ã€ŠHouse of the Deadã€‹


 Prologue

    2:37 A.M., Saturday, 13th October

    Francis Helmsburg was sitting comfortably in his study on his expensive leather chair that he had just recently acquired in his mansion, located on a small island off the coast of British Columbia. The fireplace behind him crackled and popped, projecting a bright orange glow. He was finalizing a crucial invitation letter that, along with 102 other letters, was destined to someone he only knew by name. To most, this person was known as the world¡¯s best bartender. Francis was a bit of a collector - the many pictures of him with famous people lining his desk would be proof of that. Currently illuminated by the desk lamp, Francis¡¯ face had small beads of sweat on it. He tended to get very passionate about his writing, especially when he was writing to someone of their caliber. His plan was this - to throw the most glamorous party in his huge manor, where only the best in their field were invited. Francis wasn''t picky about what it was - whether the person be world-renowned or simply a local hero did not matter to him. The important thing was that they had a talent, no matter how insignificant it may have seemed. To Francis, the ultimate goal in life was to be the best - no matter at what that may be. To surround himself with the people who have done so and to be one of them¡­ That was Francis¡¯ dream. He took a sip of coffee, placing the mug back down after he''d done so. After having finalized the letter, he placed it in a yellowed envelope, taking care to properly seal it. Then, he melted some red-colored wax onto the envelope and waited for it to cool. As he did so, he took out another sheet of paper. He pulled out a book from the bookshelf behind his desk, and searched for the next person that was to be invited. Having found them, he began writing the 104th and penultimate letter, this one being destined to the person known as the world¡¯s best boxer. He began his letter in the same fashion he had begun all the previous letters. Dear Sir/Madam, he wrote, you are cordially invited to a formal party, courtesy of the world¡¯s best investor, Sir Francis Helmsburg. Although Francis was not a knight and the title of ¡®Sir¡¯ was not official, he considered himself as such. Ironically enough, he had taken the time to write to the world¡¯s best knight just a few letters prior. Taking his time to carefully write every single letter, Francis felt his eyes droop in fatigue. It was now the early hours of the morning, and Francis had been at this since early afternoon. Nevertheless, he pressed on. You are to wear a formal attire, but there is no specific dress code. Feel free to wear whatever suits you. Francis then checked the wax on the previous letter. Feeling it was sufficiently cooled, he took the stamp with his family crest on it - a griffon with a rose twisted around it. He stamped it onto the wax. It sunk into the seal a few millimeters. Francis held it there for a few seconds before pulling away the stamp. He admired his handiwork - the crest was perfectly printed onto the wax. He knew it was old-fashioned, and yet Francis felt like this further proved his nobility. It was something he enjoyed doing. He turned the letter around and wrote the address he had found and believed it to be the correct address. Satisfied that the seal would hold until it reached its destination, he placed the letter onto the pile of other letters. He then went back to writing his letter. Hoping to see you there in all your glory, Sir Francis Helmsburg. He then placed this letter in an envelope and poured wax on it once again. Tired but proud, Francis set to writing the final letter.

    1:56 P.M, Thursday, 8th November

    Staring into the once-vibrant and colorful office of his boss, Jason Harlon felt the familiar ache in his heart. The office had belonged to the late Ariana Beverly, considered the world¡¯s best private investigator. Before, the desk had been full of color and light. The curtains were almost always open, and Jason couldn''t recall a day when Ariana wasn''t smiling, sun shining in her chestnut hair and life in her brown eyes. Now, that life was gone. A few days ago, Jason received a dire piece of news - Ariana Beverly was dead. While the circumstances surrounding her death were mysterious, one thing was certain - she was murdered. And she was only the latest in a line of serial killings. Several prominent and talented people had gone missing or were found dead lately. There seemed to be no pattern, aside from the killer¡¯s methods - it was always a camo combat knife through the heart. The killer¡¯s continued evasion from the police investigating the case made them the cause of much rumors around town. Some tried to predict who they were, others tried to predict where they would strike next. Jason was disgusted by all of them. He had loved Ariana very dearly, but had never gotten the chance to tell her. As if fate herself was intervening, the day he had finally worked up the courage was the day Ariana was found dead in her home. The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.

    Jason, being second in charge in the investigations, was naturally supposed to continue Ariana¡¯s work. However, he could not bring himself to touch anything in Ariana¡¯s office, so the pile of requests lay there, undisturbed. Today though, the other detectives in the agency had pressured him to at least look at the cases. Jason took a deep breath and took his first step inside the office since Ariana had died. It was the same as before - full of color and light. It even smelled like Ariana¡¯s signature perfume. But to Jason, it seemed duller and lifeless. The bright pictures on the wall and overall colorful furniture did nothing to uplift his spirits. He glanced at the pile of letters on Ariana¡¯s desk. Among them, one in particular stood out - a yellowed envelope, sealed by wax. Intrigued, Jason took a closer look. This one jutted out of the pile, as if Ariana had wanted to take it but was distracted and ultimately never looked at it. Jason took it and read the back. It was addressed to Ariana herself. Jason could not help but think that this was odd, since most requests were directed to the agency. If someone had wanted to send Ariana mail, they would have sent it to her own home, not here. The letter had piqued Jason¡¯s curiosity, and he decided to read it. He found a letter opener in a drawer in Ariana¡¯s desk. Before he sliced the letter opened, he looked at the seal - a griffon surrounded by a flower. Cutting the envelope open, he skimmed the letter. The writing was impeccable, not one blotch of ink to be seen. It had clearly been written by quill or by a fountain pen. Carefully, he began reading the letter. It said:

    Dear Sir/Madam,

    You are cordially invited to a formal party, courtesy of the world¡¯s best investor, Sir Francis Helmsburg. The party will be held at his own manor on the 10th of November. You are to wear a formal attire, but there is no specific dress code. Feel free to wear whatever suits you. Be aware that all the guests at this event are high-class citizens such as yourself - you, along with them, have been invited to this party for your talent in a specific field. It is with hopeful anticipation that I wish to see the world¡¯s best detective at the party. Your skill in cracking the toughest of cases has earned you every right to visit my sumptuous mansion on the evening of the 10th of November. It would grant me an immense honor to count you amongst my guests.

    Hoping to see you there in all your glory,

    Sir Francis Helmsburg

    Jason read the letter once more. No matter how he analysed it, Jason could not make sense of it. The introduction itself struck him as odd - the author of the letter clearly knew Ariana¡¯s name, so shouldn''t they know her gender as well? Why bother with Sir/Madam? From what Jason could gather, the author of the letter was an eccentric, with a passion for talent. However, this brought something to Jason¡¯s mind - Ariana¡¯s death. The killer¡¯s target were all regarded as the best in their field. This Sir Francis Helmsburg was clearly interested in talent. Could these be coincidences? The probability was slim. Convinced that the two were connected, Jason decided to go to the party. Hopefully he would be able to find something connected to Ariana¡¯s death.

 Chapter 1: Hellos and Goodbyes

    7:28 P.M., Saturday, 10th November

    As they drove near it, Jason gawked at the magnitude of the manor. The manor itself was on a small cliff side, only accessible by a stone bridge, and with water surrounding it below a steep drop onto sharp rocks. The manor itself was large and imposing. It was made out of a brown material that Jason could not identify and the roof was of a deep black color. Large windows overlooked the entrance, each bathed in a yellow glow from the light emanating from inside. The entrance was a beautifully decorated garden - exotic flowers Jason had never even seen adorned the pathway to the house, giving the area an almost tropical feel. Contrasting this were the large marble statues depicting a griffon with a rose twisting around it. These were on either side of humongous fountain in the center of the pathway. It was currently spewing out jets of water, one large one from the top of the fountain and four smaller gushing from the mouths of griffons in the center of the fountain. The water glistened from the light inside the manor. Jason sensed a recurring pattern with the griffons - first on the letter, now on these statues¡­ The cab stopped right in front of the stone bridge. After paying the driver, Jason walked up the stone bridge. He noticed bits of ivy growing here and there. Walking towards the manor only augmented its dominance. A clap of thunder in the distance made his already tense nerves jump. Finally, Jason reached the two large oak doors at the front of the manor. Jason looked down at his black suit and red tie, praying he was formal enough. He had even styled his normally messy brown hair into a nice curl! Finding the doors slightly ajar, he pushed them open.

    Jason did not know what he had expected for such a party, but it definitely wasn''t this. Apparently, the host was not the only eccentric at the party. One girl had flowers covering her dress, another was dressed in a Hawaiian dancer¡¯s outfit, and one man had worn nothing but skin-tight shorts, shoes and a boxer¡¯s belt. Everyone turned to look at the newcomer. After everyone had politely waved, they returned to their conversations. Jason was initially taken aback by the decor of the house. The floors and walls were a milk chocolate brown, and there was a bright red rug with golden borders covering most of the floor. A gigantic glass chandelier hung above the center of the rug. Stairs on either side of the walls curved around and ended in an upper hallway, leading to other parts of the house. Other rooms were to the left and right of him. To the right, large glass doors let everyone see what appeared to be a dining room. An impossibly large table stretched throughout the entirety of the dining room, with about twenty chairs spread along its sides and one at either end. Each one had a plate with a name tag neatly placed on top of it. Jason could see the names Mikad Sharp, Lelina Beauvencourt and Ariana Beverly at the corner of the table. At the end, the name tag read Francis Helmsburg. Napkins were neatly folded next to it, although Jason noticed that there was no silverware on the napkins. On the left, large oak doors that were only slightly smaller than the entrance door prevented anyone from seeing through. Jason approached the glass doors and turned the handles. To his surprised, the doors were locked.

    ¡°Don''t bother.¡±

    Jason turned to see who had spoken to him. The soft yet confident voice belonged to the girl in the Hawaiian dancer outfit. Next to her, the girl covered in flowers had come to see as well - although her eyes were currently fixed on a poppy flower she was holding. Her scarlet dress was completely covered in varying kinds of flowers. Her hair was also flooded with them. She wore her jet black hair in two ponytails that she had arranged to resemble a vertical crescent moon. Her eyes were a scarlet red, and she wore the same shade of lipstick. Next to this weird display, the Hawaiian girl almost seemed normal. Wearing the traditional grass skirt and bikini top along with a flower headpiece, the only thing that was remarkable about her were her lavender-colored eyes. She had a tanned skin and jet-black hair that went down to her hips. She nudged the flower girl, who finally gave her attention to Jason.

    ¡°My name¡¯s Lavender Greenwood,¡± the girl introduced herself. ¡°Everyone knows me as the world¡¯s best Hawaiian dancer. We tried to open the doors, but every door aside from the entrance is locked. And you are..?¡±

    ¡°I''m Jason Harlon, the world''s best¡­¡± Jason thought of a talent he could use, then thought of Ariana. ¡°Detective! The world''s best detective.¡±

    ¡°Oh, a new guest!¡± The flower girl looked at Jason as if he were a dream. In fact, her voice had a very mystic, dream-like quality, and her gaze seemed to be in a perpetual daydream. ¡°You look nice. My name is Vivian! Vivian Moredy. Nice to meet you!¡± With her introduction complete, she returned to staring absentmindedly at her poppy.

    Jason looked around at the other guests. This time, he got a good look at everyone at the party. He counted twenty-five guests at the party aside from himself.

    ¡°Not a lot of guests, are there?¡± Lavender remarked.

    ¡°I guess not,¡± Jason replied. ¡°Were there supposed to be more?¡±

    ¡°Probably. The invitation went on and on about talent, so you''d assume he''d find more useful talents than a Hawaiian dancer and a gardener. That¡¯s Vivian¡¯s talent, by the way. Speaking of which, where did she..?¡±

    Lavender scanned the room for Vivian, who had wandered into the center of the room, doing a waltz with her poppy.

    ¡°Bit of a weird one, that one,¡± Jason noticed. Lavender nodded. ¡°I hope the others are less¡­ Interesting.¡±

    ¡°That depends on your definition of interesting,¡± Lavender chuckled. ¡°Why don''t we introduce you?¡±

    Not waiting for a reply from Jason, Lavender took his hand and dragged him over to the nearest guests.

    Standing at the bottom of the right stairwell were two men currently engaged in a conversation. One of them was dressed in a white tuxedo with a black tie, and the other had put on a checkered shirt and navy jeans for the occasion. The former had buzz-cut blonde hair, while the other had brown hair that was heavily gelled to one side. There was one thing in common about the two, however - both were holding a firearm. The one in the tuxedo was holding a sleek, silver pistol and the other was holding what Jason recognized as a sniper rifle.

    ¡°Why do they have firearms?¡± Jason inquired.

    Lavender simply shook her head and cleared her throat to get their attention. The two looked at Lavender and then at Jason. Jason introduced himself to the two guests.

    ¡°A detective?¡± The one with the rifle inquired. His voice was deep and harsh. ¡°Don''t get in my way, then. The name¡¯s A. I''m a bounty hunter, got it? Yeah, just A,¡± he added, seeing Jason¡¯s curious glance. ¡°And I''m the best damn bounty hunter you''ve ever seen. I better not see you stealing my cases.¡±

    ¡°Relax, relax! A, buddy old pal, why are you always so serious?¡± The other laughed a very hearty laugh, and his voice echoed the heartiness of the laugh. A did not seem to share his enthusiasm, and glared at him. ¡°The name¡¯s Mikad Sharp, for those interested, which why wouldn''t you be, am I right? As my name suggests, I''m known around the world for my sharpshooter abilities. I can gun down things a mile away without even trying! Impressive, isn''t it?¡±

    Lavender made a gagging motion, which got a chuckle out of A. Mikad stared indignantly at A, who just shrugged. Lavender pulled Jason away from the two gunmen and towards the next guests.

    To his horror, Jason noticed the person they were headed to was the man in the skin-tight shorts. He was currently engaged in a conversation with two women. One was blatantly staring at his biceps and the other seemed to be chastising him. The one chastising him was wearing a completely white dress, with no frills or ornaments of any kind. In her hand she held a wooden cross, the kind used by the religious. She had straight, rigid, brown hair that went down to her hips. The other woman was dressed in a red dress that did nothing to hide her voluptuous curves. She had blond hair tied back in a ponytail, and bright red lipstick that Jason saw her sneak back into her black purse.

    ¡°Um, hi!¡± Lavender greeted the others. The blonde girl barely seemed to notice, but the man and the other woman turned to greet her.

    ¡°Ah, hello!¡± The religious-looking girl had a very formal voice that was toned with patience. She almost sounded as if she were speaking to children. ¡°Perhaps you can help me solve something. I was just telling Michael here that wearing such an outfit to an event like this is highly blasphemous, and he dares tell me otherwise! Surely you must agree?¡±

    Jason, unsure of what to say, turned to the man named Michael for explanation.

    ¡°Hey, don''t look at me! She started it,¡± he said. His voice could have passed for a bear¡¯s. It was loud and exuded power. ¡°I''m just minding my own business and in storms Ms Priestess over here acting like we''re in Church all of a sudden!¡±

    ¡°Nothing can escape the touch of God¡­ We should therefore always be trying to please the Lord¡­,¡± she said, talking more to herself than anyone else. ¡°Oh, how rude of me! I forgot to introduce myself. Forgive me, Lord!¡±

    ¡°Yeah, no, I think He¡¯s fine,¡± Michael said just softly enough so that she did not hear him. ¡°The name¡¯s Michael, by the way. Michael Ferrin! The best boxer in this world!¡±

    Now Jason realized why he had looked familiar to him. Michael Ferrin appeared many times on TV, either as a fighter in the ring or as a special guest commentator. In his entire career, he has never lost a single fight. Many people, rather inevitably, have tried to claim otherwise, but since their evidence was proved false, no one has yet to dispute the title.

    ¡°As I was saying before I was rudely interrupted, my name is Mary Saint-Claire,¡± the girl said firmly. ¡°I''m known as the best priestess in the world. There isn''t a man on Earth I can''t show the light of God to. My name itself brings me closer to Him¡­ Isn''t it just wonderful?¡± The religious girl introduced herself as such.

    ¡°Totally cuckoo, that one,¡± Michael said, making a swirling motion with his finger near the side of his head.

    For the first time since they had come near her, the blonde girl actually seemed to notice their presence. Coming out of the trance she seemed to be in, she clumsily walked over. Jason noticed she was wearing heels that matched her dress. Perhaps she was not used to them.

    ¡°Oh Michael, you''re so funny!¡± She giggled, her voice bubbly and high-pitched. ¡°And who are they?¡±

    Her voice immediately lost the bubbly quality the minute she started speaking to Jason and Lavender. After they had introduced themselves, she laughed. This time, the laugh wasn''t a light giggle, but it was filled with malice. It became immediately apparent that she knew full well how to walk in heels, but was doing it for attention from Michael.

    ¡°A detective and a Hawaiian dancer? What kind of talents are those? Well, maybe I should justify my being judgemental. I am known as the top model everywhere in the world. I have redefined the standards of beauty worldwide. My name is Lola Jouvence. The pleasure is all yours,¡± she said with a wink.

    Jason stared blankly and Lavender rolled her eyes. It was true - Lola was very pretty. But to Jason, it became immediately clear that her beauty was very much skin deep.

    ¡°So back to what I was saying,¡± Mary resumed as if nothing had interrupted her, ¡°you can''t wear that! It''s sacrilegious!¡±

    ¡°Oh no, not back to you!¡± Lola grumbled. ¡°No one wants to hear you talk, you stupid excuse of a human!¡±

    ¡°How dare you speak that way to someone whose sole purpose is to spread the word of God!¡± Mary, indignant, turned to face Lola.

    Jason and Lavender slowly backed away. Michael mouthed help me to the two, who just shrugged and moved on.

    ¡°You''re a pilot? Wow-wee! Think you can bring me up in your plane?¡±

    Two men were currently engaged in conversation. The one who had just spoken was dressed in a pale blue and yellow wingsuit. He was very short, probably around five foot four, and had short, spiky black hair. His voice sounded like a child on Christmas - very excited. The other wore a brown leather jacket and navy jeans. The most notable thing about him was that he had an aviator cap on his head - one that might have been worn by pilots several decades ago. He adjusted his goggles and turned to speak to the other man.

    ¡°I mean, I don''t have a plane to myself¡­ You''d have to book a flight and everything-¡±

    ¡°Not for travel, silly!¡± The man in the wingsuit laughed. ¡°For jumping out of!¡±

    The pilot gave the other man a shocked look.

    ¡°Oh, don''t worry! I''ve done it plenty of times before. What do you think this is for?¡± He asked, showing off the flaps in his wingsuit.

    ¡°Jumping out of a plane? What kind of twisted mind would enjoy that?¡±

    ¡°Someone who loves adrenaline and fun!¡±

    The two then noticed Jason and Lavender standing in front of them. The pilot cordially waved and the other took Jason¡¯s hand and vigorously shook it. He then proceeded to do the same to Lavender.

    ¡°Hi! Hello! How are you! Wow, so many people at this party! I''ve never been somewhere so huge before! Oh, guess I should introduce myself, huh? My name is Dahinko Harvey. Pleased to meet you!¡±

    He was talking so fast that he was practically out of breath when he finished speaking. His blue eyes sparkled with excitement. Dahinko then turned to the pilot.

    ¡°Hey Skyler, you gonna introduce yourself? Oh, forgot to mention my talent! As I''m sure you''ve guessed, I''m the daredevil of the century! No man or woman craves adrenaline more than I do!¡±

    ¡°I figured as much,¡± Skyler replied sheepishly. ¡°In any case, it''s also a pleasure to meet you. My name is Skyler Zephyr. As my attire would suggest, I''m the ace pilot known worldwide. And you two are..?¡±

    Jason and Lavender introduced themselves. Dahinko nodded fiercely as they were talking and Skyler simply answered cordially. After they were done, Dahinko lost all interest in the two and started once again speaking to Skyler.

    ¡°Do you follow the latest plane models? I''m a big fan myself.¡±

    ¡°Um, actually, I don''t really¡­ I''ve got one plane and it does the job.¡±

    ¡°Really? Boy, are you missing out! Have you heard of¡­¡±

    That was as much as Jason heard of their conversation, as Lavender was already pulling him away towards the next guests.

    There seemed to be an endless amount of guests at this party, Jason soon realized. The next two guests were currently pointing and talking about a girl who had secluded herself from the other guests. She was busy intensely reading a novel, with a pile next to her. Most interesting of all was the way she sat - she sat mostly on her knees, her knees extended outwards at 45 degree angles. Her brown skirt spread out in a perfect circle around her legs, and she wore a white shirt with a fuschia bow tie to match. Jason noticed she was the only guest at the party to wear glasses (hers were the same color as her bow tie).

    ¡°Who is that?¡± The female guest inquired.

    ¡°Don''t you know, darling? That¡¯s Vicki Ingrid, the world''s best writer! Every book she''s written has been a massive success! She puts other writers to shame!¡± The male guest answered.

    ¡°Gary, Audrey - how are you doing?¡±

    The two guests turned to look at Lavender, and Jason got a proper look at the two. Audrey was a short woman with bright, almost unnaturally red hair and brown eyes. She wore a dress almost as red as her hair, adorned with a single white rose above her breast. Gary had a much more outlandish appearance. Wearing a beret, adorned in what Jason could only describe as a smock thrown onto a plaid shirt and cargo pants, he gave the impression of being a total snob. An accusation that was proved true the minute he opened his mouth.

    ¡°And who, pray tell, are you? Not that it matters. Darling, what are you doing with that outfit? It''s so 2014, you look like you just walked out of a time machine. No, no! This is all wrong!¡±

    Jason could not help but smirk at the irony that Gary was critiquing his sense of style considering the atrocity he was currently wearing. Audrey also laughed, throwing her head back as she did so.

    ¡°Look who''s talking, eighties Picasso. That outfit is so bad I just want to burn it where it stands!¡±

    After saying the word ¡®burn¡¯, Audrey¡¯s eyes lit up, burning with a fiery passion.

    ¡°Darling, this is from my new line of clothing! Winter in 2019 will mark the return of smocks, mark my word!¡±

    Audrey rolled her eyes and turned to Jason.

    ¡°Don''t mind him. He''s just¡­ Special, in his own way.¡±

    ¡°Darling, what you call special is what I call vision!¡±

    ¡°He calls himself Gary Shields, the world''s greatest fashion designer, but honestly I think a more fitting title is the world''s best recycler.¡± Gary glared at Audrey, offended.

    ¡°Coming for, Audrey Burnswell, the quote ¡°pyrotechnic¡±, those words have very little meaning, darling.¡±

    ¡°Speaking of which, Jason,¡± she turned to address Jason, ¡°do you think Francis will be ok with me testing the new fireworks I''ve been working on? I brought a few hundred with me tonight in hopes that he would.¡±

    Jason looked at Lavender and mouthed fireworks? Lavender only shrugged. Jason slowly backed away from Audrey, as once again her eyes burned with a desire to make something explode. Audrey didn''t seem to notice, too engrossed with the concept of lighting up the sky (and possibly other things too).

    Suddenly, Jason heard a loud CLANG! coming from the center of the room. Two people had just clashed swords with one another. Everyone else turned to look at the two fighters (aside from Vivian, whom Lavender had dragged away from the duelers). Jason pinched himself to make sure he was not dreaming. As far as he could tell, a ninja had just begun fighting a knight in armor. A ninja and knight? This was no fantasy novel. And yet, despite this, here he was - watching a ninja and a knight fight. The two collided once again, their swords echoing the loud sound he had heard earlier. The ninja was swift and powerful, but the knight raised his shield to block every hit, then swung again using his falchion. The two continued for a while, ignoring the commotion their fighting had caused. Finally, the ninja stopped fighting and noticed everyone around them. The knight did the same, lowering his sword.

    ¡°Be thankful I am only using a replica sword, or else my katana would have cut through you like butter,¡± the ninja said, his voice deep and powerful. He was adorned in a completely black outfit, his hair and eyes the same color. He had shaggy hair and a cold stare. The knight did not respond immediately. Sensing the fight was over, the ninja put his katana onto his back, where it fit nicely into its sheath.

    ¡°I apologize to everyone for the commotion. We had a debate about who would win between a ninja and a knight and, well, it just so happened that we were the world¡¯s finest ninja and knight.¡±

    He bowed deeply, and everyone returned to their conversations as if nothing had happened. Jason, however, went up to the ninja.

    ¡°A ninja? How do you get awarded such a talent?¡±

    The ninja turned to look at Jason. Jason was forced to look up, since the ninja was a lot taller than he first appeared.

    ¡°Simple. Wielding this honorable weapon and being the most proficient with it. Why do you ask?¡±

    The ninja looked deadly serious, as if Jason wasn''t asking how on earth being a ninja was considered a talent. Laughing it off, Jason introduced himself.

    ¡°Jason, huh? Your name sounds familiar¡­ Oh well. I''m Dexter Sato. It''s a pleasure,¡± he said whilst bowing.

    ¡°Dexter Sato. I''ll remember it well.¡±

    Jason turned to see who had talked. The knight had walked up to Dexter. Seeing the two, an immediate height difference was noticeable. The knight was far shorter than Dexter. His voice was also rather peculiar - it was high-pitched and very feminine. Surely this couldn''t be the voice of a tough knight, could it? Jason¡¯s doubts were quickly answered when he took off his helmet and Jason could observe that he was in fact a she. She had short, black hair tied in a ponytail at the back and green eyes whose gaze was so sharp it seemed to cut right through someone.

    ¡°If you know my name, then surely it would be appropriate for me to make your acquaintance as well?¡± Dexter spoke calmly.

    ¡°With pleasure,¡± the knight answered.

    Without her helmet, her voice came out a lot more clearly. She sounded feminine but powerful, and had a voice that gave off one impression - don''t piss her off.

    ¡°My name is Sir Arthur Kingsley. I have been knighted by several monarchs around the world for my services to them. I am also a master swordswoman, hence my title.¡±

    ¡°Sir Arthur? No wonder everyone thinks she''s a guy,¡± Lavender whispered. ¡°In any case, isn''t the title of knight generally for men?¡± Lavender asked her.

    ¡°Yes, but they made an exception for my case. However, I was forced to keep the title of sir, despite my gender,¡± Arthur answered.

    Jason couldn''t help but notice the irony of calling a knight Arthur, and yet he also thought that this had to be some sick joke by her parents - who named their daughter Arthur? Jason knew that it must have been a fake name, used for the appearance rather than being actually her real name.

    ¡°Very well, Sir Arthur. We shall duel another day. Farewell,¡± Dexter said.

    Dexter then proceeded to walk away. Arthur walked in the opposite direction.

    ¡°What a crazy fight, huh?¡±

    A girl had just walked up to Jason and Lavender. ¡®Crazy¡¯ might be better suited to describe her appearance - she looked like a character straight out of a fantasy novel. Wearing knee-high socks of a bright pink color, platform shoes with little cupcakes on the ends and the same sickening pink color, a frilly white dress, her almost-white blonde hair tied up into two ponytails that made long arcs above her head and were tied with gigantic butterfly hairpins and holding a staff with a blue orb on the tip, she would be right at home at a convention, not a fancy party. The shock must have been evident on Lavender and Jason¡¯s faces, because she laughed and explained.

    ¡°I made this costume especially for tonight. Figured I would make myself look like a fantasy character, you know? Show off my talent just a little! Oh, sorry. I should introduce myself. My name is Navini Porter. It''s a pleasure!¡±

    She did a small curtsy with her dress. Jason raised an eyebrow, wondering what talent she could possibly have to warrant wearing such a costume.

    ¡°Forgot to mention my talent, didn''t I? Sorry, you two are the last people I have to introduce myself to, and I''m forgetting some things. Have you met all of them yet?¡± Jason and Lavender both shook their heads ¡®no¡¯.

    ¡°There are some pretty interesting people at this party, wouldn''t you agree? I mean, a knight and a ninja, a famous writer, a world-renowned actor and¡­ Whatever Vivian is, I guess. Who''d have thought I''d be invited here?¡±

    Jason thought that she hardly had a right to call anyone else ¡®interesting¡¯, given her attire. He did, however, make a mental note that there was an actor here - one that he hadn''t met.

    ¡°So, back to what I was saying. Officially, I''m known as the best costume designer on Earth, but most people call me the best cosplayer on Earth, and to be fair I prefer that title. I mean, making costumes is fun, but isn''t wearing them so much more fun?¡±

    ¡°Hey, Navini!¡±

    A man was rapidly approaching Navini. He was wearing a white shirt and black pants, with a red bow tie and a chef¡¯s hat on his head. In his hand was a comically large fork. Navini groaned.

    ¡°Not this creep again¡­¡±

    ¡°Here''s where you ran off to! Oh, good evening, you two!¡±

    The man spoke with a suave, deep voice that contrasted heavily with his looks. He had greasy, black hair that was styled to one side. He was somewhat overweight, and beads of sweat lined his face (presumably from chasing after Navini).

    ¡°Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Henry Suntor. If you must know (since apparently everyone here does), my talent would be eating. I am a world-renowned eater, and I''ve won several global competitions last year alone! I''m also a fan of pretty much all dishes.¡±

    ¡°Hi, Henry..,¡± Navini sighed, her voice bitter.

    ¡°Oh, ch¨¦rie, don''t be that way! I can promise you a magical evening if you would grant me the honor of your presence.¡±

    ¡°And I can promise YOU a shoe in your face if you don''t quit stalking me!¡±

    With that, Navini stormed off, Henry chasing after her, panting.

    Jason had no trouble finding the actor that Navini had mentioned. Near the left staircase was world-renowned actor Erick Orbison. He was currently wearing an overly-polished, dark red suit with a matching tie and a white shirt underneath. His hair was shaped in the style of his well-known idol, Elvis Presley. His chocolate-colored eyes had been the topic of many women¡¯s gossip and swooning. He was currently talking to a girl holding a box full of what seemed to be children''s toys, including a rattle and several building blocks, amongst cars and dolls. She had pale purple hair, tied back in a swirl, and she wore a yellow apron with a purple flower on it, partially covering her blue t-shirt and jeans. Her blue eyes were staring intently at Erick, who was telling her a supposedly thrilling story.

    ¡°So¡­ What does this one do?¡± Erick asked, pointing at the rattle.

    Oh. Erick had not been telling her a thrilling tale. Rather, she had been staring in disbelief at a man who did not know most children¡¯s toys.

    ¡°S¡­ seriously? That''s a¡­ a¡­ a rattle, dimwit, she said.¡±

    Her voice was full of spite towards Erick, and Jason could not decide if the stuttering was natural or just a way to tell Erick to piss off. Apparently, Erick did not get the hint.

    ¡°A rattle? Fascinating! Tell me, what does it do?¡±

    He picked up the rattle and began shaking it, producing a jingling sound.

    ¡°Y¡­ you''ve got to be kidding¡­ H...how does someone n¡­ not know what a f¡­ freaking rattle is?¡±

    Completely ignoring her complaints, Erick put back the toy and looked in the box.

    ¡°Well, that''s all of them! Thank you infinitely for imparting this knowledge onto me, Lelina.¡±

    ¡°W¡­ well¡­ You''re welcome, I¡­ I guess¡­ Weirdo¡­¡±

    Jason recognized the name ¡®Lelina¡¯ - he had seen it on the tags in the dining room. She must be Lelina Beauvencourt - although what her talent was was still a mystery. She walked away awkwardly, getting as far as she could from Erick. Seeing a famous actor in front of him, Jason mustered the courage to go talk to Erick.

    ¡°Oh, why hello! And who might you be?¡±

    ¡°Um, I''m Jason Harlon. Aren''t you Erick Orbison, the world''s best ac-¡±

    ¡°SHHHHHHH!¡±

    Erick clasped his hand on Jason¡¯s mouth. Jason, in shock, stopped talking.

    ¡°Yes, yes, that''s me, but could you keep it down! Nobody here recognizes me and frankly, I prefer it that way. To them, I''m simply Erick Brown, the world¡¯s finest waiter, and I''d appreciate it if you could keep it that way!¡±

    Jason didn''t know what to respond with. He had always pictured Erick as being someone who relished in fame, not someone who strived to escape the limelight.

    ¡°Um¡­ Okay then¡­¡±

    Jason, unsure of how to proceed, politely excused himself and returned to Lavender, who was talking to some other guests.This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there.

    Lelina had excused herself from talking to Erick in order to come talk to Lavender and one other woman. The woman was far taller than Lelina or Lavender. In fact, if Jason had to guess, she was probably the tallest woman here. She wore a stylish purple dress, which reached all the way down to her ankles. She had black high heels and a flaming red lipstick, along with emerald green eyes and blonde hair that fell to her shoulders.

    ¡°So let me get this straight. You''re the world''s best thief, right?¡±

    ¡°Uh-huh.¡±

    ¡°And this rich guy invites you to a party in his own home?¡±

    ¡°That''s right.¡±

    ¡°What on earth was he thinking..?¡±

    ¡°Hey, don''t look at me for answers. I just followed the invitation.¡±

    The thief smirked a little at her reply. Lavender rolled her eyes and Lelina merely stared. Then, they noticed Jason.

    ¡°Oh, Jason! There you are! Girls, this is Jason Harlon, the best detective on earth. Jason, this is Lelina Beauvencourt, the best babysitter on the planet, and Rose Stravor, the, uh..,¡± Lavender seemed to hesitate before saying it. ¡°Uh, the thief.¡±

    ¡°Hey, you better not arrest me, bud,¡± Rose pointed an accusatory finger at Jason. ¡°Only joking, of course. You''d have no grounds for it anyhow! I know my way around the legal system, don''t ¡®cha know.¡±

    Jason smiled sheepishly, which seemed to satisfy Rose. Now that he knew Lelina¡¯s talent, her carrying around a box of toys seemed less weird.

    ¡°Hey, Lelina? Why are you carrying a box of toys around?¡±

    ¡°W¡­ well, I''m an old f¡­ friend of Francis¡¯... And he told me that h¡­ he was throwing a p¡­ party and he needed s¡­ someone to look after kids but so f¡­ far I haven''t seen a s¡­ single kid here¡­¡±

    ¡°Kids? This was a party for the talented! Did he think we''d bring our damn kids along?¡± Rose asked.

    ¡°This party is bringing up more questions and yet no answers¡­¡± Lavender inquired.

    ¡°Where''s our host anyways?¡± Rose asked.

    Jason hadn''t noticed that before. Amongst all the guests, Francis Helmsburg was nowhere to be found.

    ¡°I''m sure he''s just planning a big reveal. You ever met the weirdo? He''s very¡­ Strange,¡± Rose confirmed.

    Jason wasn''t so sure. For the first time, a wave of dread washed over him, but it was gone as quickly as it came. Perhaps Rose was right. In any case, he didn''t have much time to think, as Lavender was already dragging him towards other guests.

    Currently, three guests, one woman and two men Jason hadn''t met before, were observing a girl doing something that Jason couldn''t see immediately. The girl was wearing a plain black dress, with white shoes and a white-jewel necklace. Her eyes were almost pitch-black, and she wore no lipstick, unlike a majority of the girls present at the party. What intrigued Jason most about her was her hair. It was perfectly split down the center of her head, one half white and one half black. While it was clearly dyed, for a second Jason thought it could have been natural. The black half curled off at her neck while the white half kept going all the way to her hips. She was currently focused on a plant pot sitting on an end table near the staircase. The others were all watching in silence.

    ¡°What is she doing?¡± Jason asked.

    The other three were surprised at Jason¡¯s sudden appearance.

    ¡°I''m not sure,¡± the girl answered. ¡°We asked her what her talent was and she just said to watch.¡±

    The girl was dressed in a typical cheerleader fashion (minus any kind of logo on her top). Her dirty blonde hair was tied up into two ponytails on the top of her head. In her hands, she held two gold-and-white pom-poms. Her outfit had matching colors - a white top and a golden skirt. However, despite having the appearance of a cheerleader, she seemed to be nothing like one - her deep blue eyes looked profoundly bored and tired, as if she had stayed awake for several days doing something she had no interest in. As if reflecting Jason¡¯s thoughts, she yawned loudly.

    ¡°Yawn¡­ In any case, who are you?¡±

    ¡°I''m Jason Harlon, the-¡±

    ¡°Detective, right?¡±

    Jason was taken aback. How could this girl know his talent before he had even told her? It was clear she was more observant than she looked.

    ¡°Well, I''m Jessica Pearly. As I''m sure you could have guessed, I''m the¡­ Yawn¡­ Best cheerleader in the world. Boring, I know.¡±

    Jessica yawned once more, covering her mouth with her pom-pom. She seemed to already be bored of Jason, and turned around to face the other girl.

    ¡°Interesting one, isn''t she?¡±

    The other two guests had apparently been eavesdropping on Jason and Jessica¡¯s conversation. One was a small, cheerful-looking man wearing a hideous carrot-colored Afro wig. He was dressed in a rainbow polka-dot shirt, with brown pants that did not match with his shirt at all. On his back, he carried what looked like a metallic backpack, and he held a remote control in his hand. What interested Jason was the man¡¯s eyes - they were completely heterochromic, one a sparkling green and the other a dull brown. The other man had a racecar driver-esque feel to him. He wore the helmet for it (visor up, of course), wore a white outfit for the purpose with red stripes along the side, and he seemed to exude an aura of confidence naturally associated with the role. Jason did not need to second-guess his talent. His eyes, which were the only part of his face visible under his helmet, were a dark brown color.

    ¡°She kinda just seems bored with everything. Heck, even my jokes couldn''t entertain her!¡±

    ¡°That''s because your jokes are horrible, Bobby,¡± the driver said matter-of-factly.

    ¡°You too? Jeez, tough crowd, huh? Bobby laughed to himself. Welp, guess I can''t work miracles. The name''s Bobby, by the way. Bobby Quinn. Nice to meet ya!¡±

    ¡°Fair warning,¡± the driver loudly whispered to Jason, ¡°he will make awful jokes. For someone titled the best comedian in the world, the only thing funny about it is how comically bad he is.¡±

    Raising his voice, the driver began to introduce himself.

    ¡°Well, I''m Axel Rider, the best racecar driver you''ve ever laid your eyes on. Yeah, ha ha, my last name is Rider and I drive cars, never heard that one before.¡±

    Jason hadn''t even mentioned anything about his last name and Axel had already gotten mad at him. Jason fathomed that he had heard the joke quite a bit (probably several times tonight from Bobby), and that he was sick of it.

    ¡°Speaking of which, I''ve got a joke for ya. What do you call a driver-¡±

    ¡°Don''t. You. Even. Start.¡±

    Axel gave Bobby an annoyed glance, which didn''t seem to stop Bobby. Lavender chuckled slightly at the interaction. What DID stop Bobby was that the girl they had all been observing finally did something. The plant pot that was sitting on the end table was now hovering about three feet above it, apparently suspended in the air by the girl¡¯s gaze. Axel immediately turned his attention to the suspended pot, leaving Bobby with no audience for his joke. Disheartened, he turned to look at the girl. Even Jessica was paying some attention to her. Seeing that the five were looking at her, she turned to address them. The plant pot immediately came crashing down, breaking with a loud crack!

    ¡°There you have it. My talent is telekinesis. I told you you wouldn''t believe me unless I showed you,¡± she said in a bored tone, as though she had said this to countless other people before.

    Jason couldn''t take his eyes off of the broken pot on the floor. This girl had just lifted something with her mind! How was such a thing even possible? Jason was not the only one in disbelief - Axel, Bobby, Lavender and even Jessica were taken aback by this.

    ¡°How¡­,¡± Jason stumbled with his words, at a loss.

    ¡°How? Practice, that''s all. And willpower, I guess, she replied. Oh? I don''t believe we''ve met before. I''m Alexandra Toriah, the telekinetic. Pleasure.¡±

    As she spoke, she remained completely emotionless. With the same emotionless expression, she did a small curtsy. Everyone was still shocked at the display they had just witnessed. Alexandra sighed and walked away. Jason, deeming it was best not to ask any questions, headed towards the last two guests he had yet to talk to.

    ¡°You know, I can''t find it,¡± a lady spoke in a very carefree manner.

    ¡°Can''t find what, beautiful? The man replied in a suave and confident tone, a hint of a British accent in his voice.

    ¡°Where I asked for your opinion,¡± she replied sternly, the carefreeness completely dissipated.

    ¡°Oh, you have shot me through the heart with your arrow of truth!¡± The man seemed hardly phased by this.

    This was the conversation that Jason walked in on. The lady wore an elegant blue dress, and gave off an aura of superiority and grace. She wore black high heels and her brown hair was neatly aligned with her back, falling in a curtain that went to her hips. She had a pearl necklace and matching earrings and bracelet, with a brooch in her hair covered in white gems. Her amber-colored eyes had a certain coldness to them, as if she had never looked at something and thought positively of it. The man seemed to be a perfect counterpart to her. Wearing a black tuxedo and matching tie, he looked like a proper gentleman. Wearing a black, red-rimmed top hat and having a black cane did not hinder the comparison. His chestnut eyes looked at the room as if he owned all of it, and it were all beneath him. However, judging by their conversation, Jason assumed that they were not perfect counterparts.

    ¡°Um¡­ Hello!¡±

    ¡°Hmm? Oh, hi! How are you?¡±

    The woman suddenly smiled, the smile warm but menacing and venomous. Jason felt chills go down his spine.

    ¡°I''m good¡­ My name is-¡±

    ¡°Jason Harlon, the world''s finest detective, is that right? Sorry, you haven''t exactly been subtle about your approach. As someone who can actually succeed at something in her life, allow me to show you how it''s done.¡±

    The minute she said that, she put one hand on the man¡¯s chest and shoved hard. He stumbled and fell. Once he was on the ground, she leaned towards Jason¡¯s ear and whispered:

    ¡°My name is Selena Coveny, and my talent is being a linguist. I can speak 25 different languages fluently and about 10 more that I''m shaky on.¡±

    She said all of this in one breath, then leaned away from his ear just in time for the man to get up.

    ¡°See, Jason? That''s how you introduce yourself without undesirable people hearing it. This man right here has no idea what my name or talent is, and I''d like to keep it that way, if you''d be so kind.¡±

    ¡°You really love to hurt a man, don''t you?¡±

    The man seemed to not have minded being treated this way. In fact, while it was almost imperceptible, Jason could have sworn he saw a flash of enjoyment on his face.

    ¡°I suppose it would be rude of me not to return the favor. For the both of you, listen up! For my name is one you would be naive to forget. I am Timothy Gladion, and I am the man that will one day become the richest man in the world!¡±

    ¡°What talent would you have then, you useless waste of oxygen?¡±

    Selena¡¯s smile faded instantly as she spoke to Timothy. Once again, this did not seem to bother him in the slightest.

    ¡°Ah, mademoiselle is curious, then! Well, prepare to have your mind blown!¡±

    He took off his top hat and, bowing in the process, brought it in front of him, directly facing Selena. ¡°I am none other than the greatest magician in the world!¡± As he said ¡®magician¡¯, he pulled out a stuffed toy that looked like a rabbit out of his hat. Selena did not have any reaction visible.

    ¡°What a useless talent to accompany such a pathetic sounding man,¡± she replied.

    ¡°Oh, how high your standards are, my dear! Very well - this evening, I shall prepare a magic trick that will knock you off your feet and make you soar like a graceful swan!¡± With that, he walked off, an air of pride on his face.

    ¡°What. An. Idiot! Hopefully, not everyone at this party is so far below me that they have lost any entertainment value. At least you seem interesting,¡± Selena spoke softly, venom dripping off of her words when she started speaking about Jason. She then pointed at Jason, her eyes meeting his. He noticed in her gaze a certain hunger to be entertained - he began to understand that she was only satisfied when she felt superior to a powerful opponent. To her, a detective was much more worthy of her attention than a magician. Jason slowly began to walk away. ¡°Oh, don''t worry. I shall have my fun before long! See you soon, detective!¡±

    With that, she walked away in an elegant stride, leaving Jason to return to Lavender.

    Jason had finally spoken to all the guests in the room. Afterwards, he decided to investigate the entrance hall where they were all gathered. At first glance, nothing was out of the ordinary. The one thing to mention was that all the doors were locked, including the two doors leading away from the hallway accessible by the stairs. In that hallway, a replica painting of The Last Supper hung in an ornate frame, encrusted with various kinds of jewels. Mary and Selena were currently engaged in a conversation about the painting.

    ¡°Ah, such a classic piece!¡± Selena exclaimed.

    ¡°Truly, one of the greatest works picturing Jesus Christ himself,¡± Mary replied.

    ¡°I especially like all of the hidden meanings. Did you know that one of them was supposedly drawn to resemble a girl?¡±

    Selena had clearly intentionally chosen this topic, and it seemed to get her desired reaction out of Mary.

    ¡°No, they are the Lord¡¯s disciples.¡±

    ¡°But look at this one! Doesn''t he seem¡­ Feminine to you?¡±

    ¡°Nonsense! This is a painting describing his story! Why would there be a woman?¡±

    ¡°I don''t know. Maybe he was married?¡±

    ¡°Blasphemy! How could you even say such putrid things?¡±

    Jason ignored the remainder of the conversation, as he had noticed something concerning the painting. On the very bottom right corner was a brief message. It read:

    ¡°To my great friend Francis, as thanks for the loans.

    -Vincent Alfonzo, the best painter in the world¡±

    One thing immediately stood out to Jason. If Francis had based this party around gathering everyone with a shred of talent, surely his own friend would be invited, especially since he had a talent. However, Jason had spoken to everyone at the party, and none of them claimed to be a painter or to be named Vincent Alfonzo. Suddenly, Jason remembered something. He had heard the name Vincent Alfonzo before¡­ But he couldn''t quite remember where.

    ¡°Vincent Alfonzo, huh?¡±

    Jason jumped. Lavender had snuck up behind him and, as if reading his mind, brought up the very topic on his mind.

    ¡°Have you ever heard of him?¡± Jason asked.

    ¡°Hmm¡­ I''ve never met him, but the name rings a bell¡­,¡± Lavender replied. ¡°Ah! I know where I''ve heard the name before!¡±

    Jason raised an eyebrow.

    ¡°As a detective, you must have heard of the serial killer known as the talent killer, right?¡±

    ¡°The talent killer?¡±

    ¡°Yeah! As the name implies, they go around killing people with a lot of talent. I remember seeing Vincent Alfonzo¡¯s name among the victims¡­ At least, I think so.¡±

    So that was where he had heard the name before! He had watched a short news segment about the victims of the talent killer. Among the victims was Vincent Alfonzo and¡­ It pained him to remember this, but Ariana Beverly was also among the list of people killed by the talent killer.

    Again, Lavender seemed to read his mind.

    ¡°Come to think of it¡­ Another name on that list was Ariana Beverly, the world''s greatest detective¡­ You wouldn''t happen to know her, would you?¡± Lavender eyes narrowed as she asked the question.

    ¡°Actually, she¡±-

    Jason never got the chance to answer her question, as in the middle of his sentence, the large oak doors at the entrance creaked open once more.

    Everyone turned to look at the newcomer. He was soaked wet (it had apparently begun raining outside), and it did not go well with his white dress shirt, which now stuck to his chest, revealing that he was a rather thin man with very little muscles, but also no fat to be seen. From afar, Jason could tell that he was very short. His pants were not as affected; he wore pale blue jeans and, visible through his shirt, a leather belt. His shaggy brown hair was also soaked, and the raindrops glistened in the light of the party. His small, brown eyes darted around the room, taking in all of the other guests, most of which have given him a passing glance and returned to their conversations. Jason and Lavender decided to drop the topic of Vincent Alfonzo and go greet the newcomer. Aside from them, Navini, Vivian and Rose also came over to introduce themselves. The man stared at each of them in turn. After they had all introduced themselves, he waited a few seconds before speaking.

    ¡°Oh, um, I didn''t know there would be this many people here. Ha, ha¡­¡±

    He laughed nervously, clearly not at ease around this many people. ¡°Um, well¡­ My name is Cole Dendricks. Nice to meet you all!¡±

    ¡°Cole Dendricks¡­ Never heard of you.¡± Navini replied.

    ¡°What''s your talent?¡± Lavender asked.

    ¡°My talent..? Oh, right. Well, my talent is therapy, I guess. I''m very therapeutic, and I''ve cured several psychological afflictions thought to be incurable.¡±

    ¡°Therapy?¡± Rose inquired. ¡°You know, that is NOT what I would have guessed.¡±

    ¡°Ha, I guess not,¡± Cole replied nervously. ¡°Most people see me as a shy, introverted boy.¡±

    ¡°Oh, you''re new! How are you?¡± Vivian, who had clearly not been following the conversation, asked.

    The others all looked at her incredulously. Cole, who had never met Vivian, looked at the others for an explanation.

    ¡°She''s always like this,¡± Lavender explained.

    ¡°Oh, I see¡­¡± Cole replied. Anyways, when is dinner? I''m starving¡­ I had to skip lunch for, um¡­ An appointment today¡­¡±

    ¡°Ya know, that''s an excellent question,¡± Rose added. ¡°I could use some grub myself!¡±

    ¡°Huh? There''s food?¡± Vivian asked, which resulted in more curious looks.

    ¡°Well, in any case, I¡­¡± Navini started, but then she noticed Henry had found her once more. ¡°Dang it! You''d think it''d be easier to blend in with so many people!¡±

    Maybe if she wasn''t wearing such a ridiculous outfit, Jason thought, and chuckled to himself. It seems he was not the only one thinking this, as Cole, Rose and Lavender also smiled. Navini did not notice, and instead ran to the other end of the room as fast as she could. Henry brusquely changed trajectory, trying to keep up with Navini.

    Suddenly, the glass doors blocking off the dining room swung open. They swung with such force that the glass panes vibrated for a bit. Everyone¡¯s attention was immediately diverted to the dining room. One by one, whether it be out of curiosity, reluctance to be alone, or simply hunger, everyone shuffled into the dining room.

    The dining room itself was nothing spectacular - it was large, but aside from the dining table, nothing really stood out. The table had a plain white tablecloth on it, with plates, napkins and a name tag in front of every seat. Quickly counting the seats, Jason counted exactly twenty-eight seats - in other words, exactly enough for all the guests plus Francis, who was nowhere to be found. The table was way too large for only twenty-eight people - rather, it could have fit over one hundred people comfortably. Jason noticed that at one end of the table was another oak door, this one smaller than the other, but still large enough for two people to walk through simultaneously with no problem. He went up to it and pulled on the doorknob - as he expected, it was locked. Jason assumed this one led to a kitchen of some kind. At the other end, right above the seat destined for Francis, hung a painting of a man in gaudy attire, presumably Francis Helmsburg. Jason made his way to the seat with Ariana¡¯s name tag and sat down, hastily covering the name tag so no one saw Ariana¡¯s name. Luckily for him, the two people adjacent to her - that being Lelina Beauvencourt and Francis Helmsburg - had yet to take their seats. Almost on cue, Lelina sat down, placing her toy box at her feet. Mikad sat on her left, twirling his pistol in his finger. Gradually, everyone stopped investigating and took their seats. Lavender was the last to do so, sitting in between Michael and Selena. The right end of the table had everyone¡¯s names - the left end, on the other hand, had plates with no name tags on them. Jason could only assume that these plates must have been for people who declined the invitation. However, there was no return address (save for the location of the manor), so how could they decline the offer? It was with these questions that he sat in silence, observing the other guests. A thought then entered his mind - seemingly no one had opened the doors, and they opened a minute after Cole had entered the manor. Could it be that whoever opened those doors knew the exact number of guests that would show up, and therefore opened them once twenty-seven guests had arrived? And what an odd number of people - twenty-seven? Why not an even number like thirty? Jason presumed that there were supposed to be at least one hundred guests, so why had only twenty-seven guests shown up? With Francis, they would be twenty-eight. Where was their mysterious host?

    Jason decided that it was too soon to be able to answer any of these questions, and therefore decided to listen in to the conversations people were having. He was not the only one to do so - instead of participating to conversations of their own, Lavender, A and Jessica decided to listen to others¡¯ conversations instead. Jason decided to listen to the conversation between Lelina, Mikad and Navini, who sat left of Mikad.

    ¡°S...so¡­ What d...do you think is f...for dinner?¡± Lelina asked.

    ¡°I don''t know, but I wish they''d hurry up!¡± Navini answered. ¡°I''m starving!¡±

    Mikad, still twirling his pistol around, made the people near him tense that he would accidentally shoot one of them.

    ¡°How long do they expect to keep me- I mean, us, waiting?¡± Mikad said.

    ¡°I...I''m hoping that we h...have steak tonight¡­¡±

    ¡°Ooh, that sounds nice!¡± Navini agreed.

    ¡°Mmm, a steak would be nice! Wonder what sides we will have?¡± Mikad added.

    Jason knew that this conversation would have nothing pertinent in it. Since he had no one else near him, he decided to investigate the room a little more. He remained seated, since he figured that getting up would only attract suspicion to him. The painting he had assumed to be Francis Helmsburg had a little note written in the bottom right - the same that had been written on the Last Supper. Jason thought that Vincent Alfonzo would probably have counted amongst tonight¡¯s guests had he not met an untimely death. The prospect of a talent killer was slightly worrying - after all, everyone at this party had one talent or another, and having them all gathered in one place seemed like a dangerous prospect. However, the talent killings were fairly recent, and since there was no date on the invitations, Jason assumed that Francis Helmsburg had written them before the talent killer had begun their serial killings. He took out his invitation and studied it once more.

    Dear Sir/Madam,

    You are cordially invited to a formal party, courtesy of the world¡¯s best investor, Sir Francis Helmsburg. The party will be held at his own manor on the 10th of November. You are to wear a formal attire, but there is no specific dress code. Feel free to wear whatever suits you. Be aware that all the guests at this event are high-class citizens such as yourself - you, along with them, have been invited to this party for your talent in a specific field. It is with hopeful anticipation that I wish to see the world¡¯s best detective at the party. Your skill in cracking the toughest of cases has earned you every right to visit my sumptuous mansion on the evening of the 10th. It would grant me an immense honor to count you amongst my guests.

    Hoping to see you there in all your glory,

    Sir Francis Helmsburg

    That was when Jason noticed something he had not - Sir Francis Helmsburg identified himself as the world''s best investor - a title which would surely account for the man¡¯s wealth. If that was truly the case, then did this mean that Francis was also a target of the talent killer? Or perhaps he was the talent killer? Either prospect seemed equally likely to Jason, and he could not gather more information until he either met Francis, or he could investigate more of the household. As if on cue, the door at the other end of the dining room swung open.

    At first, Jason thought the door had opened for no reason. The reason for this was because the person who exited the door was so¡­ Small! In fact, it looked like a baby had just walked out of a room that Jason assumed to be a kitchen. Dressed in a white bonnet and a light blue diaper, it really looked like a baby waddling towards the table. He wielded a small yellow rattle which was humming with electricity, a small band of which was coursing between the tips of the rattle. Once he had reached the chair that was supposed to seat Francis Helmsburg, he hauled himself up onto it, a process that proved to be quite difficult on account of his small limbs. Everyone looked at him with an expression of amused disbelief. Having finally heaved himself onto Francis¡¯ chair, he turned to face the guests. His black eyes seemed to pierce through everyone, and for a brief moment he analyzed everyone in the room. Lelina briefly ended the tension when she got up and started speaking to the baby.

    ¡°Why, hello there! Are you lost?¡±

    Lelina¡¯s voice and attitude had completely changed when she started addressing the baby. Jason guessed that this was how she acted around children in general, and that her real personality was what he had seen earlier.

    ¡°Hmmm?¡± The baby tilted his head.

    ¡°Where are your parents? Do you know where mama and papa are?¡±

    ¡°Hmmmmmmm?¡± The baby repeated.

    ¡°Are you Francis¡¯ boy?¡± Lelina asked.

    ¡°Hmmmmmmmmmmmm? The baby¡¯s reply did not change.

    ¡°Can you understand what I''m saying?¡± Lelina inquired.

    ¡°Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm? Of course I can understand, you dimwit!¡±

    After his brief outburst, he smacked Lelina in the face with his rattle. The electric current cause Lelina¡¯s hair to spike up, revealing the black hair roots, and confirming that the light purple was not her natural color. What surprised Jason the most, however, was the baby¡¯s voice. It was high-pitched and whimsical, but articulate enough to sound like an adult¡¯s. Somehow, the whimsical nature of it made it sound even more unsettling. Lelina, shocked from the suddenness of the blow, staggered backwards. A look of outrage was on her face when she sat back down next to Jason.

    ¡°Well, well, well! Look at all of you! So talented, so skillful! How ARE you all doing?¡± The baby asked, ignoring the shocked and curious looks he was being given.

    Jason looked around the room. Most people had an understandable reaction - shock. Of course, some wore more interesting expressions. Some showed curiosity, plain and simple. Others showed complete indifference. But there was one emotion that was painfully clear on everyone¡¯s face - fear. Fear of the unknown, fear of why this strange child was seated in front of them.

    ¡°You''re probably all wondering why I''m here, right? Or maybe you''re wondering where your host is, right? Well, allow me to answer both of those questions. To begin with, I''m afraid that Sir Francis Helmsburg has had an¡­ Unfortunate overlay with tonight, and will not be joining us.¡±

    As he spoke, a smile spread on his face, full of malice and evil intent. It was a smile that, combined with the unfitting child persona he had, made this whole situation even more unsettling.

    ¡°But it''s alright! You have me instead! Hmm¡­ What should you call me¡­ I don''t really have a name, you see. Hmm¡­ You know what? I kinda like the name Brian. So that''s what you''re going to call me! Got it?¡±

    He waited, as if he were expecting a reply. Again, he received a deadpan silence.

    ¡°Not that it matters. Call me whatever you like! It won''t change a thing for me! As for why I''m here, well¡­ I happen to know a secret. Would you like to know what it is?¡±

    Everyone leaned in, even if they didn''t realize it. Some leaned in further than others.

    ¡°I happen to know that one of you is a dirty, dirty liar. By which I mean, they''re lying about everything. Their name, their talent, maybe even their gender, who knows? Well, I do! But you don''t. And here''s where I come in. I happen to know their talent. Of course, I''m sure some of you have already guessed what this talent is. One of the twenty-seven of you¡¯s real talent is¡­ They are the best serial killer in the world!¡±

    Jason immediately made the link. The talent-killer. They must have disguised themselves as one of the people here - heck, maybe they introduced themselves as someone who never existed! A wave of doubt washed over everyone - people started glancing nervously at one another, trying to read one another¡¯s faces.

    ¡°So back to me,¡± Brian said, and everyone immediately turned to look at him. ¡°Here''s where I come in! You see, I''m painfully bored right now. So, in cooperation with the best serial killer in the world, we¡¯re going to play a little game¡­ Here''s how it works! Every now and then, the killer will kill one of you! Afterwards, you''ll investigate the crime scene. Then, after a brief amount of time, you''ll enter the large room on the left. I''ll be listening and watching, of course! You''ll tell me what you think happened at the crime, for example, the cause of death or the time of death, and why the killer targeted that person! It''s truly that simple. Of course, a game¡¯s no fun if there are no winners, right? So those of you who manage to correctly identify everything - and I do mean everything - will receive immunity! Why is that important? Well, every time we hold one of these investigations, the person who was the most wrong will be¡­ Punished. So if you''re not immune, you should watch out! Because the next person dead could be you!¡±

    Afterwards, he erupted in a fit of laughter. Like his voice, it was high-pitched and whimsical. However, there was a certain cruelty to the way he laughed. No one reacted immediately. Then, slowly at first but picking up rapidly, complaints started erupting.

    ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°No way!¡¯

    ¡°As if we''d believe that!¡±

    ¡°I''ll just go, then!¡±

    ¡°Who''s child is this?¡±

    ¡°You have piqued my interest.¡±

    This last comment made everyone freeze momentarily and look at Selena, who seemed dead serious.

    ¡°However, as entertaining as your game proposes to be, my dear Brian, I have to ask - where''s your proof that we can believe you? Because, without proof, I''m afraid I won''t be playing this game of yours.¡±

    ¡°Hmm? My proof?¡± Brian answered. ¡°Well, you''ll see in just a few days!¡±

    He winked at Selena, who did not show any reaction. Instead, she stood up and walked away from the room. Many followed, including Brian himself. Eventually, everyone followed Selena¡¯s lead and headed to the main entrance. Selena was the first to arrive at the entrance, and she gave the door a hefty push. However, the door did not budge.

    ¡°Oh, how clich¨¦d. The door is locked,¡± she said.

    ¡°Locked?¡± Michael pushed his way to the door, and give it a massive push. ¡°Huh. It really is locked.¡±

    ¡°Isn''t that just tragic?¡± Everyone turned to look at Brian, who stood a good distance away from the group. ¡°You can''t leave, so I guess you have to play! Boy, this should be entertaining. Oh, and if you''re wondering, I unlocked all the doors on the second floor. They lead to your dormitories! Boys on the left, girls on the right. I''ve provided plenty of spare clothing for those of you who survive that long. In any case, I''ll be leaving now. Have fun!¡±

    Brian began to head off, but found his path blocked off by Dexter and Arthur, their swords brandished.

    ¡°Do you honestly think we shall allow this to happen?¡± Dexter asked.

    ¡°I swore to protect freedom and justice,¡± Arthur added. ¡°I will not allow this!¡±

    ¡°Oh? Isn''t that just thrilling? You think you have a say in the matter! Well, have fun with that.¡±

    Not waiting for a reply, Brian tried to go around the two. In a flash, Dexter¡¯s katana was in front of Brian¡¯s neck. Momentarily taken aback, Brian stumbled back. Then he flashed his ever menacing smile.

    ¡°Oh, you''re being serious! Well then, come at me! If you''re sure you can stop me, that is.¡±

    Dexter did not need more. With a swift movement, he swung his sword right through Brian¡¯s neck.

    It literally went through his neck, seemingly cutting through air. Dexter stumbled forward, surprised at his attack missing. Brian¡¯s neck fuzzed for a moment before it returned to normal.

    ¡°Oh, how silly of me! I didn''t tell you that I can actually think! Tell me, why would I actually put myself in the face of danger when there are two swords people, a boxer, and two people wielding firearms? That''s right, I wouldn''t. What you''re seeing right now is a projection that I''m broadcasting. Of course, I''m really mimicking the movements you''re seeing, but I''m not actually right in front of you. What a shame! I was hoping you''d try this kind of stuff after we''d at least had one death! Oh well. Can''t be helped, I guess. Well, I''ll leave you be now. Bye bye!¡±

    With that, Brian vanished, the broadcast having seemingly ended. Time seemed to stand still. Everyone looked at each other, doubt written on their face. Even Selena, who had previously noted her intrigue, looked at the other guests in a manner of doubt.

    ¡°Um¡­ What do we do?¡± Navini was the first to break the silence.

    ¡°Try to force our way out, obviously!¡± Michael replied.

    ¡°Doesn''t that seem a little¡­ Dangerous?¡± Mikad, the bravado completely gone, looked worried.

    ¡°While I hate to cower in fear, it seems best to try to understand our situation before openly defying it,¡± Dexter added.

    ¡°Screw that! I''m getting out of here,¡± A said.

    He then lifted his sniper rifle, seemingly aiming at the door. Everyone moved out of its trajectory - everyone, that is, except Lavender.

    ¡°A, please. We have been locked in here with very little knowledge as to what is happening. Openly defying our captors would only put us in more danger. I agree with Dexter - we should try to understand our situation first,¡± Lavender explained.¡±Besides, I''m sure Brian anticipated us breaking out eventually. If I had to guess, I''d say the stone bridge leading to the mansion has probably been destroyed as well. Unless you want to take a dive into the ocean and try to swim away?¡±

    A considered what she was saying, not lowering his gun. After what seemed like an interminable amount of time, he finally lowered his gun.

    ¡°Very well. I''ll play his game. But let me be clear - I fully intend to survive it, killer be damned¡±,¡±A retorted.

    Afterwards, he walked off to the staircase. Once he had reached it, to his surprise, the door opened nicely. He went off to the left, where the boys dormitories were. Everyone followed suit. Jason lagged behind, hoping to get a chance to finish his conversation with Lavender. Lavender, however, had already walked off in order to help a girl with an enormous pile of books. While he had not spoken to her, Jason recognized Vicki Ingrid from the conversation that Gary and Audrey had had on her. Vicki gladly accepted the help from Lavender, although even with her help, there were still a bunch of books left. Jason decided to help as well, and picked up the books that were left. He headed to the right to drop off Vicki¡¯s books in her room. On the doorknob of the door labelled ¡®Vicki Ingrid¡¯ lay a key for the room. Vicki took it and unlocked the door to her room. Jason couldn''t get a proper look inside before Vicki turned around and grabbed the pile of books from Lavender.

    ¡°Thanks a lot, Lavender!¡± Vicki smiled at Lavender.

    ¡°It was nothing. If we''re going to stay here for a while, we should at least try to get along.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, I agree!¡± Vicki answered.

    Jason put the rest of the books on top of the pile. Vicki¡¯s eyes narrowed.

    ¡°Oh, um. Thanks too, I guess.¡±

    Her voice lost any cheerful demeanor when she started talking to Jason. In fact, she seemed hostile and cold.

    ¡°You''re welcome?¡±

    ¡°Um. Anyways. Good night.¡±

    Vicki gave one last death stare to Jason before she politely smiled at Lavender and slammed the door shut.

    ¡°What is her problem?" Jason asked.

    ¡°Beats me,¡± Lavender replied. ¡°Anyways, I think I''m going to go to my room - make sure everything''s in order. Good night!¡±

    Jason did not mention that she or he might not survive the night. He thought better of it. In fact, there was no proof that anything Brian had said was true. But, for now, Jason thought better of it and headed to his room. He heard Lavender¡¯s door click behind her. Headed towards the hallway, he saw some of the other men talking amongst themselves. Henry, A and Mikad were currently in a discussion about tonight¡¯s events. Suddenly, Jason felt a huge wave of fatigue wash over him. He felt no desire to join in on their conversation. Instead, he walked to his room at the very end of the hallway and grabbed. Before he went in, he noticed that there were no windows of any kind in the hallway. Instead, a crudely drawn picture of a landscape hung instead. He opened the door to his room, walked in and closed the door behind him. The room itself was fairly average - it had a bed with light blue sheets, a slender desk and chair, and a bathroom off to the right. Quickly peeking into the bathroom, he saw a bathtub with a shower above it and a sink. There was also a closet at the very end of the room. Too tired to do anything else, Jason collapsed onto his bed and fell into a very deep sleep.

 Chapter 2: Dangerous Life and Playful Death

    Jason awoke with a bit of a start. Briefly forgetting last night¡¯s events, he woke up to a room he was not used to. It took him a moment to place himself. Then, he groggily got up, his body sore from last night¡¯s sleep. He hadn''t bothered to take his outfit off, so he was still dressed in the tuxedo he had last night. His hair had flattened against his head during his sleep, and he was relatively dirty, so he decided to take a shower. He took his clothes off and tossed them into a corner. Stepping into the shower, he realized that for all the money Francis had put into the house, the showers were clearly not a priority. It was a basic shower, no fanciness about it. Jason let the water flow on his body for a bit before he allowed himself to think about what had transpired last night. Immediately, one thought came to his mind - he was alive. If the killer had targeted someone, it was not Jason. A horrible thought then crossed his mind - as a detective, wouldn''t he be a target almost immediately? He refused to allow himself to think like that, and banished the thought from his mind. After cleaning himself with the meager soap bar and shampoo, he dried himself on the thin towel in the bathroom. He then went over to his closet. As he opened his closet, he realized that only two different garments were available - about fifteen exact copies of the outfit he had worn the night before and about ten light blue pajamas. Sighing, he put on one of the outfits in his wardrobe. Aside from his hair now being flattened, he looked identical to last night. Still tired, he walked out of the room. It was then that he realized that he had no sense of time whatsoever. There were no windows, no clocks and therefore no way to tell the time. He assumed it must be morning.

