“Here, drink this.”

I meekly cradled the bottle of water and took in half a mouthful. “Thanks.”

“Are you feeling any better?”

“Yeah, I guess so.”

Mesmer frowned slightly, his eyes wandering. “Alright.”

Since my outburst, a group of us had moved to the dining room. Despite some effort, any attempts to reopen the secret passage used by Monobunny had proved fruitless, though there were whispers of using crowbars to pry it open. Upon wishing to summon Monobunny once again, Reph had discovered that the service bell was missing. I had expected as much.

Mesmer and Dopple had taken to either side of me, trying to calm me down. Lancet, Inky and Button were sat at another table while Reph, Dish Panner and Sanscript collected some supplies. Since the killing game had been put on hold, it had been decided to hold a dinner meeting. Nobody was sure where Maribelle or Copper were.

Despite having slept for a few extra hours that day, I was exhausted. Nothing made sense anymore. My head was spinning trying to connect the dots. After some questioning, it became clear that nobody else had heard a voice inside their head. The same theory was considered – it had been sent through my earpieces – but Monobunny’s words had been loud and clear, and there were several witnesses. Either Monobunny had been lying, something that would burn any last shred of hope or logic to dust, or something else had happened, something that not even Monobunny could have predicted. There had been no mistaking the fear in his voice.

“You’re not going to like this,” Mesmer said, tapping me on the shoulder, “but it’s necessary. Doctor?” He gestured for Lancet to come over. “Could I borrow you for a moment?”

“I’ll do what I can,” she replied.

“Good. Now, while I know this isn’t necessarily your area of expertise, do you have any knowledge of auditory hallucinations?”

“I didn’t imagine it!” I snapped.

“Greyscale,” Dopple cooed, holding onto my hoof. “Don’t fight this. We’re just trying to eliminate the possibility.”

“I’m afraid I know relatively little,” Lancet said sadly. “Sufferers tend to have underlying psychological issues such as schizophrenia or bipolar disorder. I’ve no idea if they can be triggered by high levels of stress. Have you ever experienced this before?”

“Not before coming to the dome, no,” I answered. “There was the time just after the first trial, but I thought I was dreaming. This time, I heard the voice while I was dreaming and as I woke up.”

“I see,” Lancet replied, frowning. “I’m afraid I can’t say anything definitive.”

“Oh, come on!” Button exclaimed, rolling his eyes. “It’s obviously the earpieces!”

“So Monobunny was lying?” Inky asked.

“Why would that mean he’s lying?” Button replied, folding his forelegs. “Didn’t Mesmer get Monobunny to admit there was a group of ‘em before? Who knows if someone got a hold of the microphone or whatever without him knowing, and blurted a bunch of stuff to Greyscale for a prank or something? Maybe that’s why he called off the killing game, once he realized one of their own guys broke the rules. Makes sense if you ask me.”

“We can’t simply jump to conclusions,” Mesmer said. “Just because something makes sense, doesn’t necessarily mean it’s true.”

Button threw his hooves up and adopted a ghostly, mocking tone. “Ooh, we cannot know for sure, there is still so much we don’t know, we should consider all ten billion possibilities, then decide upon nothing, how rational and intelligent I am, ooh!” He lolled his head back against his seat, gazing into space with an expression of disinterest. “I’m super sure that mindset will get us far.”

“You’re taking what I said completely the wrong way,” Mesmer retorted, sounding more disappointed than annoyed.

“Button, you’re being rather hypocritical,” Dopple said. “After all, weren’t you the one who posed the possibilities of having false memories, or being in a virtual world?”

Button recoiled as if suffering a sudden bee sting. “You remember that!? Oh, come on, that’s hardly fair! Waking up in a weird place with weirdo ponies, being watched by cameras all day every day, making friends with a super-hot babysitter in a maid outfit who happens to be an innocent virgin, being part of a killing game run by a psychopathic rabbit like something from a Japonies visual novel… Who wouldn’t question reality?”

“He does have a point,” Mesmer remarked with a shrug. “These are unrealistic circumstances. Perhaps even more so than we give it credit for.”

