The Luna Trials

Episode 16

The sun hadn't even risen when they hauled us out of our makeshift camps. No explanation, no warning. Just rough hands and barked orders. Typical.

As we stumbled into a clearing, I took stock of the situation. The other contestants looked as bleary-eyed and confused as I felt, but I'd be damned if I let it show. I stood straight, eyes alert, ready for whatever bullshit they were about to throw at us.

A voice boomed from hidden speakers, making some of the weaker-willed contestants jump. I didn't even flinch.

"Contestants, welcome to your final trial of this arc. You will be divided into two teams. One team will defend a fort, while the other will attack. The winning team will be safe from elimination. The losing team... well, let's just say you don't want to be on the losing team."

Great. Another team challenge. As if I hadn't had enough of relying on these incompetents.

They split us up quickly, no regard for our preferences. Not that I had any. They were all potential threats in my book. I found myself on the defense team, along with Gerald (fantastic), Elara (bearable), and two others I hadn't bothered to interact with much. A lanky guy with glasses who looked like he'd snap in a strong wind, and a stocky woman with a permanent scowl. I dubbed them Twig and Bulldog in my head.

We were led to our "fort" - a crude wooden structure that looked like it would collapse if someone sneezed too hard. As we approached, I heard Gerald muttering under his breath.

"This is bullshit. We're sitting ducks in there."

For once, I agreed with him, but I wasn't about to say it out loud. Instead, I pushed past him and entered the fort, assessing our defenses. High walls, good. Narrow windows, also good. A rickety ladder leading to a watchtower that swayed in the breeze - not so good.

"Alright, listen up," I barked, turning to face my "team". "We've got maybe an hour before they attack. We need to fortify this place and come up with a strategy."

Gerald snorted. "And who put you in charge, princess?"

I fixed him with a glare that would have melted steel. "The fact that I'm the only one here with two brain cells to rub together. Unless you've got a better idea?"

He opened his mouth, probably to spout some macho bullshit, but Elara cut him off.

"I think MaryJane's right," she said, her voice quiet but firm. "We need a plan."

I nodded at her, a tiny acknowledgment of her support. Maybe she wasn't completely useless after all.

"Right. Twig," I said, pointing at the lanky guy. "You're on lookout. Get up in that tower and shout if you see anything move."

He blinked at me, confused. "My name's actually-"

"Don't care," I interrupted. "Bulldog, you're with me. We're going to set some traps around the perimeter. Gerald, try to reinforce that gate. It looks like it would fall over if a squirrel leaned on it. Elara, gather any loose wood or rocks you can find. We might need them for projectiles."

To my surprise, they all moved to follow my orders without argument. Maybe they were finally learning.

As Bulldog and I worked on the traps, I kept one eye on the others. Trust no one, that was my motto. For all I knew, one of them could be a plant, working for the other team.

We worked in silence for a while, setting up trip wires and hidden pits. Bulldog wasn't much for conversation, which suited me just fine. But as we finished our third trap, she spoke up.

"You're good at this," she said, her voice gruff.

I shrugged. "It's not rocket science."

"No, I mean... all of it. The leadership, the strategy. You've done this before, haven't you?"

I tensed, my hand instinctively moving towards my knife. "What's that supposed to mean?"

She held up her hands, placating. "Just an observation. You seem... prepared."

I relaxed, but only slightly. "I like to be ready for anything. You should try it sometime."

We finished setting the traps in silence. As we headed back to the fort, I noticed Gerald and Elara in what looked like a heated discussion. Great. Just what we needed - more drama.

As we approached, their voices became clearer.

"...can't just let her boss us around like this," Gerald was saying, his face red with anger.

Elara sighed, looking exasperated. "She knows what she's doing, Gerald. Why can't you just-"

"Everything okay here?" I interrupted, my voice dripping with fake sweetness.

They both jumped, not having noticed our approach. Amateurs.

"Just peachy," Gerald spat. "Your Highness."

I ignored the jab, turning to Elara instead. "How's our ammo situation?"

She gestured to a pile of rocks and broken wood pieces. "This is all I could find. It's not much, but-"

A shout from the watchtower cut her off. "I see movement in the trees!"

Showtime.

"Everyone to your positions," I barked. "Gerald, man the gate. Elara, take the left wall. Bulldog, right wall. I'll cover the rear."

As everyone scrambled to their posts, I noticed Twig climbing down from the tower. "And where do you think you're going?" I demanded.

He flinched at my tone. "I... I thought I should help defend..."

"Your job is to keep watch," I snapped. "Get back up there and tell us where they're coming from."

He hesitated for a moment, then nodded, scurrying back up the ladder. Something about his behavior set off alarm bells in my head, but I didn't have time to dwell on it. The attack was coming.

The next few minutes were chaos. Arrows rained down on us from the trees, forcing us to duck behind the walls. I heard the snap of one of our tripwires, followed by a satisfying yelp of pain. At least some of our traps were working.

"They're splitting up!" Twig yelled from the tower. "Three coming from the east, two from the west!"

I swore under my breath. They were trying to divide our attention. Smart.

"Elara, Bulldog, focus on the east!" I shouted. "Gerald, with me on the west!"

