Let The Games Begin // Billie Eilish

Chapter 5

After yesterday, it's safe to say that as soon as I laid my head on that pillow, I immediately passed out. It would have been nice to wake up and realise that it never happened, and I have another chance to not embarrass myself in front of all these people who want me dead, but unfortunately, that is not the case.

That loud alarm sound rings throughout the dorms once again, signalling that it's time for us players to wake up. Today is the emotional intelligence test day.

As I sit up and look around, there seems to be a buzz in the atmosphere. My guess is that it's because there's less pressure for this test than the physical one.

Personally, I'm kind of excited. Emotional intelligence is the only chance I have at survival. I've always had a kind of sixth sense. I'm good at reading people and situations. When I was 6, my parents tried to send me to this fancy school for "gifted kids" in Block 1, but when we arrived at the interview, the board of management took one look at us and practically shooed us away.

Hopefully today will be the day I don't portray myself as completely useless.

~

About an hour has passed, and we are all standing in yet another clinical looking room, this time in a shade of white.

The ceilings are overwhelmingly tall. Two chairs sit in the middle of the room, like one you'd find at the dentist. A gigantic screen spreads across the entirety of the wall behind the chair.

A man dressed in a white scientific coat and thick-rimmed glasses claps his hands, grabbing the attention of the players.

"Ok, everyone. Today we are testing your emotional intelligence. Each of you will have a squire attached to your head, allowing he rest of us to see your thoughts on that screen. You will be given a liquid that will induce you into a dream like state that is controlled by your fears"-

"Kind of like a nightmare" the girl from Block 6, Audrey, interjects. Her hair is orange. It's cool.

"Well, eh, I suppose in a way. But it will feel much more real and you will be faced with challenges. The aim of this test is to analyse how you choose to face these challenges. To put it in simpler terms, we are testing your instincts."

Everyone silently nods in understanding.

"Ok. First up is Milaus from Block 1. The rest of you may sit on the floor and view the screen."

He sits himself down and the man in the coat places the squire around his heads. He then grabs a small needle and injects the liquid into his arm. He slumps a little in his seat and suddenly, an image appears on each screen. We can see what he is seeing. This is wild.

It looks like he's in a wooded area. The sun is beaming down, and there are daisies scattered around the grass.

He looks around for a few moments, when suddenly everyone jumps as a swarm of wasps start attacking his face. His arms are wailing around trying to swat away the wasps, but it only makes matters worse. The sound of buzzing fills his ears. He falls to the floor instantly, and huddles himself into a ball.

Suddenly, we are no longer looking at the situation from his point of view, but we can now actually see him curled into a ball on the ground. It appears as though he is covered in a blanket of wasps. He starts screaming and yelling loudly, when the screen turns black and Milaus jolts awake in his chair.

Damn, that was fast.

There is an uncomfortable silence as the man makes his way towards Milaus and removes the squire from his head.

"You lasted 42 seconds. You need to last 2 minutes to pass. Therefore, you have failed. You will work closely with Sage to improve your skills in this area. Ok, next is Katie from Block 1".