unless you break the rules in some way, but we can always bend the rules a bit to make you all do it yourselves! If you all must vote for someone to die, then it will be you who kills them, not us! Your lives are in your own hands. Just like before and always. So, I want to see some real effort out there! More of the rules will be explained once the draft happens after breakfast tomorrow, so feel free to take the rest of the day to ponder your strategies and think about how you can both win and earn the most money! Now, I will take my leave. I’m sure you all have more questions, but let’s save those for tomorrow. Ciao!” Levi then walked out of the cafeteria, ignoring our calls for him to wait.

Having to vote someone from the losing team to die is so fucked up. Making the decision to kill an innocent person on our own is a sick twist to this hell. Just when we finally got everyone to work together, he splits us up and makes everything into a life-or-death game. Once again, I feel powerless to control my own fate. I’m not really good at any sports, so earning points and contributing is not going to be easy for me. There are definitely some people who seem like they may have a tougher time than me, but the difference between us and people like Conrad, Miles, Sabrina, and Keon will probably be massive. If a team is drafted with all of them, it’s more or less going to be certain that they will win. I guess I’ll have to use these practice days the best I can. I don’t want to die. I don’t want to put my family through that. With everyone else being in that same boat though, I can imagine that this tournament is going to be a bloodbath.

“We can’t lose hope,” Keon said, breaking the silence. “We said that we weren’t going to let anyone else die, and there’s no way that we’re going to break that promise. We just need to take every advantage that we have and use them.”

“What advantages?! You always say that, but everything always gets worse!” Maya yelled. “There’s nothing we can do but play their stupid fucking games until we all get picked off one by one!” Maya had tears running down her cheeks as she yelled. Mia started holding her hand.

“N-no matter what, we can’t give up!” Keon yelled with a rare stutter. “When we do, they win!”

“What can we even do now?” Amber asked. “I can’t imagine they’ll let us tie, or refuse to play…”

“W-we just need to give it some thought!” Keon said. “There’s an answer out there somewhere!”

“You’re right. There is. We need to win,” Miles said. “They won’t stop until they tear us apart, so we need to play their game. I’m just going to worry about winning. That’ll save the most people.”

“Someone will still have to die!” Marin yelled. “Stop being selfish!”

“Even when we play, only one person is in danger. If you don’t want to die, then play hard. That’s all there is to it,” Miles said.

“Miles!” Conrad slapped him. “Stop thinking that way! We can’t just give in! Stop only thinking about yourself!”

Miles held his face.

“Tch,” he grunted. “All I’ll say is this; if you’re on my team, you’ll be safe. I’m not good at thinking, but my athletic ability is something I’m confident in.” He then left the cafeteria.

“The teams haven’t even been chosen, and he’s already making enemies with everyone,” Carmen said. “I knew he was weak. Just let him go.”

“Well, it’s almost time for the guards to take their places. Since Mia has taken the extra bed in Maya’s room, you stand guard with her, okay?” Keon said. Mia nodded. “Alright, then let’s split up for today until the final headcount. We all need to give this some thought. I know there’s a way out of this somehow.” Everyone nodded, and started leaving the cafeteria.

I got up from my seat and was stopped by Sabrina walking up to me.

“I’m gonna make sure we’re on the same team,” she said.

“We don’t even know what the format of the draft is going to be, so I wouldn’t hold out hope for that,” I said. “I’d be lying if I said I wouldn’t feel safer with someone like you on my team though, since baseball is one of the sports we’re going to be playing.”

“I’ll find a way! You can count on me!” Sabrina said. “I’ll even train you personally, so you can gain lots of points!”

“T-train me?” I said nervously. “I don’t know how good I could get in only two days even if we do end up on the same team…”

“I’m a good teacher, I promise!”

“Will you train the others too?”

“I’d prefer not to, but if we fall behind in the tournament, then I guess I’d have no choice. You’d still be my number one priority though!”

This must be what it feels like to be the coach’s kid in little league

“If you keep treating me like I’m special, I’m going to keep getting into even more misunderstandings!”

“But you are special…” Sabrina said, grabbing my hand.

“I’m really not,” I said, taking my hands out of her grip.

Just then, Marin approached Sabrina and I.

“Hey, Ryder, want to go back to the dorm and discuss strategy? You also promised you’d tell me about your sister,” she said.

“Yes!” I said a little too excitedly.

I grabbed Marin’s hand and ran towards our dorm. Sabrina wasn’t able to get a word out before we were already out of sight. We arrived at the dorm, I used my face to unlock the door, and we went inside.

“I know we have to get fit for the tournament… but I was not expecting to run a hundred-meter dash so soon…” Marin said, breathing heavily.