We fought like hell, I'll give us that. Elara turned out to be surprisingly good with a sling, pelting the attackers with rocks. Bulldog was a force of nature, roaring defiance as she hurled pieces of wood at anyone who got too close.

But it was Gerald who really surprised me. For all his bravado, he was a damn good fighter. We stood back to back, fending off attackers with a synchronicity that would have been impressive if I had time to think about it.

Just as I was starting to think we might actually pull this off, everything went to s**t.

I heard a commotion from the front of the fort, followed by the sound of splintering wood. The gate was breached.

"What the hell, Gerald?" I yelled. "I thought you reinforced that!"

"I did!" he shouted back, sounding as confused as I felt.

Then I saw him. Twig, standing by the broken gate, a look of grim determination on his face as he ushered in the enemy team.

The little rat had betrayed us.

Rage boiled in my veins as I charged towards him, my vision tinged with red. I barely registered the chaos around me - Elara's shocked gasp, Bulldog's roar of anger, Gerald's stream of curses. All I could see was Twig and the enemies pouring through the gate he'd opened.

I reached him just as he turned to run, grabbing him by the scruff of his neck and slamming him against the wall. "You treacherous little worm," I snarled, my face inches from his. "Give me one good reason why I shouldn't gut you right here."

His eyes were wide with fear, but there was a defiance there too. "Because," he gasped, "I'm not the only one."

Before I could process what he meant, something hard slammed into the back of my head. I stumbled, stars exploding in my vision. As I fell, I caught a glimpse of Bulldog standing over me, a chunk of wood in her hand and a cold smile on her face.

Then everything went black.

I came to with a splitting headache and the taste of defeat bitter in my mouth. We'd lost. The fort had fallen.

As my vision cleared, I saw the other contestants gathered in the clearing. The attack team was celebrating their victory, while my team stood in sullen silence. Twig and Bulldog were with the winners, being clapped on the back and congratulated for their "strategic gameplay."

I wanted to vomit.

The voice from the speakers returned, somehow even more grating than before. "Congratulations to the attack team on their victory. Defense team, it's time to face the consequences of your failure. You must now vote to eliminate one member of your team."

I looked at what remained of my team. Gerald, his face a mask of fury. Elara, looking shell-shocked and betrayed. And me, battered, bruised, and royally pissed off.

"Well," Gerald said, his voice dripping with sarcasm, "this should be an easy vote. Our fearless leader here clearly dropped the ball."

I whirled on him, ignoring the pain that shot through my skull. "Excuse me? I'm not the one who let the enemy waltz right through our front gate!"

"No, you're just the one who put a traitor on lookout duty!"

We were in each other's faces now, weeks of tension finally boiling over. I was dimly aware of Elara trying to calm us down, but her words were drowned out by the roaring in my ears.

"You want to do this, tough guy?" I snarled. "Fine. Let's put it to a vote. You or me."

Gerald's eyes narrowed. "Fine by me, princess. May the best man win."

"Oh, don't worry," I shot back. "She will."

The vote was quick and silent. We each wrote a name on a piece of paper and handed it to one of the faceless staff members who seemed to materialize out of nowhere.

As we waited for the results, I caught Elara's eye. She gave me a small, sad smile. I looked away quickly. I didn't need her pity.

"The votes are in," the voice announced. "By a vote of two to one, the contestant eliminated from the Luna Trials is... Gerald."

I blinked in surprise. I'd voted for Gerald, of course, but I'd been sure Elara would side with him. I looked at her questioningly, but she avoided my gaze.

Gerald stood there, shock written all over his face. Then his features twisted into a mask of rage. "You've got to be kidding me," he spat. "You're choosing her over me?"

Elara finally spoke up, her voice soft but firm. "It's not about choosing, Gerald. It's about who gives us the best chance of surviving in this game. And that's MaryJane."

I felt a surge of... something. Not quite pride, not quite gratitude. Whatever it was, I squashed it down quickly. Emotions were a luxury I couldn't afford.

As the staff led Gerald away, he turned back to us one last time. "You'll regret this," he said, his eyes boring into mine. "Both of you. This game will eat you alive, and I hope I'm there to see it."

Then he was gone, leaving Elara and me alone in the clearing.

For a long moment, neither of us spoke. What was there to say? We'd just voted out one of our own. In this game, loyalty meant nothing. Trust was a weakness. And I'd just been reminded why.

Finally, Elara broke the silence. "MaryJane, I-"

"Don't," I cut her off. "Just... don't. We're not friends. We're not allies. We're just two people trying to survive. Let's leave it at that."

She looked hurt, but nodded. "Okay. If that's what you want."

"It's not about what I want," I said, my voice hard. "It's about what's necessary."

As we were led back to our camp, my mind was racing. Gerald was gone. Twig and Bulldog had revealed themselves as traitors. The teams had been reshuffled. Everything had changed, and yet nothing had changed at all.

I was still alone. Still surrounded by potential enemies. Still fighting tooth and nail for survival.

But that was okay. Alone was how I worked best. Alone was safe. Alone was survival.

As I settled into my makeshift shelter, I allowed myself a grim smile. Let them come, I thought. Let them scheme and betray and fight amongst themselves. I'll be the last one standing when the dust settles.

Because life taught me that depending on somneone get's me hurt. It get's me bullied, isolated, rejected and eventually, worse. Trust is a luxury I can't afford.