The Player In First Place: The Last One Standing PART 2

Drip.....

drop.....

As the soft petals fall to the ground, and with them... The soft cries.

The tears of the rain, filling the forest with their blissful sound.... Trying to call out to the deceived, Alas, it is to no avail... For the deceived cannot hear the truth. Nor bear to understand it.... Their wish is to be deceived until they have to pay the price....

Aline woke up. The fresh smell of wood and rain filling her nostrils, outside of the cabin she heard rain pouring aggressively on the wooden roof.

"Crap, who built this roof to leak?" Lian mumbled in annoyance as a drop of rain found it's way into her clothes from the roof. She let out another curse full of juice as water dripped on her head.

"Now, now, it's inappropriate to speak that way Lian... What shall Aline think the moment she wakes up to your luxurious words?" Nina said from the other side of the room, drinking tea and reading a book.

"I don't mind her words." Aline answered in Lian's stead as she sat up in bed.

The girls turned to look at her in surprise, they didn't expect her to be awake.

"It seems you woke her up Lian." Nina told her friend accusingly. Lian ignored her, smiling at Aline.

"Good morning Aline! It seems you've finally woken up!" She said, while Aline removed her blanket and stood up. The floor beneath her was cold and moist from the rain, making her toes and fingertips lose warmth almost immediately.

She walked halfway across the room when she noticed her clothes were different than the clothes she wore the day before.

"My clothes changed." She stated, staring at the silk white pajama she was wearing.

"Ah yes. You collapsed on your plate yesterday, so we didn't want to let you sleep in a mess." Lian explained, both she and Nina shifted uncomfortably.

"Thank you." Said Aline, smiling warmly at Lian. Lian blushed, looking away.

"Your clothes were washed, and hung on the porch to dry, but since it started raining I doubt they'll dry anytime soon.."

"I see, Is there anything else I can wear then?" Aline asked, looking out of the window at the rain.

"There should be some clothes in the closet over there." Replied Nina, pointing towards the wooden closet that blended with the room perfectly.

Aline fumbled through the closet, stumbling upon more and more pajamas, it was starting to tire her as she was about to give up when she stumbled upon a plain white shirt, gray leggings and a black sweatshirt. Happy, she took the items out of the drawer and went to her bed.

"Wait you're going to change here?" Lian exclaimed abruptly.

Aline looked at her, unbuttoning her shirt.

"I don't see why not. You already saw everything yesterday anyway." She said calmly. Nina and Lian both looked away blushing uncomfortably.

"S-sorry..." Lian mumbled, looking away.

"It's okay." Aline said as she finished changing, she looked outside of the window, it didn't seem like the rain would cease anytime soon.

"What are you reading Nina?" Asked Aline staring at the book Nina read.

"Oh this? These are the rules if the game." Nina answered, closing the plainly covered book and handing it to a bewildered Aline.

"Game?" Both she and Lian said at the same time, Lian seemed to forget her shame and joined the two with interest. Nina smiled, "Just read it. You'll understand everything when you finish reading it."

Aline nodded, she took the book and sat down on her bed with Lian. They opened the book and started reading;

Welcome dear player! You have been chosen to represent your school in a fierce game which only a few will win! Keep reading to find out how you can win!

The game consists of 2 rounds over the course of 3 years. There are 100 schools participating in this game and 10,000 players in the first round. And narrows down to 100 players in the final round. At the end of the game only 10 players will remain.

To eliminate a player you must snatch their badge and press it on the ground with their number facing down for 10 seconds.

ROUND 1:

This round is a competition between each school within itself inorder to determine the best player to compete in the final round.

The players in this round will be ranked from 1 to 100 depending on their original place in the race.

"I see! That's why there was a race yesterday and that's why our teacher told us to save our notes!" Lian exclaimed in excitement.

"Shh... Let's keep reading."

This round will consist of various small games, to test ones skill for instance: Horseback riding, Speed, Chess, The Flag, etc.

Aspects we will be testing are; Fitness, Intelligence and Ability to work in a team.

After giving the sacrifice in the first round, you will get your badge with your number on it. The number will change once a player is eliminated.

The player eliminated will return to their daily life and will lose the item they decided to sacrifice.

The more precious the item a player sacrifices is, the more benefit they shall gain during the game. Thus securing their chances of winning.

To eliminate a player in this round, the player must be 10 ranks ahead of you. A player can't eliminate the player with the rank closest to them, or any other rank which is not 10 ranks ahead. For instance: player no. 33 can only eliminate player no. 23. Player no. 23 can only eliminate player no. 13.

