Playing Games

Fake X Freedom

Mood: Tag You're It - Melanie Martinez. Picture of character above.

*Kanna Hayashi, age 23*

Dear Diary,
I was told that memories serve as a reminder of everyone we've ever been. I was told that memories shape the mind of everyone we will be. Why is it, dear diary, my memories have all disappeared? What does that say of who I was, and who I will be? More importantly, who am I now?

As I write this, I am beginning to remember the shapes and colors I believe are important to me. A young girl with flaming red hair, light blue ribbon, and fire. So much fire.

The memories aren't specific, but I am so incredibly desperate to know who I am.

He tells me that my name is Kanna. Kanna Hayashi. He says not to worry about who I was, because who I will be is what matters. He still hasn't told me his name, but I believe I will learn it tomorrow. That is when the games begin, you see.

I guess I should head to bed now, little diary, or I just might fail my First Task because of exhaustion.

Best Wishes,
Hayashi, Kanna

*~~~~~~~~~~*

I place my only pencil back in it's holder and shut the small green book. The book had been from an anonymous source, one that had wished me an apparent happy birthday. Because of this, I'd learned that my birthday fell on June 1st. I had turned 23 years old.

A knock sounded at the door to the room I slept in. I couldn't say it was my room. It didn't feel like my room.

"You know you don't have to knock." I say quietly. I know that whoever is there can hear me. I like to think they have magic.

The door opens to reveal my visitor. His face was now the most familiar to me, as he had been present when I had woken up from a coma not too long ago.

His long black hair hung to his waist, falling like strands of dark silk against his snow-white skin. His eyes were an endless void that matched his hair.

"Mother says I must knock before entering any of the ladies' rooms." He spoke, his voice never changing from it's calming monotone. Though I hadn't said anything about it to him yet, I deeply enjoyed hearing him speak. It was hard to hear emotion from his voice. I guess that's what I liked so much.

He came to see me every night just to make sure I didn't do something they didn't like. He came to see all of us, the twenty-two women. Upon my arrival, I'd met them all. We were so different in shape, size, and ability, but we all had one definite similarity; we all belonged to the Zoldyck family.

I place the diary into the drawer of the wooden desk that sat opposite my bed.
"I see you've used the gift I left for you." He says. I take a moment to hide my surprise. The man had made it clear he did not dislike useless displays of emotions.

I nod. "Yes, it is a lovely gift. Thank you."

We stood in silence, though it was not awkward or irritating. The silence between us was comforting, as if we'd both agreed that talking was unneeded.  

"You should sleep. If you show weakness tomorrow, you will die." His voice cut through the quiet effortlessly. 

I nod. "Yes. Of course, sir." It annoyed me to not know his name, this face I'd seen. The only face truly registered in my memory. 

The man left the room in less than a second, and I went to sleep as I'd been told to.

*----------*

"In exactly two weeks, only one of you young ladies will be breathing. The other twenty-two will have proven themselves unworthy and weak, and will therefore meet their end as such weakness deserves." The lady of the Zoldyck house stood before us on a raised platform. She did not look at us, instead occupying her vision by playing with her small child's hair. Her voice was sharp and high, as if she spent much of her time nagging others. 

Lady Zoldyck turned to her oldest, black-haired man that had visited the night before. "Illumi, dear, if you'd explain the rules?"

Illumi. I tried the name in my head. It fit him. When she'd spoken his name, my chest felt a little lighter than it had before. 

Illumi nodded, "Yes, mother." 

Lady Zoldyck left the platform with her youngest child, Illumi taking her place in the center. It wasn't long before his monotone stretched out to explain the First Task that would be happening today. 

"This will be a simple game of Hide and Seek, where you will be hiding from the family dogs. There are three, Mike, Emi, and Goro. They have been given orders to kill you immediately upon finding you, but I do not doubt Mike will eat you slowly and painfully. He does that from time to time." The words Illumi used sounded like he was trying to scare us in a joking manner but nothing about his voice or facial expressions screamed, "Ha! I'm kidding!"

"You will have five days to stay alive. During this time, you may attack each other. This is a competition, after all, and the less competitors, the closer you are to winning. My brother will be overseeing this game and will kill you if you so much as touch our gate. The game begins now." With that, Illumi fled from view.

Behind the platform, the giant cement wall rumbled. It pulled itself up, much like a garage door. Large purple and white paws could be seen trying to claw their way out. I felt afraid at the sight and ran, followed by most of the other girls, but noticed one girl that couldn't seem to move. She was so scared she couldn't move.

I stopped running at the treeline, debating whether it would be worth it to run back and save her. The door had finished opening and the faces of the Zoldyck family "dogs" could be seen. The middle one was the biggest, a deep purple that contrasted the other two's snow white fur. His eyes were cold, calculating, and a grin spread across his salivating mouth. He crept foreword, the first to exit the cage, and pounced on the girl that couldn't move. She screamed, a blood-curdling sound that I could feel in my very bones. She hadn't died yet, though, because she continued to scream while he ran off with her hanging from his mouth. He looked like a puppy who'd just received a treat and was running off to devour it in peace. This one must be Mike.

The other two were easier to tell apart. They were dogs, albeit giant dogs, and the gender was fairly easy to tell. Emi ran off in a different direction, having caught sight of a thin blonde, leaving Goro still waiting by the mountain. 

Something about his eyes were different than Mike's or Emi's. His eyes weren't cold. They weren't black, either. 

That's when it hit me.

What if Goro was blind? That would mean he was simply waiting for a sound or a distinct smell that would lead him to his prey. I would be safer if I didn't move, but that wouldn't stop the other two from seeing me and killing me. 

These dogs were hunting beasts that were built to kill. Their smell was superior, and their hearing was possibly even better. How the hell was I supposed to survive this week? 

I searched around Goro, trying to find his weakness, maybe hoping to kill him, and noticed he had a rather large collar. This seemed to be my best bet, but now I had to find a way to get up there without being found out. 

Finally, I picked up a medium-sized rock, hoping my first plan would be the only one I'd need. I scaled the tree carefully, going high enough that if Goro were to run by, I would reach his neck. I take a deep breath and throw the rock behind me. Within seconds, the dog is racing forward. When he reaches the source of the noise, he stops and smells it, giving me time to jump onto his collar. He doesn't feel it, luckily, and I wedge myself between his neck and the collar. 

His smell would mask my own, as it is far stronger, and his collar would block me from the other mutts. Now all I have to do is wait out the next five days.

Hopefully I wouldn't die.