“Whatever the case,” Lancet interrupted with, “and whatever the reason for it, I think we all owe Greyscale some thanks. Because of him, the threat of murder has been lifted.”

“I’m not sure I deserve any thanks,” I said wearily.

Lancet shook her head. “It doesn’t matter whether or not it was intentional on your part. You have given us a ray of hope, and that isn’t something to be squandered.”

“Yeah, she’s got a point,” Inky chimed in with, her grin widening. “Now we don’t need to keep tabs on all the stuff in the MonoMart or worry about who’s left with who. We can walk around without a care in the world!”

“You’re both idiots,” Button said, sighing. “First of all, the announcement said the killing game is on hold. That means temporarily. You can bet it’ll be back soon enough.”

“Better than nothing,” Inky said with a shrug.

“Secondly, Doctor, what ray of hope are you even talking about? Honest question.”

“Well, isn’t it obvious?” Lancet replied. “An end to the killings.”

“Alright, and where does that leave us!?” Button snarled. “The killings end, and… then what? Happiness all around, whoop-de-do! All our problems have been solved! Is that really what you think!?”

“Button, calm down,” Dopple said.

“Why? It’s because you know what I’m going to say, isn’t it? Anyone with half a brain must have figured it out by now.” Button fell back into his seat. “The killing game is the only ray of hope we’ve got if we want to see our friends and family ever again. And even if the killing game was over for good, do you really think the sickos running this place would keep us fed forever and ever?”

“Button, stop it,” Dopple demanded.

“That’s right, we’ll all be left fighting over scraps and going crazy. End of the killing game? Not when every mouth to feed is a new enemy. So the killings continue! Or we all starve to death. Unless we can escape, that is. And just what are the chances of th–”

Inky forced a hoof over Button’s mouth just as Dopple had sprung to her hooves. “You’re a real grumpy-guts, you know that?” Inky chided. “Simmer down with some warm milk and cookies, or something.” The colt struggled to break free but the mare held him firmly. “Oh no you don’t!” she said playfully. The two continued to tussle just as the other party returned, carrying supplies.

“Back to normal already,” Dish Panner muttered, shaking her head as she waltzed into the kitchen. “It’s not as if two ponies died this morning, I suppose. I wonder who’s next? I brought a knife, by the way.” The door slammed shut.

“S-sorry about her,” Reph said with a faint grimace. “She’s not taking Elsie’s p-passing very lightly.”

“Joy to the world,” Mesmer replied.

“It feels indecent to be doing this,” Sanscript mused as he dipped a whole-wheat roll into his soup, eyeing it with some concern. Its color and consistency reminded me of Elsie’s end. “We sit here and eat as our numbers dwindle as if it were the most normal occurrence in the world.”

“Personally,” Lancet began, “I think it’s best we continue to live as we normally would. At least, within reason. We mustn’t let ourselves be dragged down.”

“I understand, I agree.” Sanscript took a meagre bite from his roll. “And yet, I almost feel I should rebel against my own sense of logic and morality. A curious feeling.”

“Come on now!” Reph called out, his eyes darting around, few meeting his gaze. “W-we made progress today! Didn’t we?” He looked expectantly at Mesmer.

“You’re right,” Mesmer replied stonily, gesturing with a hoof. “Perhaps you can go on and explain, for the rest of us.”

“M-me!?” Reph balked.

“You’re as capable as anyone. I trust you.” Mesmer went back to his meal.

“Ah! R-right!” Reph stood up, ruffling his wings. “It s-seems to me we’ve been given an opportunity! As you may be aware, one of Monobunny’s secret p-passages has been found hidden in one of the walls! A-and since one of his rules is that, well, w-we can try to escape however much we want, we w-wouldn’t be breaking the rules by using it to escape, s-so, um… I assume you get what I’m saying.”

