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I sat on the top bunk of a bed. But…it wasn’t the bed in my hotel room. It was a big room with light blue walls, which had a white-lined pattern. I felt even younger than in the previous dream.

I climbed down the ladder, my bare feet barely making a noise as they touched the floor. I looked at the bottom bunk and saw someone sleeping in it. A small boy, probably younger than however old I was meant to be. I then heard muffled voices coming from outside the room. I walked over to the door and put my ear against it.

There were two voices, a man and a woman. After a second, I realized it was…them…

Mom: you can’t keep doing this, Caspar! You have to let them go!

Dad: it’s the only way I can keep a steady income. And they’re far more powerful than you think, Delilah. If I quit…they might take matters into their own hands.

Mom: you told me you’d let them go when we got married! It’s been years, now! When are you gonna fulfill that promise?!

Dad: I made that promise before I knew how dangerous it could be! My brother and sister…they're far crueler than you've seen. If I quit, it’ll no longer be just me at risk. They’ll target our whole family!

Mom: …

She started to sob. There was a long silence as the only noise that was made was her cries and wails.

Dad: don’t…don’t cry. I’ll think of something.

Mom: I just want our boys to be safe..!

Dad: …I'll try to strike some kinda agreement. But, trust me, they're not easily persuaded. If things go south, you three are gonna have to run and not look back.

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[Chapter Four: Shattered Mirrors and Smoldered Fingertips, Daily Life]

I jolted awake in a cold sweat. I swallowed a lump in my throat, then looked out the window.

It was just a dream. Just…a dream…

After taking a few minutes to steady my breathing, I got out of bed and got myself ready. I had managed to fall asleep after the trial, but I didn’t feel very rested.

Once I was done, I exited the hotel and made my way to the restaurant. But, when I stepped inside, no one was there.

Omar: …

I walked into the kitchen but didn’t see anyone there either. I looked at the front door.

After a few seconds of thinking, I exited the restaurant and walked down the path to the beach. Maybe someone would be there?

When I reached it, I saw there was in fact someone there. Alec was sitting at the coast. He didn't seem to notice me yet.

Omar: …

I walked over to him.

Omar: hey, Alec.

He blinked, then turned his head to look at me.

Alec: why are you here..?

Omar: why am I here? The bigger question is why are you here! Why weren't you at the restaurant?!

Alec: I’m just…scared. It felt really lonely at the restaurant…this place is more open and calm.

I paused.

Omar: scared of what?

Alec: I don’t know, really. It’s kinda dumb…

Omar: it’s not dumb! Tell me what’s wrong! I…I want to start listening to you all. Just…like Jo told me I should.

He looked at me, then at the ocean waves.

Alec: …have you ever thought about what would happen if you died, Omar?

The question caught me off guard.

Omar: uh, no, I can’t say I have.

Alec: I’ve thought about it…a lot. I’ve thought about what would happen if anyone here died, actually. It’s a morbid thought, but it could happen at any time with no warning. How do you deal with the fact any of us could drop dead without a proper goodbye?

Omar: …

Omar: I…don't really have an answer to that. It’s a scary thought…but submitting to fear only makes it stronger. The possibility is there, but I’ll never let it come true! I will never let myself succumb to that fate, and will try my best to stop anyone else from doing so as well.

Alec: …

Alec: …your dedication amazes me.

I tilted my head.

Omar: really?

Alec: of course it does. I wish I had the ability to state things with the sheer amount of confidence that you do. Even if your stubbornness can work against you…the amount of willpower you have is inspiring. When you assure me about stuff like this…it makes me feel better. You’re one of the few people I know that, when they say something, I’m completely certain that they mean it.

Omar: I… Thank you…

Omar: I just want to be able to lead and help the group. Even…if I've recently been failing at that…

Alec: …it’s okay. With your new experiences in mind, things will get better.

Omar: really..? But…I thought you didn’t trust me anymore.

He sighed.

Alec: yeah..I was upset during our argument the other day. But I know you have the best intentions in mind, and I think you can right that wrong. You remind me of…Albert, in a way. He was always a little reckless and misguided, but he had a good heart.

Alec: he’s made me mad a lot throughout our lives, but he always grew from those mistakes. And…you can do the same. It’ll all be water under the bridge one day, won’t it?

Omar: …I guess it will be.

I chuckled.

Omar: I can say the same thing about you that you say about me. When you tell me things like this…I really do believe you.

As I wiped the sand off my pants, I was caught off guard by a pair of arms wrapping around me. I looked forward and saw Alec hugging me. I smiled, hugging him back.

