Welcome to the Games

There were two doorways.

My mind started working again, giving me a headache. It seemed like it had been waterlogged and now, after all the water being drained, was working properly again. In fact, it was giving me a big headache. I felt now more than ever that Swifty should be here to help me make this decision.

The two doors were very different. The one on the left was made of a dark, hard looking wood. It was carved on the outside; thick grooves into the once fine, now rotting, wood were intricate. I’m sure if I were to go closer and examine it, there would be a picture or symbol of some sort waiting for me. I would have gone closer to examine it too, if it hadn’t been for the eyes watching me and odd looking goo that was beneath the crack at the bottom.

The other door looked of solid metal, maybe steel, that hadn’t seemed to have suffered any damage from the water. It had a sturdy handle and, from what I could see, no cracks at the top or bottom. It would be impossible for water of any kind to get through, in or around that door.

It was clear which door I was going to lead the kidnapped and myself through.

“Okay guys, time to get a move on,” I said, my single voice echoing around the room. “We’re going to try and open the metal door.”

Taylor and Joe got to their feet first and went to open it. It was stiff and they were making little progress. I shot a look at Liam who jumped up immediately to go and help them. Only did the door open enough for us to get through was when Nick joined the other three. It took all my will power not to stare at his muscles bulging very attractively as he pulled at the handle with all his might.

I beckoned for the girls to get up and, after they were on their feet, walked towards the now halfway open door. The men didn’t dare go through without me, more than likely afraid of the other side. Who knew what was lurking and looming in that impenetrable darkness?

Great.

I turned on Joe’s flashlight again and poked my head around inside the door, letting the beam of yellow light shine through.

I first noticed a huge, rather tall, white cushy thing in the middle of the room and wallpaper that looked unnaturally flimsy. What the hell?

I took a few steps closer, just so I was standing in the doorway, and flipped a switch I presumed was for the lights that was hovering right around my left ear. Sure enough, light poured into the room via a single bulb as I turned off Joe’s slowly dying flashlight.

I handed it back to him as I assured the others it was okay to come into the room- it wasn’t dangerous. Yet.

Turns out that big, white, cushy thing in the middle of the room? That was four beds with plush white comforters pushed together in the middle. Each could fit two people at most- the beds were quite small. To fit two of us one, we’d have to squish together. But at least there were beds.

“Sleep!” Demi said triumphantly, collapsing onto the nearest bed as Selena cautiously looked under them for any sign of danger.

I nodded when she mouthed ‘It’s all good’ to me and felt the gears inside my head get back in motion again. But I couldn’t think. I needed sleep. It felt like I had been up for days. Maybe I had been. Down here you never could have a really good sense of time- it just seemed to pass easily.

“Okay,” I said exasperatedly after trying to think of something. “How do you guys want to sleep?”

“Why don’t we just sleep with our safety buddy?” asked Selena.

“That’s good,” I said, embarrassed that it slipped my mind. “Okay, we’ll do that… now.”

No one even tried to argue; it wasn’t like fighting with your parents over curfew. They realized this was way more serious, and that they needed their sleep. I needed sleep. As their leader I was trying to just get these people- no. These friends out alive with me. Safely. I took a couple of deep breaths so I wouldn’t cry as that little devil voice in the back of my head began taunting me, saying that I’d already let two of them slip away.

Miley’s voice broke my internal tension. “Wait. We can’t go to sleep in our clothes.”

Everyone turned to stare at her. In the sort of light eliminating the room, it was very noticeable when we saw her gulp nervously under our stares and questioning looks.

“Well,” she said, wringing her shit out and letting a few drops of water plop onto the floor, “we’d all catch colds.”

I’d underestimated Miley- she actually cared. I think she needed something like this; to be away from the luxurious life she’d obviously once had, and probably treasured. Well, maybe not treasured, but held with pride at the most part.

“She’s right,” I admitted, “no matter where we are we’d still get colds with wet clothes. And we have no medicine to make us better. Come on, take it off.”

Everyone was cautious taking off their clothing, as if embarrassed. But at this point, I really didn’t care- I was tired and exhausted, both mentally and physically. I slipped off my bottoms and then my top, noticing how they had felt so heavy on my body.

