3 strikes you're out

Chapter 4: First strike

6th September 2023:

Anya's POV:

School ended at 3pm and I've been laying in my bed since 3:35. I'm 5:47 now. I'm still processing everything that happened today. First, my friends and I got chosen for a deadly game. Then, Chris's cousin made a bet with us knowing we are going to lose. And then, we found a note in Bria's pencil case. Then, Chris got accused of having drugs in his locker and found an engraving in the desk. Lastly, we found a diary in Liam's locker along with at least 50 pictures of me. I am so deeply disturbed, that I can't get that out of my mind.

Yeah, well that was an eventful day.

My eyes focus on the lamp on my desk as I go over everything one more time only to be interrupted almost immediately.

"Are you really playing Strike?" My brother, Noah, asked, standing in the doorway, leaning on the frame.

"How do you know?" I ask densely.

"Strike posted it on Instagram. Everyone has seen it." He responds.

Oh, yeah...

"The first task is announced at 6." I told him.

"How do you know?"

"There was a note in Bria's pencil case."

"You better make it through all 7 tasks." Noah told me. "I know you can do it. Complete the tasks no matter how bad it is."

"Yeah, I'll try."

He gave me a small smile and walked out.

The first thing I did after he left was fall back on my bed and turn on my phone. I pull up the photo of the desk that I took earlier, laughing at the memory of what happened moments later. I zoom into the small numbers, baffled at what this could probably mean. I stare at it for a few more moments just to put my phone down by my side and smack my hands on my head, rolling to lay on my stomach.

Ding.

I turn back around to see a notification from bria.

Bria: 2 minutes until we hear from Strike.

I groan and put my soft white pillow over my head, staying in that position for the remaining time.

Ding.

I reach over and grab my phone. Opening instagram, I clicked on Strike's account.

Task 1: You have an hour to get to the river and swim across it. No boat. No help. No nothing.

Great.

I drag myself out of bed and pull on grey tracksuits and a black Zip up hoodie.

There is no way my parents are letting me stay out past 7, depending on how long this is going to take. So I just do the one thing that won't let them know I'm out of the house in the first place: climb out of the window.

Before I do that, I empty my school bag and throw in some extra clothes, water and a towel. Just as I'm about to leave through the window, Noah comes into my room for the second time in the last 10 minutes.

"Where are you going?" He asks, looking between me, my bag and the window. I also noticed how he was wearing outside clothes too.

"Just going to take a lovely evening swim across the river." I said.

"Why? Is that the task?"

"Well, yeah. That's what strike put on instagram. But you can't tell mum or dad."

"Don't think you should trust me with that bit of information."

"If you snitch, I'll tell dad you used his card to buy V bucks." I said, smirking.