SOUL DORM

63

It's all in the game...

***

CHAPTER 63:

BLACK CARD

Everyone watched me impatiently while I pondered over the cards.

"Come on, Olive, pick one already," Lea urged excitedly. "White or black?"

It seemed my nervousness was amusing her. My eyes drifted to Mars just for a moment—it was involuntary. My naive heart thought he might help me. Of course, he couldn't—or rather, he wouldn't. I was alone in this mess.

I took a deep breath and chose "Black."

Revealing my secrets to these souls felt even harder than doing something foolish. Leyla narrowed her eyes at me, her devilish smile seemingly reflecting the wicked thoughts in her mind.

"Hmm..." she finally said. "Let's start with something light. Shed one of your layers, sweet girl. Let's see what you're hiding underneath."

"What?"

"Strip!" someone shouted, laughing. The others whistled and clapped. I looked around in panic. Were these souls sick? Did they really think I would strip in front of them?

"Come on!" the girl urged. "At this rate, we'll never finish the game."

"I'm not taking off my clothes!" I snapped back at her. "I pass!"

She shrugged, but her grin widened. "As you wish, darling. The rules are clear."

I threw down the card in frustration. Just then, a burning pain seized my arm, cutting off my breath. I doubled over involuntarily. A scream was stuck in my throat. It felt like something had torn off my flesh. In panic, I looked at my arm. It was... burned. My skin was red and blistered, just as Lea had said.

"The first time always hurts," James said, almost like he was sharing a secret. His words, twisted with implication, had everyone roaring with laughter—everyone except Mars and me. I looked at him deliberately this time, but his eyes were on the ground. It seemed he didn't want to face me.

"Your turn to spin, Olive," Leyla said.

I wanted to flee, to erase these people from my life forever. But they were waiting for it, eager to see me crumble, to watch tears spill. I wouldn't grant them that pleasure. Clenching my teeth, I reached for the spinner with trembling fingers. It halted on James, who promptly selected a white card.

"Tell us your biggest fear," I said without thinking.

He flashed a wicked grin and shot back, "Not catching an orgasm."

His laughter was tinged with a plea. Of course, he was lying, and now he had a scar on his wrist just like mine. But when he lifted his head, there was a look of immense pleasure on his face. He was a masochist, deriving joy from pain. He took a drag from the cigarette the girl beside him offered, then leaned in to blow the smoke between her lips.

My God, what nightmare had I stumbled into? Each subsequent round filled me with dread. It was clear: these people thrived on risqué topics. I doubted they even considered themselves friends. Their questions seemed solely intended to expose each other's dirty secrets. As the wheel spun relentlessly, their clothing dwindled, and hidden affairs came to light round by round.

Now Mars was sitting shirtless across from me, quietly smoking. He had lost his sweatshirt in one round, his t-shirt in another. The lipstick mark on his neck was a gift from the girl beside him. When Lea chose a black card and kissed one of the girls as her task, he didn't even lift his head to watch. When it was his turn, he sighed and chose a white card.