Alice in Borderland ~ Chishiya

45 - ♠Q

'I won't fall,' I say very confidently to Raiden after inspecting the climbing wall. I assume three points will be awarded when someone reaches the top. It looks like it doesn't matter whether you take the difficult or the easy way. The red path is definitely the easiest way to follow, so I'll start on that.

I bring my hands and feet to the stone pieces and before I know it, I'm already two meters high. If I fall now, I could easily land on my feet. With any luck, I won't shoot backwards. If I slide from a greater height, I'll have to make sure to scrape myself open as I slide down, rather than being launched onto my back.

I remember the last time I fell. That was because of the fireworks that hit the rock face. I lost grip and flew through the air, after which I landed on my back. I hadn't felt the blow. Would I feel it now if I were to fall backwards? I suppose so, since I'll end up on the weights in the backpack very hard. I comfort myself in thinking that I wouldn't have to feel that pain for long, as I'll soon have a laser beam through my head.

It isn't nice to climb with this weight on my back. It pulls me down in a different way and I notice that I have to make more effort to get higher and higher. My breathing becomes irregular and I can already feel sweat dripping down my face. I try to distract myself and not think about the acidification that I start to feel in my arms, but I automatically end up with the discussion from just now.

What was that guy talking about when he insinuated that I was going to be the queen of spades? Wouldn't I know if that were the case? But what if he's right? What if we really have to play these face card games against the gamemaster? That would mean the queen of spades is among us right now. Just like during the witch hunt, wouldn't it matter whether it's a woman or a man?

Wait a minute. If so, if the king of spades is the leader of his game and the queen of spades is the leader of this game, then.. Chishiya must fight against the leader of his game! And Kuina against hers..

Just in time I can cling to a piece of rock, before I lose my grip and fall. I mustn't think about that now. First, I have to make sure that I survive my own game. And to do that, I have to get to the top.

I'm starting to believe it was a mistake to do this, but I can't go back. I'm too high to lower myself down safely and I'm not a quitter. I didn't survive all these games to die here. I didn't have to put up with my demanding parents for years just to die here. I didn't have to bear my heart-breaking grief for the loss of Hikaru every day just to die here.

Just three more meters, Kimora. You're almost there.

Panting, I reach the top and pull my arms up. I hoist myself onto the thick part of the wall and stand up straight. I catch my breath and try to get through the dizzy spells before turning around cautiously. From here, I can see the whole hall very clearly. Everyone looks at me, whether they were part of the discussion or not. I slide my eyes to the screen and see a "6" beside my name. Since I had three points before starting this, I assume I was successful and that I've been awarded with points for this challenge.

Thirty. We're now at thirty points. It's still far from enough, but it's a start. The players keep looking at me for a while, before continuing their own challenge. I decide not to pay any attention to them and walk to the side, where I grab the net next to the climbing wall and carefully manage to get myself down again.

'Wow,' Raiden says, clearly impressed. 'That was really.. great!' I look at the screen and see that there are five minutes left before moving back to the new personal goals. Fortunately, no one else has dies yet and we're now at 43 points. It gives me new strength and courage that we're almost halfway, but something in me says this won't last long..