✓ The Games We Play ⇔ Mileven {2nd - "Wake Up, Mike" Trilogy}

Sixty Three

Mike.

I looked awkwardly up at Jennifer's face as I picked the sandwich up, bringing it to her mouth. She took a bite and I looked around the car frantically, wanting to look anywhere but at her. Why am I doing this? Why can't someone else? Everyone's looking at me like I'm weird, but this is not my fault.

After another minute of awkward feeding, the car stopped. I sighed, shoving everything back into the paper bag and tossing it on the seat as everyone climbed out. Dustin and I made sure Jennifer climbed out ok, then he swung her arm around his shoulders and helped her walk.

She wasn't leading the way, considering she couldn't. She was giving directions while Lucas practically ran ahead, wanting to get there as soon as possible. After what felt like years of speed walking through the woods, we came to a familiar place in the trees.

My heart skipped a beat at the memory of El yelling, then running into the trees and scaring me half to death. I ran after her, and I just remember her crying and staring at this exact tree. She pointed to it and...

I rounded the side of the tree and saw exactly what I expected to see. It was the gate, same as I remember it. Big, definitely big enough to fit a person through. But covered, inaccessible. The red separator-made of god knows what-made it impossible.

"We can't get through that," Will spoke up, and I sighed deeply. After everything, I hear the word "can't" and I just deflate a bit. I used to think there was no such thing as "can't," but I've been shown time and time again that there is. There is such thing, and life will hand it to you at every chance it gets. No mercy, no holding back. Straight you can't.

"Can you cut through it?" Lucas asked Will frantically, and he shrugged a bit.

"Maybe, my mom didn't try that," he said that and Chief immediately bent down and pulled his pocket knife out. He flipped the blade up, and my stomach did a weird flip. I took a deep breath in and looked up at the sky for a minute, breathing in as much air as possible. I heard rustling, causing me to look down.

"Can't be done," Chief sighed, putting his knife away and standing back up. We all seemed to do a simultaneous sigh, staring at the gate in defeat. I was standing, just listening, and I could've sworn I heard someone talking. I listened closer, and I wasn't wrong.

"Lucas! Jennifer! Mike! Anyone, for fuck's sake!" someone yelled, my eyebrows furrowing.

"Adrianna! Language!" someone else yelled, and everyone else around me started to hear.

"Girls?" Chief yelled back, kneeling down in front of the tree again.

"Yeah, it's us," It was quieter, and suddenly everyone was huddling around the tree. I could faintly see a face through the thick red border, and my breathing picked up for some reason.

"We can't cut through, and we can't open it," Chief got right to business, and I could barely see the person nodding.

"I could've told you that. There's only one existing person that can open this," the same girl informed, and I quickly found out her name is Adrianna from people yelling at her.

"Adrianna, how do you know all this?" I called out, my stomach churning.

"I have a power, I have knowledge of everything existing and everything not yet to exist. Everything ever," she explained to me, and I got even more worked up.

"How do you have a power? Were you born with it?" I rushed out, and I saw her shake her head again.

"I was given it. Although risky and unsanitary, I was given someone else's blood. Blood from your girlfriend, Mike," her voice was teasing.

"Stop! Is she hurt? Is she ok?" I insisted in a firm, aggressive tone. Everyone else was staring at me as I got heated up, my stomach still doing major flips.

"She's safe. Technically not hurt, but she's slowly dying," my heart dropped, and I just stared ahead at nothing.

"This is not the time!" Lucas yelled, then gave me an apologetic look. I just shook my head, sitting fully on the ground and staring at my hands.

"We need a plan to get these girls out," Chief said in a calm voice, and my head snapped up.

"I think I have a plan."

-

Cliffhanger(sorry couldn't proof read because I had to rush to update this, ignore any mistakes). THE TEASER I'M SOBBING IT WAS BEAUTIFUL AND THE THEORIES ARE ALREADY SWIRLING AROUND IN MY HEAD. Expect small aspects of that to show up in the remaining chapters, along with the next book.

Also, if you could all please check out my best friend's book, I'd really appreciate it. Her poems are amazing. Her account is amimorgenstern

Thank you!
-Marlie♥️