━━━━༻ ♠ ༺━━━━ control 00100000 ━━━━༻ ♠ ༺━━━━

"Arguing amongst ourselves won't do anything."

Ever the peacemaker and the more logical one in their friend group, it was no surprise Jasper chose the we'll-f*ck-each-other-up-later approach. "Right now, we're in the Game, and our priority is to find the Seeker. Mr. Brooks, you're the Tuner, correct?" Mr. Brooks' eyes flickered to the male and nodded in answer. "Then we should work together. You're after Faces and we are too. Isn't that easier?"

"Wait, what about Eli?" (Y/n) hissed to Keller under her breath. "He's the Cleaner—ha, that makes me laugh every time I say that—so wouldn't Mr. Brooks...?"

"Coach can handle himself," he reassured her. "I saw him throw two of our scrum halves over his shoulder like he was tossing a bag of potatoes. That dude is an all-time WWE champion, I tell you."

"Okay, dad. Makes me feel so much better."

"I don't like your tone, young lady. I'll disown you."

"You didn't even adopt me yet and you're already disowning me?!"

"Are you two alright with that?" Jasper asked the two teachers. "Our biggest threat is the Seeker and if you two are both who you say you are, we should have no problem."

Mr. Brooks' reply was immediate. "I have no qualms with working with you," he said. "It's Charles I am reluctant to let come close—"

"I am a Number," Mr. Howards huffed offendedly. "You are the one hurting my innocent students—"

"Do you really want to get into that with me? I know you're not what you s—"

"ANYWAY," Jasper said loudly, interrupting them. When Jas of all people interrupts a teacher, that means the world's ending, (Y/n) thought fearfully. "We'll head back to the classroom to see if Mr. Johnson has returned with news on Grayson's whereabouts. Sounds good?" The group nodded their approval. "Alright, let's go."

The walk back was especially awkward. Surprising no one, Jasper and Keller walked together, engaged in their banter that was highly amusing for (Y/n) to watch. Alicia was by Mr. Howards' side, and the two seemed to really hit it off. Maybe. (Y/n) didn't know what "hit it off" even meant.

Which meant she had the choice of being a permanent third wheel, walking alone, or trying to strike a conversation with Mr. Brooks. How about a no?

But surprisingly enough, Mr. Brooks was already walking next to her. "You're (Y/n) White, right?" he asked, his tone monotonous. His eyes were directed to the front, flickering to the blond teachers from time to time.

"Y-yeah," she replied slowly. "From your class."

"I am aware of who's in my class. You're also the mentee of Tristan Knight, correct?"

"T-that's true, uh, sir."

"I was told you were to come into the lab yesterday," he sighed. "I truly apologize for the...sudden change of plans."

"It's not something you can control...sir," she said awkwardly. "I can pick up on that with my tutor after all this."

He made a sound of approval and that was it. (Y/n) couldn't help but compare the teacher to a certain blue-haired male who had a similar speech pattern, if not more arrogant. They are such great conversationalists, she drawled sarcastically. Who taught them? Sign me up, please.

When they returned, Elijah was already there and without anything in his hands. She wasn't sure if she should be relieved or worried he didn't bring a body back with him. Relief that Reese may not be dead and worry that his body might've been...compromised.

"So?" Jasper asked, even though there wasn't really much reason to ask. The silver-haired man shook his head.

"Nothin'," he sighed. "I searched all of Spring and Summer too just in case. I also went through Autumn and 'round Winter. Absolutely nothin'."

"Where do you take the bodies when you get them?" The other male asked.

"Usually to the Main Hall. I have no idea how the headmaster disposes of them, but his idea is to make them go 'missing.' Then I take the card and rip it up. That's the whole gist of this sh*tty job."

"That is a sad job," (Y/n) agreed. "Must be Heaven's judgment for you ruining all those microwaves."

"Naw, kid. That was nature, I tell you. Nature."

"Nature can make mistakes," she shot back. "I mean, you're a walking example."

"Kid, I ain't afraid to whack you and spin you upside down. Respect your elders!"

"I don't listen to wannabe old men."

Elijah started sobbing crocodile tears. "See?" He gestured wildly towards the (h/c)-haired girl as he faced the other three teachers. "I was there to see that bug become a bigger bug and this is how she treats me?! I even changed her and Reese's diapers once."