“It’s a ray of light, indeed,” Lancet commended. “We should…”

I zoned out, not really paying attention to anything as the conversation continued. We could escape, sure, great chance of that. Of course not. A cynical response from guess who. As expected. It all became background noise. I was much more interested in the way Dopple had been holding onto my hoof for quite some time. It was surprisingly soft. I wanted to curl my forelegs around it and rest my nuzzle on her shoulder, but I knew it would be too much for her. She was above me, in more ways than one. But I appreciated what I had. Which was almost nothing.

I wanted to understand. Patience, Patience, Patience, rattled around my head over and over. I recounted the story. Not much more than the tale of a colt committing violent revenge against a group of bullies. In another time, if I hadn’t been so terrified that I would be hounded by an unstoppable, maddening voice, I might’ve rooted for him. Plunged through their eyes and made them blind. I wondered for a moment if there were any knitting needles in the dome. Pretty imaginative for a little colt. It had to be just a story. But even then, with nobody, not even Monobunny – the overseer of the killing game – able to say why I would even hear it… I was lost in a mire of fog without a hint of logic with which to hook the mystery. I wanted something more. After failing to uncover Elsie’s true intentions, I needed the thrill of a surmountable challenge.

At the same time, I hated myself for thinking this way. A miracle had landed in my lap. I had been torn away from my life of drudgery, what was now but a distant, yet eternal existence of obscurity and pointlessness. I now had something worth living for. I had others worth living for.

You mean Yoko?

No, not anymore. I don’t want him brought up.

Murders and companions! Can’t have both!

Fully aware of that.

Well then, better stop her soon before she does something stupi–

I jolted my head with a start. The others were still talking about an escape plan, but I had another, more pressing issue. I leaned across to Mesmer and whispered in his ear. “Why isn’t Copper here?”

Mesmer frowned. “Not now,” he whispered back.

“Why not?”

He sighed “For your sake, I’m not going to say it in front of the others. You are going to sit and wait until we can have a moment of privacy.” He leaned back, flashing me an expression of utmost solemnity.

I did as I was told, my heart bobbing in a vat of terror. Waiting while everyone came to their predictable, foregone, hopeless decision.

“Then it’s decided,” Lancet announced. “We take whatever tools we can from the MonoMart that might reveal other secret passageways and do everything in our power to break out of this dome!”

“You hear that?” Inky said, smiling at Sanscript. “We work together and you won’t have to put up with me anymore, just like you wanted. Unless of course, you’re ready to stop being a grumpy groucher.”

“No comment,” Sanscript retorted, already out of his seat.

There was some more fussing, some eye-rolling on Dish Panner’s part, Button growing emotional and doing his best to hide it. That was it, this was over, and I needed the truth.

“Mesmer, now.”

Once on our own in the kitchen, Mesmer opened up immediately. “As far as I’m aware, Copper’s in her room. She fled just after your spat with Monobunny.”

My heart jolted. “Why? I mean, I… thought she was my friend.”

“In all likelihood, she thinks you’re the spy.” Mesmer sighed. “I don’t know that for certain, but it makes sense. We all know about the earpieces now, and just like Elsie said, there’s nothing to stop Monobunny or anyone else outside the dome from co-operating with the spy and sending them secret messages. More than that, it’s the most logical conclusion.”

I grimaced, burying my face onto the kitchen worktop. It was exactly what I had expected. Still, I was ready to deny it at every step. “But you know I’m not the spy!”

“I never said that,” Mesmer replied. “I said you were near the bottom of my list of suspects. But that’s beside the point.”

“Okay, answer me this. If I’m the spy, and I was getting sent weird messages through my earpieces or whatever, why would they send me something that makes me go crazy and start shouting about hearing voices? Wouldn’t that just make me look more suspicious? Why would they do that if the point of the spy is to infiltrate without being found out? And no matter the case, even Monobunny didn’t know what the hell was going on, and he shut down the killing game. Why do that to the spy and make them stand out?”

“If we followed every line of logic to reach that conclusion, we’d be here all day,” Mesmer said gruffly. “I don’t know what the point would be. Who’s to say that the game master would actually want the spy to have special treatment and to ensure their safety? Monobunny already said he wouldn’t do a thing to stop any of us if we were to threaten the life of the spy.”