Player no. 34 cannot eliminate player no. 33, they can only eliminate player no. 24.

The players in the first 10 ranks can only eliminate the players in the last 10 ranks.

Once a player is eliminated, all the other players will be ranked from the beginning and the player that eliminated another player will proceed forward 1 rank.

This round is scheduled to last around 2 years.

The girls fell silent. According to the rules of the first round, they were enemies. Aline didn't know how she felt about that; She barely knew Lian and Nina, yet she didn't want to lose them. She wondered if they felt the same.

"Don't worry, I won't try to eliminate you, I promise." Nina said to Aline softly, Aline looked at her and nodded relieved.

"Yeah, let's not attack each other! We'll just wait for someone else to be eliminated so we will be ranked again. It's best not to create tension in this cabin." Lian flashed a confident smile, making Aline smile back at her mindlessly. Maybe they weren't her first choice in friends, but she felt very glad she was stuck with them and not anyone else.

The door of the cabin suddenly opened, making all three girls jump in surprise. The boy of place 65 peered inside, his dark hair stuck to his face and dripped water on the wooden floor.

"Everyone is on the move, you should get going too... It's still raining a bit, but you don't want to be late." He said looking at Aline.

"Okay, thank you Yoon Ho. We will head out now." Nina replied shortly, placing her teacup on the table and standing up. Aline and Lian stood up after her, Aline put on her socks and shoes and headed out after Lian, still holding the manual.

"Huh, your skin really does look like gold." Yoon Ho muttered, staring at Aline.

"Pardon?" Aline asked, meeting Yoon Ho's eyes. He quickly looked away and said, "Nothing."

Whatever Yoon Ho told them about the rain, wasn't enough to prepare Aline when the first drop of rain found it's way into her clothes and down her neck. Aline shuddered, as more drop found their way in through the small spaces between the fabric.

The four walked, passing by the perfect line of cabins on either side of them. Although it was cold and wet, Aline appreciated the delicate sight of the wet forest grounds and the fresh smell that filled her lungs.

Lian let out a sudden call of frustration with a juicy curse as she stepped into a puddle of mad, drenching her shoes in the brown slimy muck. "To hell with this!" She exclaimed, making Nina snicker and Aline smile lightly.

They joined the rest of the students who were walking along the wide path, chattering in excitement about the day ahead of them. Aline glanced sideways behind her, at Yoon Ho who was walking with a serious expression. He didn't seem to notice her. Aline remembered he was the boy she bumped into the day before, when they just crossed the door. The storage room felt so far away, almost unreal. As if she was last there many years ago. She wondered if Yoon Ho felt the same. She wondered if he remembered her too. Yesterday she didn't notice, but Yoon Ho was rather tall, his shoulders were wide, and his face which had cat like features was incredibly charming. Aline suddenly met Yoon Ho's eyes. Aline blushed as Yoon Ho smiled at her softly. She immediately turned to gaze at Lian who was enjoying an argument with the same brown haired boy from the day before.

"You are so quiet, I would've expected you to talk at least half as much as your friend does." Yoon Ho spoke softly, only loud enough for Aline to hear him. As he observed Lian from behind Aline. Aline flinched in surprise, her cheeks burning in a violent red shade as she said; "I guess." She immediately hated herself for the short reply so she added hurriedly, "Lian just has more to say than I do." Yoon Ho chuckled, he looked at Aline meeting her eyes with interest and said, "I agree she might have a lot to say, but I think that you have more. I doubt a person so silent on the outside doesn't have many thoughts.... I bet you're the only person that noticed how the black path suddenly became a path of red bricks..."

"No, I'm not the only person who noticed. It seems that you have noticed too." Aline replied, turning her gaze away from him to the wet floor ground. Yoon Ho smiled in amusement, he bended a bit to fit in Aline's gaze and asked, "You are as beautiful as you are smart I see.... Do you think your friend is quite as smart as you?"

"Yes, I have no doubt she is, possibly even more; for she wouldn't waste her time conversing with a stuck up fool." Aline replied coldly, wiping Yoon Ho's stuck up smile as she shot him an icy stare and turned to walk away from him. She felt ashamed of any sparkly thought she had of him previously.