"That's a lie," (Y/n) interrupted. "We didn't know you that long."

"Shaddup! You probably still wear diapers, kid!"

"No, you."

"The kids over there," Jasper interjected into their banter. "Shush." The two looked like two deers caught in the headlights as they mimed zipping their mouths and throwing away the key. "Good. We need to plan our next course of action. I was thinking instead of going to Spring, we could stay in Autumn instead. That would be safer."

"I have a Chariot card for my classroom, though," Mr. Howards argued. "We could trade in our Hanged Man cards and camp out there. We don't have a Chariot card for any other classrooms now, do we?"

"Yes, that's true, but we don't really need that card to take refuge in a classroom."

Mr. Howards was shaking his head. "The Chariot card doesn't just mean that. It's more like a key pass; you can use the chemicals in the chemistry lab, the fencing equipment from the fencing hall, and the list goes on. I'm not sure if you remember, but the north side of Autumn Hall was exploded away when we returned after the 25th Game. That was probably the work of someone using the Chariot card to set up a trap."

"Doesn't that mean you could use it on the security room?" (Y/n) whispered to Keller. "Then you could mess around with the school's security system and trigger lockdowns and whatnot."

"Oh, you mean like those laser things in the spy movies?" Keller looked weirdly excited. "That would be so cool. Or the cafeteria! I'm hungry."

"Dad, your beer belly is showing."

"My beer belly isn't as big as your food baby, dear."

Jasper still looked unsure. "But Spring's quite far...who knows what kind of dangers we'd face along the way."

"Don't worry about that," Mr. Howards assured him. "We can use the teachers' hallway. How else do you think these old legs could get us around campus all day?"

The navy blue-haired male looked conflicted before he finally relented. "Fine. Let's go. Lead the way, Mr. Howards."

He smiled. "With pleasure."

WINTER:HALL ━━━━━༻ ❀ ༺━━━━━ ℓαtєя

(Y/n) discovered that the doors that were marked "staff only" led to a series of winding hallways she never knew about. And it made her jealous. Why can't students get these? She scowled as the two entered the vicinity of Autumn Hall in no time. This is not fair. Had I known, I would've used these all year.

Life lesson #2: Always go into rooms marked "staff only" because that's a smart thing to do.

The (h/c)-haired girl was trailing slightly behind the rest. Jasper and Keller were f—um, joking away, while Alicia and Mr. Howards were engaged in their conversation. That left Elijah, her, and Mr. Brooks, with the first trying to get a reaction out of the latter by talking about rugby.

"Rubgy's great, man," Elijah was saying. "You play, Edward? I can call you Edward, right? Yeah, rugby's the sh*t man. You gotta try it."

The whole time he was talking Mr. Brooks was ignoring him. (Y/n) had to give him credit for his poker face and ignoring abilities.

Her (e/c) eyes flickered from back to back as something came to her. It was a totally random thought; she had been replaying Elijah's words that Reese was missing in her head in an attempt to figure out the reason behind it until she remembered a few words that didn't sit right with her.

Mr. Howards said he was only told the truth of the Game a few years after he started, she mused. But he already knew the reason why the school had a chunk of its wall missing five years ago. I don't think the headmaster would just spill everything, right? Or maybe I'm just thinking too much into it...

She checked the cameras on her phone as if for comfort. Isla and Lucinda were in Spring Hall, whereas Carmen could be seen coming in and out of the cameras' view in Summer Hall. She saw five other students, one of them being a redhead that made her breath hitch in her throat, only to die down when she realized the hair belonged to a female. She didn't see Jason or Reese anywhere.

One of them is the Seeker, the (h/c)-haired girl thought. But that doesn't seem likely. Then...

Does that mean someone in this group is the Seeker?

Her phone pinged. It was a new message from June.

~ ❀ ~

tracer404: Hey, how's everything going?

me: we still have no idea who the seeker is

me: anything on your end?

tracer404: I've been watching the cameras for a few hours now. I didn't see anything out of the ordinary.

tracer404: Wait actually, whenever some dies I see this one person disappear from the camera's view.

me: are they a face or...?

tracer404: I'm pretty sure they're a number. The Faces all know to stay out of the cameras' way so I have no idea who they are. I'll keep watching.

me: okay, thanks!