In a flash, I felt cold steel press against my neck, Mesmer’s horn glowing. The knife Dish Panner had used was now mere microns from ending my life, its blade carrying the sweet-smelling remnants of chopped vegetables. “Mesmer, what are you doing?”

“I could kill you right now,” Mesmer said, his eyes peering into my soul. “Maybe that’s what the mastermind wants. Perhaps the spy is due to be punished for an act of reckless rebellion.” The blade pressed even harder. I almost stopped breathing. “Or it could be that the spy has been deemed worthless in the wake of Elsie’s revelation being exposed? Those are just two reasons from the top of my head.”

“The killing game has been put on hold,” I said, trembling. “No murders allowed or you’ll be punished, remember?”

Mesmer returned the knife to the chopping board with the utmost nonchalance. “That was the correct response. As for you being the spy, if anything, this new turn of events has actually made me suspect you even less. I can’t say the same for everyone else, though. I’d imagine their suspicions have only grown stronger.”

“Don’t just threaten to slit my throat and then act like nothing happened!” I blared.

“It was merely to prove a point,” Mesmer said with a shrug. “Just forget about it. I thought we came in here to talk about Copper, after all.”

“You really enjoy toying with others,” I huffed, considering for a moment whether I should return the favour and jam the knife into his jugular. “But fine. Copper thinks I’m the spy. Why would she hide herself away like this?”

“That’s what I wanted to ask you. I assume you weren’t in the right state to notice, but she didn’t react too lightly after what happened. Can you think why?”

I bit my lip. “You’ve given me one shred of hope that there was someone here I could trust, who had my back…”

“You don’t have to tell me,” Mesmer said. “I can tell you’ve figured it out.”

I leapt forward and grabbed Mesmer by the hoof. “Come with me. Now!”

“What for?”

“Please!” I cried, my hairs standing on end. “If Copper has… No, I can’t even say it.”

“That’s ridiculous,” Mesmer said. “Just go and talk with her.”

“I’m tired of your bullshit!” I roared, pulling with all my might, almost causing Mesmer to topple over. “Get a move on!”

“Just let go of me and I will,” Mesmer growled, pushing me off.

I stormed out, building up to a jog as I left the dining room, a chorus of questions chasing after me. I took no notice. All I could think of was Copper’s blank expression resting peacefully on the floor, a knife at her side and blood dripping down her forelegs. No, please don’t be true. Please don’t be true!

“Don’t do that again, Grey.”

I bounded up the stairs, checking over my shoulder that Mesmer was still following me. You’d better keep up, you bastard! Reaching Copper’s door, (Just past the hallway stained with Yoko’s blood! Here’s another one! Clean that mess up!) I stood in silence for a few moments, my jaw rattling like an express train. I sat and stared, as if trying to bore a hole through the door by sheer force of will. The air was harsh and prickly. Blood drained from my lips.

“So?” Mesmer whispered, having kept up with my fervid charge without even a hint of breathlessness.

I shot him an incensed glare and knocked lightly on the door. “C-Copper? Are you in there?”

Silence.

“Please! It’s me!” I cried, knocking once again. “Just let me know you’re okay!”

Silence.

“She could’ve gone somewhere else,” Mesmer muttered. “I saw her head upstairs and just assumed.”

I pounded again. “Copper, don’t do this! Whatever you think, just let us know you’re alive, I mean…” I slapped a hoof against my face as the words escaped me. “Please!”

Silence.

For a moment. And then a faint knock in response.

I gasped, clutching at my chest as a wave of relief passed over me. “Copper, why are you hiding yourself away like this?”

“Just leave me alone.”

Merely hearing her voice made my heart leap for joy. “No, that’s not acceptable! We’ve just been given a chance now that the killing game’s been put on hold! Mesmer, tell her!”

“Everyone’s worried about you,” Mesmer said.

A stifled laugh. “You’re a terrible liar. No one gives a damn, do they?”

“I do!” I cried. “Why else would I be here!?”

“Right. Which is why it took you so long.”