    Exiting his room, he noticed that his door was not quite the end of the hallway. The last door in the hallway was a door labelled ¡°Recreation¡±. To Jason¡¯s expectations, the door was locked. Parallel to it was a door labelled ¡°Third floor¡± which, once again, was locked. It seemed that for the time being, Jason and the other guests were limited to the dormitories and the entrance hall. Aside from him, the men¡¯s hallway was empty. He could see Navini and Lola having a conversation in the women¡¯s hallway. He decided not to interfere with them. Suddenly, his stomach growled. Growled was perhaps not the appropriate word for it - roared was more accurate. He then realized that he had not had any supper before going to bed. He then headed for the dining room.

    Reaching the dining room, he realized he was not the only one who had had the same idea. Vicki was currently sat cross legged in her chair, an uneaten butter toast in front of her. Mikad and Michael were sat parallel to each other, talking about some sport Jason had no knowledge of. Selena sat alone, sipping a glass of what looked like orange juice. Lavender also sat alone, eating a bowl of cereal with (and Jason thought this was odd) no milk.

    ¡°Where did you get that?¡± Jason asked, pointing at Lavender¡¯s bowl.

    ¡°Oh, this? Well, the kitchen¡¯s unlocked now,¡± Lavender replied. ¡°There''s enough food in there to feed all of North America for a month and then some. Although, there''s no staff of any kind, so if we want something fancy, we need to cook it ourselves.¡±

    Jason had a gut feeling that some people would take the lazy route of having simple meals for the entirety of their stay. Regardless, Jason was hungry, so he headed to the kitchen.

    What the showers had lacked in richness was more than made up for in the kitchen. The kitchen was enormous, and Jason almost had to shield his eyes from the polished whiteness of the place. There were several ovens lining up near the counters, and several refrigerators near the back of the kitchen. Above the huge countertop were several pantries. One of the pantries¡¯ door was slightly ajar, and Jason assumed that that was where the breakfast items were kept - an assumption that was proven to be correct once Jason opened the doors to the pantry and found several different kinds of cereals, along with various spreads to put on toasts. Bagel, croissants and other kinds of breads also lined the pantry. Simply put, there was anything you could ever want for breakfast and more. Jason even saw some pancake mix. Jason settled on a peanut butter toast, and put his slice of bread into the toaster. Next, he set out to look for plates. As he was looking, Navini walked into the kitchen, almost out of breath.

    ¡°Huff¡­ Huff¡­ Jason? Is that you?¡±

    Jason got up to see Navini.

    ¡°Oh, perfect! Help me find somewhere to hide.¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°Anywhere, just hurry!¡±

    With no time to argue, Navini began to squeeze herself underneath the sink. Confused, Jason just stood by and watched. He noticed that, like himself, Navini must have received several identical outfits in her wardrobe. This, unfortunately, meant that Jason would have to get used to seeing her¡­ Unique sense of fashion every morning. However, Jason noticed that she had tied her hair up into one ponytail as opposed to two, which now hung loosely from Navini¡¯s head.

    ¡°Quick, close the doors!¡±

    ¡°What on earth..?¡± Jason wasn''t totally sure about what she was doing.

    ¡°I''ll explain later, just close them now!¡±

    ¡°Okay, okay!¡±

    Jason closed the doors to the area underneath the sink, completely shielding Navini from view. No sooner had he done that, he understood why Navini had made such a bizarre request. Henry walked into the kitchen, apparently also out of breath.

    ¡°Ah, good morning, Jason!¡± Henry said, glancing around the kitchen. ¡°Tell me, you wouldn''t have happened to see Navini around here, would you?¡±

    Jason could take the hint. He shook his head ¡®no¡¯.

    ¡°Really? I could have sworn I saw her walk in here¡­ Oh well! Thanks for your help, I guess¡­¡± Defeated, Henry stumbled back out of the kitchen, disheartened. Shoving the doors beneath the sink open, Navini crawled out.

    ¡°It is SERIOUSLY cramped down there,¡± Navini mentioned, stretching her arms as she did so. ¡°Anyways, thanks for your help! That creep has been following me around ever since he woke up! Seriously¡­ You know, while I''m here, I might as well grab a bite to eat.¡±

    She grabbed an apple and a banana and, taking a bite into the apple, she made her way out. Jason heard the click of the toaster, and he remembered his toast.

    Making his way back to the dining hall, he saw that others had joined themselves to the table. Axel looked positively infuriated, and it took a moment for Jason to realize why. Axel had had the misfortune of being sat right next to Bobby, who was telling him another of his awful jokes. Again, he wore the strange metallic backpack. Jason wondered what it could be for. Lelina and Rose had also joined the guests at the table, and both sat in silence. Seeing Jason walk out of the kitchen, Rose leaped out of her chair.

    ¡°Ah, that''s where you got the grub!¡±

    ¡°Y...you could have a...asked someone,¡± Lelina added, which Rose seemed to ignore.

    Visibly hungry, Rose dashed into the kitchen, nearly knocking Jason over in the process. Despite her comment, it seemed that Lelina had also not known about the kitchen being unlocked, and she silently made her way over to the kitchen. Jason noticed that she was still carrying her box full of toys. Either way, he made his way to the corner of the table, sitting down to meet Lavender¡¯s questioning gaze.

    ¡°So about yesterday,¡± Lavender began. ¡°You never did answer my question.¡±

    Jason raised an eyebrow, although he knew full well what she going to ask him about. He had tried to avoid the topic. Ariana¡¯s death was still a sensible subject for him.

    ¡°If you have to know,¡± Jason began, ¡°Ariana Beverly was my boss. She was murdered several days ago by the talent killer. As her second in command, so to speak, I ended up inheriting all of her unfinished work. Amongst that work was a letter from Francis Helmsburg. Seeing the contents of the letter, I knew it had to relate to her death, so I came to the party using her talent as a disguise, and you know the rest.¡±

    ¡°I figured as much,¡± Lavender affirmed, smiling. ¡°I just needed to hear it to confirm.¡±

    Jason felt a huge relief, knowing that his identity would not be questioned. Still, he felt a hint of suspicion from Lavender. Did she suspect him? Either way, his thoughts were interrupted by a lot of shouting.

    ¡°Bullshit! There''s no way!¡± Michael had suddenly raised his voice and everyone turned to look at him.

    ¡°And yet I assure you I speak the truth,¡± Mikad¡¯s voice remained calm, although there was an edge to it.

    ¡°Yeah right! As if you would know more about boxing than me!¡±

    Everyone else in the dining room watched nervously as tension seemed to be building between the two.

    ¡°Coming from an ape who doesn''t know what a shirt is, I''d say that''s fairly hypocritical,¡± Mikad replied.

    ¡°That does it! I¡¯m gonna show you what being a boxer is all about!¡± Michael replied threateningly. Mikad did not react. Arthur and Dexter, not having seen any of the argument, walked into the room confused. Michael ran around the table and swung his fist into Mikad¡¯s face.

    ¡°No.¡± Arthur had just brought her shield up to block the punch. Michael, having hit solid metal, clutched his fist in pain. ¡°You will not harm others while I live,¡± Arthur¡¯s voice carried a lot of weight.

    ¡°I, of course, feel the same way,¡± Dexter added. ¡°Now then, where did you all get this food? Believe it or not, a ninja can get hungry¡­¡± As if on cue, Dexter¡¯s stomach growled. The tension seemed to ease in the room. Michael, still looking pissed, mumbled something about showing the kitchen to Dexter and stormed off into the kitchen. Dexter and Arthur followed. Gradually, everyone in the house made their way into the dining room. Henry returned to sit down, defeated, and at the same time, Navini snuck back into the dining room, her seat placement thankfully obscuring her from Henry. Mikad had made no comment about the previous fight with Michael, and Michael was shooting death stares at Mikad. Ignoring his terrible mood, Lola was giggling and grabbing onto his biceps. Everyone settled in to have breakfast and chat. Everyone except Selena, that is, who got up the minute everyone was sat down. She calmly walked to the kitchen, an empty glass in hand. When she returned (without her glass), she did not return to her seat like others had. Instead, she walked straight out of the dining room, caring not to talk to anyone else. Curious, Jason hastily excused himself and followed after her. Selena was headed upstairs to the girls¡¯ hallway. She stopped at the very end. Similarly to the boys¡¯ hallway, a door with the words ¡®Third Floor¡¯ hung on it was waiting for them. However, the door parallel to that was different than in the boys¡¯ hallway. Instead of ¡®Recreation¡¯, it said ¡®Study¡¯. It was to this door that Selena was headed. Once there, she grabbed the handle and pulled. The door did not budge, apparently locked. She sighed and tried the ¡®Third Floor¡¯ door. It also did not move.

    ¡°If you were wondering, Jason, I was hoping that one of these doors might be unlocked, considering the kitchen was suddenly open,¡± Selena did not turn around while she spoke to Jason. In fact, Jason was surprised that she had known he had followed her at all.

    ¡°That is, unless¡­¡± Not caring to finish her thought aloud, she dashed to the other end of the corridor, the end of the boys¡¯ hallway. Jason followed. She got the door written ¡®Recreation¡¯ on it and pulled. It did not move, also apparently locked. She did not even bother to try the ¡®Third Floor¡¯ door.

    ¡°How disappointing. Oh well,¡± Selena, not really seeming disappointed at all, gracefully walked back to her room. Jason guessed that she had not really come to check if the doors were locked, and that she was forced to appear to be doing so since Jason was following her. Regardless, she stayed in her room for a while after, so Jason set out to investigate the house.

    The status on the front doors had not changed - they were still locked, as imposing and trapping as ever. As Jason investigated, people gradually began to file out of the dining room. Some, seeing nothing better to do, stayed in the dining room to socialize with their fellow guests. Others retreated to their rooms. Very few actually investigated, and those that did were not very encouraging to Jason. Vivian was doing another dance, this time with a bluebell, the poppy having retaken its place on her dress. Jason immediately assumed that they must be fake flowers, and his suspicion was confirmed when Vivian¡¯s dance brought her closer to Jason - the flowers all had a shiny quality about them that could only be plastic. Yet, Jason noticed a painful amount of detail on these fake flowers - the roses had carefully drawn thorns on them, the bluebells gradually turning from a blue to a more violet color, and the poppies had carefully structured inside colors. Shaking his head, he focused once again on the room. Jason went to the one other door he had yet to check - the large doors on the left of the hall. Much to his expectations, the doors did not open when he pulled them. Then, Vivian spiraled into him, knocking him into the doors. To his great surprise, the doors opened. Despite having doorknobs, the doors could only be pushed open. Vivian, picking herself back up, didn''t seem to notice that she had caused this.

    ¡°Oh, wow! Jason opened the doors! That''s new!¡± And she resumed dancing around the hall. The others that had been investigating noticed this development and headed to the new room.

    Picking himself up, Jason observed his surroundings. The doors on the left had led to - more doors. Seriously? The room he was in, if he could call it one, was just an empty hall, barely large enough to fit the six people currently investigating. Timothy, Mary, Lavender, Dahinko, Skyler and himself were thankfully the only ones who entered. Vivian stayed outside, twirling around as if nothing else was happening. The room was plainly decorated, a simple red rug spread out across its length. One simple lamp hung from the ceiling to light up the room. Aside from that, there were no decorations in the small hall. Three doors led from it, but unlike the doors in the dormitories, these ones were not labelled. He went to the one on the right first, which Lavender was currently investigating. She tried pulling the doorknob at first. Then, she simply looked, lost in her own thoughts.

    ¡°Have you tried pushing it?¡± Jason asked. Startled, Lavender jumped a little before turning around to talk to Jason.

    ¡°I don''t know why, but I somehow get the feeling that that isn''t going to help us very much,¡± she replied. Jason tried to push the door and, sure enough, the door didn''t budge either. Lavender continued to look at the door thoughtfully. Jason, sensing she wouldn''t tell him what was on her mind, moved on to try and talk to the others. Skyler and Dahinko were currently in deep conversation about planes, so he decided to talk to Timothy and Mary, who were currently trying the door at the far left. Timothy began uselessly pulling at the door, Mary shaking her head.

    ¡°You''re not going to get anything done like that,¡± Mary sighed.

    ¡°No, really? I never would have guessed!¡± Timothy shot back sarcastically, the usual calm in his voice completely gone.

    ¡°Everything okay here?¡± Jason, seeing Timothy¡¯s behavior contrasting what he witnessed last night, was slightly worried.

    ¡°Oh, everything''s not fine, Jason,¡± Mary answered seriously. ¡°Did you know that Timothy here is an atheist? Terrible, I know.¡±

    ¡°How, exactly?¡± Timothy, clearly more exasperated than anything else, replied. Ignoring him completely, Mary continued.

    ¡°I''ve been trying to guide him to the light of God, but it''s taking a lot of work. Then again, I pride myself on my stubbornness, so I refuse to give up!¡±

    ¡°Why do I get the feeling most people she''s evangelized just did so to get her to shut up?¡± Timothy sighed, annoyed. Jason chuckled and decided that it would be more productive to head off and talk to Dahinko and Skyler.

    ¡°... And that''s why I''m never going to Rio de Janeiro ever again! They won''t let me after I nearly crashed into Christ the Redeemer!¡± Dahinko concluded his story. Skyler stared at Dahinko in disbelief.

    ¡°Um¡­ Yeah¡­ How on earth does that happen?¡± Skyler asked. Dahinko just giggled.

    ¡°So about the door¡­¡± Jason interrupted the two. Skyler waved politely and Dahinko began talking uncontrollably.

    ¡°Oh, hi, Jason! Yeah, we haven''t made any progress, but we''re trying! How did you open the door? Was it because you and Vivian managed to force it open? Ooh, do you wanna hear about the time I went to-¡±

    ¡°Breathe, Dahinko, breathe!¡± Skyler laughed. ¡°You do not have an off switch, do you?¡± Dahinko flashed a bright smile. ¡°And sorry, Jason. This door is locked as well.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, no matter how much we pull and pull and pull, the door won''t move! Do you think it''s stuck with super glue? Or maybe it''s not a door at all! Maybe it''s just a wall covered by doors!¡±

    ¡°The doors are just locked, Dahinko. Jeez, for an adult, you certainly have a bright imagination.¡±

    ¡°That''s me! A child at heart!¡± Dahinko once again flashed his smile. Skyler laughed, which caused Dahinko to laugh as well. The two laughs could not be more different - Dahinko¡¯s was high-pitched and light, while Skyler¡¯s was deep, long and hearty - and yet they laughed in unison. Jason wondered if they had known each other beforehand. Seeing that none of the doors would open, Jason made his way out of the cramped hall and back into the entrance hall, where a familiar scene was playing out.

    Once again, swords clashed with one another. This time, however, Dexter¡¯s expression was much less hostile, and Arthur fought without her armor on. Underneath it, Jason could see she was actually rather pretty, even though she was wearing a simple white t-shirt and sweatpants. Her hair was undone and fell loosely on her back, and she was actually smiling as she fought with Dexter. Jason noticed that each strike was aimed loosely, clearly meant to avoid hitting anything major. And yet, they came at each other with blistering speed. Each new strike resulted in another clang, and the crowd that had gathered watched in awe and silence. Even Selena had come to see the duel. After several dozen strikes that no one seemed capable of tearing their eyes from, they finally put their swords down. Then, to everyone¡¯s surprise, Arthur started laughing.

    ¡°Your swings are weak, old man!¡± Arthur taunted Dexter. Dexter returned the laughter.

    ¡°Only because I''m holding back! If my sword were not a replica, your sword would be two pieces on the floor!¡± Dexter taunted back. Arthur, filled with determination, swung once again at Dexter, this time at full strength. Dexter easily blocked the blow, but the strength of the blow caught him off guard. He stumbled backwards ever so slightly. Arthur let a satisfied smirk crawl on her face. Dexter recovered and swung without warning. Arthur barely had time to lift her shield to block it, her eyes widening.

    ¡°Do not underestimate me, even with a simple replica,¡± Dexter¡¯s voice deepened quickly, his eyes narrowing. He looked truly frightening. Arthur, recovering her balance, looked slightly offput. Finally, the two noticed the crowd, and lowered their swords.

    ¡°Fear not, fellow guests! We were simply having a practice duel - to make sure we were fit to protect you all,¡± Dexter explained. His normal expression had returned, as if he had never appeared mad. Still, Jason could not erase Dexter¡¯s expression from his mind. Apparently, neither could Arthur - she still seemed shaken. Seeing the duel was over, the other guests returned to what they were doing. Jason heard the doors click behind him. When he turned around, Lavender had finally left the small hallway.

    ¡°So?¡± Jason asked. Lavender raised an eyebrow. ¡°Did you find anything? You were in there longer than anyone else. You missed the fight, by the way.¡±

    ¡°Really? Aww¡­¡± Lavender sighed, not looking disappointed at all. ¡°And yeah, I found something. The doors aren''t identical. All three doors have a different dent somewhere,¡± she explained. Jason gave her a shocked look, as if to say that''s all? Lavender merely shrugged. Disappointed, Jason returned to investigating the room.

    However, his investigation revealed that nothing was different than it initially appeared. None of the flowerpots had real flowers in them, instead being filled with plastic lilies. Jason looked around for Vivian, meaning to ask if she had any lilies on her, but she was gone, probably to her room to do God knows what with her flowers. With the help of Michael, Mikad and A, Jason lifted the rug in the main hall to see what was underneath. However, there was nothing there, only wooden floor. Disappointed, they put the rug back. Going upstairs, he examined the painting of the Last Supper hung in the hallway. Aside from Vincent Alfonzo¡¯s note at the bottom, nothing was unusual about the painting. Lifting the painting also revealed nothing. Jason tried one last thing he had not tried - pushing the doors in the hallway. When she had examined them, Selena did not try pushing the doors, like Vivian and Jason had afterwards in the center hall. Hopeful, Jason pushed the door. To his disappointment, none of the doors opened even a fraction. Beaten, Jason went back to his room, to see if he could do anything there. However, similar to this evening, he did not notice anything strange - that is, with the exception of a strange security camera hidden in the very top right corner of his room. It could only be described as odd - it was a triangular shape, with what seemed like a doubled lens and it was all coated in a sulphur yellow color. Curious, Jason decided to have a proper look at it. He brought the chair in his room to be directly underneath it, then he climbed up onto it and stood. The small size of the chair caused it to be unsteady when someone was standing on it. Jason wobbled along with the chair for a few moments before it steadied itself. Cautiously, Jason took a peek at the camera.

    ¡°Ah ah ah, no touching!¡±

    Surprised by the suddenity of the voice, Jason lost his balance and fell of the chair. He got up, rubbing his now bruised back. The person who had addressed him was none other than Brian, who was now seated on Jason¡¯s bed. Jason noticed that his lower body almost seemed to go through the sheets - that was when Jason remembered that this was only a projection of Brian, similar to what had happened last evening.

    ¡°Jeez, am I going to have to put up security measures around the cameras, too? Well, whatever. In any case, I''m here to give you this!¡±

    Brian handed Jason a small piece of paper. To Jason¡¯s surprise, the paper was not a projection, but was actually very real. Well, to say he handed him the paper was a bit of an exaggeration - rather, he pointed to the piece of paper that was already on the bed. Jason suspected that the real Brian had more than likely placed them there while they were at breakfast. Jason looked at the paper, uncertain. In very crude writing, the piece of paper read:

    INVTATION!

    You R Invted to a party tomrrow nite!

    B their!

    It was accompanied by terrible drawings of balloons and what Jason guessed was a party hat, but it looked more like a flower than anything else.

    ¡°Do you like it?¡± Brian asked. ¡°I made them myself!¡±

    ¡°Umm¡­ I guess they''re¡­ Okay,¡± Jason replied, trying to appease to Brian while at the same time holding in a fit of laughter from how terrible they were made. Brian didn''t buy into it - tears welled in his eyes. The second they appeared, though, they were gone, and Brian carried on in his cheerful demeanor.

    ¡°You''re the first one to say you liked it! You should have seen Selena¡¯s face when I asked her. And Gary was so mad that I stepped on the dress he was making that he didn''t even look at the paper! Whatever. If you''re not present at the party, I''ll have a surprise you most definitely don''t want, so be there, okay? Good! Now about you trying to tamper with the cameras¡­¡± With that, Brian¡¯s projection fizzled out, leaving Jason to look at the paper in his hand. It wasn''t very long before he once again heard Brian¡¯s voice. This time, however, it came from a staticky sounding speaker, that seemed to be projecting across the house.

    Ding-dong! ¡°Um¡­ Hel-bzzt! Can you all hear-bzzt! Good, they seem to be working! Ahem - to everyone still alive in the household, I have an announcement to make! Tampering with the cameras in any room is forbidden, and doing so will result in an especially horrible punishment. Got it? Good! Bye bye!¡± Dong-Ding!

    What Jason retained from that was that Brian had said:¡±to everyone still alive¡±, rather than to everyone. Did this imply that someone in the house was not alive? Or that there was an extra guest? Perhaps Sir Francis was actually hiding somewhere in the house? Regardless, this meant that he could not investigate the strange camera in his room any longer. Frustrated, Jason went downstairs to try and socialize with the other guests.

    ¡°Hey! Hold on! What do you think you''re doing?¡± Brian had reappeared, this time talking to Jessica. Jason noticed that in her hand, Jessica was holding what appeared to be the remains of the strange camera he had in his room. Where she had found this one, Jason did not know. ¡°You know, I''m going to punish you for this!¡±

    ¡°How, exactly?¡± Jessica asked.

    ¡°Didn''t you just hear me?! I said that tampering with the cameras-¡±

    ¡°When did you say it, pray tell?¡±

    ¡°Are you deaf or something? I literally just gave an announcement saying that-¡±

    ¡°Oh, I tore the speaker out of my room a long time. Your voice¡­ Yaaawwwnnn¡­ Annoys me,¡± Jessica, clearly not fazed by Brian being pissed at her, seemed extremely emotionless. Brian was practically fuming - smoke was literally pouring out of him, and Jason had to wonder if he had added the visual effects. ¡°Anyways, from what I gathered, I''m not supposed to rip out the camera, right?¡±

    ¡°That''s correct! Way to catch on!¡± Brian was practically screaming.

    ¡°And if I do, I get punished?¡± Jessica spoke and then yawned.

    ¡°Yes, that''s right! That means I can punish you!¡± Brian¡¯s anger had turned to extreme joy.

    ¡°No you can''t. I didn''t know, so technically¡­ Yaaawn¡­ I did nothing worthy of punishment,¡± Jessica countered emotionlessly. Brian tried to find something to counter her statement. He fumbled for a bit. Then, returning to a fuming state, he fizzled out.

    ¡°That was easier than I thought,¡± Jessica said.

    ¡°Do you have a death wish or something?¡± Jason asked her. ¡°If that hadn''t worked, then you could have-¡±

    ¡°I was testing to see what he meant by punishing. It''s a shame I could witness it. You guys could have been warned about it.¡± Jessica said all of this without looking at Jason, in a bored, monotone voice.

    ¡°Still, that''s dangerous! What if he had made good on his promise?¡± Jason was seriously worried about her. She seemed to care so little about her own life! She was practically throwing it away. Jessica shrugged.

    ¡°Not that I¡­ Yaaaaawn¡­ Care, really. Besides, isn''t this a good thing? It means we can analyze the cameras, right?¡± Jessica held up the broken camera remains in her hand.

    ¡°Was that one in your room?¡± Jason asked. Jessica nodded.

    ¡°I need my privacy. He thinks he can¡­ Yaaaawn¡­ Spy on the girls without repercussions? I don''t think so,¡± Jessica answered. ¡°Let''s take this thing to the dining room, shall we? Can you¡­ Yaaaaaaaawn¡­ Round everyone up?¡± Without waiting for a reply from Jason, she headed to the dining room, her pom-poms bouncing on her hips as she walked. Sighing, Jason went to go round everyone up. Fortunately for him, almost everyone was currently in the center hall, so he simply had to shout to get everyone¡¯s attention and direct them to the dining room. However, two people were missing, and they were the hardest duo to find - Navini and Henry.

    It took some time for Jason to find a trace of either of them. He finally found Henry in his room after he had exited it. Jason had checked his room earlier, but to no response. However, he finally spotted Henry exiting his room. His hair was flattened, and it seemed to be still wet. Jason guessed that he had been in the shower.

    ¡°Ah, good day, Jason! What brings you to my fine room today?¡± Jason explained the situation to Henry.

    ¡°Is that right? She really is suicidal, that one¡­ Anyhow, will Navini be attending?¡±

    ¡°Actually, I still need to find Navini¡­¡± Jason said. He immediately regretted it.

    ¡°Is that right? Then, as her destined soulmate, I will help you find her!¡± Henry posed. Jason had to surpress the urge to burst out laughing. Henry and Navini, soul mates? Somehow Jason doubted it. Despite Jason¡¯s protests, however, Henry was set on accompanying him, and would not take no for an answer. Defeated, Jason resigned himself to have Henry accompany him.

    Henry, with a bounce his step, took the lead. He headed off towards the girls¡¯ hallway. Logically, if Navini weren''t in the main hall, she would be in her room, so that was where the two were headed. Henry reached her door first and knocked a little too enthusiastically. There was no response from Navini. Jason reached the door and knocked as well, this time in a more polite fashion. Again, there was no response. Jason put his head to the door, listening for running water that would indicate that she was in the shower. He heard nothing. Suddenly, Henry¡¯s stomach started growling loudly.

    ¡°I have an idea! Let us search elsewhere! You continue to search here, and I shall search the kitchen. Good luck!¡± Before Jason could object, Henry dashed off. So much for soul mates, Jason thought. Regardless, it seemed Navini was not in her room, so Jason headed out in search of other possible locations.

    Jason checked that Navini was not, in fact, already in the dining room. Her seat remained empty, along with Jason¡¯s and Henry¡¯s, who was probably pigging out in the kitchen. There weren''t very many places Jason could look for her, so Jason set out. He checked every nook and cranny in the center hall, and even returned to her room to try again. There was still no response, however. Jason tried opening the doors at either end of the hallway, but to no avail. Where on Earth could Navini be hiding? Jason then thought of one last place he had yet to look - the hallway with the three doors he had discovered earlier today. He tried pulling the doorknob before he remembered he had to push the door open. Finally, he opened the door.

    ¡°Piss off, Henry! Oh, it''s just you, Jason,¡± Navini was hiding behind the door, waiting to slam it in Henry¡¯s face. Jason had to stop himself or receive a door to the face. ¡°Sorry about that¡­ Heh..,¡± Navini said sheepishly. ¡°Anyways, did you need me for anything?¡±

    ¡°Actually, yes. Jessica told me to round everyone up. Everyone else is already in the dining room,¡± Jason explained.

    ¡°Really? Well, guess I have to go then, huh? Can you make sure Henry doesn''t see me leave? I kinda want to reuse this spot. I''m hoping these doors don''t stay unlocked forever - the more places to hide from him, the better,¡± Navini sighed. Jason looked into the hall, to make sure Henry wasn''t there. Sure enough, his seat remained empty in the dining hall. He motioned to Navini that she was clear. Cautiously, she followed Jason into the dining hall.

    With the exception of Henry, everyone was sat in the dining hall.

    ¡°How much longer do we have to keep waiting?¡± Michael complained.

    ¡°Stop whining,¡± Selena pointed at Michael. ¡°Your voice annoys me. So shut up.¡± Michael, outraged, did not come up with a response.

    ¡°Is everyone here, Jason?¡± Jessica said sleepily. Sure enough, she yawned immediately after speaking to Jason.

    ¡°I think Henry¡¯s still in the kitchen, but aside from him, that everyone.¡± Jason answered.

    ¡°Perhaps we should begin,¡± Lavender suggested.

    ¡°Yeah, you''re right. I don''t¡­ Yaaaaaawn¡­ Think Henry could help much in the matter anyways,¡± Jessica replied. ¡°In any case, I had Jason gather you all to show you this.¡± Jessica unceremoniously placed the remains of the camera and speaker onto the table. Almost instinctively, everyone leaned in to observe the camera parts. Jason noticed the strange triangular shape that defined the camera almost immediately. Amongst other things, the camera seemed to have a miniature projector in it. Jessica wasn''t very careful when transporting it, and pieces of the equally shattered speaker had mixed themselves with the camera. Nevertheless, Jason got the basics of the camera¡¯s design.This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.

    ¡°So that¡¯s how Brian can project himself everywhere!¡± Timothy noted.

    ¡°So he won''t be able to project himself in Jessica¡¯s room anymore?¡± Axel asked.

    ¡°Somehow I doubt he''s sitting still right now,¡± Lavender replied. ¡°He''s probably putting a new camera in her room, if he hasn''t already done so. He wouldn''t have let her go so easily if he couldn''t fix it.¡±

    ¡°Which brings up another question,¡± Selena added. ¡°Has anyone stopped themselves to ask how on earth a baby is behaving like a fully grown adult? Or is it just me?¡±

    Everyone looked at each other, uncertain. With all the mysteries surrounding their circumstances, it seemed that no one had stopped and ask themselves that very question.

    ¡°Wait, Brian¡¯s a human?¡± Vivian broke the silence. Everyone looked at her incredulously before brushing it off.

    ¡°In any case,¡± A continued the conversation, ignoring Vivian¡¯s commentary, ¡°it looks like Brian can spy on us pretty much anywhere in the building.¡±

    ¡°That means we''re completely trapped! We can''t do anything without him knowing!¡± Mikad exclaimed. ¡°And breaking these cameras could result in something excruciatingly painful!¡±

    ¡°At least, so he claims,¡± Timothy noted. ¡°We have no definitive proof there really is a killer among us, nor that he can punish us in such a manner that we would be affected.¡±

    ¡°So you still live in denial?¡± Everyone turned to look at Selena, who had just spoken. She glanced around the room, as if savoring everyone¡¯s incredulity. Then, after she was seemingly satisfied, she continued. ¡°Wouldn''t it be better to live under the assumption that there IS a killer among us? You know, the ones who live in denial make excellent first victims.¡±

    ¡°Those are the words of a coward,¡± Dexter growled. ¡°Are you suspicious of us already?¡±

    ¡°It is my personal philosophy not to trust anyone. Thinking otherwise is an act of extreme delusion,¡± Selena replied. Dexter¡¯s eyes narrowed in response. ¡°In any case, it seems this conversation is done. If you don''t mind, I shall excuse myself.¡± She stood up. Everyone watched her as she made her way to the doorway. Michael stood up and blocked the way out. Selena glanced at him, as if asking herself why he thought he could dare to block her passage.

    ¡°You got a big mouth there, lady,¡± Michael said threateningly. ¡°I don''t know much about trust, but I can tell you that we need to work together. If you don''t wanna work with us, I''m gonna have to make sure you don''t interfere!¡±

    ¡°I have no intention in dabbling with your delusions of trust, you overgrown ape,¡± Selena replied snidely. ¡°Now step aside.¡±

    Jason looked at her in disbelief. Did she seriously think she could defeat Michael in a fight? In fact, Michael seemed to realize this, and a grin spread on his face.

    ¡°You talk big for someone as scrawny as you. You sure you wanna take me on?¡± Michael asked sarcastically. Selena sighed.

    ¡°I don''t want to fight you,¡± Selena replied simply. ¡°Now stand aside.¡±

    Once again, Michael seemed to not take her seriously. He cracked his knuckles, readying for a fight.

    ¡°Alright, you asked for it, lady. Either stand still and lemme punch ya or lemme punch ya real hard!¡± He took a swing.

    ¡°S-stop!¡±

    Lelina had inserted herself in between Michael and Selena. Michael stopped his fist midair, inches away from Lelina¡¯s flustered face.

    ¡°We...we shouldn''t be fighting! If we c...can''t work together, then we¡¯re giving B...Brian exactly what he wants!¡± Lelina, having Michael¡¯s fist inches away from her face, sounded appropriately nervous. Michael¡¯s anger remained on his face for a moment as he debated whether to punch Lelina out of the way or not. Finally, after what seemed like a really long time, Michael lowered his fist.

    ¡°Yeah, I guess you''re right¡­ I got out of hand¡­ Sorry¡­¡± Michael apologized, staring at the floor sheepishly. Selena continued to glance at Michael in an undermining manner. Lelina smiled, relieved. Michael grinned sheepishly. Ignoring Lelina completely, Selena left the room.

    ¡°At least we know who the first victim will be!¡± Vivian stated. Once again, everyone turned to look at her. This time, however, it was not in incredulity - rather, it was in shock, as they were stunned that that was what she had retained from the exchange that had just unfolded.

    ¡°We''re¡­ Not going to be able to rely on her much, are we?¡± Lavender remarked. Everyone sighed in exasperation. The tension seemed to lift from the room. At that moment, Henry walked out of the kitchen, rubbing his stomach in satisfaction.

    ¡°Why, bonjour! Why is everyone gathered here at this fine hour?¡± Henry asked, looking legitimately confused.

    ¡°Henry, I thought I told you that we were meeting here,¡± Jason replied, confused. ¡°Did you forget?¡±

    ¡°What? I can recall no such thing, mon cher,¡± Henry replied. ¡°I tend to forget most things when I''m eating. Speaking of which, I recall you were looking for Navini earlier. How has your search been?¡± At that moment, he noticed Navini, who had been silently edging her way out of the room. After noticing that Henry had spotted her, she broke out into a full sprint, rushing away from the room. ¡°Oh, mon amour, don''t run from me! You know we are meant to be!¡± Henry ran off after Navini. Everyone left in the room chuckled in exasperation, the tension having been completely removed from the dining room. Slowly, everyone made their way out of the room. Jessica picked up the pieces of the camera.

    ¡°Yaaaaawn¡­ It seems like these won''t be of much use. Still¡­¡± She thought for a bit. Then, she took the projector and the camera lenses and shoved them in her pocket. She crumpled the rest with a crunch, taking it in her hands to the kitchen, probably to throw it out.

    ¡°Boy, that was exciting, wasn''t it!¡± Dahinko spoke mostly to Skyler.

    ¡°You could certainly say that,¡± Skyler replied. ¡°People here are certainly very¡­¡±

    ¡°Weird? Strange? Complete and total antisocial freaks?¡± Dahinko suggested. Skyler raised an eyebrow at the last one.

    ¡°I was going to say unique, but I guess those work too,¡± Skyler answered.

    ¡°So, what do you want to do?¡± Dahinko asked.

    ¡°Well, there isn''t really much to do, is there?¡± Skyler answered. ¡°You don''t think it would have been too hard to give us a board game?¡± Dahinko giggled a little.

    ¡°A board game, you say?¡±

    Everyone left in the room (which included Jason, Lelina, Lavender, A, Skyler and Dahinko) turned to look at Brian, who had just appeared on the chair at the end of the table. ¡°Why would you need that?¡±

    ¡°W...well, it gets k...kind of boring just w...waiting around here,¡± Lelina answered.

    ¡°Boring? Well, that''s not going to last very long!¡± Brian replied. Everyone stared at him dubiously.

    ¡°Whatever that means isn''t important. Right now though, it''s boring as hell in here!¡± A exclaimed. ¡°I mean, investigating is fun and all, but surely you could put SOMETHING to reduce the boredom levels? Even just a freaking statue would be better than this!¡±

    ¡°Hm¡­¡± Brian seemed to ponder this for a moment. ¡°I got it! Meet me in front of the recreation room! If you''re not there in five minutes, I''ll punish ya!¡± And with that, his projection blipped out. The six guests in the dining room all silently began heading to the recreation room. Dahinko looked nervously at Skyler, who walked ahead silently. Lelina and Lavender were whispering about what could possibly be in the recreation room. Jason walked silently behind them, with A closing up their group. The others they passed by asked no questions. In fact, it seemed that most of the other guests had already headed to their respective rooms. Jason noticed that Lelina was still hauling her box full of toys around with her, and A still had his sniper rifle that he carried at his side. Jason wondered if it was still loaded. They arrived in front of the door marked ¡®Recreation¡¯ on it and waited in silence. After five minutes had passed, Brian appeared in front of the door.

    ¡°Is everyone here? Yes? Aww¡­ I was really hoping I could punish someone! You sure no one got lost?¡±

    ¡°The house is almost entirely sealed off! How is anyone supposed to get lost?¡± Dahinko asked, but Brian ignored him and did not reply. Instead, Brian spun his rattle in his hand dramatically as he spoke.

    ¡°Can I get a drumroll, please?¡± No one moved. Disappointed, Brian did his own drumroll, the rattle spinning in his hand like a baton. ¡°Fine. Be that way!¡± Brian exclaimed. ¡°All I am is nice to you people and I get no recognition¡­¡± Brian mumbled quietly and stopped spinning his rattle, the electrified tip now pointing directly at the door. ¡°Whatever. The door¡¯s unlocked now, I guess. Have fun.¡± With no enthusiasm to his voice, Brian¡¯s projection flickered out. The others all looked at each other warily.

    ¡°Well, no time like the present!¡± A exclaimed, and gently pushed the door open. To everyone¡¯s surprise, the door opened with no resistance. Cautiously, they all stepped inside.

    The room was huge. Not quite as big as the dining room, but still of a respectable size. Various bookcases lined the walls, and there were so much of the them that the dark oak walls were hard to make out. The floor, of the same dark brown color, had a forest green rug covering the majority of it. On top of the rug was a ping-pong table (complete with four rackets and several plastic balls) and a pool table. Four pool sticks were laying on the wall. The pool balls were nicely arranged in the traditional triangle shape. In the very center of the rear wall of the room, an unlit fireplace made of a polished granite sat, waiting to be lit. Little lamps filled the room, barely illuminating the room enough. Stacked haphazardly on one of the bookcases were a ton of board games. Every board game Jason could think of was on that bookcase. From classic titles to the most obscure game, it seemed like Sir Francis had not missed a single one. Everything was in immaculate condition, the ping-pong rackets looking brand new and the board games all neatly closed, despite their messy piling on the bookcase. The other bookcases were filled with - what else - books. Although Jason could not make out some of their titles because of the poor lighting, based on the titles Jason could make out, there was a stunning variety of books. From encyclopedias to mystery novels, from love stories to religious titles and from non-fiction works to passionate mysteries, everything was there. Accompanying this were two large, cushioned crimson sofas in the corner of the room. In this corner of the room, an actual lamp was shining with the appropriate amount of light for reading. On the table lay several books, all neatly stacked in a pile. The six that had entered the room lay stunned at the variety of recreational options at their disposal.

    ¡°Well? Whaddaya think?¡±

    Everyone turned to look at Brian, who had just materialized. Jason then noticed the triangular camera in the top right corner of the room, just above the corner of the board game bookcase. Considering the dark lighting of the room, Brian had dimmed his projection to fit with the odd lighting choice of the room.

    ¡°Pretty impressive, huh? I spent a ton of time tidying it up for you guys! You wouldn''t believe the mess Francis can make,¡± Brian said excitedly, as if waiting for a reaction from the others. Hurriedly, Dahinko ran over to the board game shelf.

    ¡°Oh, look, Skyler! They have a ton of games! Which one should we play?¡±

    ¡°I don''t know¡­ There are so many choices! How do we pick which one to start off with?¡± Skyler answered.

    ¡°C...can I play w...with you guys?¡± Lelina asked.

    ¡°Sure! Help us pick out which game to play!¡± Dahinko replied. Smiling, Lelina went over to the shelf.

    ¡°I''m not one for board games myself,¡± Lavender noted. ¡°I''d much rather a good book. I wonder if they have Midnight of the Rose?¡±

    ¡°Midnight of the Rose? What''s that? Never heard of it.¡± A asked, confused.

    ¡°You must not read a lot, then,¡± Lavender noted, to which A agreed. ¡°Midnight of the Rose is Vicki Ingrid¡¯s first bestseller! It''s a story about a guy and a girl-¡± but Lavender was cut short.

    ¡°It''s not a love story, is it? Those things always make me wanna barf with how unrealistic they are,¡± A interrupted.

    ¡°That''s the beauty of it - it''s super realistic! They go through a ton of real couple problems - but it still manages to keep an excellent narrative and a ton of suspense going!¡± Lavender seemed quite passionate about the book. Despite this, Jason had noticed very little interaction between Lavender and the famous writer with whom they were currently sharing the household.

    ¡°Hello, everyone! What is happening right now?¡±

    Speaking of famous people in the household, Erick had just walked in the room accompanied by Rose and Audrey. Upon seeing the fireplace, Audrey rushed over to examine it. After a little examination, she stood up and nodded.

    ¡°I could make a killer fire in this thing. Maybe enough to burn the house down¡­¡± Her eyes lit up when she said the word ¡®burn¡¯. ¡°Only joking, of course! Didn''t you look worried, Rose! Anyways, I could start a fire if you guys want. This fireplace is really well built, so I don''t think there''s much danger in the house lighting up.¡±

    ¡°If you can start a fire without killin¡¯ us all, go for it!¡± Rose patted Audrey on the back. ¡°Just¡­ Gimme a heads up before you do. You know, so I can get as far away as possible.¡± Audrey ignored that last part. She seemed too focused on getting the fireplace to work. Meanwhile, Rose joined herself to Dahinko, Skyler and Lelina, who were setting up a board game. That left Jason to engage in a conversation with Erick.

    ¡°Why, hello, friend! Jason, was it?¡± Erick asked. Jason nodded in response. ¡°You have struck with wonderful timing! I am in need of your assistance.¡± Curious, Jason listened to Erick. ¡°You see, I am painfully bored at the moment! And Rose and Audrey have expressed their¡­ Discontent at being around me for much longer. I can only imagine why!¡± Jason had no trouble imagining why. Of the little he had been around him, Erick already struck Jason as having a very strong personality. ¡°So, now I shall be enjoying your company! We shall be ¡®hanging out¡¯! Is that right?¡± Jason sighed. The two then settled into the sofas.

    ¡°So, tell me about being a detective, Jason. I am quite curious!¡± Erick snuggled into the couch, getting very comfortable. Jason sighed, settling himself in on the other sofa. ¡°What is it that you do exactly?¡±

    ¡°Well,¡± Jason began, ¡°I specialize in murder investigations, but really my job consists of completing tasks for people; finding the killer, recovering stolen goods, etc.. Really basic stuff, to be honest.¡±

    ¡°You must have had a lot of interesting cases, then! Tell me: have you ever investigated the talent killer? You are the finest detective on this planet!¡± Erick asked. Jason knew this one was coming, especially since the talent killer was amongst them.

    ¡°Yeah, I got assigned to the case. Although, it was mostly my boss who took care of it.¡±

    ¡°Your boss? Why aren''t they amongst the guests, then?¡±

    ¡°Well, that''s because¡­ The talent killer got to her first.¡± Silence held between the two as Erick processed this. Jason was in the process of remembering how it all happened, that day that seemed so distant and yet so painfully near¡­

    ¡°Ariana? You home?¡± Jason was shouting to get Ariana¡¯s attention. Today was the day, he told himself. Today was the day he would finally confess his love to Ariana. He held a bouquet of roses behind his back. He had been ringing the doorbell for quite some time now, yet there was still no response from Ariana. Maybe the doorbell isn''t working? Jason tried to knock on the door, but to his surprise, it opened when he began. He knew immediately that something was wrong. If there was one thing Ariana didn''t like, it was a lack of privacy. Jason stepped into the entrance hallway of her simple home. Everything was dark, as if no one has bothered to turn on any lights. Turning the lights on, he noticed something wrong. The vase filled with flowers of various kinds that usually lay on the entrance coffee table was on the floor shattered, the water spilt into the red rug. The coffee table itself had been knocked over, leaving a pictureframe on its face. Jason picked up the pictureframe and looked at the picture. It was a picture of Ariana and Jason, both smiling. Jason was looking away from the camera, and Ariana was flashing a sneaky look, as though she took the picture without Jason knowing. Jason didn''t recall ever having taken the picture, and yet he wasn''t worried about that at all right now. He noticed that on the usually featureless white walls were several indents and cuts. Someone had forced their way in, as was evidenced by the broken lock in the door. Jason immediately rushed upstairs. A similar hallway was present, this time with a peaceful blue rug. The beige walls were also covered in cuts. Jason had no time to appreciate Ariana¡¯s sense of style, however. The door to what he assumed was Ariana¡¯s bedroom was wide open, the last remaining rays of sunshine for the day flittering into the hallway. Jason dashed as fast as he could, praying he would make it. Reaching the entrance of the room, he then remembered something.

    Prayers are never answered in this line of business.

    ¡°My condolences, Jason,¡± Erick¡¯s comment brought Jason back to reality. ¡°Perhaps I should begin telling you about my fascinating career as a waiter!¡± Jason looked at Erick incredulously. Erick was no waiter - he was a world renowned actor! Erick then winked at Jason, subtly pointing to Lavender, A and Audrey, who were still in the room. Jason''s then recalled the conversation he and Erick had had when first arriving at the manor. Erick had tried to hide his true talent. At first, Jason had thought very little of it, but now that hiding your talent was equivalent to being the killer, he had to admit that Erick¡¯s peculiar behavior was, at the very least, interesting.

    ¡°Go ahead, then.¡± Jason told Erick.

    ¡°Excellent! Then I shall make haste!¡± Erick replied. ¡°Well, let''s see¡­ Where to start¡­¡± At that moment, Audrey dashed out of the room, and Lavender and A headed out as well, leaving Jason and Erick alone in the room. ¡°Ah, very well!¡± Erick approved. ¡°So, I suppose you''ll be wanting an explanation as to my reluctance to admit my true talent?¡±

    Jason nodded and looked at Erick as if to say no duh.

    ¡°Well, let''s see¡­ I suppose the reason I concealed my nature was because I wanted to appear normal. That''s the only reason,¡± Erick explained. Noticing Jason¡¯s curious glance, he elaborated. ¡°Ever since I was young, I was cut off from the world. My parents were two famous actors before me, and they wanted their child to surpass them in that regard. So they trained me in that and that alone. Of course, I never knew better. I was educated in the basics of school, but I never left the house. I was mostly given theater lessons and I became a child star. So, naturally, I lacked the childhood most got. When I finally got my freedom, I was astounded by the outside world. So many things I had missed out on! Even things as simple as fast food were brand new to me! That''s why I was excited to come to this party - I could finally become a normal person, and no one would be wiser. I''d appreciate it if you could keep my secret, Jason. You seem trustworthy,¡± he concluded. Jason nodded, agreeing to keep the secret. ¡°Well this has taken a dark turn! Let us alleviate this boredom. Say, I''ve never played most of these games! Which one should we try?¡± Erick completely ignored that the exchanges had even happened and skipped gleefully to the shelf covered in board games. Not wanting to sadden the actor, Jason decided to indulge him for a little longer.

    After finishing a game with Erick that was longer than it should have been (Erick knew absolutely nothing about the rules), Jason politely excused himself from Erick¡¯s overwhelming presence. As he turned to exit the recreation room, he smacked face first into a pile of books. He fell over, books landing on him. He rubbed his forehead on a spot where a particularly heavy tome had fallen on him. Looking around, he saw Vicki was also on the floor, rubbing her arm where a bruise was rapidly forming. She glared at him with a particularly large amount of spite.

    ¡°You idiot¡­ I had those all organized, too!¡± She complained. Jason tried to apologize, but Vicki would not let him. ¡°Save the excuses. Gosh, you are so insensitive! You could at least help me rearrange it!¡± As she spoke, Vicki started to rearrange the pile of books that now lay all over the floor. Jason hurried to help her, but since he did not know the order of the novels, all he ended up doing was making Vicki more mad.

    ¡°Why, hello, Vicki! What brings you here?¡± Erick had stepped out of the recreation room.

    ¡°Nothing that involves you in the slightest! Now go away!¡± Vicki spat the words. Erick did not need to be told twice. He left as fast he could without running.

    ¡°I heard a crash¡­ Is everything alright?¡± Mary had walked up to Vicki. Jason expected her to receive the same treatment she had given Erick.

    ¡°Oh, Mary! No, everything¡¯s fine. Jason here knocked over my pile of books, so I''m just trying to rearrange it,¡± Vicki answered, saying Jason''s name with quite a bit of venom.

    ¡°Would you like my assistance?¡± Mary asked.

    ¡°Oh no, that''s quite alright! Thank you anyways! Did you want to look in the recreation room?¡±

    ¡°Actually, yes! I was hoping there was a Bible in there. You see, I didn''t bring mine with me¡­¡± Mary looked legitimately guilty.

    ¡°I think I saw one in there¡­¡± Jason told Mary. Vicki shot him a spiteful look.

    ¡°Thank you! If you don''t mind, I shall excuse myself.¡± With that, Mary walked into the poorly lit room. Jason looked at Vicki for a moment. Her reaction had been so drastically different when she talked to Mary. Before he could ask any questions, Vicki stood up, the books looking heavy on her scrawny arms.

    ¡°Do you want any help with that..?¡± Jason asked, even though he already knew the answer.

    ¡°Do I look like I want help? You''ve done enough damage for now,¡± Vicki said, her tone returning to her initial demeanor. Without another word, she walked into the recreation room on shaky legs (probably due to the large pile of books she was carrying).

    On account of Vicki¡¯s unexplained bitterness towards him, Jason was unsure of what to do next. Fortunately, his body provided the answer. With a growling stomach, Jason headed downstairs into the dining room. It seemed that others had had a similar thought. Timothy was currently discussing with A. Their personalities were clearly exhibited in their choice of meal - Timothy was having a complex salad while A had settled on a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. Lelina sat and ate in silence, sipping on what appeared to be a vegetable soup. Everyone else was elsewhere in the building. Jason wondered how he managed to not see some people - the areas they could access were very limited. Where on earth did they vanish to? Perhaps their rooms provided more entertainment than Jason¡¯s did. Nevertheless, he entered the kitchen, where quite a scene was unfolding.

    ¡°O-oh! Mr. Harlon! Can you help me out? I''ve made a bit of a mess¡­ Ha, ha¡­¡± Cole stammered nervously. A bit of a mess was an understatement - whatever Cole had tried to cook was now burning and becoming unrecognizable ash at the bottom of a frying pan. Quickly, Jason turned on the tap and grabbed a nearby mixing bowl. He filled it up and tossed it on the fire, which was put out with a sizzle. The smell of burnt bread still lingered in the kitchen though. Jason turned to Cole for an explanation.

    ¡°Um¡­ You know, you shouldn''t use water to put out a potentially electrical fire¡­ It could just make it worse¡­¡±

    ¡°Nevermind me using water. What happened here?¡± Jason asked. He couldn''t help making his tone sound like an adult speaking to a child. Jason hadn''t raised his voice too much, and yet Cole recoiled like a scared child.

    ¡°I was just trying to make some toast¡­ But, I got distracted a-and I guess I left it too long¡­ When I came back, it was already burning and I

    p-panicked¡­¡± Cole spoke softly and nervously, as if he were expecting Jason to hit him. Jason let out a relieved chuckle.

    ¡°Jeez¡­ That''s all it was? Try to be a little more careful next time, okay?¡± Jason asked. Cole nodded frantically. Jason couldn''t help but picture Cole as as a small puppy - he seemed to be scared of everything bigger or more dangerous than he was. ¡°I''m gonna make myself some spaghetti¡­ Do you want some?¡± Jason offered.

    ¡°Um, if it''s not too much of a hassle, then I guess I could have some¡­¡± Cole replied. ¡°Do you want me to help you?¡± Jason considered the mess Cole had just made.

    ¡°No thanks, I can handle it myself¡­ Do you mind waiting out in the dining room?¡± Jason asked.

    ¡°Oh, um, sure, I guess,¡± Cole said everything super quickly and shot out of the kitchen, as if to be glad to be rid of Jason¡¯s presence (or more likely, his fists¡¯). Jason sighed and set out to make marinara spaghetti.

    ¡°Oh wow! This is delicious! Thank you, Mr. Harlon!¡± Cole said between bites. He was stuffing food down his throat like a starved animal, sauce splashing all over his face.

    ¡°Please, call me Jason,¡± Jason replied. He didn''t know why, but Jason felt as if he had to soften his tone when talking to Cole. He knew this was wrong, and yet he couldn''t help but do it. Isn''t this guy around the same age as me? What''s with the scared child persona he''s got going on? Jason thought. ¡°Anyways, I was thinking while I was cooking - why didn''t you use the toaster to make toast?¡±

    ¡°Toast...ter? What''s that?¡± Cole replied. Jason gave him an inquisitive look.

    ¡°You don''t know what a toaster is?¡± Jason asked with a slight chuckle.

    ¡°No. What does it look like?¡± Cole seemed very serious about his question. Jason couldn''t help but laugh a little.

    ¡°I''ll show you later. Why do you not know what a toaster is?¡± Jason couldn''t help but ask.

    ¡°Um¡­ My family never had a ¡®toaster¡¯. We just toasted our bread with a frying pan. Is that weird?¡± Cole said and immediately stuffed another mouthful of pasta down. Jason then noticed that underneath his clothes, Cole was frighteningly skinny. His ribs were showing underneath his shirt. Even though the clothes were small, they were still loose and baggy on Cole.

    ¡°A little, I guess. Was your family very poor?¡±

    ¡°No, not really¡­ We just never needed a toaster, I guess. My father is a very cheap man¡­ We never had more than we needed, that was his philosophy, and I guess a toaster was something we didn''t need¡­ Ha, ha¡­¡± Cole laughed nervously and stared down at his plate, as if it were the most interesting thing in the world. Jason waited for Cole to elaborate, but it seemed he was not yet ready to tell more. Having finished his plate, Jason stood up.

    ¡°Well, thank you for your company, Cole. I trust I don''t need to show you how to wash dishes?¡±

    ¡°No¡­ That, I can do¡­ Ha, ha¡­ Thank you for the meal, Mr. Har- I mean, Jason!¡± Before Jason could do anything else, Cole grabbed his plate and sprinted into the kitchen. Jason shook his head and followed suit.

    The rest of the day passed by pretty uneventfully. Most of the guests had shut themselves up in their rooms, and the ones that hadn''t weren''t exactly prime company to Jason. Vicki was still mad at him for whatever reason, he had had enough of Erick, and Cole was now avoiding Jason, as if he were afraid of him. Navini and Henry were still playing their game of cat and mouse, and Lavender was nose-deep in a novel. Jason could have played with Skyler and Dahinko, but he feared he would become more of a third wheel than anything else. Not seeing anything else to do, Jason decided to take a nap. He settled into his bed, not bothering to put a pajama on. He drifted to sleep faster than he expected - it seemed he was more exhausted than he would care to admit. He fell into a deep slumber, not to awaken for quite a while.

    When Jason awoke, he had no idea what time it was. He still felt sleepy. Knowing he couldn''t miss out on Brian¡¯s party, he pulled himself up. Not bothering to shower, he threw on another of the exact same suit that he had been wearing when this had all begun. Sleepily, he made his way to the door and, not considering if anyone else was on the other side, slammed it open.

    ¡°Aaah! Jason! Jeez, you could give me a heads up before you do that!¡± Lola was right in front of Jason¡¯s room, looking flustered. His thoughts still clouded, it took Jason a moment to realize that he had very nearly slammed the door into Lola¡¯s face. ¡°You could have ruined my perfect face¡­¡± Jason noticed that she was wearing a heavy amount of makeup - so much so that he thought it ruined her beauty, not accentuated it. ¡°Anyways, I''m here to tell you that Brian¡¯s reminded us all of the party that starts in two hours. I don''t know what you intend to do, but¡­ I''ll be there, so all the more reason for you to show up, right? Well, see you then!¡± With that, Lola walked away, her hips swaying alluringly. For a moment, Jason was captivated by her stunning beauty before he reminded himself of the rotten core inside the shiny apple. Still, Jason couldn''t just lie around until the party, so he headed to the dining room. How long has he been asleep for? His stomach told him that it was time to eat, so he headed for the kitchen.

    Pushing the door to the kitchen, he was greeted with quite a scene. Henry was currently stuffing himself, an array of steamed hot dogs with different toppings in front of him. Henry barely stopped to breathe, shoving hot dog after hot dog down his throat. He didn''t even notice Jason walking in the kitchen. In the corner, Mikad was silently observing Henry, halfway between awestruck and revolted. Jason walked up to him, careful not to break Henry¡¯s concentration.

    ¡°It''s¡­ Kind of impressive, isn''t it?¡± Mikad whispered. Jason nodded, repulsed at the sight he was witnessing. ¡°I came in here to grab a snack before the party, but I''ve somehow lost my appetite.¡± Jason felt the exact same way. His appetite now completely gone, Jason stepped out of the kitchen. Henry never even noticed his presence.

    Ding-Dong! ¡°Hello eve-bzzt!-one! Brian speaking! A friendly reminder that the party begins in half an hour! Be there or bzzt!-nished! See ya!¡± Dong-Ding!

    Jason hadn''t even noticed the time fly by. After witnessing Henry¡¯s feast, he had returned to his room, his appetite suddenly gone, and crashed on his bed, falling immediately asleep. Brian¡¯s reminder had awoken him, and he decided to make his way to the dining room, where the party would be happening. A majority of the guests had gathered there as well, apparently ensuring that they would not be tardy. While a few people were missing, mostly everyone was there, chatting away.

    ¡°Jason! Come and talk with us!¡± Lavender exclaimed, her voice barely rising over the loud murmur that the room seemed to be plunged in. Jason made his way over to her. She along with Rose and Dexter was currently engaged in a conversation with Vivian. The conversation was particularly one-sided.

    ¡°This one is a tiger lily, one of my favorites. I can still remember the day I grew this little darling¡­ Oh, they grow up so fast!¡± Vivian was saying. Jason looked at the dress she was wearing - the flowers still looked as plastic as ever. She was currently holding a bright orange-and-white lily. She seemed positively enamored by it. Rose and Dexter were giving Vivian a curious glance.

    ¡°Um¡­ Does she know she''s holding a plastic flower?¡± Jason asked the group.

    ¡°You think so as well?¡± Dexter replied. ¡°However, it seems to be in her best mental interest to not tell her as much. She already seems¡­ Pretty fragile, to say the least.¡±

    ¡°Doesn''t change the fact that she''s totally cuckoo!¡± Rose whispered to Jason. Dexter, having apparently heard, frowned.

    ¡°So back to the matter at hand,¡± Lavender began, ¡°We were discussing what Brian intends to do with this party. His motives as we understand them clash with the very notion of a party, wouldn''t you agree?¡±

    ¡°Bah! To be honest, I don''t give a damn! As long as there''s good food!¡± Rose replied.

    ¡°My flowers only feed themselves on the finest fertilizer. I hope he''s accounted for my little babies,¡± Vivian said, more to herself than anyone else. Again, the group gave her a questioning glance.

    ¡°My personal theory is that he''s going to unveil something. I''m not sure what¡­ Perhaps a motive?¡± Lavender asked.

    ¡°That does seem likely¡­ Although what that devilish temptation may be remains out of our grasp for now,¡± Dexter agreed.

    ¡°Well, Jason? You''re the detective here! Surely you must have an idea or two?¡± Lavender turned to Jason.

    ¡°To be perfectly honest, I haven''t really given it much thought,¡± Jason admitted. Now that Jason gave it more thought, it was kind of weird. Brian throwing a party? What for? Jason thought for a moment. ¡°Maybe it''s just a show of power? He could try to use this to lure out the ones who won''t listen to him and get rid of them¡­¡±

    ¡°I didn''t think of that. It would certainly be an advantage for him if people like Selena didn''t participate. Their lack of rule following could pose a threat to him,¡± Lavender noticed. As if on cue, Selena walked into the dining room, and almost comically, everyone stopped talking to look at her. Composed as ever, Selena gracefully walked to an empty seat, where she sat down with an almost regal allure. She paid no attention to the people staring at her, preferring to close her eyes in deep concentration. Gradually, everyone resumed their conversations.

    ¡°I must be harnessing a little of Alexandra¡¯s power,¡± Lavender joked sheepishly.

    ¡°Alexandra?¡± Dexter asked. ¡°Ah, yes, the girl with the strange hair. Yin and yang, it would seem. However, I do not recall learning her talent. What is it?¡±

    ¡°Well according to her, she''s a psychic. I haven''t really seen any of that, so I assume she must be a fortune teller or something,¡± Lavender speculated. Jason remembered the scene he had witnessed just a few days ago. Alexandra had lifted the pot seemingly with her mind. Surely such a talent didn''t exist! Who could proclaim to be a psychic? He decided that his mind must have been playing tricks on him, and Lavender¡¯s explanation seemed logical, if not somewhat strange. A fortune teller? Again, an unrealistic talent. Whoever Alexandra was, she was clearly someone with a lot of secrets.

    ¡°Ah, it seems the guest I was waiting for has arrived! I shall be excusing myself,¡± Dexter said abruptly. He then walked off to meet Arthur, who had just walked into the room.

    ¡°I ship it,¡± Rose whispered to Lavender, who rolled her eyes. Jason allowed himself a small chuckle. Vivian didn''t even seem to notice that Dexter had walked off. Jason counted the guests that had arrived. One, two¡­ Twenty six. Wait. Someone''s missing, Jason thought. It was very nearly time for the party to begin, and if Brian made good on his promise, whoever wasn''t here was in for a rough time. However, due to people huddling close to each other, Jason couldn''t tell who was missing. He hoped that they would make it in time.

    Had he known what he was about to find out, he would have wished they never showed up.

    It was almost time. The party was starting in about a minute. Jason didn''t know what to expect, but he had a gut feeling it wasn''t going to be fun. And yet, one minute later, nothing of any notice happened. The speakers played a little trumpet fanfare, which caused everyone to momentarily stop talking and lift their heads to watch the speakers. They waited a moment, eager and frightful of what might happen. After a few seconds of complete nothing, everyone went back to their conversations, nothing having apparently happened.

    ¡°Well I don''t know about you guys, but I''m starving. What kind of party doesn''t have snacks?¡± Rose complained. She shoved her way towards the kitchen. ¡°Huh? It''s locked¡­ What gives?¡± Grumbling, Rose made her way back to Jason, Lavender and Vivian.

    ¡°Those were some lovely trumpets!¡± Vivian commented. Jason looked at her for a brief moment. Something about her definitely wasn''t right. Jason had no time to contemplate this, however, because the moment everyone seemed to accept that nothing strange was going to happen, Jason heard the whimsical, happy-go-lucky voice that was masked in malice.

    ¡°Howdy, everyone! Are you all having a good time? Everyone here..?¡± Brian scanned the room, mouthing numbers as he went. Just like Jason, he counted twenty-six people in the room. ¡°Alrighty! Everyone¡¯s here! Have fun then! And no one can leave the dining room until I say otherwise! Bye bye!¡± And with that, he flickered out. Something¡¯s wrong. Jason¡¯s detective skills told him that much immediately. He creased his eyebrows in thought. Lavender looked at him worryingly.

    ¡°What''s happened?¡± Lavender asked. She knew that something had stricken Jason as wrong.

    ¡°Brian noticed it too. There''s only twenty-six people in the room. But he didn''t say anything¡­ And we''re not allowed to leave the dining room until he says otherwise. I''m willing to bet that we need to find something, or more than likely, someone,¡± Jason answered. He felt the dread of what he had just said grip him after the words had left his mouth. We have to find someone. Could it be..? Jason thought despite his attempts to repel the thought. Lavender looked worried.

    ¡°I''ll help you look for it. I don''t think we should tell anyone, though. No need to worry them,¡± Lavender mentioned. Jason didn''t think that they needed to worry. Most of the other guests hadn''t noticed that anything was amiss, and were happily chatting amongst themselves. However, they weren''t the only ones to notice something was off. Selena had shot up, rocketing out of her seat, looking at the different pieces of furniture in the room. Lelina and Jessica seemed to be taking a great deal of interest in the kitchen door, and A had begun looking up at the ceiling for something. Jason decided not to alert them, as they could have just been distracted. However, with Selena also looking, he doubted it. At the same time, Jason tried to piece together who was absent, but the constant flow of people made it hard to do so. Plus, since he didn''t know everyone that well, them simply facing the other direction would be enough to throw him off. Nevertheless, he pressed on. After looking at every piece of furniture, he had to admit defeat - nothing stood out. At that same moment, Rose came running up to him.

    ¡°Jason! I know you''ll believe me. Everyone else thinks I''ve gone loopy!¡± Rose seemed frantic and out of breath.

    ¡°Rose? Did something happen?¡± Jason asked.

    ¡°So you can''t smell it either?¡± Rose seemed disappointed.

    ¡°Smell it?¡± Jason took several deep breaths, trying to smell whatever it was that Rose had smelled. He couldn''t pick up a scent other that everyone¡¯s collective body odor.

    ¡°You don''t smell it either, do ya? Then I guess it must just be me¡­¡± Rose said disappointedly.

    ¡°Smell what?¡± Jason asked.

    ¡°Well, it kinda smells like¡­ Blood, if I''m going to give it a scent.¡± Rose replied. Jason felt chills coming on his back. Blood? It can''t be, he thought.

    ¡°B...Blood? Rose, are you sure?¡± Jason asked nervously.

    ¡°You don''t believe me either!¡± Rose seemed kind of mad, frustrated even.

    ¡°No, I do believe you! Could you tell me where it''s coming from?¡± Jason asked, worried of the answer she might give.

    ¡°Where it''s coming from? Gimme a sec¡­¡± Rose¡¯s nose twitched for a little bit before she answered. ¡°It''s coming from there!¡± She said triumphantly, pointing at the portrait of Sir Francis Helmsburg. Grabbing Rose by the wrist, Jason made his way to the painting.

    ¡°Help me lift it!¡± Jason said frantically. Unsure of what was happening, Rose grabbed one end of the painting. Jason grabbed the other, and together they lifted it and removed it from the wall.

    Jason will never forget what he saw.

    In all of his days investigating, no murder had been as brutal as this. The victim was strung up to the wall with iron shackles. Blood leaked from behind the shackles. On their face was an expression of terror, forever paralyzed onto their face. A faint stream of blood trickled from their mouth. A spear had been violently thrown to skewer them, entering and leaving through the sides of their stomach. Their mouth was gagged, and the cloth used as a gag was pulled, as if the victim had bitten into it. Above all, the most terrifying detail was one that Jason would have forever burned in his memory.

    A camo combat knife was jammed violently into their chest, right into their heart.

    All feeling left Jason as he observed the crime scene. Chills ran down his spine like marathoners doing a trip around his back. Rose dropped the painting in surprise. Someone screamed, and everyone turned around to see what had happened.

    Shackled to the wall and skewered like a kabob, Henry stared down at all of them in an expression of fear that would forever haunt all of their nightmares.

    SURVIVORS : 26

 Chapter 3: Accusations and Suspects

    The world seemed to stop moving. Gradually, everyone looked up and saw Henry¡¯s mutilated corpse. For a moment, everyone simply stared. Finally, someone screamed again. Jason was brought back to the brutal reality - Henry had been murdered. While he wasn''t particularly fond of Henry, Jason still felt a pang of remorse that he had been unable to help. Henry had been tortured - that much was clear. The blood trickling from his wrists, ankles and mouth were enough of an indication. Jason heard a thud. He turned around to witness Michael almost carrying an unconscious Lola. Everyone of his senses seemed slow and dull. It took him a while to even realize that Lelina was still screaming in horror. Lavender rushed over to her in an attempt to calm her. Before everyone could wrap their heads around this sudden development, Brian decided to interfere.

