I saw Kate and Nathan waiting for us back there. Of course it had to be Nathan—the guy always managed to finish his games in record time, probably because he never let anyone else actually think.
"Kate, how do you guys finish the game so fast?" I asked, walking up to them, still clutching my cursed red 8.
"Because it's only him playing," she chuckled, pointing at Nathan like it was the most obvious thing in the world.
"What do you mean?" I frowned, half-annoyed, half-curious.
"Meaning," she leaned closer, lowering her voice as if it were some mafia-level secret, "he tells everyone what to do. And we do exactly that. Plus, we make sure to sit in the order he wants."
"We can do that? And aren't we supposed to sit on the chairs where our names are mentioned, as per the rules?" I asked.
Nathan shot me a look—the kind of look a mother gives her toddler who's just painted the walls with jam. "But it didn't say we can't move our chairs. If you're reading the rule book, read it properly."
Kate chimed in before I could snap back. "Yeah, babe, you can carry your chairs to different positions according to the cards each one of you has. That way you decide your own turn to play."
I gawked at them both. "So you're telling me... while I'm out here bleeding manny like a charity fund, you two are playing musical chairs with UNO?"
Nathan leaned back, smug. "It's called playing smart."
Kate nudged him with her elbow, grinning. "It's called bending the rules until they snap."
"Why didn't I think about this? I wasted my manny for nothing," I groaned, smacking my forehead.
Keith suddenly tapped my left shoulder. When I turned, he popped up on the right, shouting "BOO!" with the most dramatic face possible.
"Seriously?" I muttered. "That's such a child's thing to do."
He grinned proudly like he'd just won an Oscar for Best Prankster.
Kate, ignoring his nonsense, clapped her hands. "We still have a lot of time to explore or search for places to rest for the night. Let's spread out and find good hiding places."
"I agree," I said with a small nod, still glaring at Keith, who was now snickering at his own joke.
"Great, then I call dibs on exploring with Rose," Keith announced, puffing his chest.
Nathan's eye twitched. "Her name is Alysa."
"Rose, Alysa—tomato, tomahto," Keith shrugged. "As long as she doesn't get lost without me."
"Me and Keith will go to the 3rd and the terrace. Lysa, you and Nat can search till the second," Kate declared like she was handing out battle plans.
"Kate, me and you can go, right?" I said quickly, hoping to dodge the boys' constant tug-of-war.
"I will go with Rose," Keith jumped in immediately, flashing his perfect smile like this was some rom-com audition.
"I'll go," Nathan cut him off sharply, his voice flat but firm.
The silence that followed was so thick it felt like even the chandeliers were holding their breath. All eyes turned to Nathan, who didn't blink once.
Finally, he muttered, "Both of them are dumb enough to lose their way."
Keith gasped, holding his chest dramatically. "Excuse me? Me? I never lose my way. I have an in-built GPS!"
"Yeah, that's why you tripped over the lobby carpet and nearly kissed the floor," Nathan said, deadpan.
Kate snorted, covering her mouth, and I just sighed.
This was going to be a long search.
"I can't tolerate another cat fight that might soon turn into a murder, so it's better we don't allow the boys to go together," Kate sighed, rubbing her temples like a mom breaking up her kids for the fifth time today.
It felt awkward standing between them—Keith glaring like he'd just been robbed, Nathan standing calm but radiating smugness. And honestly... as much as it stung to admit it, I think Nathan was right about me and Keith. Together, we'd probably end up arguing over which side of the corridor to explore first and starve before finding anything.
"Fine, I'll carry on with Nathan," I said finally, my voice coming out sharper than I intended.
*If you use your powercard in a game of UNO instead of a normal card then you must use the powers that come with the card at that time only , at the risk of exposing yourself
CAUTION:USE IT AT YOUR OWN RISK*
YOU ARE READING
Enchanted University of Magemenos
RomanceAlysa is about to turn 19, and with that comes her chance to step into the Enchanted University of Magemenos. But there's a catch: humans don't usually get called to this university. What makes Alysa so special? You'll have to read on to find out. T...