“I’m sorry, alright? I was going crazy down there.”

More silence.

“Greyscale,” Mesmer said, patting me on the shoulder. “We know she’s okay now, don’t we? Let’s just leave things as they are.”

“I refuse!” I blasted. “What a great use you are when I ask for your help. Fine! Go! Get lost since you don’t care!”

Mesmer took a step back, regarding me with a pained expression. “Before I do, I’d like to say one last thing.”

“Spit it out! Come on!”

“While Copper isn’t within earshot,” Mesmer added. “This is important.”

Incensed, but understandably curious, I obliged Mesmer’s request, moving to the other end of the hallway. “Alright, what is it?”

“I’m leaving you.”

“What? Is this your attempt at humor?”

Mesmer shook his head. “Not in the slightest. Just calm down for a moment, because I want you to take all of this to heart.” He took a deep breath and exhaled. “You’ve come a long way. Do you remember your first day here?”

“Somewhat,” I replied hurriedly.

“You didn’t really do much, did you?” Mesmer said. “I mean no offence, believe me, but all you did was tag along with the rest of us, like a grub caught in the current of a stream. You were practically dragged along by Dopple, of all ponies. If it wasn’t for her, you might’ve spent every moment, the investigation included, bolted to the floor like an ornament that time forgot.” He stopped briefly, gazing wistfully into nothingness. “It wasn’t until the trial that you showed a single spark of life.”

I pondered Mesmer’s words. He wasn’t wrong. “So?”

“I couldn’t really believe it myself. Up until that point you had been utterly meaningless as far as I was concerned. You were a nobody.” Mesmer smirked. “And then I decided to be the one to drag you along. And not just me, either. Yoko, rest his soul. Copper, also. Now a livelier grub, announcing its presence to the world, but still being pulled along by the current all the same. I for one enjoyed dragging you here and there, prodding and poking you like an exotic beast in a cage.”

“Is that supposed to make me feel better about myself?” I huffed.

“My point is, all that’s changed. Just now, you were the one who ordered me, dragged me along on a whim. And when I became of no use to you, I was cast off my leash. Even now, you’re doing what you can to pull Copper from her solace. You’re extending your will upon others, almost effortlessly. It makes you more fascinating than ever, truth be told. But that’s exactly why I must leave you.”

“I…” There was no response I could even pluck from thin air. “I don’t know what you’re saying.”

“What I’m saying is, I’m not going to drag you around anymore. As much as I would love to study you, little lab rat, you’ve outgrown your cage. You should no longer expect me to interfere with your affairs. That is, unless you desperately need my help, I shall give you the widest berth I can muster. No more snarky comments insulting your intelligence. No more attempts at aggravating you or piling on brain-bending tests. I’ve already given you enough of those, I think. Which means the only way you’ll see more of me is if you outright demand it, or you fall into such crippling depths that I see no other option but to put you back in your cage for good. Do you understand?”

I stared back, bewildered. “No, I don’t understand. This is all just to mess with me, isn’t it?”

“Stop telling yourself things like that,” Mesmer replied stoically. “If I wanted to be deliberately mysterious and provocative, I’d make much more of an effort.” He took a deep breath and smiled. “You’re in control now. Do as you please.”

It all began to stack up. Memories of the days gone by flashed before my eyes in a flurry of color and feelings. I had changed. More than that, I was barely the nobody I was once destined to be. My dull, grey life was but history, an ancient text written before my rebirth that I had haphazardly gazed upon before being chained up and sentenced to the new world. Freedom to create and destroy and grasp and cast into the wind. Power enough to bend and build and break the things around me.

Mesmer silently turned away, slinking down the corridor.

“Wait.”

I ran forward just as Mesmer faced me and threw my forelegs around him, digging my chin into his nape and squeezing his torso as if holding on for dear life. I didn’t say a word, nor even open my eyes. There was no real way to describe how I felt. Mesmer, the lunatic, the tormentor, the purveyor of both chaos and logic, the bearer of confusion and cruelty. My greatest ally. My most menacing foe. A beast to be tamed or slain. He meant so much to me. But then, I half-assumed, the feeling was mutual.