The hug lingered for a few seconds before I finally let go. He took a step back, breathing heavily. He looked at me with a reddened face.

Alec: no offense but…I could not breathe…during that hug…

Omar: ooh…haha, yeah, I get that a lot. A lot of people say I hug like a bear!

I raised my arms above my head, then spread out my fingers like bear claws.

Alec raised a brow, then laughed at my bear imitation.

Alec: I’d say that’s an accurate description.

I grinned.

Omar: how about we go back over to the restaurant?

Alec: oh, yeah.. We probably should.

We both exited the beach area and walked over to the restaurant. Once we did, we saw Thomas sitting at one of the tables. He looked up, then waved to us.

Thomas: hey, I was wondering why you two weren’t here. What happened?

Omar: oh, we were just at the beach. Alec said I hugged like a bear and then I raised my arms like this!

I reenacted the same pose I did earlier.

Thomas: yeah, you seem like a bear to me.

Omar: what?

Thomas: nothing. Do you two wanna sit down?

We both sat down at a table with him while we waited for the others to arrive. Zahrah showed up, but now another person was missing…

As we ate, I realized how much more…empty it felt. There were originally seventeen people who’d sit and eat in that restaurant. But now it was close to half that amount…

After getting my food, I looked at Alec and Thomas.

Omar: do you wanna take bets on what the next island’s gonna be?

Thomas: well, everything so far has been pretty normal. A town square, a city street. They’re based on real-world concepts but have a slightly deadly twist to them.

Alec: then maybe the next island will be themed like a town or a village. Whatever the next logical step up from a city street would be.

I nodded.

Omar: hopefully the new island will be fun! Maybe it’ll have new activities.

Alec: …perhaps that would be nice.

As we were finishing our meals, Nicole stepped into the restaurant.

Nicole: hello, tourists! I’m sure you all know what I’m here for by now. A new island has been opened up! So why don’t you all follow me over to our new bridge?

We all cleaned up, then followed Nicole out of the restaurant. Just like before, a new bridge appeared overnight. She turned to face all of us.

Nicole: have fun! I hope this island in particular will be a nice change in pace! There’s a few stationary maps scattered throughout the island if you ever get lost.

The nine of us crossed the bridge, entering the new island. Once we did, my eyes widened in wonder.

The island was entirely themed around a carnival, having game booths, concession stands, and even a few theme park rides. I looked over at Alec, who was standing next to me.

Omar: this looks so cool!

Alec: yeah, it does. Should we look at one of those maps?

I grabbed his hand, dragging him towards the carnival.

Omar: I think seeing for ourselves is more enjoyable. Let’s find out what this place has to offer!

I walked over to one of the booths. It was one of those games where you had to hit the balloons stationed on the wall by throwing darts. If you were able to score a hit with all ten darts, you got to pick a stuffed animal. There was also a box which you had to insert a few coins into for the game to start.

I looked longingly at the stuffed animals hanging from the booth's ceiling.

Omar: I need to win one of those!

He chuckled.

Alec: do you want the stuffed animals?

I nodded.

Alec: try a game, then. I’ve never played this before, but it looks simple.

I pulled out a few of my coins, sliding them into the box. Once I did, ten darts were lined up for me to take. I grabbed one, throwing it at the wall. I repeated the process with the other nine darts but couldn’t hit all the balloons.

I crossed my arms.

Omar: I gotta try again, hold on.

I pulled out a few more coins, sliding them into the box.

Alec: why do you like carnivals so much? You seem pretty excited to be here.

Omar: well, they’re fun!

I threw one of the darts.

Omar: I loved going to carnivals as a kid…I think. They were always so fun and exciting, with all the cool rides, bright colors, and fun decorations.

I didn’t manage to win that game either. But, on my third attempt at the game, I managed to hit all ten of the balloons. I bounced up and down in joy.

Omar: YES!

Alec looked at me, then at the popped balloons.

Alec: oh, good job!

Becca appeared behind the booth counter. She looked at the popped balloons as well. She smiled at me.

Becca: congratulations! Which prize do you want?

I looked up at the stuffed animals, scanning my options. My eyes soon settled on one particular one. I pointed at it.

Omar: that one!

Becca reached up, grabbing it off the rack. She handed it to me.

It was a medium-sized bear plush, with brown fur and button eyes. I cradled it in my arms, like how you would a baby.

Omar: this is so cool, right?!

Alec: it’s a cute bear, definitely.

Omar: you should try playing! I see another one up there. We can match!

