The Wheel

66. Kate

I have seen this photo of Chris, his mom, and his little brother a million times. What's so special about it? His mother is an alcoholic, and the brother is an alien? I won't be surprised after what had happened already. Chris' chair turned toward us: what a pathetic look he has – where is his confident and 'perfect' smile? Looks like his an 'amazing life' mask has not only been taken off, but shred to pieces. What did I see in that idiot? Oh, yeah! Money and a pretty face.

"You can start," Ayama asked him to talk about the photo.

My ex-boyfriend was staring right in front f him for a minute. I looked around: there was nothing out of the ordinary behind us. The screens are also turned off! Everything is the same. Where does this asshole look and why doesn't he speak?

"Chris?" I asked.

His gaze instantly fell on me and was there for a second. During this second of a silent contact, I thought he was burning me up inside. He decided to play the silence card? Seriously?!

The headphones were lowered from above: now this idiot will have to speak.

"Aaaaaah!" he screamed from the unbearable sound.

As soon as the headphones were lifted up, Chris went back to staring at the invisible spot.

"Once more?" Ayama asked. "Mr. Royce, I don't think that Ms. Lims, Ms. Wilson, Ms. Spears, Mr. High, Mr. Virani, Mr. Prone, and Mr. Keep will be happy to hear this not really pleasant sound."

Oh, crap! This 'brain exploding' sound is exactly what we need!

"Though, I guess it won't help in this situation," Ayama reassured us, but there was definitely something else. "Well, let's resort to more interesting methods to make you speak, Mr. Royce."

Veronica started bubbling in a panic.

"Ms. Spears," Ayama told her, "you may calm down: I'm not planning on killing anyone."

We froze to where we stood and didn't know what to expect. Looks like Ayama decided to put up a show, like in Mike's case: it's a pretty good idea.

There was a white background on the walls. Is it timing emojis all over again? No! Photos of different people appeared on the screen. I look at the faces, not without an interest, and notice my parents among them. Knowing, what Ayama likes doing, I think I can guess what she's about to do. Crap! That's gonna be so shitty!

"What do you think, Mr. Royce, these people will do if all of their secrets are going to become public, and they will know it's your fault?"

Shit, if my parents' secrets get on the Internet, it will be a total disaster!

"It's my cousin Kira!" Veronica commented, surprised.

"Mom? Dad?" Emma asks, numbed.

It became noisy in the room: everyone starts looking for their relatives in the photos and say their names. One of the walls of the room turns white. And monkey Animoji appears there: animated emojis, whose head, lips, and eyes move, depending on what the user of the phone says.

"So, let's begin," Ayama said, and the monkey started moving its lips.

"Ten."

"Nine," an animated robot-emojis said in Mike's voice.

"Eight," there was a rainbow unicorn that was talking in a Miguel's voice.

"Chris!" David screams. "Please! Tell them what they want about this freaking photo!"
The bastard kept pretending nothing was happening.

"Damn it, Chris!" suddenly yelled Emma who used to hit herself for saying that kind of words and thoughts. "Don't shoot yourself in the foot! We're tired! When want it shit to be over!"

While that bustle was going on, I heard the Anomoji timer counted down to five: on the screen an animated yellow cat said that number in Emma's voice.

"I'm gonna kick your ass!" Mike moved toward Chris.

The boxer had at least five steps between him and that silent jerk, when a long piece of glass was lowered right in front of him – now Chris was completely isolated and we couldn't approach him anyhow.

"What the hell?!" Mike asked furiously, hitting the glass.

"Mr. Royce, has to tell the story without your help, Mr. High," answered Ayama. "I'm the only one who's allowed to use different means of influence in order to make someone speak."

"Kill me!" screamed the asshole who finally started talking. "Just kill me! Come on!" he began to cry. "God! It's just a dream!"

"I like the way you think, Mr. Royce," Ayama commented, "it's interesting. One wise person said a very interesting phrase: "...I do not know whether I was then a man dreaming I was a butterfly, or whether I am now a butterfly, dreaming I am a man." And one bank made a research and concluded that the probability that we are in a matrix is from twenty to fifty percent."

"Enough with all of your facts!" he continued shouting. "Just get it over with me. It's not such big of a deal for you."

Crap! The fox Animoji said number three in my voice! Chris! Come on! I get to the glass and start knocking on it with Mike. Several seconds later the rest of the guys joined us, except for Miguel who was looking at the alien saying number two in his voice.

"Your ego prevents you from going through the trial and it's so simple," said Ayama. "If you looked at me from a different angle, you would understand a lot more..."

"Do you understand that our lives can be ruined because of you?" David asked. "What's wrong with you, Chris? Emma said we would understand everything! Absolutely everything!"
"Damn it, Chris!" I yell. "If my parents' secret comes up because of you. you're dead! Do you hear me? Dead!"
"Oneeee," we heard Chris' prolonged voice and there was the poop Animoji.

Thank you, Mr. CrapRoyce! I promise you I'll kill you for real!