We stood for a short while, Mesmer deigning to even raise a hoof in reciprocation. Then I let go and took a step back. I felt refreshed, like stepping out of a blazing hot shower. Something was odd, though. Something I could only have noticed from such a short distance away. Ever so subtly, the stallion was trembling.

“Did I do something wrong?” I asked.

“Not exactly,” Mesmer replied reproachfully, adjusting his lips. “But you did just raise my suspicions of you being the spy.”

“I did? How?”

Mesmer shrugged, grinning awkwardly. “It doesn’t matter. You’re not one of the six, after all.”

I stared back, puzzled.

“Relax,” Mesmer said with a chuckle. “You know how I am with acting mysterious and all.”

That was the last thing Mesmer said before descending the stairs.

I walked back to Copper’s door and rested my forehead against it. I could feel her on the other side. “Copper, I know you think I’m the spy. I really did hear that voice, and that’s the truth, but I’m not the spy.”

“Do you think I’m pathetic?” Copper murmured.

“Pathetic? How?”

“You thought I might’ve killed myself, didn’t you?” Copper thudded angrily against the door, jolting my head. “What was it you said? ‘Just let us know you’re alive?’ You really think I’d keep my cool throughout all of this, just so I could hang myself over someone like you!? Go screw yourself!”

“Copper, I don’t think you’re pathetic at all. I was just scared. Please, I want you to let me in.”

A long, sardonic chuckle. “Do you even know why I trusted you to begin with? Seriously, just take a wild guess.”

I sighed. “I have no clue.”

“Oh, it’s a wonderful story,” Copper continued. “I had this amazing realization that led me to think you were safer to be around than any of the others. Because why oh why would a nobody with no life and nothing to live for ever kill anyone just to be back where they started!? All the rest of us have something to fight for, don’t we? But not you! Poor little lost lamb, a-ha!”

Copper’s words cut deep. But I stood firm.

“I thought I’d cracked the code! I thought I was a damn genius, yes I did! But then it hit me. What would a nobody want most? A life! And wouldn’t that be just the juiciest little carrot on the end of a stick to get them to do anything of your choosing? What’s that, you’re in mountains of debt without a hope in the world? Why not be a spy in some sick game of death!? We’ll give you all the riches you could ever dream of and all the mares you want to fuck. Just sign the dotted line! Become the spy! Is that how it happened, Grey!? Is it!?”

I waited for Copper’s exasperated breathing to die down, from boundless rasps, to faint whimpers, to slow and steady, deliberate breaths. I had to be sure of what I was about to say. “You’re right about one thing, Copper. I don’t have any plans to commit murder. As for your theory on how I could be the spy, I can say that if anyone approached me with an offer like that, I don’t think I’d have taken it.”

“You wouldn’t have even been tempted?” Copper half-whispered.

“Maybe. If they threatened me with torture, I might’ve considered it. But even if that were the case, I would be the worst spy they could’ve ever picked. I’ve barely talked to anyone in my entire life. I’m just not good at this stuff. You know what I’ve been like, right?”

“Yeah. A creepy little dreamer.”

“Heh.” I slunk to the floor. “If I’m so creepy, why’d you stand by me?”

“Because I’m stupid, I guess.” Another long silence. Then finally, Copper began sobbing quietly. “I don’t know what to do, Grey. I just want to go home. I know Monobunny put the killing game on ice, but… how does that help me? I’m still stuck in here. It’s all hopeless.”

“Maybe you’d feel better after a cuddle.”

“Pfft!” Copper chortled to herself. “Creepy, creepy crawler.”

I laughed back. I felt so much at ease, as if I were drifting gently down a sparkling river, surrounded by swirling cherry blossoms. I almost didn’t want it to end.

“Alright.” I could hear Copper rising to her hooves. “I’ll open the door. But I want to tell you something before I do, and I don’t want you to forget it. Ever.”

“Okay.”