She felt a strong arm suddenly grabbing her wrist, as Yoon Ho lifted her chin, forcing her to meet his gaze. "It seems like you've taken quite a liking to Lian. What must I do for you to defend me with such a long sentence when I'm not around?" He smirked, Aline stared at him intensely nurturing her anger which was starting to boil in little heated bubbles. "I doubt trying to woo you would work with Lian around.... Should I just eliminate her...? Or better yet...." He leaned in closer to whisper in Aline's ear, Aline shuddered and blushed as she felt his breath on her neck as he said; "...Should I just kill her? You know I could.... She is in place 55 after all, the rules aren't against killing." Aline pushed him away, pulling her wrist back to her, as she glared at Yoon Ho feeling disgusted. "Don't you dare come near her, you freak! Why are you even talking to me?! Don't come near me again!" She spat enraged. Yoon Ho returned a handsome smile, HOW dare he smile? Aline quickly turned around and ran to the front of the line, as far away from Yoon Ho that she could. She never talked to him at school, she didn't even know he existed.... What kind of freak decides to flirt with girls he doesn't know? Aline shook her head, as if shaking it will rid her of all her negative feelings and thoughts. She looked around her at the shimmering wet trees, it had stopped raining for quite a while now. The only water that dropped was the water that dropped of the trees; the only evidence of the rain.

After what felt to Aline like hours, they finally reached a few stairs at side of the path led to a small square which was surrounded by statues trees and bushes on all sides. In the furthest right corner there was a short wooden stand with space to place items in it. As Aline the students into the square she noticed that not all the statues around the square were the same; some statues looked identical to the ones she saw previously, whilst others were smaller rounder and had the face of a frog like creature carved into it majestically.

Aline noticed another set of stairs, which were leading down to a bigger round square. Following other students who were doing so, when she suddenly felt someone tapping her shoulder. Aline turned around, thinking it was Yoon Ho, however it was just the energetic brown haired boy from the previous day.

"You know you need to offer a sacrifice before you head there right?" He asked, Aline looked confused. "Right there, wait in line to offer a sacrifice to the spirits so you can participate in the game."

"The spirits?"

"Yes, didn't you read the manual? It's in your pocket."

Aline looked at the manual in surprise, she had forgotten she took it with her as she left the cabin. She nodded to the boy and headed towards the line, waiting patiently for her turn to offer a sacrifice to arrive. Aline had no clue to what she was supposed to sacrifice. Whatever it was, it didn't seem like anything good, just like everything in this place made Aline feel uncomfortable.

"Hey! Let's sacrifice an eraser, no one is going to miss that rubbish!"

"Sounds like a good idea! Here, Ori, can you each give us an eraser?"

Aline looked at a group of boys who were chattering in line infront of her. She didn't understand what she was supposed to sacrifice.... And to what 'spirits' did she have to offer a sacrifice?

As if to answer her question, a tall lady with brown hair ties in a neat bun appeared next to the wooden stand. She smiled at the kids who passed her after offering their sacrifice, and turned her uncomfortably warm smile to Aline.

"You can offer anything you want, the spirits will accept whatever you choose to give them." She said, in a soft calming tone, which made Aline feel even more uneasy. She approached the stand, trying to ignore the annoying tingle of the woman's staring eyes. She rummaged in her pocket, hoping to find an eraser. Instead she took out the manual and looked at it.

I guess I must give you up.... I hoped you'd be of more use, but I have nothing else to offer...

"Umm... Here," Aline mumbled, and crouched to place the manual in the upper shelf of the short stand.

"Remember, the more precious the thing you sacrifice is to you, the more benefit you'll gain from the spirits during the game."

Aline froze, she looked up at the woman who glanced at her with a sweet smile. Unconsciously, Aline returned the manual back to her pocket and stood up. "Then, what am I supposed to offer?" She asked, the Woman turned her head towards her and replied, "Whatever you are willing to give up to win the game."

Aline shuddered as the Woman nodded softly and turned back to gaze at the rest of the kids. She glanced at the stand her heart thumping fast in her chest.

Something I'm willing to sacrifice in order to win the game... The more precious it is the better.... Well, I can't sacrifice my family for sure.... And I can't sacrifice my arms or legs either.... I must sacrifice something that is precious to me, it must be something emotional then.

Aline took a deep breath, she couldn't believe that from a simple 'Sports day's at her school, she had to sacrifice something precious to her inorder to participate in the game....

.... Real life is not a fantasy....

Her ass.

A sudden gust of wind blew on the trees, making aline squirm as it's cold icy fingers snuck up her back and stole all the warmth she had collected away from her.

"My singing voice!" She blurted suddenly, the woman turned to look at her with a sudden interest, as if she was sure Aline would sacrifice something else. Aline took another determined step towards the stand and explained; "If I lose this game, I will give you my singing voice, and all my chances of ever becoming a singer."

A sudden gust of wind and lost leaves swirled around Aline, preventing her of regretting her decision. When the wind ceased and the leaves returned to their rightful places, Aline noticed a red pin with the number 35 gleaming in white on her shirt on the left side of her chest.