Alec: oh, I don’t know… I’ve never played carnival games like this before. I wouldn’t be very good at it.

I tilted my head.

Omar: really? Well…you can have mine, then!

I handed him the plush. He gave me a surprised look.

Alec: you want me to have it..?

Omar: I already have that bunny plush, so you deserve to have this bear!

He looked down at it, slowly taking the bear. He looked into its button eyes, then back at me. I noticed a faint smile on his face.

Alec: oh… Thank you.

Omar: don't sweat it! Now, where do you wanna go next?

He looked around, then gestured to one of the nearby attractions. It was a concession stand.

When we walked over to it, I looked over the menu. It had a variety of snacks and drinks to buy.

Omar: do you want anything? They have salted pretzels, lemonade, cotton candy…

Alec looked at the menu.

Alec: I've never had cotton candy before. What's it like?

Omar: I dunno, I've never had it either. So I guess that'll be two!

After buying the cotton candy, I handed one to Alec.

Omar: wow, they look like pink clouds on sticks!

Alec: what's this made out of..?

???: it's made out of sugar.

I turned my head. Trey was standing not too far away from us.

Omar: sugar? Like…pure sugar?

They shrugged.

Trey: yeah, basically.

Omar: that's so cool! How can someone make this out of pure sugar?!

Trey: the process does feel…magical, in a sense. Heh.

They walked up to the stand, buying a pretzel.

Trey: are you guys gonna go on any of the rides? I saw a Ferris wheel nearby.

Omar: maybe!

I looked at Alec.

Omar: do you want to?

Alec: …I suppose it wouldn’t hurt to try one.

Omar: let’s go, then!

We walked through the carnival and in the direction of the Ferris wheel. While walking, I saw a building out of the corner of my eye. I stopped walking, then pointed to the building.

Omar: hey, what’s that?

Alec looked at the building. It was large and windowless, made of what looked like concrete. It was painted with neon green and neon pink paint.

Alec: I don’t know…

???: that’s our laser tag building!

Nicole appeared from behind one of the game booths.

Nicole: it’s off-limits as of now, though! And not like the abandoned building on the first island where it’s not really off-limits. This one is off, off-limits!

Alec: okay… Why?

Nicole: oh, you’ll see once it opens up.

She chuckled, then walked behind that same game booth and disappeared.

Omar: that was…out of the blue.

Alec nodded, then looked to the side.

Alec: oh, there’s the Ferris wheel!

I turned to where he was looking. The ride wasn’t too far away from where we were standing.

Omar: sweet!

We walked over to the ride. Once we reached it, I noticed there was a small box where you had to pay a fee to enter the ride. I dug around in my pockets, but couldn’t feel anything. I cursed.

Omar: I think I ran out of coins.

Alec: that’s fine; I have some.

He tucked his bear under his arm, then reached into his pockets. He pulled out a handful of coins. He slid them into the coin slot. The gate that led to the Ferris wheel, which was previously closed, suddenly opened.

We both stepped through the gate and over to the Ferris wheel. I looked over at Alec, then gestured to the passenger cart.

Omar: you first.

Alec: how chivalrous of you.

Once he sat down, I got in beside him. I closed the door to the cart, and the ride started up. As we went up into the air, I glanced over the edge. We weren’t particularly high up yet, but it felt like I was on top of the world. I looked over at Alec, who was resting the bear plush in his lap.

Omar: this is so cool!

Alec: the movement is surprisingly smooth… I was expecting something much jankier.

I leaned towards the edge again, looking down at the ground below. We were reaching the highest point of the ride.

Omar: hey, I can see the others!

I wanted to wave to them, but I felt they wouldn’t notice me. I looked back over at Alec. When we locked eyes, I instinctively smiled at him. He flashed me a smile back.

When the ride stopped, we both stepped out of the cart. We continued walking but were suddenly halted by Nicole.

Nicole: there you two are! Why didn’t you come over when I made the announcement?!

Omar: what announcement?

Nicole: the one I just made!

Alec: we were riding the Ferris wheel…

He pointed to it.

Nicole: oh. Well, then, you two follow me! I’ve got an important thing to show you all!

I gave Alec a confused look. He gave me a similar one. Despite that, we followed Nicole to one of the game booths. When we reached it, we saw Trey, Jojo, Thomas, and Thiago already there. I looked around.

Omar: hey, where’s everyone else?

Nicole: oh, them? They’re nowhere to be found on this island! I guess they thought they were too cool for the carnival! But that doesn’t matter, since they’ll be missing out on this announcement.