    ¡°Oh, would you look at that! I had a feeling he made good first victim material¡­ Oh well! Now¡¯s when the fun part begins!¡±

    ¡°Who¡­¡± Jason seemed unable to formulate a sentence. He had so many questions! Why is Henry dead? Why was he tortured? Why was he the first victim? And yet even with all these questions, only one found its way out of his mouth. ¡°Who did this?¡±

    ¡°I don''t know. Maybe¡­ The world''s finest killer, perhaps? Bwahahahaha!¡± Brian laughed, a high pitched yet cold and distant laugh. ¡°You should have seen the looks on your faces when you found the body. Priceless, I tell you! Still, it¡¯d be no fun for anyone if the killer simply picked you off one by one! So instead, I''ve thought of a much better alternative. We''re going to play an exciting round of Guess the Killer! And here''s how you play!¡± Brian hopped onto the table so that everyone could see him. Slowly, everyone ripped their eyes off of Henry¡¯s corpse and forced themselves to look at Brian. ¡°What''s going to happen is that you''re going to play the detectives! You''re going to have to figure out why and how Henry was killed! And I want details, people - a simple knife to the heart and because why not won''t cut it!¡±

    ¡°And if we refuse to play this sadistic game of yours?¡± Dexter asked. Jason already knew the answer.

    ¡°Glad you asked! For those who don''t want to play¡­ I believe Henry serves as a fine example of what will happen, don''t you think?¡± Brian laughed again.

    ¡°Interesting,¡± Selena spoke up, everyone turning to face her. ¡°But what are the stakes here? What if we get every minute detail correct?¡±

    ¡°Immunity, of course! Ah, I forgot to explain the stakes, didn''t I?¡± Brian grinned sheepishly. ¡°For those of you who are amazing detectives, you will receive immunity for the evening! And among those that don''t have immunity, one of you will do worse than anyone else! That person will be¡­ Shall we say, corrected? Informed of their mistakes? Don''t worry, I''ll ensure they never get it wrong again!¡± Again, Brian laughed. Despite the whimsical nature of the laugh, it seemed anything but warm and friendly. Brian had to clutch his stomach from laughing too hard. ¡°Ahem. Anyways! I think that''s everything, really! If I forgot anything, just shout for me and I''ll come running! Bye-bye! Have fun playing! And good luck to all!¡± With that, Brian flickered out.

    Everyone slowly looked around the room. Jason saw a whole spectrum of emotions in the room - excitement, anger, disbelief, sadness - but one emotion was plainly written on everyone''s face. Fear. No one seemed to trust the others. After all, one of them had just murdered Henry! Breaking the incredible tension in the room, Selena walked over to Henry¡¯s suspended corpse and began studying it.

    ¡°Hmm¡­ We''re not going to get very far unless we can lower him. Any ideas? He is shackled to the wall.¡± Selena asked bluntly. A few turned to look at her in disbelief. Others scrambled to try and find a way to lower Henry. However, in spite of a few days¡¯ worth of investigation, Jason hadn''t noticed anything that they could use to lower him. Instead, Jason decided to investigate the place he had last seen Henry - the kitchen.

    Immediately, Jason noticed the large hole in the right wall of the kitchen. The wall usually had nothing on it, so finding a large hole was an abnormality to say the least. Upon investigating it, Jason realized that the hole led to a stone path that curved towards the dining room, before dropping down. The hole was barely large enough for Jason to stand fully upright in. Upon coming to the drop, he noticed that it was very steep, and he could not make out the bottom of the path. I shouldn''t try to go down there. Before he could make any further decisions, a glimmer of silver caught his eye. A metallic switch was carefully embedded in the walls of the path, so that it was out of view even when the wall wasn''t present. Curious as to what it was for, Jason flicked the switch. At first, nothing happened. Then, Jason heard a grinding and startled shouts from the dining room. He rushed out of the kitchen. He looked where everyone was staring and pointing. Henry¡¯s body had just disappeared.

    ¡°What happened?¡± Jason asked Lavender, who was helping Lelina to her feet.

    ¡°We heard a grind, and Henry¡¯s body started going into the wall. Then, it dropped out of our sights! What happened to it?¡± Lavender seemed somewhat confused.

    ¡°H...Henry is¡­ D...dead¡­ Wh...Why..?¡± Lelina managed to utter a few words. Lavender patted her on the back.

    ¡°I''ve got a feeling Henry¡¯s about to take a trip to the kitchen,¡± Jason guessed. With Lavender and Lelina tagging along, Jason made his way back to the kitchen.

    Sure enough, after waiting for a few moments, the grinding sound intensified, and Henry¡¯s body, along with the wall it was suspended to, came rocketing into the kitchen. It slid into place, Henry¡¯s head lolling down to his chest. Lelina gave out a startled cry. Everyone in the dining room came into the kitchen to see what had happened, and most also gave a startled cry upon seeing Henry.

    ¡°Ah, much better! Now we can properly investigate! Thank you, Jason!¡± Selena said and gave Jason a pleasant smile. Then, she approached Herny and began scrutinizing him. Others took a little longer before they approached the body. Jason decided to look around the kitchen before approaching Henry¡¯s body.

    Nothing seemed out of the ordinary in the kitchen at first. Everything was where it should be. The silver platter that had held all of the hot dogs Henry was eating was completely empty, save for a few crumbs of hot dog bun. Next to the platter, a note that was slobbered with ketchup was tossed aside. It said:

    To my sweet Henry,

    Navini

    Jason concluded pretty quickly that Navini had probably not sent this note. More than likely, the hot dogs had been cooked by Henry¡¯s killer, and the note was simply so that Henry could not resist eating them. To be fair, Henry would probably have eaten anything that came from Navini, so the killer probably used that to fool him. Had anyone been seen cooking hot dogs today? He looked around at everyone in the room. Most were currently focused on Henry¡¯s body. A few, like A and Mikad, were talking amongst each other about various things. Jason decided to ask around.

    ¡°Huh? Hot dogs? Man, that''s not important right now!¡± A seemed furious that Jason would even ask such a question.

    ¡°Please, A. This is very important,¡± Jason pressured A into talking.

    ¡°Alright, alright! Fine. I didn''t see anyone in the kitchen today. There, you happy now?¡± A turned his back to Jason, refusing to answer any more questions. It seemed that A wouldn''t be of much help during this investigation.

    ¡°What''s this?¡± Navini had just walked over to the platter, and picked up the note. ¡°Huh? I never wrote this!¡±

    ¡°I figured as much,¡± Jason told Navini. ¡°In any case, could you think of anyone that could have?¡±

    ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Navini seemed to be trying to bring back a distant memory. ¡°Nope! Nobody I can think of!¡±

    ¡°Oh,¡± Jason said, trying to hide his disappointment. ¡°Well¡­ Thanks anyway, I guess.¡±

    ¡°But still¡­ Why did this happen?¡± Navini spoke softly. ¡°I know I didn''t like him and, yeah, he was a bit of a stalker, but¡­ I would never have wished this onto him! This is just so cruel!¡± Jason nodded in agreement. He then noticed that the crowd around Henry¡¯s body had thinned consoderably. Reluctantly, he wen to investigate his body.

    The first thing Jason noticed was that someone had closed Henry¡¯s eyes, making him seem a lot less horrifying. Jason was thankful for that. However, they had left his mout gagged, probably to preserve the crime scene, which Jason was also thankful for. The cloth that was used as an impromptu gag was pulled and cut, indicating that Henry had been biting it.

    ¡°This is so¡­ Brutal! Was the spear really necessary?¡± Navini added. ¡°Sigh¡­¡±

    ¡°The spear does seem kind of overkill,¡± Jason agreed. ¡°But there must be a purpose to it. Why..?¡± Jason looked around for hints that the spear had a higher purpose. The spear had gone through the entirety of Henry¡¯s lower abdomen, the sharp end now completely covered in blood. As was the handle, Jason noticed.

    ¡°Huh?¡± Navini stepped closer to Henry¡¯s body.

    ¡°Did you notice something?¡± Jason asked, curious.

    ¡°Maybe, but¡­¡± Navini seemed hesitant to say anything. ¡°I''d need to perform an autopsy, just to be sure¡­¡±

    ¡°An autopsy? Can you properly do that?¡± Jason asked, dubious of Navini¡¯s medical capabilities.

    ¡°Actually, yes! I happen to know quite a bit about the human body - costume design requires a basic knowledge of all the parts, so you don''t harm the person wearing it, especially if you''re going to dress up as someone with a lot of spikes or dangerous parts. Sorry, I rambled, didn''t I?¡± Navini quickly apologized. ¡°But yeah, if you want me to I can perform the basics of an autopsy.¡±

    ¡°That''d be great, Navini. Thanks!¡± Jason added cheerfully. Navini, clearly happy to have something to do, set out to her autopsy and asked that others leave her be. Jason continued to investigate the body. He decided to leave the murder weapon for now, and focused instead on the shackles. They were made of a rusted metal, the kind used in dungeons in medieval times to shackle a prisoner to the wall. The back of the shackles were covered in blood. The blood traced back to Henry¡¯s wrists and ankles, which had been slit open. They were probably used to hold Henry in place, but why was that necessary? Surely the killer could have just stabbed Henry once and gotten it over with¡­ However, the important part here was the slit wrists and ankles. Why? Were the shackles not enough? A lot of blood had poured down Henry¡¯s arms, and a lot was on the wall, smeared there. There was no rhyme or reason to the blood smearing - someone had evidently wiped it all over the wall near Henry¡¯s legs, but there was no clear motive to it. Aside from these strange details, nothing stood out to Jason. The murder weapon was evident - the combat knife sticking out of his chest. However, Jason had to ask - did it really kill Henry? The spear was coated with a lot of blood. Combined with the slits on his wrists and ankles, shouldn''t blood loss have killed him first? Examining the handle of the knife, he found that it was covered with blood. Not just the part immediately leading to the blade - the part where you would grip the handle was also coated in it. The blood on a certain section seemed to make a pattern, although what it was Jason could not tell. A thought then occurred to Jason - how did the killer put the shackles on the wall? Examining the shackles revealed that they were bolted to the wall. The shackles had a small keyhole in them, meaning that there was a key somewhere. How had Jason not noticed such a strange ornament before? And more importantly, why hadn''t Henry? Jason pressed his palm to the wall in order to examine the shackles more. To his surprise, he felt the wall give way and flip, Henry¡¯s body along with it. Navini jumped back, and everyone still in the kitchen gave a curious glance to the event that had unfolded. The wall had pivoted backwards into the tunnel. Jason looked at the other side of the wall. It did not have any shackles or indications of any kind. He closed the wall completely, allowing no gaps, and saw that the wall was perfectly aligned with the rest of the wall. If you didn''t know it was there, there was no way of just guessing. That explained why Henry hadn''t been a little bit more cautious, and why no one had even seen these shackles beforehand. Jason pivoted the wall again so that Henry¡¯s body was visible. Navini carried on with her autopsy, and the other guests still in the kitchen continued with whatever it was that they were doing. Making a mental note to talk to Navini later, Jason left the kitchen and went upstairs to Henry¡¯s room.

    Going up to Henry¡¯s room revealed that the door had been unlocked. Others were already busy investigating. Lavender was helping Lelina stay up and about, Selena was poking around here and there, and Axel was currently checking out the shower rooms. On the bedside table, Jason noticed the comically oversized fork that Henry had been carrying on the first day. Apart from that minor detail, it looked every bit like Jason¡¯s. The bedsheets were on the floor, along with one of the pillows.

    ¡°Hm?¡± Selena picked up a thin scrap of paper. Checking over her shoulders to make sure no one had seen her, she slipped it into her dress, so that it was pressed up against a ribbon of cloth worn like a belt around her waist. Jason was the only one who seemingly noticed. Knowing that a crime scene or an important scene shouldn''t be tampered with, he decided to confront Selena.

    ¡°What''s in your pocket?¡± Jason asked Selena. She turned around, clearly startled.

    ¡°A note, of course. Why do you ask?¡± She said calmly.

    ¡°You aren''t supposed to remove evidence from the scene, Selena,¡± Jason spoke firmly, knowing that showing uncertainty in front of Selena was the last thing anyone would ever want to do. She smiled menacingly.

    ¡°Where''s your proof that that was evidence? What if that was just a random scrap of paper that I dropped?¡± Selena guessed. Jason looked sternly at her, unconvinced. Finally, she sighed.

    ¡°Allow me to explain my thought process behind this, Jason,¡± Selena began. Her voice took on a syrupy tone, the one you would use to talk to someone you think is far below you. ¡°This game will be survival of the fittest, and those who don''t play dirty will end up dying next! I''m trying to do all that I can to survive, Jason. Wouldn''t you do the same in my shoes?¡± She asked. ¡°Sigh¡­ I suppose there''s no fooling you, Mr. Detective. But you''d be well off to remember this - we¡¯re not all going to play by the rules here. Some of us will try to get out way in any way possible,¡± she added ominously. ¡°Oh well. Since there''s no fooling you, I''ll make an exception and put you on my level for now. Here,¡± she said unceremoniously, and took the note out of her dress before nearly shoving it in Jason¡¯s face. Jason barely had time to read the note before she pulled it back and stuffed it in her dress. Before Jason could ask any questions, she walked elegantly out of the room. The note had said:

    Meet me in the kitchen,

    Navini

    Once again, Jason knew this had probably been written to lure Henry down into the kitchen. Navini probably didn''t even know this note existed! Speaking of Navini, he remembered he had to go talk to her about her autopsy. He took a quick look around the room to ensure he hadn''t missed anything. Satisfied, he headed back down into the kitchen.

    Before he did that, something caught his attention. Lavender had walked into the hallway that only contained three doors. Why would she feel the need to go there? Jason decided to follow her. Navini surely hadn''t already completed her autopsy, so Jason decided he could spare the time to investigate what might well be a fruitless endeavor. Pushing the door that led to the other hallway, Lavender was nowhere to be seen. However, he noticed that one of the three doors (the one on Jason¡¯s left) was slightly adjar. He pushed it open only an inch, peeking inside. At first, all he saw was books, books and more books. He pushed it open completely. When he walked in, he noticed that he was now in an enormous library. Huge bookshelves created narrow passages in between, and at the end of the luxurious dark blue carpet was a small area with two plush chairs, and a reading lamp in between that was currently on. Jason noticed that Vivian and Lelina currently occupied the two. Vivian was as distracted as she always was, and Lelina was very pale, clearly not over Henry¡¯s death. Jason took one step towards them. Then, he jumped.

    ¡°Found it!¡±

    Lavender emerged from one of the narrow passages, shouting very loudly in the very quiet library. She was holding a thin brown tome entitled The Study of Talent. She rushed back to an equally startled Lelina and Vivian, who still hadn''t even noticed Lavender.

    ¡°I figured I''d find something about this in here somewhere¡­¡± Lavender asked. ¡°And I don''t know who you''re trying to hide from Jason but you''re doing a horrid job at it.¡± Startled, Jason walked up to the three girls.

    ¡°How did you know this room would be open?¡± Jason asked Lavender.

    ¡°Just a hunch. I figured Brian would try to hide some evidence, and I tried all of the other doors beforehand. I was wondering where he''d hide it and of course a library makes sense. When you want to hide a tree, use a forest, right?¡± Lavender replied. Jason didn''t get the metaphor until she pulled out s sheet of paper from the book. The paper was wrinkled, and a different color than the old, yellowed book.

    ¡°Would you look at that?¡± Lavender said in shock. Jason leaned over to read the note¡¯s contents. It read:

    <ul>

    <li style="font-weight: 400">Alexia Delfin</li>

    </ul>

    <ul>

    <li style="font-weight: 400">Ariana Beverly</li>

    </ul>

    <ul>

    <li style="font-weight: 400">Vincent Alfonzo</li>

    </ul>

    <ul>

    <li style="font-weight: 400">Francis Helmsburg ¡û TO BE CONFIRMED</li>

    </ul>

    <ul>

    <li style="font-weight: 400">Henry Suntor</li>

    </ul>

    ¡°What¡­ Is that?¡± Lelina asked, scanning the paper with her eyes.

    ¡°Oh, Alexia Delfin! I''ve heard of her!¡± Vivian exclaimed. Everyone turned to look at her. ¡°She''s the best bartender in the world! My mother used to always go to her bar¡­ Wonder what became of her?¡±

    ¡°Why is her name crossed out though?¡± Lavender asked. Jason looked at Vincent and Ariana¡¯s names again. The answer dawned on him.

    ¡°It''s a hit list,¡± he said slowly, realizing what this was. ¡°Is there another part to the note?¡± Jason asked hurriedly. Lavender flipped through the book.

    ¡°No, not in this book¡­ I figured if anything were to be hidden in Francis Helmsburg¡¯s house, it would be in a book about talent. But I don''t think we have time to scan the entire library¡­¡±

    ¡°W...wait¡­ Why bother hiding the note a-at all? If he wanted to g...get rid of it, he''d have b...burned it!¡± Lelina exclaimed.

    ¡°I think he wanted us to find it,¡± Lavender explained. ¡°Brian thinks this is a game, right? So he''d think of this as the super secret hint, if you will.¡±

    ¡°I''m going to guess that the rest of the note is somewhere around here as well¡­¡± Jason hypothesized. ¡°And if I had to guess, I¡¯d say all of our names are on that very hit list.¡±

    ¡°Aww! I liked Alexia¡¯s drinks! She used a lot of flowers for those tropical cocktails of hers¡­¡± Vivian protested. Then she went back to staring at her flower.

    ¡°Still¡­ This is troubling news. That means that the killer managed to get to some of the invited from when they were invited to when the party happened,¡± Lavender said. Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

    ¡°Doesn''t that mean that the note has a prior attachment to it? Or does it just start with these two?¡± Jason asked.

    ¡°T...there''s probably a...a part one for the n...note, so to speak, heh,¡± Lelina agreed.

    ¡°I wonder¡­ What does this have to do with Henry?¡± Lavender asked, both to the others and to herself. The four were left to ponder on this.

    ¡°I''ve got to go¡­ Navini¡¯s waiting for me¡­¡± Jason excused himself from the room. The girls looked at him as he was leaving, and for some reason, Jason felt uneasy.

    Returning to the kitchen, Jason felt a brief wave of repulsion crawl over him when he saw Henry¡¯s body again. Despite his extensive training in the subject, Jason had never handled a murder case before - rather, Ariana had been in charge of that, while Jason focused on robbery and other offenses of that nature. Therefore, he was not accustomed to seeing dead bodies. Navini seemed to be, as she was scrutinizing every detail of Henry.

    ¡°Are you finished?¡± Jason asked. Navini was startled, and turned around to face Jason.

    ¡°Yeah, just about. I''m still not used to him being dead - I keep thinking he''s going to wake up and tease me about how I''ve been touching him all over¡­¡± Navini mentioned. Where have you been touching him then? Jason thought. ¡°That aside, I did find a few interesting things about Henry,¡± Navini added.

    ¡°Really? What were they?¡± Jason was now curious. What had Navini found out? Was it useful to the investigation at all?

    ¡°Well, one thing that stood out to me was the placement of the spear,¡± Navini began. Seeing Jason¡¯s curious glance, she elaborated. ¡°Well, it''s positioned in a way that makes it right below the rib cage, and therefore all the vital organs. Not only that, but the spear was twisted around Henry¡¯s body quite a bit - in some parts of his stomach, the hole is much wider, indicating that it was turned a lot. But that''s the thing - for all the damage it caused, well, really the only thing it caused was blood loss! None of the vital organs were even so much as scratched! So I''m thinking the spear wouldn''t have been enough to kill him. It must have hurt like crazy, maybe even made him lose consciousness, but it didn''t kill him.¡± Navini gave Jason some time to think. The spear wasn''t meant to kill Henry? Then what was it for? ¡°And another thing I noticed. The gag - it kind of seems like an afterthought,¡± Navini added. ¡°Well, for one, the killer was awfully elaborate with the way they killed him - I mean, a spear and wall shackles? Where did they even get those?¡± Jason hadn''t thought of that. Of all of the curious decorations and paintings in the house, spears were not among them. He wondered if they were maybe tucked away in another room. ¡°Sorry, I rambled, didn''t I? What I''m trying to say is that the gag seems very impromptu. I took it out of his body to examine it, and I found that is was just a dishcloth! Nothing fancy about it! Heck, if Henry wasn''t writhing in pain, he probably could have removed it with just his mouth! Speaking of which, I found the keys to the shackles. Again, their disposal was clearly not a priority,¡± Navini mentioned.

    ¡°What?¡± Jason¡¯s head shot up. ¡°Where were they?¡±

    ¡°I didn''t move them, you see,¡± Navini added. ¡°Figured you''d want to see them as they were.¡± Navini walked over to the sink and victoriously swung the doors open. The small area under the sink seemed no different than before, at first glance. Navini then used her staff to point to the bottom right corner. Jason noticed a glimmer of metal and reached in to pick up the source. Sure enough, four rusty keys on an equally rusty keychain ended up in Jason''s hand. To confirm that these were the right keys, Jason walked over to Henry¡¯s body and attempted to use them. The first key didn''t work, but the second did, opening up the shackle covering Henry¡¯s right wrist. Something Jason hadn''t noticed before, however, was that his wrist was swollen, as if it had been broken.

    ¡°Did you notice the swelling too? I figured that his wrist must have been sprained or broken,¡± Navini noted. ¡°Also, you''ll notice the cuts on his wrist - the cut itself is pretty thin. I''m not sure why that is, but it is.¡± Jason nodded. ¡°There''s also a slight swelling right under his hat, but no blood. He probably just hit his head on something,¡± she added. Jason now had a basic understanding of the state of Henry¡¯s body. He thanked Navini and exited to the dining room. He had been left with a lot to think about - including Henry¡¯s killer. The strange part was that even after investigating, he didn''t have any concrete evidence as to who did it. Yes, Selena¡¯s note antics were suspicious, but somehow Jason thought that she was little too obvious of a culprit, and she was saying the truth about her mentality. Jason was left with little time to think, for a few moments afterwards, a familiar voice was heard ringing through the house.

    Ding-Dong! ¡°Mic check! Mic check! Ahh! Bzzt! Can you hear me? Ahh! Mic check! Alright, I think it''s wor-bzzt! I''m tired of waiting. Shall we begin? Meet me by the front of the right wing! That''s the door that leads to three more doors! And if you''re not there¡­¡± Dong-Ding!

    Suddenly, Jason was overcome with chills. He had yet to gather all his thoughts! It was beginning? And how was Brian going to do this?

    ¡°Already? I haven''t even check out his room!¡± Navini cried out. ¡°Oh well¡­ We had better show up, huh?¡± As she said that, she walked out of the kitchen, along with all the others left in the kitchen. Jason followed, his gaze lingering for one last time on Henry¡¯s corpse. With the gag removed and his eyes closed, he could almost pass for someone sleeping - if you ignored anything below the head, that is. Pulling his eyes off of Henry, Jason made his way to the right wing, as Brian had referred to it. Everyone, without exception this time, was there. Jason was the last to arrive. Everyone was silent - no one could think of anything to lighten the dire mood. And yet, Jason could feel another emotion besides fear in everyone - suspicion. Even if it was just the slightest motion of an eyelid, everyone seemed to be scrutinizing the others, wondering who could have done it. The killer is probably laughing like crazy on the inside, Jason thought. Although he didn''t approve of it, Jason also began to look over the other guests. Some, like A, Dexter and Arthur, had their eyes shut in concentration. Others, like Selena, Timothy and Lavender looked confident, and others still, like Dahinko, Lelina and Navini, looked worried. Skyler was attempting to comfort Dahinko, who looked extremely sick. Vicki had collapsed into Lola¡¯s chest. Lola was awkwardly patting her on the head. Michael was staring up at the roof, Mikad and Mary mimicking him. Audrey was looking nervously around the room. Gary, Jessica and Erick were all glancing at one another, attempting to converse without sound. Axel and Bobby were simply standing at attention, ready. Vivian was, as usual, distracted by everything, Rose and Cole doing their best to keep her from wandering off. Alexandra was in the corner of the room, by herself. Everywhere Jason looked, he saw uncertainty, fear and suspicion of others. Finally, after what seemed like an interminable amount of time, the speaker in the entrance hall crackled to life.

    Ding-Dong! ¡°Bzzt! Just say what''s written- oh, is this thing on? Okay, go, go, go!¡± Brian¡¯s voice sounded distant, as if he had stepped far away from his microphone. ¡°Umm¡­ Hello! I, uh¡­¡± Another voice was suddenly speaking. This voice was much softer and lighter than Brian¡¯s, and also much more feminine, with the same whimsical quality about it. ¡°I will be reading your names one by one. When your name is called, you are to go alone to the room directly in front of you. You will then speak aloud on why the victim was killed and how the killer did it. Please be specific.¡± She spoke as if she was reading lines, almost robotic in a way. ¡°Umm¡­ Then we can start? Alright¡­ Michael Ferrin.¡± At the mention of his name, Michael jumped up. Then, steeling himself, he walked into the hallway. The door closed behind him. Then, Jason heard another door opening, and a faint click to indicate that the door had closed. For a while, everyone stared at the door. Jason felt a multitude of irrealistic outcomes play in his head. He shook his head, chasing the thought. After what seemed like hours, Michael walked out again, looking pale but relieved. ¡°Lelina Beauvencourt, please.¡± Lelina, looking to be on the verge of tears, walked in shakily. Michael, looking relieved, asked a question aloud:

    ¡°Can I go back to my room?¡± The speaker fumbled for a moment.

    ¡°Yup! No problem! Just make sure to listen to the announcements very carefully to hear if you got it right!¡± It was Brian¡¯s voice that answered. Michael walked as fast as he could to not be running and headed up to his room. This went on, people being called and leaving, until only five remained. Lavender, Jason, Rose and A all looked nervously at Vivian, who had just been called.

    ¡°Oh, it''s my turn! See you all later, I guess!¡± Vivian, not worried about seemingly anything, entered the room. The remaining four looked at her nervously. Surprisingly, she took the shortest amount of time to depict the crime, and another name was called out afterwards.

    ¡°Um¡­ Hm¡­ Oh, ok, I guess. A, please.¡±

    A, looking worried, walked in.

    ¡°Aww! I was kinda hoping we''d get to hear his first name,¡± Rose complained. ¡°Ah well! Guess that''s just another mystery to solve, huh?¡± That was the only bit of conversation Rose was able to spark up. Lavender and Jason were completely silent beside her.

    ¡°Jason Harlon.¡±

    Jason jumped. At that moment, A walked out of the room, looking paler than before. He hurriedly made his way back to his room. Careful not to let his nerves betray him, Jason walked confidently into the hallway. Then, he pulled on the doorknob to the center room. Oh, right. Jason instead pushed the door open.

    The room was quite bare. In the center was a large, open space that was only defined by an opulent gold rug spread out to cover the floor. Bookshelves were aligned neatly on the walls, a thin layer of dust having already spread on the books. At the center of each wall hung a crude crayon drawing of a stickman sitting on a pile of money - Jason could only guess that Francis had younger relatives that he was awfully proud of. Aside from that, the room was empty. A simple light hung from the ceiling, and as with the rest of the house, there were no windows of any kind. Unsure of what to do, Jason stepped into the center of the room.

    ¡°Do I just say everything out loud?¡± Jason asked, unsure of who he was asking. There was no reply, just silence. After a moment of waiting, Jason decided it would be best to just get on with it. He started describing the crime that has unfolded¡­

    ¡°What''s this?¡± Herny gasped as he bent over to grab a note on the floor. The note read:

    Meet me in the kitchen,

    Navini

    ¡°Why, Navini! I never could have guessed. I had better prepare myself, then!¡± After having said that, Henry was unsure of what to do. Eventually, he decided to just ignore the preparations and just go naturel, as the French would say. He headed down to the kitchen, ignoring everyone else along the way. When he arrived, a most peculiar sight awaited him. Several dozen hot dogs were laid out on a plate, and with his favorite condiments no less. Another note was present. Henry didn''t even notice the note until he was already through about five hot dogs. Eventually, his eyes noticed it, and with a messy hand, he picked it up, slobbering ketchup all over it. This note read:

    To my sweet Henry,

    Navini

    ¡°Oh, my! I really must thank her later for showing her amour in such a way!¡± Henry said between bites, stuffing hot dog after hot dog down his throat. People came and went, but he did not notice them. Eventually, after he had downed the entire plate of hot dogs, he set out on finding Navini. And everything went black.

    When Henry awoke, he awoke to startling pain. His wrist was now bleeding, as were his ankles. They felt like they were on fire. He looked around, trying to bring his wrist to him. He then found out that all his limbs had been shackled to the wall. He tried to scream for help, but his voice had been muffled by a dishcloth in his mouth, tied up like a gag. And in front of him stood the perpetrator, holding a knife in their hand, the hand in question covered in blood. On the counter behind them was a spear, and Henry was afraid of what that might be for. Terrified, Henry could only watch. They picked up the knife and carefully cut a perfect circle in Henry¡¯s left wrist. Henry reeled in pain, the fresh cut smacking against the cold metal shackle. They seemed to almost laugh at the reaction. Then, they picked up the spear, and in one swift movement, slammed it into Henry¡¯s side. Henry¡¯s eyes shot wide open in pain, his mouth attempting to scream but him being unable to. The killer started spinning the spear around, enjoying Henry¡¯s pain. Finally, they finished it. The spear had gone through Henry¡¯s entire body. But Henry was not dead. Hanging on the edge of consciousness, Henry managed to see a camo combat knife plunge towards his chest. Henry didn''t move after that, his eyes still wide open in terror. The killer then set out to work. They locked the door to kitchen and began washing their hands. Once they were satisfied that most of the blood was down the drain and out of sight, they flipped the wall panel Henry was now shackled to. This will make for a nice surprise, they thought. They then activated the switch, knowing where Henry''s body would end up. Satisfied, they made sure nothing in the kitchen could incriminate them. Then, they exited the kitchen and walked into an empty dining room. Later that night, when the group discovered Henry¡¯s body, they allowed a small laugh before they pretended to be in shock like everyone else. There was no way anyone would find out who they were.

    ¡°... And that''s what I think happened,¡± Jason finished his tale. One thing was missing though. Why? Why had the killer gone through all the trouble of torturing Henry, and why had they chosen Henry to begin with? ¡°The only reason I can think of¡­ Is that Henry was vulnerable. His affection towards food and Navini made him an easy target.¡± Something was still nagging at him, though. He had missed something, he was sure of it. And yet he couldn''t think of what it was. Frustrated, he left the room. Lavender and Rose briefly looked up at him when he left.

    ¡°Rose Stravor.¡± The voice said. Rose hastily made her way in. Jason did not stay to watch, and instead made his way back to his room.

    He collapsed on his bed almost immediately. For some reason, Jason felt incredibly exhausted. Even so, he couldn''t bring his eyes to close, so he lay staring at the ceiling.

    ¡°Lavender Greenwood.¡± Jason gave a cursory glance to the speaker in his room. It seemed that the entire house was privy to whose turn it was. Lavender seemed to know a thing or two about the investigation. One thing Jason had forgotten to ask was why she figured that something was hidden at all. Lavender clearly knew something she was hiding. ¡°Um¡­ Thank you very much for participating. I¡­ Um¡­ We are currently tallying the results. We¡¯ll say who has immunity shortly, so please listen well!¡± Dong-Ding! Lavender had taken very little time to say her case. Was she that confident, or was she as clueless as most? The minutes seemed to go by in slow motion. Jason was waiting, the tension biting at him. What was going to happen? Suddenly, someone knocked at the door. Jason jumped up from his bed. Steeling himself, he opened the door. Lavender was standing in the hallway.

    ¡°Could I come in?¡± she asked. Not waiting for an answer, she pushed Jason out of the way and sat on his bed. Curious, Jason waited for her to start talking. ¡°I don''t know where I should begin¡­¡±

    ¡°What did you want to talk about?¡± Jason asked.

    ¡°About tonight. When they announce immunity, my name will probably be in there. I know people will immediately be suspicious of them. I trust you, Jason. If I tell you why Henry was killed, do you think you could return the favor?¡± Jason hesitated for a moment. Lavender was very confident that she had gotten it right. If she was the only name called, she would have suspicion immediately drawn onto her. Plus, Jason wanted to know the reason Henry was killed. He decided to trust Lavender for the time being. He nodded.

    ¡°The reason Henry was killed¡­¡± Lavender begun, then hesitated herself, as if debating whether telling someone was a right decision or not. Eventually, she made up her mind, and continued. ¡°Well, what I deducted was that he was never supposed to show up to the party,¡± she said, a note of dramatic in her voice.

    ¡°Never supposed to show up? What does that mean?¡± Jason was legitimately at a loss. How could she know this?

    ¡°Well, it''s just me guessing, but doesn''t twenty-seven seem like an odd number? Why not thirty or twenty-five instead? My thought was that we were supposed to be twenty-five, killer included, which would make a nice, round number. However, Henry wasn''t supposed to be among us. I''m guessing the killer decided to finish Henry off¡­ Perhaps they attempted to kill Henry prior to the party, but were unable to? Well, now I''m just assuming. Regardless, the hit list in the library proves as much. Assuming Francis is dead, Henry would have been next, and considering the tearing on the list, I would want to assume that Henry was supposed to be the last victim.¡±

    ¡°Hang on. You''re acting as if Francis is confirmed dead. He could very well be behind this! Or are you suggesting that a toddler is the mastermind?¡± Jason protested.

    ¡°I know it sounds incredulous. Quite frankly, Francis might very well be alive - I don''t have any idea on the matter. However, the killer clearly thinks he¡¯s dead, so they targeted Henry next. Look at the way the note is torn,¡± she said, and pulled out the note Jason had observed earlier in the library. ¡°See? The top part of the note is ripped like if it was torn, but the bottom is a perfectly horizontal cut. I assumed this meant that the note had names prior to these, but none after. Which means¡­¡±

    ¡°Henry wasn''t supposed to be here after all!¡± Jason completed her thought, now realizing what she meant. ¡°But wait - the way you''re talking now, it seems like you realized it immediately. Why didn''t you-¡± but Jason was interrupted.

    Ding-Dong! ¡°Ahem! Hello everyone! Long time no see! Well, hear, I guess. Anyways,¡± Brian¡¯s whimsical yet chilling voice had replaced the feminine voice Jason had heard earlier. ¡°The immunity winners are here! Well, winner, I should say. Immunity this evening goes to¡­¡± Brian began tapping furiously, like a drumroll. ¡°Lavender Greenwood! Congratulations! You''ve escaped punishment tonight! As for the rest of you¡­ Well, one of you clearly wasn''t paying attention tonight! Try harder next time! Well, I''d say that, but there won''t BE a next time! Bwahahahahahaha! See you tomorrow!¡± Dong-Ding!

    Jason looked at Lavender for a moment. That undoubtedly proved that she was correct in her assumption. Then, he remembered what he was saying before Brian announced everything.

    ¡°Why didn''t you tell Lelina, Vivian and I? We could have had immunity too!¡± Jason complained. Lavender stood up and headed to the door. She put her hand on the doorknob and turned to Jason to speak.

    ¡°I don''t trust either of them. The killer could be anyone, and although I''d hate to think it could be one of them, the possibility remains. They could have spotted what I did as well, you know.¡±

    ¡°Alright, but then why are you telling me now?¡± Jason retorted. Somehow, before she even said the answer, he realized why.

    ¡°I said we were supposed to be twenty-five, Jason. Which means someone else wasn''t supposed to be here. Of course, since you''re here because of someone else''s invitation - someone who, might I add, is crossed out on the hit list - it means that the other person who wasn''t supposed to be here was you. That''s why I think you''re the least likely candidate in being the killer. It would make a lot more sense to believe that the killer wouldn''t come up with an elaborate excuse to show up to the party, but would rather impersonate someone who was supposed to be here to begin with. I''d watch your back if I were you, Jason.¡± With that ominous note, she opened the door and shut it behind her, giving Jason no time to reply.

    Jason lay on his bed, his eyes somehow even more open than they had been before Lavender had walked in. Not only had he been completely wrong in guessing the motive behind Henry¡¯s murder, Lavender¡¯s revelation was shocking. Henry wasn''t supposed to be here? Of course, he had already known that he himself wasn''t supposed to be here. After all, Ariana was supposed to have taken her place here. Did that make him a likely victim in the near future? Somehow, he knew he wasn''t going to be punished. Then, who? Who failed so badly that Brian was going to kill them? And even that seemed unlikely! How would he kill them? He felt within him that tonight was going to be a sleepless night. Somehow, going to the kitchen felt somewhat wrong. Jason instead headed to the library, and he began looking at the books available. They were all works of nonfiction, Jason noticed, and were classed alphabetically. Disappointed, Jason remembered that the recreation room had fantasy novels in it. Before leaving, however, Jason decided to have a look at the book in which the hit list was hidden. The Study of Talent was a thin book hidden in between two much bigger books. The author was Sir Francis Helmsburg. Wait, Jason thought. Sir Francis authored this book? This really was the perfect book to hide something in. However, when Jason opened it, he found most of the pages torn up beyond recognition. The pages had not been ripped out - rather, they had been slashed up, a hole going clean through most of the pages, denting the cover at the back. In their fury, someone had stabbed right through its contents. Jason would not have been able to decipher anything. Disappointed, he put the book back. A sudden fatigue washed over him, and he headed to his room. He fell right to sleep.

    The next morning, Jason¡¯s eyes felt like lead. He barely managed to get himself out of bed. He decided to wake up by taking a shower. After his shower, his mind felt a lot clearer. He dressed himself and headed downstairs. Going into the dining room, he felt a solemn and depressing atmosphere. Everyone wore glum expressions. Jason noticed that the name tags from the initial party were back. However, at his seat, the name tag with Ariana Beverly had been clumsily scribbled out, and in bright red crayon was written JASON HARLIN. Jason cringed a little when seeing his name misspelt. He hastily flipped it over so that no one noticed. He noticed that A had done the same thing. Selena was busy congratulating Lavender with exaggerated movements, the latter of whom looked extremely uncomfortable. No one else was talking or making any noise. It seemed they were all anticipating that someone would not show up, and yet as time went on, it became clear that everyone had shown up. Everyone was sitting nervously, no one caring to go the kitchen. It was at that moment that Jason noticed the empty seat that belonged to Henry. Well, it should have been empty. Instead, someone had hung a frame with Henry¡¯s picture in it. In bright red crayon, someone had drawn a large X on his picture. In his plate, as opposed to his name tag, the oversized fork he had owned was placed so that the tips were pointing to his picture. Jason thought this was an odd touch - who would have bothered to do such a thing? As if in answer to his thought, Brian suddenly appeared, wearing a huge smile that contrasted with everyone¡¯s glum looks.

    ¡°Howdy everyone! Boy, it feels like I just walked into a funeral! What gives?¡± He looked around at everyone, most of whom glared appropriately back at him. ¡°Bwahahahaha! What''s with your scary expressions? Oh well - you couldn''t help it if you tried! But let''s get right to the main event! I''m sure you''re all wondering the same thing - everyone is here! Does that mean Brian isn''t going to punish someone? Well, to that I have one thing to say¡­¡± Brian paused, then he pushed something in the room he was actually in. ¡°Don''t get too comfortable!¡±

    It all happened fast. In the blink of an eye, even. Spears, similar to the one that had pierced Henry, shot out of the floor from a barely visible trapdoor. No one reacted quickly enough. And even though everyone¡¯s reaction should have been to help them, Jason and the others could only stare. The world around them froze. The spears met their target with a horrible sound of pierced flesh and blood spurting. The victim managed to look down before the spears retreated into the trap and their body slumped onto the table, smearing blood all over the white tablecloth. Everyone simply stared for a few moments. Shakily, Navini was the first to get up, and she checked them for a pulse.

    Jason knew the answer she was going to give before she even gave it.

    ¡°Nothing,¡± she said simply. Everyone stared for a moment, emotions having been replaced with shock and fear.

    He could never have seen it coming. The world''s best actor, Erick Orbison, was slumped over on the table, blood pouring out of countless open wounds on his body.

    SURVIVORS : 25

 Chapter 4: Who We Once Were

    For several minutes, no one moved. Everyone just stared in horror at Erick¡¯s body, which only a minute ago was still full of life and as intense as he was. No one seemed to be capable of speaking. Jason noticed, out of the corner of his eye, that Brian was still talking, but Jason could not hear the words spoken. Everything was silent. Blood continued seeping out of Erick¡¯s body, staining the tablecloth until everywhere near Erick was a crimson red. Some of the blood had splattered over his name tag, bloodying the name so that only a few letters were visible. Eventually, the initial shock wore off, leaving rage and despair in its wake. Someone started screaming. Jason didn''t notice who, only that his limbs seemed suddenly numb. He seemed incapable of movement. His mouth just hung open, his jaw having dropped. Many had a similar reaction.

    ¡°Interesting,¡± Selena said amidst all the shock. Slowly, everyone looked at her. ¡°So this is what he means by punishment¡­ Truly, this has raised the stakes.¡±

    ¡°Screw you!¡± Michael yelled angrily. ¡°That¡¯s how you react to your friend dying? Do you even have a heart?¡±

    ¡°He was never my friend,¡± Selena said simply. She stood up, her eyes fixed snidely on Erick¡¯s body. ¡°I wonder what he said to be the first punished¡­ If only I could have heard. I suppose there''s not much I can do,¡± she sighed. ¡°If you all think that friendship will help you or whatever, you''re deluded. Make note of that. This game will only have one winner - the person who catches the killer before they catch them. I intend to win. You are all simply my entertainment until then. Remember that,¡± she added, and left, gracefully striding out of the room. Jason didn''t think his jaw could have dropped any further, and yet it had. Does she have a death wish? Jason asked himself. But wait. The killer? Jason looked around for a moment. Something had just struck him. Weren''t they in the kitchen?

    ¡°Hey, Mikad¡­ Can you answer something something for me?¡± It was almost comical. Everyone turned in unison to look at Jason, and then at Mikad. Mikad suddenly looked uncomfortable.

    ¡°Is this really the best time, Jason?¡± Mikad stammered. ¡°I mean, I know that I''m great, but a man was just killed!¡±

    ¡°About that¡­¡± Jason continued. ¡°You were in the kitchen with Henry the night he died¡­ And you were just watching him, too. Why is that?¡±

    ¡°Huh? Oh, that¡­ I told you, didn''t I? I went in there for a snack, and Henry¡¯s feasting was so impressive and revolting I couldn''t tear my gaze from it.¡±

    ¡°Did anyone see you leave the kitchen?¡± Jason asked. He looked around. Heads started shaking ¡®no¡¯ or looking shamefully at the ground. The color drained from Mikad¡¯s face.

    ¡°W...what are you suggesting?¡± He managed to say, his eyes bolting from Jason to the door.

    ¡°What I''m suggesting is¡­¡± Jason didn''t need to finish his sentence.

    ¡°Wait, you?¡± Michael asked. ¡°You killed Henry?¡±

    ¡°No, I-¡± Mikad tried to reply.

    ¡°You''re the only suspect!¡± Navini pointed and raised her voice. ¡°It has to be you!¡±

    ¡°Aren''t you jumping to conclusions just a little here?¡± Mikad asked. No one seemed to be listening to him, however. ¡°It wasn''t me!¡±

    ¡°Y...yeah right!¡± Lelina rebutted. ¡°T...that''s just a d...desperate excuse!¡±

    ¡°You guys¡­¡± Mikad seemed to be desperately trying to appeal to everyone. ¡°You don''t really believe that I¡­¡± All of the gusto in his voice had vanished. He now sounded fearful. Everyone looked angrily back at him. Jason couldn''t help but feel somewhat guilty. It was just a suspicion, after all.

    ¡°Mikad,¡± Lavender begun, her voice calmer than everyone else¡¯s, ¡°can you say with certainty that someone saw you leave the kitchen while Henry was alive?¡± Lavender seemed completely unfazed by this.

    ¡°I¡­¡± Mikad was searching through his mind. Despair had fully settled on his face, and not thinking of a better move, he bolted out of the door, shoving Lola and Vicki out of the way to do so.

    ¡°After him!¡± Michael yelled, and he, Dexter, Arthur, A and Alexandra leaped out of the room after him. Everyone left stared uncomfortably at the door.

    ¡°We should accompany them,¡± Lavender told Jason. The two left the room as well. Following the noise, they arrived at the recreation room, where the five that had chased after Mikad were staring at the door, Mikad having apparently vanished.

    ¡°What happened?¡± Jason asked Alexandra, who seemed the least furious of the five.

    ¡°He runs surprisingly fast,¡± Alexandra spoke calmly.

    ¡°The bastard hid himself in here!¡± Michael shouted, pounding on the door.

    ¡°He ran in here,¡± Alexandra elaborated. ¡°We tried opening the door, but it was locked, and we have no idea how to open it.¡±

    ¡°Have you tried to push it open?¡± Lavender asked. The five stared at each other, none of them having given that thought any merit. Embarrassed, Michael opened the door.

    The room was exactly as it had been the day before. With a pang of remorse, Jason looked at the two sofas were just yesterday, he had talked with Erick about his past. Despite his strong personality, Erick had been friendly, and even though he lacked anything resembling social skills, he had tried to fit in with everyone. He hadn''t deserved such a cruel end. Something else Jason noticed was the complete lack of any trace that Mikad had been in the room. It was almost as though he had completely vanished. Cautiously, the seven of them walked into the room. However, after a few minutes of investigating, it was clear that Mikad was not in the room.

    ¡°GODDAMNIT!¡± Michael yelled furiously. He stomped out of the room, his face having turned a bright red. Arthur hurried out of the room after Michael, Dexter following behind. Alexandra was intently focused on the rug, her eyes shut, and A was curiously staring at her. Suddenly, the rug beneath Jason¡¯s feet moved upwards. Jason clumsily rushed to a part of solid wood.

    Alexandra¡¯s eyes shot open, and the rug raised itself so that everyone could see underneath. Lavender crouched to look underneath it, apparently not bothered by someone telekinetically lifting a carpet. After a minute, she shook her head.

    ¡°Nothing. Thank you, Alexandra,¡± Lavender announced. Alexandra¡¯s face was very strained. When she heard Lavender, she dropped the carpet, color rushing back to her face.

    ¡°That''s the largest thing I''ve ever lifted,¡± Alexandra announced breathlessly. A was staring at her dumbfounded. Feeling an explanation was not necessary, she left the room. A rushed out after her.

    ¡°So that''s what she meant by psychic,¡± Lavender said, a note of surprise present in her voice.

    ¡°Do you have any idea how she did that?¡± Jason asked.

    ¡°No,¡± Lavender admitted, ¡°but it is impressive, isn''t it?¡± Jason nodded. ¡°I''m going to look around a little more. Maybe you should go tell everyone in the dining room what happened,¡± Lavender suggested. Jason nodded, and he headed back down to the dining room to tell everyone what had happened. Everyone¡¯s eyes were glued to Jason as he retold what had happened.

    ¡°So he got away¡­¡± Dahinko mumbled. ¡°But how?¡± he asked, louder this time. ¡°Where could he be hiding?¡± Dahinko looked worried.

    ¡°I have no idea,¡± Skyler said. ¡°I do know, however, that we should be careful around Mikad. Even if he isn''t the killer, a person put under pressure like that can be very¡­ Unpredictable.¡± Everyone nodded in agreement.

    ¡°Oh, wait a moment!¡± Timothy said. ¡°No one has told Selena!¡±

    ¡°I''d prefer if she was next,¡± Rose mumbled barely loud enough for Jason to hear her.

    ¡°I shall take it upon myself to do so! Good day, everyone!¡± Timothy excused himself and left the dining room. Gradually, everyone left as well, seeing no point in staying. Jason, however, headed directly to the kitchen.

    ¡°Just as I thought,¡± Jason said aloud.

    ¡°Just as you thought, Mr. Harlon?¡±

    Jason jumped. Cole had followed him into the kitchen, hiding behind Jason¡¯s back. It was then that Jason noticed how short Cole was - he was definitely the shortest person here.

    ¡°Ah! Jeez, Cole, don''t sneak up on me like that!¡± Jason¡¯s nerves still being on edge caused him to be startled by Cole¡¯s sudden appearance. ¡°No, it''s fine,¡± Jason added hurriedly, speaking over Cole¡¯s frantic apologies. ¡°Look at the wall,¡± Jason motioned.

    ¡°Huh? Why¡­ Oh, wait! Henry¡¯s body is..!¡± Cole had realized it as well. Henry¡¯s body had completely vanished. Both of them stepped closer to the now-stainless wall where just yesterday, Henry¡¯s body had been. It was now completely clean, no trace of the body or of the shackles visible. Jason stepped closer to investigate. All of a sudden, the door behind them slam shut, and Jason heard a faint click. Cole ran over to the door, fruitlessly pulling and pushing to get it to open. Jason paid no attention, and instead his attention was focused on the wall where Henry¡¯s body had hung the night before. Jason flipped the wall over to reveal the bloodstained shackles - but no Henry. Aside from the traces of blood on the wall, there was no sign of Henry anywhere. Jason decided it would be best for everyone¡¯s state of mind that he flipped the wall back to the shackle-less side. Cole was still attempting to open the door. Jason walked up to him to try and help.

    ¡°Um¡­ Do you mind if-¡±

    ¡°AAH! Um, oh, uh, Mr. Harl-Jason, you surprised me, ha, ha, um¡­¡± Cole seemed very worried and anxious. ¡°Why did the door close so suddenly?¡±

    ¡°I don''t know¡­¡± Jason, curious about Cole¡¯s sudden worry, proceeded cautiously. ¡°We should probably try to find a way to open it, huh?¡±

    ¡°Oh, um, yeah! Of course, ha¡­¡± Cole did not seem reassured in the slightest. Instead, he backed very far away from the door, leaving Jason more than enough room to investigate. The door was locked shut, no doubt about it, and there seemed to be no way out. Just as Jason was about to suggest they look for other paths, he heard a click, and the kitchen door creaked open.

    Jason and Cole stepped out of the kitchen cautiously. It took Jason a moment to realize that something was missing. Erick¡¯s mutilated corpse was now gone, leaving only blood behind as a reminder. Jason observed that in his seat, a photograph of his face hung with a bright red X drawn in crayon, and that a wooden mask (the kind used for theater) now replaced the plate and silverware.

    ¡°Huh?¡± Cole exclaimed. ¡°Where did Erick go?¡± Jason had no explanation to offer. ¡°And a wooden mask? Why? He was the world''s best housekeeper - what would a theater mask have to do with that?¡±

    ¡°Didn''t he tell you?¡± Jason asked, his nerves betraying his calm. Cole mumbled ¡°no¡± about half a dozen times in a scared tone before Jason continued. ¡°He was the best actor in the world - the mask makes perfect sense.¡±

    ¡°Actor¡­ Wait, then is he-¡±

    ¡°Yup. He''s Erick Orbison, talented actor, apparently more than I credited him for,¡± Jason explained. Cole nodded once quickly and then proceeded to bolt out of the dining room. Dahinko, Skyler and Lavender rushed in almost immediately after.

    ¡°Are you okay?¡± Lavender asked. ¡°We were locked in our dormitories for a little while there¡­ Is everything-¡± Lavender stopped herself, as she had just noticed the missing body. ¡°Oh, that''s why,¡± she said simply.

    ¡°Cole came running out of here, his eyes full of tears. What did you do to him, Jason?¡± Dahinko asked.

    ¡°I''d like to know myself,¡± Jason admitted. ¡°He''s a weird one, that one,¡± he added. Skyler and Lavender nodded, and Dahinko chuckled a little. ¡°Regardless, it seems that Brian, or whoever is in charge here, isn''t going to let bodies out in the open,¡± Jason concluded. ¡°Henry¡¯s body is gone as well.¡±

    ¡°Really?¡± Lavender replied. She rushed into the kitchen to confirm. After having done so, she walked back out into the dining room, apparently in deep thought. ¡°I''m guessing it''s to prevent fingerprint analysis, or something like that,¡± Lavender guessed.

    ¡°Fingerprints?¡± Dahinko said, surprised. ¡°Unless Jason here is also a forensics expert, no one here could even identify them! So what''s the point?¡±

    ¡°It was just a guess,¡± Lavender replied. ¡°Still, I wonder¡­¡± Not caring to share anymore of her thoughts, she exited the room. Skyler and Dahinko followed suit. Jason lingered for a moment, staring at the spot where Erick had been just a few moments prior. After he felt he had paid his respects, he left, heading back to his room.

    ¡°Is this a joke? Why do you never look to see where you''re going?¡± Vicki exclaimed. Jason, on his way back to his dormitory, had once again bumped into Vicki¡¯s abnormally large pile of books. Now, as she was picking them up, she shot daggers with her eyes at Jason. Having learnt that helping her would only make it worse, Jason stayed out of it. ¡°Oh, so now you won''t help me? Typical man, only looking out for yourself¡­¡± Jason looked at her in disbelief. Once again, Mary came to his rescue.

    ¡°Oh, Vicki! Are you alright? Would you like some help?¡±

    ¡°That would be very much appreciated!¡± Vicki answered cheerfully, then turned to look spitefully at Jason. Mary gave Jason a curious glance, and Jason replied with a look that said don''t ask. Mary helped Vicki bring the large pile of books into her room. Briefly thanking Mary and shooting one last spiteful look at Jason, Vicki slammed the door shut.

    ¡°What on Earth did I do to her?¡± Jason mumbled quietly. Mary heard him, and took a deep breath.

    ¡°Have you not read her biography? The poor child..,¡± Mary answered. ¡°Perhaps you should give it a read - I believe a copy is somewhere in the library,¡± Mary added. ¡°In any case, I believe you''ll never get to be friendly with her¡­ Perhaps you should allow those of us who are more spiritually inclined to do our duty¡­¡± She stared off in the distance. Taking this as a sign to leave her be, Jason backed away, and indeed no sooner had he left the hallway that she knelt in front of Vicki¡¯s door and prayed, lifting her cross in the air.

    It took Jason a few moments to discover the book that Mary was talking about. Vicki Ingrid¡¯s Life, by Edward Truffle was very well tucked away in a corner of the library. However, the pages were ruffled, and in some places even bent, indicating that the book had been referred to several times. Jason flipped the pages, his eyes scanning for an interesting passage. It didn''t take very long - the words in the childhood section jumped out almost immediately.

    Vicki Ingrid lived her whole life growing up in rural Alabama, despite her Canadian origins. Having been born from a nymphomaniac father and a prostitute mother, Vicki lived in a rough household. Her mother had almost immediately abandoned the child with the father, leaving him with an unwanted burden. She received very little education, and that which she did receive was from her father¡¯s lovers, who felt sorry for the poor child. She lived her entire life in misery, not a single friend to be found.

    ¡°I felt very sorry for the poor child,¡± said Rosaline Therrin, a math teacher at a nearby elementary school. ¡°The father was a well known nymphomaniac around here, but he had such charming looks and attitude that I couldn''t help myself¡­ After the night was spent, I discovered the child, alone in a room, writing out her alphabet. I felt extremely guilty, knowing that it was women like me that had robbed such an innocent child of her childhood. I decided to teach her basic maths, but it became clear that her interest was in language. The father was awfully protective of her,¡± Rosaline confessed, ¡°but in a sort of ¡®she''s my problem to deal with and I''ll be damned if anyone interferes¡¯ way.¡±

    Vicki spent her young child life in such a condition, until she was the age of thirteen. Her father decided to ¡®put her to use¡¯, and began selling her off as a sex slave.

    ¡°It was horrible,¡± Vicki declared. ¡°Those men would do anything and everything they wanted to me, and my father wouldn''t bat an eyelash.¡±

    This continued until her father was found and arrested by the police. In a desperate attempt to escape, her father mortally wounded several officers before they were forced to shoot him down.

    ¡°At the time, Vicki was already seventeen, and she already had an idea of what she wanted to do,¡± Richard Mortarti, a police officer who was at the scene, declared. ¡°Of course, you know the rest. She stayed at an orphanage for a few months, and then raised enough money to have her first bestseller, A Kiss from a Raindrop, published. She made enough money to buy an apartment and began living alone.

    ¡°She seemed to be so reluctant around men,¡± Brittany Jouvence (born Brittany Wallace), mother of now-famous model Lola Jouvence, told me. ¡°Whenever we invited her for dinner, she would always have the best manners around me and my daughter, but whenever my husband walked in, she became cold and unapproachable,¡± she declared. This statement proved to be true, as Vicki refused to speak to our male reporters in any capacity. Lola and Vicki became close friends, and although they do not frequent each other as often, they seem to have upheld their friendship.

    Jason stared blankly at the end of the chapter for a while. Lola and Vicki had known each other? They didn''t seem to be that close¡­ And the story about Vicki having been a sex slave sent shivers down Jason¡¯s spine. No wonder she didn''t like being around men¡­ Perhaps if she had grown up in a better childhood, she might have been kinder towards the men in the house. It also explained why she took a liking to the women - her father¡¯s lovers had been kinder to her than her father ever was. Jason now felt a sudden remorse and pity for her - despite her being crabby and frankly rude to him, Jason now understood why. However, this brought up an interesting dilemma in his head - if the Vicki Ingrid and Lola Jouvence he knew were indeed the real ones, why didn''t they seem to be close to each other at all? Jason decided to try to ask them to see what he could uncover. Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings.

    First, he tried to visit Vicki. He knocked politely at the door and waited. The door creaked open very slowly, and through the gap he could make out a brown eye looking at him intently.

    ¡°Vicki? Um¡­ I was wondering if-¡±

    ¡°No thanks. Now go away!¡± Vicki exclaimed and slammed the door. It seemed that Jason would get no luck trying to talk to Vicki. Instead, he began looking for Lola. First, he tried her room, but after several minutes, it became clear that she was not in it. As if on cue, Michael¡¯s room¡¯s door swung open, and a disappointed Lola walked out. Michael, looking both angry and remorseful, stomped off to the recreation room, slamming the door shut behind him.

    ¡°Hey, Lola!¡± Jason called out. Lola looked up, seeming disappointed that it was not Michael calling.

    ¡°Oh, hi, Jason,¡± she said glumly. ¡°What do you want?¡± She asked rather rudely.

    ¡°I was wondering if I could ask you a few questions¡­¡± Jason knew this was not the best way to approach her, and yet she seemed totally out of it, so he thought he could get away with it.

    ¡°Sure, I guess¡­ Come in, come in¡­¡± She answered glumly, unlocking her room.

    Her room was very similar in terms of size to Jason¡¯s. The bedsheets were a pale pink as opposed to a pale blue, and peeking into her wide open closet, Jason noticed that her pajamas were of the same color. However, that was were the slight differences ended. On her wall, dozens of pictures of incredibly built, shirtless male models hung, all of them winking or smiling. Jason noticed they were all autographed, with the signature resembling something along the lines of a thank you. Jason decided it was best not to ask why they thanked her. A huge array of makeup tools lay sprawled across the bathroom counter, the mirror having been smudged with what looked like a lipstick imprint. Lola crashed onto her bed, sighing as she did so.

    ¡°Why the long face?¡± Jason asked her.

    ¡°Nothing that concerns you,¡± Lola replied abruptly. ¡°You said you had some questions, right?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, actually,¡± Jason began. ¡°Um¡­ I was wondering if you could tell me about your relationship with Vicki?¡± At the mention of Vicki, her eyes widened.

    ¡°What? Why? What did Vicki tell you?¡± Lola seemed suddenly much more alert. ¡°I swear, whatever she told you was a complete lie!¡± Jason was taken aback by this response.

    ¡°She didn''t tell me anything¡­¡± Jason reassured Lola, who looked anything but reassured. ¡°I just read her biography in the library, and it said you were good friends before this¡­¡±

    ¡°Well, allow me to clarify that that is no longer the case,¡± Lola replied firmly. ¡°Say¡­ I hadn''t noticed before, but you''re kind of cute, aren''t you?¡± Her entire demeanor changed in a flash. She sexily walked up to Jason, placing her hands on his chest, feeling his muscles. Jason jumped back, his hand on the doorknob. She looked extremely disappointed. ¡°Whatever happened to it being the only thing on men¡¯s minds..? Can''t be helped, I guess,¡± she said, her tone returning to what it had been before their conversation. ¡°Could you leave me alone, please?¡± Lola asked. Jason, sensing that contradicting her would be dangerous, left the room. After closing the door behind him, he became even more determined to talk to Vicki. He knocked slightly more hastily on her door. This time, she swung the door open, nearly hitting Jason in the process.

    ¡°I thought I told you to piss off!¡± Vicki spoke loudly. ¡°Now GO. AWAY.¡± she then tried to slam the door shut, but Jason held it open, determined to talk to her.

    ¡°Wait! Please! I''d like to talk to you about Lola!¡± The minute Jason mentioned Lola, Vicki¡¯s grip on the door loosened. She stood there for several minutes, as if remembering something painful. Then, reluctantly, she opened the door and allowed Jason in.

    Her room was almost identical to Lola¡¯s in terms of color. The only difference was the lack of pictures hanging from her wall, which was instead replaced by several mountains of books in various piles across her room. Jason noticed that she had had a desk brought up into her room, probably from the recreation room. On it, an unfinished draft was sitting, the pen having been dropped onto it, creating an awkward blotch of ink on the side of the page.

    ¡°Sit down.¡± Vicki commanded. Jason, deciding that he was lucky to even be here, sat where she had indicated. She sat on one of the chairs that was originally in the library and now stood behind the desk. ¡°What did you want to know?¡±

    ¡°Anything, really¡­ I read your biography and after talking to Lola about it, I got an interesting reaction¡­¡± Jason explained.

    ¡°You read my biography, huh?¡± Vicki asked. ¡°I didn''t even know it was in the house¡­ Anyway, what part of that seemed suspicious to you?¡± She asked, just as much venom in her voice as was usually in it when she talked to men.

    ¡°Well, it said you''d been friends with Lola for a while, so I was wondering if you could elaborate¡­¡± Jason decided it would be for the best that he did as little talking as possible. Vicki sighed.

    ¡°Before I tell you anything, I just want to tell you that the Lola you''ve met is the real deal. There''s no doubt that that is the actual Lola Jouvence in the flesh,¡± Vicki stated. ¡°Trust me on that one,¡± she added. ¡°So, about Lola¡­ Yes, we were friends for a while. She lived near me, you see, and her mother reached out to me when I moved nearby,¡± her voice softened. ¡°They were nice people, I guess¡­ I became good friends with Lola. And then she began modeling. At first, everything was the same, but then I started to notice things¡­ She would be bubblier around men, flirting constantly with them, even if I was nearby. It was fine for a while, until I discovered that she was¡­ Well, if I say she reminded me too much of my father, would that suffice?¡± She paused for a bit. Jason didn''t need her to elaborate, and suddenly her mood swing earlier seemed totally in character. It also explained why she had immediately tried to latch onto Michael. ¡°We kind of just fell out after that. I stopped talking to her¡­ She tried to explain, but I had learned the truth, and we couldn''t recover from that¡­¡± Vicki left it at that, preferring not to elaborate. Jason sat in complete silence, contemplating. ¡°Was that enough of an answer?¡± Vicki asked, the spite back in her voice.

    ¡°Yes, thank you,¡± Jason said, standing up. ¡°And, uh¡­ I''m truly sorry. For everything,¡± he added. Vicki seemed taken aback for a moment.

    ¡°Um¡­ Thank you, I guess,¡± Vicki answered, flustered. Jason left the room without adding another word. Vicki sat in her chair, contemplating. Jason passed by Lola¡¯s room before going down, and he could have sworn he heard someone crying.

    Jason was left with a lot to think about in regards to Vicki and Lola. He now saw them in a new light. Without anywhere in particular to go, Jason headed to the recreation room. There, he felt a sudden rush of warmth and light. It took him a moment before he realized that the large fireplace had been lit, the flames now spewing light across the otherwise dimly-lit room. Audrey stood by, watching what was no doubt her creation. Rose had backed away a little, but was now approaching the flames with curiosity. In the very corner of the room, in complete silence, Alexandra was meditating, her face illuminated by the flames.

    ¡°Well? What do you think?¡± Audrey asked Rose.

    ¡°It''s, uh¡­ Really frickin¡¯ big,¡± Rose replied, uncertain.

    ¡°Don''t worry! I''ve done this sort of thing hundreds of times before. I''ve never burned anything down!¡± Audrey affirmed. ¡°Well, almost never,¡± she added under Rose¡¯s curious glance. This only made Rose look more uncertain about the huge fire that was currently roaring in the fireplace. Jason welcomed the change in lighting, and sat down in one of the sofas in the room. His eyes scanned the room, and he noticed that a lot of little statues and photographs were adorning the bookcases. One picture in particular caught his eye - a slightly overweight man in a puffy dress shirt was smiling at a girl holding a diamond in her hand. Jason recognized the girl almost immediately - it was Rose. Curious, he took the picture and went to see Rose.

    ¡°Huh? Oh yeah, that! I was wonderin¡¯ where he''d stashed it!¡± Rose exclaimed when she saw the picture. ¡°Ya see, this is how I got my invitation to the party. I''d heard that Francis had this crazy big jewel, and I just had to have it, ya know? No? Just me?¡± She added, seeing Jason questioning glance. ¡°Whatever. So I go to take the thing, right, and I''m almost out of the house when Francis spots me. Instead of turning me over, he congratulated me! Can ya believe it? He told me that I was the only person who had even come close to taking it without him noticing. He insisted we keep in touch, and I mean, if a rich guy wants to keep in touch with me, who am I to say no? He took this picture of me and he even let me keep the jewel! Course, turns out it was worth jack, but hey, it got me invited here! Which I guess is also a downside, huh¡­¡± Rose finished her tale. Jason placed the picture back and, sensing a newfound hunger, he went to the kitchen.

    ¡°Oh! Mr. Harlon! Um, oh, uh, how are you?¡±

    In the kitchen, a familiar scene was playing out. Again, a burning piece of toast was pouring out smoke, producing the smell of burnt toast. Again, Jason picked up a mixing bowl and poured water on it, and again Cole mumbled something about electrical fires. Jason immediately walked over to the toaster.

    ¡°Cole. This is a toaster. You put your slice of toast in it and wait. Et voil¨¤, toast! Okay?¡± Jason said, somewhat irritated.

    ¡°I''m sorry, I''m sorry, okay, I''ll use the toaster, please, okay, um, uh¡­¡± Cole blurted out. Tears welled in his eyes. Jason felt a small amount of worry for Cole. He put his hand on his shoulder. Cole flinched at the touch. He really looks like an abused puppy, Jason thought.

    ¡°Hey. Look at me. No one¡¯s going to hurt you, okay? Now calm down. I''m going to make something. Would you like some?¡± Jason spoke slowly and calmly. Cole nodded quickly and rushed out of the kitchen.

    With lunch being finished, Cole briefly thanked Jason and hurried out of the dining room. Jason gave him a worrying glance.

    ¡°H...he¡¯s kind of weird, isn''t he?¡± Lelina, who was sat across the table, mentioned. Jason nodded. ¡°He almost l...looks like an abused child¡­ B...but usually th...the signs stop at a...adulthood, so I''m not s...sure why he a...acts like that¡­¡± she explained.

