The White Games

4) Chapter Four

#11 Fausto Grandeur – Day One - 4:05 PM

The alarm slowly fades away and the image of Nora Lemori ceasing to flash but the red X remains over her face.

I stare at my datapad for several minutes, wondering what I should be feeling. According to the rules, this means that Nora is dead. Some girl has just been killed, been murdered, all for some stupid game. I should be mortified, horrified.

So why do I only feel relief?

Does this make me a terrible person? I don't know. Mr. White said that the only way for me to stay alive is for everyone else to die. So is it wrong I'm glad to see the others die? Outside this island, I'd never—well, almost never—want to see anyone else die. But here...somehow I think being relieved at the girl's death is the proper feeling.

Messed up, huh?

I sit down on the edge of the large crate I've stumbled upon not more than twenty minutes ago. It was pretty lucky, considering that this thing was just sitting out in the open in the middle of a paradise-like beach. Can't believe no one else has found it.

I bite into an apple I've found inside the crate as I stare out into the waves, at the pounding surf and cascading waves, reflecting the light of the sun peeking through the clouds. Overhead, seagulls carelessly circle in the sky. My bare feet touch against the golden sand, joyfully basking in the warmth of the day, even with the occasional cloud. Considering where I was before Mr. White "kidnapped" me, I'd say this situation was pretty swell.

If only I didn't have to worry about people trying to kill me.

I finish with the apple and chuck the core overhead, it lands on the sand behind me with a 'plunk' and rolls away. I don't care where it goes. Littering is perfectly acceptable on this island. Casually, I peek into the crate beside me. Along with the four remaining apples, I have a bag of salted pretzels, some kind of advanced night-vision goggles, and two different containers titled "Bromine" and "Chlorine". I feel like I could make something with those, but I'm not sure what.

Oh, and I also have this super wicked cool tent that I've already set up on the beach. Like I said, this is paradise.

Closing my eyes, I lean back on the crate and bask in the limited sun, just enjoying life. Mr. White probably would have made more money selling vacations to this place. He would have made a killing. Heh. Killing...It's kinda—

Screams fill the air, snapping me out of my daydreams. I'm on my feet, glancing around the beach, searching for something to defend myself. The undergrowth up on the forest is shaking, rapid movement sending birds flying into the air, screeching warnings.

No time. No time to run. I reach a hand into the crate and pull out the container of chlorine. It's better than nothing. I crouch beside the crate, adopting a defensive position. When they emerge, I'm going—

Two girls explode out onto the beach, screaming their heads off. They only get a few steps before the one in the back trips and smacks into the other, sending them both rolling forward and down a sand dune.

"What the hell is this...?" I'm not even worried anymore as I stand straight, watching the two girls comically roll down the sand dune right towards me like a scene from a bad comedy.

They come to a halt just a few feet away from me. They lie flat on the ground, coughing and hacking as they slowly come to their senses. This gives me plenty of time to observe them, and I soon realize that they're both ranked lower than I am. They're also both very pretty.

"Hello there!" I greet one of them, the blonde with shiny green eyes, as she slowly gets to her feet. "Nice to have you drop by."

She starts in surprise as her gaze slowly comes to focus on me, and I quickly hold a hand up. "Calm down, I'm not going to kill you." Not like I could, I don't even have a weapon.