~ ❀ ~

A Number who might be killing Numbers...? The thought didn't sit right with her. Why would anyone kill a person in cold blood for no reason? Enjoyment? Sadism? And who said everything is perfect in the sparkling world of the rich? I'd like to sue them.

A face on the camera caught her eye. It was in Winter Hall, where they had left. It was Leon, much to her surprise. He's here too? She didn't see any of the others and assumed he was alone. She watched as he took out his phone and scrolled through it for a few minutes before pocketing it. Then he began making his way through the hallway closer and closer to where the camera was.

Then he stopped and looked right into it.

His face was as impassive as usual, but the unexpected action made the (h/c)-haired girl falter in her steps, even though she knew he couldn't see her. The silver-eyed male regarded the camera with disinterest before reaching up. (Y/n) watched with curiosity as his hand approached the device.

And in one swift motion, one screen in her multitude of footage screens went dark. She stared at her phone in disbelief. Did he just crush a camera with his bare hands?

One by one, she saw him go up to all the cameras in Winter Hall and break them the same way. Either with his bare hands or with a pipe when it was too high up the wall. He kept doing this until every single camera of that Hall was shattered, leaving a good quarter of her screen blank.

Well, that sucked. And here I was being smart for once. Did he have to ruin all of my hard work?

"You guys go on ahead," (Y/n) told Jasper. "I need to check something real quick. The"—she cast a look at the teachers before gesturing to her phone—"Stuff."

Thankfully, the blue-haired male got what she was trying to say despite her miserable excuse of an explanation. "Need me to go with you?"

This probably my dumbest decision yet. "I'll be fine. I'll meet you in Mr. Howards' classroom later, okay?"

He still looked concerned. "At least take someone with you—"

She shook her head. Sunflower said he couldn't get seen by the others, so zebra probably can't either. "Don't worry, mom. I'll be quick."

"Change that to 'careful' and I'll think about it."

"Yes, madam."

The violet-eyed male let out a long sigh and ran his hand through his hair. "Fine. But take this with you." He nonchalantly pulled a taser out of his back pocket and handed it to her like a mother giving her child pocket money. (Y/n) always needed pocket money. Tasers were a bonus. "Don't zap yourself now, okay?"

"Got it, momma."

"I don't remember giving birth to you. Anyway, hurry on now and hurry back, got it?"

(Y/n) did a little bow, finishing with a flourish. "Yessir."

If Reese could see her now, he'd be running away screaming about how aliens abducted her or she was replaced with a changeling. Imagine (Y/n) actually wanting to do work. Work, that strange and unusual entity that no one likes but everyone must do. She left before anyone else noticed and went back where they came from, only taking a few different turns she hoped were a shortcut.

Fortuna was kind to her that day, and she arrived back at Winter Hall within minutes. The hallways were empty and filled with a sense of nostalgia and the faint scent of the world after rain but thankfully, no sign of the Seeker. She checked her phone again in hopes that maybe Leon had let one camera off scot-free.

But he didn't. That guy must have something against cameras. Maybe he tried to rob a bank and got busted by the surveillance cameras? Ha, just kidding.

She continued down the hallways with extra caution, of course. If she ran into the Seeker, she had her gun and taser with her, but what good would it do against a killer? She couldn't even throw her trash into the trashcan from one foot away, for God's sake. Don't expect me to know how to use this thing. Her knowledge of weapons was limited to taking out the bullets. Putting them back in was another story.

I bet all the chicken nuggets I don't eat from McDonald's that I'm going to get a jump scare soon, she gulped. Either that or I'm going to get murdered and my body shoved in a trash can. Why am I so smart?

(Y/n) tried to reason with herself that it was at least smarter than sitting around in a classroom doing nothing (it really isn't). Jaehyun warned her about the possible dangers, and she was curious to see if Leon had anything that would really help her.

She found him within seconds. He was making his way down from an upper level of the building while brushing his hands off. What he was doing, she didn't know.

"'Sup, z—uh, Leon!" The (h/c)-haired girl greeted him. He looked up with a flitting look of surprise on his face that soon disappeared. "So, uh, just wanted to ask...why were you breaking the cameras? I, uh, kinda needed them."

"I know," he said simply. She waited for further explanation. There was none.