    ¡°Does he refer to you as Ms. Beauvencourt?¡± Jason asked, curious.

    ¡°Y...yeah, actually. It''s s...sort of endearing, i...in a strange way. B...but I don''t know¡­ I''m s...still worried about him¡­¡± Lelina answered. The fact that she was actually comparing his behavior to that of an abused child only helped increase the small puppy persona that Jason had begun to associate him with. The thought that Cole had been abused brought shivers down Jason¡¯s spine. He seemed like such an innocent person! Who would do something to him?

    Lunch having been said and done, Jason was unsure of what to do next. Fortunately, Dexter and Arthur had an answer. Once again, the sound of sword against sword could be heard ringing in the entrance hall. This time, they did not seem to be doing it for sheer practice. There was newfound resolve written on Arthur¡¯s face, and Dexter seemed angry. Both were deadly serious, and loud clangs rang across the hall. Jason had begun to doubt that the sword Dexter had was a replica, and yet he still claimed as such. Everyone who was nearby stopped to watch the two duel. Despite the recreation room and the library being open, there was still a lack of entertainment, and people were drawn to it like insects to a bright light. After a long while of the two sword fighting (no one was able to tear their eyes away from it) the two were interrupted.

    ¡°Someone stop that infernal racket! Oh, it''s just you two,¡± Selena said snidely. ¡°Please end the swordplay at once. This is not an option,¡± she demanded. Jason looked over at Arthur and Dexter. The two were breathless and covered in sweat, and were in no mood to argue. They sheathed their swords and headed off to their rooms. Satisfied, Selena returned to her room. Jason, curious about the reason for the sword fight, headed off to Arthur¡¯s room. However, when he knocked on her door, there was no answer. He didn''t hear a sound coming from the other side of the door. Instead, he went to see Dexter, who was currently talking with Lavender.

    ¡°I also believe we must be constantly on our guard,¡± Dexter finished something he was telling Lavender, who seemed not the least bit interested. ¡°Ah! Jason! Have you come to also hear my tale of assassinating the corporate head of the largest company in the western world?¡±

    ¡°Remind me to ask you another time,¡± Jason replied. ¡°In any case, why were you and Arthur fighting? You seemed on pretty good terms, and I couldn''t find Arthur¡­¡±

    ¡°After Henry and Erick¡¯s deaths, we decided to double our efforts for our training, so as to ensure no one else dies,¡± Dexter answered. Somehow, Jason doubted that they would all make it out, but he didn''t say anything. ¡°Also, if you wanted to talk to Arthur, I believe she is in her room.¡±

    ¡°Well, I tried knocking, but I didn''t hear anything,¡± Jason answered.

    ¡°Really?¡± Dexter replied, his eyebrows creasing in worry. ¡°And yet she should be there¡­¡±

    ¡°Greetings. Were you talking about me?¡±

    Jason turned and saw Arthur standing right behind him. He jumped a little at the suddenity of this appearance.

    ¡°Actually, yes!¡± Dexter answered. ¡°Jason and I were simply wondering why you were not in your room earlier.¡±

    ¡°Oh, that. Well, I went to give Selena a piece of my mind,¡± Arthur replied. Jason waited for her to elaborate, but she did not feel it was necessary.

    ¡°Perhaps we should go,¡± Lavender suggested. Jason nodded, and the two went to Selena¡¯s room. Lavender knocked politely.

    ¡°What do you want now?¡± Selena yelled as she swung the door open. ¡°Oh, it''s just you two. Well, the question still stands. What do you want?¡± Her voice seemed much more hostile than usual.

    ¡°We were just wondering what Arthur had told you,¡± Lavender asked calmly.

    ¡°I do not see why I should detail that encounter,¡± Selena replied. ¡°All you must know is that that walking tin bucket should keep to her own affairs, rather than butt into those of more important people.¡±

    ¡°What was that about a walking tin bucket?¡± Arthur, who had been walking to her room, asked.

    ¡°Nothing that concerns you,¡± Selena said hastily, and shut the door as quickly as could be done without slamming it.

    ¡°I may have instilled a little fear into her,¡± Arthur added with a grin. ¡°I don''t think she''ll be a problem as long as I''m around.¡±

    ¡°Then God help us if you aren''t,¡± Lavender expressed ominously, and headed back to her room. Arthur watched her go.

    ¡°She could use a bit of sunshine in her life,¡± Arthur exclaimed. Jason nodded, wondering why Lavender had felt the need to say such a comment. Regardless, he had done enough investigating for the day, so he headed to his room to try and relax. He fell asleep with all of today''s conversations still fresh in his head.

    After a quick nap, Jason awoke to the sound of someone knocking at his door. He opened it and saw that it was Lola who had knocked.

    ¡°Hi, Jason¡­¡± Lola said glumly. ¡°Michael wants everyone to gather in the dining room so¡­ Yeah¡­¡± Without adding anything, Lola headed off to the next room. Jason felt sorry for her, but then he remembered their encounter and the pity vanished as quickly as it had come. He headed to the dining room to hear what Michael had to say. Everyone else had already gathered, and after Lola returned, Michael stood up and started talking.

    ¡°Alright, listen up! So I''ve been thinking, and I think we need to have people on guard all the time in order to prevent Mikad from killing someone else,¡± Michael began. People nodded along to what he was saying. ¡°So, I''ve devised a schedule that should work for everyone! So, you''ll be guarding in shifts of two people at a time, for safety reasons. Here are the pairs! Myself and A, Booby and Axel (sorry Axel), Timothy and Gary, Skyler and Dahinko, Jason and Cole and, since I ran out of guys, Dexter and Arthur. Alright? We¡¯ll each take two hours at a time. The first shift tonight will be Jason and Cole, followed by Bobby and Axel, Dexter and Arthur, Timothy and Gary, Skyler and Dahinko and finally myself and A. Any problems?¡± Michael asked. Aside from Axel groaning, no one seemed to have a problem. No one offered to switch places with Axel (probably because no one wanted to be stuck with Bobby), so the meeting was adjourned.

    ¡°Why didn''t any of the girls get a guard shift?¡± Vicki whispered just softly enough so that Michael didn''t hear her.

    ¡°Probably because he''s trying to ¡®protect¡¯ us or whatever,¡± Navini complained, doing air quotes as she said protect.

    ¡°I think it''s very gallant,¡± Lola said dreamily. The other girls looked at her curiously.

    ¡°Yawwwwn¡­ I''m getting sleepy. Should we just let them guard and get some sleep in?¡± Jessica proposed. The other girls agreed and headed to their rooms. The guys who didn''t have a shift at the moment also headed to their rooms, leaving Cole and Jason alone.

    ¡°I''m, uh¡­ Um¡­ Going to uh¡­ Get some water, okay? Ha, ha¡­¡± Cole mumbled nervously, and fled to the kitchen. Jason sighed and walked up to the hallway in between the dorms. He looked towards the door, and in the complete silence of the house, he could hear the pitter-patter of the raindrops outside. Jason stood in silence for a moment, appreciating this brief reminder of the outside world. It stunned him for a moment that even with all of this going on, the world still turned, people still lived. As he was contemplating this, the door to the recreation room creaked open.

    Jason looked down the hallway. At first, the door did not move. Jason thought it could have been his eyes playing a trick on him, but after a few seconds the door definitely moved again. Slowly, it opened fully, and Mikad stepped out into the hallway. He had clearly not noticed Jason in the hallway, and careful not to make a single sound, he tiptoed into the hallway. Eventually, after he got about halfway through the hallway, he stopped, having finally noticed Jason. Wary, Jason did not move. Eventually, Mikad came running up to Jason. Jason took a few steps back and was prepared to run before Mikad came to a halt.

    ¡°Oh thank god! I bumped into someone reasonable,¡± Mikad whispered excitedly. ¡°Jason, you''ll help me, right?¡± Jason, unsure of what to do, decided to not do anything. Taking the silence as a yes, Mikad headed down the stairs and into the dining room. Jason rushed after him and grabbed his arm just before he entered the kitchen. He heard footsteps on the other side, and shoved a confused Mikad under the table and out of sight. Just in time, because Cole emerged from the other side holding two glasses of water. He was somewhat startled when seeing Jason so close to the kitchen door.

    ¡°Oh¡­ Hi, Jason¡­ Were you waiting for me? Ha, ha¡­ I, uh, got you a glass too, ha¡­¡± Cole said.

    ¡°Yes, thank you. I was just about to go grab a snack. Do you mind waiting for me upstairs?¡± Jason asked, worried that Mikad wasn''t going to take the hint.

    ¡°Um, ok, uh, I guess, ha, ha¡­¡± Cole mumbled and rushed out of the dining room. Careful not to expose Mikad, Jason ushered him into the kitchen, carefully closing the door behind him.

    ¡°What were you thinking, Mikad? There are other people in this house besides me!¡± Jason scolded him. For a minute, he forgot that most suspected Mikad of being the killer.

    ¡°I know, I''ve been waiting all day! But when everyone finally left the recreation room, I thought it was my chance! I''m starving, you know!¡± Mikad answered. Jason hadn''t heard his voice in a while, and yet somehow it was different. This Mikad was more hasty, more scared, and much more genuine sounding.

    ¡°Wait, you were in the recreation room?¡± Jason asked in disbelief. ¡°We checked that room thoroughly, but no one was in there!¡±

    ¡°Well, technically I wasn''t in the recreation room,¡± Mikad replied. ¡°I''ll show you another time, if I see you''re alone in the recreation room. Now then¡­¡± Mikad rubbed his hands together greedily. Jason noticed that Mikad wasn''t carrying the silver pistol he usually had on him. Jason watched Mikad carefully, still undecided on whether he could trust Mikad or not. Mikad started opening up pantries and grabbing a ton of non-perishable items, including a lot of dehydrated foods. When he could no longer carry anymore, he turned to address a particularly confused Jason.

    ¡°I found a great hiding spot, but there''s no food in there - only water,¡± Mikad said sheepishly. ¡°I needed some supplies, you see¡­¡±

    ¡°Well, you''re still suspected by the majority of the house, including myself, so unless your hiding place is secure-¡±

    ¡°You still suspect me?¡± Mikad sighed. ¡°Why? What have I done?¡±

    ¡°Well,¡± Jason began, ¡°My point against you is still valid, and you running away while we were interrogating you does not help your case at all. Even so¡­¡± Jason considered. Was Mikad really the killer? No one had become another victim yet, so it was impossible to say for sure. While Jason didn''t trust Mikad fully, he decided to give him the benefit of the doubt.

    ¡°Not that it matters. I''m fully prepared to live in seclusion until you all escape if that''s what it takes,¡± Mikad declared. ¡°Still, it would be nice to have one confidant, you know?¡± Jason nodded.

    ¡°Fine¡­ I guess I''ll help you get back to your spot,¡± Jason said.

    ¡°Help me get back?¡± Mikad asked curiously. ¡°You don''t even know where it is, so how could you-¡±

    ¡°Cole is still upstairs, remember?¡± Jason interrupted. ¡°I''ll try to distract him.¡± Mikad¡¯s eyes showed a lot of gratitude. He nodded, and he and Jason exited the kitchen. Mikad waited for his opportunity while Jason went back up the stairs and in the hallway between the dormitories, where Cole was waiting.

    ¡°Oh, um¡­ Hi, Mr. Harlon- I, uh, I mean Jason, ha, ha¡­ Did you get a snack?¡± Cole asked nervously.

    ¡°Uh¡­ Yeah, I already ate it,¡± Jason replied unconvincingly. ¡°I was really hungry, you see. So, anyways¡­¡± Jason tried to come up with an excuse for Cole to leave temporarily.

    ¡°Um, you know, Mr. Harlon,¡± Cole began nervously, ¡°I, uh, I''m really good at knowing when people are lying, ha¡­ So, uh, why did you actually go in the kitchen..?¡± Jason was taken aback.

    ¡°Uh, well, you see¡­¡± Jason struggled to come up with an excuse. Finally, he found a plausible one. ¡°Fine, you got me! I was trying to find Henry¡¯s body, and I figured that being alone would be the best way to find it,¡± he answered. Cole still seemed unconvinced, but he did not press the matter further.

    ¡°Um, anyway¡­ I was getting kind of bored¡­ Maybe we should get a board game or something?¡± Cole offered.

    ¡°Sure! I''ll go get it. Could you maybe get some snacks for us?¡± Jason asked, sensing the opportunity. Cole nodded and headed to the kitchen. After having passed by Mikad and entered the kitchen, Mikad rushed upstairs.

    ¡°Thank you ever so much, Jason!¡± Mikad expressed. ¡°Now, I''ll be off. Come see me sometime!¡± And with that, he rushed into the recreation room. Jason gave him a few moments before he himself entered the recreation room. Mikad had once again vanished. Jason decided not to press the matter any further, so he grabbed a board game and left.

    The rest of the guard shift happened pretty uneventfully. Jason played board games with Cole, who was actually really good at them, and waited until the next two guards came for their shift. Eventually, Axel joined them.

    ¡°I decided to get here early. You two can take off,¡± he said. ¡°Any time spent away from Bobby is good time spent ,¡± he added. Jason chuckled a little. Cole rushed off to his room, and Jason did the same, passing in front of a very sleepy Bobby as he did so. Jason reached his bed, threw on a pajama and crashed into his bed. He fell asleep almost immediately.

 Chapter 5: The Name of the Game

    Jason woke up that morning feeling somewhat refreshed. His immediate instinct was to head down to the kitchen, but a thought nagged at him. Mikad had promised to show him his hideout in the recreation room yesterday. Barely opening the door and ensuring the coast was clear, Jason made his way to the recreation room.

    ¡°Ah, good morning, Jason!¡± Mary said politely upon noticing Jason enter. Oh you''ve got to be kidding me, Jaosn thought.

    ¡°Good morning, Mary. What are you doing in here so early?¡± Jason asked.

    ¡°I suppose I could ask you the same,¡± Mary replied. ¡°I am in here because the only copy of the Holy Bible in this house is here, and I must pray today. Today is Sunday, after all!¡± She said with a small chuckle.

    ¡°What?¡± Jason was surprised. ¡°How do you have any track of the time anymore?¡±

    ¡°I don''t sleep a lot to begin with, and this whole ordeal has not helped,¡± Mary explained. ¡°And to me, the greatest of crimes would be to not pray on the Lord¡¯s day. So if you''ll excuse me¡­¡± Mary concluded and returned to the book. Jason sighed. It looked like Mikad would have to wait for now. Seeing no other option, Jason headed downstairs.

    Aside from Mary, everyone had gathered in the dining room.

    ¡°Oh, Jason!¡± Navini exclaimed. ¡°You haven''t seen Mary this morning, have you?¡±

    ¡°Actually, yeah, I just-¡±

    ¡°Perfect! As long as she''s alive, we¡¯re good,¡± Navini interrupted. ¡°To be quite fair, she can get a little irritating with all her religious blather¡­¡±

    ¡°What was that about religious blather?¡± Mary said, having just walked in. Navini looked extremely embarrassed. She excused herself and rushed into the kitchen. Jason followed, eager to get some food. When he returned to the dining room, he was intercepted by Michael, who had also taken Cole aside.

    ¡°So!¡± Michael began, ¡°you two seen Mikad at all last night?¡± Jason shook his head no.

    ¡°Nope, we didn''t see anyone, ha, ha¡­¡± Cole stammered in his usual demeanor. His eyes narrowed when Michael¡¯s head was turned, and Jason had to wonder if he doubted Jason. It was then that Jason noticed how small and round his eyes were, almost like - and this did not help Jason¡¯s comparison - a small puppy¡¯s.

    ¡°Well, that''s kinda disappointing¡­¡± Michael replied. ¡°Ah well! Can''t be helped, I guess. I still have to talk to Bobby and Axel, so maybe they had better luck. See ya!¡±

    ¡°You know¡­¡± Cole began once Michael was far enough away, ¡° I-I''ve been thinking¡­ Doesn''t putting two people alone together only increase the chance of another death happening?¡± Jason looked at Cole for a second. ¡°Ha, um, I mean, it''s a good, ah, plan to, uh, catch Mikad, isn''t it? Ha, ha¡­¡± Cole stammered. ¡°I was, uh, just, uh¡­ Thinking out loud, is all, ha¡­¡±

    ¡°You don''t think the killer is Mikad either, huh?¡± Jason asked. Cole nodded, his eyes watering, as if he were afraid of something.

    ¡°I mean¡­ If it is him, then, uh, good for us, but if, uh it isn''t, then think about it¡­¡± Cole explained. ¡°If I were the killer, which I''m not, ha, ha,¡± Cole began and stopped for a moment. ¡°Oh, uh, sorry. Well, us having a suspect only helps them, right? Cause if we all think it''s Mikad, we¡¯ll go on thinking every death is caused by him, and that will only help our suspicion grow, and the killer will have freedom to do whatever they want,¡± Cole finished. Jason though for a moment. Cole was right - Mikad only had a one-in-twenty-five chance of being the killer. It could be anyone else! This only strengthened Jason¡¯s desire to see Mikad. Politely excusing himself from a nervous Cole, he made his way back to the recreation room, where this time, to his delight, he was alone.

    ¡°Mikad?¡± Jason asked, unsure of where to direct his voice. ¡°Um¡­ It''s Jason. I''m alone, and I''m here, so¡­¡± Jason thought he must have looked stupid. Here he was, alone in the recreation room, yelling to who knows where. He waited a few minutes. Nothing happened. As Jason was about to exit the room, he heard the bookshelf in the left corner of the room move. It pivoted onto itself, and Mikad appeared, clinging onto the shelf as it pivoted. The bookshelf placed itself back as to not give away that there even was something there.

    ¡°Ah, you came! I was wondering when you would show up,¡± Mikad said, overjoyed. ¡°It gets awful lonely in there, you know. Well, guess I''ll show you, like I promised! Cling on to the shelf, ok?¡± Jason, unsure, gripped the shelf with his two hands. Mikad stepped up to a book and pulled it. Jason heard a click, and Mikad quickly gripped onto the bookshelf before it spun. Jason kept his body pressed up against the shelf, as to not hit anything on the way. Finally, the bookshelf came to a stop. Mikad hopped off, and Jason released the shelf.

    The room he had just entered was about half the size of the recreation room. The walls were made of cold stone, and the floor was of the same material as the recreation room. Despite being above ground, the room gave off the impression of being subterranean, with the only light sources being two candles and a light bulb hanging from the ceiling. Another bookshelf was at the very back wall, this one very sparsely filled with books of a thick size. The titles were very general, ranging from a dictionary to a book entitled Survival Skill - Basics. On the wall, a trunk lay in the room, this one covered in dehydrated food packets and cartons of food. A small sink and a toilet was in the corner of the room. Overall, it gave the impression of being a bunker, designed to last. Mikad walked over to the trunk and picked up a pack of dried fruit. He opened it and began chewing on dried cranberries.

    ¡°So? What do you think?¡± Mikad asked, as if awaiting approval. Jason nodded.

    ¡°This is a nice hideout,¡± Jason remarked. ¡°It''s got everything you need.¡±

    ¡°Except company and decent food. Oh, and a bed,¡± Mikad mentioned. ¡°I have to sleep on the floor. There are blankets in the trunk, but no mattress,¡± Mikad explained. ¡°Either way, um, now that you know where I am, will you come visit me more often? I get real lonely here¡­¡± Mikad asked. Jason got the sense that Mikad hated more than anything to be alone - the loud and pompous act was clearly just to get attention. Jason nodded, and Mikad smiled gratefully. Jason took another look around the room. There didn''t seem to be anything odd in here at all. Except-

    ¡°There''s no camera in here,¡± Jason noticed. Mikad looked around for a bit.

    ¡°Oh yeah¡­ I hadn''t noticed. Huh,¡± Mikad admitted sheepishly. ¡°Wonder why? Maybe it''s because there''s a toilet here? I wonder¡­¡± Mikad pondered. ¡°Anyways, what say you and I play a board game? I mean, you''d have to get it, of course, but you can bring it back in here to play,¡± Mikad suggested.

    ¡°Sure, but what if there''s someone on the other side of the bookshelf?¡± Jason asked.

    ¡°Ah, that''s where this comes in!¡± Mikad said triumphantly and walked over to the bookshelf. He took one of the busts on the shelf and bent the head so that he could peek inside the head. ¡°You''re all clear!¡± He announced. Jason went over and looked inside himself. Inside the bust was a narrow pathway that with mirrors inside, eventually leading to a concave mirror on the other side of the bookshelf that gave a perfect view of the whole room. No one was visible in the mirror. Jason gripped onto the bookshelf and gave the correct book a tug. The bookshelf swung, and Jason exited into the recreation room. No sooner had the bookshelf gone back into place and concealed the entrance, Lavender walked into the room.

    ¡°Ah, that''s where you are!¡± Lavender said. ¡°I''ve been looking for you. What are you doing in here?¡±

    ¡°I was just¡­¡± Jason thought of an excuse. ¡°...looking for a book. Yeah. I was trying to find¡­¡± Jason tried to think of a title that would be in the room. ¡°Midnight of the Rose,¡± Jason said the first book that came to mind.

    ¡°Ah,¡± Lavender said, clearly not convinced. ¡°Well, you''re looking on the right bookshelf¡­ But it''s on the top row, you see,¡± Lavender explained.

    ¡°Anyways..,¡± Jason tried to change topic. ¡°What did you need me for?¡±

    ¡°Well, I was hoping you could help me look for Mikad¡­¡± Lavender explained. ¡°But¡­¡± Without warning, she reached for the book on the shelf that led to Mikad¡¯s hideout and gave it a tug, Jason being unable to stop her. The bookshelf pivoted, and Jason barely managed to grab onto it in order to accompany Lavender in. ¡°It seems like you''ve already found him,¡± Lavender finished her sentence to Mikad¡¯s horrified expression.

    ¡°Jason!¡± Mikad exclaimed. ¡°I thought I could trust you!¡±

    ¡°Don''t blame him. I figured that there was a secret room in here when you vanished. I would have found it sooner or later,¡± Lavender explained. ¡°Jason would never be looking for a romance novel, so he gave it away a little, but I would have found it. Don''t worry,¡± she added, seeing Mikad open his mouth in protest, ¡°I don''t think you''re the killer either.¡± Somehow, Jason doubted she trusted Mikad fully, but he played along and shrugged. Mikad sighed.

    ¡°Well, the more the merrier, I suppose,¡± Mikad said, defeated. ¡°Jason and I were about to play a board game. Care to join us?¡±

    ¡°What can it hurt?¡± Lavender answered. ¡°Jason, why don''t you go get the game for us?¡± Reluctantly, Jason left Lavender alone with Mikad.

    ¡°So, tell me about your talent,¡± Lavender asked Mikad. The three had balanced a board game on top of the trunk and sat around it.

    ¡°My talent? Well, it has to do with my eyes, I suppose. I can see further away than most, and I have a-MAZ-ing aim. So, when I picked up a gun for the first time and managed to shoot down the horrible flower pot my mom had on the second floor of the house, my parents were surprised, to say the least. It was just a toy gun, but it was still impressive, and it kind of just spiraled fro, there,¡± Mikad told Lavender, who nodded along. ¡°What about you two?¡±

    ¡°Mine is pretty self-explanatory,¡± Lavender replied with a slight chuckle. ¡°I''m a Hawaiian style dancer. I can dance, and that''s about it,¡± she finished. Jason suspected it to be much more than that.

    ¡°I''m a detective. I solve crimes and stuff, I guess,¡± Jason answered. Two can play at that game, he thought. Mikad looked at him, as if expecting more, but seeing that that was the end of his story, Mikad looked back down at the board game in disappointment.

    ¡°Well then, um¡­¡± Mikad searched for a new conversation topic, as if afraid to let the conversation drop. ¡°How is everyone else? I haven''t been out of this hidey-hole in quite a long time, you know,¡± he asked.

    ¡°Everyone is fine. Slightly on edge, but fine. No one else had died, if that''s what you''re asking about,¡± Lavender answered. ¡°Michael has started guard shifts to try and catch you, so don''t go trying anything,¡± Lavender suggested.

    ¡°Yeah, thanks, I al-I mean, thanks for the heads up! I''ll make sure not to go out!¡± Mikad answered. Nice save, Jason thought sarcastically. Lavender raised an eyebrow, but did not press the matter any further. ¡°So, aside from that, um¡­ Read any good books lately?¡± Mikad asked.

    The rest of the game passed fairly similarly to that, with Mikad asking trivial questions and Lavender replying with ambiguous and incomplete answers. Jason stayed silent for most of it. After the board game was done (Lavender won), Jason and Lavender politely excused themselves. (¡°Come back and visit me soon!¡± Mikad had added desperately). Once they had exited the recreation room, Lavender turned to Jason.

    ¡°I don''t trust him at all,¡± she confessed. Jason had figured she would say something along those lines. ¡°I doubt someone who''s as bad of a liar as he is would be the killer, but still¡­ Something is nagging at me, and if there''s anything I''ve learned over the years, it''s that my instinct is never wrong.¡±

    ¡°And what does that instinct say?¡± Jason asked.

    ¡°My instinct is telling me it won''t be long before another murder,¡± Lavender revealed. Jason looked at her incredulously.

    ¡°Oh-ho! Jason and Lavender sneaking off on their own, huh?¡± Bobby had just walked up the stairs and into the hallway when he saw Lavender and Jason. ¡°Always knew you two would end up together,¡± he admitted. Jason looked at him, dumbfounded, and Lavender sighed.

    ¡°No thank you,¡± Lavender replied politely. ¡°This isn''t a romance simulator, Bobby.¡±

    ¡°But isn''t it fun to predict? Try and predict who''s going to make a couple! Some are obvious, but some really aren''t! Like, who would Cole end up with? Or Axel? Or Navini? So many choices!¡± Bobby, having completely ignored Lavender¡¯s criticism, fantasized. Jason sighed. Lavender, seeing she couldn''t help, left to her room. Bobby nudged Jason.

    ¡°Bobby, stop,¡± Jason sighed. ¡°No wonder Axel is avoiding you like the plague,¡± Jason whispered under his breath. He then excused himself and left to his room.

    After a quick nap and reading Midnight of the Rose, Jason didn''t know what time it was. The book turned out to be actually very good, with one of the most gripping plots ever conceived. He had spent quite a long time with Mikad, and he figured it must have been dinner or perhaps later. His stomach agreed, growling in hunger. He went downstairs to try and get some dinner. No one was in the dining room, which led Jason to believe they were all asleep. How late is it? Jason asked himself. There wasn''t a soul to be seen. Jason silently made himself a sandwich and headed to the dining room. He sat down and ate in silence. Aside from his own breathing, the house was completely silent. That was when Jason heard someone coming downstairs. Curious, he observed, careful not to make any movement. He hadn''t bothered to turn the dining room light on, so the darkness concealed him nicely. The lit chandelier in the center hall illuminated the hall, but stopped just short of where Jason was seated. Lola came down the stairs, glancing to her left and right to ensure she wasn''t followed. Jason expected her to head to the kitchen, but instead, she headed to the hallway leading to the three rooms, careful to close the door behind her. His curiosity took over, and Jason crept his way into the library, careful not to make a single sound. After having closed the hallway door, he had to choose. Which of the three doors had she entered? The door to the right was still locked, and the center door led to the wide open room Jason had declared the details of the first case in. Jason chose to look in the library, and he opened the door. Thankfully, the door didn''t creak at all, and Jason was able to enter and close it with only the slight click of the knob going back to its original place. If Lola was here and she had heard something, she didn''t make it clear that she did. Jason peeked over the bookshelf. Lola sat in one of the chairs at the end of the room, an unopened book on her lap. She looked anxious, as if she was waiting for something. Jason stood in silence, waiting. This went on for several minutes. Lola did not open the book, and she kept glancing nervously at the door. Eventually, she let disappointment overtake her face. She put the book back into the shelf she had taken it quite violently and stormed out of the library. Jason had just enough time to change bookshelf before Lola passed the one he was hiding behind. She slammed the door behind her, frustrated. Curious, Jason tried to find the book she had been reading beforehand. The book he thought it was was entitled The History of Malaysia. Clearly, this did not interest Lola, and she had just picked up a book in order to make a plausible excuse if someone had walked in. Jason had to wonder why she had just shown up to the library for a few minutes, and then left as spontaneously as she had arrived. Jason left the library with a lot of questions in his mind. He returned to the dining room to finish his sandwich. He lingered in the dining room after having finished, waiting to see if Lola or someone else would show up, but no one did. Jason returned to his room, took a shower and fell asleep once more. Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.

    The following morning, Jason awoke after having been in a deep sleep. He couldn''t quite remember what he had dreamed of, but he knew it was a dream that had made him happy. He woke up with a smile on his face. He got dressed and walked out of his room. When he walked out of his room, he got out to the sound of two people arguing ferociously. Michael and A were currently arguing with each other, a small crowd having gathered around them. Jason inserted himself amongst the others to see what they were yelling about.

    ¡°Where the hell were you last night?!¡± A furious Michael asked an annoyed A. A shrugged. ¡°It was our guard shift! Everyone else showed up for theirs!¡±

    Whoops, Jason thought to himself. He had completely forgotten about the guard shift. He made a mental note to apologize to Cole later.

    ¡°I didn''t think it was necessary,¡± A answered in his gruff tone. Michael looked somehow even more frustrated. His face had taken on a dangerously red hue. The shape of his face and the color it had taken reminded Jason of an bright red apple.

    ¡°Not necessary?!¡± Michael yelled. ¡°Do you not realize that there''s a murderer on the loose?!¡±

    ¡°If that''s the case, a guard shift would do very little to help that,¡± A replied. ¡°Besides, I needed my sleep, so your guard shift can piss off.¡±

    ¡°WHAT?!¡± Michael was practically screeching. His face now resembled more of a tomato. ¡°Our guard shift is there to make sure that Mikad doesn''t kill anyone! What part of that DOESN¡¯T help us catch someone?¡±

    ¡°Every part of it,¡± A answered. He seemed a lot more calm about the matter than Michael. ¡°Have you thought that maybe Mikad isn''t the killer?¡±

    ¡°It has to be Mikad!¡± Michael answered, unsure. ¡°I mean¡­ Who else would it be?¡± The uncertainty in his voice made everyone think for a moment. Jason was now convinced Mikad wasn''t the killer, but he knew not everyone was privy to the knowledge he had. Eventually, A broke the silence.

    ¡°Well, judging by your reactions, you''re thinking the same as me. Well, let me ask you all this - what if Mikad isn''t the killer? That means one of us has free reign on who they choose to kill, while everyone else lives in the fantasy that we¡¯ll catch an innocent man and convict him,¡± A said dramatically. ¡°Food for thought. Anyhow, I''m gonna catch up on my sleep. Michael here disturbed me in the middle of my nap, and I''d like to sleep a little longer.¡± With that, A went to his room and slammed the door behind him.

    ¡°It seems we aren''t the only one questioning Mikad¡¯s guilt,¡± Lavender whispered to Jason. Jason hadn''t even noticed that she was part of the crowd, who was now beginning to disperse.

    ¡°Should we tell him about Mikad?¡± Jason whispered back.

    ¡°No. Something tells me A wouldn''t hold back on Mikad if we told him where he is, even if he might be innocent,¡± Lavender answered in a hushed yet firm tone. ¡°For now, let''s keep it between us,¡± she added, and not wanting to seem suspicious, she walked away. Jason took one look at a defeated-looking Michael and went to find Cole.

    ¡°I''m starting to think this is intentional,¡± Jason sighed. Once again, Cole had burned something on the stove. This time, the smell of burnt pasta lingered in the air. Jason took a bowl of water and doused the fire. Cole mumbled something about electrical fires before his eyes welled up with tears.

    ¡°I''m sorry, Mr. Harlon, I just tried to, and then I, but then it, and I, um, uh¡­ Waaaaaahhh!¡± Cole burst into tears, wailing like a toddler. Jason patted him on the back in a feeble attempt to calm him down. Cole stopped wailing long enough for Jason to apologize.

    ¡°Hey, Cole, relax!¡± Cole looked up at Jason, tears welling in his childlike eyes. ¡°You didn''t do anything wrong, okay? I''m sorry for getting mad at you, okay?¡± Cole nodded, sniffling frequently. Jason sighed, and then he smiled at Cole, which seemed to cheer him up. ¡°Oh yeah, that''s why I came here!¡± Jason thought aloud, remembering why he had looked for Cole in the first place. ¡°About last night¡­ Look, it totally slipped my mind. I''m sorry. I''ll be there tonight, okay?¡±

    ¡°What are you talking about, Mr. Harlon?¡± Cole seemed confused. ¡°Last night..? Were we supposed to do something?¡±

    ¡°You forgot about it too?¡± Jason asked in disbelief. Cole looked at Jason, apparently having no idea what Jason was talking about. ¡°We were supposed to be on guard duty last night, remember?¡± Cole¡¯s eyes widened.

    ¡°Oh no! I totally forgot! Oh, I''m sorry, uh, um, ha, ha, it, uh, won''t happen again, ha, ha, um,¡± Cole blurted out an excuse. Jason patted him on the back to get him to calm down.

    ¡°It''s okay, Cole. Look, I completely forgot too, so no harm done, right? If Michael asks, just pretend you were there, okay?¡± Jason asked.

    ¡°But¡­ That would be lying to him!¡± Cole said. He wore a surprised expression on his face.

    ¡°Yes, Cole, that would be lying,¡± Jason confirmed. ¡°Do you think you can handle that? You don''t have to say anything unless Michael asks, okay?¡± Jason asked. Cole nodded, uncertain. Jason sighed. ¡°Why were you even making food anyways? No one else is eating¡­ Did you think you were having an early lunch?¡±

    ¡°I was hungry¡­ I know, I shouldn''t be eating unless I have to, but¡­ Waaaahhhhhhh! Please don''t hurt me!¡± Cole wailed again and rushed out of the kitchen. Jason scratched his head in confusion. Thankfully, no one was in the dining room, so no one saw Cole¡¯s outburst. Jason sighed and went to the recreation room to try and find something to do.

    On his way to the recreation room, Jason met very little people, which he found odd. Most people tried to appear antisocial (or maybe they were simply over suspicious). Entering the recreation room, he saw Audrey tending to a fire she had made, with Mary praying in its light, a Bible at her feet. Jason decided to occupy himself by pretending to look for a book. In reality, he had no idea what he was looking for. Audrey was extremely focused on the flames, and Mary had her eyes squeezed shut, silently mouthing a prayer. Jason thought there would be very little chance that they would notice anything. He got the bookshelf that concealed Mikad¡¯s hideout, and tried to locate the bust with the mirrors on this side of the bookshelf. Suddenly, he heard a voice.

    ¡°Psssst! Jason! Can you hear me?¡± A voice whispered loudly. Jason, startled, looked at Audrey and Mary, who hadn''t noticed anything. Jason whispered back.

    ¡°Yeah! Is that you, Mikad?¡± Jason asked.

    ¡°Yes, it''s me! Think you could get me some food? I ran out!¡± Mikad answered. ¡°Anything dehydrated goes!¡± Jason thought of the giant pile of packs of food on the trunk and wondered how Mikad had burned through all of them. Regardless, Jason agreed to go get food. He rushed down to the kitchen and grabbed packs of food, that he hid under his shirt. Careful not to spill anything, he headed back to the recreation room. Audrey had left, leaving Mary alone in silent prayer. He prayed that Mary wouldn''t notice him, and he crept his way to the bookshelf. Silently, he placed the packs on the bookshelf, subtly hiding them from view. Then, the bookshelf started spinning, and Jason had to jump out of the way to avoid being swept away. The bookshelf had just clicked back into place when Mary looked up.

    ¡°You''re making an awful lot of noise,¡± she said calmly. ¡°Do you mind? Well, I just finished, so lucky you. But don''t do it again while I''m in prayer, please.¡± She left the room, her head high. Jason sighed in relief and then talked aloud.

    ¡°What were you thinking?!¡± He asked Mikad angrily. ¡°If she had seen you-¡±

    ¡°But she didn''t, did she?¡± Mikad answered. ¡°Look, no harm, no foul, okay? I was just so hungry¡­¡± Mikad¡¯s voice softened. Jason looked sternly at the bookshelf, forgetting that Mikad could see him. He rolled his eyes.

    ¡°Look, it''s fine. Forget about it. I''ll be seeing you,¡± Jason told the bookshelf. He then left, closing the door behind him. He then retreated to his room, losing himself in a book once more.

    It must have been past dinner time when Jason¡¯ stomach growled so much that Jason needed food, because Jason found himself alone in the dining room once again when he descended for food. He sat in the dining room, not having bothered to turn the lights on. After a few bites, he heard the sound of footsteps. Once again, Lola was headed down the stairs. Jason observed her, but did not go after her this time. He figured she would aimlessly wait in the library once more. Several minutes passed, and Jason remained in the dining room, silently awaiting Lola¡¯s return. However, after about double the time she had spent there yesterday had gone by, Jason was starting to ask himself questions. He was about to get up when the door to the library burst open, and Lola sprinted out of there, her hands covering her face. Jason could have sworn he heard her sniffling. She ran up the stairs before Jason got a chance to stop her, and he heard the sound of a door slamming, indicating she had returned to her room, and that she probably wouldn''t answer Jason¡¯s questions. Instead of uselessly pestering Lola, Jason headed to the library. The library was empty - all the lights were turned off. Jason flicked the light on and looked. The library seemed completely empty. A lamp at the very back was turned on as well - someone had been there. Jason figured it must have been Lola, and left the library, questions filling his head. Why had Lola been to the library a second time? Even then, was it her second time, or had there been prior visits? Why had she rushed out crying? When Jason had spied on her, she seemed frustrated, but not in the verge of tears! And even then, Lola didn''t seem like the kind of person to genuinely shed tears at all! With all of these questions in his head, Jason headed to the hallway, where he bumped into Cole. He quite literally bumped into him - he was so deep in his thoughts he did not notice Cole at all, and crashed right into him. Cole lay on the floor, rubbing his head in pain.

    ¡°Owowowowowow¡­¡± Cole muttered. ¡°Please watch where you''re going, Mr. Harlon!¡± He whimpered.

    ¡°Sorry, Cole,¡± Jason apologized, ¡°but I was so lost in my thoughts that I didn''t see you. Why are you up so late anyways?¡± Jason asked.

    ¡°Well¡­ It''s our guard shift, isn''t it?¡± Cole asked, uncertain. ¡°Or is it someone else¡¯s..? No, Michael told me we were first, he got really angry, and I, oh, uh¡­¡± Cole nervously stammered, forgetting Jason and remembering an earlier event.

    ¡°Oh yeah, you''re right!¡± Jason realized. ¡°Wait, Michael got angry? Cole, you didn''t tell him that we forgot, did you?¡± Jason asked. Cole looked up at Jason shamefully, tears welling in his eyes. He began whimpering like a hurt animal. ¡°No, Cole, please don''t cry¡­¡± Jason said fruitlessly. Cole was sniffling frequently, and tears streamed down his face.

    ¡°I can''t do -sniff- anything right!¡± Cole wailed. ¡°I always -sniff- mess up and I-I just want to¡­ To¡­ Waaaaahhhhhhh!¡± Cole burst into a crying frenzy. Jason tried to aimlessly calm him down.

    ¡°Would someone please turn off their- oh, it''s just you two. Hey guys!¡± Dahinko opened the door to his room, his expression completely changing when he saw Cole and Jason. Without his wing suit on, he actually looked like a normal human being. ¡°Jason, what did you do to him?¡± Jason shrugged, unsure of what to say. Dahinko hurried over to Cole and put his arms around him. Cole flinched at the touch.

    ¡°Hey, look, it''s okay, alright? No one¡¯s going to hurt you here, okay? Hey, look at me,¡± Dahinko said in a soft tone. Cole stopped wailing, and looked at Dahinko with tear filled eyes. ¡°You''re going to be alright, okay? We''re all going to be okay.¡± Cole nodded. Dahinko smiled and turned to Jason.

    ¡°Be careful with him,¡± Dahinko whispered. ¡°He''s awfully sensitive to pretty much anything.¡±

    ¡°Hadn''t noticed,¡± Jason whispered back sarcastically. Dahinko giggled and headed back to his room, taking one last look at Cole before closing the door. Cole looked up at Jason with watery eyes.

    ¡°I''m sorry, Mr. Harlon, I just¡­¡± he began, but Jason interrupted him.

    ¡°It''s alright, Cole,¡± Jason said in the same soft tone Dahinko had used. ¡°Everything is okay. I won''t hurt you. Ever. Do you understand?¡± Cole nodded. Suddenly, something very unexpected happened.

    Jason heard the sound of trumpets coming through the speakers. Cole looked up at the speakers in worry. ¡°What?¡± Jason said aloud. The trumpets had played the same little fanfare that they had played at the party. Back then, Jason thought that they had meant the party had begun. Here, though, they were clearly used for a different purpose. Jason and Cole spent the rest of the guard shift sitting in silence, wondering what the trumpets meant. After a while, Axel and Bobby came out of their rooms for their guard shifts.

    ¡°Did you hear the trumpets?¡± Axel asked. Jason nodded. ¡°They played really loudly in my room, to make sure I heard them. Kind of annoying, but hey, guess I''m awake now. Wonder if Michael got them installed for guard shifts,¡± Axel wondered. Jason doubted Michael had anything to do with this. Bobby laughed, apparently laughing at his own joke.

    ¡°Ooh! Ooh! I got one! What do pirates and trumpet players have in common?¡± Bobby asked. Axel rolled his eyes and Jason ignored him.

    ¡°I don''t know. What?¡± Cole asked. Axel and Jason immediately stared at him, as if to say why would you say that? Cole¡¯s eyes welled up with tears, but Bobby didn''t notice, having finally been given an audience.

    ¡°They both kill in the high C¡¯s! Hahahahahahahahahahahahaha!¡± Bobby told his joke and immediately burst out laughing before anyone could process the joke. The three of them stared at Bobby, disappointed at such a lame joke. Jason and Cole felt that this was their dismissal, and left Axel to suffer in Bobby¡¯s presence. Jason crashed into his bed, and fell asleep to the sound of trumpets playing on loop in his head, like a broken record.

    The next morning, the trumpets were still as fresh in Jason¡¯s mind as they had been the night before. However, a night¡¯s rest hadn''t given any sort of revelation as to their meaning. Jason walked out of his room, hoping to discuss with the others what the trumpets had meant. He walked down to the dining room to find Skyler, Lavender and Dahinko having a conversation about just that.

    ¡°I''m not sure what to think of it,¡± Skyler said. ¡°It could honestly be anything.¡±

    ¡°Maybe Brian¡¯s finger slipped and he pressed the wrong button?¡± Dahinko suggested. Lavender shook her head.

    ¡°Somehow I doubt it,¡± she said. ¡°I think something important to note is that Brian cranked up the volume of the speakers so we would all hear it,¡± Lavender added. ¡°Clearly, whatever it is, it''s meant to be important.¡± Skyler nodded, and Dahinko squeezed his eyes shut in concentration. Jason sat next to Lavender, joining in on the conversation.

    ¡°Axel suggested Michael had installed them,¡± Jason said, ¡°in order to get our attention for the guard shifts.¡±

    ¡°I doubt that too,¡± Lavender replied. ¡°Does anyone here think that Michael would know how to do that?¡± No one answered, ending in a silence that told everyone the answer. ¡°Still, I wonder¡­¡± Lavender added, and got lost in her thoughts. The four stayed in silence for quite a while. Suddenly, Lavender shot up. ¡°Jason, come with me.¡± Leaving Jason no time to protest, she dragged him out of the dining room. She headed to the recreation room, and making sure no one else was inside, she headed to the bookshelf concealing Mikad. She yanked the correct book and grabbed onto the bookshelf. Jason barely had time to hang on before the bookshelf swiveled.

    ¡°Oh! What a pleasant surprise!¡± Mikad exclaimed, seeing the bookshelf pivoting. ¡°To what do I owe the honor?¡±

    ¡°Did you go out of here at any point last night? Did you stay in here the entire time?¡± Lavender asked.

    ¡°Um¡­ No, I stayed here the entire night,¡± Mikad answered. ¡°Why do you ask?¡±

    ¡°Perfect,¡± Lavender replied. ¡°Well, goodbye,¡± she added, and grabbed onto the bookshelf. Jason hurriedly said goodbye and hung on as well. Once the bookshelf had pivoted to concealed a very puzzled Mikad, Jason started asking questions.

    ¡°What on Earth was that?¡± Jason asked. Lavender looked at him for a few seconds.

    ¡°I had a thought,¡± she began. ¡°What if the trumpets signaled a dead body?¡± She asked. Jason froze. A body? Then, who..? ¡°Forget about who¡¯s for now,¡± she said, as if reading his mind. ¡°I wanted to make sure Mikad hadn''t left the recreation room.¡±

    ¡°Why?¡± Jason asked. ¡°What would change if he had?¡±

    ¡°Well, this is more for him than anything else,¡± she replied. ¡°If he''s got a good enough alibi, maybe he''ll be able to stop hiding from everyone else.¡±

    ¡°Hang on,¡± Jason interrupted her. ¡°This is all assuming there is a body, right? What if there is none?¡±

    ¡°Then I''ve never been more happy to be wrong in my life,¡± Lavender answered. ¡°Come on - help me search the house.¡± Leaving Jason no time to protest, Lavender rocketed off downstairs. She headed into the kitchen. Suddenly, something clicked into place in Jason¡¯s head. Last night, the library had been a hotspot for action. Could something have..? Jason stepped up to the doorknob and stopped. Why was he suddenly so nervous? He had nothing to fear. There was no way someone else had died! No way at all! Confident, Jason pushed the door to the library open. He looked around for a few seconds. Everything seemed normal. His nerves still tense, he looked into the rows made by the bookshelves.

    There was no way, right?

    The first row he had checked had been the jackpot. The victim lay, back up against the wall, head drooping. Their hair was a tangled mess, dropping to cover their face, something Jason was thankful for in that very moment. Books lay sprawled across the floor near their body. Blood covered their hair, and at their feet, an equally bloodstained tome lay. Jason recognized the book immediately - The Study of Talent, by Francis Helmsburg. Finally, right through their heart, a camo combat knife stuck out. Jason couldn''t help but stare at it, as though it were covered in bright lights, attracting all the attention. The victim¡¯s hands were clenched together, as if they had been preparing to fight back, or they were holding onto something. Jason dared not open their hands right now. Instead, he did something that would have been natural to anyone.

    He screamed.

    Lavender was the first to arrive, presumably because she had been expecting it. She let out a small gasp upon seeing the victim. Others started filing in, with equally shocked reactions. Jason noticed that out of all the surviving house guests, one person had not come when Jason had screamed. Considering who lay at Jason¡¯s feet, it was understandable that Lola had not shown herself.

    The world¡¯s best author¡¯s corpse lay at Jason¡¯s feet. In a mess of blood and hair, Vicki Ingrid was almost unrecognizable. Almost.

    SURVIVORS : 24

 Chapter 6: Broken Apology

    No one moved for several minutes. No one spoke. Everyone aside from Lola had gathered to look at Vicki¡¯s body. For several minutes, everyone just looked in horror at the corpse, praying this was an awful dream. Maybe she had just fallen asleep in the library in an extremely uncomfortable position. That which they had prayed would never happen again had happened once more. Of course, that only meant one thing was missing.

    ¡°Ahem! If I may have your attention please!¡± Brian¡¯s whimsical yet chilling voice brought everyone back to reality. Slowly, everyone turned around to look at Brian. ¡°Hm¡­ Seems like we''re missing someone¡­ Oh well! Their loss! I hope you''re getting used to this by now,¡± Brian started. ¡°For those who''ve forgotten the drill in the few days in between these murders, allow me to reexplain briefly. You''ll have a short amount of time to investigate the body. After which, you''ll all go in the room at the end of the hallway to tell me what you think happened. One of you, the one who get it the most wrong, will be punished! Fair enough? Alrighty, I''ll leave you to it! Buh-bye!¡± And with that, Brian fizzled out.

    ¡°You heard him,¡± Selena said before anyone had processed what he had said. ¡°No one talk to Lola. We might be able to get an easy out this time¡­¡±

    ¡°You are a horrible person,¡± Lavender replied bluntly. Selena just smiled. Lavender, ignoring Selena, rushed over to Vicki¡¯s body. Jason joined her, along with a few others. Most were still in shock, and chose to investigate the library instead. The first thing Lavender did was lift the hair from Vicki¡¯s face. Jason felt his breakfast come back up. Her eyes were wide open and bloodshot. She seemed to have been terrified at the very end. Tears had dried on her cheeks, forming a line through the blood. Lavender closed Vicki¡¯s eyes, which made her look as though she were sleeping through a bad hair day.

    ¡°Wonder why she was crying?¡± Lavender thought aloud. Jason looked at her incredulously. Why else would someone be crying other than their imminent death? ¡°Somehow, I don''t think it relates to the case that much,¡± Lavender added. Then, she gently put Vicki¡¯s hair back onto her face. She then looked at the combat knife sticking gruesomely out of Vicki¡¯s chest. Unlike Henry, who had had the knife lodged into his chest almost perfectly straight, the knife here seemed hurried, as if the killer didn''t have much time to aim the perfect shot. Lavender did not investigate the knife for very long.

    ¡°Jason?¡± A feminine voice wracked with fear piped up behind him. Jason turned around to see a very scared looking Navini. ¡°Do¡­ Do you want me to do the autopsy..?¡± Navini had seemed much more at ease with Henry¡¯s murder than she did here with Vicki.

    ¡°Are you alright, Navini?¡± Jason asked.

    ¡°Yeah, I''m fine,¡± Navini answered shakily. ¡°It''s just¡­ I was trying to get to know Vicki better for the best part of three days, and then this happens¡­¡± Jason could tell something else was bothering her, but he did not press.

    ¡°In any case, an autopsy would be highly appreciated, Navini,¡± Jason added hastily. Navini nodded and kneeled near Vicki, beginning the autopsy. Jason left her and Lavender to investigating the body. He instead chose to investigate the library.

    Something he hadn''t noticed before was a small door behind the two reading chairs. Jason found it unlocked. Opening it, he expected it to lead to another room. Instead, it led to a small closet, just large enough to hide two people comfortably. A various array of coats hung neatly in the closet. Cardboard boxes had been thrown in haphazardly, some having been opened. Mittens and scarves lined the floor. Of all the coats hung, one in particular caught Jason¡¯s attention. It was stained, as if coffee had been dropped on it. Taking note of the stained coat, Jason judged that the closet did not hide anything else of interest. However, as he was about to leave, something else caught his attention. The same stain present on the coat was also on the floor, as if something had been dragged through it. It had been wiped away, but traces of it still remained. Curious, Jason examined it further. The stain had dried, and there was no smell that lingered. It was impossible to determine what this substance had been from what lay in front of Jason. Disappointed, Jason left the closet.

    Seeing that Navini was still busy conducting her autopsy, Jason decided to address the elephant in the room - Lola. He went up to Lola¡¯s room, knocking at her door several times. The first time, he could have sworn he heard a stifled gasp, but no one answered the door.

    ¡°Lola?¡± Jason asked the door. ¡°It''s me, Jason. I wanted to talk to you about something. Think we could talk?¡± There was no answer. Jason knocked a few more times, determined to talk to Lola. His instinct was telling him that she knew more about this incident. He kept trying. Eventually, it became clear that she wasn''t going to answer the door. As Jason was leaving to go elsewhere, the door creaked open.

    ¡°What do you want?¡± Lola asked, the door barely opened enough to see her eye scrutinizing Jason.

    ¡°I need to talk to you about Vicki. You must have-¡±

    ¡°I don''t know what she''s saying, but she''s lying! I didn''t do anything at all!¡± Lola screeched before Jason could finish.

    ¡°Lola, please! I need to ask you about Vicki¡¯s d-¡±

    ¡°Shut up! Shut up! SHUT UP!!!¡± Lola screamed, refusing to listen to Jason. Tears welled in her eyes.

    ¡°Vicki¡¯s dead!¡± Jason finally managed to say over the hysterics of screams coming from Lola. Suddenly, Lola was silent, eerily so. The tears started flowing, but Lola didn''t emit a sound. ¡°We found her body this morning. In the library.¡± Lola¡¯s eyes widened exponentially.

    ¡°What?¡± Lola squeaked. She barely spoke at all, her voice barely rising above a murmur. ¡°What did you say?¡±

    ¡°Vicki is dead,¡± Jason repeated. Lola stared at him in disbelief. Gradually, she opened the door.

    ¡°Come in,¡± she murmured. Jason walked in cautiously. ¡°Um¡­ Don''t mind the mess,¡± she added quietly. Jason noticed right away the mess Lola was referring to. All the posters of attractive male models had been torn to shreds, the floor covered in paper scraps. The light was off, and Jason could not see to the end of the room. Lola collapsed on her bed. ¡°What¡­ Did you want to know?¡± Lola muttered quietly, her voice much higher-pitched and softer than normal.

    ¡°Anything you might know,¡± Jason asked softly. ¡°Actually, hang on,¡± Jason remembered, ¡°you were in the library last night right?¡± Lola sprang up. ¡°Could you tell me what happened?¡± Lola looked at him blankly for a moment. She stayed silent for a few minutes. Finally, she sat back down on the bed.

    ¡°I''ve been going to the library for several nights in a row now,¡± Lola confessed. ¡°I''ve been hoping to meet Vicki - there were some things that needed to be said. For the first few nights, no luck. Then, last night, she was there, reading. Obviously, she didn''t want anything to do with me. So¡­¡± Lola told Jason her tale. Jason¡¯s eyes widened. It explained why Lola had come out crying of the library last night. Lola¡¯s eyes welled up with tears as she spoke. When she had finished her story, she sat back down on her bed. Jason stood up and hugged Lola. Lola was caught off-guard, but eventually she returned it.

    ¡°Thank you, Jason,¡± Lola said. ¡°Somehow, I feel a little better. I guess I should head downstairs and¡­ Investigate¡­¡± Lola stumbled at the word investigate. Shakily, she and Jason exited her room. Lola locked the door behind her, and headed downstairs. Jason, however, had another destination - Vicki¡¯s room.

    As with Henry¡¯s room, Vicki¡¯s room was unlocked, despite the owner having almost certainly locked it on their way out. However, unlike Henry¡¯s room, Jason already knew what to expect. Sure enough, Vicki¡¯s room looked exactly as it had a few days prior when Jason had been invited in. An unfinished book lay open on the table, now to be forever unfinished. The piles of books had been considerably diminished - perhaps Vicki only took out books she felt necessary for research on her novel. Aside from that, everything was identical, almost as if Vicki were simply out for lunch. On the desk, however, Jason noticed something peculiar. Several pieces of paper lay on the desk. Jason picked one of them up. It read:

    Could we meet in the library tonight?

    There''s something I want to discuss.

    -Lola

    It seemed that Lola had been trying to reach out to Vicki before the incident. Jason looked at the other pieces of paper on the desk. One of them was different than the others - the one he had first read. All the others said this:

    We need to talk.

    Meet me in the library tonight.

    Had Lola also written these messages? There was no author to any of the notes except the first one - was Lola trying to stay anonymous before eventually breaking down? Jason pondered this for a moment. Then, he glanced around the room, ensuring he hadn''t missed anything. Feeling satisfied, he left Vicki¡¯s room, returning to the library.

    Lola¡¯s entrance into the library had caused a bit of an uproar. People were bombarding her with questions and suspicions. Lola ignored them all, however, and meekly stared at Vicki¡¯s body. All life had drained from her face. She was clearly in no fit state to be asked questions, and yet Selena, Timothy and Lavender kept pestering her with questions. Jason walked into the library expecting this.

    ¡°Stop it,¡± Jason commanded. He was surprised at the strength of his own voice. Lavender and Timothy turned to look at him, then apologized and returned to their investigations. Selena wasn''t going to be that easy. She completely ignored Jason and continued pestering Lola. Jason stepped in between Selena and Lola. ¡°Selena, Lola isn''t fit to answer your questions. No amount of trying will help her. Wouldn''t you hate it if you woke up one morning and one of your closest friends was dead in front of you?¡±

    ¡°That would never happen,¡± Selena said, finally acknowledging Jason. ¡°I''d never allow myself to get close to someone who would die so easily,¡± she added cruelly. Lola stared at Selena, shooting daggers with her eyes. ¡°Oops, did I hurt your feelings? If so, that means that you still have a train of thought and are in a state fit for questioning! Now, tell me-¡±

    ¡°No.¡± Arthur, having just walked out of the closet, forced herself in between Selena and Lola, blocking Selena off with her shield. Lola looked extremely grateful. ¡°That''s enough, Selena. Back off.¡±

    ¡°Sigh¡­ You really do all have a death wish. Very well! I''ll sacrifice immunity, if only to prove to you all how much I don''t need it. But let me be clear,¡± Selena warned the group, ¡°when one of you is punished tomorrow, I will have warned them in advance.¡± With that, she strode away elegantly, heading out of the library and to who knows where. Everyone else in the room collectively sighed.

    ¡°She''s going to be a royal pain, isn''t she?¡± Timothy asked. Everyone nodded in agreement. Slowly, everyone returned to what they were doing. Jason headed to the body, hoping to talk to Navini.

    Seeing Vicki¡¯s body brought a wave of discomfort onto Jason, even if he already knew it was there. It was one thing knowing a corpse was present - being in front of it brought with it new discomfort. Navini stood above her, observing her pensively. Jason tapped her on the shoulder to get her attention. Navini was slightly startled before she realized it was Jason who had tapped her. She turned to address him.

    ¡°Oh, Jason! Yes, I''m just about done with the autopsy,¡± Navini announced. ¡°The cause of death is more than likely then knife shot straight through the heart. She also suffered head trauma from a large, blunt object,¡± Navini added. ¡°There''s blood covering the wound, so it was a pretty heavy hit, but I don''t think it killed her, at least not instantly. She definitely lost consciousness though. Aside from that, nothing unusual - not compared to Henry, anyways,¡± Navini concluded. Jason nodded along to her statements. There wasn''t anything in her autopsy he hadn''t already guessed. The large, blunt object Navini was referring to was probably the bloodied tome in front of the body. The knife having been the final blow was also something Jason had figured out on his own. The real issue with this case was not the how - it was the why. Why had Vicki been the second victim? Why had the killer targeted her? And most importantly of all, did Lola¡¯s story hold up? If Lola was telling the truth, this had become a very confusing mystery. Jason sat on one of the chairs and sorted his thoughts. Lavender came to join him shortly afterwards. They both sat in silence, thinking it over. People came and went, looking at the body and the library in general, asking questions to each other (mostly trying to pry something out of the now mute Lola) and just gathering their thoughts. The atmosphere in the house was tense. Unlike when Henry was murdered, the atmosphere was one of survival - everyone was searching for clues to get immunity, and to avoid meeting Erick¡¯s fate. Jason sat, lost deep in his thoughts, observing everyone passing by without much thought towards any of them. Eventually, though, something did break his train of thought.

    Ding-Dong! ¡°Ahem! Mic check! Mic check! Do you- bzzzt!- me? Good, good! Well, I''m getting bored. Let''s get started! I''ll let my associate do the talking! Buh-bye!¡± Dong-Ding!

    Already? Jason thought. Jason had completely lost track of time while he was thinking. Reluctantly, everyone headed out of the room. Jason observed everyone who had gathered in the entrance hall. Dahinko was exchanging hushed murmurs with Skyler, who was nodding along. Vivian was by herself, doing her thing. Arthur, Dexter, Alexandra, A and Michael all stood in silence. Lelina was on the verge of tears, Lavender trying to comfort her. Everyone had different ways of coping with the stress of answering correctly, and the sadness of losing another friend. Could Vicki have been considered a friend? She was very reclusive, but she was a sweet person, and Jason would have liked to consider them friends.

    ¡°Um¡­ Why are there less names on the list this time?¡± A female voice inquired. Jason recognized the voice as the one who had read the names during the first investigation. There was a pause before she spoke again. ¡°Okay, okay, no need to yell at me¡­ Um¡­ When I call your name, please head into the room directly down the hallway. You all remember how to do this, I hope. Um¡­ Michael Ferrin.¡± Michael looked up when his name was called. Doing his best to exude confidence, he strutted into the room. Everyone watched him go in. Then, silence. No one dared to say a word. The tension became incredibly heavy. After a few minutes that seemed like hours, Michael walked out, his face a little more pale than when he had entered.

    ¡°Selena Coveny,¡± the voice called. Selena walked in with an air of pride. She took half as long as Michael, and stepped out with the same prideful expression she had worn walking in. ¡°Lelina Beauvencourt.¡± Lelina gasped when her name was called. Shakily, she headed into the room. This went on for a while. Jason was once again one of the last names called. Only A, Rose, Vivian and Lavender were left when the voice finally said: ¡°Jason Harlon.¡± Jason walked in nervously. He closed the door behind him and paused. Vicki¡¯s body was just to the left of him. Or was it? Henry¡¯s body had disappeared right after the investigation. It couldn''t hurt to look. Strangely, though, the door to the library was locked. Disappointed, Jason walked into the centre room. The room was identical to the way it had been previously. Jason walked to the centre and took a deep breath. Then, he began explaining what had unfolded...

    ¡°It''s been several days,¡± Vicki sighed, exasperated. ¡°Can''t she take a hint?¡± Lola had been sending her these weird letters for a few days now. Even though none of them bore Lola¡¯s signature, Vicki had formed an educated guess and figured it must have been her. Even today, she had slipped another under Vicki¡¯s door. I''m going to have to find a way to stop that, Vicki thought. For now, she pushed aside the thought. She was in the middle of one of her new novel¡¯s most tense scenes. The two brothers meet, only to realize the massive age gap between them, and they realize¡­ This is going to be another bestseller, I can feel it! Vicki thought. She then sat back down at her desk, tossing the letter onto the pile, and went back to frenetically writing. However, only a few minutes later, another slip of paper slipped under the door. Angry, Vicki stormed to the door and picked up the letter. This one was different to all the others. It was much more polite, and Lola had even bothered to sign her name on this one. Perhaps she ought to meet with Lola. Just to tell her to stop with the letters and that she didn''t want any excuses, but she should meet. I''ll take advantage of this to return that book, Vicki thought. She had borrowed The Study of Talent by Francis Helmsburg in order to study up on the author. Her story also featured an old eccentric, but this one was far more corrupt. What better way to get into character than to read up on one! To her disappointment, when she had opened the book after returning to her room, the pages had been stabbed through. She had been meaning to return it for several days now. Vicki therefore headed down to the library. Since no one was around, she figured they were all asleep, and that whoever was on guard duty had totally forgotten about it. She crept down to the library. Only a few minutes later, Lola entered the library. This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.

    At first, Vicki pretended not to have known that Lola was there. She opened The Study of Talent and pretended to read through the slashed pages. Eventually, though, Lola saw Vicki.

    ¡°Vicki! You actually came!¡± Lola exclaimed.

    ¡°I couldn''t keep ignoring you forever,¡± Vicki replied. Much to my dismay, she thought but did not say. ¡°What did you want?¡± Vicki asked bitterly, knowing full well what Lola wanted.

    ¡°Look, I¡­¡± Lola hesitated, unsure of where to begin. ¡°I just¡­ Wanted to say sorry. Sorry for everything I''ve done. When you caught me, I didn''t know what to say other than grow up, but¡­ Now I realize that I should have been the one to grow up,¡± Lola apologized. Vicki stared at her coldly. ¡°I know this isn''t much considering everything that happened, but¡­¡± Lola started and failed to find the right words to continue.

    ¡°I hope you don''t think that this makes us friends again,¡± Vicki announced. Lola looked up, disappointed. ¡°Even after the incident, I tried to keep our friendship, but you remind so much of¡­ him.¡± Vicki told Lola with disgust. ¡°I can''t¡­ I can''t be friends with someone like that.¡±

    ¡°Vicki¡­¡± Lola¡¯s eyes welled up with tears. ¡°Please, just, give me a chance¡­ I just want someone I can call a friend.¡±

    ¡°I''m sorry¡­¡± Vicki said.

    ¡°But, please, I-¡±

    ¡°Look, no amount of letters is going to change my mind about this! This isn''t just a simple ¡®give me another chance¡¯ scenario! I had to visit a therapist for months after that because of all the flashbacks I kept having. And you,¡± Vicki sounded almost hysterical now. ¡°You honestly think that I can just ignore all of that? So please, stop it with the letters and just leave me alone!¡±

    ¡°Letters? I only sent one-¡± Lola began.

    ¡°I don''t care how many you sent!¡± Vicki interrupted her. ¡°I don''t care¡­ I just want you to leave me alone!¡± Vicki screamed. Lola looked at her with watery eyes. Then, she ran out the door, crying. Vicki sighed and slouched in her chair. Finally, Vicki thought. But why did she feel so¡­ Guilty? Lola had had this coming for years on end! Why did Vicki feel remorseful for sending her away like she should have? Vicki contemplated this for a while. Eventually, she figured no good could come from thinking about it, and sleeping it off would be the best course of action. But as she got up, the closet door behind her opened.

    ¡°Oh, it''s you,¡± Vicki told the person coming out of the closet. ¡°Eavesdropping, are we? Look, I don''t know what you wanted to gain by doing this, but-¡± Vicki cut her statement off, as the person took out a knife. A camo combat knife, to be exact. Vicki¡¯s eyes widened. You! You''re the killer!? Vicki realized that she should have known. She held the book close to her heart as defense, but Vicki knew that they were much stronger than she was. There was no way she would hold out for long. Instead, Vicki threw the book at them and ran, as fast as she could. They caught the book and threw it back with expert aim. It hit Vicki at the back of her head, hard enough to trip her up. The killer stood over her, having had no problem pinning her down. Vicki squirmed and tried to wrestle herself out of the killer¡¯s grasp, but it was futile, and Vicki knew it. In her head and in her heart, she suddenly felt an immense amount of guilt. She should have given Lola another chance¡­ After all, weren''t the years they were friends some of the best years in her life? The killer touched the tip of the knife to check its sharpness. Then, they hovered it over Vicki, as if trying to take aim. Then, they heard the door creak open. Someone else was here! The killer knew they had very little time to act. Hurriedly, they grabbed the book Vicki had been holding and smashed it against her skull as hard as they could. Vicki fell unconscious with one final thought - Lola, I''m sorry. The killer then dragged the unconscious Vicki into the closet. They had just closed the door when Jason walked into an empty library. Jason stayed for a few minutes, observing. During this time, Vicki was bleeding. A lot of blood was pouring out of her head. The killer acted on instinct - that stupid toddler wanted these crimes to be a mystery, after all. They took one of the coats in the closet and wiped away the blood on the floor, then placed it under Vicki¡¯s head to soak up the blood. It was primitive and clumsy, but the killer knew this was their only option. They waited in silence, holding their breath. Finally, Jason walked out of the library. The killed dragged Vicki¡¯s body back out into one of the alleyways. Then, they finished the job.

    But why? This question lingered once again in Jason¡¯s mind. Why had the killer chosen to target Vicki? There were several different possibilities. The killer could have learned about the connection between Lola and Vicki, and decided to rupture it. Or the killer had a personal grudge against Vicki that would be revealed in her biography. Maybe it was simply random. Then, a thought struck Jason. He cleared his throat answered.

