Frame It And Pin It

Chapter 1: Play It

"I know you're in here, Jolene." The feminine voice called into the room. The sounds of heels tapping against the marble floor echoed round the almost empty room, causing my heart to beat even faster. I was tucked away in the wardrobe but for a five foot nine inches tall person like myself, it was much too small to sit in comfort. My legs were already cramping and my neck hurt from tilting it forwards for too long. I just needed to hold out for a while longer until I was in the clear to make a run for the exit. I had to get out of here.

The sounds seized and everywhere became silent, save for the upbeat rhythm of my heart. I tried to listen for any sounds indicating where she was but I couldn't hear anything. I hugged my knees tightly, expecting the doors to be pulled open at any moment. It was game over for me now.

After a few seconds of unbearable silence, I heard the sounds of footsteps departing. She had left but why? How could she not have searched for me in the wardrobe? There was literally three items in the room; a bed, a side table and the wardrobe. It didn't make any sense that she hadn't bothered to check in here. Was it a ploy to trick me into revealing myself?

I spent the next few minutes trying to figure out what her play was but in the end, I decided to step out. My legs had already fallen asleep and I couldn't wait in here for the rest of the night. I was just going to have to take my chances on the outside. I had run out of options now.

Slowly, I pushed open the wooden door and peeked out to scout the room. Once I was positive it was empty, I crawled out of hiding. I took a seat and straightened out my numb legs to get some feeling in them, wincing as I moved.

"You've got this, Jo. You've got this." I patted my shoulder in encouragement. I had survived this long already, I couldn't give up now.

Once my legs were back to normal, I got up to my feet and quietly walked to the open door. I pressed my back to the wall beside it and glanced out, scanning the hallway for movement. It was all clear.

I rushed towards the stairs and made my way down to the ground floor. All I had to do was make it out the front door undetected and I was home free. The moment I climbed down the last step, I ran to the double doors. It was all I could see now. I was almost free.

"There you are!" A voice called and I froze in my tracts. I couldn't bring myself to look back but I already knew who it was. "Don't move or I'll shoot." She warned and I felt something hard press up against my back. I put my hands up in the air in surrender. It was game over.

"Fine. You win." I said with a heavy sigh and immediately after a loud horn blared, causing me to wince from the loud sound.

"You're getting better at this, Jo. You were the last man standing." The caramel skinned, five foot five inches tall girl winked at me as she tucked away her very realistic looking gun. Could have fooled me.

"Thanks, Diane." I gave her a smile. "I honestly thought you would have found me when you walked into the empty guest room."

"You were there?" She feigned shock. I know she did. There was no way she could have walked into a room and not have searched the most obvious hiding place.

"In the wardrobe." I replied and she gave a nod and walked away to meet the others that had started to gather round. The game was over now. I narrowed my dark brown eyes at her trying to figure out what her game was. Diane Isoken was the best seeker we had, she always found her targets and looked through every nook and cranny to find her targets. It didn't make sense that she had missed the wardrobe that had been staring right at the door.

"That concludes today's game of TAS. The seekers win with seven points to three!" Diane announced and the seekers cheered while the loosing targets frowned at their loss. "The next level will be communicated via text, so, until then have a nice day."