“Sorry about that…” I said. “Thanks for saving me. Sabrina is starting to get weirder and more clingy by the hour now. I have no idea what to do, or how to respond to her.”

“You definitely looked like you were in a tough situation, so I’m happy to be of service! You know I’ve got your back.”

“I definitely appreciate it.”

“I hope we end up on the same team. I’m not exactly the most athletic, but I’d definitely feel better having my roommate to train with and talk to every night. It’d be a lot more convenient,” Marin said.

“Yeah, then we’d be able to scheme all night before each of the games. I’ll admit that I’m not the most athletic guy around though.”

“You don’t say,” Marin said with a smirk.

“Wow, thanks for building your teammate’s confidence.”

“Stop fishing for compliments. And you didn’t deny my lack of athleticism either!”

“Touché.”

“Okay, so out of the three sports, which do you think you’d be the best at?” Marin asked.

“It’s hard to say. Definitely not basketball since I’m short and have a horrible shooting form. I know the rules of baseball, so I guess that helps, but it’s such a difficult sport that I don’t think I’d be able to get a hit or pitch well at all. I guess soccer is my best chance because maybe I could get lucky with a kick or two. What about you?”

“Yeah, I don’t really get all the rules for baseball. I’ll just live by the ‘see the ball, hit the ball’ mantra. I’m definitely not going to be good at basketball either since I’m a fellow shorty, so soccer for me too, I guess. Soccer definitely seems like the sport that us amateurs might be able to luck our ways into succeeding in.”

“Conrad, and Miles definitely seem to be the best and most experienced basketball players based on what they said once they saw the court, so if they end up on the same team, then I doubt the other one would have a chance. Same with Sabrina. Apparently, she’s very good at baseball as well as softball and can pitch pretty well, so I doubt the opposite team would stand a chance with her playing against them,” I said.

“I doubt Levi would make the teams that unbalanced where they would all end up on the same team, so that means that the team that wins the soccer game…will probably win the tournament,” Marin said.

“That’s the same conclusion I had.”

“Do we know anyone who’s good at soccer?”

“Not that I’ve heard at least,” I said.

“I guess we’ll just have to leave it all to chance then…”

“This all just keeps getting worse and worse the longer it goes on.”

“Yeah it does…” Marin said.

Realizing again that someone’s life rides on this tournament made us both stay quiet. This place is truly hell. Marin noticed the depressing atmosphere though and broke the brooding silence we were in.

“Let’s change the topic!” she said in a cheerful tone. “Tell me about your sister!”

“Oh, well, she’s six years older than me, and she works in accounting,” I said. “She moved out of our parents’ house a couple years ago once she got the job, and she visits every now and then, but I haven’t seen her for a couple months since it’s the busy season for accountants right now.”

“Ooh! So, she’s an accountant? I heard that they usually make a good amount of money, so that’s really cool! Are you two close?”

“Yeah, especially when we were younger. She was basically a second mom my whole life. She was always trying to give me advice even when I never asked, she always made sure I was up early, she always had to know everything about the people I hung around with at school so she could approve them…She was always in my business.”

“I think that’s a good thing,” Marin said. “Having a sibling you can count on through thick and thin sounds like a wonderful thing. My mom was always my rock, but a sibling is definitely something I wish I had. Especially now in the situation with my deadbeat dad. I feel like my mom might listen to me if I had a brother or sister on my side.”

“There is definitely strength in numbers. I’m sure you’ll get through to her eventually. I promised to help you brainstorm once we got out of here too and I’m not breaking that promise.”

“I’m glad to hear it,” Marin said, giving me a warm smile from the beanbag chair which seemed to be her favorite spot these days. “I’d definitely love to hang out once we get out of here. It’ll be nice to have someone to go to therapy with.”

“Yeah, I imagine we’ll definitely need some once it’s all said and done,” I said, laughing.

“So, did your sister ever not approve of any of your friends?” Marin asked.

“No, but she always loved to scare them the second they came around,” I said. “It was very annoying.”

“How’d she scare them?”

“She would always say stuff like, ‘You better not ever lay a finger on his itty-bitty head,’ or ‘You’ll never be more important to him than I am.’ I think she thought it was funny. She’d always end up getting along with them fine, but it wasn’t a great first impression.”

“I think that’s funny,” Marin said. “She sounds like she’d be fun to hang out with, so you better introduce us once we get out of here!”

“I can, but I promise she’ll most likely give you the same treatment. Even though she wears a suit and tie and has a corporate job, she’s still the same joker even today. She always called me at least once a week just to tell me dirty jokes or gossip about her coworkers who I don’t even know.”

“The more I hear about her the more I like her,” Marin giggled. “And don’t worry. I’ll be ready for whatever hazing she has ready for me! My mind is a steel trap!”