    ¡°The reason Vicki was killed was¡­ Because she was in possession of The Study of Talent, right?¡± Jason concluded. ¡°The killer must have thought she had the hit list, since she had taken the book for quite a while. According to what Lola said, the killer sent several letters trying to get the book back, but Vicki ignored them. They must have made up their mind to finally get it back.¡± This explanation felt complete. This time, Jason was sure of it. Whoever this killer was, it was someone with experience, not someone who would kill randomly or out of spite. And while Vicki and Lola¡¯s connection would be a good start, they probably would have targeted the far more vulnerable Lola first, so this seemed like the only logical explanation. Confident in his answer, Jason stepped out of the room.

    ¡°A, please.¡± The female voice asked. A walked in, rifle in hand. Jason was still unsure of his answer, but it was the usual doubt of did I miss anything, rather than the I definitely got that wrong feeling. Jason walked back up to his room and lay down, anxiously awaiting the results.

    Knock, knock, knock. Jason got up, wondering who could be knocking. He had only been in his room for a few minutes (it couldn''t have been more than ten) when someone came knocking at the door. Opening the door, he was greeted with an intense gaze from lavender-colored eyes. Lavender walked in, not bothering to wait for Jason to invite her in. As soon as Jason closed the door, she turned around.

    ¡°What did you answer? For the why, I mean?¡± Lavender asked. She looked flustered, as if she herself hadn''t been able to figure it out. Considering she had beaten him to the punch last time, Jason felt a small bit of pride at knowing that he had outsmarted her.

    ¡°That the killer did it to get their hit list back,¡± Jason answered. Lavender¡¯s eyes lit up. ¡°Vicki had been in possession of The Study of Talent, so I figured it made sense¡­ The killer realized the book altogether was missing, and they targeted Vicki for that reason.¡±

    ¡°I thought about that, but¡­ I guessed that it was because of Lola. Since the two knew each other beforehand, it made them both far less likely to be the killer, so getting rid of one of them would be beneficial,¡± Lavender said matter-of-factly. ¡°Both of us have equally likely answers, so I guess we¡¯ll have to wait and see.¡± Jason nodded. Lavender walked to the door and opened it. Before she left, she turned around and looked at Jason one last time. Her pale eyes were fixated on him. It was slightly unnerving. Then, she slammed the door behind her. Jason watched her leave, perplexed at their encounter. Lavender had been so blunt about the killer¡¯s motive¡­ Had she simply said it so coldly to appear correct? Now, Jason was more anxious then ever to hear the results. Lavender had probably passed after A, so that left Rose and Vivian to answer. Jason waited for several minutes, time seeming to trickle by in slow motion. Finally, the speaker crackled to life.

    Ding-Dong! ¡°Ahem! I will now announce the results! So, for our immunity winners this time, there are a total of three! So, drumroll please!¡± Brian did a drumroll, which sounded as if someone were smashing the microphone on a desk. ¡°And the winners are¡­ Lavender Greenwood, Selena Coveny and Jason Harlon! Congratulations to the three of you! As for everyone else¡­ Well, one of you failed really badly. Guess you''ll all have to wait till tomorrow to find out who that is! Buh-bye!¡± Dong-Ding!

    What? Both Lavender and he got immunity? But they had two different reasons! That must have meant that the killer had several different reasons to kill Vicki. And Selena as well? Even though she herself had wanted to prove to them that she didn''t need it, she had scraped immunity up. As if on cue, Lavender knocked on Jason¡¯s door, looking as confused as he was.

    ¡°We both won?¡± Lavender inquired. Jason shrugged. ¡°I guess there were multiple reasons then¡­ How does Brian even know the killer¡¯s motive?¡± Lavender asked. Once again, Jason shrugged. ¡°Well, at least I can sleep soundly now¡­ Good night.¡± Lavender said and then left. Jason crashed onto his bed, suddenly unbelievably exhausted. He was safe. That, however, meant someone else wasn''t. As he drifted off to sleep, he wondered what atrocity he would wake up to.

    The next morning, all seemed calm. Jason awoke to no one screaming or being bloodied up. This didn''t reassure him in the slightest. He headed down to the dining room, anxious. Lavender, Lelina, A and Dexter were already sat down. He sat down as well, no one daring to say a word. Silence weighed heavily on all of them. The tension was unbelievably thick, everyone glancing nervously at the door to see who wouldn¡¯t show up this morning. Others filed in, and aside from Selena¡¯s smug grin, everyone looked glum. At first glance, no one appeared to be missing. Eventually, Jason¡¯s curiosity got the best of him. He counted to the people in the room. One, two, three¡­ Twenty-three. Wait, he thought. Someone¡¯s missing. He looked around at the seats, trying to figure out who was missing. His eyes scanned over Vicki¡¯s seat, which now bore her picture (with a large X in red crayon), and Midnight of the Rose sitting on her plate. Then, his eyes found who was missing.

    He should have known it would be her.

    ¡°Lola!¡± Jason exclaimed. He shot up from his chair to many confused looks. Lavender and Selena, however, understood what he meant, and they ran off with him to Lola¡¯s room. Jason rammed into the door to try to open it.

    It was unlocked.

    Please let it be not too late! Jason wished as he ran into the room. On the bed sat an extremely terrified looking Lola. She was alive, at least. At the other end of the bed, Brian was holding a comically oversized camera, aiming shots. He looked like a photographer in a photo shoot. Suddenly, this punishment seemed a little too ironic to not have been planned in advance.

    ¡°Perfect!¡± Brian said. ¡°Now, say cheese!¡±

    ¡°Lola, no!¡± Jason tried to grab Lola, but it was too late. The camera clicked, and instead of a flash, several pointed arrows shot out of it, impaling Lola. One found its way directly into her heart, the other into her head. For a moment, Lola sat up, staring down at the arrows. Tears rolled down her cheeks. Then, she slumped over, lifeless. Jason retreated his hand, now covered in blood. Lavender and Jason looked at Lola in horror, while Selena stayed silent.

    ¡°Whoops, did I forget to turn the flash off? Silly me!¡± Brian giggled. ¡°Oh, and Jason, you should watch out. Interfering with a punishment is grounds for a punishment, you know. I''ll let it slide this time, but I''m warning you. Oh well! Toodles!¡± Brian laughed maniacally and fizzled out, the camera dropping to the floor in a useless heap of metal. Jason stared at Lola¡¯s corpse in horror. Her tears began combining with her blood, creating shiny blood tears that left trails on her body. The rest of the guests stomped up the stairway and filed into Lola¡¯s room, each giving an appropriate reaction of horror.

    ¡°And so the game continues,¡± Selena muttered. No one paid any attention to her. They were all too focused on Lola¡¯s body. Lelina rushed out of the room, covering her mouth with her hands. Mary and Audrey rushed out to help her. Jason closed his eyes, paying his respects. Then, he left the room, incapable of looking at the body much longer.

    Jason decided to try and calm down. He headed to his room. On his way there, he was interrupted by Mary, who looked perplexed.

    ¡°Jason? Think you could help me with something?¡± She asked. Jason nodded and asked what was wrong. ¡°Well, the thing is, we can''t find Lelina at all. We tried to follow her, but she seems to have vanished, and when we knocked at her door, there wasn''t any response.¡± Audrey nodded along to Mary¡¯s statements. ¡°Do you have any idea where she could be?¡± Mary asked. Jason agreed to help, and tried knocking on Lelina¡¯s door. There was no answer. Where could she have gone? Jason stood in front of Lelina¡¯s door, trying to figure out where she could be. Then, the door swung open. Jason barely had time to dodge the door before Lelina stepped out, her face a very pale hue. It didn''t take a genius to figure out what she had been doing in her room. Audrey and Mary rushed over to try and recomfort her, and Jason headed to the recreation room, seeing that being in his room would not offer any calm.

    Jason crashed onto one of the couches, tired already despite having just woken up. He lay there for a few minutes, thinking over what had just happened. Lola was dead. Despite her being the closest to Vicki out of all of them, she had been punished. But how? Lola should have been able to piece together what had happened much before anyone else could. Was she so profoundly shaken up that she couldn''t figure it out? Before he could think any further, Lavender entered the room.

    ¡°Jason?¡± She asked. ¡°I think you might want to see this.¡± In her hand, Lavender held an envelope. Curious, Jason took the letter. The envelope did not have an addressee, but there was an author - Lola Jouvence. The envelope had already been opened, and Lavender grabbed a sheet of paper inside and handed it to Jason. Jason read the letter carefully.

    To whom it may concern,

    You''ll all be pleased to know that none of you will be punished tonight. I''ve brought it upon myself by being such an inconsiderate person. I''ve figured out the crime. The killer had been hiding in the closet, waiting to kill Vicki after I left, and the motive was that since Vicki and I knew each other, we couldn''t possibly be the killer. In fact, I''m willing to bet I would have been the next victim. Fortunately, I won''t be around to witness who else perishes. As I write this, I am painfully aware that I will be the one punished. I deserve it, after all. What I did was walk in there, bowed, and walked right back out. I waited a few minutes in the transition hallway and walked out. I knew that I was the reason Vicki came out of her room at all, the reason she was put in a vulnerable state and most of all, the reason she was killed. All because I couldn''t control my hormones.

    I think you all deserve some closure on what exactly I did to Vicki to rupture our friendship so thoroughly. After my modeling career kicked off, I discovered one of life¡¯s many pleasures. I trust I don''t need to go into much more detail than that. I became addicted to it, burning through mates left and right. Eventually, I decided to get a bit wild and, well¡­ It didn¡¯t end well. Vicki caught me in the act. I can still picture her horrified face, having flashbacks of things I can only imagine. Truly, this was my life¡¯s greatest mistake.

    This next paragraph is addressed to Vicki, wherever she may be. I could not regret something more than I regret ending our friendship. When you caught me, a thousand thoughts were going through my head, but none of them were apologies. I realize now what I should have done, but it was too late. You had already shut me out, and I can''t blame you for that, even if I so badly want to blame anyone other than myself. I understand now why you did it, but even so, I wish you''d reconsidered our friendship. You might even still be alive as I''m writing this had you done so. But I can''t blame you for my mistakes. Your death will forever remain my burden, and the death of the only person who had ever called me a friend is a burden I cannot bear.

    To the other houseguests, you must now realize what I have done. Quid pro quo, as they say. An eye for an eye, or in this case, my life for Vicki¡¯s. I hope this will atone for my awful behavior towards you all at first. You have to be vicious in the modeling world, and I brought that viciousness to you all. I hope that you remember me all as someone who, despite their mistakes, was trying to live. That is my final request. And if anyone ever makes out alive, please show this letter to my mother, Brittany Jouvence. If anyone deserves to know, it''s her.

    Mom¡­ I''m sorry. Sorry that I abandoned the family. Sorry I abandoned the people who cared. Especially you. Even when dad left, you tried so hard, and I was so busy trying to kickstart my modeling career that I couldn''t even notice that much. Please don''t blame yourself for what happened to me. I had it coming from miles away.

    This letter is getting long, isn''t it? So much to say, so little time to say it. Or, rather, write it. I have one final request from you all - stop the killer. This might seem obvious, but I want them to pay. Pay for what they did to someone who didn''t deserve it. I have no idea who they are, but I just know they''ll slip up. And I''m counting on you all to catch them when they do.

    Don''t repeat my mistakes.

    Sincerely yours,

    Lola Jouvence, the world¡¯s best model

    Jason read the letter several times over. With this letter, so many of Jason¡¯s questions had been answered. Why Lola was dead when she of all people should have gotten immunity, what had caused the conflict between Vicki and Lola and why Lola chose to do what she did. He read the letter once more. Was this Lola¡¯s true character? Granted, she had seemed like a different person these last few days, but Jason had guessed that Vicki had been the cause of that. Had he caught a glimpse of her true personality?

    For the second time, Brian had claimed one of them. And he would continue to do so until there was no one left. That much Jason was sure of. It then became painfully aware to him that he was up against a clock - he had to find the killer in as little time as possible in order to save as many as he could. Or else he may end up being investigated himself. There was one catch, however -

    Who was the killer?

    SURVIVORS : 23

 Chapter 7: Beware the Gemini

    The following morning, that question still lingered in Jason¡¯s mind. As the number of survivors dwindled, the possibility of one of them being the killer increased. Many still suspected Mikad¡­ Mikad! He didn''t know about Vicki and Lola, did he? Jason therefore headed to the recreation room to try and talk to Mikad. Sure enough, it was empty. No one felt like playing a board game after yesterday¡¯s events. Lola¡¯s letter was also on Jason¡¯s mind. For one letter, he had seen Lola¡¯s true character. She wasn''t some airhead blonde or a damsel in distress - she had been someone who just wanted to be accepted. Where was the letter now? Jason glanced over at the end table near the two sofas in the corner. The envelope sat on top of a pile of books. Jason picked it up and placed it in his shirt pocket, feeling it would be safer there than just lying around. He then reached for the book to flip the bookcase to Mikad¡¯s room, hanging onto the bookcase as it spun. Glancing around the room, it became immediately obvious that Mikad wasn''t there. Jason searched around the room, but there weren''t many places Mikad could be hiding. He noticed a vent on the ceiling, but even dragging the trunk beneath him and opening it, he found it empty. Curious, Jason looked around the room. Suddenly, the bookshelf spun, and Mikad appeared in the room. When he noticed Jason, all color flushed from his face.

    ¡°Oh! Jason! Um, this is unexpected¡­ What brings you to my humble abode?¡± Mikad tried to play it off casually, but Jason¡¯s stern stare quickly broke him. ¡°Alright, I''m sorry! I know I shouldn''t leave, I just¡­¡± Mikad did not finish his sentence.

    ¡°You just..?¡± Jason pressed, trying to get the truth out of Mikad. Mikad remained silent. ¡°Oh forget it. I just came here to tell you something.¡±

    ¡°Is this about Vicki and Lola?¡± Mikad inquired. Jason looked at him incredulously. ¡°Well, she alre- I mean, I overheard you talking about the letter and¡­ Made an educated guess! Yeah, that sounds right,¡± Mikad added the last part aloud, although he probably hadn''t meant to.

    ¡°Uh-huh,¡± Jason said, unconvinced. ¡°Well, yeah, they''re both dead. No use in trying to look for them, might I add,¡± Jason added, seeing Mikad eyeing the bookshelf. ¡°Vicki¡¯s body has already vanished, and while I haven''t confirmed, I''m pretty sure Lola¡¯s has as well. So you don''t have any reason to leave the room. Are you good on food?¡± Jason asked.

    ¡°Hm? Oh, yeah, I''m fine, I already ate,¡± Mikad replied absentmindedly. ¡°I mean, yeah, I''m good, I''ve still got a few days left before I need to replenish, thanks. Um¡­ Is there anything else?¡± Mikad asked, clearly eager for Jason to leave. Jason, sensing what Mikad wanted, shook his head no and grabbed onto the bookshelf before it spun again. Mikad having acted curiously was an understatement. Hadn''t Mikad been the one to ask Jason to visit him more often? And now he had wanted Jason to leave as soon as possible! Jason hopped off the bookshelf and turned around to face the doorframe. No sooner had he done so that Navini walked into the recreation room, clearly flustered about something.

    ¡°Jason! What are you doing here?¡± Navini asked.

    ¡°Just getting a book,¡± Jason lied. ¡°I could ask you the same question. What are you doing here?¡± Navini struggled to come up with an answer. She adjusted her ridiculous outfit nervously as she thought, and Jason could have sworn he heard crinkling, but whether that was her outfit or the fire he couldn''t have known.

    ¡°Same here,¡± Navini said finally. ¡°I''ve been meaning to find Vicki¡¯s biography, actually,¡± Navini added.

    ¡°If that''s the case, it''s actually in the library downstairs,¡± Jason informed her.

    ¡°Really? Um, well, thank you, I guess,¡± Navini replied frustratedly.

    ¡°Navini, Jason.¡± Selena greeted them as she walked in. ¡°How are you doing? Not that I care,¡± Selena said before either of them had a chance to reply. ¡°By any chance, would either of you know where a secret room might be hidden in here? Lavender, shall we say, let slip that there was one in the recreation room, and I insist you tell me what you know.¡±

    ¡°A secret room? Here? I don''t know anything about it!¡± Navini replied quickly. ¡°Now if you''ll excuse me, I''m off to the library,¡± Navini added before rushing out of the recreation room.

    ¡°Well, that was telling,¡± Selena remarked. ¡°You wouldn''t happen to know anything, would you, Jason?¡± Selena added, her voice taking a syrupy tone. Jason shook his head ¡®no¡¯. Selena allowed a bit of frustration to cloud her face before she sighed. ¡°Oh well. I suppose I have to find it myself.¡±

    ¡°Hey, where is Lavender, anyhow?¡± Jason asked. ¡°I''ve been meaning to ask her about something¡­¡±

    ¡°I''ll tell you if you tell me where the room is,¡± Selena said. ¡°Only joking, of course. A simpleton such as yourself wouldn''t even dream of knowing such a secret,¡± Selena added snidely. Jason knew what she was trying to do, and yet he almost told her about Mikad to prove her wrong. He held his tongue, however. ¡°Hm.¡± Selena muttered, sensing her plan had failed. ¡°If you insist, she¡¯s in Lola¡¯s room, probably investigating. She¡¯s been in there for an awfully long time, you know.¡± Jason thanked Selena and headed to Lola¡¯s room.

    When he entered Lola¡¯s room, the first thing he was hit with was a faint yet powerful stench. It was as if something was decomposing, almost, or as if the room had not been cleaned for a while. Jason couldn''t quite place a particular smell onto the stench, but it was present nonetheless. He immediately saw why - Lola¡¯s body, and all the blood that came with it, was still lying in the open, Brian apparently not having taken care of it. Lavender sat at the foot of the bed, her eyes bloodshot, bags forming under them. How long it had been since she had slept, Jason could only guess.

    ¡°Lavender?¡± Jason asked. Lavender¡¯s head shot up, as if she had almost been asleep. She looked around frantically before she saw Jason.

    ¡°Oh, hi, Jason,¡± Lavender said, then yawned. ¡°What¡¯s up?¡±

    ¡°Nevermind that, what are you doing?¡± Jason asked. ¡°Why haven''t you slept at all in a few days?¡±

    ¡°Well, technically I slept before we found Vicki¡¯s body, so only two days,¡± Lavender specified. ¡°And I wanted to see what Brian does with the bodies, so I''m guarding Lola.¡±

    ¡°If you say so,¡± Jason answered, worried. ¡°You sure you''re good? You probably haven''t eaten in days too¡­¡±

    ¡°Funny you should mention that,¡± Lavender exclaimed. ¡°Selena actually came by just a minute ago and gave me breakfast.¡± She pointed to a half-eaten bowl of cereal in the corner of the room.

    ¡°Funny indeed,¡± Jason mumbled. Selena did not seem like the kind of person who would give someone breakfast out of the kindness of her heart. ¡°Did she ask for anything in return? Like, perhaps, where Mikad was hiding?¡±

    ¡°Actually, yeah, she did ask that,¡± Lavender acknowledged. ¡°I didn''t tell her anything, though. I told her she had no chance to find the secret room in the recreation room! Ha!¡± Lavender laughed a little. ¡°Oh wait,¡± she added, realizing what she had said.

    ¡°Go to bed, Lavender,¡± Jason demanded. ¡°I''ll take over the guard watch here until you''ve rested up.¡±

    ¡°Really?¡± Lavender asked. ¡°Well, alright then. I''m off to bed. Good, uh, morning, I guess.¡± Lavender got up and left, leaving Jason alone with Lola¡¯s corpse. To say it was unnerving was an understatement. Lola¡¯s blood tears had now hardened on her cheeks, but her eyes remained wide open. For his sanity¡¯s sake, Jason closed her eyes, making her a little less disturbing. Jason took a look at the arrows piercing out of her chest. Two of them had gone straight through her heart, while another had gone through her head. The others had been spread out across her chest and arms. There were seven in all. They looked like perfectly normal arrows, and yet Jason had no idea where Brian (or anyone else for that matter) could even find arrows here. Curious, Jason pulled one out of Lola¡¯s arm. It came out with an unpleasant squelching, making Jason shiver. He examined the arrow closely, and while it was sharp and covered in blood, there was nothing in particular that stood out about this arrow. Jason dropped it on the floor.

    ¡°Hey, hey! She''s gone! It''s about freaking time-oh, hi, Jason.¡± Brian announced his entrance and fizzled into the room. ¡°You don''t think you would mind leaving, do you? I don''t want her to start rotting before I can¡­¡± Brian stopped himself. ¡°Whoops! Spoilers! Wouldn''t want to let something slip, now would we? Bottom line being, I need the body. And so, please leave,¡± Brian asked. Jason looked at him incredulously. ¡°Pretty please?¡± He asked again, widening his eyes and clasping his hands together. He actually looked like an adorable child for once. Jason didn''t budge. Seeing he was getting nowhere, Brian stopped making a pleading face and instead made an angry one. ¡°What is it with you smart people that makes you so uncompliant?! First Lavender, now you¡­ Look, I don''t want to hurt her! I mean, I already killed her, what else could I do?¡± Brian pleaded. Jason looked at him incredulously. ¡°You know, you really are extremely annoying, Jason. Always snooping around - not that you''re going to find anything, I made sure of that, but it''s still annoying! You weren''t even supposed to be here to begin with! Ugh. Well, if you''re not meant to be the best, then I''m really glad I had the other one killed. Would have been a disaster to-¡±

    ¡°You did what?!¡± Jason screamed. Brian, seeing he had struck a nerve, smiled.

    ¡°Interested, are we? Well, how about we make a deal. You leave the room for, oh, half an hour, and then come back, and I''ll tell you all about it! Sounds like a good deal, right? And besides, I want you to leave for her benefit! So, do we have a deal?¡± Brian¡¯s smile widened. Jason considered it. The reason he had come to this party to begin with was to find out more about Ariana¡¯s death. And here Brian was, practically gift-wrapping the mystery to him! However, if he left, Lavender would be unbelievably mad at him, and he had no idea what Brian intended to do with Lola¡¯s body. Resigned, Jason shook Brian¡¯s outstreched hand. ¡°So we have a deal! Alright, come back half an hour later and I''ll tell you everything I know. I''m a baby of my word! I''ve got the honesty gene, through and through! Alright, bye-bye!¡± And with that, Brian fizzled out. Ashamed, Jason walked out of the room to almost bump into Lavender, who had been listening in. Lavender looked at him sternly, only increasing the guilt he felt.

    ¡°I would have done the same thing,¡± she said simply and walked away, going to her room. Jason reluctantly waited outside of Lola¡¯s room for the half hour Brian had requested. When that time was up, Jason walked into Lola¡¯s room. Now, nothing remained of her except bloodied bedsheets. Jason sat at the edge of the bed, careful not to touch any of the blood. Brian fizzled in next to him, the bottom half going straight through the bedsheets.

    ¡°I was hoping I had fixed that,¡± he mentioned, seeing the bottom half of his projection merge with the sheets. ¡°Not that it matters!¡±

    ¡°So you''re actually going to tell me about Ariana?¡± Jason asked.

    ¡°Yessiree! I''m a baby of my word, you know. Something inside of me just hates to lie, so here I am!¡± Brian triumphantly announced. Jason looked at him questioningly before Brian continued. ¡°Of course, I won''t be able to give you all of the fine details since, you know, I wasn''t actually there, but hey! Better than nothing. So,¡± Brian leaned over as though he was about to share juicy gossip, ¡°here''s what happened¡­

    ¡°So here¡¯s the list! Everyone on it has to be dead before the party, got it? I only planned for twenty five of them¡­¡± Brian told them. They stared at the blank sheet of paper, reading through the names.

    ¡°There are a lot of famous people on this list,¡± they commented. ¡°Like Vincent Alfonzo, the painter. How am I supposed to get to these people in time? You''ve only given me a month and, with this many people, I''d have to do more than two a day!¡±

    ¡°I''m confident in your abilities! Of course, a few are more crucial than others. Like, say, Sir Francis Helmsburg? He should be the first one of these guys. Oh, and they''re particularly smart,¡± Brian added, circling names on the paper.

    ¡°Thomason Ueler and Cordelia Recorde¡­ The scientists, right?¡± They asked. Brian nodded. ¡°They shouldn''t be a problem,¡± they added. Their eyes scanned the circled names, nodding along to the ones they recognized. Finally, their eyes found a name they didn''t know.

    ¡°Ariana Beverly¡­ The name rings a bell, but I have no idea who¡­¡± They didn''t finish their sentence, lost in their thoughts.

    ¡°She¡¯s not going to be that hard to find, and trust me, once you find out what her talent is, you''ll want to have her killed,¡± Brian.

    ¡°What about this one?¡± They said, pointing to a name circled with emphasis.

    ¡°Oh, yeah, almost forgot! I''m not going to be presenting you as, you know, you. So I picked someone that at least sort of looked like you. You''ll be pretending to be them during the party!¡± Brian explained. They nodded.

    ¡°Right. Naturally,¡± they said. Then, the world¡¯s best killer looked at the list once more. ¡°Better get started then. See you in a month,¡± they said, and then promptly left the room.

    ¡°...and that¡¯s the story! Pretty riveting, wasn''t it?¡± Brian concluded. During the killer¡¯s dialogue, he had put on a horrible impersonation of their voice, which only served to tick Jason off more. So the talent killer was now confirmed to have killed Ariana. And, perhaps even more strangely, upon Brian¡¯s request. Jason was left with several questions. How powerful was Brian, if he could get the world¡¯s best killer to do as he said? Did this mean Sir Francis Helmsburg wasn¡¯t involved in this? But he had to be, right? And, most importantly at the moment, who was the killer? Jason¡¯s questions were met with more questions. Although he should have felt satisfied about finding out more about Ariana¡¯s death, he felt more confused than anything else. ¡°You look confused! Well, that''s all I can say for now. Wouldn''t want to have to put a spoiler warning, now would we? Stay tuned for more info! That is, if you live that long! Bwahahahahaha!¡± Still cackling, Brian fizzled out. Jason, now in a sour mood, slammed the door to Lola¡¯s room open. It didn¡¯t open fully, having collided with something along the way. Jason looked behind the door to find Lavender collapsed in the hallway. She shook her head and got up.

    ¡°You know, you could be a little more careful opening doors,¡± Lavender remarked.

    ¡°You were eavesdropping?¡± Jason asked, outraged. Lavender shrugged.

    ¡°Naturally. I knew Brian wasn''t just going to talk about Ariana, and I had to hear the details for myself,¡± Lavender explained. ¡°It seems I was right about the hit list - there are way more people on it than anticipated. Those two scientists, Cordelia and Thomason¡­ I wonder if they''re still alive?¡± Lavender rambled on, completely ignoring an extremely frustrated Jason. ¡°And Brian was really careful when he was talking¡­ He didn''t divulge even the slightest hint towards the killer¡¯s appearance or gender. This doesn''t answer anything, and only brings more questions¡­¡±

    ¡°Well, there''s something we can agree on,¡± Jason mumbled, irritated. ¡°Also, shouldn''t you be in bed? You haven''t slept in days¡­¡±

    ¡°I''ll be fine. I slept the half hour or so Brian was taking care of Lola¡¯s body. Did you talk to Mikad?¡± Lavender asked.

    ¡°Yeah, but come to think of it, that also just brought up more questions,¡± Jason replied. ¡°He seemed really eager for me to leave, and he wasn''t in the secret room when I found him. Plus, I bumped into Navini just after, and she seemed really suspicious too,¡± Jason concluded. Lavender thought for a moment. ¡°Do you think Navini knows about..?¡±

    ¡°Unlikely. I don''t think Navini could find the secret room, and even if she did, I''m not sure how she''d react to seeing Mikad. And if it''s the other way around, what reason did Mikad have to leave the room? I''m pretty sure Navini is just a coincidence. But Mikad leaving the room is somewhat troubling. I''ll have to go talk to him. Hang on¡­¡± Lavender¡¯s nose twitched. ¡°Do you smell¡­ Burnt?¡± Jason sniffed the air. It did have a faint smell of burnt. Which meant¡­

    ¡°O-oh! Um, hi, Mr. Harlon! And, uh, hello, Ms. Greenwood! Uh¡­ I''m sorry! I-I-I did it again!¡±

    Upon having entered the kitchen, Jason immediately saw what had happened. Cole had, once again, burnt something to an unrecognizable crisp.

    ¡°Cole, do me a favor and make meals that don''t require the use of flames from now on,¡± Jason asked. Cole, through tears and sniffles, nodded. Lavender chuckled a little.

    ¡°This isn''t the first time you¡¯ve burnt something, is it, Cole?¡± Lavender remarked. ¡°If you want, I can show you how to make some great salads that don''t require the use of any flame.¡± Lavender had genuinely offered this without being mean, but Cole still burst into tears.

    ¡°Waaaaaaahhh! Uh, I-sniff-I don''t, um, like salads, at all, but I-hic!-would love to, Ms. Greenwood!¡± Cole managed to say.

    ¡°Please. Call me Lavender,¡± Lavender asked, but Jason shook his head as if to say there''s no point in asking.

    ¡°No one¡¯s-hic!-ever offered t-t-to teach me something! Th-Thank you!¡± Cole wailed. Lavender shrugged and Jason laughed a little.

    ¡°Well then, shall we get started? I believe it is around time to eat, so¡­¡± Lavender asked. Cole nodded enthusiastically, so much so that Jason thought his head would roll off. ¡°Jason, why don''t you leave us be?¡± Lavender suggested. Jason nodded and left the kitchen.

    With nothing better to do, Jason headed to the recreation room, to try and find a book or something of that nature to entertain him. In terms of entertainment, he didn''t have to look very far. Skyler and Dahinko were currently playing a board game, and their comments proved to be entertaining enough.

    ¡°So, do you wanna hear about why I can''t go to Paris anymore?¡± Dahinko asked Skyler. Skyler raised an eyebrow at this question. The two completely ignored Jason, and he sat down with a book that he was only half reading, paying more attention to their conversation than anything else.

    ¡°Not in particular,¡± Skyler answered. ¡°How many cities have you been banned from?¡±

    ¡°That''s for me to know and you to find out,¡± Dahinko replied with a wink. Skyler laughed his hearty laugh, which made Dahinko smile. As he was observing them, Jason noticed the staggering differences between the two. Skyler was tall, built and manly while Dahinko was small, lightweight and bubbly, and yet the two got along very well. Jason had to once again wonder if they had known each other before all of this. ¡°It''s your turn,¡± Dahinko mentioned, and Skyler started studying the board. He moved a piece and nodded to Dahinko. Jason leaned over and noticed they were playing chess. ¡°And¡­ Checkmate! Beat you again!¡± Dahinko cheered.

    ¡°You know, you''re actually really good at this stuff,¡± Skyler pointed out. ¡°Considering your, uh, playfulness, you wouldn''t expect it.¡±

    ¡°I''m just full of surprises!¡± Dahinko exclaimed, which made Skyler laugh. Dahinko started packing away the board game. ¡°Which one should we play next?¡±

    ¡°How about this one?¡± Skyler said, pointing to a box Jason couldn''t make out the title of.

    ¡°Again? We played that one yesterday and before yesterday! I know you''re good at it, but jeez,¡± Dahinko complained.

    ¡°Alright, alright, fine then, let''s see¡­¡± Skyler looked at all of the games on the shelf. ¡°Then¡­ How about this one?¡± Skyler pointed to another box.

    ¡°I don''t like that one,¡± Dahinko noted. ¡°Too many rules. Hey, I won the last one, why don''t I get to pick?¡±

    ¡°Because with that logic, I would never pick a game,¡± Skyler explained. ¡°Besides, if you always picked, we''d never play the ones that are higher up,¡± Skyler tease. Dahinko looked at him, annoyed, and Skyler laughed.

    ¡°Well if I don''t pick, we¡¯ll never play the fun ones, so there!¡± Dahinko replied, sticking his tongue out, which only got Skyler to laugh even more. ¡°So I say we play this one!¡± Dahinko jumped up to point at one of the games on the top shelf.

    ¡°Hey, I actually kind of like that one!¡± Skyler approved. ¡°Then it''s settled. We play this one,¡± he added before grabbing the game. The two then put the game down and started playing.

    ¡°So why are you banned from Paris again?¡± Skyler asked.

    ¡°I knew you were curious! So, technically I''m banned from all of France - except Corsica, for some reason, guess they don''t care about that one - because on one of my skydiving trips, I miscalculated my trajectory and I mayyyyy have taken off a solid chunk off of the top of the Eiffel Tower,¡± Dahinko recounted. Skyler looked at him with his mouth open.

    ¡°That was you?¡± Skyler asked in horror. Jason remembered seeing an article about someone having crashed into the Eiffel Tower about a year back, but the culprit was never caught. ¡°How did you get away?¡±

    ¡°There''s a reason I don''t go to France anymore, ya know!¡± Dahinko laughed. Skyler kept looking at him in horror. ¡°I''m technically a wanted outlaw in¡­ Thirteen countries, is it? No, twelve, I haven''t been banned from the U.S. yet. Laws are loose there, ya know? Part of the reason I love being in Canada so much - there¡¯s so much wilderness, no one cares if I crash into a tree or ten,¡± Dahinko stated. Skyler¡¯s mouth was open in horror.

    ¡°You¡­sure have done some interesting things, Cole, haven''t you?¡± Skyler mentioned. Dahinko smiled at the compliment. ¡°It''s your turn, by the way,¡± he added.

    ¡°Oh! Sorry about that,¡± Dahinko apologized. ¡°Where do you live, Skyler? I mean, I''ve told you where I do, and I''m curious!¡±

    ¡°You never told me where you live!¡± Skyler pointed out.

    ¡°Yeah I did! I live in Canada, duh,¡± Dahinko said. ¡°In Yukon, specifically,¡± Dahinko added.

    ¡°Yukon, huh,¡± Skyler said. ¡°I could never live there - it''s way too cold for me. Well, I live in the good old U S of A, in Florida, actually,¡± Skyler revealed.

    ¡°You live in Florida?¡± Dahinko asked, surprised. ¡°Shouldn''t you be a little less pale than you actually are?¡±

    ¡°I fly planes for a living, Dahinko,¡± Skyler reminded him. ¡°I''m pretty much never home anyways, so of course I don''t have a tan.¡±

    ¡°Of course, of course,¡± Dahinko repeated before going back to studying the board. ¡°Your move,¡± Dahinko mentioned. Skyler studied the board for a moment. For a while, Jason stopped paying attention to the two, instead focusing on his book. Eventually, they finished their board game and left the recreation room. Jason stayed for a while, finishing the chapter. He put the book back and headed to the kitchen to grab a bite to eat.

    Lunch having been said and done, Jason didn''t quite know what to do. Then, he thought about the locked library, and decided to head there. When he got there, he found that the doors in the three-door hallway had been labeled, all with regular paper and yellow crayon. The library had been labeled LIBRARBY, the center room INVSTIGATIN, and the room to the right had been labeled HARMRY. The crude writing as well as all the misspelt work indicated that this was Brian¡¯s handiwork.

    ¡°You''d think with all these books around, Brian would have been able to pick up a dictionary,¡± Jason joked aloud. He chuckled to himself. The door to the right was what interested Jason the most. HARMRY? The left one was clearly ¡®Library¡¯, the center was either ¡®investigating¡¯ or ¡®investigation¡¯, but the right door didn''t have a sense to it. How many letter were missing? Heck, were the letters there even the correct ones? The door could have been ¡®Army¡¯, but what would lie beyond a door like that? Then could it be ¡®Harry¡¯? But what would that even mean? Jason stood in front of the door for a while, contemplating.

    ¡°Oh, hello, Jason.¡±

    Jason turned around and was face-to-face with Gary, who was holding up some sort of cloth. In all the time he had been here, Jason had almost completely forgotten about Gary even being the house. Gary had completely isolated himself from everyone ever since the murdering began. The only time he was out of his room was when he was forced to by a body. Jason was immediately hit by the stench of someone not having showered for several days on end.Stolen novel; please report.

    ¡°So sorry, darling, but I''m going to have to ask you to leave here,¡± Gary spoke snobbishly, almost like a male Selena.

    ¡°Why?¡± Jason asked. Gary looked taken aback, almost as if he couldn''t believe Jason was asking him such a question.

    ¡°Why? Clearly you''re thicker than I first thought,¡± Gary exclaimed. Jason couldn''t help but look somewhat offended at this remark. ¡°And that proves it. The dumb ones always look dumbfounded when you call them dumb. I suppose I''ll have to explain it. I''m going to be working in the library on this dress I''m making. I''m afraid that no one can even be near me while I''m working, so as to not disturb the creative flow, you see. Did your simple little mind understand that, or will I have to repeat myself?¡± Gary explained snidely.

    ¡°Only once will do, thanks,¡± Jason replied bitterly. So much for forgetting about Gary. Right now, he wished he hadn''t remembered Gary at all.

    ¡°Then what are you standing around for? Leave at once! I simply cannot have any interference! It''s part of the reason I''ve been staying in my room, you see. Enough about that, why haven''t you left yet?¡± Gary looked extremely annoyed. Jason was getting more and more irritated as Gary spoke.

    ¡°Because,¡± Jason said with an extreme effort not to yell at Gary, ¡°I need to investigate the library, and I think that''s a little more important than a dress.¡± Almost immediately after adding the commentary about the dress, Jason regretted it, because Gary looked furious.

    ¡°Well, with that outfit, what do you know about fashion anyways?¡± Gary retorted. ¡°I''m afraid that fashion always has priority! Just because I''m locked up in here with the rest of you simpletons does not mean that I can''t still make the latest trends! Now, away with you!¡± Gary yelled and ran into the library, slamming the door behind him. Jason almost thought of going in there just to spite Gary, but he thought better of it. Everyone¡¯s nerves were already on edge, so a conflict between Gary and himself seemed like a bad idea. Calming himself, he left the hallway.

    ¡°What a colossal prick,¡± Jason mumbled to himself as he left the hallway.

    ¡°I know, right?¡± Jason jumped when someone answered. Navini had been standing right outside the hallway when he had exited. ¡°The other day, he told me my room was too close to his, so I had to change rooms. There''s an entire section of hallway between us!¡± she complained.

    ¡°You know, I had almost forgotten he was here,¡± Jason admitted.

    ¡°I wish I could forget,¡± Navini sighed. ¡°Every single night he''s at my door, telling me to move! Does he think I''m here because I want to be?¡±

    ¡°I don''t know what his deal is, but it''s getting irritating,¡± Jason agreed. He looked around him, at the entrance hall. People were gathering for no apparent reason. ¡°What''s going on?¡± Jason asked Navini.

    ¡°Haven''t you heard? Arthur and Dexter said they would be training again, and they invited us all to watch. No idea why they''d invite us, but here we are,¡± Navini explained. Jason looked at her with a curious glance. Navini shrugged, apparently just as confused as he was. The two waited around, not saying anything in particular. Almost everyone has gathered to see Arthur and Dexter - well, everyone except Gary, of course. Jason looked around at the other guests. At the top of the staircase, peeking down at the entrance hall, was Mikad. Jason¡¯s eyes widened when he saw him.

    ¡°Um, Navini, do you mind if I-¡±

    ¡°I''m sorry, Jason, but I''ve just remembered something important - no, vital even - that I have to do. Gotta go!¡± And Navini darted off in the direction of Mikad. Mikad, seeing her, immediately ran off. Jason went after Navini, but by the time he turned the hallway, she was already gone. He noticed that the two had gone into the girls hallway, rather than toward the recreation room where Mikad was currently hidden. Curious, Jason went to open Navini¡¯s room, but found it locked. Instead of waiting for it to miraculously unlock, Jason tried to open the other two doors in the hallway. The door labeled ¡®third floor¡¯ still wouldn''t budge, no matter how Jason pushed or pulled. He turned around and tried to push the door labeled ¡®Study¡¯.

    It opened.

    Jason looked at the door for a little while before entering the room. Why it had been unlocked was anyone¡¯s guess, but it was definitely unlocked. Usually, there was a reason Brian would unlock a door, but not this time. Jason wondered if he should ask for someone¡¯s help, but that would only draw attention to him. Cautiously, Jason penetrated into the room. It was very dark. There was no way to tell what was in the room. Jason felt the wall with his hands to try and find a light switch, and after a while, he succeeded in finding one. A single overhead lamp flickered on, illuminating the room. The room was exactly what you would expect from a study. In the center of the room, there was a mahogany bureau, with piles of paper and a wax seal on it. Behind it sat an enormous leather chair, and in the wall behind that, a huge granite fireplace lay, waiting to be lit. Surrounding it and basically dominating the walls were bookshelves, which Jason noticed were full of photo albums and written documents as opposed to books. At the very far corner of the room, there was another door, the ornate red carpet covering the floor abruptly ending right before it. Another large painting hung above the fireplace, this one a recreation of Madonna on the Rocks. Again, it was signed Vincent Alfonzo. What interested Jason the most was the door at the very far back of the room. He could swear he heard someone humming behind the door. Cautiously, Jason pressed his ear against the door. Someone was definitely humming a tune behind the door. Jason slowly turned the doorknob, but the door was locked. This time, there was a distinct keyhole in the doorknob. Jason only needed to find where the key was. In the distance, he could hear the sound of sword clanging against sword, but that seemed of very little interest to him right now. Even Navini and Mikad seemed uninteresting right now. Jason needed to get his hands on that key. He looked around for something resembling a key. His eyes scanned the many bookshelves, but no key was to be found. He¡¯d have to search them later. He practically threw open the drawers to the bureau open, but all they contained were pens, stacks of blank papers ad sticky notes, quills and ink refills, wax, envelopes and, most importantly, nothing resembling a key. He looked on top of the bureau. His eyes found the stack of papers, the first of which had writing on it. It was written Erick Orbrison, Actor on it, and a picture of Erick with a big red X on it was next to it. Jason decided to investigate that later. He picked up the stack of papers and ¨C a key! It was a small, silver key with a tag labelled ¡®Disapointment¡¯. The misspelling indicated that this key belonged to Brian. Jason slotted it into the keyhole and turned it. The key slid in easily, and the humming abruptly stopped. Jason cautiously entered the room, pushing the door ever so slightly. Eventually, the door was open. The room was extremely dark, the only light coming from behind Jason.

    ¡°Brother? Is it time again? Hang on, I¡¯ll get the list¡­ Wait, you¡¯re not my brother!¡± A feminine voice squeaked. Jason recognized the voice as being the one who said the names during the investigation. It was a lot less grainy and whimsical in person. She sounded like an abused child, almost. ¡°Who¡­ Who are you?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not here to hurt you, okay?¡± Jason tried his best not to sound intimidating. ¡°Is there a light switch in here? I can¡¯t see anything.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, you¡¯re near one. My brother and I aren¡¯t tall enough to reach it, but you should be fine,¡± the voice answered. Jason felt his way around the wall and his hand eventually felt a light switch. He flicked it on.

    Jason didn¡¯t know what to expect, but it wasn¡¯t this. He was in some sort of storage room, the walls either made of steel or painted a similar color. A giant, fluorescent light hung as the only light source. Filing cabinets lined the walls, except for one little spot where a black blanket and a water bottle lay. The bottle, having long since been emptied, was completely dry, and the blanket was dirty and torn. The voice had come from that corner, and Jason got a proper look at its owner. The girl was the same height as Brian, with the same piercing black eyes as him. She was dressed in a frilly, light pink, woolen dress, with a patchwork daisy clumsily stitched onto it. She wore a pale pink bonnet, similar to Brian¡¯s, and was clutching a pink comb, also having a daisy printed onto it. She was shivering from head to toe, which only showed off how alarmingly skinny she was, and her eyes seemed to pierce right through Jason, scrutinizing him. She was brushing the blanket she held with her ¨C wait¡­ That wasn¡¯t a blanket! The long, black sheet that Jason had initially assumed to be a blanket was actually her ridiculously long hair. It was longer than her entire body, and a third of it was on the floor when she stood up. She had a hairclip in her hair, and keeping with the daisy motif, it also had one printed on it. She looked at Jason, her eyes asking many questions.

    ¡°Who are you?¡± Jason asked.

    ¡°He didn¡¯t tell you about me? Oh¡­ That¡¯s fine, he always likes to pretend I don¡¯t exist. Well, I¡¯m my brother¡¯s twin sister. I know you¡¯ve been talking to him a lot,¡± she answered. ¡°Um¡­ Judging by the inquisitive look and overall aura of mystery, you must be Jason Harlon, correct?¡± she asked. Jason was taken aback. How did she know this? ¡°I¡¯m not stupid, that¡¯s how,¡± she said, almost as if she had been reading Jason¡¯s mind.

    ¡°Hello? Is anyone in here?¡± Jason heard a voice call from inside the study. The voice was then followed by Lavender walking into the room. Lavender¡¯s eyes immediately fell on the baby. ¡°There¡¯s another one?¡± she asked.

    ¡°Lavender Greenwood, the Hawaiian dancer, right? Um¡­ It¡¯s nice to-¡± the baby never got a chance to finish her sentence. Lavender rushed up to her and slapped her across the cheek, the sound echoing in the room. ¡°Ow! What was that for?¡± she asked, understandably shocked.

    ¡°Sorry, I had to check,¡± Lavender apologized. ¡°I had to make sure we weren¡¯t dealing with another hologram baby. Speaking of which, there doesn¡¯t seem to be a camera in this room¡­ I noticed one in the study, but not here,¡± Lavender remarked. Jason looked around for a camera, but in the one place in the house where it would make the most sense for there to be one, there was none. ¡°So, what¡¯s your name? I can¡¯t just call you female Brian, can I?¡±

    ¡°Who¡¯s Brian?¡± The baby asked. Lavender looked at her, dumbfounded. As if on cue, Brian fizzled into the study and looked into the room, clearly pissed.

    ¡°Gaaaaaaaaah!¡± Brian yelled, frustrated. ¡°I left the door to the study unlocked, didn¡¯t I? Well, I guess it was good of me to move¡­ Whoops!¡± Brian caught himself. ¡°Can¡¯t go and tell you guys too much, now can I?¡± Brian paused for a moment, observing Jason and then Lavender in turn. ¡°I should have known it would be you two. Well, either you two or Selena, anyways,¡± Brian sighed. ¡°I suppose I should explain. This thing in front of you is my eternal disappointment of a sister. She doesn¡¯t have a name, so call her whatever you like. I think disappointment is a very fitting name,¡± he suggested.

    ¡°What would you like to be called?¡± Lavender asked her. The baby thought for a moment.

    ¡°Well¡­ I¡¯ve always thought the name Anne-Marie would suit me,¡± she answered. ¡°What do you think, brother?¡±

    ¡°Fine, fine, but it doesn¡¯t have the same ring to it as disappointment incarnate, in my not so humble opinion,¡± Brian answered. ¡°And you might as well start calling me Brian. Everyone else in this house does,¡± Brian added. Anne-Marie looked very happy. ¡°By the way¡­ I heard there was going to be a swordfight¡­ Would you two know where it is? Never mind, I¡¯ll find it myself,¡± he said without letting either of them answer, and he vanished.

    ¡°That was¡­ interesting,¡± Lavender remarked. Jason nodded in agreement.

    ¡°Um¡­ Do you mind if I, uh, don¡¯t live in here anymore?¡± Anne-Marie asked. ¡°I¡¯ve been in here for about two weeks now, and brother- I mean, Brian, barely feeds me¡­ Plus, some company would be nice.¡±

    ¡°Sure, why not?¡± Lavender answered. Jason shot her a glance, but she ignored it. ¡°Go introduce yourself to everyone. Should be fun,¡± Lavender added under her breath. Anne-Marie walked out of the room, her hair dragging behind her and on the floor. Jason waited until she was out of the study to turn to Lavender.

    ¡°Don¡¯t tell me you trust her,¡± Jason said. ¡°She and Brian are twins; how could they be anything but in cahoots with each other?¡±

    ¡°The enemy of my enemy is my ally,¡± Lavender recited. ¡°She and Brian clearly aren¡¯t on the best of terms, and even if they are working together, I think we can use her,¡± Lavender replied.

    ¡°But what if it was just an act put on for us?¡±

    ¡°You heard Brian when he found out we entered the study. We clearly weren¡¯t meant to be here,¡± Lavender answered. ¡°And judging by your conversation with him earlier, I think we can safely say Brian is brutally honest. So, for now, I propose we believe Anne-Marie. Besides, tell me you¡¯re not interested in seeing how Michael handles another baby?¡± Lavender smirked. Jason shrugged with a smile on his face. The two left the metallic and re-entered the much warmer study.

    Jason¡¯s attention was once again brought back to the stack of papers on the desk. He picked up the one labeled Erick Orbrison ¨C Actor and started reading. It read:

    Erick Orbrison ¨C Actor

    Born: August 27<sup>th</sup>

    Age: 23

    Special Talent: Best Actor in the World

    Notes: Not skilled with socializing. Not particularly intelligent ¨C not a threat.

    Next to the notes, a picture of Erick was printed onto it. A red X was drawn on his picture. Jason flipped through the other papers. Lola and Vicki were immediately underneath Erick¡¯s, also having a big X drawn on them. Lola¡¯s read:

    Lola Jouvence ¨C Model

    Born: February 14<sup>th</sup>

    Age: 24

    Special Talent: Best Female Model in the World

    Notes: Known nymphomaniac. Highly emotional ¨C Not a threat.

    Jason read Lola¡¯s over again. Known nymphomaniac... He had guessed it, but this seemed to confirm it. Beneath hers, Vicki¡¯s read:

    Vicki Ingrid ¨C Writer

    Born: June 30<sup>th</sup>

    Age: 21

    Special Talent: Best Author in the World

    Notes: Somewhat intelligent, but highly antisocial. Possibly a threat.

    Below theirs, a piece of paper contained handwritten notes about Henry Suntor, a big X covering his name (since no one had drawn a picture of him). Jason read the note:

    Henry Suntor ¨C Eater

    Born: December 2<sup>nd</sup>

    Age: 25

    Talent (I guess): Stuffing his fat face

    Notes: Legitimately questioning if he has a brain - not a threat.

    This note contained a lot more spite than the other three had. It was also the only one that was handwritten as opposed to typed. Jason felt as if a different person had written this one. After Henry, Jason noticed that all the files were arranged in alphabetical order ¨C and none of the pictures were crossed out. Jason quickly scanned everyone¡¯s files. The people labeled as threats were A (that was what he was listed as), Lavender, Selena, Lelina, Dexter and Cole, along with Jessica and Alexandra being labeled as potential threats. At the very bottom of the list and completely breaking the alphabetical order, Jason found his own file, also having been handwritten. It read:

    Jason Harlon ¨C Detective

    Born: Not sure

    Age: 22

    Talent: Being infuriatingly curious

    Notes: Knows more than he probably should. Definitely a threat.

    Jason¡¯s had also contained the same amount of spite that Henry¡¯s had. He had also been labeled as a threat, which caused a chill to crawl down his back ¨C could this indicate that he was a potential target?

    ¡°These definitely shouldn¡¯t be left out in the open,¡± Lavender concluded. She had also been reading the files. ¡°But where to hide them...?¡± Lavender thought for a moment. ¡°Hang on ¨C that¡¯s it!¡± she exclaimed. ¡°But¡­¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s it? But what?¡± Jason had absolutely no idea what she was talking about.

    ¡°I know where to hide them so he can¡¯t find them,¡± Lavender said. Jason knew immediately who she was referring to when she had said he ¨C Brian. ¡°But I need you to distract him. He can¡¯t see me going in there ¨C could you do that?¡± Jason nodded, although he wasn¡¯t sure what he was going to do. Suddenly, a large commotion occurred outside the study, giving Jason the distraction he needed.

    Jason ran out of the study, leaving Lavender behind. He immediately saw the cause of the commotion ¨C Anne-Marie had just interrupted Arthur and Dexter¡¯s sword duel to introduce herself. Everyone besides Lavender and Mikad was there.

    ¡°What the hell is this?¡± Michael exclaimed. ¡°There¡¯s another one of these toddlers?¡± His face had become bright red. Jason wondered just how much of the conversation he had missed.

    ¡°Yes, that¡¯s correct,¡± Anne-Marie replied, apparently not bothered by how angry Michael was getting. ¡°My name is Anne-Marie, and I am Brian¡¯s twin sister. Pleased to meet you all,¡± she said, followed by a curtsy.

    ¡°Your voice sounds highly familiar...,¡± Dexter mumbled. ¡°Wait¡­ That¡¯s right¡­ You¡¯re the one reading our names during the investigation, aren¡¯t you?¡±

    ¡°That is also correct,¡± Anne-Marie answered regretfully, ¡°but only because my brother forces me to.¡±

    ¡°He forces you to. Uh-huh,¡± Michael leered at Anne-Marie. ¡°Yeah, I believe that. I also believe that Bigfoot is hiding in the forest right outside here, and that I could jump to the moon just by believing in myself hard enough! What, do you think I¡¯m a freaking idiot?¡± Michael yelled sarcastically.

    ¡°The probability of Bigfoot even existing is very slim, so the likelihood of him being here is almost non-existent, and it is impossible for you to jump to the moon,¡± Anne-Marie answered, oblivious to Michael¡¯s sarcasm. ¡°But I am telling the truth ¨C I¡¯m nothing like my brother.¡±

    ¡°Give us one reason we should believe you,¡± Michael asked. ¡°One. That¡¯s not much to ask for, is it?¡±

    ¡°Why, no, it isn¡¯t much,¡± Anne-Marie answered. ¡°Well, let¡¯s see¡­ No, that could be countered¡­ No, that wouldn¡¯t work either¡­ No, they wouldn¡¯t understand a word¡­¡± Anne-Marie struggled to think of a valid reason.

    ¡°I could probably get us a reason to trust her or not,¡± Jason mentioned. All eyes were now on him.

    ¡°Oh yeah?¡± Michael answered incredulously. ¡°Well then, let¡¯s hear it!¡±

    ¡°Alright, but you probably won¡¯t like it,¡± Jason warned them. Then, he took a deep breath. ¡°Brian! Come out here!¡± he yelled. For a few seconds that felt like an eternity, nothing happened. Then, Brian fizzled in right next to Jason, his arm going through Jason¡¯s thigh.

    ¡°Yes? You called?¡± Brian asked innocently.

    ¡°Could you give us a reason to prove that Anne-Marie isn¡¯t working with you?¡± Jason asked, already sure of the answer.

    ¡°Why, yes, I can!¡± Brian answered enthusiastically. ¡°The reason I¡¯m not working with disappointment incarnate over there is because I could never trust her to do anything right! She¡¯s too nice and innocent to do anything I want her to! So, if you want to try it, be my guest. Have her instead of me having to deal with it!¡± Brian cackled. ¡°Now, if you¡¯ll excuse me, I have some other business to attend to. Toodles!¡± And with that, Brian fizzled out. Jason prayed that that was enough time for Lavender to move the files.

    ¡°Wow,¡± Michael said, ¡°guess I was wrong. Yeah, right! That¡¯s a nice little show you put on there, Jason! Tell me, how long have you been working with Brian?¡±

    ¡°What?¡± Jason asked, bewildered. ¡°Michael, what are you talking about?¡±

    ¡°What am I talking about? Well, this baby over here, we barely knew who she was, and now you come all like ¡®I can explain it¡¯ and you¡¯ve got Brian too?! Did you expect us all to believe you without any doubts?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ve got more brains than I initially thought, ape,¡± Selena added snidely. ¡°Regardless, he does bring up a good point. Really, all that little charade did was make us doubt you,¡± she remarked. Jason now noticed the error of what he had done. Somebody must believe me!

    ¡°U-uh¡­ I believe you, Mr. Harlon,¡± Cole stammered nervously. Everyone turned to look at him. ¡°W-w-what? If he were th-the traitor, why would he even do that? He could and sh-should have just pretended to not know anything about Anne-Marie, and I don¡¯t think Mr. Harlon is that stupid,¡± Cole justified.

    ¡°I believe you too, Jason!¡± Navini exclaimed. ¡°With all you¡¯ve done for us, I don¡¯t think you could ever be the killer!¡± Everyone slowly began to agree with Jason. Selena just shrugged and headed to her room, disappointed in everyone¡¯s willingness to trust each other. Michael remained there, outraged.

    ¡°Well, thank you for believing in me, everyone,¡± Anne-Marie said.

    ¡°Oh yeah, that. Well, uh, guess we trust you too, I think,¡± Navini mumbled.

    ¡°How the hell are you all so frickin¡¯ retarded!¡± Michael exploded. Everyone turned to look at him. His entire body was now completely red in anger. He looked just about ready to blow up. ¡°How can you trust that thing?! Forget Jason, that I get, but that baby is just as demonic and ruthless as the other one! You¡¯re all retarded if you think you can trust it for even a second!¡±

    ¡°I am neither demonic nor ruthless,¡± Anne-Marie said calmly. ¡°My brother acquired all of those traits, and I did not. We are complete opposites in every way ¨C aside from the color of our eyes, that is,¡± Anne-Marie explained.

    ¡°Yeah, like I¡¯m gonna believe that!¡± Michael yelled. ¡°You¡¯re all morons! Stupid! Retarded, even! Gaaaaaaaaaaahhhhh!¡± Michael screeched and ran off to his room. Everyone watched him return to his room.

    ¡°I was afraid someone would react like this,¡± Anne-Marie sighed. ¡°It was to be expected. Still, I¡¯m glad the rest of you are open to accepting me,¡± she said, relieved. Everyone looked at each other awkwardly, still unsure of what to make of the baby. Anne-Marie didn¡¯t seem to notice. ¡°I¡¯m hungry. Where is the kitchen?¡± she asked.

    ¡°Th¡­this way¡­¡± Lelina mentioned, pointing towards the dining room. Anne-Marie started making her way to the kitchen, Lelina following her. Everyone else started rapidly discussing this new development. Jason barely paid attention to them ¨C he ran upstairs, worried about Lavender.

    It took Jason quite a while to find Lavender. The study, as well as the storage room behind it, were empty, the stack of papers on the bureau having vanished. At least Lavender had moved them to a safer spot. Jason looked around, trying to find where she possibly could have taken them. Jason tried knocking on her room door, to no avail. She wasn¡¯t in the library, nor was she in the dining room or the kitchen. No other door had miraculously opened, either. There was only one other place she could be hiding ¨C the recreation room. However, upon entering it, Jason discovered that it was also empty. At that moment, the bookshelf leading to Mikad¡¯s hideout swung open, and Lavender walked out, looking out of breath.

    ¡°There you are!¡± Jason exclaimed quietly. Lavender looked at him for a moment, as if unsure. Then, she looked behind her.

    ¡°No time for catching up. Have you seen Mikad at all?¡± Lavender asked, panting. Jason shook his head. ¡°He wasn¡¯t in there,¡± she explained. Jason¡¯s eyes widened. Mikad had vanished again? Not believing Lavender, Jason went into the secret room. Sure enough, no sign of Mikad anywhere. He noticed, however, that the trunk in the room was slightly bulging upwards, as if something had been haphazardly stuffed into it and the lid no longer closed properly. Now, Jason realized where Lavender had hidden the files concerning the house guests. Mikad¡¯s sudden disappearance was more pressing, however, so the two set out immediately to find him.

    Jason headed to the kitchen first, leaving Lavender to cover the library. He glanced around the kitchen. Unless Mikad was hidden underneath the sink, he wasn¡¯t here. Jason would have gone to look under the sink, but Selena was in the kitchen and she was observing him. She definitely would have asked questions if Jason had looked, so he grabbed an apple as an alibi and left. He headed to the study, thinking maybe Mikad had gotten curious and headed to the study to look. However, the study and storage room proved to be empty, no other guest in the house having noticed their opening. Then, Jason had a thought. The whole reason he had even opened the study was because Navini was acting suspiciously, right? Taking a chance, he headed towards Navini¡¯s door and pressed his ear against it. He could swear he heard someone mumbling to themselves. Normally, this shouldn¡¯t have been strange, but Navini was in the center hall, and should not have been in her room. Jason knocked on the door. He heard a sharp intake of breath on the other side. Jason looked around to make sure no one was watching, and then, quietly but loud enough for the person on the other side of the door to hear, he said:

    ¡°Can you hear me? It¡¯s Jason. Can you come out now?¡± Jason made sure not to say Mikad¡¯s name, in case he was wrong or someone was eavesdropping. For a few seconds, the door didn¡¯t move. Then, the lock clicked. Jason swung open the door open and ended up face-to-face with Mikad, a look of profound shame on his face.

    ¡°Jason, I-¡± Mikad started to apologize, but Jason cut him off.

    ¡°I don¡¯t even want to know. Let¡¯s just get you back to your room, and make sure nobody sees you,¡± Jason said sternly. Jason looked towards the center hall to make sure no one was looking, then motioned to Mikad to move. Mikad sprinted to the recreation room, Jason on his heels. Silently, the two opened the door to the recreation room. There was no one, so Mikad hurriedly grabbed onto the bookshelf as it spun around. Once Jason was alone in the recreation room, he looked for a few moments at Mikad¡¯s bookshelf. ¡°I don¡¯t know why you were out, but if you care about your life at all, don¡¯t leave again. I¡¯ll bring you food soon, okay?¡± Jason talked to the bookshelf, knowing that Mikad was listening. Sighing, Jason left the recreation room. He headed downstairs and into the library, where Lavender was still looking for Mikad.

    ¡°I found him,¡± Jason told Lavender, who jumped in surprise.

    ¡°Found who?¡± Jason hadn¡¯t seen Vivian before he spoke, and shot worried glances at Lavender. ¡°Your inner self? That¡¯s really important, you know. Well, I¡¯m glad you found him!¡± Vivian said dreamily and began spinning around by herself once more. Jason raised an eyebrow in Vivian¡¯s direction, and Lavender chuckled.

    ¡°Yeah, she won¡¯t be much of a problem,¡± Lavender whispered. The two then headed out of the library. Lavender headed to the recreation room, probably to scorn Mikad, and Jason looked around for something to occupy his time.

    After wandering a little, Jason headed into the dining room, where Anne-Marie and Lelina were talking. Lelina looked as though she would rather be anywhere else. She looked at Jason and mouthed help me! Jason shrugged and went to talk to the two.

    ¡°¡­and that is why I- oh, hello, Jason! I was just telling Lelina here about the wonders of believing in something. I feel like it¡¯s very important!¡± Anne-Marie exclaimed.

    ¡°W¡­why do I get the f¡­feeling that you and M¡­Mary would get along very w¡­well?¡± Lelina sighed.

    ¡°Mary? Who might that be?¡± Anne-Marie asked.

    ¡°Th¡­The best priestess in the w¡­world,¡± Lelina replied. Anne-Marie looked at her with disdain.

    ¡°I didn¡¯t mean that kind of belief. Blind faith in something that may or may not be real isn¡¯t good for anything, if you ask me,¡± Anne-Marie confided. ¡°To be quite honest, I¡¯m not sure how that would count as a talent at all.¡±

    ¡°What was that about blind faith?¡± Mary, who had overheard their conversation, cam rushing up to them. ¡°I¡¯ll have you know that I¡¯ve enriched the lives of hundreds by leading them to the path of God!¡±

    ¡°Oh, please don¡¯t start talking about religious nonsense again,¡± Lelina whispered hastily, with none of her usual stutter.

    ¡°Enriched?¡± Anne-Marie asked incredulously. ¡°How? All you¡¯re doing is closing their minds to the world, which is quite the opposite of enrich, if you ask me.¡± Mary looked outraged.

    ¡°You dare!¡± Mary shouted suddenly, her anger having appeared in a flash. ¡°You dare question me, my practices, and by extension, Him? Who do you think you are to deny God like this?! Atheists like yourself will never understand¡­ People are suffering, and God is helping them alleviate the suffering!¡±

    ¡°The placebo effect is rather powerful, I¡¯ll give you that,¡± Anne-Marie pointed out, ¡°but it isn¡¯t helping at all.¡± Mary looked to be on the verge of exploding.

    ¡°This is an outrage!¡± Mary was practically screeching, her voice reaching pitches Jason hadn¡¯t thought possible by a human being. ¡°The placebo effect?! That¡¯s all it is to you? I¡¯ve never met someone so blind before!¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ve never l¡­looked in a mirror b¡­before then,¡± Lelina whispered softly enough so that Mary didn¡¯t hear her. Jason had to supress the urge to laugh.

    ¡°All of you are ignorant fools! I can¡¯t believe you would dare utter such accusations! You¡­ You...!¡± Mary was struggling to find words that suited her anger. ¡°Gaaaaah!¡± I need to pray for forgiveness,¡± Mary uttered angrily before storming off to her room.

    ¡°This is the second person to have stormed off angrily because of me,¡± Anne-Marie remarked. ¡°Am I really that ugly?¡± Lelina looked at her in disbelief, and Jason bit his cheek to stop himself from laughing. ¡°Maybe my breath smells¡­ Are there any mints in the kitchen?¡± Jason bit down harder, blood starting to trickle. Anne-Marie waltzed into the kitchen in search of breath mints. Finally, once she was out of earshot, Jason started howling in laughter. Lelina chuckling beside him.

    ¡°She¡¯s really an odd child,¡± Lelina commented softly. Her voice was completely different, much softer and kinder than usual. ¡°I¡­ wonder what happened to her, before coming here. She¡¯s startlingly thin for her age, and that hair is more a hindrance than anything else.¡± Jason looked at Lelina. If this was how she spoke to children, he now understood why they all loved her, and why she was the best babysitter in the world. ¡°Uh¡­ So, y¡­yeah, I¡¯m going to g¡­ go do¡­ Something I don¡¯t k¡­ know. B¡­ better than wasting t¡­ time here,¡± Lelina said and excused herself. Jason¡¯s gaze lingered on the kitchen door, wondering how Anne-Marie would fare amongst the nerve-wracked guests and the killer. Sensing he had nothing else to do here, Jason headed to his room. Suddenly, a wave of exhaustion washed over him. He collapsed onto his bed and, almost immediately, he fell asleep.

 Chapter 8: Red Herring Hunting Season

    The following morning, Jason woke up smiling. He had dreamt a pleasant dream, but he could not remember what it had been about. Nevertheless, it meant that he was in a good mood upon waking up. He hummed a happy tune as he took a shower and dressed himself. He didn¡¯t know why, but he couldn¡¯t wipe the smile from his face. Jason merrily opened the door to his room and ran down the staircase like a child on Christmas morning. However, his enthusiasm vanished as he saw all the glum and concentrated looks in the dining room. No one looked happy. Everyone was stuck in deep thought.

    ¡°What¡¯s going on in here?¡± Jason asked. Everyone¡¯s heads looked up at him. Lavender, A,Dexter, Selena, Arthur, Dahinko and Skyler had all gathered in the dining room. Michael was standing in front of the kitchen door; a sinister smile having creeped up onto his face. Navini stood next to him, looking to be on the verge of fainting, beads of sweat having formed on her forehead.

    ¡°You wanna know what¡¯s going on?¡± Michael gloated triumphantly. ¡°We¡¯ve finally caught him! He¡¯s stuck in the kitchen right now! Ha ha! I finally did it!¡± Michael seemed to be the only one with this enthusiasm. Everyone else, including the usually cheerful Dahinko, looked pensive and emotionless.

    ¡°Caught him? Who¡¯s he?¡± Jason asked. Had they caught the killer?

