Trust falls

Threat

@GreenGelly part

I was genuinely surprised by Book's execution of Robot flower. She had hidden in the bushes, the harpoon I had given her in her hand, and in one swift movement, Robot flower was dead.

Book remained concealed for several minutes after, likely trying to avoid suspicion. It seemed she was truly on our side after all.

As soon as Basketball left with what remained of Robot flower's body, Book emerged from her hiding spot. She appeared almost frightened by her own actions, yet she struck a confident pose, hands on her hips.

"I did it, didn't I?" She hissed, her voice a mix of pride and disbelief.

"Damn, Book." Clock said, impressed. "You're better than Snowball." He reluctantly handed me 20 bucks - we had bet on whether she'd go through with the kill, and I'd won.

Book's eyes narrowed. "You guys were actually betting on whether I'd lose my nerve?" Her tone was dripping with sarcasm. "Whatever, what's our next move?"

Clock looked at me, seemingly at a loss. I realised I needed to take charge. "Act normal and stay away from each other." I instructed. They nodded and dispersed - Clock towards Winner, Book towards Pillow.

As I watched them go, Price tag suddenly ran up to me, their eyes wide with panic.

"Cake! Did you seriously not see what happened?" They exclaimed.

I feigned my innocence, my stomach churning with guilt. "What? No. What happened?"

Price tag's voice trembled as they recounted the event. "Someone shot a harpoon at Robot flower! How could you have missed it, EVERYONE saw it!"

I forced a sad expression, hating the deception but knowing it was necessary. "Cake, are you already missing her?" Price tag asked, their tone softening.

"Yeah.." I murmured, pretending to mourn. In reality, I felt nothing for Robot flower's demise.

Price tag gestured me to follow them to the others. We joined Naily, Bomby and Pillow, all of whom seemed shaken - except for Pillow, who seemed oddly calm.

"They're coming for all of us.. I swear." Bomby muttered, still emotional since Nickel's death.

Pillow sighed, her gaze distant. "I wonder what other teams are doing right now.." I knew she was thinking of Fanny, her close friend.

"Probably thriving in their environment." I added, trying to sound casual.

Naily smirked, attempting to lighten the mood. "Bet the murderers on their teams are all Death P.A.C.T members. Imagine if one of them were actually a killer. 'Oh no! X told me I'm a murderer, shiver me timbers! I'm gonna kill myself before I kill anyone!'"

I laughed along, secretly relieved at the misinformation.

Pillow turned to me. "Want to ask Basketball if we can go check on the others, Cake?"

Inwardly, I groaned. This would separate me from Book, Clock and such. But I smiled, masking my frustration. "Sure!" I chirped, trying to sound enthusiastic.

We approached Basketball, who was staring at where the others buried Robot flower near the large palm tree - the very spot where Book had pledged her allegiance to our cause.

"Basketball? Can we talk to you?" Pillow asked timidly.

Basketball looked up, her expression a mix of pain and anger. She nodded, gesturing us to continue.

"We want to see how the other teams are doing. We'll be back in two days." Pillow explained.

Basketball's voice was hollow as she replied, "Sure. I don't give a shit." She turned back to her mourning.