Level Up or Game Over

The Selection

Excited anticipation and nervous laughs turned into squeals of excitement the night before the contest. We'd each been accepted. Janie and I. Just us -- the odds were impossible yet somehow, we'd both been selected.

Every year a new contest came out, no one externally ever learned the contents of the game, but each year was a head to head, two contestant only game. Advertised as only broadcasted to the richest viewers, it allowed the wealthy to place additional funds into the jackpot, increasing the initial two million jackpot each time they did so. Last year the winner walked out with five million, the year before had been four and a half.

So we spent the night re-reading our acceptance letters, carved to memory where we were to be picked up and when, and eventually passed out in a sugar and wine induced crash.

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I felt the sun on my face first, and as the day before flooded back to me, I lingered in the sunbeam a little longer, before taking a long, satisfying stretch. "It's today..." I managed to squeak out. "Today!" I launched up and wrapped Janie in a hug again. "Oh my god, we are going to rock this!! By tomorrow, we could just hop a plane and go anywhere!"

Janie's lopsided grin beamed at me as she squeezed just as hard back. "24 hours...we've totally got this!"

We skidded around the kitchen island and danced our way through making pancakes, smothering them in ice cream, and of course tossing a splattering of berries on top. They had to be healthy pancakes after all.

We had eight hours until we needed to be at the central office for intake, but we'd be picked up around the corner by a taxi to keep the hype down (instead of a limo rolling up). Why did the hourglass suddenly seem like it was molasses?? We tried convincing ourselves the hourglass was just outdated and our phones and regular wall clocks would tell the truth. And they did. Unfortunately, it was not the truth we wanted.

Janie sighed. "Maybe we can try to dig for any information that might help us? Review the previous years interviews and see if we've missed anything?"

I grinned, "Yes!" I clawed through the closet to find all the recorded tapes and interviews I had stored over the years, while Janie rolled her eyes at me and laughed, pulling out her laptop. "Hey," I said defensively, "not all of us understand the tech stuff like you do. VHS however--reliable." I ducked the pillow flying at my head.

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We'd gathered as much as we could, and thought we might be onto something. It could also be a long shot, and honestly seemed ridiculous as a game contest for such insane prizes, but the more we looked and listened, the more it just seemed to make sense. Each contest was a children's game.

Year one: Bobby Chester had won. One interview comment: "It was definitely worth the Trouble." He was grinning.

Year two: Sally Jo: "I think we'll connect forever after this." She seemed out of breath, but happy.

Year three: John Singer: "I really didn't have a clue what I was getting into!" He looked exhausted. This year the game had lasted three days, compared to the previous two years being only one.

Year four: Maude Kaplik: "I'm sorry I didn't apply sooner!" She looked bruised, but otherwise happy with her win.

Year five: Matt Silverstone: "Go fish for answers another day..." He seemed irritated.

Trouble. Connect 4. Clue. Sorry. Go Fish.

Five games, hidden in their comments.

And then there was our acceptance letter. "The Management Operation team will help you get settled upon arrival." Operation.

It was a long shot, but it seemed to make sense. What Janie and I couldn't figure out was how these children's games became something worthy of a two million (plus) dollar prize pot. New rules? Stressors to distract?

Somehow, one always won, and the secondary contestant was always so humiliated they fled the public afterwards, leaving only short messages to family and employers that they were taking some time to hide out. Now it made sense, being embarrassed of failing a children's game. Then in 6 months, when the new year's applications opened, hype around them faded as new anticipation rose. There were reporters who dedicated their time trying to track down the losers; dedicated but never succeeding as of yet. So it should be fairly easy for the two of us to escape together after the game and disappear together.

"We'll play the ruse, right? Keep the story seeming similar, whoever loses just disappears best they can, then we meetup at the Grand Canyon?" Janie asked, seemingly worried I'd suddenly change my mind on our plans.

I cracked a grin at her, "Of course. Two million is more than enough for us to split between us, it doesn't matter which of us wins!"

We erupted into giggles and hugs and shrieks all over again, only forcing a calm demeanor when the final minutes ticked down, and we piled into the cab, only a small backpack on hand with some clothes, passport, and stowaway money (for whoever lost) and found ourselves in silence on the way to the headquarters. It was starting to hit home that, likely, by this time tomorrow, I'd either be grinning for the cameras, laughably large cheque in front of me, or I'd be pretending to be humiliated, hiding from the public and running for the closest airport. I wasn't quite sure which one I wanted, cause really, we were both winning either way.

But a contest is a contest, and without knowing the full rules, it was hard to know what to expect. They kept that information close to heart and never leaked it, which usually just hyped the public up more. After all, the public speculating a wild array of possibilities, only gives them more ideas...right? It made sense, ironically.

We sat in silence, staring out the windows, taking in everything around us that we likely wouldn't see for years while we went adventuring. I smiled as I remembered when Janie and I walked the park, and came up with the wild idea to apply, and what we would do if we won. It seemed so long ago now, and with the streets that rushed by now, I almost wished we had taken the time to go for a walk around town this morning. 

Then again, the time at home helped us prepare for the possible game we'd be playing.