She made vague gestures as she spoke. "If you knew, then why did you break...them? Were you, uh, bored or something...?"

He gave her an incredulous look. (Y/n) couldn't blame him; she'd give herself that look too if she could. Then he shook his head and took her wrist. He said, "Come on, we can't stay here," and began pulling her in the opposite direction of where she came from.

I feel like this happens a lot when I'm with him...The (h/c)-haired girl was confused. "Uh, where are we going?"

Leon glanced back briefly. "Somewhere safe."

I mean, nowhere is safe here anymore but okay.

He took them to an art classroom, a room filled with countless untouched easels, paintbrushes, and artists'...knives. But we don't talk about that part. The silver-eyed male closed the door behind them and pushed a cabinet with ease over to block it. (Y/n) couldn't help but admire and be jealous of his efficiency.

"So," she began. "Did you see the Seeker by chance?"

Leon hesitated before responding as he glanced at the windows. The (h/c)-haired girl turned around in confusion. "What, did a middle-aged old man in spandex finally develop superpowers?"

He peeled his eyes away and shook his head. "No, it's nothing," he muttered. "I've...only seen the Seeker once."

Now we're talking! "Yeah?" She unconsciously leaned forward. "And who is it?" Anticipation and nervousness sent uncomfortable butterflies flitting around in her stomach, while her chest felt heavier and heavier. A sinking feeling filled her as countless possibilities ran through her head, many of them worse case ones. What if one of their group was the Seeker? Then was it a good idea to leave them? But if she didn't, they could've continued walking blindly with the Seeker into their trap.

Leon looked at odds with something. "You shouldn't worry too much about it," he finally said. "Just stay here. You'll be safe."

"Well, as nice that sounds and everything, I can't do that"—she motioned towards the door—"My friends are still out there. I came for answers, z—uh, Leon. If you'll help me, that is."

He shook his head. "No, you'll stay here." He rose to his feet. "I'll take care of him." The male began heading towards the door, leaving the (h/c)-haired girl more and more confused.

"Wait, what?" (Y/n) stood up. "No, I need answers, not—"

But he was already gone, the door closed behind him. She ran up to it and tried to follow him, but it was locked. Are you being serious right now?! She jiggled the doorknob, but it was no use. It was securely fastened from the outside.

(Y/n) groaned and pulled at her hair. This is great. I really screwed up this time. She paced across the classroom nervously as she bit her nail. I do believe he's going to do what he says he's doing, but he's not supposed to let himself be seen by the players, right? Then how is he going to separate the Seeker from my friends if they are in fact there?

More questions and theories sprouted in her head at a pace so fast she almost couldn't handle them all. Zebra said "him," didn't he? So the Seeker's a guy. That eliminates Ms. Florence from the list, leaving only Eli, Mr. Howards, or one of my friends. It can't be one of my friends, right?

But slowly, very slowly, the cogs in her head began to turn and put two and two together. That person...he said he started five years ago and had no idea what the Game was about, but then knew the reason why all the weird things were happening. He was also very insistent about going to Spring Hall when Autumn and Winter would've worked just fine. Not to mention Reese supposedly "died" in Spring Hall. Could he be...?

The (h/c)-haired tapped her foot impatiently and turned to face the windows, her (e/c) orbs scanning the horizon of a multitude of crimsons and golds of the setting sun. If he is, I need to get out of here. If the door doesn't work, I'll take the window. Who uses doors nowadays anyway?

She stood on a chair to reach the latch on the window. "Who the hell designed this?" She muttered angrily as she managed to flick the latch. "Okay, done." Now was the hardest part; pulling the heavy a** glass window open.

Her nonexistent muscles strained as she began pulling on them. Maybe there was a fancy mechanism to automatically open them, but if there was, (Y/n) didn't find it. She was screaming in her head as she pulled, her arms nearly falling out of their sockets while the cursed window inched open. Inched.

Finally, she managed to crack the window open enough to probably fit herself through it. All that energy wasted to open a window. This is the start of a great new afternoon for sure. (Y/n) braced her hands on the windowsill to catch her breath for a few seconds, her chest rising and falling with the effort. Maybe I should've accepted Lucy's invitation to join her at the gym after all...

