A Game Of Pawns

Chapter 13

A spear in the ground, inches from my face, was not my ideal way to wake up. It freaked me out a little and a warning blared in my head, like a siren, informing me that I could have died. Whether my head was still in a daze from waking up or I was scared out of my mind, I started to wonder what that would have been like. Would it have hurt? Or would I have died before I had even noticed it? What happens when you die? No one really knows for sure, but in this situation, I would come back. Saris told me as much and while I wasn't one hundred percent sure I could believe that, I also couldn't discount it; not that I wanted to test it. It's not like the rest of this has been very normal. Coming back after dying might not even be the weirdest thing I had seen since the game started for me. But if I did die here, would I just wake up after it was over and there was only the one remaining? Or would I watch the rest play out, watching things unfold like in some online video game? Or maybe I would dream, then wake up as if I had just been asleep.

I then realized that I hadn't moved and that I was thinking stupid thoughts. None of them would help me defend Saris and we were both still in danger. I had to push them out and focus, otherwise Saris and I might die. Blinking away my stupor and remembering Saris' training and advice, I focused on what was going on around me.

Saris stood in front of me. The two girls with spears were in front of him. They looked identical. Twins? That's crazy! No, what am I thinking? What are the odds of something like that happening? It's got to be a power. She was very beautiful and I really wanted to hit on her, despite the fact that she was trying to kill us. She had dark brown hair pulled back into a ponytail that dipped into her cloak, bright blue eyes and... a scar on her neck. Why does that seem familiar? I'm sure that I hadn't seen this person before, she would be impossible to forget. But I'm sure I knew about her scar. Then it hit me; my neighbor knew her. He had known her when she was young and he knew that she had disappeared about a year ago. But I couldn't remember her name.

"Wait!" I shouted and everyone froze for a second, which freaked me out for some reason. What if I was right? What if she was the same girl Mr. Mycolf knew. Now if only I could remember her name. Usually, I was pretty good with names, but that was after being introduced to someone in person, not hearing about them in a short conversation. I stood up but she moved, trying to stab Saris from two angles. He swung to block the attack in front of him and I moved to block the other strike. My shield came to my hand with just a thought and a desire to have it, my sword appearing at the same time. I hadn't meant to summon my sword; it must be an all or nothing kind of deal. I blocked the spear. The attack had much more power in it than I was expecting, but my shield blocked it all the same and I kept my footing. If not for Saris' training, I might have fallen over. Before they could make another attack, I let my sword and shield fade away and said "Hold on! Let's talk!"

No one else got rid of their weapon and I wasn't sure if getting rid of mine was the right move but I had to be confident in my decision. I didn't want to seem wishy-washy, especially in front of a girl that I wanted to impress. Maybe she'd think I was manly for being so bold. I stood up tall, smiled, then frowned because all three of them were still scowling at each other. We came out here to find another ally and this girl could be exactly what we needed. Again, I tried to remember what her name was. I could feel my face scrunch up in thought. What was her name?

One of the girl copies looked at me and said "What's wrong with him?" She had a slightly southern accent but I suspect it had diminished with how long she had been in this game. She probably started to lose it just by talking with others from here and getting used to the way that they spoke. Her voice was clear and projected well, but the accent softened it in a beautiful and soothing way.

How long had I been thinking? I had said, 'let's talk' and then spent who knows how long being silent and making stupid faces. "I..I..I'm fine." I groaned. What was her name? Debbie? Dora? I know it started with a D. Or maybe it was a B. Bonnie? No, that's not right.