    ¡°Mikad,¡± Lavender explained. ¡°He came down for food at the same time as Michael, and Michael managed to pin him down and shackle him to the wall.¡±

    ¡°Shackled him?¡± Jason asked in disbelief. ¡°That seems a little¡­ Drastic.¡±

    ¡°Drastic? For someone who¡¯s killed four people here and who knows how many other outside?¡± Michael asked. ¡°I¡¯m doing you all a favor!¡±

    ¡°No one asked for your opinion, you hairless orangutan,¡± Selena spat out. Michael looked outraged, but he didn¡¯t say anything.

    ¡°We¡¯re discussing what to do with him right now,¡± Lavender commented. ¡°Opinions are¡­ Mixed, shall we say.¡±

    ¡°Some, like Michael, insist on killing him before he does more harm,¡± Dexter growled. ¡°I, however, do not agree with this barbaric mentality. Perhaps simply keeping him locked up somewhere with guards would be a better idea.¡±

    ¡°We tried that last time, remember?¡± Skyler pointed out. ¡°Michael¡¯s guard shift idea went up and died when we tried it. Although, I¡¯ll concede that killing him seems a little extreme¡­¡±

    ¡°We don¡¯t even know if he really is the killer!¡± Dahinko exclaimed. ¡°He could very well be innocent for all we know!¡±

    ¡°Innocent?¡± Michael shouted. ¡°The guy tried to shoot me! What other proof do you need?¡±

    ¡°He tried to shoot you?¡± Jason asked. He sat down, convinced this was going to take long enough to warrant him getting comfortable.

    ¡°Yeah! I mean, he missed, but he still tried to,¡± Michael elaborated.

    ¡°The problem with that claim is that we have no way of confirming it,¡± Arthur pointed out. ¡°Yes, there is a bullet mark on the kitchen wall, but none of us heard the gun firing.¡±

    ¡°Then there must have been a silencer on it or something!¡± Michael protested.

    ¡°Hey A¡­ You know the most about guns out of any of us, right?¡± Dahinko asked A. ¡°Could a silencer be plausible?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯d have to actually see the gun to determine that,¡± A answered. ¡°But, according to Michael, that¡¯s not a possibility.¡±

    ¡°Why not?¡± Jason asked. ¡°If he shot you with it, no matter where he put the gun, it shouldn¡¯t be hard to find.¡±

    ¡°Are you also the world¡¯s best wall climber?¡± Michael asked sarcastically. ¡°Cause if you are, then go ahead! That idiot threw it down the long shaft behind the wall before I could grab it,¡± Michael explained bitterly.

    ¡°As much as I¡¯m willing to believe you on all of this,¡± Selena interrupted, ¡°there are several holes in your story. For starters, we have yet to even confirm this supposed gun attack, and the gun has conveniently disappeared! On top of that, a silencer? Really? That seems like a slight stretch to me.¡± Several heads nodded after Selena had spoken.

    ¡°Well, you have proof that I did catch Mikad,¡± Michael retorted. ¡°Surely that accounts for something with you, princess?¡±

    ¡°You know, I¡¯ve always thought I¡¯d be fit for royalty,¡± Selena replied. ¡°But I digress. It is true that you caught Mikad, and since he is the topic of conversation right now, we should set aside your dubious account. For all that it matters, I agree with Michael in that we should kill Mikad. Even if he isn¡¯t the killer, someone put under this kind of pressure could easily snap and do something dangerous, especially if they¡¯re a master marksman.¡±

    ¡°That brings up another point against Michael,¡± Arthur interjected. ¡°Mikad supposedly has top notch aim, right? So how did he miss Michael at what was basically point-blank range?¡±

    ¡°My guess is that he wasn¡¯t shooting to kill,¡± Lavender hypothesized. ¡°Maybe there wasn¡¯t a silencer, and Mikad was shooting to get our attention. Is everyone absolutely positive that they didn¡¯t hear anything last night that sounded like a gun firing?¡± Everyone looked at each other, uncertain.

    ¡°Firearms are fairly loud instruments of destruction,¡± Dexter pointed out. ¡°If one of us heard it, surely all of us heard it.¡±

    ¡°Maybe not,¡± Lavender said. ¡°How good is the soundproofing in this house? I mean, if we can¡¯t hear a killer murdering people, and we can¡¯t hear them screaming, maybe it¡¯s really good. I¡¯ll assume Michael and Mikad were in the kitchen, and under that assumption, then only the people who were directly above the kitchen could have heard it. The study is right above the kitchen, but unless Anne-Marie slept there, no luck there.¡±

    ¡°I can confirm that she didn¡¯t,¡± Navini spoke up. Her voice was trembling. ¡°I saw her in the recreation room this morning, sleeping. It¡¯s safe to assume she¡¯s been there all night.¡±

    ¡°Then that¡¯s one possibility crossed out. So, whose room is right above the kitchen?¡± Lavender asked.

    ¡°I¡¯ll go have a look!¡± Dahinko volunteered, clearly eager to have something other than discussing to do. Before he could leave the room, however, Vivian and Rose walked in.

    ¡°Good morning, everyone! I hope you slept well. I slept as well as a rose during its hibernation from the gentle caress of winter,¡± Vivian said dreamily.

    ¡°Totally cuckoo, that one,¡± Rose said while making a spinning motion with her finger near her head. ¡°In any case, tell me y¡¯all heard something last night? Or am I going crazy too?¡±

    ¡°You¡­ Heard something?¡± Dahinko asked. ¡°Did it, out of pure curiosity, sound like a gun firing?¡±

    ¡°It sounded like a fierce battle for the heart of a beautiful flower,¡± Vivian replied dreamily. No one paid her any attention.

    ¡°Come to think of it... Yeah! It did!¡± Rose confirmed. ¡°It came from right below me, too. I think that¡¯s the kitchen or somethin¡¯.¡±

    ¡°Well, that confirms my hypothesis,¡± Lavender stated. ¡°It seems Mikad really was trying to get someone¡¯s attention.¡±

    ¡°Wait, Mikad? What¡¯s that guy got to do with any of this?¡± Rose asked. Jason hurriedly summarized the situation for Rose and Vivian. Rose¡¯s eyes widened and Vivian seemed stuck in the perpetual trance that she was always in.

    ¡°So, Mikad didn¡¯t try to kill Michael. How very¡­ Illuminating,¡± Selena said, savoring every word she spoke. All eyes were now on Michael, who suddenly looked very uncomfortable.

    ¡°How was I supposed to know he wasn¡¯t trying to shoot me?! He pulled out a frickin¡¯ gun! Of course I would assume he would shoot me!¡± Michael protested. ¡°Plus, the guy is our primary suspect for the best killer in the world! It¡¯s only natural that I-¡±

    ¡°No, it isn¡¯t natural,¡± Selena interrupted. ¡°The only reason he tried to get our attention with his gun must be because he felt threatened by you. What exactly transpired in the kitchen?¡± All eyes were once more on Michael.

    ¡°Why don¡¯t we try talking to Mikad?¡± Jason proposed. ¡°He¡¯s shackled to a wall, right? There shouldn¡¯t be any danger in talking to him.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, about that¡­¡± Michael answered sheepishly. ¡°I may or may not have knocked him out? Out of self defense, of course,¡± he added hastily. Jason sighed.

    ¡°This is getting more and more complicated by the minute,¡± Lavender stated. ¡°We¡¯ll just have to wait for him to wake up.¡± Everyone nodded, and taking this a sign that the conversation had been adjourned, everyone except Jason, Lavender and Michael got up and left. Michael stayed in front of the kitchen door, probably to guard the supposedly unconscious Mikad. Lavender motioned to Jason under the table, so Michael wouldn¡¯t see it. From what Jason understood, she was asking him to wait for her in the recreation room. Jason nodded and slowly headed to the recreation room.

    Jason sat down on one of the sofas in the recreation room, waiting for Lavender. Unlike what Navini claimed, Anne-Marie was nowhere to be seen. After a few minutes, Lavender walked into the room. Making sure she wasn¡¯t being followed, she headed straight for the bookshelf leading to the secret room. Jason followed, hanging onto the bookshelf as Lavender made it spin. Once she had hopped off the bookshelf and into Mikad¡¯s hideout, she immediately turned to Jason.

    ¡°What do we do?¡± Lavender asked, worried. ¡°If Michael has his way, Mikad is basically dead at this point. We know he¡¯s innocent, but how do we prove it¡­?¡± Lavender thought silently for a few moments. Jason had had a feeling that Mikad wouldn¡¯t stay a secret forever, and yet he couldn¡¯t believe he had been careless enough to get caught. And by Michael of all people! This was just about the worst-case scenario for Mikad, and the best-case scenario for Michael. If what Michael said was true, and that Mikad had indeed attacked him, then Mikad couldn¡¯t be cleared of any guilt. Plus, Michael would be proven right, and people might start to rally around him, which was the worst thing that could possibly happen. Michael, as brave and strong as he was, didn¡¯t know the first thing about people, so him becoming a leader would probably result in a horrific multitude of brash and irresponsible decisions. A thought then dawned on Jason ¨C what if Michael was the killer? He could claim he was attacked, and while no one was watching, let Mikad go and hide. He could then kill everyone but Mikad one by one. Was that a possibility? Jason doubted the rash and frankly stupid Michael could possibly be the killer. His mind still considered the possibility. After a while of thinking, Lavender¡¯s head shot up.

    ¡°What is it?¡± Jason asked, and was immediately shushed by Lavender. Quickly, she motioned to the trunk.

    ¡°Hide! Someone¡¯s coming!¡± she whispered. Suddenly, Jason heard footsteps that were dangerously close to the bookshelf. Lavender hopped into the empty trunk, and Jason barely had had time to go in the trunk and bring the lid down before the bookshelf started spinning. The trunk¡¯s lid was slightly ajar, so Lavender and Jason could observe the newcomer. To Jason¡¯s surprise, Navini walked into the room, still as pale as she had been during the meeting in the dining room. She looked nervously around the room. Navini sat down on the blankets that covered an area of the room (presumably serving as Mikad¡¯s bed) and started crying. It was very silent, but tears began flowing down her face. She lay down on the blankets, bringing one up to cover her face. She wept silently for a while. Slowly, Lavender crept out of the trunk, leaving Jason behind. She walked up to Navini and put her arms around her. Navini was initially startled, but she quickly collapsed into Lavender¡¯s arms and started wailing. Jason then left the trunk and awkwardly watched Navini cry into Lavender¡¯s arms. A thought then struck Jason.

    ¡°Um, Lavender¡­,¡± Jason awkwardly interrupted Navini¡¯s crying. Lavender got up to look at Jason, and Navini stopped crying but stayed on the blankets, her eyes wet. ¡°The trunk is empty¡­ Didn¡¯t you bring all the files from the study here?¡±

    ¡°I did¡­ Wait, you¡¯re right! Why are they not?¡± Lavender gasped and rushed over to the trunk to confirm what Jason had said.

    ¡°How do you two¡­ Never mind...,¡± Navini sighed. She stared at the other two for a little bit. ¡°Those were files?¡± Lavender and Jason¡¯s heads turned to face Navini almost in unison. ¡°Mikad saw them and decided to bring them somewhere safer, so he hid them in my room,¡± she explained, sniffling every two words. Her eyes then lit up, and she shot up, practically leaping off the blankets. ¡°He was still moving them when he got caught by Michael!¡± she exclaimed, and rushed out of the room, not waiting for Jason and Lavender.

    ¡°Of course he moved them¡­¡± Lavender sighed, exasperated. She hung onto the bookshelf along with Jason, and she tugged at the right book. The bookshelf spun, and by the time they hopped off, Navini was already out of sight.

    ¡°Why did Navini know about the secret room?¡± Jason asked as they chased after Navini.

    ¡°Ever since you told me about her weirdness in the recreation room, I¡¯ve had a suspicion she knew. Mikad hiding in her room only confirmed it,¡± Lavender explained. ¡°The two must have bumped into each other, and she trusted him for whatever reason.¡±

    ¡°But why did he trust her so much more than us? What gives?¡± Jason wondered aloud. There was no time to wonder, as they had caught up to Navini, who was now confronting Michael.

    ¡°Please! I need to see Mikad!¡± Navini pleaded. Michael laughed cruelly.

    ¡°Yeah, yeah, whatever,¡± Michael replied. ¡°You¡¯re not going to. Mikad is dangerous, girlie, so I can¡¯t allow you to go see him. You got that?¡±

    ¡°Michael,¡± Lavender began, ¡°we also need to talk to-¡±

    ¡°Man, what is it with you people and not understanding the word NO! You can¡¯t. Done. Finished. Finito. You got that?¡± Michael interrupted.

    ¡°We can handle ourselves,¡± Jason countered. ¡°Plus, he¡¯s shackled and unconscious, so I doubt he could-¡±

    ¡°Well, whatever your planned excuse to get past me was, I¡¯m not budging. So there! Unless you think you can get me out of the way? Ha! Good one, me,¡± Michael teased. The other three were not amused in the slightest.

    ¡°Funny, I also must see Mikad,¡± someone said behind them. Arthur, dressed in her full suit of armor, walked up behind them. ¡°Unless you think you can stop me?¡± Arthur taunted. Michael grit his teeth and reluctantly walked into the kitchen. Navini, Lavender and Jason followed suit. Arthur walked in last, but instead of going to Mikad, she stayed at the entrance to guard.

    Michael had said the truth about one thing ¨C Mikad was shackled to the wall in the same manner as Henry (albeit with far less cuts) and unconscious. Quite a bit of blood was splattered on the wall, and Mikad¡¯s face had been smashed, bruises forming all over it. Navini rushed up to him and checked his pulse. She sighed in relief.

    ¡°He¡¯s alive,¡± she confirmed. She hugged Mikad for a brief moment before allowing Lavender to search for the files. They weren¡¯t hard to find ¨C Mikad had slipped them into the inside pocket of his tuxedo jacket. Lavender took them out of the jacket and slipped them in between her skirt and her skin, using the waistband in her skirt to hold them. She then left, followed by Jason. Navini lingered by Mikad¡¯s side for a moment.

    ¡°So, what did you need from Mikad?¡± Lavender asked Arthur.

    ¡°Nothing. I saw Michael being unjust and cruel to you, so I had to intervene. Call it a desire to protect the weak,¡± Arthur explained. While Jason didn¡¯t particularly like being called weak, Arthur¡¯s intentions were still admirable.

    ¡°That reminds me,¡± Lavender said. ¡°I was wondering¡­ You¡¯re called Sir Arthur Kingsley, right? But you¡¯re a girl¡­ Wouldn¡¯t Dame Arthur Kingsley be more appropriate?¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t think anyone had noticed,¡± Arthur confessed. ¡°Let me answer your question with another question ¨C how surprised were you to learn that I was a girl?¡±

    ¡°Hm¡­ If I¡¯m being quite frank, I¡¯d have to say extremely surprised,¡± Lavender answered. This reflected Jason¡¯s thoughts as well.

    ¡°So, you were surprised. Then, imagine being a King and you found out that your most loyal and masculine knight was actually cross-dressing? Yeah, he wouldn¡¯t take it well, either. To most people, I¡¯m known as Sir Arthur Kingsley because, to most people, I¡¯m known as a man. Does that answer your question?¡± Arthur asked. Lavender nodded.Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation.

    ¡°Then, what¡¯s your real name?¡± Lavender asked. ¡°I¡¯m just assuming here, but Arthur is a very odd name for a girl.¡±

    ¡°Of course, it is,¡± Arthur replied. ¡°To be quite frank, I barely ever use my real name anymore. In my head, I¡¯ve become Arthur Kingsley. I think my mother is the only person who still calls me by my real name, and I haven¡¯t spoken to her in years. To answer your question, I believe that my real name is Arthur Kingsley, and that is what I wish for everyone to address me as, regardless of my gender,¡± Arthur explained. Lavender nodded once more, then exited the kitchen. Seeing that everyone was leaving, Navini followed suit, followed by Jason and Arthur. Jason noticed that Michael didn¡¯t leave the kitchen with them, staying by Mikad for a while. Politely excusing themselves from Arthur, the other three rushed up to Navini¡¯s room as fast as humanly possible. Navini hurriedly grabbed the key in her pocket and opened the room.

    Jason hadn¡¯t been sure what to expect. In terms of colors and proportions, it was a carbon copy of Lola¡¯s and Vicki¡¯s. However, what set them apart was the sheer number of materials in Navini¡¯s room: ribbons, pins, fabrics, beads, pearls, jewels¡­ Just about anything that could be used as an ornament on a costume was somewhere in Navini¡¯s room. In the corner of the room stood a mannequin, which was currently wearing a dark red dress covered in flame marks. On the table and on Navini¡¯s bed lay needles and string, presumably for sowing. All the materials were scattered around the room, creating a very cluttered environment. Navini swung open her closet. Looking at her outfits, Jason could immediately tell that whoever had recreated copies of her outfits didn¡¯t have as much talent as she did. Jason noticed that, compared to the one she was wearing, all the copies had far less beads and glitter. In the corner of her closet lay the files that Mikad had transported there. Jason noticed that Mikad¡¯s file was on top. Lavender took the files out of her skirt and placed them in Navini¡¯s closet. Lavender and Jason stood by awkwardly as Navini shoved some loose fabric into the closet with her foot so it would close.

    ¡°Well, no point in moving them again,¡± Lavender sighed. ¡°We can only hope he didn¡¯t see us bring them in here, or you might be in danger.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll be fine,¡± Navini assured them. ¡°I¡¯m more worried about Mikad than anything else. God, why won¡¯t Michael just let him go?!¡±

    ¡°Michael can¡¯t stand to be wrong,¡± Lavender answered. ¡°He¡¯s convinced himself that Mikad is the killer, so if he were wrong, I think he would break down. Just by observing his actions, that much becomes clear. That¡¯s part of the reason he¡¯s trying to make us believe Mikad attacked him and that it was only self-defence on his part. If we prove him wrong, he might just break,¡± Lavender guessed. Navini stared at the floor, contemplating. Jason thought about what Lavender had said ¨C would Michael really have a mental breakdown just because he was wrong? Is that why he was acting so rash? Jason thought it was a bit of a stretch to think as much. Suddenly, someone knocked on the door. Navini opened it, and Selena walked in, not waiting to be invited in.

    ¡°Oh, you¡¯re here as well. Perfect, then, that¡¯s everyone!¡± Selena chimed. ¡°Allow me to be brief. Mikad¡¯s awake. We¡¯re waiting for you three in the kitchen. Everyone else is there, including Michael. Now, if you¡¯ll excuse me,¡± Selena curtsied and left the room. The three left in Navini¡¯s room looked at each other before heading back down to the kitchen.

    Jason walked into the kitchen, half expecting Mikad to be frantically screaming his head off. Instead, Mikad looked petrified, as though he was scared that he was about to die. Michael looked profoundly defeated. Everyone else was hurriedly murmuring amongst each other, trying to validate their own theories with the others. Silence fell inside the kitchen when Navini, Jason and Lavender walked into the room.

    ¡°He said he¡¯d only speak to one of you three,¡± Alexandra explained. Mikad looked up to see Jason, Lavender and Navini and sighed in relief.

    ¡°You¡¯ll believe me, right?¡± Mikad pleaded. Navini nodded frenetically while Lavender and Jason stayed silent. ¡°Michael attacked me! I just came down here for food, and Michael jumps me! I tried to get your attention by shooting the wall, but Michael snatched my gun and threw it down the shaft! Then, he knocked me out and gagged me!¡±

    ¡°He gagged you?¡± Lavender interrupted. ¡°But we didn¡¯t see a gag when we came to see you¡­¡±

    ¡°Then he must have removed it while I was unconscious!¡± Mikad guessed. ¡°To make himself look less despicable! Don¡¯t trust a word he says!¡±

    ¡°Coming from the murderer, that means jack,¡± Michael retorted.

    ¡°He¡¯s right, you know,¡± Axel murmured. ¡°We still don¡¯t know if you¡¯re the killer or not. For all we know, you¡¯re lying right now!¡±

    ¡°Only God can know that for sure,¡± Mary said.

    ¡°Leave your God out of this,¡± Timothy replied. Mary shot daggers at him with her eyes. Timothy hastily blocked her stare with his top hat.

    ¡°But it isn¡¯t Mikad!¡± Navini protested. ¡°I mean, he was nowhere to be found when Vicki and Lola died!¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s what you think!¡± Michael laughed boisterously. ¡°We just didn¡¯t see him, that¡¯s all. He was hiding in the closet in the library like a cockroach the entire time!¡±

    ¡°Actually, I went in the closet during the investigation, and I can guarantee he wasn¡¯t there,¡± Lavender confirmed. ¡°I believe Jason and Selena also investigated it, hence why they were also granted immunity,¡± she added. Jason and Selena both nodded in agreement. Michael suddenly looked incredibly uncomfortable. ¡°I went to confirm it myself, with Jason ¨C Mikad didn¡¯t go anywhere near the library before, during or after Vicki¡¯s death.¡±

    ¡°Wait a minute ¨C you knew where he was hiding?¡± Michael pointed out. ¡°So, you¡¯re all accomplices! You¡¯re all trying to pin this on me, when really you¡¯re all working together!¡±

    ¡°As if anyone could rely on Mikad to handle the pressure of lying convincingly,¡± Selena responded snidely. ¡°A land mine deals with pressure better than he does.¡±

    ¡°Rude, but you have a point,¡± Navini said. ¡°Michael, tell us the truth. Why do you insist on Mikad being the killer?¡±

    ¡°Because¡­ He has to be, doesn¡¯t he?¡± Michael answered softly. ¡°It can¡¯t be anyone else, right?¡± Everyone looked at each other.

    ¡°That¡¯s where you¡¯re wrong,¡± Selena exclaimed. ¡°It can very well be one of us. In fact, I¡¯m sure that Mikad isn¡¯t the killer, and the real culprit is probably containing themselves from dying of laughter at how stupid we all look. Mikad, the killer? Surely there are more likely suspects in the room, wouldn¡¯t you all agree?¡± Selena paused. ¡°Like¡­ Michael, for instance?¡± Everyone¡¯s eyes turned to Michael. Sweat started forming on his forehead out of nervousness.

    ¡°Hang on. You think I¡¯m the killer?¡± Michael yelled.

    ¡°It¡¯s just an educated guess,¡± Selena replied calmly. ¡°Feel free to dispute it. After all, isn¡¯t that what you have about Mikad? An educated guess?¡± Michael seemed to be more confused than angry.

    ¡°But¡­ When Henry died, he was in the kitchen, right? Wouldn¡¯t that make him a likely suspect?¡± Michael tried to argue.

    ¡°Ah yes, since we didn¡¯t see him leave, he must be the killer! Get real, ape. This isn¡¯t Sherlock 1-0-1, this is real. There are a thousand more reasons to think that Mikad is not the killer, and later events seem to prove that,¡± Selena retorted. Michael seemed completely lost. His face displayed defeat, anguish and despair all crudely mixed together. ¡°Ah, the satisfaction of crushing dumb people¡¯s theories! It never ceases to please,¡± Selena sighed in satisfaction.

    ¡°Sadist,¡± Navini grumbled. ¡°In any case, does this mean Mikad is cleared of guilt?¡±

    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t say that,¡± Jason argued. ¡°But, it definitely doesn¡¯t warrant him hiding in fear from all of us.¡± At this, Mikad¡¯s eyes lit up. ¡°Where are the keys, Michael?¡± Michael shakily pointed at the sink. Navini rushed over to it, and grabbed the keys that hung under the sink. She ran back to Mikad and freed him from the shackles. Mikad rubbed his wrists before looking at everyone. A lot of emotions were displayed on people¡¯s faces ¨C fear, joy, excitement, hatred ¨C but one predominated all of them: uncertainty. If Mikad was just as probable a suspect as anyone else, then who can I trust? That was what every single person in the room thought at that very moment. Silence and tension installed themselves in the room, creating a dense atmosphere, powerful enough to choke anyone who tried to talk.

    ¡°Well, um, thanks, I guess,¡± Mikad broke the silence. ¡°In any case, I¡¯d love to try and get my gun back¡­ Hm¡­¡± Mikad stared down the shaft at where his gun was supposedly laying. Slowly, people started filing out of the room. Mikad scratched his head, clearly trying to figure out a way down the shaft that didn¡¯t involve throwing his whole body down there. Jason lingered in the kitchen, observing the now free Mikad. Navini stayed at his side, and this prompted Jason to think about her. Navini seemed unusually attached to Mikad ever since she had discovered his hiding spot, and Jason had to wonder why. Could they be in love? Surely not. They had only known each other for a few days, and it wouldn¡¯t be the smartest thing to grow feelings for other people in a life-and-death scenario. Then, what was it? What was the thing that had connected these two, so much so that Navini seemed completely convinced that Mikad could not be the killer? With this thought in his head, Jason wandered out of the kitchen and returned to his room, where he pondered the thought.

    And yet, after what seemed like hours of thinking had passed, Jason was no closer to a conclusion than he had been initially. The only answer seemed to be love, but it was an answer that left so many loose ends! Jason¡¯s train of thought was interrupted by a timid knock on his door. Opening it, he saw Jessica standing in the hallway.

    ¡°Can I help you?¡± Jason asked. Jessica didn¡¯t seem like the kind of person who would want help from anyone, and yet here she was.

    ¡°It¡¯s¡­ yawn¡­ Michael,¡± she said in a bored tone. ¡°He¡¯s completely lost it. Um¡­ He¡¯s in the main hall¡­ yawn¡­ hammering away at the front door,¡± she elaborated. In response, Jason heard a dull thud coming from the front hallway. Curious, he made his way down, Jessica accompanying him. Michael stood in front of the door, his fists pounding at the front door in rage. His face was completely red in rage. A, Lavender, Rose and Audrey stood by, looking nervously at the infuriated Michael.

    ¡°Oh! Jason!¡± Lavender exclaimed. Everyone except Michael turned to look at him. Michael kept pounding at the door. ¡°I figured if anyone would know how to calm him down, it would be you.¡±

    ¡°For starters, get Cole over here ¨C he¡¯s a therapist, isn¡¯t he?¡± Jason answered. ¡°And why did you think I would know what to do?¡±

    ¡°Well, who else was I going to ask?¡± Lavender replied. Jason shrugged in response. Michael kept smashing into the door, the sound of fists meeting wood echoing through the hall.

    ¡°Another thing ¨C where is everyone else?¡± Jason asked. ¡°Surely his fists smashing against a door would be loud enough to warrant people investigating.¡±

    ¡°Jason, we couldn¡¯t hear a gunshot from our rooms ¨C do you really think we could hear this?¡± Lavender pointed out. Again, Jason shrugged.

    ¡°In any case, we should stop him. With force. I¡¯ve got a rifle, just saying,¡± A suggested.

    ¡°We¡¯re not going to shoot him,¡± Lavender replied in disgust.

    ¡°Then maybe I could¡­ Persuade him to stop punching the door. By lighting it on fire!¡± Audrey cackled.

    ¡°You¡¯re crazy, aren¡¯t ya?¡± Rose said, worried. ¡°Remind me to be as far away as possible when you do anything at all.¡±

    ¡°Aw, come on! It¡¯s just a little heat and some light! It never killed anyone!¡± Audrey reassured a somehow even more worried-looking Rose before she burst out laughing once more. Jason had to resist the urge to point out how incredibly wrong that statement had been.

    ¡°I¡¯ll¡­ yawn¡­ go get Cole, then.¡± Jessica said, apparently indifferent to Michael¡¯s violent outburst. She then walked off towards Cole¡¯s room. The others waited impatiently for her return, with only Michael¡¯s outrage as a distraction. Strangely enough, Michael was completely silent, his teeth gritted in silence. After what seemed like an eternity, Jessica returned with Cole and Selena.

    ¡°She insisted on tagging along,¡± Jessica explained when everyone looked curiously towards Selena. Taking one look at Cole, Jason immediately knew something was wrong. Every time Michael¡¯s fists made contact with the wood, Cole flinched a little. His small, nervous eyes were glued to him, almost in some sort of hypnotic trance. Selena observed him quietly.

    ¡°Cole?¡± Jason asked. Cole jumped, the trance seemingly having been broken. ¡°Do you think you could talk Michael out of hammering away at the door?¡±

    ¡°Um¡­¡± Cole seemed hesitant to approach Michael. In response, A put a reassuring hand onto Cole¡¯s shoulder. ¡°I¡­ guess I can, um, give it a go¡­¡± Cole¡¯s response was lacking anything resembling confidence. Trembling, Cole walked up to Michael, A following close behind. Cole waited in front of Michael for a while, waiting to see if Michael would even notice that he was there. Eventually, Cole realized that Michael was never going to notice Michael, and he tapped on his shoulder, a feat that proved somewhat difficult to accomplish considering their difference in height. Michael stopped pounding on the door and turned around to face Cole.

    ¡°What the hell do you want?¡± Michael shouted angrily before noticing Cole. Cole¡¯s eyes immediately watered up, and he seemed on the verge of tears. Michael¡¯s face underwent an almost painful transformation ¨C his expression softened up unbelievably quickly when he noticed Cole. ¡°Hey, look, I didn¡¯t mean to yell, I just¡­¡± Michael stammered. But it was too late. Cole began crying waterfalls, sniffling like a toddler. Michael stooped down to hug him, his burly arms wrapping around Cole¡¯s thin frame with no problem at all. Cole stopped crying, instead petting Michael¡¯s hair, as if he were the one recomforting him. Completely out of nowhere, Michael began crying, tears streaming down his face. He did not release Cole. Instead, he hugged him even tighter, which seemed to squeeze Cole. Nevertheless, Cole continued petting Michael, who cried even more tears. Everyone else in the room watched in awe at the complete transformation that Michael had underwent. Jason¡¯s attention, however, was fixated on Cole ¨C how had he broken Michael so quickly and so efficiently? Was this his technique as a therapist?

    ¡°I¡¯m just¡­ so angry,¡± Michael whispered to Cole, who nodded, his head being barely visible, having been squeezed into Michael¡¯s bare chest. ¡°I failed them. I wanted to lead them, and to get everyone out, but I¡­ I can¡¯t even do that,¡± Michael¡¯s voice was incredibly soft. Everyone leaned in to hear Michael¡¯s whispers, but Michael didn¡¯t seem to notice them. ¡°I pinned it all on Mikad¡­ Why¡­ Why wasn¡¯t I right? Now, they all look at me with hatred¡­ What do I do? I tried to have an innocent killed, didn¡¯t I? I¡¯m no better than that stupid baby¡­¡± Michael told Cole.

    ¡°Shh¡­ It¡¯s okay,¡± Cole whispered back. ¡°You only fought for what you believed in, and for everyone¡¯s safety¡­ Don¡¯t you ever compare yourself to a psychopath like him, okay?¡±

    ¡°Okay¡­¡± Michael answered in a barely audible whisper. The two continued to hug for a while. Eventually, Selena lost interest and left the room. Everyone else continued looking at the two. It was at that moment that Jason noticed Michael¡¯s knuckles ¨C they were covered in blood. Had Michael punished himself by making his knuckles bleed out?

    ¡°Do you want to continue punching the door?¡± Cole asked. Michael finally released Cole, the latter of whom staggered back to regain his breath. Michael nodded and turned around, readying his fist. When he resumed, Jason noticed the expression on Michael¡¯s face had changed completely ¨C his anger had been replaced with a steely resolve. The group dispersed, Cole sighing contentedly. Jason walked up to Cole.

    ¡°How did you do that?¡± Jason asked him as they were returning to their respective rooms. Cole shrugged.

    ¡°I guess it, uh, just comes naturally, ha, ha¡­¡± Cole answered, his usual nervousness having returned. ¡°It¡¯s, um, just a trick I picked up¡­ No good person can, um, resist helping someone that seems, well, you know, weaker, ha, ha.¡± Cole stared at the ground as he walked. ¡°It¡¯s, um, kind of funny, actually¡­ By helping someone they see as, um, weak, they make themselves more, uh, vulnerable, so that I can see their, um, weaknesses, and try to correct them, ha, ha¡­¡± Cole explained. They had finally reached Cole¡¯s room¡¯s door. Cole lingered outside for a moment. ¡°Well, um, goodbye, I guess¡­¡± Just as he opened the door, he and Jason heard a sound that made their eyes widen in panic.

    Trumpets began blaring through the speakers.

    Almost comically, Cole slammed his door shut. Lavender and Selena came leaping out of their rooms, others soon following. Jason noticed all the doors that opened. Aside from everyone that was already deceased, only Mikad, Michael and Gary¡¯s door didn¡¯t open. Everyone else looked around to see who was missing.

    ¡°Cole! Jason!¡± Dahinko came sprinting towards them, panting. Skyler was close behind. ¡°Glad to see you two are okay! Then, hm¡­ the victim must be Michael, Mikad or Gary, right? They¡¯re the only ones who aren¡¯t here right now!¡±

    ¡°We, uh, just saw Michael, um, a second ago¡­¡± Cole stammered. The dull thuds continued to echo out of the main hall. ¡°That would, uh, be him making all that, um, noise.¡±

    ¡°Then, Mikad or Gary?¡± Dahinko inquired.

    ¡°Don¡¯t think about that!¡± Skyler chastised. ¡°For now, we should focus on finding the body, not on who it is. After all, since those trumpets rung, it means that we have to investigate again, right?¡±

    ¡°Then, where is the body?¡± Dahinko asked. ¡°Hm¡­ Hmmmmmm¡­ I have no idea!¡± Dahinko eventually exclaimed. ¡°Why don¡¯t we try looking where we all saw Mikad last? And I guess someone should go check on Gary,¡± Dahinko added with disdain. ¡°I mean, if we have to.¡±

    ¡°Yes, we have to,¡± Skyler confirmed. ¡°I¡¯ll go check on Gary. You three go to the kitchen and look for any sign of Mikad.¡± Nodding, the three of them headed to the kitchen, leaving Skyler to check on Gary.

    Jason, Dahinko and Cole ran to the kitchen, where they met a frantic Navini.

    ¡°Have any of you seen Mikad?¡± She asked. ¡°I was with him until a few minutes ago¡­¡±

    ¡°You were?¡± Jason asked. ¡°Then, he isn¡¯t here?¡± Navini shook her head. She looked as pale as a ghost. ¡°Then, maybe you could help me. What did Mikad do until a few minutes ago?¡±

    ¡°Well, let¡¯s see¡­ He was trying to get his gun from the stone shaft, and then suddenly, he yelled ¡°A-ha!¡± and bolted from the room. I think he got an idea of how to get the pistol¡­ Wait, so you haven¡¯t seen him either?¡± Navini asked. Somehow, she became even paler, all shred of color having well and truly abandoned her face.

    ¡°He got an idea for his gun¡­ And then what? Where did he go?¡± Dahinko asked. Navini shrugged. ¡°Which way did he go?¡± Again, Navini shrugged. ¡°Well, this is helpful. Where the heck did he go?¡± Dahinko asked aloud.

    ¡°He must have gone upstairs,¡± Jason guessed. ¡°I don¡¯t think he¡¯d think of anything useful in the library.¡±

    ¡°Has¡­ Has he even, um, seen the library?¡± Cole inquired. ¡°I mean, uh, he, um, was hidden, uh, until just a few hours ago, ha, ha¡­¡± Cole stammered.

    ¡°Good point,¡± Jason acknowledged. ¡°Then, he must be¡­¡± Jason¡¯s eyes lit up. ¡°His hiding spot!¡± Jason bolted out of the kitchen. The other three followed, somewhat confused. Jason sprinted as fast as he could to the recreation room. Opening it, he saw no one in it. He waited for the other three to catch up before he hung on to the bookshelf and let himself spin. After a minute, Cole, Dahinko and Navini also entered the hideout.

    ¡°You think he¡¯d be in here?¡± Navini asked. ¡°He was so happy to finally be able to leave, too¡­ What would he do in here?¡±

    ¡°What even is this place? And how do you two know about it?¡± Dahinko asked. Cole nodded along.

    ¡°We¡¯ll explain later. There are more important things to deal with right now,¡± Jason answered. However, looking around the empty room, Jason noticed nothing off right away. Everything seemed to be exactly as it was when he had last seen it. With one glaring exception.

    Lying on the trunk was a sleek, silver pistol.

    Jason¡¯s eyes widened when he noticed it. It could have had bright lights and sirens attached to it for all the impact it had in the room. According to what Navini had just said, Mikad hadn¡¯t retrieved the pistol yet. Why was it here? Navini audibly gasped when she noticed it.

    ¡°I¡¯ll¡­ I¡¯ll go warn everyone else¡­¡± Dahinko muttered, also having noticed the pistol, and left the hideout. Cole, slightly confused, kept looking around the room, presumably for a body. The pistol almost seemed like an invitation, as if the killer was trying to say: ¡°Where did I hide it? You know who it is, but can you find him?¡± Navini seemed to have also caught on, and she slid to the floor, faint. Jason walked around the room. Where did Mikad go? Suddenly, a drop of liquid hit his forehead. He brought his finger up to touch the blotch of liquid.

    It was an unmistakable drop of blood.

    Jason looked up. Directly above him was the vent in the ceiling that seemingly existed to let air into the hidden chamber. He noticed that he had stepped into a puddle of blood, as well. The metal seemed to be stained, though whether that was blood or rust, Jason couldn¡¯t tell. The vent was out of Jason¡¯s reach, having been placed on the ceiling.

    ¡°Cole! I need your help. I want to open the vent in the ceiling,¡± Jason asked. Cole made his way to the vent, where Jason kneeled to let Cole onto his back. This way, Cole was tall enough to reach the vent. The bolts were undone except for a loose one in the corner. Cautiously, Cole swung the vent open. Immediately, Cole leaped from Jason¡¯s shoulders, crashing onto the floor.

    Considering what lay in the vent, it was understandable.

    The killer had positioned the body so that exactly half of it hung from the vent, while the other half was positioned so as to support it from the vent. As such, only the torso of the body was visible, but that was more than enough. The huge pool of blood had evidently come from the victim¡¯s slashed neck, which was now pouring blood out of it onto Jason¡¯s unsuspecting face and hair. Shining just as brightly as the pistol was a camo combat knife jammed into the victim¡¯s chest with expertise aim. The victim¡¯s eyes were wide open in fear, and his face bore an expression of true horror and betrayal. They had probably seen the killer in their final moments, and had been in shock of the truth. For now, Jason had no interest in the shocking truth of the killer¡¯s identity. Something else occupied his entire attention.

    Hung out of the vent, his body having been mutilated and his face forever plastered with an expression of horror, Mikad Sharp stared down at Jason with a look that haunted Jason¡¯s dreams forever.

    <u>SURVIVORS: 22</u>

 Chapter 9: Milady Karma

    Even though Jason had known Mikad would be the victim, it didn¡¯t make it any easier. Navini fainted as soon as the cover of the vent had been removed, and Cole began crying and hyperventilating. Jason, unable to tear his eyes off the bloody mess that was supposed to be Mikad, awkwardly shuffled over to Cole to try and reassure him.

    ¡°Aaaaaaaahh!¡± someone screamed. Dahinko had just returned, Skyler and Lavender having tagged along with him. Lavender sighed and Skyler let out a gasp in shock. Immediately, Lavender rushed to the vent.

    ¡°Someone help me. He¡¯s slipping,¡± Lavender stated. It was true ¨C due to all the blood and the removal of the grate as a support, Mikad¡¯s body began sliding out of the vent. Paler than ever, Skyler headed to the vent and helped Lavender retrieve the body.

    ¡°I¡¯m going to need a shower after this,¡± Skyler muttered.

    ¡°Tell me about it,¡± Jason said as he felt his hair, which was now sticky with blood. The bookshelf flipped open once more, and Selena walked in, apparently not the least bit shocked to find a dead body in the vent.

    ¡°Well, this isn¡¯t any fun. Anyone with half a brain knew he would be the next victim,¡± Selena commented. Everyone pretended to ignore her. The bookshelf spun again, but this time, it stopped after completing a 90 degree turn, allowing people to enter and exit at will. Jason suspected that Brian had something to do with this, but since there were no cameras in this room, Brian couldn¡¯t make himself appear to tell them. Hang on. If Brian can¡¯t see in this room, then how does he know how the killer murdered Mikad? Jason thought.

    ¡°Brian probably already knows,¡± Lavender said aloud, having had the same thought. ¡°Or maybe the killer will tell him when they go in the room to explain the murder. Either way, Brian will know the answer,¡± she explained.

    ¡°Ugh. There, I moved it,¡± Skyler said, somewhat disgusted. Mikad¡¯s bloody mess of a corpse now lay on his bed, immediately drenching the covers into a scarlet-red color. From here, it was easier to see the large slash across Mikad¡¯s neck. After having stepped away from the body, Skyler went to see Dahinko, who looked no better than Cole or Navini.

    ¡°Oh, and since you didn¡¯t listen to me last time, no one wake up Navini ¨C an easy out is something rather lovely, don¡¯t you think?¡± Selena reiterated. As if in spite, Navini came to, looking really pale, like she would pass out again at any moment. Selena frowned, and began to investigate Mikad¡¯s body.

    ¡°I¡¯m¡­ sorry guys,¡± Navini apologized. ¡°I don¡¯t think I¡¯m¡­ in a condition to do an autopsy right now¡­¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s alright,¡± Lavender replied. ¡°We can figure it out ourselves. But, you don¡¯t plan on not doing anything during the investigation, right? Look what happened to Lola!¡±

    ¡°Unless you and Mikad have another sob story,¡± Selena interjected. ¡°If so, out with it. I¡¯d like to get my pretending to care out of the way.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re actually a demon, you know that?¡± Navini spat the words. Selena reveled in it.

    ¡°I¡¯ve been called worse,¡± Selena replied. Navini rolled her eyes and got up, seeming more determined than earlier. ¡°Good!¡± Selena exclaimed. ¡°You might be a bit of competition after all! There¡¯s no fun in having an easy out, you know.¡± Satisfied, Selena walked out of the room. Everyone in the room simultaneously rolled their eyes.

    ¡°Um¡­ If you, uh, want, I¡¯d like to, um, do the, um, autopsy, ha, ha¡­¡± Cole stammered. Jason nodded, and Cole set out to work.

    ¡°Jason, Dahinko, can you help me up into the vent? There¡¯s something I¡¯d like to see,¡± Lavender asked. They both nodded. Dahinko got onto Jason¡¯s shoulders, and Lavender onto his. Lavender¡¯s upper body was in the vent, seeming looking around. ¡°I could use a flashlight,¡± she mentioned, her voice echoed by the vent. Jason started hearing taps on the metal, indicating that she was feeling her way in the vent. ¡°Hm. Nothing except more blood. Alright, I can come down,¡± Lavender sighed disappointedly. Jason hoisted her and Dahinko down, a weight having been lifted from his shoulders. ¡°Looks like the vent isn¡¯t going to be that important of a clue,¡± Lavender remarked.

    ¡°Honestly, the how doesn¡¯t interest me that much,¡± Dahinko mentioned. ¡°I¡¯m more interested in the why behind it. I mean, he was obviously slashed with a knife in the throat before being stabbed. A child could figure that out, right? But why? Why kill him now?¡±

    ¡°Why, indeed...?¡± Lavender mumbled before losing herself in her thoughts. Jason set out to investigating the room Mikad had been staying in until now. Strangely, none of the other house guests had entered the secret room. They¡¯ll figure it out soon enough, Jason thought. Aside from Mikad¡¯s mangled body and the silver pistol, nothing stood out to him. He picked up the pistol to look at it. No blood, no scratches, nothing ¨C wait. No scratches? That thought leaped out at Jason. The pistol had been thrown down the stone shaft, right? Even assuming it somehow had avoided to walls, it should have been damaged when it hit the floor. In fact, the pistol being in one piece seemed to be a bit of a stretch. The biggest mystery concerning the pistol was, of course, how it even got in this room to begin with. He¡¯d have to ask Michael to recount the events of his capture of Mikad to get a clearer picture. Suddenly, the room erupted with screams. Jason turned around to see that everyone still alive had seen Mikad¡¯s body.

    ¡°What the hell?¡± A exclaimed.

    ¡°Oh my,¡± Jessica commented. ¡°And he only¡­ yawn¡­ just came back to us, too.¡±

    ¡°Why didn¡¯t you guys tell us sooner?¡± Axel asked. ¡°Brian kept dancing around the question when we asked him. He just kept on saying: ¡°But if they found it, you should too!¡± and just being of no help in general.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s my brother¡­¡± Anne-Marie sighed. Jason had almost forgotten about her. She was nervously and frantically combing her hair, her hand moving vigorously back and forth. ¡°Anything for a good show. I guess he thought it¡¯d be entertaining to have to pick between a few people who had no idea what had happened.¡±

    ¡°I think we¡¯ve already established that your brother is a psycho,¡± Timothy commented.

    ¡°He¡¯s not psychotic, he¡¯s just evil,¡± Anne-Marie replied. ¡°He lacks compassion and empathy, that¡¯s all.¡±

    ¡°She says that like there¡¯s any difference,¡± Rose mumbled. ¡°So, y¡¯all have any idea what happened?¡± She turned to ask the group.

    ¡°Well, if you just looked at the body, the answer becomes evident,¡± Lavender noted.

    ¡°Well, no duh,¡± Rose answered. ¡°I mean, why him? Everyone was still real suspicious of him, ya know? Doesn¡¯t really make sense¡­¡±

    ¡°Maybe the killer sensed a bad omen, like a flower¡¯s petals turning ever so slightly darker,¡± Vivian said to no one in particular. No one paid her any attention.

    ¡°It is a bit of a mystery,¡± Skyler answered, ignoring Vivian¡¯s comment. ¡°We¡¯ll have to investigate. In the meantime, I need to wash off. I¡¯ll be back in a few,¡± he added before leaving to his room.

    ¡°I¡¯ll go wash too. I got blood all over my hair,¡± Jason explained. He left the room, leaving everyone else to argue over Mikad¡¯s fate.

    In truth, Jason had no intention of washing his hair. Instead, he headed straight to the entrance hall, where the dull thudding of fists hitting wood continued to resonate. Michael hadn¡¯t even realized that everyone was in the recreation room, as he was in deep focus. Jason walked up to him and loudly cleared his throat. Michael stopped hammering on the door and turned around to look at Jason.

    ¡°Yeah? Whaddaya want?¡± Michael asked, clearly displeased at having been interrupted. His eyes then noticed the patch of dried blood in Jason¡¯s hair. ¡°Hey! What happened to you?¡± he asked.

    ¡°Never mind that,¡± Jason answered. ¡°I need you to tell me what happened when you captured Mikad.¡±

    ¡°What?¡± Michael seemed confused. ¡°Why do you want to know that? Did something happen?¡± Michael¡¯s eyes widened. Jason nodded glumly. It seemed that Michael understood exactly what had happened. ¡°So, we have to do it again¡­¡± He mumbled.

    ¡°Please, Michael. Can you tell me exactly what happened? In full detail?¡± Jason asked again.

    ¡°Alright, alright. But only because it helps with the investigation, right?¡± Michael asked. Jason nodded. ¡°Okay, then. The way I remember it¡­ I was in the kitchen, up for a midnight snack, you know, when the door opened. I was about to say hi when I noticed who had walked in. I crouched so he couldn¡¯t see me, and then, I jumped him. He tried to shoot the roof to get someone¡¯s attention, but luckily for me, no one came. I disarmed him and knocked him out. At the time, I wasn¡¯t sure if I had killed him or not, but he seemed to be breathing, so I went with him. I shackled him to the wall, thinking it was as good a way as any, and I went in front of the kitchen to stand guard,¡± Michael

    finished.

    ¡°Hang on; what about the pistol?¡± Jason asked. ¡°You said you had thrown it down the shaft, right?¡±

    ¡°Actually, that was a lie,¡± Michael revealed with a sheepish grin. ¡°To tell you the truth, I don¡¯t know what happened to it. I looked for it after having left the kitchen for, I don¡¯t know, ten minutes? I figured it would be bad if someone found it, so I was going to keep it on me, but when I went back in the kitchen, it was gone.¡± Jason had to wonder where exactly Michael thought he could hide it ¨C his shorts didn¡¯t seem very roomy.

    ¡°Gone? In ten minutes?¡± Jason was skeptical. Yet, what reason did Michael have to lie now?

    ¡°Weird, right? I didn¡¯t think too much about it at the time. I figured since it was gone, who cares? As long as it wasn¡¯t incriminating me, right?¡± Michael laughed boisterously. Jason scratched his head. None of this made sense! He had to investigate the kitchen; the blood in his hair could wait. Michael headed upstairs to try and find where everyone else was.

    Upon entering the kitchen, nothing seemed out of the ordinary. The rotating wall was showing the side with the shackles, still bloodstained, but aside from that, nothing seemed weird. Jason had to think. Logically, if Michael was standing guard for the ten minutes he was out of the kitchen for, this means that someone was in the room when Michael and Mikad fought. Where would they have been hiding? The only possible place was¡­ Under the sink! Jason rushed to the sink and swung the doors open. At first glance, nothing seemed to be there. However, something caught his eye. Right below the keys to the shackles lay a camo combat knife. Jason rushed to grab the knife and took a good look at it. Hidden underneath it were two silver bullets. Two bullets? The killer¡¯s signature knife? This visit to the kitchen had raised more questions than it had answered. Looking at the doors underneath the sink, Jason noticed that one of them seemed to have had some paint scraped off. In fact, a pile of wood shavings and paint bits lay in the corner of the small section under the sink. Jason noticed that some of them were much darker than others, the otherwise white paint having been turned into a dark gray. Leaving the kitchen, Jason was left with a lot to think about. He headed for his room, hoping to take a shower to wash off the blood and mull over the new information he had discovered.

    As he let the water from the shower wash out the blood in his hair, he thought over what he had learned from his investigation in the kitchen and by talking to Michael. Michael only mentioned one shot from Mikad¡¯s gun, but Jason had very clearly seen two bullets in the kitchen. What did it mean? Did Michael somehow only see and hear one bullet? But a gunshot in such proximity ¨C there was no way he hadn¡¯t heard it. Then was he lying? Why would he lie? Despite him wanting to ask questions to Michael, he knew it would be dangerous ¨C Michael was no doubt on edge, and if Jason asked the wrong question¡­ Besides, other people would soon be flooding Michael with questions, and he was probably in his room to avoid talking to them altogether. Then where could he learn the truth? The answer dawned on him after a few minutes. He leaped out of the shower, threw some clothes on, and rushed to find the person who could answer his question.

    ¡°Yeah? What is it?¡± Rose asked a breathless Jason, who had just run around the house to try and find her. Eventually, he had found her in the main hall, observing Michael, who was still hammering away at the door.

    ¡°This morning...,¡± Jason began, ¡°you mentioned that you had heard a gunshot from the kitchen, right?¡±

    ¡°Oh yeah, that. Well, I did, but I don¡¯t see what it has to do with anything,¡± Rose replied.

    ¡°Well, the gunshot isn¡¯t what I wanted to ask about. Well, kind of,¡± Jason explained. ¡°When you heard the shot, how many shots did you hear? One or two?¡±

    ¡°So, you¡¯re askin¡¯ me if I heard one or two gunshots? Well, lemme see¡­,¡± Rose thought about it for a while. ¡°Hmm¡­ Well, I can¡¯t be too sure,¡± she finally answered. ¡°Cause, I got woken up by something, and then a few seconds later, I heard the gunshot. You¡¯re sayin¡¯ that there were two gunshots, right?¡± Jason nodded in reply. ¡°Then¡­ maybe that¡¯s what woke me up! This might seem like a bit of a stretch, but maybe you should try askin¡¯ Vivian what she heard. If you can make sense of anything she says,¡± she suggested. ¡°Well, whaddaya know. There she is now!¡± As soon as Rose stopped speaking, Vivian came twirling into the main hall.

    ¡°Jason, Rose,¡± Vivian curtsied. ¡°What brings you two into this hallway on this fine day?¡±

    ¡°You act like we have a choice,¡± Rose muttered. ¡°There¡¯s been another murder, you know!¡±

    ¡°Another murder? Who was it this time?¡± Vivian asked dreamily. ¡°My flowers whisper Mikad¡¯s name into my ears¡­ Are they correct?¡± Jason nodded glumly.

    ¡°Your flowers whisper things to you? Yup. You¡¯re crazy,¡± Rose concluded.

    ¡°Nonsense! Someone who cannot speak the language of the flora cannot judge those who do,¡± Vivian rebutted. Rose rolled her eyes.

    ¡°In any case¡­¡± Jason tried to change the subject. ¡°Vivian, do you remember what you heard this morning? The gunshot, specifically?¡±

    ¡°Ah, yes, the battle of two earths for a fair flower¡¯s heart¡­¡± Vivian answered dreamily.

    ¡°Right¡­¡± Jason answered, confused at the analogy. ¡°Well, in this, uh, battle, how many gunshots did you hear?¡±

    ¡°The battle was fought, and when all seemed lost, the other side retaliated. It all happened in an instant,¡± Vivian replied. ¡°I do not know that which my flowers did not hear, you see,¡± she elaborated. Jason was somehow even more confused.This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

    ¡°So, if I¡¯m to translate that into English,¡± Rose joked, ¡°what would that say?¡±

    ¡°Exactly what I said,¡± Vivian replied. ¡°The battle took two tries to be completed. After all, no side wanted to lose the flower¡¯s undying love, you see?¡± Vivian added, and twirled away before anyone could ask anything else. Rose stood there, dumbfounded, while Jason tried to make sense of what he had just heard.

    ¡°Hang on. If there were two battles¡­¡± Jason thought aloud.

    ¡°Don¡¯t try to make sense of that mumbo-jumbo,¡± Rose suggested. ¡°I seriously think she¡¯s crazy. Too bad the world¡¯s best crazy helper or translator isn¡¯t here,¡± Rose chuckled. To Jason, however, Vivian had cleared everything up. He now had a thorough understanding of the case. Now, only one thing was missing¡­

    Ding-Dong! ¡°Hello! Hello! Can you all -bzzt!- me? Good, good! Now, you must know the drill by now. No crying that I didn¡¯t give you enough time, either! I managed to figure it out pretty quickly! Oh, and I want details this time. When exactly did the killer pick Mikad as their target? Consider this a super secret special hint ¨C Mikad wasn¡¯t the original target! Now, enough spoilers ¨C let¡¯s get on with the main event! Everyone report in front of the hallway, as usual! Oh, and bonus points for anyone who finds Anne-Marie ¨C I have no idea where she¡¯s vanished off to. Later!¡± Dong-Ding!

    ¡°What? Already?¡± Rose complained. ¡°He barely gave us enough time! What about Cole¡¯s autopsy report? We haven¡¯t gotten any details at all!¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t think there¡¯s much to learn from his body,¡± Michael replied. He had stopped punching the wall when Brian¡¯s announcement had come on, and had now joined Jason and Rose in front of the hallway. ¡°I mean, he was stabbed, right? Unless there¡¯s anything else?¡±

    ¡°Haven¡¯t you seen Mikad¡¯s body, Michael?¡± Jason asked. Michael shook his head.

    ¡°Nope! But Lavender gave me a pretty good understanding of what happened. He got his neck slashed and he was stuffed in a vent, right? Simple as that. But what was all that about not being the original target? As if we¡¯re supposed to know who was originally targeted!¡±

    ¡°In any case, I¡¯d still like to talk to Cole,¡± Jason said. ¡°I¡¯m curious as to what he found. Maybe there was something useful.¡± People began filing into the main hall and waiting near the hallway. Even Gary had been forced out of his room in order to attend. Jason had to wonder how long Gary would last ¨C shutting himself away from everyone was surely not the best survival strategy. Eventually, Cole walked into the hallway, trembling like a leaf, accompanied by Lavender. ¡°Hey, Cole!¡± Jason exclaimed and motioned for him to come talk to him. Cole walked towards Jason, Lavender accompanying him. ¡°I was just wondering about your autopsy report,¡± Jason asked when he had come close enough.

    ¡°Oh, ah, that, ha¡­,¡± Cole stammered nervously. ¡°Um¡­ To be, uh, entirely honest, I¡¯m, uh, not sure if I found, uh, anything important, ha, ha¡­ I mean, maybe, but, uh, I don¡¯t, uh, think so¡­¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s mostly things we already knew,¡± Lavender summarized. ¡°Died from blood loss, stabbed in the heart, etcetera. There was one thing that was kind of interesting, though, wasn¡¯t there?¡± Lavender nudged Cole.

    ¡°Oh, uh, you mean, uh, that, right?¡± Cole asked. ¡°Well, uh, he had a, um, huge cut on his, uh, chest, near where the heart was¡­ My theory is that he, uh, was slashed, but why, I, uh, don¡¯t know¡­ We also found a bloodied-up stepladder, and a poncho and some gloves, bloodied too, ha¡­¡± Cole looked extremely worried.

    ¡°To be honest, I¡¯m unsure why he was slashed, either,¡± Lavender confessed. ¡°Brian did me no favors by adding that slight complication of that ¡°find the original target¡± nonsense. Was there evidence in the secret room somewhere?¡±

    ¡°Were you in the secret room the entire time?¡± Jason asked. Lavender nodded, and Cole vigorously shook his head ¡®yes¡¯. ¡°Then am I the only one who looked in the kitchen?¡±

    ¡°The kitchen?¡± Lavender asked, intrigued. ¡°Of course! I should have known there would be something there. What did you find?¡± she asked. Before Jason could answer, the speakers crackled to life.

    Ding-Dong! ¡°Hello, hello! So, are we ready? No more talking! That means you, Jason. Oh, and thank you to Selena for finding Anne-Marie for me! It won¡¯t save you if you get it wrong, but it, um¡­ Puts in a few points with me, I guess. It just wouldn¡¯t be the same without her, right? Anyways, without further ado, here¡¯s Anne-Marie! Come on, get over here!¡± ¡­ ¡°Ow, ow, ow! Ok, I get it brother, stop pulling my hair! Okay, um, hello everyone¡­ I guess we have to start, huh? Okay¡­ Axel Rider, please.¡±

    Axel jumped after hearing his name called. Reluctantly, he made his way to the interrogation room. After what seemed like an eternity, he came back, looking paler than before, and left to his room. One by one, everyone went into the room. Eventually, only Jason and Cole were left, waiting on Navini, who seemed to be taking longer than everyone else. Jason began to be worried. What was taking her so long? Finally, after having spent double the time anyone else spent in there, she left, her face freshly soaked with tears. Are you okay? Jason mouthed to her. She shook her head and ran off to her room. Jason was suddenly worried for her life.

    ¡°Cole Dendricks,¡± Anne-Marie said through the speakers. Cole nervously made his way over to the room, and after taking a third of the time Navini had, he left. Jason was left alone in the hallway. Strangely enough, Anne-Marie did not seem to be calling his name. Jason waited patiently. After a few minutes of silence, Jason walked into the room without being called. Once in the room, he stood in the center, waiting for some sort of reply.

    ¡°Oh! Jason! Uh, sorry about that,¡± Brian¡¯s voice crackled through the speakers. ¡°I forgot to put you on my list¡­ Well, you may begin!¡± he added, and after a fit of laughter, the speakers died out. Jason sighed and began telling the story of Mikad¡¯s murder¡­

    ¡°Man, I am starving,¡± Mikad thought aloud as he made his way down to the kitchen. ¡°Who knew dried food could have so little in terms of actual calories?¡± Mikad made his way down to the kitchen. No one should be up now, he thought. However, when he opened the door to the kitchen, he saw the one person he didn¡¯t want to see ¨C Michael Ferrin. However, it seemed that he hadn¡¯t noticed Mikad yet. Mikad looked around the room, and just as he was about to leave, he noticed something. The two doors beneath the sink were slightly ajar, and through them, Mikad noticed a pair of eyes staring at Michael. Normally, Mikad would have sprinted the other way, but that was when he noticed the camo combat knife peeking out of the door, ready to stab Michael with. He acted without thinking ¨C he shot the person who was behind the doors. However, since Michael was in the way, he missed, the bullet instead hitting the door instead of the target. Michael turned around, shocked by the gunshot, and saw Mikad in the doorway. Michael easily grabbed Mikad and pinned him to the ground.

    ¡°HEY! What do you think you¡¯re doing, trying to shoot me, you little murderer?¡± Michael spat in Mikad¡¯s face.

    ¡°Wait! Please! I was only-¡±

    ¡°You think I give a damn? You tried to kill me, punk!¡± Michael roared.

    ¡°Help! Someone, help!¡± Mikad began yelling. He tried to fire at the person in the sink again, but Michael had pressed his hand onto Mikad¡¯s wrist, and the shot ricocheted off the wall and hit the roof. Michael, in a fit of rage, used both his fists and smacked Mikad over the head. Mikad became limp, his gun dropping out of his hands. For all Michael was concerned with, Mikad had just tried to kill him. It was perfect! There was no way they wouldn¡¯t believe him now. For safekeeping, Michael decided to shackle Mikad on the wall. He left the kitchen to stand guard. After a few minutes, he remembered the silver pistol that Mikad had more than likely dropped somewhere. He went back in to grab the pistol and keep it, but when he returned to the kitchen, the gun was gone. Shrugging, Michael left the kitchen to stand guard.

    Beneath the sink, the world¡¯s best killer had to supress a fit of laughter. They now held both the bullets and the silver pistol. If they were lucky, everyone else would kill Mikad, and they would be able to continue with their original plan of killing Michael. But why not simply kill Mikad here? Well, there was no fun there. On top of that, Michael was now standing guard in front of the kitchen. There was no way out for them. They would have to wait until everyone had gathered, and they would then be able to leave. That was when they thought of a plan to kill Mikad instead ¨C a plan that seemed much more fun than killing Michael.

    ¡°I¡¯ve got an idea! Stay here!¡± Mikad rushed out of the kitchen, leaving Navini behind. Mikad rushed into the secret room, thinking of using the blankets there as an impromptu rope. However, the second he hopped off the bookshelf, his eyes noticed the pistol. Immediately, his eyes widened considerably. He turned to reach the bookshelf, but at that moment, it turned, and someone entered the secret room. Someone who shouldn¡¯t have known about the secret room. Mikad, forced to back away, looked panicked. The killer smiled, taking a knife out and waving it in Mikad¡¯s direction. Frantic, Mikad tried to tackle them out of the way, but the killer was much stronger than they let on. They easily caught Mikad and, wanting to make this easier, slit his throat. Mikad collapsed to the ground, writhing in agony for a few short seconds. Then, the light left his eyes, never to return. For good measure, the killer also slit his chest, and then stabbed the knife into Mikad¡¯s heart. Mikad was bleeding quite a lot, but the killer had work to do. They had brought plenty of equipment with them. Using gloves and a poncho, they covered themselves up and moved Mikad¡¯s body under the vent. Using a stepladder and a screwdriver, they moved Mikad¡¯s body into the vent, and resealed it very loosely, so those idiots could eventually find his body. The killer knew that Brian would wait a while before the trumpets went off, in order to give them time to dispose of everything. Almost as if Michael was working with them, he provided a nice distraction while he hammered on the door. Finally, they used the blankets in Mikad¡¯s room to soak up the blood, making sure only a puddle beneath the vent was left. Then, they stashed everything away, dumping the retractable stepladder into the trunk. The poncho and gloves followed suit, and they brought the screwdriver back with them. Conveniently, everyone had left the hallway, and they were able to return to their room without being seen to wash off the blood. Then, once they were cleaned and dried, the trumpets sounded, and they pretended to act surprised and angry with everyone else. Deep down, they were relieved everything had gone according to plan.

    ¡°¡­and that¡¯s everything that happened in this murder,¡± Jason concluded. Nothing seemed to be missing, either. He had confirmed that Michael had indeed been the original target, and that the killer had been trapped under the sink for some while, though whether they were still there before Jason woke up, he had no idea. It seemed complete. He then proceeded to leave the room. The minute he re-entered the main hallway, he was face to face with Lavender.

    ¡°So?¡± she asked. Jason shrugged. ¡°Who was the original target? I¡¯m guessing there were clues in the kitchen, right?¡±

    ¡°Yeah. A combat knife and two bullets,¡± Jason confirmed.

    ¡°It was Michael! I should have known,¡± Lavender exclaimed. ¡°And here I thought you might have been the original target, Jason.¡±

    ¡°Me? On what basis?¡± Jason asked, intrigued.

    ¡°Well, again, you¡¯re not supposed to be here, remember?¡± Lavender explained. ¡°On top of that, you¡¯re being a real thorn in Brian¡¯s side right now¡­¡±

    ¡°You can say that again. He forgot I even had to tell what happened,¡± Jason mumbled.

    ¡°He forgot?¡± Lavender asked. Jason nodded. ¡°That is¡­ very strange, to say the least.¡±

    ¡°Apparently, he forgot to put me on the list,¡± Jason told her. ¡°I don¡¯t buy it, to be honest.¡±

    ¡°Neither do I,¡± Lavender stated. ¡°Still¡­ I am curious. Why would he forget about you?¡±

    Ding-Dong! ¡°Ahem! Hello -bzzt!-one! I have the results for immunity. Immunity tonight goes to¡­ Jason Harlon! Congratulations! As for everyone else, well, let¡¯s just say that no one should feel safe tonight! Bwahahahahaha! Good night!¡± Dong-Ding!

    ¡°Well, congratulations, I suppose,¡± Lavender sighed after Brian had stopped talking. ¡°It seems you were right. Maybe you should tell Michael about it?¡± With that, she headed back to her room. Jason contemplated telling Michael that he was the original target. Eventually, he decided it was the right thing to do. He headed upstairs and knocked on Michael¡¯s door.

    After several minutes of waiting, Jason began to be worried. He leaned against the door, trying to hear anything. He could hear someone quietly sobbing inside. He knocked again. The sobbing stopped, and the door swung open.

    ¡°Yeah? What do you want?¡± Michael asked, his eyes wet.

    ¡°I was wondering if I could talk to you about something,¡± Jason asked. Michael nodded and let him into his room. Proportionally, it was identical to Jason¡¯s, but on every wall hung a belt that Michael had presumably won from his boxing matches. On a hook above his bed hung two bright green boxing gloves. His closet¡¯s door was open, and Jason could see that the person hosting this party had neglected to give Michael any shirts. Instead, the closet housed several carbon copies of Michael¡¯s skin-tight shorts. Aside from those things, Michael¡¯s room was identical to Jason¡¯s in every way.

    ¡°So? What did you want to tell me?¡± Michael asked, clearly displeased at having been bothered.

    ¡°I thought you should know something,¡± Jason began. ¡°As you heard through the speakers, I got immunity. The reason I did was because of you, ironically. When you told me about the pistol in the kitchen, I went to go check it out. I found two bullets and a combat knife under the sink,¡± Jason continued. Michael¡¯s eyes widened, as if he was realizing what Jason was insinuating. ¡°Michael, why didn¡¯t you tell me that Mikad had tried to shoot you twice?¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t think much of it, to be honest,¡± Michael grunted. ¡°He tried to kill me either way ¨C what did it matter that he shot once or twice?¡±

    ¡°It mattered greatly, actually,¡± Jason countered. ¡°In actuality, Mikad didn¡¯t try to shoot you when he shot in your direction ¨C he was trying to save your life.¡±

    ¡°Save my life? By shooting me?¡± Michael looked confused.

    ¡°There was someone underneath the sink yesterday night,¡± Jason revealed. ¡°The world¡¯s best killer, to be exact. And you were their target that night.¡± Michael¡¯s eyes widened even more. ¡°When Mikad walked in, he noticed them under the sink, and he tried to shoot them. When he did-¡±

    ¡°Yeah, yeah, I get it. I panicked and thought he was shooting me. And when I went to the bathroom that night, the killer left the room. So, basically, you came here to chastise me about capturing Mikad?¡± Michael concluded.

