[book one]
The game was simple: A contest comprised of three unique challenges, designed to test a human's strength physically and mentally, their personality compatibility, and their chance of survival.
The prize was excruciatingly tempting: The ch...
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ONLY TWO WORDS came to mind when Sophie stepped into the dining hall. Enormous and extravagant.
It literally felt like she'd just stepped into a five-star restaurant. Ceilings hovered over her head, a good twenty feet high, constructed of rich wooden beams and panels of clear glass that reflected the dark sky. Tables dotted the floor in front of her, covered in bleached white cloth. Each had maroon colored flowers, and silverware wrapped in matching colored cloth napkins. The walls, a soft creamy color, were decorated with magnificent art; Sophie's favorite hovered over a large stage made of the same wood as the ceiling, and it depicted the image of a waterfall splashing down into a rocky pond.
Tabatha's arm looped through Sophie's and she pulled the dazzled girl forward. "It's gorgeous, I know. And the food here is absolutely divine." She licked her lips.
"What do they have?" Sophie asked, as she sat down at one of the tables, across from Tabatha.
The girl shrugged. "Whatever you want. You just name the dish, and the waiter or waitress will tell one of the cooks. They can make pretty much anything."
Sophie gaped as a man, sporting a black vest on atop a white button-up and dark slacks, walked past their table with a silver tray balanced on his hand. "So it's like a restaurant!"
"Well, yeah," Tabatha said, chuckling. "It is a restaurant. It's included in the bill."
"What bill?" Sophie's excitement vanished, and she looked around worriedly. She was about as broke as a hobo, and was certain her father couldn't afford even a single meal from a place like this. Everything suddenly felt wrong and out of place, now that she realized there would be money involved.
But her obvious concern only made Tabatha laugh harder. "Sophie, Sophie," she said, reaching out when Sophie started to get up. Sophie's eyebrows merged together as she stared at Tabatha, confused. "You received an invitation, correct?" Tabatha grinned.
Sophie nodded.
"Then you don't have to worry about it. The bill is more metaphorical; everything we do here costs a lot of money, but because we are invited, then we don't have to pay for the services. It's like we have a never ending tab that never has to be paid," Tabatha explained.
"Then why does it exist?"
"Because there are kids who weren't invited attending this school, and for them, it does exist." Tabatha looked up as a busty girl with fiery red hair slumped into the velvet chair beside Sophie, and grinned at her. "Hey, Em."
"-ma," the girl finished for her and then sucked in a mouthful of air, which made her look like a puffer-fish. She nodded at Sophie and flashed her a quick smile. "It's Emma, for the new girl. Sophie is it?"
Sophie opened her mouth to respond, but was quickly cut off by another new addition to the table. "Sophie, Sophie Lynn Brooks." A girl with thick round classes plopped into the chair beside Tabatha, and shot her a quirky grin. "I read up on every newbie at the school, it's a pastime of mine. I'm Ellie-"