Thomas: what’s this announcement for?

Nicole: it’s for this!

She pulled out a folder, holding it above her head.

Nicole: this folder contains some…special information. So make sure to not lose it, since I’m not handing out extras!

She handed it to Trey, who was the one standing closest to her. After doing so, she walked away.

Trey looked down at the folder, then flipped it open.

Trey: …

Omar: what does it say?

I walked over to them to see the folder. Inside, it held several pieces of paper. I pulled out the first one to get a closer look. It had a bunch of printed text on it.


HOPESTONE KILLING GAME.

RECOUNTING OF EVENTS VIA WITNESS TESTIMONIES.

March 19th, 2020. — Project: Recreation.

Written by XXXXX XXXXXXX.


That title caught me off guard. Hopestone killing game…? What could that mean? I kept reading.


Last year, a group of fourteen first-years at Hopestone Academy were trapped in the academy and forced to kill each other. The two overlookers of the game (according to our witnesses, referred to as the ‘assistant’ and ‘mastermind’ respectively), were the duo Nikolai Alarie and Reza. The contestants were watched over by a robot cat named Monokat, who was programmed with a complex AI. From what was described, the AI was extremely complex. It let the robot respond and act like a real person.

“The fact that it [Monokat] was an AI…I was impressed. Obviously…it was getting us to kill each other, but that thing felt alive,” Allison Scott said in an interview with our staff regarding the game.

Despite the absurdity of the story, it all checked out. All except for one thing. This supposed assistant, Reza, doesn’t have any track record of attending the academy. They described him as the ultimate assassin and gave a physical description of him, but there were no records of anyone matching it. Not just for their year, but for any year in the school’s history. Because of the lack of a surname provided, it’s been a struggle to find any kind of sufficient evidence as to who he is.

“I don’t care who he [Reza] was,” Rosalie Murphy, our second interviewee, said, “He’s dead now, and it was for the best.”

When questioned about the circumstances of his death, Rosalie claimed that he was killed by one of the contestants in the game. “Chidi killed himself for the sake of taking that…monster down. I applaud him for that, even if he isn’t here to see it.” Upon further research, we were able to track down the guy as Chidi Dauda, the ultimate child caregiver. Our interviewees confirmed it was a match.

The closest thing to a connection we have at this moment is a strange coincidence regarding a spy who had gone undercover at the school and revealed classified secrets regarding the school during its downfall. This spy had a sibling named Reza. However, the sibling died at only four years of age.

When our team was searching the ruins of the school, we were able to find the remains of the students who had died in that building. Due to the gap of time between the game ending and our search, a lot of the remains beside the bones had rotted, but we will be testing anything we find for DNA. We hope these tests will help uncover the true identity of Reza.


Omar: …

Jojo: what the…? A different killing game…?

Thiago: …

Thomas: so, there was a whole other killing game before this one? I sure don’t remember one.

Thiago: of course you don’t… Becca erased our memories.

Thomas: why would she try to hide this from us?

Alec: …these two games must be connected in some way. Don’t you guys remember that statue on the second island? It’s of Nikolai Alarie, the guy mentioned in the papers.

Trey: could he be behind this game as well, then?

Jojo: how could he get away with two games like this? Surely, if he was identified by witnesses who lived to tell the tale, he would’ve been arrested. Actually, how did he even organize the first game..?

Thomas: I’m guessing we’re missing some context to the situation. What else is in that folder, Trey?

Trey looked into the folder, grabbing another piece of paper.

Trey: it’s…some profile, I think.

They showed it to us.


Full Name: Rosalie Murphy

Age: 19

Gender: Female

Talent: Ultimate Academic

Other: Deemed the ultimate academic when invited to Hopestone. Would fit in nicely with management; she has an apparent dedication to our upcoming project and is good at organizing. However, she’ll need to work on her cooperation.


Jojo: that’s one of the girls mentioned in the article…

Thomas: she must be a part of the organization that made the article. Project: Recreation.

Alec: so she survived the first killing game…then joined this organization…

Trey: that’s not all… There are two other profiles.

They pulled two other profiles out of the folder.


Full Name: Allison Scott

Age: 18

Gender: Female

Talent: Ultimate Mechanic

Other: Deemed the ultimate mechanic when invited to Hopestone. An obvious pick for the technical department, with her skill in machinery. Her laid-back attitude will make her easy to work with. Also insists on using the moniker “Ally.”


