Treacherous Hearts

Chapter Six: The Breakfast

I pressed myself back against the door of my room, my heart pounding. Shit. This couldn't possibly be... real, could it? Did they intend to actually kill the victims? I dismissed that thought as soon as it entered my mind - it was far too difficult a prospect to fathom, that I might be truly responsible for someone else's death.

I remembered the meeting in the Tower. I had been the one to put the nail in Arrogant Andrew's coffin. He seemed like the logical choice - everyone had taken issue with him, so we could pin the Assassination on really any of the Innocents. The choice was smart, or at least I thought it was. But this... this was too much to handle.

As I tried to make myself as inconspicuous as possible, hoping that I wouldn't alert the Guards to my presence, I thought through the situation logically. This was a game show, and in a few months it would be broadcast on television not just nationwide but around the world. And having worked with a large media conglomerate for the past year and a half, I was pretty sure that audiences wouldn't take kindly to seeing actual murders on their screens. This show was meant to be an escapist fantasy, allowing us and the viewers at home to play at murder mystery without the macabre reality of real life suffering.

So no, this more than likely wasn't a real body, I assured myself. Andrew must have been brought out earlier, after he received his letter, and this was a gimmick on the part of the Producers to make the game seem more realistic. Though whose benefit this gimmick was for I had no idea.

Eventually, the footsteps of the Guards faded into the distance, and I slipped quietly into my bedroom. I had a lot to think about, and after changing into the pyjamas I had brought from home (the ones that were provided for me didn't seem homey enough, especially not for this first night), I settled in for a restless sleep.

I knew that seeing a body bag being taken out of Andrew's room was a major piece of information, and it was something that could change the atmosphere in the castle - but I also knew that as a Saboteur, this was something that I could keep close to my chest, and possibly benefit from further down the line. The only people I could really tell would be my fellow Saboteurs - if I told one of the Innocents, they would question why I had left the room in the middle of the night, and I would be on the chopping block for Exile tomorrow. The question was, could I trust Marjorie or Anthony enough not to throw me to the wolves?

I woke up the next morning on about three hours sleep and with a pounding headache. It felt like one of my worse hangovers, but it's not like I had drunk that much at the welcome reception last night.

The sound of that fucking gong, which had disturbed my slumber, did absolutely nothing to ease my pain either. I groaned. Memories of last night came rushing back to me, but with sunlight streaming through the curtains, it seemed laughable that I had believed Andrew had truly been killed. The body bag was obviously a prop used for the theatrics of this place, which so far they had gone all out on. I chuckled to myself, feeling almost giddy at the prospect of my first full day as a Saboteur.

I dressed in a rush and impatiently waited by the door before the knock finally came. The Guard that arrived to take me down to breakfast was different than usual, more rushed, and I felt something strangely familiar about them. I brushed the feeling off as nerves. I had to remember to act surprised at the breakfast table - I was an Innocent, and therefore I had no idea who had been Assassinated. I couldn't allow myself to come under even the slightest suspicion.

I opened the door, and, much like yesterday, all eyes landed on me. This time, however, there were only seven other people in the room; Jon, Midori, Inayah, Joshua, Marjorie, Sandra, and... Marcus. Marcus and Sandra were sitting beside each other, but they didn't seem quite as friendly as they had yesterday. I hated to admit, even to myself, that I felt a wave of relief wash over me at that. I had been very close to offering Sandra up for the slaughter in the Tower last night, but thankfully common sense had prevailed.

Marjorie gave me a strained smile, and then stood and walked over to me; "Oh, it's wonderful to see you darling!" she exclaimed, in a tone that even I found sincere. I knew then and there that I would never be able to betray the older woman. She pulled me into a warm hug, and I found myself starting to relax. Marcus also made his way over to me, and held his hand out awkwardly - "Good to see you, Ali", he said with a grin, "glad you made it through the night". His eyes met mine, and I found myself grinning back at him.

Sandra, who was over on the other side of the breakfast table, waved at me cordially, and Midori smiled shyly as I sat down at the empty seat beside her. I spoke briefly to Inayah, who was across the table from me, and her sense of humour kept me laughing until everyone else arrived downstairs.

I barely touched the food that was laid out in front of me, even though it looked delicious, because I was too busy scanning the room to see what people's reactions would be to Andrew's Assassination. The room fell silent, as the door opened a final time, and Emily walked in.

I breathed a sigh of relief, and leapt to my feet to greet her. Even though I knew she would be safe, seeing her smiling face was a balm for my inner turmoil. Hushed whispers began flying through the room as the Innocents realised who the first victim had been. Nobody was too displeased, and I joined in the speculation about who could have killed Andrew.

I then decided to do something that would hopefully cement my place in their minds as a trustworthy Innocent - I told them about the Amulet from yesterday.

I stood, my knees shaking and cleared my throat. Everyone turned in my direction.

"Guys, I have something I have been keeping secret from all of you", I started, looking around at my companions to gauge their reactions. Some looked shocked, others intrigued. Marcus, who I hadn't told about the Amulet, looked downright livid, and I guessed he must have thought I would reveal the identity of the Saboteurs. I smiled to myself; although I would do anything to protect Marjorie, I would have absolutely no qualms about throwing the billionaire directly into a viper pit if it would guarantee my own safety. But that's not what I was doing.

"Remember the scrolls from yesterday? The ones that had those directions on them?" I saw heads nodding yes and continued, "Well, mine didn't say what the others did. I received something different. I received an Amulet". Gasps rose up from my audience. "I know that it seems strange that I would have kept this hidden, but I figured that if the Saboteurs had chosen to come after me, there wouldn't have been a murder last night. We all would have been safe. So, I kept it to myself. But I don't want to keep any secrets from you guys, so in the interest of honesty, I'm telling you now."

I sit back down, breathed shakily (a part of the performance that I couldn't neglect), and looked directly into my lap for a few beats. When I brought my eyes back up, I found the same expression on every face; blind trust and respect for what I had just revealed. This was going to be so easy.