Then she looked up and Fortuna, curse them, chose that exact moment to drop a whole new bomb on her. Something fell from above just as her eyes rose from the windowsill to the glass, a blur of brown and white that plummeted straight down, hitting the ground with a sickening crack.

That brown hair—(Y/n) knew that hair. Knew who it belonged to, and knew the person who wore their uniform that way, untucked and collar open, the tie looped messily around their neck.

Her brain stuttered for a moment as the world around her grew quiet, every part of her halting as her mind stumbled to catch up to her eyes. Icy cold washed over her as the shadows melted from her vision and head, revealing the full clarity of the situation.

Carmen.

(Y/n) didn't think, didn't scream, didn't say anything as with newfound strength, threw the window open. Her face fell faster than a drowning corpse with heavy chains at the sight of a female body broken and sprawled on the grass below, a puddle of blood slowly surrounding her.

There was no mistake. It was Carmen. Carmen Parker.

Her phone chimed, no doubt a message from the headmaster informing everyone of the girl's death, but (Y/n) didn't have the heart to check it. Her mind was blank and so, so empty. She didn't know what to think, didn't want to think as she pulled herself through the window and began climbing up.

The wall was easy to climb but even if it wasn't, the (h/c)-haired girl was willing to break all her fingers and limbs to claw herself up the side of the building. Everything was a smog-filled haze as she hefted herself onto the rooftop. A fog settled over her, muddling her mind until the only thing left clear was her eyes. Her (e/c) eyes that saw the exact place Carmen had fallen from, a small ledge with bits of a rope tied to it, the end hanging down from the roof frayed and ripped.

Even through the shivering shock that gripped her, one thought shone clearly from the murky depths of her mind. Someone had tied Carmen there and waited for her to fall.

Still numb, she finally found the will to move her hands and take out her phone, clicking on the newest message slowly.

Carmen Parker, Number 3, the Sun, has been killed. May Fortuna smile kindly on the rest of you.

Those words were too familiar to her. Just like Reese's death call, and without the name of the killer. Was there nothing she could do?

The grief came first. Devastating, heavy, suffocating grief. So much that she was almost drowning in it. Her heart monitor beeped yellow warningly. Then came the frustration of not knowing who killed them and knowing she couldn't save them. Last was the icy cold numbness that settled over her again, sharpening her mind and spurring her into action.

~ ❀ ~

me: june this is a dumb question but does fortuna have cameras on the rooftop?

tracer404: No. Why?

me: my friend fell from there

tracer404: Oh, no...

me: then did you see anyone on the cameras of winter hall like ten minutes ago?

me: someone going upstairs or something?

tracer404: I saw a few students running around but nothing strange.

tracer404: There was that one guy who started smashing all the cameras. What's up with him?

me: yeah, i know him. he's not a player

tracer404: Then, do you think he could've killed your friend?

me: he's a lot of things but i doubt a murderer's one of them

me: what would a nonplayer get out of it anyway?

tracer404: Can you tell me what the headmaster's message was?

me: carmen parker, number 3, the sun, killed

tracer404: That's it?

me: that's it. it was also like that with another friend of mine. only we never found his body

tracer404: That usually means neither a Number or Face killed them. Could it have been...suicide?

me: reese and carmen would never kill themselves

me: i know they wouldn't

tracer404: Okay, then that's out of the question. It could still be a Face or Number manipulating them to kill themselves in an accident. Maybe that's what it is?

me: maybe...thanks, june

tracer404: I'll keep an eye on the cameras.

~ ❀ ~

Don't worry, Carrie, the (h/c)-haired girl thought as she gazed down at the brunette's body below her. I'll sort this out. We'll sort this out. Somehow. Then everything will be okay again. Casting one last look at the girl, (Y/n) stood back up and began running towards the exit, a stairway that should lead her straight to Autumn Hall instead of going back to Winter and taking the long way.

She almost tripped down the stairs in her haste to get to one of the few doors marked "staff only." (Y/n) pushed it open and without a second glance began running down the hallway it leads to, hoping he wasn't the Seeker.

Because if he was, everyone, including Isla and Lucinda who were hiding in Spring Hall, was in trouble.

