Seven

Chapter 2- The Dinner

"Ah, good, you're awake. We'll be arriving soon."

Mario recognized the sound of the voice speaking to him, but he couldn't remember why he recognized it. He frantically looked around, his chest heaving in panic. When he saw Richard, his memory started to return. He remembered the invitation and the games he was specifically selected for. Which raised a good question in his mind. One he couldn't believe he didn't ask sooner.

"Why am I here? Why me?"

Richard looked at him with an almost sinister grin. "You posses the qualities we're looking for in our competitors."

"What qualities?" Mario snapped, growing impatient.

"I'm hardly the one to ask. But don't worry, all your questions will be answered once we arrive at the mansion," Richard replied.

Mario looked out the window and noticed the steep, winding road ahead, lined with tall pines. He had no idea how long he had been out, but surely it wasn't long enough to make it from Atlanta all the way to Maine, was it?

"Where are we?" Mario finally asked.

"We're in the beautiful Jonesport, Maine. The small, port town overlooking the rocky shores of the Atlantic," Richard answered, just as the Winthrop Manor came into view.

Mario's jaw dropped. He had never seen anything more elegant and beautiful in all his life. At least, not with his own eyes. And he had certainly never been inside of a place like this before.

As the car moved closer, Mario noticed the immaculate landscaping, the beautiful floor to ceiling windows that lined the front of the mansion and the tall marble pillars. A man dressed similarly to Richard approached just as the car come to a stop at the mansion's entrance-way and opened Mario's door.  When Mario stepped out of the car, he noticed the man's pale skin and dark eyes, similar to Richard's. Perhaps they were related?

"Welcome," the man said in a rather chilling voice.

Mario gave him a strange look before looking up at the mansion, which now stood just in front of him. It was even more beautiful up close. Mario looked around when several other cars that looked exactly like the one he arrived in began to pull up to the manor's entrance.

Everyone who stepped out of the other cars seemed just as confused as Mario did about why they were there, judging by the looks on their faces.

"Now this is how you spend a luxury vacation!" a young, attractive Asian man said, exiting the vehicle.

"Oh my God! You're Jackson Lee! I follow you on Instagram!" a girl said, running over from her car to his.

Jackson gave the girl a once over and smirked. "So you're a fan?"

"A fan? What are you, some kind of actor?" A very tall, attractive man said, joining the others at the entrance. Mario didn't know his name, but he seemed familiar. Judging by his striking good looks, he was probably an actor himself.

"Wow! Damon DeCosto!" the same girl gushed. "I can't believe I'm here with freaking Damon DeCosto and Jackson Lee!"

Mario had no idea who either of those people were, but he had been locked away from society for the past six years and had missed a lot. While he had heard of Instagram, he didn't know exactly what it was or why people were so crazy about it.

While the others congregated and began talking among themselves, Mario remained quiet and reserved. He wasn't here to make friends or meet celebrities. He was here to win money and nothing more.

The front door of the manor slowly crept open, revealing an very aged man in an old suit. His left eye was cloudy, as if he was blind, but the other was clear. He had a sinister smile, very similar to Richard's. Mario was sure all these people were from the same family. Their pale skin and empty eyes were too similar for there to have been no association.