    ¡°No, not really,¡± Jason answered. ¡°I just thought you should have known that you were the original target. Which means that you can¡¯t be the killer. Anyone else can be.¡±

    ¡°I guess that¡¯s a relief,¡± Michael sighed. ¡°Still¡­ It¡¯s my fault Mikad is dead, right? No one else¡¯s¡­¡±

    ¡°Michael¡­¡± Jason wasn¡¯t sure what to answer. Michael seemed at a loss. Jason decided it would be best if he left Michael alone for the night. Exhausted, Jason returned to his room and collapsed onto his bed, drifting into a deep sleep.

    The next morning, Jason was very cautious as he exited his room. He kept waiting to hear a scream, a shout, or a plea for help, and yet nothing came. No one was in the hallway, either. Cautiously, he headed down to the dining room, where to his surprise, everyone had gathered. Even Gary had left his room to partake. Surprisingly, both Navini and Michael were present. If Jason had to pick who would have been punished, it would have been one of those two.

    ¡°Jason!¡± Lavender exclaimed when he walked in. Everyone turned to look at him. ¡°I thought you were the one who¡­ you know¡­¡±

    ¡°T¡­that couldn¡¯t have b¡­been possible, r¡­right?¡± Lelina mumbled. ¡°He h¡­had immunity¡­¡±

    ¡°You never know,¡± Selena hummed. ¡°Who knows what that psycho baby has planned? In any case, take a seat, Jason. I¡¯m excited to see what comes next.¡±

    ¡°Good morning, everyone,¡± someone yawned behind Jason. Anne-Marie walked into the room, her long hair dragging on the floor behind her. ¡°Oh! Everyone is here. What a surprise! Now, which seat is mine?¡± she asked. No one answered, so she simply sat on the empty seat next to Selena. Jason sat down, anxious as to what was going to occur. Jason felt as though he was suffocating in the tense atmosphere. Everyone was glancing around nervously, as if they expected their neighbour to drop dead on the spot. Jason noticed that to his left, a picture of Mikad hung on his chair, having also been crossed out with a bright red X. A silver bullet lay in his plate. Jason thought that Brian paying tribute to the dead was a bit of an odd thing ¨C although maybe it served as a perpetual reminder of what was at stake, rather than it being a tribute. Jason would have thought that the first thing Brian would have thought to put there was the silver pistol, but perhaps Brian couldn¡¯t exit his hiding spot for fear of being seen. On top of that, if the killer went to retrieve it, it would only attract more suspicion onto them. Picking up one of the silver bullets in the kitchen did seem much more simple. Suddenly, Brian fizzled into the room, and even blaring sirens and strobe lights wouldn¡¯t have announced a louder entrance. Everyone, including Anne-Marie, turned to look at him. He reveled in the fearful and tense atmosphere he had just created.

    ¡°Howdy everyone! Boy, everyone looks so glum this morning. Gee, I wonder why¡­?¡± Brian asked himself. ¡°Oh, that¡¯s right! I have to punish one of you! Hmm¡­ Eenie, meenie, minie¡­ Who to pick, who to pick? I won¡¯t hide it from you guys ¨C there are several people I could pick right now. Hmm¡­¡± Everyone was on edge. Beads of sweat were forming on Michael¡¯s forehead, and Lelina looked just about ready to pass out. Selena was the only one who was eagerly looking at Brian, anticipating his next move. ¡°I¡¯ve got it! Now, how do I do it¡­?¡± Brian asked himself. He began walking across the table, his feet fizzling through the plates and silverware. Everyone¡¯s eyes were glued to his every move, the tension in the room almost bone-crushing. ¡°A-ha! I¡¯ve got it!¡± He said, stopping at the other end of the table. He dramatically raised his hand and, savoring the tense looks on everyone¡¯s face, snapped his fingers.

    A gunshot could be heard resonating across the room.

    It was slow. Blood began trickling from their forehead. It seemed that they hadn¡¯t even realized what had just happened. Eventually, their hand went up to their head and felt the bullet hole. Then, they collapsed, their eyes wide open. They had been staring at Sir Francis Helmsburg¡¯s portrait, which now had a hole the size of a bullet.

    Behind the portrait, Jason saw a glimmer of silver.

    Jason should have known. He had even warned them that it was coming. His eyes wide open as his burly form collapsed to the floor, Michael Ferrin should have known he would be the next one punished.

    <u>SURVIVORS: 21</u>

 Chapter 10: How the Mighty Fall

    Everyone reacted very slowly, as if time had been delayed in that moment. And yet, it was no longer fear or shock that pinned everyone to their place. It was as if this was expected, and this was just a delay in processing what had really happened. People moved sluggishly, if they moved at all.

    ¡°Bwahahahahaha!¡± Brian cackled. ¡°What¡¯s with all the sad faces? Feels like someone died in here! Bwahahaha!¡± His laughter echoed in the dining room, painfully digging into Jason¡¯s brain, which was still processing that Michael had just died. Brian continued laughing for a while before he was out of breath. ¡°Phew! It feels good to laugh once in a while! Not that any of you clowns would know that! Anyways, I have some work to do here. But, since I¡¯m such a generous person, I¡¯ve decided to give you a reward for surviving this long! You can all head to the armory ¨C there¡¯s something special waiting for you there! Bwahahaha!¡± Brian laughed for a moment and fizzled out, leaving the surviving houseguest in their bewildered state.

    ¡°Why¡­ was it him?¡± Cole was the first to break the silence. ¡°He seemed so, uh, strong and brave¡­ How could he die?¡±

    ¡°Y¡­yeah¡­¡± Lelina mumbled, seeming like she could faint at any moment.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know how Brian can laugh right now,¡± Bobby sighed. ¡°And normally, I¡¯d be the first one to crack a joke.¡±

    ¡°He had it coming,¡± Selena smiled, her voice syrupy but deadly. ¡°He knew it would be him. Hopefully he didn¡¯t leave another heartfelt will for us, or I might puke.¡±

    ¡°Shut up, would you?¡± A asked. Selena looked like she was about to say something, but her eyes fell on A¡¯s rifle, and she thought better of it. Everyone stayed in the dining room for a long time, just staring at Michael¡¯s body. Cole was right ¨C Michael had seemed like the strongest amongst them, and here he was, dead. It was a shock to the system, and it reminded everyone that no one was safe.

    ¡°So, um¡­ Where¡¯s the armory?¡± Anne-Marie asked. She seemed like the only person that didn¡¯t feel anything seeing Michael¡¯s dead body. ¡°My brother did say there was something there for us¡­ Besides, he does have to take care of Michael¡¯s body, you know.¡±

    ¡°You shut up, too,¡± Axel told her. Anne-Marie didn¡¯t seem offended. No one was ready to abandon Michael yet. Jason worried that Lavender would once again deprive herself of sleep to guard Michael¡¯s body. His worries were quickly put to rest.

    ¡°Anne-Marie¡¯s right. Unless we want to join Michael, we should head to the armory,¡± Lavender suggested, her composure having returned.

    ¡°Yawn¡­ Okay, then, I guess,¡± Jessica agreed, sounding bored. ¡°But, uh, where¡¯s the armory?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve never seen a room titled Armory. Have any of you?¡± Alexandra asked. No one replied.

    ¡°Then, what do we do?¡± Navini asked. Her entire body was shaking. ¡°Where do we go?¡± Jason felt that she was lucky to be alive. Considering how close she had been to Mikad, Brian must have been very tempted to punish her instead of Michael. Maybe that had been what he had been debating with himself about right before Michael was shot in the head. ¡°I don¡¯t want to¡­ end up like Michael¡­¡±

    ¡°You won¡¯t,¡± Rose reassured her. ¡°I promise ya.¡±

    ¡°I will protect you, Navini,¡± Arthur volunteered. ¡°I have already let you down one too many times. I will ensure that none of you will die.¡±

    ¡°Brave words. But I must wonder,¡± Selena chimed, ¡°how much are they worth? Do you have any way to stop the killer from killing any of us? Well? Your shield hasn¡¯t been doing much for any of them, has it?¡±

    ¡°Speak no more,¡± Dexter growled, ¡°or I will be forced to silence you.¡±

    ¡°Go on, then,¡± Selena taunted him. ¡°If you do kill me, everyone here will see it. You¡¯ll immediately be branded as a traitor and a killer. Is it a risk worth taking, just to see me stop telling the truth? In any case, this does raise the stakes somewhat. It proves that physical strength means nothing in this game. Was this calculated, I have to wonder? But enough about that. We need to find the armory. I will admit, I am rather curious as to what is concealed in there. Weapons, probably, but that can¡¯t be the surprise Brian has in store for us.¡±

    ¡°Actually, I just had a thought,¡± Timothy interrupted. ¡°Why does this place even have an armory? I can¡¯t be the only one who thought about that.¡±

    ¡°That is a good point,¡± Jason acknowledged. ¡°What would someone like Francis Helmsburg need an armory for?¡±

    ¡°He needed to defend his heart from those who tried to conquer it,¡± Vivian hypothesized. Everyone simultaneously rolled their eyes at her comment.

    ¡°If he needed defense, nothing beats fire!¡± Audrey cackled.

    ¡°Can someone sane please say something? I can feel my IQ going down by the second,¡± Selena sighed. ¡°Regardless, we should start looking. Unless one of you feels like being death fodder?¡±

    ¡°Why do you have to be so rude about things?¡± Navini asked. ¡°It¡¯s not like any of us actually care about your opinion.¡± Selena was briefly taken aback.

    ¡°Because I must be the voice of reason amongst you buffoons,¡± Selena retorted. ¡°If I didn¡¯t say what I was thinking, none of you would even comprehend the situation.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re playing to win, aren¡¯t you?¡± Lavender asked.

    ¡°Finally, someone who gets it,¡± Selena approved. ¡°I fully intend to win this game. I¡¯m sure the killer has already realized that there¡¯s no way for them to win completely. No matter what, someone other than them will be left, and that person will be the winner. I intend for that person to be me. For all I care, you are all background players, and I am the intended winner.¡± Everyone was silent for a few seconds, processing what she had just said. ¡°You asked, Lavender. Have I satisfactorily answered your question?¡±

    ¡°Yes, you have,¡± Lavender sighed.

    ¡°In any case, I have better things to do than to look for some room or other. I bid you adieu,¡± Selena curtsied and elegantly strode out of the dining room.

    ¡°She seriously has a death wish, huh?¡± Rose snickered.

    ¡°No, she doesn¡¯t,¡± Lavender said. ¡°Something tells me that Selena isn¡¯t someone who¡¯s used to losing at anything. To her, everything is a game, and the winners are the only ones worth her time. She was right about one thing, though ¨C no matter what, at least one person will be left alive with the killer. Which means the killer has the luxury of picking the winner unless we find them.¡±

    ¡°Th¡­That¡¯s if they e¡­even let the winner l¡­live,¡± Lelina mumbled. ¡°They¡¯ll pr¡­probably just stab them a¡­as soon as they r¡­realize who the k¡­killer is.¡±

    ¡°Good point, and on that note, maybe we should try and find the armory?¡± Alexandra suggested. Everyone nodded and headed out of the dining room. Michael¡¯s body was left in a pool of its own blood.

    It took a while for anyone to realize where this so called ¡®Armory¡¯ even was. At first, several people tried to open the doors leading to the third floor, but to no avail. Nowhere else seemed to have a possible entry point to an armory of any kind. Jason was busy looking around the center hall with Cole, A, Lavender and Alexandra when Alexandra had an idea.

    ¡°Hmm¡­ The only other door is the one opposite the library,¡± she stated matter-of-factly. ¡°What¡¯s written on the sign?¡±

    ¡°Something to do with, uh, harmry, or something like that, ha,¡± Cole stammered.

    ¡°Harmry? What even is that?¡± A grunted. ¡°Sounds like something Brian would make up¡­¡±

    ¡°Harmry? Maybe it¡¯s misspelt¡­ I mean, we all know his spelling is atrocious,¡± Lavender suggested.

    ¡°Wait¡­¡± Jason had a thought. Immediately, he rushed to the hallway with three doors, sure of his idea. Sure enough, the door labelled HARMRY was there. ¡°What if harmry is meant to be armory?¡± Jason guessed. The others nodded. As Jason put his hand over the door, a sudden dread washed over him. What would he find beyond that door? There hadn¡¯t been any trumpets, right? Then why was he so worried about what he would find? Reluctantly, Jason pushed open the door.

    The armory was exactly what one would expect from a room labelled as such. Swords, lances, spears, axes, hammers and all kinds of weapons of that manner hung on the wall like a collection. Jason even recognized the spear that had been jutted into Henry¡¯s body. He also noticed that an exact replica of Arthur¡¯s sword-and-shield, as well as one of Dexter¡¯s katana, also hung on the wall, with a label beneath them explaining who they belonged to. On the other side, firearms of all kinds hung on the wall, although there didn¡¯t seem to be any ammunition. An exact replica of A¡¯s rifle and Mikad¡¯s silver pistol hung with the rest, also having a label. Jason noticed a hunting rifle labeled: A replica of Trevor Hunter¡¯s rifle, although he had no idea who this was. At the back of the room, several shelves lined with books and banners lined the wall.

    Even with all of this, it was hard to ignore the reason Brian had summoned them here.

    At the very center of room lay a mahogany bureau with an expensive-looking leather chair, seated as to be close to the fireplace that jutted out between two bookshelves. Pictures lay on the desk along with paper, ink, quills and wax.

    Seated in the chair was a dead body.

    Jason didn¡¯t immediately recognize who the body had belonged to. Initially, all he saw was someone with a camo combat knife jutting out of their chest. One detail did immediately jump out at Jason, however ¨C the person in the chair seemed to be happy. Their eyes were widened, but they were grinning, as if the best thing in the world had just happened to them. The person was dressed in a bathrobe, a stain of coffee on one sleeve where they had dropped the liquid in surprise. They had balding gray hair, and they had dark circles on their eyes. Eventually, the identity of the person in the chair dawned on Jason. However, acknowledging that he was correct in his guess brought up so many more questions than answers. Eventually, Lavender spoke up.

    ¡°Is that¡­ who I think it is?¡± Lavender asked. Alexandra, A and Jason nodded at the same time. They had all realized who the person in the chair was. Cole was the only one who seemed somewhat confused.

    ¡°Uh, who, um, is it?¡± Cole asked. Before anyone gave him the answer, it dawned on him as well. ¡°Oh,¡± he added simply.

    Seated in front of them was none other than Sir Francis Helmsburg, dead.

    The implications of that slowly dawned upon Jason. For a while, he had thought that there could be no other mastermind behind this than Francis Helmsburg, the owner of the mansion and known talent fanatic. It was the only answer that made any logical sense. Yet there was no doubt in Jason¡¯s mind that it was that very person that was seated in front of him right now. What did this mean? Who was the mastermind behind this game? Surely a toddler couldn¡¯t actually be the mastermind, right? How had Francis died? When had he died? Why did he seem¡­ happy? So many questions rushed through Jason¡¯s mind all at once that he began to have a headache. Begrudgingly, he approached Francis¡¯ dead body to investigate further. Before he could, a whimsical yet chilling voice spoke up behind him.

    ¡°Whoops! That¡¯s not supposed to be there, right? Bwahahahaha!¡± Brian had materialized behind them, clutching his stomach in a deranged fit of laughter. ¡°You should see the looks on your faces right about now! You all look like your entire reality just crashed down in front of you! Ah, but no investigating just yet! The others are going to want to see this too, you know! So, I¡¯ll see you later!¡± With that, he fizzled out. Cole, Lavender, A and Alexandra stood in shock, simply watching. Cole looked just about ready to pass out. Jason took a step back from the body, waiting for the others to show up.

    ¡°How¡­?¡± A mumbled. ¡°How can he be¡­?¡±

    ¡°I¡­ I don¡¯t know,¡± Alexandra sighed. ¡°But here he is. He¡¯s definitely¡­¡± It was almost as if they were afraid to say it. As if by confirming his death, they would confirm that all assumptions they had had about this game were false.

    ¡°He¡¯s dead,¡± Lavender said bluntly. ¡°He is dead, and that means I- no, I think all of us were wrong. The world¡¯s best killer got to him before the party. I think we can establish that much,¡± she stated. Her cold-bloodedness in such a situation was impressive. Jason was still processing this new information he had just received.

    ¡°How can you say that at a glance?¡± Alexandra asked. She, too, was proving to be cold-blooded. ¡°Without a proper autopsy, it¡¯s difficult to tell whether he was killed a month ago or a minute ago. We cannot tell how long the body has been there.¡±

    ¡°On the contrary,¡± Lavender rebutted, ¡°there are several things that can indicate the time he¡¯s been there for. For instance, the blood around the wound has completely dried, and any stain on the floor is dry as well. There¡¯s also the smell ¨C it does smell slightly of decay, doesn¡¯t it?¡± It was true. Perhaps it was simply the shock of having all his theories thrown out the window, but Jason hadn¡¯t noticed the smell lingering in the room ¨C it smelled slightly of rotten flesh and blood. ¡°There¡¯s more,¡± Lavender continued. ¡°The coffee stain is also dry, and there isn¡¯t a trace of a coffee mug in sight. Unless you¡¯re saying he likes to walk around in stained clothes?¡± Lavender concluded. She had been very analytical about it, no emotion showing.

    ¡°Very well, I¡¯ll concede that those are valid points,¡± Alexandra sighed in defeat, ¡°but I¡¯d still like for Navini or whoever to conduct an autopsy. It might shed some lights on a few details I¡¯ve yet to figure out. For instance, the source behind the smiling death face?¡±

    ¡°Somehow, this is the creepiest face I¡¯ve yet to see on a corpse,¡± A stated. He wasn¡¯t entirely wrong ¨C Francis¡¯ creepy smile plastered onto his face was unbelievably unnerving, perhaps even more so than the tortured faces of victims Jason had been accustomed to.

    ¡°How long until, uh, the others get here, um, ha, ha¡­ I¡¯d like to, uh, leave this room, you know, ha¡­¡± Cole mumbled softly, as if he had lost the ability to speak clearly.

    ¡°I doubt it¡¯ll be long now,¡± Lavender reassured him. ¡°Brian will dance around the question, like he usually does, and we¡¯ll be able to properly investigate the room.¡±

    ¡°Good, cause his face is starting to give he goosebumps,¡± A mumbled. If A was getting goosebumps, Jason could only imagine what the others in the room felt like ¨C even the collected Alexandra had shown signs of shock when seeing his body. For a while, they simply stood in front of his body, staring at anywhere they could but his face. Jason¡¯s eyes were drawn to the murder weapon ¨C there was no doubt that it was the world¡¯s finest serial killer¡¯s signature weapon. More than likely, this meant that the killer and Sir Francis Helmsburg had not been working together, and that the mastermind was someone completely different. But who? Jason highly doubted that Brian could have orchestrated this by himself ¨C sadistic as he was, he was only a child. Someone else had to be behind this ¨C but who? That was the question that kept repeating itself in Jason¡¯s mind as he stared at Francis¡¯ body ¨C but who?

    ¡°Aaaaaaaaaah!¡±

    ¡°What the hell?!¡±

    ¡°Who is that?¡±

    ¡°Well, this is a rather unexpected surprise.¡±

    ¡°I suppose this was worth me leaving my studio.¡±

    ¡°Is this some kind of trick?¡±

    The others began filing into the room, each exclaiming something or other about Francis¡¯ body. A look of shock was plainly written on all their faces¡¯ (except Selena, who remained as calm as ever).

    ¡°Well then,¡± Selena sighed. ¡°There goes my theories. I mean, that is who I think it is, right?If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.

    ¡°Who else could it be, darling?¡± Gary replied snidely. ¡°This must be Sir Francis Helmsburg, the owner of this very mansion. However, this raises far more questions than it answers. What on Earth is his body doing here?¡±

    ¡°Gary has a point,¡± Navini scratched her head and sighed. ¡°What the heck? I thought he was behind all of this?¡±

    ¡°I was wondering when my brother would show you the body,¡± Anne-Marie mumbled.

    ¡°Wait- you knew about this?¡± Timothy glared at her.

    ¡°Well, yes, I did,¡± Anne-Marie answered. ¡°Is that really so strange?¡±

    ¡°Why didn¡¯t you think we¡¯d like to know about this, exactly?¡± Gary sighed.

    ¡°Well, none of you asked,¡± Anne-Marie replied, dead serious, ¡°so I didn¡¯t say anything. Besides, I think my brother would have gotten very mad if I had said anything.¡±

    ¡°Who cares about him?¡± Navini blurted out. ¡°This is one massive clue, you know?¡±

    ¡°A clue, you say?¡± Selena snickered. ¡°Personally, I don¡¯t think anything will come from this. The only things we¡¯ve confirmed here are that Francis isn¡¯t the mastermind and, evidently, he and the killer were not working together. Although come to think of it, this is a rather peculiar room,¡± she pointed out. ¡°Even a billionaire has no need for these weapons.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t think they¡¯re for defense purposes,¡± Dexter growled. ¡°Rather, these seem to be collectors¡¯ items. For instance, an exact replica of my katana sits on the wall. From what I can decipher, it is a real sword, not a fake.¡±

    ¡°I confirm that my replica sword is an actual sword as well,¡± Arthur stated.

    ¡°It is still rather odd,¡± Selena mumbled to herself.

    ¡°Is that all, then? If that¡¯s the case, I¡¯ll be returning to my studio, darlings. Bother me if you need anything. In other words, don¡¯t need anything,¡± Gary stated and waltzed out of the room, deep in thoughts about something or other. Everyone watched him leave.

    ¡°So, he¡¯s next, then?¡± Selena asked. ¡°Good. To be honest, a player who isn¡¯t playing at all should be eliminated as soon as possible. At least Mikad and Michael were entertaining to watch¡­¡±

    ¡°How sick can you be?¡± Audrey asked. ¡°How can you even see this as a game?¡± Audrey¡¯s feelings seemed to be shared by everyone else ¨C a profound look of disgust had installed itself onto everyone¡¯s face.

    ¡°Because it is a game. Don¡¯t you see it yet?¡± Selena replied, her voice syrupy and venomous. ¡°Those of us who aren¡¯t brain dead figure out what happened and continue onwards. To those of you who are even a fraction as intelligent as I¡¯d like my competition to be, I say this ¨C I look forward to when this game really begins. Think of this as the prologue, if you will. When the weak are gone is when this game truly begins, and I am anticipating that moment,¡± she paused, savoring every word. ¡°Well on that note, I believe I shall begin investigating his body. Surely there must be something I can use¡­¡± Selena finished her speech and immediately directed her attention to Francis¡¯ body, ignoring the appalled looks on everyone¡¯s faces. Lavender and Alexandra, apparently completely unfazed by Selena¡¯s chilling speech, followed her. Jason decided it would be best to start investigating the armory itself before looking at Francis¡¯ body. After all, the others were starting to swarm around the corpse, and it would have been hard to get any investigating done.

    Jason first inspected the replica weapons hung on the wall. It was just as Dexter and Arthur had confirmed ¨C the weapons were indeed real weapons, meant to be used in combat. The swords¡¯ edges had been recently sharpened, and all the firearms had bullets loaded in them. With one exception ¨C the replica of Mikad¡¯s gun was missing two bullets in it. Wait, what? Jason was confused. If this gun was missing two bullets, then it was safe to assume that they had been shot at something. But if that was the case, what was it doing here? Wasn¡¯t Mikad¡¯s gun still in his hideout? Jason made a mental note to investigate it later. He also noted that the replica gun was covered in dents and marks. Aside from that, nothing stood out about the weapons hung on the walls. The bookshelves yielded a similar result ¨C nothing in particular stood out about them. As he was investigating the books, Jason noticed that a scrap of paper had been inconspicuously slipped in with the pages of a book. The book being titled The Life of Sir Francis Helmsburg seemed overly ironic to Jason. Jason slipped the paper out. The paper was the contents of a letter. It read:

    Dearest Shirley,

    I know it may seem odd that I am sending you this invitation. However, if you promise to behave, I would very much enjoy your company. This party will include others like you ¨C the talented, the gifted, the outcasts of society. Despite your relatively unique talent, I¡¯ve become quite fascinated with you, to the point of purchasing the records of the orphanage you mentioned growing up in. I¡¯m sure everyone else here will understand. You have nothing to fear ¨C who knows, maybe you¡¯ll even make a friend.

    My deepest and warmest salutations,

    Sir Francis Helmsburg

    P.S. The project I mentioned is almost complete. It should be ready to show off at the party. Please look forward to it!

    Jason reread the letter to make sure he hadn¡¯t imagined it. This letter was far more personal than any Francis had sent prior to this. According to the wording, it seemed that there had been an invitation attached to this. Despite searching the nearby books, Jason couldn¡¯t find a trace of the envelope that contained the invitation to the party. It seems that this letter had never found its destination, and that this Shirley person was yet another missing party guest. Still, this letter seemed to have been placed here on purpose. Deciding it must hold some value, Jason slipped it into his tuxedo jacket to try and find out more about this Shirley individual. Nothing else stood out in the armory, so he headed to the cadaver to investigate it.

    The first thing to stand out to Jason was the eerie smile plastered onto Francis¡¯ face. He seemed happy to have it end. It made investigating his body even more unnerving. As had become customary, a camo combat knife jutted out of his chest. There were no other noticeable injuries on his body, aside from a dark stain on his bathrobe, but Jason figured that was a stain of coffee that had fallen on his robe in shock. The shattered remains of a coffee mug on the floor seemed to confirm that. Aside from that, nothing stood out about his body. Surprisingly underwhelmed, Jason had a look at the desk Francis had been using until his death. Blank sheets of paper were spread across the desk. Various writing utensils, from pens and pencils to quills and ink, were strewn and spilt all over the desk and floor. The desk had been left in a state that could only be described as a complete mess. Francis¡¯ appearance mimicked this ¨C his hair was scruffy and messy, and his bathrobe was wrinkled and messed up in every regard. Francis himself seemed unclean, as if he hadn¡¯t washed in weeks, although considering that he was a corpse now, it seemed justified. With that, Jason had finished his investigation of Sir Francis Helmsburg, but it didn¡¯t answer any of his questions. Taking one last look around the armory to ensure he hadn¡¯t missed anything, Jason stepped out of the room and headed to the dining room.

    ¡°This just doesn¡¯t make sense,¡± Lavender muttered. She, Cole, Alexandra and Audrey had gathered in the dining room to try and decipher the puzzling mystery of Sir Francis Helmsburg and why his body was in the armory. ¡°How is it possible that he isn¡¯t the mastermind behind this whole thing?¡±

    ¡°Nothing makes sense anymore,¡± Audrey complained, looking distraught. ¡°I thought for sure that he was the crazy psycho behind this! You mean to actually tell me that the baby is the mastermind?¡±

    ¡°That, uh, isn¡¯t necessarily, um, true¡­¡± Cole muttered almost inaudibly.

    ¡°What do you mean by that, Cole?¡± Alexandra asked. Cole seemed shocked that anyone had actually heard him. His cheeks flushed to a bright red color as the three women looked at him inquisitively.

    ¡°I mean, uh, um, it just means that, um, someone else is, uh, behind this, right?¡± Cole stammered. ¡°It¡¯s something that, uh, that we, um, didn¡¯t consider, ha, ha¡­¡± Cole chuckled nervously, despite him clearly not finding humour in the current predicament.

    ¡°Mind if I join you?¡± Jason asked. Lavender nodded, and Jason took a seat to partake in the discussion. ¡°Cole, what do you mean by ¡°a possibility we didn¡¯t consider¡±?¡±

    ¡°Exactly, um, what it is,¡± Cole replied. ¡°There¡¯s something, uh, we didn¡¯t, um, consider¡­ I¡¯ve been, um, thinking about this for a while¡­ But it¡¯s probably, uh, nothing, ha, ha¡­¡± Cole stared at his legs, completely avoiding the glances from the other four people present at the table.

    ¡°It might not be nothing,¡± Jason pressed.

    ¡°Ok, I¡¯ll, um, tell you¡­ What if one of us¡­ was the, uh, mastermind?¡± Cole proposed.

    ¡°Nope. Next!¡± Audrey cackled. ¡°Well what? It¡¯s true. Why would one of us be the mastermind? I mean, one of us is already the killer, right? What¡¯s the point in having both the mastermind and the killer as separate players?¡±

    ¡°It would account for the amount of people at the party,¡± Lavender mentioned. ¡°27 people instead of 25, and two participants that shouldn¡¯t be here would be logical.¡±

    ¡°No, it wouldn¡¯t,¡± Alexandra replied matter-of-factly. ¡°That would make Jason and Henry the odd ones out, and Henry has been dead for a while now. I highly doubt he could be either at this point.¡±

    ¡°See, I knew it, uh, was pretty, um, stupid¡­¡± Cole said. ¡°I¡¯m sorry for, um, wasting your time¡­¡± Cole apologized.

    ¡°And yet, it isn¡¯t a waste of time,¡± someone said behind them. They turned around to see none other than Selena walking into the room. ¡°I¡¯ve also been thinking about that theory for a while now, and this latest discovery only cements this theory.¡±

    ¡°Oh, and if you think it, it must be right!¡± Audrey rolled her eyes. ¡°Yeah, right. Take a hike.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m glad we think similarly, then,¡± Selena replied, staring daggers at Audrey. ¡°I believe that this theory is sound, but you¡¯ve all been thinking about it incorrectly. Allow me to educate you all!¡± Selena proclaimed. Everyone rolled their eyes simultaneously, even the normally polite-to-a-fault Cole. ¡°What if the killer and the mastermind are one and the same? Not only would it account for Henry¡¯s death and the number of players, but it would also account for Helmsburg¡¯s death, wouldn¡¯t it?¡±

    ¡°That theory has flaws, too,¡± Lavender rebutted. ¡°It¡¯s too great a risk. If the mastermind is the killer and they¡¯re found out, they lose everything, right? Whereas if the killer isn¡¯t the mastermind and they¡¯re found out, the mastermind can simply play stupid and escape with everyone else to try again.¡±

    ¡°My, Lavender, I had no idea you were capable of thinking so critically!¡± Selena exclaimed. ¡°It would seem that you are also a player in this game who¡¯s worth playing against. Make that two, now!¡± Selena seemed thrilled, and Jason could only imagine the twisted thoughts going through her head at that moment. ¡°But I must admit, you are correct. The risk is very great. It would seem our mastermind isn¡¯t very keen on showing himself at the moment.¡± Selena stood there in thought for a while before anyone dared to speak.

    ¡°In any case, I found another potential clue,¡± Jason told everyone. Selena¡¯s head turned so abruptly to face Jason he was surprised it didn¡¯t break and fall off. ¡°I found a letter in one of the books in the armory. Have a look,¡± Jason explained. He pulled the letter out of his jacket and showed everyone. Their eyes clung to the paper and read every word of it.

    ¡°What on Earth...?¡± Selena seemed taken aback. For once, something seemed to have surprised her. ¡°This letter¡­ It just revealed the identity of our mystery assailant!¡± she exclaimed. ¡°Whoever this ¡®Shirley¡¯ is, she is our killer! Of this, I am certain.¡±

    ¡°I never thought I would have seen you, of all people, jump to conclusions,¡± Alexandra stated coldly. ¡°Shirley, whoever she is, could just be another person who was meant to show up to the party but was prevented from doing so. Have you ever considered this letter as being a prank, in a way? Brian could have easily planted it there.¡±

    ¡°You could be correct,¡± Selena reluctantly agreed, ¡°but I choose to believe that it has a purpose. And if this is what I think it is, it confirms one thing about our attacker ¨C their gender. Unless this is another Arthur case, I think we can safely assume that no man is named Shirley.¡±

    ¡°On that point, I can agree,¡± Alexandra admitted, her expression devoid of any emotion. ¡°Shirley, whoever she is, is definitely a girl.¡±

    ¡°Something else about the letter struck me as odd,¡± Lavender mentioned, having until now been lost in thought. ¡°The letter mentions a ¡°unique talent¡± and ¡°behaving herself¡±. I¡¯m fairy certain that whatever her talent was, it was dangerous.¡±

    ¡°That doesn¡¯t, um, mean that, uh, it¡¯s a murderer, uh, kind of talent, right?¡± Cole asked timidly. ¡°I mean, we have, er, had, a boxer, and we, uh, have a, um, ninja, and a bounty hunter, and a knight, and a pyromaniac, and, uh, yeah, so it doesn¡¯t mean, um, that it has to be, uh, a murder-y, um, talent.¡±

    ¡°Add two more players that are worth playing against!¡± Selena exclaimed with glee. ¡°Do you have anything to add that might surprise me, Audrey? No? Thought so,¡± Selena asked without giving Audrey any time to answer. ¡°Well, I shall be taking my leave. Oh, and Jason? I would be careful with that letter, if I were you. Who knows? You might show it to the killer, and it wouldn¡¯t be any fun to lose such a worthy player before some of these idiots,¡± she warned, giving one glance at Audrey when she said the word ¡°idiots¡±, and walked out gracefully.

    ¡°Can I light her on fire?¡± Audrey asked. Lavender chuckled a little. ¡°No, I¡¯m serious. I want her to burn. Painfully. With like, super slow-burning fire, if possible.¡± Flames had appeared in Audrey¡¯s eyes. She ran out of the room, as if an idea had struck her.

    ¡°We¡¯ll have to keep an eye on her,¡± Alexandra stated. Everyone nodded, clearly sick of Selena¡¯s mentality. Jason took the letter and slipped it back into his jacket.

    ¡°An obsession with, uh, something like fire, um, is usually caused, uh, intense gratification by things burning,¡± Cole remarked. Everyone looked at him. Immediately, his face reddened. ¡°I mean, uh, it¡¯s something, um, I read, ha, ha,¡± Cole chuckled nervously, looking like he could be toppled over by a light breeze.

    ¡°Gratification, you say?¡± Alexandra asked. ¡°But why isn¡¯t she terrified of it?¡±

    ¡°It, uh, depends on a lot of, um, factors, ha, ha,¡± Cole explained nervously. ¡°It could be from anything like, uh, past crimes, or, um, sexual abuse, or even, uh¡­¡± Cole seemed to fear saying his last point. ¡°from, uh, from, um, from¡­ From parental neglect.¡±

    ¡°Poor girl¡­¡± Alexandra said coldly. ¡°Still, we should make sure she doesn¡¯t burn us all down. I¡¯m fine with Selena going, but everyone else doesn¡¯t deserve such a fate.¡±

    ¡°That was surprisingly morose of you,¡± Lavender noted. ¡°On that note, if no one has anything else to add, I wouldn¡¯t mind getting some sleep. It¡¯s been a long and eventful day, and I wouldn¡¯t mind getting some rest.¡± Everyone agreed to that, a sudden fatigue washing over them, and they all headed to their respective rooms. Jason stayed awake for a while, staring at the ceiling and thinking about everything that had happened today. The biggest mystery was, of course, the death of Sir Francis Helmsburg - that fact provided many more questions than answers. His thoughts still swirling in his head at top speed, he fell asleep.

    Jason awoke the next morning feeling just as confused as before. Feeling he couldn¡¯t reach any answers on his own, he headed down to the dining room in the hopes that he could find someone to discuss with him. When he arrived, he felt an immediate wave of worry wash over him. Brian himself was seated on the table, smiling eerily at everyone passing by. Only Selena seemed to be unbothered by his presence, walking around with her usual high-and-mighty appearance. Everyone else stared at him uncomfortably, almost as if afraid that one of them would drop dead any second. Jason noticed, however, that some people were missing from the dining room. Before he could say anything about that, Lavender spoke up.

    ¡°Alright, out with it. What do you want?¡± she asked, clearly annoyed.

    ¡°Hmm? What do I want? Oh, nothing, really,¡± Brian answered, a smile still plastered onto his face, looking faker by the second. ¡°I¡¯m just happy that things are moving along, that¡¯s all.¡±

    ¡°What does that mean?¡± A asked.

    ¡°Are you all imbeciles or is it just me noticing things?¡± Selena sighed, exasperated. ¡°The game is moving along. Come on, use your brains for a second.¡±

    ¡°That wouldn¡¯t, uh, mean, that, uh, someone¡­¡± Cole stuttered, afraid to finish his sentence.

    ¡°Come on, finish your sentence,¡± Selena pressured Cole. ¡°Ugh, fine, I¡¯ll do it. Someone died. There, happy, Brian?¡± Selena smiled, clearly content herself. Everyone stopped. It was as if Selena had uttered a spell that froze time itself. The only person who didn¡¯t seem frozen was Brian, who began giggling uncontrolledly. Jason looked around, now understanding why some people were missing. Gary, Audrey, Vivian, Dahinko, Lelina, Dexter and Axel hadn¡¯t shown up for breakfast yet. Jason felt a pang of worry, and despite his best effort, his brain began imaging scenarios in which one of the seven had died.

    ¡°Wait, then, what about the trumpets?¡± Alexandra asked, looking unfazed. ¡°Don¡¯t they play whenever someone dies?¡±

    ¡°Do I look like I¡¯m going to give you the answer? Figure it out yourself!¡± Brian said in between hysteric fits of laughter. ¡°I will give you a super secret mega-ultra-hyper special hint! The trumpets only play once someone¡¯s pulse has stopped. That¡¯s all I¡¯m going to say! Now, let the game resume!¡± With that, Brian fizzled out.

    ¡°What did that mean¡­?¡± Arthur asked, puzzled. ¡°¡°Once someone¡¯s pulse has stopped¡±? Does that mean that no one¡¯s pulse has stopped?¡±

    ¡°Then there¡¯s still time!¡± Rose exclaimed. ¡°Come on, y¡¯all! We need to find the killer before it¡¯s too late!¡±

    No other words needed to be said. The fourteen people who had been in the dining room left at full speed, frantically searching rooms to find a possible body. Jason sprinted to the library, only to find it empty. Before Jason left, he found his eyes drawn to the spot where Vicki had met her final moments. Not a trace of the world¡¯s best author remained, save for a small part of the room where the dust cut off in a body-like shape. Jason exited the library and stopped for a moment to observe everyone else. He noticed that Axel and Dahinko had joined up with Bobby and Skyler, the latter of which looked particularly relieved to see Dahinko. Jason mentally crossed them off the list of potential victims he had conjured in his head, despite his best efforts. His detective instincts were in full drive now, and the list was just a part of it. While there was still a chance that another murder could be averted, Jason¡¯s senses were in overdrive. He lay his hand on the doorknob to the armory and froze. Something was off. He looked over at Selena, who had remained calm and emotionless, despite the frenzy that was currently gripping the manor. However, when Jason lay his hand on the armory, he noticed the faintest smile escape her lips, and her full attention was on Jason. He could feel the sweat crawling on his neck as he turned the knob the enter the armory.

    The first thing Jason noticed was the lack of lights in the room. The room, save for a sliver of light penetrating the room from the hallway, was pitch-black. He could just about make out Sir Francis¡¯ form on the chair. That, however, wasn¡¯t Jason¡¯s biggest concern. It was the sound of metal penetrating flesh that he heard the moment he opened the door. It wasn¡¯t immediately clear where it was coming from, but then Jason heard a loud sound of something scraping against the floor, and that was enough. Jason¡¯s hand fumbled along the wall until he found a light switch and he flicked on the light. The first thing he noticed was the bookshelf at the back of the room spinning back into place, just concealing a flash of white that had exited the room through the bookshelf.

    The second thing he noticed was the sound of trumpets blaring almost immediately after he heard the lights switch on.

    It took Jason a second to place the body. The trumpets, the bookshelf and the unnerving sight of Sir Francis¡¯ body, left exactly where it had been placed, distracted him for ¨C hang on. That¡¯s not Sir Francis.

    The body most certainly did not belong to the late Sir Francis Helmsburg. The hair was a different color, the outfit was different, and the body was a lot more damaged. But the most staggering was the expression on the victim¡¯s face. It was not one of odd joy and exactment.

    It was one of fear and despair.

    The signature knife had just been sunk into the flesh, identifying the sound that Jason had heard earlier. To think ¨C had he rushed to the body, he could have stopped it. He could have apprehended the culprit. None of that mattered at the moment, however. The others began pouring into the room, Selena leading the charge. They all had a mix of reactions ¨C gasping, pointing, exclamations and even tears began coming from all sides. The only one not partaking in this despair was Selena, who was instead laughing.

    ¡°Excellent choice!¡± she exclaimed. ¡°If he wasn¡¯t going to play, then no need to keep him around!¡± she laughed boisterously, almost maniacally.

    It was true. The victim in question was one that had vehemently refused to ¡°play the game¡±. Not out of morals or pity, no ¨C out of boredom and unimportance.

    The person that everyone was pointing at and gasping was none other that the world¡¯s best fashion designer, Gary Shields.

    <u>SURVIVORS: 20</u>

 Chapter 11: The Most Important Things

    ¡°Bwahahahahahahaha! Oh, that¡¯s hilarious! The looks on your faces right now, I mean!¡± Brian, who had just appeared in the room, cackled. ¡°But I must congratulate you, killer. Mikad only died so recently, and yet, we have another body! Well, you must know what to do at this point. Get to it! See you later¡­!¡± Brian laughed ominously and vanished from the room. It took a while for anyone to move after he had left. They had only recently witnessed the deaths of Mikad and Michael, and they had yet to recover from it. Now, Gary lay right in front of them, dead, and their brain had a challenging time processing that fact. That is, everyone except Selena, who immediately began investigating while giving her thoughts on the matter in her usual manner.

    ¡°Good riddance, I¡¯d say. If he wasn¡¯t going to play the game, no need to have him participate at all,¡± Selena said snidely. ¡°Now, which one of you will be doing the autopsy this time? I certainly won¡¯t be getting my hands dirty with his blood,¡± she added with disdain.

    ¡°Have some decency, would you?¡± Axel interjected. ¡°The man just died.¡±

    ¡°And what of it?¡± Selena replied. ¡°He refused to play the game ¨C it¡¯s a miracle he lived past Erick. I take that back ¨C I¡¯m surprised he outlived Erick! The man locked himself in his room and did nothing in the investigations, and you all have the audacity to pity him and say he didn¡¯t deserve it?¡±

    ¡°No one deserves to die¡­ No one!¡± Navini screamed, tears welling in her eyes. ¡°No matter who they are, nobody deserves to be murdered!¡±

    ¡°Oh really? Can you say that about the murderer?¡± Selena pointed out, her voice taking on a syrupy tone. ¡°If the murderer were to reveal themselves right now, would you say that they don¡¯t deserve death? Could you truly say that with a straight face?¡±

    ¡°Uh¡­¡± Navini looked confused. ¡°Well, they¡¯re a killer! A monster! They barely qualify as human!¡±

    ¡°Funny you should say that,¡± Selena interrupted. ¡°I¡¯m sure most of you consider me a monster, right? Someone who¡¯s less than human? And yet, here I am, within my legal rights, my hands clean of any murder. Do I deserve to die?¡± Everyone was silent. No one had an answer to Selena¡¯s question. After waiting a minute to see if anyone dared defy her, Selena continued. ¡°That¡¯s what I thought. Now shut up about morality and humanity and all that nonsense and focus on the investigation. I don¡¯t think anyone here wants to die, do we?¡±

    That was all it took. With Selena¡¯s warning in mind, the others set out to investigating. Jason was still considering Selena¡¯s last statement. Was that her own backwards way of encouraging the other? Of trying to get them to not give up, no matter the circumstances? Selena was off to the side, watching everyone and smiling. Her smile seemed to be both genuine and malicious at the same time, making it even harder to get a read on her. But she was right - Jason didn¡¯t want to die, and the only way to ensure that was to investigate Gary¡¯s corpse. Jason set out to the task of piecing together how Gary replaced Sir Francis¡¯ corpse on the chair.

    The first thing to note was the method of death ¨C a camo combat knife through the heart, as usual. The killer¡¯s modus operandi hadn¡¯t changed for this particular murder, but Jason was convinced there had to be more to the murder. The only other thing of note on Gary¡¯s body was that his clothes were disheveled and messy, the beret that usually rest on his head missing entirely. His smock was covered with stains of varying colors that Jason could only describe as spilled paint. One was definitely not paint ¨C a trail of fresh blood was streaming down his smock from the hole in his heart. Aside from that, Gary didn¡¯t appear to have any other external injury that Jason could identify. Another matter was more pressing to Jason than Gary¡¯s corpse, however ¨C the method of escape for the killer. When Jason had opened the door, the killer was still in the room. However, there hadn¡¯t been anyone aside from Jason in the room when he discovered Gary¡¯s body. Where had the killer gone, and how had they left? Suddenly, Jason remembered the flash of white and the bookshelf that had spun back into place. He decided to investigate the bookshelf once again, this time looking for an entrance to a secret passage of some kind. After all, this wasn¡¯t the first secret passage hidden behind a bookshelf, and Jason wagered it wasn¡¯t the last.

    Jason looked for quite some time to no avail. The books didn¡¯t hide any switch or lever, and none of the other ornaments had any other means of opening a door on them. But the bookshelf had to have opened somehow, so Jason looked elsewhere for a switch. The only potential place was on the desk, but even that turned out to be fruitless. It was then that Jason noticed something about Gary that he hadn¡¯t before ¨C his right palm was covered in green paint. Part of the leather chair was now covered in it as well. Jason looked for a second and surely enough, he found a button hidden in the leather, now being colored green. On the floor, he found a very thin yet extremely long needle that was also covered in the paint. Jason pushed the button and waited. The bookshelf at the back started creaking as it slowly spun around to reveal an entrance. Jason and all the others in the room watched it open with wide eyes. Everyone waited for a fraction of a second before going to investigate. That fraction had proved too long ¨C the bookshelf spun back, closing the passage behind it. Something then had made itself obvious to Jason ¨C it was impossible for someone to be next to the leather chair, positioned as it was, and to open the bookshelf passage and have enough time to escape through it.

    ¡°Hey, Navini,¡± Jason asked. Navini turned her head to look at Jason. ¡°Could you open the passage for me? All you have to do is press on the button on the chair.¡±

    ¡°Uh, sure,¡± Navini agreed, unsure. Jason walked up to the bookshelf and waited for Navini to press the button. Selena, Alexandra and Lelina were also near the bookshelf, waiting for it to spin open. The second it did, the four rushed into the passage. Jason barely had enough time to go through before the bookshelf spun closed. For a moment, Jason couldn¡¯t see or hear anything. The bookshelf had completely drowned out the chatter in the armory. After a second, lights came on in the hallway, illuminating a long, white corridor that looked like it belonged in a hospital. The floor, walls and ceiling were all uniformly bright white, with LED lights illuminating the way. Jason decided to see where it led ¨C and immediately he tripped and fell.

    ¡°Ow¡­¡± Jason rubbed his arm, now bruised. ¡°What did I trip on?¡±

    ¡°This, probably,¡± Lelina answered, picking up a large white cloth off the ground. Gary¡¯s green beret slipped out of it and fell onto the floor. Jason observed the cloth for a second ¨C it was probably large enough to cover an entire person if they were hunched over. Two holes had been cut, more than likely to serve as eyeholes, and a large, scarlet stain covered a part of the cloth. Lelina tossed it aside in disgust and picked up her toybox. The four continued to walk down the path, a seemingly endless corridor that winded and turned quite frequently, so much so that Jason had no idea where in the house they were located. They had not gone lower, however, so Jason was sure they were still on the ground floor. Every now and then, Jason noticed a faint red spot on the corridor, more than likely a drop of blood. Eventually, the corridor ended with a staircase that led to a wooden wall with a switch next to it. Selena pressed the switch and the four stepped back as the wooden wall began to spin. They exited the corridor ¨C and entered Gary¡¯s bedroom.

    Gary¡¯s room was very similar to Navini¡¯s ¨C it was covered in fabric, pins, needles and the likes. However, it lacked the extravagant ornaments that Navini also had scattered all over her room. What was different to Navini¡¯s room was that one wall was covered with sketches for various outfits, particularly women¡¯s dresses. A mannequin was knocked over in one corner of the room, a plain purple cloth with yellow stripes covering most of it. The color combination was like an assault of Jason¡¯s eyes, and he had to wonder if anyone would wear such an outfit. The room was a mess ¨C however, Jason didn¡¯t think it was because of Gary¡¯s messiness. The bed was neatly done, and all the pins, needles and buttons were neatly arranged on the desk. However, one section of the wall covered in sketches was filled with scraps, torn designs lying beneath them. The mannequin, aside from having been knocked over, was also covered in scratches, and there was a light bloodstain on the door, along with scratches covering the walls. Aside from that, nothing stood out to Jason. However, the simple fact that there was a hidden passageway leading straight to Gary¡¯s room was a huge clue, if not an amazingly convenient one. Jason also noticed that there was a pretty large bloodstain on Gary¡¯s pillow, though what from he didn¡¯t know yet. Jason gave one last look around Gary¡¯s room before leaving. He realized that the door to Gary¡¯s room was still locked, so he unlocked it and headed out.

    ¡°I figured as much,¡± someone stated as Jason left the room. It was none other that Lavender, who had apparently been waiting outside Gary¡¯s room. ¡°I couldn¡¯t find the key on Gary¡¯s body, so I figured that the passage must have led here.¡±

    ¡°A k¡­key?¡± Lelina, who had also exited Gary¡¯s room, stuttered. ¡°Do you m¡­mean this one?¡± She asked, pulling a key out of her toybox. ¡°Alexandra f¡­found it on the f¡­floor near the mannequin¡­ D¡­Does it belong to Gary¡¯s room?¡±

    ¡°Only one way to find out,¡± Lavender stated and closed the door. She tried to lock the door with the key, the key spinning in the lock with a click. ¡°Hey, Selena? Could you try opening the door?¡±

    ¡°With or without unlocking it first, Sherlock Holmes?¡± Selena¡¯s muffled voice came from the other side. ¡°You know we can unlock it from this side.¡±

    ¡°But not from this side. Without unlocking it, please,¡± Lavender replied, apparently unfazed by Selena. A few seconds passed without Selena doing anything. ¡°Could you please just cooperate?¡± Lavender asked, now beginning to show signs of irritation.

    ¡°Sigh¡­ Very well. Just this once, Selena Coveny will lend you her god-like assistance,¡± Selena replied through the door. Lelina rolled her eyes, and the three outside the room waited in anticipation. The doorknob turned and stopped abruptly. Jason could hear Selena trying to rattle it from the other side. ¡°Well, it¡¯s definitely locked. What did this accomplish, exactly?¡± Selena asked. Jason could feel her gaze piercing through the door.

    ¡°It confirmed something for me. Thank you, Selena,¡± Lavender replied. She then proceeded to unlock the door and open it. An infuriated Selena greeted them, her expression saying that she wanted to know more. ¡°It¡¯s none of your business. It¡¯s probably not related to this case,¡± Lavender smiled and walked away before Selena had a chance to reply.

    ¡°How¡­ Dare she!¡± Selena screeched, outraged. ¡°Not important to this case?! As if! Get back here and tell me what that was all about!¡± Selena stomped off. Jason chuckled a little ¨C this was the first time he had seen Selena lose her cool in such a manner. He gave one last glance into Gary¡¯s room before heading off.

    Jason decided to return to the scene of the crime in order to investigate it a little more. Upon his return there, Navini came rushing up to him, along with Cole.

    ¡°Oh, uh, Jason!¡± Cole exclaimed. ¡°Perfect timing. Navini and I just, um, finished our, uh, autopsy. Right, Navini?¡± Cole nudged Navini a little. For some reason, Navini looked more depressed than usual. She was staring at the floor before Cole nudged her. Surprised, her head shot up to look at Jason.

    ¡°Oh, right. Yeah, we looked at his body,¡± Navini stated glumly.

    ¡°Is everything all right, Navini?¡± Jason asked. Navini was acting very oddly considering her usual cheery demeanor. Navini didn¡¯t answer immediately.

    ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m¡­ Fine, I guess¡­¡± Navini sighed. ¡°Cole, do you mind telling Jason what we found?¡±

    ¡°Ok¡­¡± Cole replied, clearly worried about Navini. ¡°So, uh, we, um, we found out that Gary died because of, the, um, knife. There¡¯s, uh, no doubt about that. There were only, uh, two other external injuries, and they definitely deep enough to cause any, uh, permanent damage, ha, ha¡­¡± Cole summarized.

    ¡°Two other external injuries?¡± Jason asked. ¡°What were they?¡±

    ¡°Well, uh, one was, um, a blow on his, um, head,¡± Cole stammered. ¡°It looked like, um, blunt force trauma, but it wasn¡¯t, uh, deep enough to kill, ha, ha. It might have knocked him, um, unconscious, but not more than that. The other was, um, a bit weirder. There was a very small, uh, hole in his, um hand. Like if he, uh, pricked himself with a needle. But a lot deeper that just a little prick, ha, ha¡­¡± Cole finished, mumbling something or other to himself. ¡°Did I, um, miss anything, Navini?¡±

    ¡°No, that¡¯s, uh¡­ That¡¯s all¡­¡± Navini answered, not really paying attention to the conversation at hand. Cole looked worryingly at her.

    ¡°Navini, you need to, uh, pay attention to this!¡± Cole exclaimed. ¡°You need to! Or else you might¡­ You know¡­!¡± Cole¡¯s eyes lit up, reflecting a passion Jason had yet to see in him. As soon as it had come, though, it vanished, and Cole returned to his normal, mumbling self. ¡°Or something like that, ha, ha¡­¡± Cole mumbled to himself. Navini didn¡¯t seem to really hear him. She walked away towards the bookshelf, almost in a trance. ¡°I¡¯ll, um, keep an eye on her, ha, ha¡­¡± Cole stammered before rushing off after her. Jason continued to stare at the two. They made for an odd duo ¨C Navini was a lot taller than Cole, and yet she looked like she was just letting Cole make all the decisions for her. Her staring down at the floor and Cole jumping up and down, trying his best to get her to cheer up, almost equalized their height. Jason also noticed that Navini wasn¡¯t wearing her platform shoes, walking around barefoot instead. If it weren¡¯t for her outlandish hairdo, she could have passed for a normal person. Suddenly, without warning, the speaker crackled to life.

    Ding-Dong! ¡°Hey, every-bzzt! Well, I¡¯m getting bored. Shall we - bzzt! - get started? You know the ¨C bzzt! ¨C by now. Gather in the main hall! See you in a bit! Oh, and I better not catch you sharing any information!¡± Dong-Ding!

    ¡°What? Already?¡± Cole cried out. ¡°But I didn¡¯t get to investigate everywhere¡­¡± Suddenly, he looked very nervous. ¡°Navini, are you going to be alright?¡± He looked at Navini, who didn¡¯t reply.

    ¡°Huh? But I barely got to do anything!¡± Audrey whined.

    ¡°This wasn¡¯t nearly enough time to get anything done,¡± Lavender complained. ¡°I didn¡¯t even get to investigate the secret passage behind the bookshelf¡­¡±

    ¡°You didn¡¯t? But you know it leads to Gary¡¯s room, so there¡¯s not much more to know, if I¡¯m being honest,¡± Jason told her. Lavender smiled politely and thanked him. She then headed to the main hall. Jason took one last look at Gary¡¯s body and headed out to the hallway.

    It had almost become routine at this point ¨C the dread that came before each visit to that room. Today especially, people seemed extremely nervous. Dahinko was sweating bullets, and was clutching to Skyler for support, who looked only a little more sure of himself. Lelina was shaking uncontrollably, and looked like she could faint at any moment. Even the normally collected Lavender and Selena seemed more worried than usual. Only two people didn¡¯t seem worried ¨C Vivian, who was off her usual dream world, and Alexandra, who looked as emotionless as usual. Jason awaited with an anticipation closer to fear than excitement, waiting for Anne-Marie¡¯s voice to sound through the speakers. While he was waiting, he couldn¡¯t help but imagine who among them would no longer be here to see tomorrow. He knew he shouldn¡¯t think such dark thoughts, but his mind couldn¡¯t help itself, and think it did. It kept thinking scenarios that it had no right of thinking until the interminable wait was finally ended when the speakers crackled to life.

    Ding-Dong! ¡°Um¡­ Hello once again, everyone. As much as I hate doing this, we need to, so¡­¡± ¡­ ¡°Ow! Okay, okay, I¡¯ll be more enthusiastic, brother. Alright, then¡­ Dahinko Harvey.¡±

    Dahinko nearly rocketed through the roof when his name was called. Steeling himself, he rushed into the room. A few minutes later, he emerged, looking paler than when he had entered. One by one, everyone went into the room, until at last Jason¡¯s name was called. Bracing himself, he entered the room. He glanced around for a little bit before beginning to retell the story of Gary¡¯s death.

    Gary Shields was quietly working away on his latest masterpiece in his room. The interruption courtesy of Brian had certainly been annoying, but nothing he couldn¡¯t handle. Besides, who cared about some dead eccentric, anyways? He had far more important things to worry about. Once he left this horrid mansion, he had to launch his newest line of clothes, and nothing was an excuse valid enough for him. He worked frantically, the pencil flying across the page as designs were created seemingly from nothing. When he was satisfied, the design was hung up on the wall. When he wasn¡¯t, off to the garbage it went. He was so focused on his work that he didn¡¯t even hear the wall open in his closet. It was more of a delayed reaction ¨C his brain had heard it, yet he refused to take his attention off his work, so he didn¡¯t care - luckily for the killer, who lurked in the closet, watching and waiting for the perfect opportunity to strike. They were itching to murder once again ¨C the death of Sir Francis had only been an appetizer. When Jason and the others had discovered the body, it had taken all the killer¡¯s effort to not burst out in laughter. That was the surprise Brian had in store for them? Francis had been dead for some time now, and the killer figured that the corpse had been disposed of. Silently, they waited until Gary was at his most vulnerable. Gary continued to work at breakneck speed, the pencil seemingly never resting, as designs were created and hung up or trashed. Eventually, Gary did stop, if only for a moment. He was debating a certain color choice ¨C would yellow or green clash less with purple? He decided he needed to try it out. He fumbled around in his room until he found purple cloth and yellow cloth, and he got to work. The dress completed, it hung on the mannequin in his room. Something seemed off, and so he decided to try green instead. However, he noticed that he lacked any green cloth. Remembering that he had some in his closet, he headed towards it, and that was when the killer decided to strike.This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.

    Upon opening the closet door, Gary didn¡¯t immediately notice the figure lurking in the shadows. His mind was preoccupied with thoughts relating to fashion and the industry. However, it didn¡¯t take long for him to notice the glint of metal that was reflecting from the knife the killer was holding. With this unforeseen problem arising, the killer decided to act now. They revealed themselves and lunged at Gary. In his panic, Gary jumped back into the room, clinging at anything he could find, tearing down some of his beloved designs. In a desperate attempt to fend off the killer, Gary took the mannequin and shoved it in the now-rapidly approaching killer. Of course, this wasn¡¯t enough. The killer easily caught up to Gary as he was fumbling to unlock his door and, to prevent any more hiccups, used his own mannequin to knock him unconscious. To prevent anyone from discovering the hallway trick, the killer snatched Gary¡¯s key and shoved it into the dress before haphazardly tossing the mannequin back into the corner. A bit of blood was trickling from Gary¡¯s head, but thanks to his beret, the wound was obscured from sight, and the killer didn¡¯t notice it. The killer left his body of the bed and proceeded to take the hidden passage back to the armory, where they noticed that Sir Francis¡¯ body had disappeared. They arrived just in time for Brian¡¯s announcement about the surprise he had in store.

    The killer figured out what Brian wanted from them, and they knew this was their chance ¨C they immediately ran back to the armory, careful not to let anyone see them. However, someone did see them ¨C Selena Coveny, the world¡¯s best linguist. For whatever reason, she chose to ignore them, instead watching the armory curiously, waiting to see the events unfold. Perhaps she even knew who the victim would be, and yet she did not act. Instead, she waited as the killer frantically rushed back to Gary¡¯s room and began carrying the body back to the armory. As a precautionary measure, should they be seen, the killer wrapped themselves in Gary¡¯s bedsheet and pierced eyeholes through it with their knife. With this, they were missing one last thing to complete their murder ¨C a way of escape. They grabbed a needle from Gary¡¯s room and some green paint and made their way to the armory, the unconscious Gary in tow. As they walked, blood dripped onto the hallway, but in their hurry, the killer didn¡¯t notice. They put down Gary¡¯s body for a moment to open the door, and in that moment, his beret slipped off and fell onto the floor. The killer, again, didn¡¯t notice, and dragged Gary¡¯s body into the armory, where they began their daring escape. They propped the limp Gary onto the chair and placed some paint beneath his right palm. Then, they waited. Finally, Jason walked into the room, but because of the lack of light, he didn¡¯t notice the killer, silently waiting in their white cloth. Before leaving, they finished Gary off, stabbing him at long last with their signature weapon. Finally, they pierced a needle into his palm and propped it up against the button. Jason began fumbling around to find a light switch, but he wasn¡¯t fast enough. The needle slipped thanks to the paint, and Gary¡¯s palm came crashing down onto the button. The bookshelf opened, and the killer left the room, the lights only just coming back on as the bookshelf closed, allowing Jason to catch a glimpse of the killer. Relieved that their plan had gone off without a hitch (or so they thought), the killer discarded the bedsheet, where it landed on top of Gary¡¯s beret. They heard the sound of trumpets through the bookshelf, and ran as fast as they could back to Gary¡¯s room, unlocking it and emerging from the room into an empty hallway. They then locked the door and tossed the key in the crack under the door. Thankfully, no one saw them, and they let out a sigh of relief before rushing to meet up with the others and pretending like they were just as shocked as the others. Inside, they were cursing Brian for giving them so little time to carry out such an intricate murder, but they were relieved it had gone as planned.

    ¡°And that¡¯s what happened,¡± Jason concluded. ¡°As for why they chose Gary¡­ The convenience of the tunnel and the fact that Gary was a relatively easy target must have been the reason.¡± Another reason lurked at the back of Jason¡¯s mind, but he dared not utter it. Satisfied with his answer, Jason left the room.

    ¡°Selena Coveny,¡± Anne-Marie¡¯s voice crackled as Jason left the room. Selena walked in, as confident as ever, and closed the door behind her. Jason decided to not yet confront her about witnessing the murderer, because he knew that denouncing the killer¡¯s identity would be the easy way out for her, and she would never admit to knowing anything regardless. Unless, of course, she was the killer, which would complicate things even further. Jason headed to his room to await the verdict of the investigation. He waited for a while, hearing the name of everyone being called, until at last Vivian was called, and no other names were called afterwards.

    Ding-Dong! ¡°Hello every- bzzt! - How are you all doing today? Well, not that I care. Bwahahaha! Well, after this rapid-fire murder, I¡¯m sure you¡¯re all wondering who won immunity. I have to say, a lot of you figured the murder out, but your reason for the murder was bo-o-oring! Come on, guys, figure it out! It wasn¡¯t that hard! Ah well. Immunity goes to¡­ Selena Coveny! Congratulations! As for the rest of you, well¡­ Sleep well! Cause it might be the last time you go to bed, ever! Bwahahahahahahaha! See ya!¡± Dong-Ding!

    Jason was hit with a pang of worry. What had he gotten wrong, he wondered. It must have been the why. It was the reason Jason could not utter, for he could not stoop to that level, but it had been the real reason. Gary was killed not because he was an easy target or because of the incredibly convenient passageway, but because he was a boring player who didn¡¯t do anything worthwhile to spice the game up. Selena¡¯s twisted way of thinking had been correct this time, it seemed. Jason crashed on his bed, worried for what tomorrow might have in store. For the first time in a long while, he wasn¡¯t safe, and that worried him. He lay on his bed for quite some time, unable to fall asleep. Eventually, he gave up trying, and got up to wander around the house.

    The house was dark, and since everyone was either asleep or pretending to be, it was dead silent. Jason wandered around in the darkness, looking for something to occupy his time. As he approached the kitchen, he heard voices talking, and decided to eavesdrop. The conversation was between Audrey and Timothy, who were both sipping on some tea.

    ¡°Mmm! That¡¯s the stuff!¡± Audrey said as she drank some of her tea. ¡°Nothing like scalding-hot tea to soothe some nerves.¡±

    ¡°Ridiculous tea temperatures aside, shouldn¡¯t you be a little worried?¡± Timothy asked. ¡°You didn¡¯t exactly do much during the investigation¡­¡±

    ¡°As if you did any more investigating than I did,¡± Audrey retorted. ¡°But yeah, I am kind of worried. That¡¯s the reason for the tea, you know!¡± she laughed a little. Despite her claim to the contrary, she didn¡¯t exactly sound worried at all.

    ¡°If you say so,¡± Timothy sighed. ¡°I think you should be a little more worried. Your life is on the line, here!¡± He sipped his tea nervously. ¡°I keep thinking about how useless I am towards everyone, and then I wonder if anyone would care if I was punished or murdered.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s, uh, slightly dark,¡± Audrey replied, ¡°but if you say so. I don¡¯t worry too much about that! Who cares if people like you or not? Just be you!¡± Audrey giggled a little. Timothy gave her an odd look, as if he wasn¡¯t sure someone like her could say something. Still, he looked somewhat relieved.

    ¡°Hmm¡­ I suppose that helped. Well, thanks, I guess,¡± Timothy thanked Audrey. Jason noticed that throughout his conversation with Audrey, his suave, almost-British accent was completely absent. He politely excused himself and left Audrey to her thoughts. Jason managed to hide himself from Timothy as he walked back up to his room. Left alone to her thoughts, Audrey¡¯s usual cheerful demeanor changed into a much more sombre one. She seemed to really be considering her potential death. She finished her tea in one big gulp and rushed out of the room, an idea having seemingly struck her. She dashed to the armory and slammed the door behind her. Jason looked at the armory for a few seconds before returning to his room and crashing on his bed. By sheer willpower alone, Jason coerced his body into falling asleep at last.

    Jason was awoken the next morning by a very high-pitched buzzing. Dazed, he got up and started search for the source of the sound. Unsurprisingly, the buzzing came from the speaker in his room. Just as he was about to leave his room, Brian¡¯s voice came alive in the speakers.

    Ding-Dong! ¡°Good morning everyone! How are ¨C bzzt! ¨C all doing today? Not like I care. Anyways! I woke you all up this morning to share some exciting news with you! I¡¯ve managed to find a way to make the punishments more¡­ Exciting, shall we say? As a bonus prize for our past immunity winners, they will get a chance to get a sneak peek at the newest punishment! So, Selena, Jason and Lavender, consider yourselves the lucky winners! Everyone else, your doors have been locked, so no getting out until I say so! The three of you, meet me at the front door! Toodles!¡± Dong-Ding!

    A sneak peek? New punishments? Locked doors? So many questions flew through Jason¡¯s mind, and yet he had no answers. The annoying buzzing sound had also stopped, its purpose of waking everyone up being complete. Hesitantly, he exited his room. Upon walking out into the hallway, he noticed Lavender had also just exited her room. The two of them ran up to each other.

    ¡°What did he mean by ¡°more exciting punishments¡±?¡± Lavender asked.

    ¡°Why do we get a sneak peek?¡± Jason asked at the same time.

