The sissy games

Part 76; mood climbing

Alex opened the door, and immediately Ember looked up. She was sitting cross-legged on the bed, flipping through a gossip magazine. Her eyes widened when she saw him.

"Wait... did someone.. do your makeup?" she asked carefully, tilting her head.

"No," Alex muttered, closing the door behind him. "I had to do it myself."

Ember's lips twitched as she tried not to laugh. "Uh... it didn't go so well, did it?"

"No..." Alex sighed, his cheeks burning. "I was nervous and it was so embarrassing."

"Come here." Ember opened her arms without hesitation.

He walked over and let her pull him into a warm hug. He sank into it, breathing in her calming scent. She always had that way of making him feel lighter.

"What do you want to eat?" she asked softly, brushing a strand of pink hair away from his forehead. "Whatever you like, I'll cook it."

"Even if it's sushi?" he mumbled.

"Definitely sushi!" Ember grinned. "Shall I prepare everything, and then we can roll them together?"

Alex blinked, surprised. "Yeah... yeah! That would be fun." Already he felt a little better, the weight on his shoulders loosening. Ember was really good at that.

She hurried to the kitchen. While the rice steamed, she cut vegetables, laid out fish, and gathered everything they'd need: the bamboo mat, bowls of vinegar, and neat little piles of seaweed paper. When it was all ready, she returned with her arms full.

Alex was lying on the bed sketching doodles, one of the only things in this place that still felt like "him." But when Ember walked in with trays of food, his whole expression lit up.

"You ready to make some sushi together?" she asked, placing the steaming pan of rice on the table.

"Yessss, definitely!" Alex grinned, jumping up.

Together they pressed rice onto seaweed sheets, added strips of salmon or cucumber, and carefully rolled them up. Sometimes the rolls fell apart, and they laughed until their stomachs hurt. By dinner time, they had way more sushi than two people could possibly eat.

"Well, enjoy your dinner, Alex."

"You too, Ember!"

They dug in eagerly. "These are soooo good," Alex said through a mouthful.

"I love them too," Ember said, popping a piece of nigiri into her mouth. "Especially the ones you made."

For a moment, the walls, the girly estatic of the room, the whole twisted facility melted away. It was just the two of them, enjoying food and laughing.

Then Ember suddenly remembered something. She jumped up. "Oh! I was supposed to get you a hint." She rushed outside and returned a few minutes later, breathless.

"All right, Alex! The hint is: Climb and hide."

"Hmm... sounds like something new."

There wasn't much time to think. The games were close. Alex made his way to the lobby, but before he could step in, a guard stopped him.

"Not so quick, girly," the man said, snapping a cuff around Alex's wrist and chaining him to the railing along the wall.

"What is that for?" Ember asked sharply.

The guard glanced at her. "He fought. Just like those other girlies. So for safety reasons, he's restricted to this side of the room."

Ember nodded slowly. "Understood." She leaned close to Alex and whispered, "Your own fault. But it's nothing too bad, don't worry."

Alex frowned.

He wasn't the only one. Danny, Erik, and Oliver were cuffed nearby as well. Only Jorn walked free, he hadn't fought, and he hadn't betrayed anyone either. On the other side, Jeremy and Steve were chained too, refusing even to meet the others' eyes.

"They don't even dare to look at us," Danny spat.

"I'd punch them again. Harder this time," Oliver growled. He looked even worse than before, His face was caked with glittery makeup, and his ballerina outfit made it clear he had been forced into the role of a dancer today. Alex shuddered, he knew that nightmare all too well.

The lights in the hall turned green. One by one they had to strip to their underwear, if dressed, and were released onto the podium. They were separated by thin glass walls so they couldn't reach each other.

Before them stood a giant sloped runway, glistening under the lights.

"Welcome everyone to the 155th edition of the SissyGames!" the booming voice echoed.

The crowd roared, clapping and screaming with excitement.

"Today, our contestants must climb the Beauty Mountain and reach the top. The first four to make it will win! But beware..." the voice chuckled darkly. "It's called Beauty Mountain for a reason."

The countdown timer ticked down. 3... 2... 1...

The buzzer blared, and Alex sprinted forward with the others. His feet hit the slope, slipping slightly as he began the climb.

Then... whoooosh! A sudden rush of thick, foamy cream sprayed down the runway like a wave. A few boys leapt into corners, clinging to side rails, but Alex wasn't fast enough. The cream swept his legs out from under him, sending him sliding all the way back to the bottom.

"Damn it!" he growled, scrambling to his feet.

He charged again, determined not to fall behind. Five boys were already ahead of him, two of them had to fall or get delayed or his chance would be gone.

The surface grew slicker with every step. Those who rushed slid back, so Alex slowed down, carefully balancing as he climbed higher. He had just reached the first quarter when... whoooosh!

A sparkling pink waterfall of foamy water cascaded down at high speed. Alex's eyes widened, but at the last second he spotted a narrow ledge on the side. He threw himself into it just in time, watching the water rush past with a hiss.

When the flood ended, he pulled himself out. Only three boys were above him now. Two others were struggling below. His heart pounded, he still had a chance.

But then, from the corner of his eye, Alex froze. Chris wasn't climbing anymore, he was trapped in a strange chair. A woman appeared beside him, forcing his head back as she lathered his hair with foamy shampoo. Chris kicked and squirmed, but the chair wouldn't release him. A trap!

Alex swallowed hard and forced himself upward. He couldn't waste time staring.

Suddenly the runway shook. BOOM. BOOM. Gigantic beauty blenders began bouncing down from above, each one releasing clouds of colorful powder on impact. The air filled with pink and blue dust, stinging Alex's eyes and making him cough.

He darted toward the edge, Powder exploding everywhere, it was either getting hit or hide.