All For A Few Cards ➺ Alice in Borderland

episode 3 || a new plan emerging

I squinted at the bright room I was placed in, being blinded for a few seconds. "Ooh, we got a pretty one!" I heard a male voice flirt. Once my eyes got used to the brightness, I looked around. 

I was sitting on a chair, my arms tied behind me. There were a few people in the room, including the guards who guarded the doors. I could sense people behind me. Three girls in front of me, five guys.

"Well, look who's up!" A man with a long Hawaiian sweater and some swim trunks smiled brightly. He also wore sunglasses, like the lady from before. She was also in the room, standing beside the man along with another lady. 

"What the fuck is this?" I mumbled, continuing to look around. "Before I start, how about a little introduction? You can call me Hatter, the handsome host of this deluxe party!" He beamed. He reminded me of Sakura just then. 

"Aria."
"Aria...?" 

"Why do you want my last name?" I questioned him suspiciously. "Well, I do want to get to know you as much as I can. And the first step to that is knowing your full name!" He smiled. "Kaneoko." I told him. 

"Aria Kaneoko. I like it! I've heard a lot about you, Aria," Hatter began, walking slowly through the room. "Some fellow members of the Beach have reached out to me, telling me how skilled and talented you are." He said. "Right. So you want my cards." I made a statement frontally. 

"Yes, and I've already collected them." He said, walking over to a table. "Excuse me?" I said indignantly. He picked my cards up on the table. "Seven of Spades, Nine of Hearts? Incredible!" He laughed. My face fell slightly. Fuck. He took my good cards.

"And just the ones we needed...Ten of Diamonds and Eight of Clubs." He kissed the card and put them down. "You fucking psychopath." I scoffed. "I am no such thing! I happen to have my reasons, believe it or not." He stuck his chin up and walked away from the table. 

"You see, we're collecting every card in the deck. And once we do, one lucky player will be able to go back to the real world. We do that over and over until everyone at the Beach is able to leave!" He explained, showing me some type of wall with all the cards painted on the wall, the ones they had were crossed off. 

"Nice. What's the catch?" I asked. "That's the best part—there is no catch!" He laughed maniacally. My face twitched a bit in annoyance. "You can live life as you did back in the real world here at the Beach, only twice as better!" He sighed happily. 

"But, there are three rules we have here," he told me. Of course there are. "First, everyone must wear a swimsuit. You can't hide anything in swimsuits." He grinned. Smart, I'll give him that. "Second," he circled around my chair. 

"Live your life as it is. And the third," he stopped right in front of me. "Death to the traitors." He told me, staring me right in the eye. My face remained emotionless. His smile plopped back onto his face, just like that. 

"If you ever win any cards, I'll be receiving them after your game. Hide your cards, and the militants will simply kill you." He smiled. "Uh-huh. Um, why do you have me tied to a chair?" I asked him. 

"Oh...well, we were worried you'd try to escape, givin the performance you made. Sorry about it. Niragi, untie her, will you?" He turned to a guy with piercings and a rifle in his hands

"Gladly." He was the guy who flirted at the beginning. He walked over to me with a smirk, swinging his gun over his shoulder. I stared at him as he made his way to me. He disappeared behind me. I felt his hands working on taking the ropes off. 

A few seconds later, my hands were free. The guy walked back to his original spot, staring lustful. Unknowingly, I made a disgusted face, slightly scrunching my nose up and turning to Hatter. The faster he finishes his speech, the faster I'll find a way to get out of here.