Full Name: “John Doe”

Age: N/A (presumed early 20s)

Gender: N/A (presumed male)

Talent: None (presumed)

Other: No information about him has been uncovered, as he refuses to answer questions regarding identity. However, the knowledge he’s shown to hold is vital to our project's success. He will be allowed into the organization under close moderation. He also has a strangely close attachment to two mysterious devices. The devices have been confiscated, but nothing malicious has been discovered about them. No one even knows how the machines work.


Thomas: all these people joined this organization, but what for? What makes this organization so special that we need to be shown all this?

Alec: they recruited survivors of the killing game, and have been writing articles as well as collecting data about it… Perhaps they’re an organization dedicated to undoing the effects of what Nikolai Alarie did?

Thomas: well, considering our situation, it seems like they didn’t do a very good job.

Trey: …is it possible that they could be the reason we are here?

Jojo: why would they be?

Trey: they’ve been gathering data and witness testimonies from the first killing game… Maybe they were doing so in order to replicate one of their own? The organization is named Project: Recreation…so maybe they’re trying to recreate the killing game.

Alec: why would the survivors take part in something like that, though? If they had experienced something so horrible, wouldn’t they try to stop it?

Trey: people’s minds are fragile… Sometimes, if they’re deprived of something, they’ll try to make it so no one else can have it either.

They then peaked into the folder.

Trey: oh… There’s one more thing.

They pulled out a piece of paper that had a drawing on it. It was a grayscale drawing of a guy with tan skin, dark hair, and a button-up shirt. His glare, even if it was just a drawing on paper, pierced right through my eyes and into my head. I blinked in discomfort, yet couldn’t stop looking at the picture.

Was…that…?

Jojo: who’s that guy?

Thomas: hm…it looks like one of those sketches that police officers make when given a physical description of a criminal. It’s probably that Reza guy.

Alec: that does make sense. If they were looking for match-ups of him in the student record, it’d be good to have a drawing for comparison.

Thiago: if all this stuff is here, there’s no doubt the organization is related to this game in some way. There’s no other way we’d have access to all this classified information.

Thomas: yeah, but what’re we gonna do about it? Project: Recreation is no more than an enigma to us. A faceless, descriptionless organization. We can’t do anything to stop them if they’re really behind this game.

Alec: …

He looked at me.

Trey: well…maybe we can have that conversation later when everyone is gathered together. For now, though, let’s keep all these papers in this folder.

Alec: yeah, and…uh…mind giving me the folder? I wanna show this to the people who aren’t here so they can catch up to speed.

Trey: sure, go ahead.

Once all the papers were neatly back in the folder, Alec grabbed it, then looked at me.

Alec: …wanna come with me?

I blinked.

Omar: oh, sure.

Stuffing my hands in my pockets, I followed him off the fourth island and onto the bridge. As we walked, an awkward silence hung in the air. It took several minutes for it to break.

Alec: what’s wrong?

I gave him a confused look.

Omar: what?

Alec: what’s wrong? You’re being way too quiet about all of this. Usually, you’d be all, “It’ll be okay! We’ll beat that organization!”

Omar: …

I grabbed the folder, then pulled out the last paper: the sketch drawing.

Omar: it’s not really one thing… But kinda just everything.

Alec: you’ve got to be more specific than that.

Omar: like…! I don’t know how to word it… Nothing feels right. Oh, I know! Do you remember what year it is?

Alec: the paper said it was 2020.

Omar: no, before that. When you first enrolled at this academy… What year was it?

Alec: …

Alec: I…can’t say I do.

Omar: yeah, exactly! Have you ever been able to remember the date?

Alec: well, I never really thought about it before you asked… The current year has never been brought up before.

Omar: this is what I’m talking about! There are so many details that I feel like I should remember, but I can’t! It all feels so familiar, but I can’t figure out why!

Alec: okay, but what does the drawing have to do with that..?

I looked at it again.

Omar: this Reza guy… I feel like I should remember him.

Alec: really? Are you suggesting he’s somehow related to your memories? Or…lack thereof, I should say.

Omar: yes!

I began pacing back and forth across the bridge.

Omar: it’s just on the tip of my tongue! I’m convinced I know him from somewhere!

I reached into the folder and pulled out the article. I skimmed through the paragraphs, then suddenly found my eyes stuck on a specific section.


The closest thing to a connection we have at this moment is a strange coincidence regarding a spy who had gone undercover at the school and revealed classified secrets regarding the school during its downfall. This spy had a sibling named Reza. However, the sibling died at only four years of age.


Omar: …that’s it! I get it, now!

Alec: what?

Omar: he’s my brother!