Her feet thundered on the smooth marble—actually, she had no idea what the floor was made of—floor, carrying her closer and closer to the direction of Spring Hall. It was a matter of minutes before she arrived and flung open the last door before making a beeline to the classroom they should be in. Her English classroom, otherwise known as Mr. Howards' classroom.

Her mouth opened as she was about to call for them, but she caught herself. It was better she sneaked in stealthily. And if Leon kept his word, he would be there too. The (h/c)-haired girl approached the room quietly and peeked up into the window. It was blocked, preventing anyone from looking inside. She changed her tactic immediately and pressed her ear to the door.

Silence.

What the hell happened?! Nevermind that, time to pull a—The name got stuck in her throat. She couldn't say it. Shaking her head to clear her momentary hesitation, (Y/n) took a step back. Then a running leap forward, her body slamming into the locked door.

Ow.

But hey, it opened! Inside, the room looked like a tornado had gone through it twice and then threw everything up three times over. Chairs were scattered messily, tables were overturned, and there was an obvious sign of a struggle, especially with the pair of bloodied scissors on the floor.

But most of all, what caught her eye was the tied-up figures thrown against the wall. (Y/n) gasped and ran over to them immediately, seizing a clean pair of scissors from the teacher's table and untying them.

The first one was Keller, his head slumped over. She began to fear the worst, but the rising and falling of his chest made her calm down. Next to him was Jasper, also unconscious with a fresh bruise on his head. The teachers were nowhere to be seen.

"Stay here," she said more to herself than them, knowing they couldn't hear her in their state. "I'll be back." They'll be safe in this classroom. She ran out of the room and looked around. Where did they go?

Then she saw it; at the end of the hallway, there was a bloodstain. Despite her disgust and slight fear, (Y/n) ran towards it. And there was another figure, not tied up like Jasper and Keller but thoroughly beaten up. It was Mr. Howards. He was awake, although groggy, and his glasses cracked. He looked up wearily at her arrival and his eyes widened.

"(Y/n)!" He coughed into his bloodstained sleeve. His relief turned into fear. "You have to get out of here. Go, now!"

(Y/n) was confused as to why he was shoving her away like that. "Why? What's wrong?"

"Edward," the man managed to choke out. "He—that bastard knocked Jasper and Keller out. I tried to chase him but he got the best of me. I don't know where he took Alice and Elijah—" He was cut off with another coughing fit.

"Then we have to go after him! Well, I'll do that. You stay here, Mr. Howards—"

"No, I'm coming with you." Mr. Howards braced himself on the wall and rose shakily to his feet.

(Y/n) tried to protest. "But—"

The male shook his head. "Alice and Elijah are important colleagues and friends of mine. And I will not send a precious student of mine to face off against a cold-blooded murderer. I don't take no for an answer."

She had no choice but to relent. The (h/c)-haired girl lent the man her shoulder as they walked. "Straight down," he coughed and touched the bruise on his face tenderly. "They went towards the library."

(Y/n) followed his directions and began walking faster; not too fast to cause the teacher discomfort, but fast enough to get to the library before anything bad happens. They reached it quickly since it was just a few hallways away from the English classroom.

Mr. Howards leaned against the wall to catch his breath as (Y/n) held the door handle in her hands. They shared a look. "Ready?" She asked.

He nodded and took his glasses off. "Let's go."

She ripped open the door, expecting to find Mr. Florence and Elijah in a wounded state, or worse, and Mr. Brooks sitting in some CEO chair awaiting them. Perhaps something straight out of a video game, when you approach the last boss stage. Or a dungeon-like appearance in a dark jewel of a tower.

But that wasn't quite what she saw. She found the two teachers, but she didn't see Mr. Brooks. "Eli!" Without any hesitation, (Y/n) ran over to Elijah first. He was lying on his side on the floor, his arms and legs tied. There was a stab wound in his side, matching the bloodied scissors she had found in the English classroom.

Thankfully, he was awake. She helped him up and pulled the duct tape off his mouth. "Are you okay? Where's Mr. Brooks?"

Elijah coughed weakly and opened his eyes. "He's—"

His face paled and eyes turned furious as they locked onto something behind her. That fury then turned to fear. "(Y/n), you...!"

She frowned. "I what?"

"Charles is the one that took them hostage!"

Her eyes widened. But before she could turn around and accuse the blond male, there was a heavy blow to her head, and everything went dark.