Game Changer

𝐃𝐚𝐫𝐜𝐢𝐨 𝐅𝐨𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫

Brooke is upstairs having a shower, and it is Darcio's shift to study the grimoires for anything they've missed. "It's been two weeks, and we know three things. Number one, we are stuck on the same repeating day in a prison world, number two, this bear and a tear somehow get us out of here, and finally, number three, Mr Keres somehow has something to do with this." Darcio looks up at the ceiling and groans as he talks to himself. He flips through another grimoire for the third time today. "Blah, blah, blah ... oh, and here's some more blah."

A soft pitter-patter on the roof of the small mansion makes Darcio's ears burn, and he scowls. He has never been a fan of the rain, too loud, wet, and cold for his liking. Rushing footsteps echo through the house as Brooke runs through the front door, having just gotten out of the shower and dressed, into grey tracksuit pants and an oversized shirt that she had bought the other day, and into the cold rain. A large cry of joy jumps through the house as Darcio goes to the front porch to watch Brooke dance in the rain. He leans against one of the scratchy white pillars for a few minutes before going back inside, fed up and ready to actually read the grimoires.

Darcio goes back inside, but something feels different. The air is colder, and something in the room makes Darcio quiver. A large book that wasn't there before lies on the couch in the middle of the large lounge room. Darcio walks over and picks up the book. Mondo Carcerario is written in large, fading letters on the cover of the dusty book. He opens to the first page and scribbled on the first page is:

You have admitted what you did.

Here is another clue.

"Brooke!" Darcio pulls out his phone and types Mondo Carcerario into Google Translate, and two words appear under English: Prison World. "Brooke!" Darcio takes the book under his arm and runs back into the front porch. Brooke is spinning, with her arms spread wide and her face to the sky like she doesn't have a single problem in the world. "Brooke, you have to come see this." Brooke huffs over, missing the rain already, to stand next to Darcio, but he steps away from her soaked body and back into the house.

"This is the book about the Prison World!"

Brooke dries her hands on a nearby blanket and takes the book out from Darcio. She opens and sees the words on the page. She looks up sadly at Darcio but starts to read the next page.

"Prison Worlds. One of the Kingston witch family's most powerful spells. Created in 1734, this spell has been used to lock people away, teach lessons, and used for torture.

There is only one way to escape the world that you have been sent to, and that is to figure out the puzzle. The creator will have set an object of significance as the key, all you need to do is stand under the major solar event with the key and one tear from each participant, and you are free. The world is often anchored by a person or a powerful object ..." Brooke stops and brings her gaze up to Darcio.

"Brooke ..."

"Darcio ..."

"This is it! We can escape and get home!" Darcio runs over to Brooke and hugs her, not caring about how drenched her body is. Brooke hugs him back as they celebrate. As the excitement slowly wears off, they become more awkward until they let go, avoiding eye contact.

"Well, I guess we better get some tears ..." Brooke sticks her hand out, and they shake hands quickly before going their separate ways to their rooms.

"Brooke, we still need tears as the last ingredient."

Brooke turns around, contorting her face.

"What the hell are you doing, weirdo?"

Brooke rubs her face to hide a small smile."I'm trying to make myself cry?"

"Are you asking me? I honestly thought you were having a seizure or something, gosh." They laugh heartily, and tears begin to form in Darcio's eyes. Darcio runs to the kitchen and grabs two shot glasses. He quickly taps his face to push out the tear of joy and lets it fall into the glass. He runs back to the lounge and helps Brooke do the same.

"Done." Brooke snorts.

—

"Moon, check. Two tears, one from you and one from me, check. Oliver's teddy, check. Okay, I think we are ready to go."

"Look, I know there must be a million people you would rather have been stuck here with, but I'm really glad that we got to spend this time together and get to know more about each other."

"Yeah, me too." Darcio confided, "Between you and me, you're not as annoying as I thought, no offence."

"None taken." Brooke rolls her eyes and heartily laughs. "None taken at all."

Darcio holds the bear and spills the tears onto it, Brooke holds Darcio's hands so she isn't left behind, and they stand and wait for the moon to shine on them as they stand on the roof of their mansion. A coldness creeps upon them as they feel the world slip away beneath their feet.