The Playground (Book #1)

seven

That night; when the glitters and the sparkles have been wiped away, my team sits quietly in our quarters.  I hear the handle of the door wiggle open, and Haldis pears into the room with her large purple eyes. She clears her throat and smiles at us. "Quite an evening wasn't it?" She says. She closes the door and begins to walk in. "Overwhelming," Ravenna

responds with her fake smile. "But manageable." She adds at the end giving me a mocking stare. "Good," Haldis says. She stands quietly for a moment fiddling with the metal of her arm and staring down at the floor. "Tomorrow," She says with her eyes not leaving the marble, "is Phase 2. Remember don't think like a human, think like a Doll. See yourselves as allies rather than enemies, think smarter and not harder, and whatever you do, do not get distracted. Ever. About 75% of testers fail because of falling victim to the distractions found along the game. Remember that. Do any of you have any questions?" We respond in silence. "Good." She says. She finally looks up, her purple irises landing on me. "I can't tell you enough how important you are." My palms begin to sweat and I wipe them on the loveseat It is disrespectful to look away from a Doll first, so I have no other choice but to stare her back down. "I wish you luck" She says quietly. Finally her eyes dart away and I exhale out. She leaves rushedly, departing in a mixture of different shades of purple. I retreat to my room at once, not letting myself hear the snarking remark Ravenna has to spit behind me. I get ready for bed and fall deep into the comforter; my curls arranging themselves messily on my pillow. What will become of me? What will become of us? What will happen tomorrow? What if I fail? What if I die? What if I---? My thoughts seem to hit a brick wall and all of a sudden I see big blue eyes and a small pale face and dark brown locks. Ruby sits before me on my pillow looking at me with light in her eyes. I must be dreaming I think. "Why are you here?" I ask her. "To wish you luck," Ruby says simply. "I have watched you Laelia and I've known you for a long time. I can tell when your anxious, I can tell when you're sad. I just want you to know that you're in good hands. We won't let anything happen to you." I blink. "Whose we?" "I can't tell you about The Others Laelia. I don't want to get in trouble." "Then what can you tell me?" She laughs at this question; a sheepish, innocent giggle. "Not very much. Only what I'm instructed to tell." "What were you instructed to tell me?" "I was instructed to lead you to buried treasure." She says. "Buried treasure, huh?" I say. "Buried treasure. On a beach. Buried treasure. Lifes complete. Buried treasure. Stomp your feet. Old things perish and monsters eat." "I don't understand." She giggles again, high pitched and squeaky. "Steady Laelia, go to sleep."

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When I wake up, Ruby is gone from my bed and it feels as if my soul was taken with her. I feel mechanical and robotic as I get dressed for the day and using all my luxuries for what may be the very last time. My team and I leave unitedly down the hallway and through the elevators. Only testers are roaming the halls today. The Academy has a day off because the beginning of our test is seen as a holiday. None of us will be celebrating until we find out our fate. We head down to the lowest level of the facility labeled PR which stands for Playroom; the loading deck to The Playground. Once the elevator doors open, a rummage of Dolls appears taking us by the hand and leading us to a changing station. A woman Dolls takes me to a small room and puts me in this rectangular machine that scans my entire body. Then in thin air, my expensive clothes are literally lasered off and in its place a perfectly fitted white and stretchy body suite with sleek black shoes appears. My curly hair is done up by a stylist and she arranged it into a sleek ponytail; overloading it with an anti frizz product. Another machine sprays makeup through a tube and onto my face and applies a much more natural look than that of Phase 1. Once that is over, I'm directed over to another station where a Doll in uniform puts a circular disc onto the wrist of my hand. He pushes a button and a blue light appears on the corner of the disc. He motions me to head out to where The Packages are. The Packages are large compact metal boxes that fit one person at a time and transport testers into The Playground. And It is the gateway not just in, but out. In the middle of all of the many packages, a large group of other testers has gathered around a platform where some of the Head Attendee Dolls stand in perfect posture and dress. Once the last of the testers are finished, a doll dressed in cream with turquoise hair and light pink skin comes to the center to speak. "Welcome," she says. "Before we begin, there are a few ground rules and things we must discuss. Every day, you will be assigned a new team to go against, and a new game to play. Remember you already have a combined collection of points already from Phase 1. Also, if you win the game, you get points that you can cash in for supplies and medicine for injuries at any time. But if you lose, you might go without a vital supply. Think of The Playground is like a virtual world. You are given a restart with every new play, and your suit protects you for 3 lives but after that, real injuries will start to take place. You do not want that. Lastly, you must know that will you live in The Playground for the remainder of this unit. So after each game, there is a shelter called Safe Houses that contains stats and information you will need to continue on in your journey. Any questions?" No one says a word. "Then, let's begin."  We are directed to our specific package and locked with our rod screens. I feel body tensing, every muscle begging me to stay put with my feet planted in the ground. I don't want to leave. I cant. A doll takes me into my package. It's quite large, almost like a small room. The doll instructs to put my back right against the wall and then locks my arms and legs firmly onto it so that I cannot move. Once we are all inside, someone commands the doors to be closed, and our doors shut immediately. despite the largeness and coolness of the package, it all of a sudden feels very stuffy and my mouth gasps for air. I'm sinking deeper and deeper into a fog. I can't see where I'm going. I can't feel a thing. I only see the dolls on the other side of the glass standing guard and peering inside with their beady eyes of candies and artificials. I hear a buzzer. It's sounding loudly through the room. I feel my heartbeat race throughout my body. I can't make it. I can't. The buzzer sounds again and then for the third time and I realize that it is a countdown. I'm searching for anything, anything besides the beady eyes to look at. But there is nothing else in the package and I can see no other faces through the packages. I try to stay calm and think about
the orchids. Think of the orchids. But they're too far away. I can't. Then I hear the third buzzer and the world begins to fall away.