The Games

Shadows of Rebellion

The third game is over, and we lost fifty players. The once bustling halls now felt eerily empty. Yet somehow, Brady and his little group managed to survive the maze. Now, he's made friends with two other teams, creating an alliance that's hard to ignore. Brady's team, clad in red, is as arrogant as ever, and I'm pretty sure Flash is the leader of the green team made up of Cam, Kelly, and Tris. The last team, wearing orange, is led by Charlie, with Logan, Rosemary, and Tray backing him. Thankfully, Sammy and his team are keeping their distance from Brady, but that also makes them his new targets.

"If Brady didn't hate your guts so much, I'd think he had a crush on you," Max snickered, making the red team glance our way. I rolled my eyes, shaking my head.

"As if I'd ever go for someone like 'Scaredy Brady,'" I shot back, smirking.

Izzy was sparring with Atticus, while Sammy's team hovered nearby, clearly thinking they could learn something just by watching.

"Okay, watching is good and all," I called out, "but if you want to get better, you need to spar and practice like Izzy and Atticus are doing."

Reluctantly, they paired off and began to spar.

"Looks like it's you and me, Cupcake," Max said, grinning.

"Cupcake?" I raised an eyebrow at him.

"Well, 'Little Warrior' sounds a bit... violent. Cupcake just suits you better," he teased, throwing a punch at my stomach.

I dodged easily, stepping back as he tried to land a few more punches. His attacks were focused on offense, leaving him wide open. I dropped low, sweeping my leg out and knocking him flat on his back.

He hit the ground hard, the impact knocking the wind out of him. I straddled his chest, pinning his arms. "I win," I declared, smirking.

He huffed, still trying to catch his breath. "If you say so, but in this position, I'd say I win," he said, a mischievous grin spreading across his face.

"You wish," I laughed, getting off him.

"Every night," he muttered under his breath, making me roll my eyes.

I turned my attention back to the others, offering corrections as they sparred. A triumphant shout rang out.

"Yes!" Izzy exclaimed.

I looked over to see her straddling Atticus, who was pinned to the mat beneath her.

"Fuck you, big man," she said, grinning.

Atticus rolled his eyes, bucked his hips, and flipped them over, pinning her in return. "You celebrated too early," he said, smirking. He stood up and offered her a hand, but she slapped it away, flipping him off as she lay there, catching her breath.

Atticus strolled over to where Max and I stood, while Max had this look of deep concentration on his face, eyes darting between me and Atticus.

"You know, I would love to see you and Atticus fight. You both win every time, and I'd love to see you kick his ass," Max said with a smirk aimed at Atticus.

"As much as I'd love to see her try, she's got to speak with Mr. Tanner, remember?" Atticus pointed out.

Max pouted like a child. "You're right, but I really want to see that fight."

"I want to see it too," Izzy chimed in, sneaking up on Max.

Max jumped in surprise. "When did you get here, sneaky little fox?"

"She's sneaky, right, Cupcake?" Max grinned, making me roll my eyes again.

"Cupcake?" Atticus raised an eyebrow.

"It's just some ridiculous nickname Max came up with," I said, scanning the room for Mr. Tanner, but there was no sign of him.

"Ridiculous? I put a lot of effort into that name," Max protested.

"I think Dawn suits her better," Izzy offered. "Her hair and eyes remind me of the sunrise."

Max turned to Atticus. "What do you think?"

Atticus tilted his head thoughtfully. "Let me get back to you on that."

Before Max could press the issue, the speaker blared to life.

"Attention, remaining players. Training is over. All players must return to their rooms at once. Go now."

Brady's group left quickly, followed by Sammy's team.

"That was weird. I wonder what's going on," Izzy said, leading the way toward the door.

As we walked back to our rooms, I caught sight of Mr. Tanner slipping down one of the forbidden hallways.

"You guys go ahead. I need to talk to Mr. Tanner," I said, starting to follow him.

Izzy grabbed my arm. "What if you get caught?"

"I won't," I assured her. "I'm good at staying hidden."

I slipped into the shadows of the dimly lit hallway, where the darkness pulled me in, rather than scaring me away. Ahead, I overheard voices.

"We don't know when they arrived, but they're getting more violent. I don't know how long the wall will hold them back, sir," one of the guards reported.

Peeking through a glass window, I saw two guards, Mr. Tanner, and Nick standing in front of monitors.

"I don't care what you have to do. KEEP THEM AWAY!" Nick snapped.

I ducked quickly as Nick stormed toward the door, heart pounding.

"Nick, we can't just start shooting. That would raise suspicion," Mr. Tanner said cautiously.

"Then send out a squad to take care of it," Nick ordered before leaving.

Once the others were gone, Mr. Tanner lingered behind, eventually stepping into the hallway.

"You can come out now, Kennedy," he called.

I hesitated for a moment before stepping into the light.

"What are you doing down here? Do you know what would happen if you got caught?" he scolded in a hushed tone.

"I needed to talk to you, but I couldn't find you earlier," I explained.

He sighed and shook his head. "What did you need?"

"During the third game, Brady said Nick paid him and others to kill us. And he mentioned something about a rebellion."

Mr. Tanner froze, his face hardening. He glanced around the hallway nervously. "Don't say that word out loud again."

He led me to a dead-end hallway, pressed a brick, and a hidden passage opened up.

"Follow me," he said.

I hesitated but knew I had to get answers. Stepping into the passage, the brick wall slid back into place. Mr. Tanner turned on more lights and motioned for me to sit.

"No one knows about this room but me... and now you. You want to know about the rebellion, right?"

I nodded.

"Alright," he said, smiling grimly. "Sit down. It's time I tell you a story."