“Zoe?” asked Joe, coming up behind me and tapping my shoulder.

I turned around and said, “Yeah, Joe?”

“I think it’d be best if you kept the flashlight,” he said with a sheepish grin on his face. “I’m pretty sure I’d lose it.”

I gave him a small smile. “That’s fine, Joe. I’ll keep it safe.”

I took the flashlight from his hand, realizing that this may be one of our most prized possessions at the moment, and laid it next to my drying clothes. There was no way it could go missing at this point- I had enough faith in everyone around to know they wouldn’t steal.

Except maybe someone else would steal it.

I know I was being paranoid, there hadn’t been a trace of anyone but us ten, but I kept getting that sickly feeling that we were all being watched. That this wasn’t just a fight for our survival; it was a game. And I was the one that in charge of moving our pieces to the finish line before our kidnapper.

I went to close the door and no one objected, knowing that it was probably safer this way- closed in a safe room with no way out rather that in a safe room where others could come in and make it potentially unsafe. Judging by their silence and wide eyes when the door was closed gave me the impression I wasn’t the only paranoid one.

I flipped off the light switch as well, and walked quickly towards the bed. The vision of it was still burned into my eyes, so I could clearly make out the heads poking out from the covers at the ends. Going around clockwise (imagine the bed was square, so it switches sides after four heads) it was Liam, Miley, Demi, Joe, Taylor and then Selena.

Nick had left a spot for me next to Selena and I was grateful. I didn’t want to be on the end. In fact, none of the girls were at any of the ends. That was comforting.

I quickly scuttled around the bed Nick and mine’s one. He stood and let me in first- I made sure I was a close to the end as I could be- before he came in himself. The big, poufy comforter wasn’t split into four, so all eight of us had to share it, and the beds weren’t pushed all the way together; so there was a noticeable gap between each one once under the covers.

Liam, Miley, Selena and Taylor were all asleep immediately- but I could still hear Demi and Joe talking in hushed tones diagonally from us. I could’ve sworn they were exchanging kisses every time there was a pause in their conversation, as their heads bent towards each other frequently. But they were so deep in conversation they didn’t bother seeing if anyone was watching.

“You know,” Nick’s voice came very quietly from my left, “I don’t bite.”

I turned around as smoothly as I could to see a big gap between Nick and me because we’d both been glued to the edges of the bed. If it were lighter he would’ve seen me blush.

But I scooted closer to the middle of the bed and so did he, and we met in the middle. It was kind of awkward just lying there, to tell the truth, with our faces looking at each other with small smiles attached.

“How’re you holding up?” he asked gently.

“To be honest? I’m so freaking scared right now,” I said, realizing now all of the stress put on me, and how many tears were in me. Nick seemed to sense this and wrapped his arms around me and I immediately snuggled into his grasp, as if second nature. Some tears started to spill, so I muffled the sound in Nick’s bare chest- not caring out embarrassment.

“Shh, shh,” he said soothingly, stroking one of his hands up and down my back. “You’re doing a good job. We’re still alive, aren’t we?”

“Yeah, but-” I started, going to say and complain to him how whoever this person was saw our fight for survival just a measly little game. But Nick cut me off.

“Exactly. We’re still alive, we’re okay. Thanks to you and your decision making. You’re such a good leader.”

I looked up at him, my mild tear spree long over, and just marveled. How is it that a guy I’ve certainly not known longer than a week or more have this effect on me? Make me so calm and peaceful when only a moment before I wanted to scream?

“Thanks,” I whispered back, taking in all of his face. Especially his lips.

“Why?”

“For being here,” I said after pondering a moment. I didn’t really know what to say, so I blurted out the first- and regrettably the most corny- thing that came to my mind. I looked into his eyes and noticed they were focused on a lower area of my face.

He leaned down to kiss me. Why would I object? Our lips touched and I felt a pleasant tingling sensation all over my body, a warmth almost. We broke apart after almost a minute and I was temporarily speechless.

“Goodnight,” I whispered to him and turned around.

I still felt his arms around my waist, so I held them there, and his chest against my back. He trailed a couple kisses along my neck and jaw line before returning with the same.

Needless to say I had a wonderful night.

But there were still more problems at hand- one of them being:

What’s the way out this time?