Game On (An oc x DRV2 au)

Chapter Thirty-Seven

Nobody says a word as we all sit in the hotel lobby. How can we, anyway? What just happened... it's unbelievable. I can't- no, I refuse- to believe that Zeben wasn't real. How couldn't he be real? He looked real, he sounded real, and he interacted with us like a real person. There's no way he was just an ai. It's just not possible.

"How about I get a kettle on the stove?" Dana offers, breaking the silence. "Anyone have any preferred tea flavors before I go?"

Nothing. I wish I could tell her something just to make her feel slightly less ignored, but I can't find the words.

"...okay, then." She turns and walks away without another word.

She returns a few minutes later with a few mugs on a tray, and carefully passes them out. One sip from mine tells me that I've gotten jasmine tea. Not my ideal choice of tea, but surely Dana would've known that. I mean, she clearly didn't, but she's normally spot-on with beverage-matching.

"Well, this may not be an idea scenario," Evangeline says after a moment of sipping her steaming tea. "But I do truly believe that we are finished with murder and tragedy. After all, the last trial was a result of a simple accident. Clearly nobody wishes to hurt another anymore. Perhaps we can finally achieve balance on the island."

At the mention of balance, all eyes shift over to Iris. He's zoned out and hasn't said anything, but his hands are trembling with nervous energy. I mean, his beliefs have really been tested during our time here on the island, so I'm just worried he's going to have a breakdown at any given moment. Not that he hasn't already, obviously, but still. His lavender eyes finally re-focus, and he makes eye contact with Will before recoiling slightly.

"What's everyone looking at me for?" he snaps, jumping to his feet. "Are you all planning to finish the job? Inspired by Mononity? Or are you guys finally going to put the blackmail into play?"

"What? No, no of course not-" Dana stops when she realizes what he said. "...blackmail?"

Iris's expression darkens, and with a little too much aggression, he unzips his bag and pulls out a folded piece of paper. His grip is tight as he unfolds the paper and shoves it towards Dana.

Startled, she carefully reaches out and takes it, her eyes widening as she reads the writing. "Iris, you should've said something earlier! This is horrible!"

"So which one of you wrote it?" he demands. I see that familiar crazed gleam flickering to life in his eyes again.

"Can I see it?" I ask the barista, and she hands me the paper. As I skim the words, my heart sinks.

Dear Iris,

You never fail to amuse me. Ever since we arrived on this pathetic island, I've noticed something off about you. Something very off. Now, I'm not one to make assumptions, but I can see that something isn't right with you. And I've picked up on the way you react to themes of "balance" and "justice". Such reactions are telltale signs of a fixation. So to connect that to the mysterious chess boards that have plagued two crime scenes now, I believe it is safe to say that they are connected.

Here is what I want from you. If you wish for our foolish classmates to continue trusting you and treating you as a friend, then you will listen to me. Otherwise, I will make sure that you take the fall for me and there is no way for you to even begin to defend yourself. Believe me, you do not want to take that risk. It will not end well for you if you decide to not take this seriously.

I shall disclose one last piece of information- we shall meet in the library three nights from now to discuss the terms and conditions at exactly midnight. One second late and your head will be on the next chopping block. I do wonder what your execution would look like.