Slowly she reached to touch the pin, feeling it's smooth surface as she headed towards the stairs. The woman bowed her head as Aline passed, smiling elegantly. "Well done." She said softly, Aline stared at her in terror as she passed. What had she done? A sharp feeling of regret along with painful sorrow filled her, making her heart feel heavy as she stumbled down the stairs losing touch of her fingers.

The square was surrounded by a circle of strong trees, from the side she approached there were white stones placed together to form tribunes were students sat, chatting happily, none of them seemed troubled after offering their sacrifice.

In the center was the red brick floor, a cheap looking wooden table was placed along with speakers and a microphone.

Aline quickly found Liam and Nina and sat down next to them, on the front row of the tribunes.

"Aline what took you so long to get here? Was it because you were talking to Yoon Ho?" Lian asked, sending Aline a toothy grin.

"Yeah, I so you conversing with him. He's very handsome, you're lucky Aline." Nina said looking at the ground.

"It wasn't anything you were thinking, he was just telling me how he is such an idiot." Aline said quickly, she didn't want to think about Yoon Ho.

"Idiot?"

"What makes you think that?" Aline looked at Lian, remembering what Yoon Ho had told her, should she have told Lian? Maybe... Alas, Aline decided to keep it to herself as she looked away and answered, "It's nothing, I guess we just disagreed on something..."

"Dear players Listen up!" A sudden voice boomed throughout the Square as a skinny scrawny man talked into the mic. All eyes were on him, as he nodded to the woman from before and continued.

"I hope you all managed to read at least half of the manual we left in your cabins... If not, we will be explaining the rules from scratch and adding some more rules, so pay attention!..."

".... Gosh, this is so boring..." Nina mumbled, glancing sideways at Aline, who nodded in an answer and proceeded to listen to every word the man said dearly.

".... I am Yonni your supervisor, and this is Lia your other supervisor. You get to listen to us and obey us are we clear?" All the students nodded, including Nina.

"First off, no boys in the girl's cabins or the other way around! You want to spend time with each other you can do it in the public cabins. Most of the meals you'll eat will be served there, the infirmary is in one of those cabins too. Second...." Another strong cold gust of wind blew on the square, Aline cuddled in closer to herself from the cold as the man explained about the waking hours and sleeping hours, and of the dangers of the forest. Aline glanced at a large round statue with a frog like face as she listened to a more detailed explanation of the rules.

".... A player, let's say 24 cannot eliminate player 23, they can only eliminate player 14. Is that clear? Good.

Now, a player can only eliminate a player which is not 10 ranks ahead of them if they are in possession of the pin of the player which is 10 ranks behind the player they wish to eliminate... For example....."

Aline froze, feeling suddenly uneasy. She felt as if cold ice was trickling up her spine, making the hair on the back of her neck stand. She looked around her in fright, unable to pay attention to the supervisor's words as all she heard was the sound of her own heart beating fast. It looked so peaceful around her, yet she knew that something terrible was going on... She rested her eyes on Yoon Ho, which was listening intently, although he looked a bit troubled. when he suddenly jumped to his feet and glanced around him in terror.

Aline felt a chill down her spine as if something sharp and cold charged at Yoon Ho. He collapsed on to his knees and screamed.

Yoon Ho's scream distracted everyone. The kids around him looked at him frightened. Some tried to call him down, alas it didn't work. Aline looked at him, unable to move. She heard supervisor Yonni grumbling behind her, "Naw dammit! Here we go again.... I thought they were sending us competent kids, not ones we have to calm down.... Shit." He placed the mic on the table and rushed towards the screaming Yoon Ho, kicking away startled kids as he passed.

Lian looked at Yoon Ho in astonishment, "What the he-" Aline couldn't hear the end of her sentence for at the moment something filled all of their heads as the only sound they heard was that of a mysterious voice which said,

One must play by the rules in order to win this game....

Yet the Wind and rain come together today to speak of a change.... One that will taint the history in red....

...Yoon Ho stopped screaming, he stood up with the help of Supervisor Yonni and stared at Aline....

Because the rules change once a killer is in their midst.... Hiding silently in the shadows as they plot their next feat...

.... No wait... He was staring passed Aline....

What was once a peaceful game would now become a bath of blood which in the end of the trail....

Yoon Ho and Lian looked each other deep in the eyes, something flickered at the back of Yoon Ho's mind as his expression turned to that of a mad man....

Aline's heart stopped for a split second and her eyes widened as The player of place 65 revealed a sharp knife.... "FORTY FIVE!!!"

....They must fight each other to the death....