“I don’t know how much of what you told me just now is true. If it turns out that you are what I think you might be, what I desperately hope you’re not, then…” She paused, gathering her courage. “I will kill you. I don’t know how much I’ll see to it that you suffer, but I will do everything I can to make sure you die. The only mercy I’ll offer is the chance for you to take your own life in the most peaceful, painless way possible, before Iever get the chance to lay my hooves on you.”

My heart juddered like an engine at Copper’s chilling declaration. “I don’t think that last part’s going to happen. I’m not very good at committing suicide.”

“A poor attempt at sympathy, Grey. It’s not like you’re the only one.” The door began to creak open at a snail’s pace, Copper’s tear-stained face and fiery eyes waiting behind it. In that moment, I realized she had meant every last word. “No cuddles, creepy crawler,” she said stonily. “Just come and sit with me. You’ll have to trust me not to strangle you to death.”

I did as I was told, and the two of us sat on her bed, a space between us, each staring off into nothingness. The door was closed. I knew I couldn’t have rebutted Copper’s statement. If I’d tried to kill her myself, even if my frame was a little bigger, I somehow knew I would be no match. She felt rather dangerous.

As we sat in silence, this time acting as both a test for me and a respite for Copper so she could gear herself up to carry on, I began to ruminate on the day’s events. No, not just the events. My events. I had broken free from my cage. I was now in control. Mesmer was convinced I had grown as a stallion, adapting to my surroundings at a remarkable pace, bettering myself into a more complete, truly equine entity. So much more than the passive dreamer that drifted through the world like smoke. I was a ghost become solid.

And yet… I wasn’t so sure about that.

I stared up at the camera just above Copper’s door, its cone of vision beamed directly at us. With them surrounding us at all times, it was easy to forget that we were being watched. At least, that’s what I assumed of the rest of them. There were times when my mind and gaze would drift and catch a glimpse of the shiny black lenses buried in the nooks and crannies of the hotel, and peer inside, wondering who might be staring back at me.

“Not that it’ll help any of you. If you must know, you’re being watched by thousands!”

I had considered a few possibilities. Perhaps this game of death was actually the centerpiece for an underground gambling ring where the rich and powerful would place their bets on who they thought would win, who the next victim would be, sipping cognac from their armchairs. Perhaps the thousands watching were in a death game of their own, putting their faith in our actions with their fate tied to ours, each group designated to one of the fifteen – no, sixteen – participants. There were a million and one ideas that I could come up with. But the one I most liked to imagine, was that somehow, the entire world was watching, either in fear of the diabolical mastermind or cheering us on from the shadows. No matter the truth, whoever was watching had to have some kind of stake, whether it be personal, financial, emotional or otherwise. Whatever the case, I…

“Like I said, it’s as if you’re not here in the real world.”

I wondered what they might be thinking of me. Were they riveted? On the edge of their proverbial seats? Was my tale of growth exciting? It was certainly exciting for me.

“It’s like you’re having an out of body experience,”

All those years I spent in obscurity, my only crutch for excitement in a meaningful life buried in ink and parchment. I was an observer then, watching from the clouds above as the characters went to and fro, and loved and laughed and died. In the end, it had kept me going.

“and just watching yourself,”

What a thrill it might be to sit on the other side of the glass, the star of the show, the centrepiece, the one to root for. Even as a nobody, I would be a somebody, buried in this story. I could hold meaning for them, be someone to cherish and debate over.

Mesmer might have been right. Maybe I was just unlucky before, that my chance to bloom and develop just needed a friendly nudge, and the presence of onlookers was but a footnote in my tale of time. Still…

“thinking up interesting things you could do.”

I had already done so much in just a few days. Perhaps that set an expectation to reach even greater heights. They could be asking themselves, what will he do next? And if I was truly free from my cage, one question remained:

Just what else was I capable of?

Author's Note

Sorry this one took so long!

I do hope I can build towards more regular uploads, but things are a bit tricky as of late. Still, I'll do what I can. I wonder if anyone picks up on something in this chapter that relates to several other occurrences of... Nah, I'm sure it's nothing.