Dance of the Damned

Game, Set, Match

Carvill stood in the middle of the hallway, holding a paper and pen in his hands while observing everything in the room, walking back and forth like he was inspecting something.

From the corner of his eyes, he saw a figure moving past him, it was too quick to think anything of it but he knew what he saw.

"Division Ten, Dorit. You are spotted." Carvill said, crossing his name off the list. "Please come and join me here."

The man walked out of the shadows, sighing.

"I cannot believe that I am the first one out." He laughed, turning to Lian, who stood at the stairs looking down at him. "Sorry, Lian!"

"Good job, Dorit!" She shouted. "Now, make sure to find the other three."

"I will!" he shouted back as Carvill began his announcement.

"Division ten is out! Five, Three and Eleven are left! The time has continued from when we paused. Two minutes! Begin."

___________________

The game being played is something Carvill made weeks before with Micah's awful instructions of, “it is like the hide and seek that we play with some of the people but this time, the seeker can’t move and the hiders always have to move to win.”

Carvill met with Micah days before they even began preparations for Operation Eggs.

“I will be incapacitated for a while,” Micah said while the two stared at the outside world through his room window, the only light in the room being from the moon on the window. “If Phase One works well, then I will be needing you to take care of Phase Three.

“Phase three is the hardest Phase as it will require stealth and someone undetectable, as well as a lot of preparations.” Micah had told him, a book open on his lap as he read the pages by feeling along the little bumps of the alphabet.

“If you follow my instructions well, then you will find the person needed without too many problems. While you are doing that, I will prepare for the Second Operation.” Micah paused his reading, a slight frown on his face. “I did not expect that twist. Interesting.”

“What are you reading, Roshi?” Carvill asked, looking at the blank pages only with little bumps all over it.

“Something called ‘A Wanderer’s Trap’, you should read it sometime, Carvill. It does take you places you have not been to.” Micah said, holding up the open book to him.

“Perhaps I will.” The man said, thinking. “You already know who to choose for this mission. Why not just tell me who and I will make sure the person is picked for the Operation.”

Micah shook his head, a childlike smile on his face, “Where is the fun in that, Carvill? My predictions might turn out to be wrong and that will be interesting to see.”

“Or you may be right and we would have wasted time that could have been saved if we chose the people from the beginning,” Carvill argued when Micah burst into a laugh.

“That is the problem with everyone in this world.” He looked up at the man softly. “You are all always in so much of a hurry to get things done. Especially in the exact way you prepared in your head.

“The world and people do not always work that way and that is why the world is as interesting as it is.” Micah closed the book, hands resting on the hardcover.

“What if I pick the wrong person?” Carvill asked, brows furrowing, the darkness creating shadows on his face. “What will happen then? All the plans up till now would be rendered pointless.”

“Not necessarily.” Micah reached for a cabinet next to his bed and opened it, pulling out a box decorated with crystals of every type, colour and style. Opening the box, he pulled out a thin, gold chain with a single crystal at the end. “What do you think, Carvill?”

The man looked at the necklace and sighed, leaning against the window as he stared outside at the garden, “I can’t believe you still have that.”

Micah held the chain in his hands and shone it in the moonlight as colours of all kinds filled the room, “I am sure it looks as pretty as it feels and I would not have this if I never met you, Carvill.”

The man didn’t answer as he stubbornly looked outside, staring at the birds that flew by and the trees waving back and forth in the darkness by an unseen force.

“You were not part of the plan,” Micah said, putting the necklace back in the box. “But I could not have imagined coming this far without you.”

“I understand, Roshi,” Carvill said, scratching the back of his head. “I apologise for panicking.”

“It’s ok to panic,” Micah said, holding the box in his hands with the book below it. “I would too. But you also need to remember that it is ok to make mistakes. As long as I am here, we will always be able to turn it around.”

“You are right.” Carvill chuckled, looking at Micah through his mask. This fail young boy has achieved more in three years than he has in all his life and, though he was with him through most of it, he still could not understand him.

Well, whatever. I don’t have to understand him to follow him. I better get started in this … game.

____________________

Each participant is given an object, a unique shape for each participant and then told to hide.

There will be one person in the middle, Carvill, who cannot move from his spot as he looks for signs of them.

Then a structure where the object would fit like a glove, its other half as you can say, will be placed in different parts of the room.

This gives the participants the advantage as they are placed so far away that the ones in the middle may not notice them placing the item in its place.

The bigger the number, the more advantage they have. And they have exactly three minutes to get this done.

Once the one in the middle spots someone, they have to say their division and name. If they are correct, the person will have to step out and join them.

If they are not, it is a fluke announced by the Masters and the time gets extended by thirty seconds.

But, for every person that is found, the minutes become cut down by thirty seconds.

But how do they know they are correct? Or how do they know

That is the reason why this is a competition. All the masters will want their choice to be chosen and they will not take any chance with others if they are found.

And that is the game that Carvill was able to create just from that instruction of Micah’s. Hopefully, this is what he meant.

This is also the game he sent to the other divisions to carry out in their meeting to determine the best choice and to also be familiar with the game so that Carvill does not have to waste time explaining about it.

___________________

"Your choice was too easy to spot, Ten." Madam Lottie remarked staring down at them. "Was he really your best?"

"My division focuses more on getting the job done, no matter the cost." She said, looking at the woman, annoyed.

"Even if someone from your division dies?" Teri asked, looking at the girl who looked right into her eyes, covering her face with the long sleeves of her shirt.

"They know that death is sometimes necessary to get the outcome you want," Lian said, holding her head high. "And we know when defeat comes, accepting it with pride."

"That is admirable, Ten." Madam Lottie said, leaning against the railing. "Eleven. I think it is your turn to be out."

They saw someone peek their head out for a brief second. It was not even a second but it was enough for Dorit to see him and immediately point him out.

"Division Eleven, Moru!" Dorit announced his name happily and the man sighed, walking out of the darkness. “Welcome.”

“I thought I hid well.” The man laughed looking up at the balcony. “Division Eleven Master! I am sorry, I am out!”

“That was an admirable effort, Moru!" Soul shouted, his voice booming all around the room. "Good job!"

"Thank you!" The man shouted back, bowing to him as Carvill began to shout again.

"Division Eleven, Moru is out! Two are left. Three and Five! One minute! Begin!"

"Not one person has been able to place their object into its holder and now there are three in the centre." Madam Lottie said, looking at everyone with interest. "I wonder who will win, Five."

"Honestly, I didn't think Heris would have even made it this far," Teri said, looking down on the balcony as well. "I am quite impressed."

"As am I." Lady Lottie said, a smile in her voice. "But I am sure my one will win in the end."

"You are awfully confident," Teri said, looking at the woman from the corner of her eyes.

"Of course. She is someone I picked myself anyway."

"Thirty seconds!"

"Let's see who will emerge victorious in the end." Madam Lottie said slyly at Teri who just nodded.