“If you say so,” I said. “Just don’t say I didn’t warn you.”

We then heard the nightly announcement go off.

Attention students: It is now 10pm and the cafeteria is now closed. New sleepwear will be delivered to each of your dorms individually by Rayna, our new wonderful housekeeper, starting at 10:15pm in a counterclockwise path. Sleep well, so you can train those bodies during your stay!

“The rest are probably outside waiting for us! Let’s go,” Marin said.

Marin rushed to the entrance, and opened the door and saw that Keon was right in front of the door with his fist loosely clenched like he was about to knock on the door.

“Finally,” he said. “You two always seem to keep the rest of us waiting.”

“They’re probably doing dirty stuff!” Maya yelled from the back of the group.

“We weren’t!” Marin and I said in unison.

“Wow, they even finish each other’s sentences now. Looks like you have competition, Sabrina,” Emma said. A murderous aura emanated from where Sabrina was standing.

“Stop causing more problems!” I yelled.

“Whatever you say, Ryder the Harmen Builder,” Emma said.

“That’s not my title, and that wasn’t even clever!”

“Everyone chill out,” Carmen said. “I couldn't care less who is and isn’t bumping uglies. Let’s just get this all over with so we can sleep.”

“I’m glad someone is making some sense,” Keon said. “Alright, it looks like everyone is here now. Maya and Mia, was there anything to report?”

“No one came into the cafeteria,” Maya said. “The only thing of note was that Conrad hit Miles again while they were bickering like little girls outside the dorms.”

“It’s because he’s always so quick to give up!” Conrad yelled. “I thought you were a man, Miles!”

“If you have any better ideas, then I’m all ears!” Miles said. “I’m just going to focus on winning the tournament until you all come up with a better way to guarantee our survival.”

“Don’t you mean your survival?” Carmen said. “If you’re focused so much on winning then, it sounds like you’re okay if someone on the opposite team dies. Don’t act like you’re doing this for anyone other than yourself.”

“I admit that I am doing it for myself, but I’m also going to be doing it for my teammates,” Miles said. “You guys all act like there’s another option!”

“There is!” Keon yelled. “We just need more time to figure it out!”

“Time is better spent training for the tournament,” Miles said. “We only have two days before the basketball game, so rather than waste it on a pipe dream of escaping, you should all start training too.”

“Lemme at ‘em!” Conrad said, lunging at Miles. Keon, Carmen, and Atticus were holding him back.

“Just let him believe what he wants,” Atticus said. “We’re better off without that unevolved ape anyway. He brings nothing to our discussions.”

“Just pat me down already so I can start training,” Miles said.

“You’re not supposed to be out of your dorm after the announcement!” Keon said.

“Some things are more important,” Miles said. “It finally feels like we have some control over our fate here with this tournament, and I’m not letting the chance to survive slip through my fingers. Less people means we get closer to the top of this place anyway.”

“Miles, I do agree with the points you are making, which is frightening since you’re so dumb, but what’s the point in making yourself enemy numero uno?” Cyrus said. “At this rate, if your team loses, then I doubt many would feel bad about voting you to be executed when the time comes.”

“I won’t lose, so there’s no need to think about it.”

“I guess we’ll just have to see,” Cyrus said. “The teams might end up being quite uneven. Maybe in your favor, but maybe not. You’re definitely thinking about this very shortsightedly.”

“Shortsighted, or not, I’m just going to play hard until you all come up with something better,” Miles said.

“Have it your way,” Keon said. “I’m going to be keeping a close eye on you though.”

“Do what you want.”

Everyone was once again searched and nothing of note was found. Shortly after the search, we saw Rayna coming down the hallway with a laundry cart.

“Hello, boys and girls,” she said. “I heard you have all been in your pajamas all day, so Levi had me get new pairs ready for you all. I’m also giving you all your regular outfits as well, so you only need to put out the pajamas you’re wearing now outside once you've changed.”

“Are you really okay with this job?” Carmen asked.

“I don’t see why I wouldn’t be,” Rayna responded.

“You realize we’re all hostages who are being forced to kill each other right?” Cyrus asked.

“There are too many zeros in my salary for me to care about that,” she said. “Blissful ignorance will get you far kids. I’ll drop that bit of wisdom for you all, free of charge.” She then walked towards the first dorm to drop off their respective clothes.

“Looks like they finally have a well-rounded rotation of nutcases working here,” Atticus said. “I doubt we’ll be able to get through to her. At least for right now.”

“I agree,” Keon said. “Well, let’s split up for the night. We’re going to have a busy day tomorrow intimately searching through that shop.”

We all then split up for the night with Marin and I heading back into our dorm.