Just A Game

Hatter

Why did I help him? Arisu I mean, I don't care about people, I lost the only people I cared about when they disappeared. Miyo, Botan, Sakura, Dachi, where are you guys? I sighed, kicking a stone across the pavement. My mind was so full of thoughts about my friends and siblings that I didn't even notice someone walk up to me. "Oi" I heard a man's voice say. I turned around and noticed the well-built man who was staring at me earlier. "Can I help you?" I asked him confused. I noticed a walkie-talkie in his hand, "I just spoke to my boss, he wants me to bring you to him. I told him about our game just now. He wants to talk to you" the well-built man explained to me. "Where are you taking me? What's your name?" I questioned him suspiciously. "The beach and my name is Aguni" Aguni said, putting his hands in his pockets. "How do I know if I can trust you Aguni?" I asked him coldly. "You don't" Aguni said shrugging. At least he was honest, I then heard someone talking through the walkie-talkie. "Bring her to the beach" they repeated. Seems he was telling the truth, "Alright Aguni, lead the way" I said to him curiously. Aguni started walking towards a car, "Get in" He said simply. But the cars don't work? I shrugged and got in the backseat away from him. He chuckled at that and started the car. "Wait, it works?" I said out loud surprised. "It has an old diesel engine, they are still running" Aguni explained to me. Oh! Of course! Aguni said nothing else, just started driving.

I looked out of the window but I couldn't see much due to the dark. I sighed and looked away, the drive wasn't too long, and it was silent the whole way there. Aguni wasn't much of a talker, I guess, I didn't mind though I wasn't either. Aguni pulled up stopping the car, I opened my door and stepped outside looking at where I was. The beach was a tropical resort? It's real name was Seaside Paradise. However graffitied next to the real name was BEACH in capital letters. The building was humongous. "Come on, he doesn't like waiting" Aguni said rolling his eyes. I nodded and followed Aguni into the beach. The first thing that I heard was very loud music, we wasn't heading towards there though. Aguni took a right leading me down a long hallway, he stopped at a door. He looked at me and then opened the door, "Ah Aguni" I heard a man say as he walked in. Guess I'm going in there then? I walked in after Aguni, "So this is her?" The man asked Aguni but he was directly staring at me. Aguni nodded slightly, "Why don't you take a seat?" The man said grinning. Oh. Boy. I took a seat at the far end of the table making Aguni grin at me. "That's where Aguni usually sits" The man said looking at Aguni then at me. "I don't mind. I get that she's cautious" Aguni said nodding at me. "Well, Aguni certainly seems to like you" The man said surprised. Aguni grunted in response to him, "Anyway, welcome..." The man said standing up. "To the beach!" He said, spinning his arms around like a weirdo. "I'm known as Hatter, I'm the beaches leader" Hatter started to explain to me. Ah I see, a power hungry leader. "We have rules here at the beach" Hatter said walking over to me. That didn't surprise me one bit. "Rule one, you must always wear a swimsuit wherever you go. You can't hide a weapon in a swimsuit" Hatter said to me, grinning. I guess that was fair. "Rule two, all the cards you've collected from your previous games will now be the beaches property. We will hang on to them for safekeeping" Hatter explained to me.

I couldn't be bothered to ask why, I just nodded. "So hand them over?" Hatter said simply to me. "I only have one" I said shrugging. "One?" He asked me confused. "Yeah one, it was my first game" I said sighing. "Aguni, you told me that she did really well, but you didn't tell me it was her first game" Hatter said, looking over at Aguni. What? Was he going to throw me out now? "That's even better! You did perfectly at your first game, although you have one card, I'm considering giving you a promotion already" Hatter said, grinning at me. I passed over my card and he grinned at it. "Rule three, death to all traitors" Hatter said in a grave tone. Alright? "Now here at the beach, you can drown yourself in all the alcohol that you want, get high on drugs and have as much sex as you want. Live while you still can" Hatter said smirking as he walked back over to his chair. Yeah, I doubt anyone would betray the beach or Hatter after what he just said then. "Here's your locker key" Hatter said passing me a hot pink locker key. I looked down at it. Number 16? "I also want to show you this" Hatter said nodding at Aguni. Aguni shrugged and started moving the wall away, ah a fake wall. I looked over at the wall and saw cards drawn onto the wall. Hearts, Spades, Diamonds and Clubs. Some of the cards were crossed out but a few of them weren't. "So you are collecting all the cards, why?" I asked him curiously after seeing the cards on the wall. "Only one of us can return to the real world" Hatter explained to me. "Oh" I said to him. "Now I know that might come as a shock to you" Hatter began. "No, No it doesn't" I said shrugging. "It doesn't?" Hatter asked me confused. "The real world was trash" I said bluntly.