    ¡°So many questions, and yet so little answers,¡± Lavender sighed. ¡°Oh well. I suppose we should head to the front door. If I had to guess, I¡¯d say Selena¡¯s already there, waiting for us.¡± Jason nodded, and the two headed off to the front door together.

    ¡°What took you two so long?¡± Selena complained as Jason and Lavender arrived at the front door. ¡°And consider yourselves lucky for getting this reward at all; were I in charge, you two wouldn¡¯t get this reward at all. Only I got immunity last night, after all.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, well, luckily for us, you aren¡¯t,¡± Lavender replied sarcastically. ¡°In any case, what now? We¡¯re all here ¨C what are we supposed to do?¡±

    ¡°Well, I went ahead and did some snooping while you two were busy doing whatever else, and I found something,¡± Selena stated with an air of superiority. She went up to the front door and placed her hand on it. ¡°Observe,¡± she said, and pushed the door.

    It opened.

    As Lavender had predicted so many nights ago, the bridge to the mansion had been destroyed, meaning that they were well and truly isolated. On the other side of the bridge, the forest that Jason had gone through on the first night seemed to stretch on forever.

    ¡°Ah! I missed the fresh air,¡± Selena smiled.

    ¡°There aren¡¯t any cameras here, right?¡± Jason asked.

    ¡°What an odd question to ask! But no, no cameras in sight. I suppose people weren¡¯t meant to come out here much. I wonder what Brian has in store for us?¡± Selena smiled as if she knew perfectly well what was going to occur.

    ¡°Then I want to confront you about something,¡± Jason said. Selena¡¯s eyebrow raised, her curiosity having piqued. ¡°Yesterday, you witnessed the crime, right? And you saw who the killer was, right?¡± Selena stayed silent. The smile on her face had vanished, a look of dead seriousness having replaced it instead. ¡°Then tell us: who is it?¡± Lavender seemed taken aback by this.

    ¡°Oh, you¡¯re good, Jason Harlon,¡± Selena said slowly. ¡°You¡¯re really good at this. You noticed it, didn¡¯t you? How careless of me,¡± she mumbled. ¡°Then you must know what I plan to do with this information, right?¡±

    ¡°Tell no one. Of course. But you can only kill one of us at a time. If either Lavender or I die next, we know who the killer is. You¡¯ll want to keep us quiet if you¡¯re the murderer, and if you¡¯re not, someone random will die. Think of this as a guarantee of sorts.¡±

    ¡°My, you trust Lavender a lot, don¡¯t you?¡± Selena questioned. ¡°And if I die next? What then, detective?¡±

    ¡°You won¡¯t die next. Brian and the killer are almost relying on you to make this interesting. Without you-¡±

    ¡°Splendid! Yes, that¡¯s exactly right!¡± Selena exclaimed, seemingly out of pure joy. ¡°Oh, I¡¯ll enjoy playing against you, Jason. I will very much enjoy our game. But know this ¨C I will never reveal the killer. That would make things far too boring. But I will enjoy watching you guess the killer. You already have an idea, don¡¯t you? Possible suspects?¡± Selena narrowed her eyes but kept the same, deadly smile she had plastered on her face. Jason remained silent, scared to reveal his true thoughts to Selena.

    ¡°Is it true, Jason?¡± Lavender asked. ¡°Do you know who the killer is?¡±

    ¡°I have¡­ Potential theories, but nothing concrete,¡± Jason disclosed. ¡°There are a couple of people it could be, but there¡¯s not enough evidence to accuse anyone definitively.¡± Lavender seemed disappointed, but comprehensive.

    ¡°Well, enough of this garbage,¡± Selena blurted out. ¡°Let¡¯s find what Brian wanted, shall we? Some sort of sneak peek?¡± Jason took one look around and couldn¡¯t see anything worth his attention. ¡°Considering his previous lack of subtlety, I doubt it¡¯s anything we¡¯ll have to look for too much.¡±

    ¡°Perhaps behind the house?¡± Lavender suggested. Selena shrugged, and Jason nodded in agreement, and the three of them headed around the house. It was then that Jason noticed how isolated they really were ¨C the house was built high up on a cliff, with sharp rocks awaiting them in a churning, gray ocean. With no boat in sight and the only way off the island having been destroyed, it seemed that even if they could find the killer, they still had an enormous problem. Viewed from the outside, the house was far larger than Jason had initially assumed. Perhaps it was due to the blocked off areas, but the house seemed far smaller inside than outside. About halfway across, Jason noticed that the large, imposing, glass windows were boarded up, presumably to prevent anyone from seeing inside. It seemed that Brian or whoever oversaw this wasn¡¯t ready for them to discover what was inside those windows. Perhaps with some help from A, Dexter and Arthur, they could investigate, but for now the windows remained boarded up. Eventually, they reached the other side of the house and stopped. Something had stopped all three of them in their tracks ¨C a sort of impending doom, one they weren¡¯t sure they were ready to greet.

    ¡°Shall we break the tension? What awaits us behind the house?¡± Selena, least tense of the three, pressed on and looked behind the house. ¡°Oh. Well, that makes it a tad obvious, don¡¯t you think, Brian?¡± Curiosity having finally gotten the better of him, Jason peeked behind the house.

    There was a literal mountain of fireworks piled up outside, with one huge one in the middle. The large firework was about half the height of the manor, and definitely wide enough to shield anything behind it from view.

    ¡°Well, this is underwhelming,¡± Selena sighed. ¡°Of course she was next. Try to surprise me next time, Brian.¡± With no idea what she was talking about, Jason circled to the other side of the mountain to see what was there.

    Unconscious and strapped to the giant firework with rope, Jason found Audrey Burnswell, awaiting her fate.

    ¡°Whoops! Did I forget to mention that someone else got the privilege?¡± Brian materialized from seemingly nowhere to laugh at them. ¡°And before you try anything, remember what happens if you interfere! Does death sound pleasant for you today, Lavender?¡± Lavender stopped. She had already begun climbing the mountain of fireworks (to little success) to try and rescue Audrey. Reluctantly, she backed away from the fireworks. ¡°Little twerp tried to fight back, too. Got a shotgun from the armory and everything! But only one weapon in there still has bullets, and it wasn¡¯t that one! Bwahahahaha! Oh man, that¡¯s a good one. Anyways, before the show starts, I¡¯ll let everyone out. See you in a bit!¡± With one last cackle, Brian faded out.

    ¡°Damnit¡­¡± Lavender sank to her knees, powerless.

    ¡°Don¡¯t cry over spilled milk, right?¡± Selena smiled. ¡°What¡¯s done is done. This is her own fault ¨C if she had paid any attention at all during the case, she wouldn¡¯t be here, and someone else would be blasted to space. This does seem a little too ironic to not have been planned in advance, but whatever.¡±

    ¡°But it¡¯s not done! She¡¯s still alive! We can save her!¡± Jason protested.

    ¡°And get ourselves killed? No. Better only one person be punished than two, or three, even,¡± Selena replied. ¡°And besides, I will not be allowing you two to be blasted to space, not after how entertaining you¡¯re proving to be, Jason,¡± she smiled, her smile as warm as ice. Jason looked around, frustrated. It was then that he noticed the camera hidden on the tip of the largest firework ¨C that explained Brian¡¯s sudden appearance outside. A while passed with Jason and Lavender trying to figure out a way to save Audrey without endangering themselves, but to no avail. After a few minutes, Jason heard footsteps frantically racing towards them.

    ¡°Alright! Time for the show to start!¡± Brian had once again materialized, this time with a match in hand. He struck it and lit the rope at the end of the giant firework. The smoke from the rope began puffing upwards into Audrey¡¯s face, who awoke with a start.

    ¡°Huh...? Where¡­ Oh no!¡± Panic seized her face, and she began violently struggling against her bonds. It was at that exact moment that the other houseguests came racing to the back, only to discover that it was too late. ¡°Help! Someone, help me!¡±

    ¡°Ah ah ah! No moving, or I¡¯ll blow you to bits along with Audrey!¡± Brian addressed this to the others, who watched the scene unfold with horror.

    ¡°Damn¡­¡± A cursed.

    ¡°Why you¡­?¡± Timothy was on the verge of tears. ¡°After last night, I thought¡­ Why¡­?¡±

    ¡°No¡­ No!¡± Navini screamed in horror and collapsed, unconscious. Arthur gently put down her sword and pick the limp Navini off the ground.

    ¡°You won¡¯t get away with this!¡± Skyler yelled at Brian. ¡°One day, we will end you!¡±

    ¡°Ooh, don¡¯t you sound brave? Well then, go ahead! End me!¡± Brian taunted Skyler, who stood his ground, frustrated. He made a step towards Brian, but Dahinko held him back.

    ¡°No, Skyler! It¡¯s way too dangerous!¡± Dahinko protested. Skyler nodded in frustration and reluctantly stepped down.

    ¡°W¡­we have to d¡­do something!¡± Lelina cried. ¡°We c¡­can¡¯t just l¡­let her die l¡­like this!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m afraid there¡¯s nothing we can do,¡± Dexter sighed. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Audrey,¡± he apologized. Dexter looked away, unable to look Audrey in the eye.

    ¡°Guys, please! I don¡¯t¡­ I don¡¯t want to die!¡± Audrey¡¯s face was twisted in a sort of horrified panic. ¡°I didn¡¯t do anything wrong! Please! Pleeeeeeeeease!¡± She cried out just as the fuse finally reached the firework. The ground began to rumble, and the firework slowly lifted of the ground, taking Audrey with it. Brian¡¯s projection began to falter, due to the camera also moving.

    ¡°Oops! Give me a second¡­¡± Brian raced around the mountain of fireworks, lighting every single possible firework before tossing the lit match into the pile. The giant firework rose further and further into the air, the sound of its liftoff muted by Audrey¡¯s guttural screams. Some of the smaller, lighter fireworks rose ahead of it, some going off in random directions and exploding on their own, while others struck Audrey, who screeched in pain. Everyone watched in horror as the events unfolded. Eventually, the firework was high enough above the house that it muted Audrey¡¯s screams, and finally, the firework exploded in a fury of different colors. Shielding his eyes, Jason could make out Audrey¡¯s body, now a limp, airborne projectile, as it fell into the ocean and sank down to her watery grave.

    <u>SURVIVORS: 19</u>

 Chapter 12: The White Knight

    For a long time, no one moved. Everyone simply stared down at the spot where Audrey¡¯s body had landed and did nothing. The waves¡¯ rhythmic crashing was almost hypnotic, gluing everyone to the ground, unable to move. No one wanted to move, either. Everyone was still clutching to the useless hope that something might happen. No one was willing to abandon Audrey, whose body had now sunk so far down that it was impossible to see. The fireworks had finally stopped exploding, the last of the colorful embers sizzling out of view. It was a long while before anyone moved. Navini finally came back to her senses, and after realizing what had happened, she began crying. Silently and without drawing attention to herself, tears began to flow down her face. Eventually, after what seemed like hours had passed, Selena spoke up.

    ¡°Well, enough of this,¡± she sighed, clearly bored. ¡°She¡¯s dead. Get over it. Now, shall we-¡±

    ¡°Shut up,¡± Dexter said coldly. ¡°Just shut up.¡± Selena looked like she was about to reply, but she took one look at Dexter¡¯s hand on his katana and she thought better of it. They continued to stand in silence, waiting for something ¨C anything ¨C to happen, to give them hope moving forward.

    ¡°Why is everyone gathered here? I hope you are not considering all diving off the cliff,¡± someone said behind them. Jason turned around to see Anne-Marie waddling over to them. ¡°Or has my brother done something again?¡±

    ¡°Be quiet, Anne-Marie,¡± Axel told her. ¡°Now¡¯s¡­ not really a good time.¡±

    ¡°I see that Audrey is missing,¡± Anne-Marie, completely ignoring Axel¡¯s comment, stated. ¡°Does that mean that she had died?¡±

    ¡°Shut up!¡± Navini blurted out before fleeing back into the house. Concerned, Arthur chased after her. Everyone watched the pair as Navini ran frantically back into the house, and Arthur lumbered after her in her heavy armour. This seemed to wake everyone up from their trance, and they began talking.

    ¡°What did I do?¡± Anne-Marie asked. No one bothered to answer. Navini¡¯s outburst seem to unleash a flood, and words came pouring out of people¡¯s mouths.

    ¡°What¡­ was that?¡± Axel asked, flabbergasted. ¡°Did she just¡­ explode?¡±

    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t s¡­say that she e¡­exploded,¡± Lelina stuttered. ¡°We s¡­saw her body f¡­fall into the ocean, r¡­right?¡±

    ¡°Then we must find a way to retrieve her body,¡± Mary commanded, ¡°so that she may rest in peace. She will never reach His warm embrace without a proper burial¡­¡±

    ¡°And what of everyone else who died before this?¡± Timothy asked, frustrated. ¡°Did they get a proper burial? Brian will take care of it, like he always does. Anyways, I¡¯m done here. I¡¯ll be in the house if you need me.¡± With that, he stomped off. Jason noticed him wiping a tear off his cheek as he left.

    ¡°Well that was uncalled for,¡± Mary said, shocked.

    ¡°Let him grieve in his own way,¡± Jessica suggested before yawning. ¡°In any case, what¡¯s our plan now?¡±

    ¡°Standing around here won¡¯t do us any good. Let¡¯s all go back inside,¡± A stated, and everyone nodded. As everyone was leaving, Jason pulled A to the side.

    ¡°Hey, A? I was wondering if you could help me with something¡­¡±

    ¡°You planning on killing me here? Come on man, that¡¯s low¡­¡± A sighed. ¡°Just kidding, of course.¡± Jason didn¡¯t think he had been kidding, but he went along with it.

    ¡°Did you notice the wooden panes all over the windows?¡±

    ¡°Oh yeah, those,¡± A replied. ¡°What of them?¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ve still got bullets in that thing, right?¡± Jason asked, pointing at the rifle A was always carrying with him.

    ¡°Yeah, she¡¯s loaded, alright,¡± A answered, patting the back of his rifle affectionately. ¡°Did you want me to blow up the wooden panes? Cause I think Arthur or Dexter might be better at taking off wooden panes than me.¡±

    ¡°Well, I have a theory about them. Dexter wouldn¡¯t really help me prove it and Arthur¡¯s already run off after Navini, so¡­¡±

    ¡°Alright, alright, I¡¯ll do it,¡± A sighed. ¡°But you owe me a favour. You¡¯re a detective or some shit, right? Then next time I get a target, tell the police to not stick their nose where they don¡¯t belong, alright?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t work with the police, actually,¡± Jason corrected A. ¡°I¡¯m not really on good terms with them, either. I work for a private agency.¡±

    ¡°Really? I always took you for the stuck-up police lackey type, but eh, guess I was wrong,¡± A shrugged. ¡°Something we have in common, I guess.¡±

    ¡°Why? Police rub you the wrong way?¡± Jason asked. A¡¯s expression suddenly shifted, getting dark and sombre.

    ¡°It¡¯s, uh¡­ It¡¯s a long story. For another time, anyhow,¡± A dodged the question. ¡°Look, forget about it, okay?¡± he asked, suddenly getting angry.

    ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll drop it,¡± Jason backed off. Clearly, the police were a sensitive topic for A, and Jason had a feeling it had something to do with his odd name. ¡°Anyways, do you mind blowing the wood off the window?¡±

    ¡°Oh, yeah, sure,¡± A answered, glad to have the topic of the conversation change. ¡°Consider it done. You might want to back up. Fair warning.¡± Not needing to be told twice, Jason cleared the way as A lifted his rifle. He took aim and fired. The sound rang in Jason¡¯s ears for a few seconds, and the wooden windowpane had been blown clean off. Behind the wood lay a metal plaque, covering the entirety of the window, and it had been bolted into the wall. ¡°So, what exactly was the point of that?¡±

    ¡°I wanted to see if we could investigate the rest of the house, but it seems that Brian isn¡¯t ready for us to check this part of the house yet,¡± Jason explained.

    ¡°Ah. Gotcha,¡± A replied. ¡°We done here?¡± Jason nodded. ¡°Oh, and I¡¯d appreciate if you didn¡¯t bring up the cops when I¡¯m around. It triggers a lot of bad memories. Thanks in advance,¡± A requested before walking back into the house. Jason observed the metal for a few seconds and, finding no ways to remove it, headed back into the house.

    Upon re-entering the house, Jason noticed that no one was in the center hallway. In fact, everyone seemed to have vanished, except A, who looked as confused as Jason.

    ¡°Where the hell is everyone?¡± A asked. Jason shrugged. The two of them walked up to the hallway where the bedrooms were located, where they found Arthur lingering outside of Navini¡¯s room.

    ¡°Oh, Jason and A. What took you two?¡± she asked.

    ¡°Nothing important. Where¡¯s everyone gone to?¡± A replied.

    ¡°Oh, the doors to the third floor are opened. Brian announced it when everyone got back in the house, and they all rushed to go investigate. I suppose you two were outside, so you must not have heard it.¡±

    ¡°Why haven¡¯t you joined them?¡± Jason asked Arthur.

    ¡°I¡¯m worried about Navini. She rushed in here and locked herself in her room, and she won¡¯t answer me,¡± she answered. ¡°I trust you guys to tell me everything about the third floor, alright?¡± Jason and A nodded in agreement, and the two headed off to the third floor.

    Upon reaching the door labeled ¡°Third Floor¡±, Jason noticed to his surprise that it was wide open. He climbed up the stairs and was greeted with another well-lit hallway, identical in size to the one a floor below. The hallway was covered in doors, stretching the entirety of the walls. All the rooms were labeled simply as ¡°Guest Room¡±, and they were all locked. However, there was no one here, and at the end of the hallway, Jason found a door without any label and another labeled ¡°Second Floor¡±, which he knew must belong to the other door labeled ¡°Third Floor¡±. He turned the doorknob to the unlabeled door, and to his astonishment, the door opened without any effort. Behind it were more stairs, this time heading down. After climbing down two flights of steps (which Jason knew meant he was back on the ground floor, he entered a grand hall. The hall was much larger than the entrance hall, with a chandelier easily over twice the size of the one in the entrance hall. Several doors were on the wall, but considering the size of the hall, the doors were spread thin. The floor was made of polished, dark wood, with an ivy green rug covering most of it. The hall seemed to have two entrances, one being the staircase he had just entered from and another being a door at the back. However, upon further examination, Jason discovered that the door was just for show ¨C it opened to an extension of the wall, seemingly being pointless. Other people were wandering the halls ¨C Vivian, Dexter, Lelina, Bobby, Rose, Timothy and Alexandra were all investigating various corners of the hallway. Despite the hall¡¯s impressive size, it was devoid of anything ¨C it was just one large hall with nothing in it, save the chandelier. Jason decided to investigate the other rooms, starting with one on the left. The door was labeled ¡°Pool¡±, and it didn¡¯t take a detective to figure out what was behind it. He pushed the door open and was immediately greeted with a wave of chlorine assaulting his nose. Axel, Skyler and Dahinko were also in the room, watching the pool, which was filled and in swimming conditions.

    ¡°If only I had bathing suits¡­¡± Axel mumbled to himself.

    ¡°Ooh, Skyler, look! A pool closet!¡± Dahinko, excitedly pulling Skyler towards the closet, exclaimed. ¡°I wonder what¡¯s inside?¡±

    ¡°Probably pool equipment, if I had to guess,¡± Skyler chuckled.

    ¡°But what if there are bathing suits? Ooh, we could go swimming!¡± Dahinko cheered. ¡°I would love to go swimming! It¡¯s been a while, you know?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, well, we haven¡¯t exactly gotten much opportunity to do so,¡± Skyler sighed. The two pushed the door to the closet open.

    ¡°Well, that¡¯s disappointing,¡± Dahinko said, disheartened. ¡°Just some pool stuff. Chlorine, swimming goggles, a pool vacuum, a rod to get stuff out of the pool, some nets and some swimming noodles. That¡¯s it? Ugh, I was hoping it would be cool.¡±

    ¡°Well, at least the pool seems to be well kept,¡± Skyler said. ¡°There¡¯s even a diving board.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, and look how high it is!¡± Dahinko exclaimed. It was true ¨C the diving board soared above their heads, reaching at least 15 feet in height. ¡°It¡¯s not as high as I usually dive from, but it¡¯ll do.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m kind of scared to ask, but how high do you usually dive from?¡± Skyler asked.

    ¡°Well, what¡¯s the average height of a plane?¡± Dahinko asked, seemingly serious.

    ¡°Never mind, then,¡± Skyler sighed, smiling.

    ¡°Now I¡¯m bored. Hey, let¡¯s go investigate somewhere else!¡± Dahinko exclaimed and dashed out of the room, Skyler walking behind him. Jason gave one more look around the pool area and headed out to the hallway. Continuing along the left wall, the next door to investigate was labeled ¡°Theater¡±. Jason pushed it open and entered the theater.

    The theater was enormous and imposing, with a full stage at the front. At first, Jason assumed this would be a movie screening room, but it seemed that this was a theater for plays instead. Mary and Jessica were currently on the stage, investigating. There were several rows of seats, each spanning the length of the room, with two vertical rows devoid of chairs dividing the seats into three even sections. Jason made his way up to the stage, where Mary and Jessica had moved to the backstage section. The stage had large, imposing curtains, with lots of lights overhead for the proper lighting, only one of which was currently lit. Backstage was also impressive ¨C a ton of stage equipment lay in a generally organized mess, along with microphones and a bunch of technical equipment, none of which Jason knew how to operate. There was also another door leading to changing rooms, which is where the two ladies were currently investigating.

    ¡°Ah! Greetings, Jason,¡± Mary greeted Jason as soon as he entered the room. ¡°Were you drawn to this room as well? Such a setup is perfect for an enjoyable and wholesome presentation. If only Erick were still alive¡­ Perhaps he would have enjoyed this.¡±

    ¡°Well, he¡­ Yaaaaaawn¡­ isn¡¯t, so no point in dwelling on that,¡± Jessica affirmed bluntly. ¡°Although, you¡¯re right that this is really impressive. Just how rich was Helmsburg anyways?¡±

    ¡°If he can afford an indoor pool and a theater, I¡¯d say money wasn¡¯t his concern,¡± Jason joked. Jessica shrugged in response.

    ¡°I have never had such a monetary need,¡± Mary stated. ¡°Everything I could ever need, He provides.¡±

    ¡°Yaaaaaawn¡­ Sounds boring,¡± Jessica replied. Mary looked somewhat offended. ¡°What¡¯s the point of life if you can¡¯t enjoy it?¡±

    ¡°The point is, of course, heartless devotion to our one true God,¡± Mary answered, clutching the wooden cross she always carried with her. ¡°Once you¡¯ve learned to live for Him, your life has meaning.¡±

    ¡°That sounds like a nice fantasy,¡± Jessica sighed. Without giving one more glance at Mary, she left the room, twirling her ponytail as she left. Mary looked profoundly outraged.

    ¡°A fantasy?¡± she said, infuriated. ¡°There is no fantasy when you¡¯ve accepted Him into your heart! I must teach her,¡± she mumbled to herself, and chased after Jessica. Jason chuckled to himself and headed out of the theater. Strangely enough, the pool and theater were the only things on the left of the massive hallway. On the right, two more doors awaited Jason. One, labeled ¡°Laboratory¡±, was worth investigating, but the other door caught Jason¡¯s eye more. The label had been scratched off, instead replaced with a cheap piece of laminated paper, which read: ¡°It¡¯s a Secret!¡± Naturally, this door was locked, along with the door to the Laboratory. Next to it was a door with no label at all. Cautiously, Jason pushed the door open. The room was pitch-black, and Jason tried to find a light switch, but to no avail.Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.

    ¡°Hello? Who¡¯s there?¡± A voice called from the darkness.

    ¡°It¡¯s Jason¡­ Who are you?¡±

    ¡°I am Vivian, of course!¡± the voice replied. ¡°The darkness is great for optimal flower growth, so I decided to dance in here a little!¡± Jason stifled a laugh. Vivian¡¯s logic was so backwards it was entertaining. ¡°But I tire of the darkness. Shall we turn on the lights?¡± she asked Jason.

    ¡°I would, but I can¡¯t find a light switch,¡± Jason talked in her general direction.

    ¡°Of course, you wouldn¡¯t! It¡¯s back here!¡± Vivian replied. Suddenly, lights overhead flickered to life, bathing the room in a bright, artificially white light. The room was completely devoid of anything, save another door to the side of it. The windows at the back of the room were covered with metal plates, explaining the lack of light in the room. Vivian was busy twirling in the middle of the room, a flower so close to her nose she was practically eating it. ¡°Ah, better! Now my little plants can get all the sunlight they need!¡± Jason was about to point out that this light wasn¡¯t sunlight, but he thought better of it. Instead, he headed to the left wall, where another door awaited. Upon opening it, he realized that this room was about the size of a small walk-in closet, only it was crammed with various arts and crafts items. Paint, glue, wood, scissors, saws, paintbrushes, paint rollers, clay, wax and a whole load of materials Jason had never seen adorned the shelves. There was so much in here that it was hard for Jason to stand in here alone. Making sure there wasn¡¯t anything else, Jason headed back out, stopping for a moment to observe Vivian, who was still twirling around without a care in the world. How on Earth has she managed to survive this long? He couldn¡¯t help but think this. He left Vivian to her dancing and left the room. With this, he had investigated every new room aside from the one that remained locked. He headed back up to the bedrooms to tell Arthur about what he had found.

    ¡°A pool and a theater, huh? Intriguing¡­¡± Arthur mumbled after hearing Jason summarize what he had found. ¡°Navini still refuses to leave her room or talk¡­ I¡¯m starting to be worried,¡± she confessed.

    ¡°Let me try something,¡± Jason asked. Arthur stepped aside to allow Jason to do something. He knocked politely on Navini¡¯s door. ¡°Navini? It¡¯s me, Jason. Do you mind coming out here for a second? I need to talk to you about-¡±

    ¡°No! Stay away from me!¡± He heard a voice shout in reply, undoubtedly belonging to Navini. ¡°I don¡¯t want to hurt anyone else! Go away!¡± Jason could hear someone sobbing faintly inside.

    ¡°That¡¯s a new reply. What on Earth is she¡­?¡± Arthur seemed confused. ¡°Hurt someone? What does she mean by that?¡±

    ¡°Your guess is as good as mine,¡± Jason replied, equally confused. What was Navini talking about? Had she been responsible for someone being hurt? In any case, it seemed Navini wasn¡¯t going to leave her room any time soon. Jason prayed that there wasn¡¯t another incredibly convenient hidden passage to her room, or else it might spell her demise. ¡°Maybe keep an eye on her, Arthur. Just so she doesn¡¯t do anything¡­ Regrettable,¡± Jason warned. Arthur nodded in agreement and Jason headed to the dining room to try and eat something.

    As he was approaching the dining room, Jason heard people shouting angrily at each other. Upon entering, he saw that Axel and Bobby were currently engaged in an argument. Selena was watching them, seemingly enjoying every moment, and Alexandra sat idly, barely registering the argument.

    ¡°Hey, Axel, I¡¯ve got another joke for you!¡± Bobby exclaimed.

    ¡°Leave me alone already! God, do you even know how annoying you are?!¡± Axel shouted. His faced had taken on a scarlet tone, and Jason could swear he saw smoke pouring out of his ears.

    ¡°What do you call a-¡± Bobby started.

    ¡°God damnit! Leave me the hell alone!¡± Axel, infuriated, crashed out of the room, slamming the door to the dining room open and passing by a very confused Jason.

    ¡°Hey, wait up! I didn¡¯t finish my joke!¡± Bobby ran off after him. ¡°Why does he always do that?¡± he mumbled when he passed by Jason.

    ¡°What did I miss?¡± Jason asked Alexandra and Selena.

    ¡°Only the finest drama, my dear Jason,¡± Selena replied, her voice sweet but full of malice. ¡°Guess I know who the next two victims will be. Just as good, too ¨C they are the last two players left that aren¡¯t worth anything alive!¡±

    ¡°And the rest of us are? How flattering,¡± Alexandra rebutted sarcastically. ¡°You¡¯re an awful person, you know that?¡±

    ¡°And what of it?¡± Selena smiled maliciously. ¡°Who cares how horrible I am? When I am crowned winner of this game, my morality won¡¯t be of any importance!¡±

    ¡°Why did I even bother trying to talk to you?¡± Alexandra sighed, shaking her head. ¡°Anyways, Jason, to answer your question, Bobby has been following Axel nonstop since this game began, and Axel finally blew a fuse in front of him.¡±

    ¡°To be fair, I probably would have exploded long ago,¡± Selena commented. ¡°I¡¯m surprised Axel lasted this long. I suppose we all have our limits, though,¡± she sighed.

    ¡°So yeah, that¡¯s what happened,¡± Alexandra stated. ¡°I guess one of them won¡¯t be around for much longer, huh,¡± she sighed.

    ¡°That¡¯s not necessarily true,¡± Jason countered. ¡°Also, what is with people predicting who will die next?¡±

    ¡°Well, isn¡¯t it a little fun?¡± Selena smiled. ¡°After all, it adds an extra element of surprise when you¡¯re proven wrong. Although, come to think of it, I¡¯ve yet to be proven wrong, haven¡¯t I?¡± She smiled demonically and laughed equally as maliciously.

    ¡°You should go see Cole. You¡¯re clearly in need of therapy,¡± Alexandra retorted, and for the first time, Jason saw her smile. ¡°Anyways, I¡¯ve got things to do. See you later.¡± With that, Alexandra left the room.

    ¡°Oh, I¡¯ll enjoy playing with her,¡± Selena laughed. ¡°And while I have you here, Jason, just a reminder that you shouldn¡¯t forget our little deal¡­ Who knows what might happen if you don¡¯t?¡± She warned, and gallantly strode out of the room. Jason shook his head and walked into the kitchen to grab a bite to eat. After eating, he suddenly felt very tired, and headed to bed to get some much-needed rest.

    The next morning, all seemed quiet; Jason awoke to the sound of silence. He got up groggily and made his way to the dining hall, passing by no one on the way. When he arrived in the dining room, he saw Lelina and Rose, both quietly enjoying breakfast. When Jason headed towards the kitchen, Lelina spoke up.

    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t g¡­go in there if I were y¡­you¡­¡± she stuttered. ¡°Selena j¡­just walked in, and she s¡­seemed to be in a b¡­bad mood¡­¡±

    ¡°Tell me about it,¡± Rose replied. ¡°I went in there for half a second and I get immediately spit-roasted! Well, not literally, but you know what I mean,¡± Rose shrugged.

    ¡°Not like I care all that much about insults, anyways,¡± Jason told himself, and walked into the kitchen, bracing for impact. Fortunately for him, Selena was busy with another target: Cole.

    ¡°How on Earth do you manage to burn toast in a frying pan?¡± Selena criticized Cole, who was too busy sniffling and wiping tears to listen. ¡°Did you get raised by a fish or something? Who uses a frying pan for toast anyways? And quit crying, would you? You¡¯re a grown adult! Act like one!¡± Selena scowled. She seemed to be in an extremely bad mood, although Jason couldn¡¯t pinpoint the cause for this. Cole began to sob quietly, cleaning up the mess that was once a slice of bread. Selena followed him around, taking joy in insulting him. ¡°God, you¡¯d think the ¡®World¡¯s Best Therapist¡¯ would be able to keep his emotions in check, but you¡¯re just an absolute train wreck, aren¡¯t you? What, did your parents forget to-¡±

    ¡°STOOOOPPPP ITTTTTTTTTT!¡± Cole screeched before beginning to full-on bawl. Jason rushed over to him to try and comfort him.

    ¡°What the hell did he do to you?¡± Jason spat the words at Selena, having to raise his voice to go over Cole¡¯s loud sobbing.

    ¡°Oh, here comes Jason, the valiant white knight, always taking the defence of the weak and helpless. Get real; I don¡¯t need life lessons from you,¡± Selena retorted, her scowl twisting itself into an incredibly forced-looking smile, making her seem veritably insane.

    ¡°Who hurt you?¡± Jason asked Selena. She didn¡¯t answer ¨C she merely contented herself with looking down at the emotional mess that was Cole. ¡°There, there, you¡¯ll be alright,¡± Jason soothed Cole as one would soothe a child. It seemed strangely effective ¨C Cole stopped bawling, and looked at Jason, teary-eyed. He continued sniffling, but the crying seemed to finally stop. ¡°Do you feel better now?¡± Jason asked. Cole nodded, trying his best to stop the tears from flowing. ¡°What the hell was that about? Cole didn¡¯t do anything to deserve that!¡± Jason yelled at Selena.

    ¡°My, you¡¯re awfully protective of him, aren¡¯t you?¡± Selena stated.

    ¡°That has nothing to do with it,¡± Jason retorted. ¡°Anyone would defend someone who¡¯s just being bullied.¡±

    ¡°Bullied, huh? That¡¯s how you would categorize my discontent at this game?¡± Selena smiled. This smile seemed genuine, unlike her previous attempts. ¡°I¡¯m just taking out my anger, that¡¯s all,¡± she said, much calmer than she had been mere moments ago. ¡°As it happens, Cole simply happened to be in my way, and I felt the need to tell him of his wrongdoings and correct them.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s how you excuse yourself?¡± Jason was outraged. ¡°You are a horrendous person, you know that? If I can even classify you as human.¡±

    ¡°Oh, that¡¯s a low blow, my dear Jason,¡± Selena chuckled. ¡°A low, low blow. But don¡¯t worry. I will always have the last laugh,¡± she added, venom dripping off her words.

    ¡°Just go, Selena,¡± Jason sighed. Selena took one last, disdainful look at Cole and Jason before gracefully walking out of the kitchen.

    ¡°What did I, um, do to, uh, her?¡± Cole asked, his eyes still wet.

    ¡°I have no idea,¡± Jason answered as he helped Cole back to his feet.

    ¡°Um, thank you, Mr. Harlon ¨C I mean, uh, Jason,¡± Cole hurriedly mumbled before bolting out of the kitchen. Jason shook his head before helping himself to some food.

    After his meal, he left the kitchen, only to run into Selena again. She seemed eager to say something to him, but he cut her off.

    ¡°I don¡¯t have anything to say to you,¡± Jason told her, trying his best to contain the rage he felt towards her.

    ¡°That was awfully revealing, wasn¡¯t it?¡± Selena smiled, ignoring Jason¡¯s comment. ¡°Oh, and next time, I¡¯d rather you not interfere with my investigating, thank you.¡±

    ¡°You call that investigating? You were flat out bullying him!¡± Jason retorted.

    ¡°Call it what you want; it doesn¡¯t change the fact that it was effective. For instance, I found out that Cole grew up with abusive parents, and that anyone mentioning a parental figure triggers something inside of him. On top of that, he seems incapable of functioning on his own without someone helping him, possible because of his upbringing. And yet, here he is, supposedly the top of the world of therapeutic methods. How on earth did he get to that position? That is what I wish to find out,¡± she revealed. ¡°Many people here are enigmas when it comes to their talents, and I wish to find out more about them. Alexandra, Cole, Lavender, Vivian, Bobby, Timothy¡­ All of them shouldn¡¯t belong here, and yet here we are. You are also another enigma, Jason, you see,¡± she smiled and narrowed her eyes. ¡°The title of best detective actually belongs to a woman named Ariana Beverly, doesn¡¯t it? So why are you here in her stead?¡±

    ¡°Why do you care?¡± Jason replied. Her bringing up Ariana stung more than it should have. ¡°Shouldn¡¯t you care way more about finding a way out of this predicament? If you have so much time on your hands that you can ¡®investigate¡¯ other people, shouldn¡¯t you be figuring out who the killer is and how to get out of here?¡±

    ¡°I will answer that only if you promise to tell me about Ariana. Deal?¡± Selena smiled maliciously. Jason nodded, knowing that even if he didn¡¯t tell her, Selena would find a way to figure it out. ¡°Well, my dear Jason, you already know why I¡¯m not looking for the killer. We have a deal, remember?¡± Of course, Jason remembered. Selena already knew the identity of the serial killer hidden among them, but she refused to reveal it for reasons unknown. ¡°As for why I¡¯m not trying to find a way out¡­ Well, I know that there isn¡¯t one. Someone set this whole thing up so meticulously, with every little detail planned. Don¡¯t you think someone that careful wouldn¡¯t have allowed an exit anywhere? Unless you think you can survive the dive?¡± Selena chuckled to herself. ¡°Hence, my curiosity about my fellow players. Now, about Ariana¡­¡± Selena stared intently at Jason. Reluctantly, he explained about his former boss¡¯ untimely demise, and how he had come here looking for answers. ¡°Interesting¡­¡± Selena contemplated for a bit. ¡°Luckily for you, that checks out.¡±

    ¡°Luckily?¡± Jason was confused. ¡°You already know¡­ well, you know.¡± Jason had to be careful what he mentioned around Selena.

    ¡°And what of it? You think there¡¯s only one suspicious person in here?¡± Selena smiled a villainous smile. ¡°There are several people in here that seem highly suspicious to me. Alexandra, Cole, Lavender, A, Vivian, Rose¡­ All of you are hiding something. I can sense it. I¡¯m slowly starting to break Cole, but the others¡­ They¡¯ll take some time,¡± she contemplated for a moment.

    ¡°Wait, you¡¯re trying to break Cole? That¡¯s the reason you were talking to him like that?!¡± Jason could feel his blood boiling. Selena was starting to seriously get on his nerves.

    ¡°Guess the cat¡¯s out of the bag, huh?¡± Selena snickered. ¡°Yes, and mark my words, one day I will break him. I will find out what it is he¡¯s hiding ¨C and the others, too. Including you, my dear Jason. What could be hiding behind that brave, stoic exterior? A past of trauma and abuse, perhaps?¡± Selena shrugged. ¡°Only time will tell, I suppose. Well, with that, I must bid you adieu. I have bigger proverbial fish to fry,¡± she curtsied, and left Jason alone to his thoughts.

    Jason wandered around for a bit, unsure of what to do. Eventually, he decided to check up on Navini, whom he had still not seen since Ariana¡¯s death yesterday. Arthur was nowhere to be seen, and Jason knocked cautiously on the door. There was no reply from the other side. Jason turned the doorknob, but the door was locked. Immediately, a panic seized Jason. Navini hadn¡¯t been¡­? He looked around, desperately trying to find a way into her room. Suddenly, Brian materialized near him, looking highly annoyed.

    ¡°Finally!¡± the baby exclaimed. ¡°Jeez, took you idiots long enough to notice her absence. Ugh, go in. I don¡¯t even care at this point,¡± he added. Jason heard a click and the door to Navini¡¯s room opened on its own. Jason didn¡¯t care for questions ¨C instead, he rushed into Navini¡¯s room, praying that she was alright.

    The room was empty.

    Navini wasn¡¯t in the room. The bed had clearly been slept in last night, as the sheets were disheveled and messy. Aside from that, there was no sign that Navini had even been in her room. Jason searched the room frantically for any sign of her. The trumpets hadn¡¯t played yet, and it was that hope that kept Jason going. Navini, wherever she was, was still alive. The panic he had felt earlier was only getting worse, and it took all of wits to keep his calm. It was then that he noticed one of Navini¡¯s unique dresses on the floor in front of the bathroom door, along with the staff she carried around and her platform shoes. The door was locked, and Jason was sure that someone was in the bathroom. He didn¡¯t know why he was so sure ¨C perhaps it was a detective instinct or just his guts ¨C but he was certain someone was in there. He frantically shook the doorknob, praying that something ¨C anything ¨C would happen. Brian had followed him into the room and was watching Jason¡¯s search.

    ¡°Wait, did I forget to install electric locks in the bathroom doors?¡± Brian seemed to be pressing buttons, wherever his real self was hiding. ¡°Well, that¡¯s annoying. Hang on, I¡¯ll get my sister to do it. HEY, SISTER!¡± he barked to his left. He seemed to be waiting for a reply. ¡°Hang on, I¡¯ll be back,¡± he mentioned, clearly annoyed, and dematerialized. Jason waited for an agonizing few minutes until Anne-Marie waddled into the room, holding a golden key.

    ¡°My apologies for the wait. My brother is rather rude when he wants to be,¡± she said, looking anything but sorry. ¡°It appears you need the master key. Brian¡¯s instructions were very clear: you are to use it for this instance and only this instance, or else you will face severe punishment.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, sure, whatever, just give me the key!¡± Jason yelled. Anne-Marie could sense the urgency in his voice and handed over the key. Jason shoved the key into the doorknob and slammed the door open.

    There was blood. So much blood.

    A kitchen knife lay on the bathmat next to the tub, coloured crimson by bloodstains. Some of the blood had begun seeping into the rug, colouring it a faint pink. The water in the bathtub was slowly turning more and more red as time went by. In the bathtub, Navini¡¯s naked body lay, her wrists sliced open. Her eyes were closed, and she didn¡¯t seem to be breathing.

    ¡°Oh my god¡­¡± Jason was slightly disgusted. He had dealt with suicides in the past, but they were the one crime that never seemed to get less grotesque over time. Knowing time was essential, he rushed to get towels to wrap around Navini¡¯s wrists. Carefully, he lifted her body out of the water and carried her onto her bed. The wounds on her wrists her very large, and a towel could only stop the bleeding for so long. Thinking quickly, Jason tore off bits of Navini¡¯s dresses from her closet and used them as make-shift bandages. He then used some fabric and tape to seal the bandages on her wrists. Navini¡¯s body was incredibly pale, and Jason couldn¡¯t feel a pulse ¨C it was hard to steady his nerves enough to find one in the first place.

    ¡°What¡¯s going on¡­ Oh my god!¡± Arthur raced into the room as soon as she saw Navini¡¯s body. ¡°I left for a few minutes to get some food and¡­ Jason, what happened?¡±

    ¡°Go in the bathroom and see for yourself,¡± Jason replied. Arthur took one glance into the bathroom and pieced together what had happened.

    ¡°Is she¡­ You know¡­?¡± Arthur seemed to be unable to bring herself to say it. Jason had no reply for her. He wrapped the blankets around Navini¡¯s body to cover it up and tried once again to feel for a pulse.

    He had no idea if Navini was still alive.

    <u>SURVIVORS: 19?</u>

 Chapter 13: The Fake Survivor

    Everyone had gathered around Navini¡¯s bed, silently observing the pale figure. It was a while before anyone moved or said anything. Cole had been trying to check for a pulse for a few minutes now, but still felt nothing. Slowly, however, Jason noticed that Navini was regaining her colour, and her face no longer seemed as pale. Everyone¡¯s nerves were on edge, waiting to hear whether they had lost another friend or not. That is, everyone except ¨C

    ¡°So, is she dead, or can I continue with my life?¡± Selena, as per usual, seemed to not care that someone was dying or dead. ¡°I don¡¯t even have to pretend to care with this one ¨C suicide? What a boring way to go. Where¡¯s the fun in that?¡±

    ¡°Can you, like, actually shut your fuckin¡¯ trap?¡± Rose turned around and looked at Selena.

    ¡°And why should I? Give me one reason-¡± Selena never got to finish her sentence. Rose socked her directly in the jaw, knocking Selena onto the floor.

    ¡°There¡¯s a reason. Now shut up.¡± Rose barely even looked at Selena. Selena stayed on the floor, outraged and speechless. Jason almost felt bad for Selena, but she had been asking for it ever since she set foot in the manor. It had only been a matter of time before someone acted. For a moment, everyone looked at Rose, stunned that she had hit Selena. Rose barely seemed to notice, but Jason could swear he saw a hint of a smirk on Rose¡¯s lips. Selena picked herself up and stomped out of the room, leaving the others in awe of Rose. ¡°Not gonna lie ¨C that felt real good.¡± Rose finally allowed herself to smile a little.

    ¡°Yeah, no kidding,¡± Timothy smiled as well. ¡°The amount of times I¡¯ve wanted to do that to her must be in the triple digits by now.¡±

    ¡°She won¡¯t be forgetting that, you know,¡± Alexandra sighed. ¡°She will find a way to get her revenge on you.

    ¡°Well, if I¡¯m the next dead, you all know who to target, right?¡± Rose smirked.

    ¡°Uh, guys?¡± Cole murmured. No one heard him.

    ¡°That¡¯s bold of you, Rose,¡± Lavender smiled. ¡°I suppose you are right, though.¡±

    ¡°G¡­guys?¡± Cole said, a little louder. Still, no one heard him.

    ¡°The bitch had it coming! She can¡¯t keep acting like a total degenerate and then pretend she¡¯s better than us! Who does she think she is, the goddamn Queen?¡± Rose complained.

    ¡°PLEASE LISTEN!¡± Cole shouted. Everyone turned around to look at him, and his face turned bright red. ¡°Uh, um, ha, ha, I mean, uh, um,¡± he stuttered, seemingly having lost the ability to speak coherently.

    ¡°What is it, Cole?¡± Mary asked. Cole mumbled something incoherent and far too quiet for anyone to hear. ¡°Please speak louder, otherwise we will not be able to hear you,¡± Mary sighed.

    ¡°I, uh, said that, uh, I found a, um, pulse, ha, ha,¡± Cole mumbled. It was as if a gun had gone off in the room. Everyone darted to Navini¡¯s side, all trying to feel for a pulse. ¡°Guys, come on, you, uh, can¡¯t be this aggressive, um, it might, uh, upset her, ha, ha, ha¡­¡± Cole tried to warn them, but it was no use. Everyone sighed a collective sigh of relief when they had found a pulse.

    ¡°Oh, thank God,¡± Mary prayed, ¡°that Navini has come back to us. The Lord has allowed her more time at our side.¡± She held up her cross and began muttering things in Latin.

    ¡°She¡¯s going to live?¡± Arthur asked. Out of everyone, she seemed most worried for Navini¡¯s safety. Jason could understand why ¨C Arthur had been the one assigned to watch the mentally-fragile Navini, and in her one slip of attention, Navini had almost taken her own life. Arthur let out a long sigh before kneeling in front of Navini. ¡°I swear to never let you down again. I have failed you and I have my duties and honour as a knight, and I will never live this down,¡± she apologized. For the first time, Jason saw her tough exterior melt away, and tears formed in her eyes.

    ¡°Okay, uh, now everyone should, um, leave, ha, ha¡­¡± Cole said. ¡°Navini, uh, needs rest more, um, than anything, so, uh, yeah¡­ I¡¯ll stay, uh, by her side to, um, make sure she, uh, recovers.¡±

    ¡°I shall guard you two,¡± Arthur rose and declared. ¡°Navini is an extremely easy target at the moment, and I will ensure nothing happens to her.

    ¡°Then we entrust their safety to you, Arthur,¡± Dexter nodded. ¡°Come, everyone. We should let her rest. This has been a very tense day for all of us, so perhaps we should also rest.¡±

    ¡°Agreed. I¡¯m¡­ yawn¡­ Really tired,¡± Jessica agreed.

    ¡°When aren¡¯t you tired?¡± Axel asked her. The tension seemed to lift from the room, and everyone allowed themselves to laugh a little. Jason cast one last look at Navini before leaving the room to get some much-needed rest.

    Jason awoke the next morning feeling oddly refreshed. For a long time, he had been unable to sleep for more than a few hours, but now he felt that he had slept deeply and profoundly. He had a smile on his face that he was unable to wipe off. He caught himself humming a tune in the shower, and upon exiting his room, all felt right in the world. He went downstairs with this same joy only to have it smashed in front of him. Rose was puking into a bucket next to her, and Lelina was awkwardly patting her back, trying her best to not get any vomit on her.

    ¡°What¡¯s happening here?¡± Jason asked, slightly disgusted by the sight of Rose.

    ¡°Rose has b¡­been puking a¡­all morning and I don¡¯t k¡­know why¡­¡± Lelina stuttered. ¡°S¡­she had b¡­breakfast and this started h¡­happening¡­¡±

    ¡°Ugh! This ain¡¯t great,¡± Rose lifted her head to talk to Jason. Her face was incredibly pale, and traces of green had formed in her complexion. ¡°I just had a toast, man¡­ What the hell is happening to me?¡± Rose cursed. ¡°Oh¡­ I feel it coming up again!¡± Rose¡¯s head dipped back down into the bucket, and Lelina continued to awkwardly pat her. At that moment, Cole stepped out of the kitchen, holding a glass with a sunset orange drink in it.

    ¡°Here you are, Ms. Stravor!¡± Cole smiled. ¡°This is, uh, a homemade stomach ache cure, um, that I made. This should, uh, help!¡± He handed her the drink. Rose took one look at it and puked a bit more.

    ¡°How the hell is this gonna help me?! It just looks like cheap fruit juice!¡± Rose exclaimed before returning to her bucket. Tears began to well in Cole¡¯s eyes. Rose seemed to immediately feel guilty, and she quickly added: ¡°Then again, nothing could make this worse, so¡­ Bottoms up!¡± Forcing herself up, she grabbed the drink from Cole¡¯s hands and chugged it down in one go. ¡°God, what the hell is in this thing?! It tastes like ass!¡±

    ¡°I, uh, know the taste isn¡¯t, um, very pleasant, but it, uh, works very quickly, ha, ha¡­ You should feel better in, uh, about 5 minutes, ha, ha¡­¡± Cole mumbled.

    ¡°Five minutes? What on Earth is in this thing?¡± Jason asked. ¡°No stomach ache cure should work that quickly¡­¡±

    ¡°Well, it¡¯s not really, uh, a stomach ache cure, ha, ha¡­¡± Cole whispered. ¡°She was, uh, poisoned, and I, um, found the antidote in the, um, mini-fridge in, uh, Sir Francis¡¯ study, ha, ha¡­¡±

    ¡°Poisoned?¡± Jason whispered back. ¡°With what?¡± Jason walked into the kitchen. On the counter lay an opened jar of peanut butter and a butter knife with some of the peanut butter still on it. Jason sniffed the peanut butter and immediately gagged. It smelled unbelievably rotten, which Jason didn¡¯t think was possible for peanut butter.

    ¡°Like I, uh, said, poison, ha, ha¡­ Rose, um, put some of this on her toast, and it, uh, caused this to happen, ha, ha¡­¡± Cole explained, having followed Jason into the kitchen. ¡°The poison was, uh, clearly, um¡­¡± Cole seemed to have a tough time remembering. ¡°Ah, right! It was, uh, E-52, right, ha, ha¡­¡±

    ¡°E-52?¡± Jason had worked for a long time as a detective, and even he had no idea what that was.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know what that actually, um, is, but, uh, that¡¯s what it¡¯s, uh, labeled as, ha, ha¡­¡± Cole stuttered.

    ¡°Labeled? Wait¡­ You mean you actually found the poison used here? Could you show me?¡± Jason asked. Cole nodded, and he led him to the armory. ¡°You mentioned Sir Francis¡¯ minifridge, but I don¡¯t recall actually seeing one¡­¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s, uh, cause it¡¯s, um, quite hidden, ha, ha¡­¡± Cole explained. A switch, barely visible under Helmsburg¡¯s desk, allowed access to a secret compartment behind the wall. How Cole knew this was there, Jason didn¡¯t think to ask. A minifridge stocked with various bottles lay in the compartment. Cole pointed to one of the bottles. ¡°So, uh, this is the, um, poison, I mean, the E-52 one, and this blue, um, bottle is, uh, the antidote¡­ All I did was, uh, mix it in some orange juice, um, and Rose drank, uh, the whole thing, ha, ha¡­ It¡¯s a basic, um, psychology trick, I guess¡­¡± Jason picked up the bottle labeled E-52 and read the description.

    E-52

    Lethal: Only if inhaled

    Effects: If ingested in small doses, causes headaches, extreme nausea and vomiting. Large quantities will cause blood vomiting before knocking the victim unconscious. Not fatal if ingested. If inhaled as a gas, kills within one minute of exposure.

    Antidote: Yes (see E-52-A)

    Keep refrigerated until use

    ¡°Why not just give her the antidote?¡± Jason asked.

    ¡°I figured it would, um, be better if people, uh, didn¡¯t know about the poisons, ha, ha¡­¡± Cole muttered. ¡°Poisons are, uh, a lot easier to, um, kill with, ha, ha¡­¡±

    ¡°Huh. That¡¯s actually pretty smart,¡± Jason commented. Cole smiled, looking extremely proud of himself. ¡°How did you know this was the one?¡±

    ¡°This one, uh, was the only one that, um, caused nausea and vomiting, uh, and wasn¡¯t lethal, so I kind of, um, just prayed it was, uh, the right one, ha, ha¡­¡± Cole stammered.

    ¡°Guess we¡¯ll find out, huh?¡± Jason sighed. The two headed back into the kitchen, making sure to hide the minifridge once more. Rose looked much better than she had initially and was now able to hold her head up for more than 10 seconds without puking.

    ¡°Damn, Cole, I don¡¯t know what that was, but it really did the trick!¡± Rose smiled and slapped Cole on the back, knocking him to his knees. ¡°Oops, sorry about that. But I mean it! Well done, kid,¡± she laughed. Cole got back up and smiled awkwardly. Jason decided to head to the kitchen to throw out the peanut butter before someone else had any. There, he met none other than Selena, who was smiling venomously, as usual.This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.

    ¡°I¡¯d appreciate it if you stopped ruining my fun from now on, Jason,¡± she warned. Jason noticed that she had a highly pronounced bruise on her chin. ¡°But my point was made. Don¡¯t mess with Selena Coveny ¨C unless you want to die, that is.¡± She laughed maniacally to herself before waltzing out of the room. Jason had a feeling she had been the cause of this, and yet he was still surprised that she would poison someone. Granted, she hadn¡¯t given Rose enough poison to kill her, but it showed the lengths Selena was willing to go for something so petty. Disgusted, he chucked the poisoned peanut butter into the garbage and left the kitchen, where a scene was unfolding.

    ¡°What the fuck is wrong with you?!¡± Rose exploded in anger. Selena, smiling as venomously as ever, almost seemed to be enjoying the show. ¡°Maybe I didn¡¯t hit you hard enough yesterday. Alright, get ready!¡±

    ¡°Maybe I didn¡¯t make myself quite clear,¡± Selena responded, not flinching from Rose cracking her knuckles. ¡°I can always just put more poison next time. Or try a more lethal one.¡±

    ¡°So you¡¯d kill me then, huh? Good fucking luck with that one,¡± Rose laughed.

    ¡°And who will stop me? Hm? What if one of us kills another? Then what?¡± Selena leaned in, her smile fading. ¡°Let me make this perfectly clear: I am not afraid to kill. Got it? There¡¯s nothing stopping me from doing it except human morality, and I believe I¡¯ve made it clear that I am not unwilling to discard that,¡± she warned before swiftly turning and walking away.

    ¡°What a bitch!¡± Rose scowled and spat in the bucket in front of her in disgust. ¡°Is she like this all the time? Because how does anyone stand her?¡±

    ¡°N¡­no idea¡­¡± Lelina mumbled back. ¡°A¡­are you f¡­feeling better, R¡­Rose?¡±

    ¡°Oh yeah, way better!¡± Rose grinned at Cole. ¡°Seriously, nice job, kiddo! Do they teach that kinda stuff in therapy school?¡±

    ¡°Um, I don¡¯t, uh, think so, ha, ha¡­ Let¡¯s just, um, say that, uh, I¡¯ve had, um, a lot of, uh, stomach-aches, ha, ha¡­¡± Cole stammered.

    ¡°Well if you say so,¡± Rose shrugged. ¡°I¡¯m feeling a lot better right now! Like, wow! I feel like I could take on the world! I¡¯m going for a swim. Who¡¯s with me?¡± Rose rocketed up.

    ¡°D¡­do you h¡­have a b¡­bathing suit?¡± Lelina asked.

    ¡°I¡¯ll just swim in my underwear. I don¡¯t care!¡± Rose grinned before sprinting off to her room.

    ¡°S¡­She sure has a l¡­lot of energy a¡­all of a sudden, huh?¡± Lelina sighed. ¡°W¡­what was in t¡­that drink y¡­you gave her?¡± Lelina eyed Cole.

    ¡°N-Nothing, I swear!¡± Cole suddenly looked extremely nervous. ¡°I, uh, think I¡¯ll, um, go swimming with, um, Rose, yeah, ha, ha¡­¡± Cole added before sprinting off as well.

    ¡°He k¡­knows she¡¯ll be in h¡­her underwear, r¡­right?¡± Lelina shook her head before heading off as well. Jason was left alone in the dining room. He grabbed a quick bite to eat before heading off as well. He wandered around and decided that a good swim would cool him off as well. He began to head to head to the pool.

    He heard a scream.

    Trumpets began blaring.

    Jason began running. Running. Running. Ru-

    He burst into the pool. Lelina, Cole and Rose were gathered around something. Jason shoved his way into the circle and got to see what they had screamed at.

    There was a body. It was slouched, the head drooping, obscuring the victim¡¯s face. Their hair had fallen to cover their eyes, but there was no doubt that they were dead. The signature camo knife was jutting out of their chest, as loud as a siren. Oddly, Jason didn¡¯t see any other injuries besides the knife. Still, there was no doubt that they were dead. Rose growled at the body.

    ¡°Damnit! So soon?¡± she scowled. Lelina collapsed to her knees in shock, her hands covering her mouth. Cole started bawling loudly.

    ¡°Wh-wh-wh-wh-wh-wh-wh-wh¡± Cole tried to form a sentence.

    ¡°Why?¡± Jason finished.

    In front of them lay Alexandra Toriah, the telekinetic, dead.

    It didn¡¯t take long for others to rush into the room. Selena was the first to arrive, out of breath from sprinting to the scene of the crime. Lavender soon followed, and Dahinko and Skyler weren¡¯t far behind.

    ¡°AHHHHHHH!¡± Dahinko screamed upon seeing the body. He collapsed into Skyler¡¯s arms.

    ¡°It begins again¡­¡± Lavender sighed.

    ¡°Now this is a surprise. Alexandra, of all people? One of this game¡¯s finest competitors, gone. Honestly, I was expecting Navini to be next, but-¡± Selena didn¡¯t get to finish her sentence. Lavender smacked her across the face, making a loud slapping sound that resonated in the pool area. Selena looked stunned for a moment, then she glared at Lavender.

    ¡°I¡¯m begin to be sick of your shit, Selena,¡± Lavender glared at Selena. Jason was momentarily taken aback by this ¨C Lavender wasn¡¯t the kind to show such brashness and emotion. Selena seemed taken aback as well ¨C she was left speechless, quietly glaring at Lavender. ¡°Still, I suppose we should begin, shouldn¡¯t we?¡±

    ¡°Hang on ¨C somethin¡¯ ain¡¯t right¡­¡±  Rose started madly sniffing in the air. ¡°Yup ¨C I don¡¯t smell any blood from her.¡±

    ¡°No blood? How is that possible?¡± Jason asked. Rose was right though ¨C there wasn¡¯t a trace of blood near her. Lavender leaned down to investigate, thoroughly scanning the wound.

    ¡°It does seem like there should be blood¡­ Hmm¡­¡± Lavender reached down to move Alexandra¡¯s hair aside.

    Her hand went straight through Alexandra¡¯s head.

    ¡°What?¡± Lavender retreated her hand in shock. ¡°There¡¯s no way¡­¡±

    ¡°Uh, what¡¯s, um, wrong?¡± Cole asked nervously.

    ¡°My hand¡­ It just¡­¡± Lavender waved her hand through Alexandra¡¯s head. The part of her head she waved through went fuzzy for a bit before it came back to normal. ¡°It just goes straight through her.¡±

    ¡°What¡­?¡± Skyler looked stunned. Everyone looked at Alexandra¡¯s body, confused. Suddenly, Brian appeared, cackling away.

    ¡°Bwahahahahahahaha! Oh my God, you guys should see the looks on your faces! Priceless!¡± Brian had to stop every two words to breathe. He laughed for a little bit more and calmed himself down. ¡°Okay, I¡¯m good, I¡¯m good. So! I bet you¡¯re all just a little confused about Alexandra, hmm?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s an understatement,¡± Selena confirmed. Even she looked taken aback. ¡°Alexandra¡¯s a hologram?¡±

    ¡°Yup! And no, I didn¡¯t just turn her into a hologram. She has been from the start!¡±

    ¡°From the s¡­start?¡± Lelina stuttered. ¡°S¡­she was never a¡­alive?¡±

    ¡°Bingo dingo!¡± Brian replied. ¡°Honestly, I¡¯m kind of amazed you didn¡¯t figure it out beforehand. I mean, telekinesis? What kind of a talent?¡±

    ¡°But we saw her¡­ Ah, the carpet in the recreation room is a hologram as well? The pot from the first night too?¡± Lavender realized.

    ¡°Yup! You have me to thank for that little trick. Alright, but enough small talk! She may not have really been alive, but she was certainly just killed, so you know what to do! Bwahahahahahahaha!¡± Brian cackled and fizzled out.

    ¡°Well, that would explain her lack of emotions, wouldn¡¯t it?¡± Selena sighed. ¡°But how are we supposed to investigate the death of a hologram? It hardly sounds fair.¡±

    ¡°This whole thing isn¡¯t fair!¡± Dahinko protested. ¡°There¡¯s no wounds to investigate! How can we do an autopsy without a body?¡±

    ¡°Something isn¡¯t quite right here¡­¡± Skyler look concerned. ¡°There¡¯s something else afoot here, I¡¯m sure of it.

    ¡°B¡­But what?¡± Lelina stammered. ¡°What e¡­else is th¡­there?¡±

    ¡°I, uh, don¡¯t know and I, um, don¡¯t want to know, ha, ha¡­¡± Cole mumbled.

    ¡°Still, we should begin the investigation, shouldn¡¯t we?¡± Selena shrugged.

    ¡°Yeah¡­ Let¡¯s do it.¡± Jason confirmed. Everyone started to look around for clues. Jason first began by investigating Alexandra¡¯s ¡®corpse¡¯. Aside from the knife in her chest, there wasn¡¯t anything unusual about her. The pool seemed tame as well ¨C nothing out of the ordinary. This was looking to be a lot simpler than other cases. Alexandra was stabbed in the pool¡¯s vicinity, end of story. Jason had a feeling Brian wouldn¡¯t let that be the end of it, and so he decided to interview the people who had arrived here before him ¨C Rose, Lelina and Cole.

    ¡°AHHHHHHHH! What-what-what do you want, Mr. Harlon?¡± Cole shrieked when Jason approached him. ¡°I-I-I-I-I didn¡¯t do iiiiiiiit! Waaaaaaaaah!¡± Cole started bawling like a toddler. Jason hadn¡¯t even asked him anything and Cole had become a crying wreck.

    ¡°Relax, Cole. I don¡¯t suspect you of anything,¡± Jason reassured him. This wasn¡¯t 100% true, but for Cole¡¯s sake, Jason lied a little.

    ¡°Sniff¡­ Really?¡± Cole stopped crying for a little while. ¡°I mean, uh, of course, ha, ha¡­ I, um, didn¡¯t do, uh, anything, ha, ha¡­¡±

    ¡°I just want to know what happened when you discovered the body. It was you who shrieked like that, right?¡±

    ¡°Yeah¡­ I know, I¡¯m such a, uh, waste, ha, ha¡­ No man should scream like that¡­¡± Cole suddenly looked very angry towards himself.

    ¡°O¡­kay?¡± Jason was puzzled. Cole clearly had some major issues, but now was neither the time nor place to bring them up. ¡°Does that mean you were the first to discover the body?¡± Cole looked at Jason for what seemed like a long time, hesitating.

    ¡°Yes¡­ It was, uh, me that, um, got here first, ha, ha¡­¡± Cole finally managed to mumble. ¡°Lelina got here second and, uh, Rose, and then, um, you¡­ You know the rest, ha, ha¡­¡± Cole mumbled quietly.

    ¡°You got here first? But Rose left before you¡­¡± Jason inquired.

    ¡°I-I-I-I-I don¡¯t know anything! Waaaaaaaaah!¡± Cole started crying again. Jason sighed. Trying to find out anything through Cole would just take longer than needed, and so he decided to ask Rose for more information.

    ¡°Yeah? What¡¯s up?¡± Rose asked upon seeing that Jason wanted to talk to her.

    ¡°I wanted to talk to you about the discovery of the body¡­ Did you get here first?¡± Jason asked.

    ¡°Nah¡­ I got here after Cole and Lelina did,¡± Rose replied.

    ¡°About that¡­ Why is that? You left for the pool before Cole and Lelina did, and yet they got here before you did?¡±

    ¡°What are you tryin¡¯ to say¡­?¡± Rose glared at Jason. ¡°Bah! Not like I care. I just went to change, that¡¯s all.¡±

    ¡°Wait, you had a swimsuit?¡± Jason inquired.

    ¡°Nope! I just changed into an old pair of underwear to go swimming in. That¡¯s all. I must have been in my room for¡­ ¡®bout two minutes, maybe? Two minutes tops, that¡¯s for sure,¡± Rose explained. ¡°Then I ran back here, and immediately heard Cole screamin¡¯. When I walked in, Cole was nearly passed out and Lelina had dropped to the floor.¡±

    ¡°Hmm¡­ Alright then,¡± Jason made a mental note of what he had heard. He then went to talk to Lelina.

    ¡°Y¡­yeah? What d¡­do you want?¡± Lelina stuttered. Her words were tinged with anger and shock.

    ¡°I was just going to ask you about Alexandra¡­ You were second to discover the body, right?¡±

    ¡°Y¡­yeah¡­ W¡­what of it?¡± Lelina spat back.

    ¡°Did you see anything unusual?¡± Jason asked. Lelina¡¯s sour attitude was understandable in this kind of situation, but it was no less irritating.

    ¡°Y¡­you mean besides A¡­Alexandra being a h¡­hologram? No, n¡­nothing unusual¡­¡± Lelina snapped.

    ¡°Well, thanks anyways,¡± Jason replied, eager to end the conversation there. Lelina was remarkably unhelpful in helping to solve the case.

    After having talked to the three of them, Jason now had an idea of the series of events before he had discovered Alexandra¡¯s ¡®corpse¡¯. Rose had left the kitchen to get changed, which took roughly two minutes. Cole and Lelina had headed straight to the swimming pool, where Cole was the first to discover the body, shrieking in the process. Afterwards, Lelina rushed over, followed closely by Rose, and then he, Selena, Lavender, Dahinko and Skyler arrived. None of the others had yet to arrive. Maybe they were still looking for the scene of the crime? It was then that Cole shrieked again, before dropping to his knees.

    ¡°What now?¡± Lavender sighed. ¡°Cole, what happened? Why did you scream?¡± Cole¡¯s head shot up, his face paralyzed in terror.

    ¡°Can you speak, or do we need to force it out of you?¡± Selena threatened. ¡°Go on, you¡¯re not a child. Use your words, please,¡± she chastised. But Cole seemed unable to speak. Instead, he shakily raised his arm and pointed to above the pool.

    Above. The. Pool.

    It had never occurred to any of them to pay attention to the diving board, but now they all began to regret that decision. There was a fishing net hanging from the diving board, slowly but surely sliding off the diving board. Of course, the fishing net was not empty. Something ¨C or rather, someone ¨C was contained in it. The fishing net finished its slide off the diving board and came crashing into the pool, the weight of the body sinking it further and further below. No one said or did a thing while this all happened. They all stood there, shocked. The body finally touched the bottom of the pool, resting at last.

    Even from outside of the pool, Jason could see the camo combat knife sticking out of their chest. It was also possible to see the identity of the person in the pool.

    Axel Rider, the world¡¯s finest race car driver, had just come crashing to his watery grave.

    <u>SURVIVORS: 17</u>