Third Writing Prize Winner –
SUMMER 2024
is Anika Lotti
of Corvina, California – USA
LET THE GAMES BEGIN
The large wooden double doors at the front of the mansion burst open. When Cassie walks through them, the first thing Jayden feels is relief. The second thing he feels is confusion. He thought she was dead. Actually, from what he and Erin have seen tonight, Cassie was dead several times over. Erin steps toward her. Jayden grabs her arm to stop her from going any further. She turns to him. “What?”
Jayden keeps his eyes on Cassie—on the girl they think is Cassie. For all they know, this is just another copy.
She catches sight of the two of them and rushes across the entryway. She leaps over the two steps leading into the sitting room and stops.
The sitting room is extravagant. Jayden was struck by the richness of it all when he first laid eyes on it earlier in the night. There is a dark wood coffee table centered amongst a sofa and chairs, a large ruby red colored silk rug lays between them and the white marble flooring. A chandelier made from crystal and gold hangs down from the high ceiling; it almost seems pointless with the large fireplace on the wall opposite the grand staircase. In another life, this would be the perfect home of opulence.
Page 1
In this life, the room is a wreck. Cassie tenses and her eyes widen. There isn’t anywhere without a dead, dismantled, disconnected, bloodied, battered or broken body with Cassie’s face strewn out somewhere. Some have torn wires and bits of dented metal coming through what once acted as flesh. Others melt into a puddle of what looks like mud, or maybe clay—the one by the fire is in a particularly rough shape. It’s hard to tell if it was even meant to resemble a person. The worst are the ones who look like they were actually constructed from flesh and bone.
Jayden watches as her eyes dart across them all. This is it. This is how he’ll know.
He may be mistaken, but he swears he sees her lower lip start to tremble. She can’t seem to concentrate on one body for very long. “Why do they all have my face?” She sounds horrified and confused, but most of all she sounds human. Then she sounds like she’s starting to hyperventilate.
Erin makes a sympathetic noise beside him. She rushes forward and gathers Cassie up in her arms. Cassie lays her head on Erin’s shoulder; Jayden thinks she might be crying. He wants to say something—though he isn’t sure what he would say. A giddy, euphoric laugh rings out above their heads. Jayden turns his face toward the ceiling. Like all the other times tonight, he can’t see anything. There isn’t anyone hiding out in the rafters or the landings above them. He hasn’t found any speakers, even though that must be where the voice is coming out of. Still, he feels compelled to look.
Erin backs away from Cassie and wraps her arms around herself. “Oh no/”
Page 2
Cassie looks at her; if she did cry, Jayden can’t see any tear tracks on her cheeks. “What?”
“Something bad is coming,”
“How do you know?” Cassie’s tone is skeptical, or maybe she’s just afraid. She shifts her weight between her feet—her pre-fight stance, Jayden is familiar with it.
“Something bad is always coming when he shows up.” Jayden’s eyes are drawn back to the ceiling when the voice begins to speak.
“I tried—” The voice speaks only a touch louder than a whisper, it’s softer than Jayden’s heard it all night. “I tried to find someone to play the game like you did, but as you can see,” he breaks out in a maniacal giggle, “they just couldn’t cut it.”
Oh, and he tried. From the theory Erin had spun, whoever the owner of this voice is, he worked very hard to get something that could pass for Cassie—using spells, robotics, ancient rituals, and whatever else was at his disposal. Hearing the way he’s talking now, Jayden’s starting to think she was right about that.
“They weren’t you. None of them were you.” He coos.
Jayden glances at Cassie. Her face is twisted into a snarl. If the voice was in her sights, Jayden is sure she would have ripped his head off by now. For some reason, he can’t help but think it’s a good thing they have no idea where he is. Jayden doesn’t like that thought.
Page 3
“Your two friends here have been admirable. I can see why you have chosen them for your companions. Still… they haven’t been a satisfying substitute for you; though I’ll admit, they lasted longer than I thought they were going to.”
Cassie looks between Jayden and Erin, like there’s a question she wants to ask but she isn’t sure how.
Jayden sighs. “It’s been a long night.” He doubts they have time to get into the specifics right now. He sure doesn’t have the energy.
“And it’s only going to get longer.” All three of them look up; the voice sounds too satisfied with itself. There is a distinct smile present in its words. So far, Jayden has always hated what comes next.
Erin’s face scrunches up like she’s going to cry but no tears fall. With all the crying she’s done tonight, Jayden isn’t surprised that she doesn’t have any tears left. Still, he feels bad for the poor girl.
“My dear Cassandra, it is so good to see you again. I can’t wait for you to see what I have put together for you tonight!”
“Go to hell!” Cassie says it with such conviction, but Jayden can see her shaking beside him. “I’m not solving your little puzzle and running your stupid maze. I’m not your rat!”
“Well, I suppose—” He laughs again. It sounds agitated. There’s a loud bang, like he’s hit something. “If that’s the way it’s gonna be!”
Page 4
The fire in the fireplace goes out. The room grows cold and quiet too fast. Outside, Jayden can hear footsteps fast approaching the house. There’s a thud against the window, two large paws press against the glass. Erin screams. Something that looks like a cross between a wolf and a bear snarls and roars at the glass. There’s a second thud and another beast appears at the window on the other end of the fireplace. The large front doors Cassie entered through begin to shake in their frames. There is growling on the other side.
“Okay! Okay, I’ll play. I’ll play!” Cassie raises her hands toward the ceiling. They’re shaking. “I’ll play, just like we used to. Just— Just stop it. Just leave Erin and Jayden alone!”
The world outside the house goes deathly quiet. Nothing happens for a few moments. Then the voice sighs. “Good.” His anger is gone and just like that so are the beasts outside it seems. “Oh good.” He chuckles. Jayden’s heart hasn’t stopped racing. “This is going to be so much fun. You’ll see. It will be exactly how it was always meant to be.”
Cassie looks between Jayden and Erin. “You won’t hurt them.”
“You have my word.” The voice purrs. It doesn’t sound reassuring and Jayden doesn’t feel reassured. “Now then, step on up to the doors at the back of the sitting room and we can get started.”
“Cass…” Jayden doesn’t feel right about letting her do this all on her own. How can he just let her walk through those doors and face who knows what beyond? How can he and Erin just stay put when they know that whatever’s in this house wants them dead? How are any of them going to survive this?
She smiles at him. His heart drops. It’s tight-lipped; she looks scared. With only another moment’s pause, Cassie shakes the look off her face and walks right up to the doors. They open on their own accord, whatever lies beyond is obscured by darkness—out of all the tricks he’s seen tonight, this one is Jayden’s least favorite. The voice chuckles.
“Let the games begin.”
-30-
~By Anika Lotti
