Kings Gambit

Chapter 1 - Role Call

".......Hey.......Wake up......"

A vaguely familiar feminine voice called out to me.

"Wake up!..." 

I slowly open my eyes only to be greeted by a young girl with long brown hair and a red dress standing over me. She's a teenager, perhaps in high school? I can't seem to recall who she was...

"Jeez, you're finally awake," Her eyes drifted. She looked mad... No discontent.

"Who are you?" I replied, sitting up on the unfamiliar bed I woke upon. I looked down at my body to discover I was wearing a grey suit, black pants, and a black and white checkered tie. What is with this costume? I don't own anything like this...

"I'm Claire. You?" She replied in a hurry.

"Hank." I quickly answered. I took this time to look around the room. It was a windowless bedroom only lit up by dim candlelight. The interior resembles that of a luxurious mansion with a large amount of space and the use of materials such as gold and diamonds. 

"Nice to meet you, Claire. Do you know where we are?" I questioned, scratching my head in a daze.

"I'm sorry. I can't recall. I woke up an hour ago, just like you. A few others did as well, but I don't know anything about what's going on. I was hoping you knew," She nervously clenched her other arm and sighed. "However, we woke up with these strange cards; you probably have one too. I can't show you mine, but you should check out yours." Claire held up a card to where I could only see the backside. I felt around my breast pocket to find something much like a playing card when suddenly Claire grabbed my arm and started to pull me out of bed.

"Before you look at the content in the card, let's head down. The others should be waiting." She spoke. I shook her hand off as I stood in the room, dazed and confused.

"This makes no sense, cards? The others? I'm still wrapping my head around where we are," I fidgeted with the unfamiliar tie. She turned back to look at me. With a good look, I could tell she was quivering. Her face was slightly pale.

"I-I wish I knew the answer, sir." She stuttered, clearly uncomfortable. I scratched my neck. 

"Sorry," I sighed, "I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable. I'm just confused," I replied. She glanced down at the floor and then looked back at me with a soft smile.

"Let's have optimism," She smiled nervously before turning around and walking out the door. With a dreaded sigh, I followed after her. I examined the surroundings when exiting the room. I noticed a large chandelier on the high ceiling made out of pure gold and an open floor down below. What seemed to be ten or so other people were down there. The base is made of dark wood and red carpet, with yellow and white wallpaper lining the walls with extravagant patterns. How did I end up here? I can't remember. 

I made my way down a grand staircase with diamonds on the railings. Wherever we are, the owner must be wealthy to afford all this.

"Look! Claire found another!" An energetic guy spoke; his eyes were a bright yellow. He wore a zipped-up black jacket with a weird checkerboard-styled cape that went down to his waist. His hair was long and frizzy. His hands were behind his head like he couldn't care less about our strange predicament. I couldn't tell how old he was, but I assumed he was younger than me. Our eyes met, and for a moment, I felt anxious. Do I know him? Why does he seem so familiar?

I waved back at him slightly and looked around at the rest standing in the central hall. The cast of characters varied from confident and shy, weak and strong, energetic and lazy. But most notable were those who were scared and those who weren't.