Page 118 of Galaxy Games Four-Book Box Set (Galaxy Games)

118

Reason for Optimism?

V alor

Last night, I wasn’t sure what my relationship was to Willow. She kissed me, but because she thought Gronk would kill her before noon today, I’m not sure what it meant to her.

We shared a kiss. Although it felt like more than that to me, and I showed her the depth of my affection for her, I have no idea of her true feelings. I refuse to read her mind or emotions without her knowledge. That would be a violation of her privacy and trust.

This morning, she hinted at more, but despite my reassurances to the contrary, we both still thought her life was in immediate danger.

I know what she did just now was a stunt, that her jumping into my arms and kissing me was meant for Zedd and the cameras, but for me, it changed everything. I’m unsure how Braveheart fits into things, but one thing is certain, I have feelings for Willow and I’m pretty sure she harbors at least a small amount of affection toward me.

I will die to protect you I say levelly, as I spear her with my gaze. We’re all in this together , I tell them both.

“Together,” Braveheart says.

“Here’s a map of the asteroid,” Zedd announces from the safety of her network anchor desk. All but one holovid has been turned off, so we’re all facing the same direction as we watch the largest screen, which is almost the size of a billboard.

“It’s not a complicated piece of real estate. Blowing sand and tumbling brush as far as the eye can see. Of course, it wouldn’t be The Game without a few surprises, courtesy of yours truly.” She winks at the camera. If you didn’t realize she was soulless, you’d think she was beautiful.

“All you have to do is arrive at the flag with The Game logo before sunset today at 1933. Only the first 60 triads will move on to the next challenge.”

“That means the bottom 40 will be murdered,” Willow murmurs under her breath.

Willow

“Go!”

The herd takes off in the direction of the flag. The three of us stay put as if we’re anchored to the soil.

“There’s always a trick,” I tell them. “We need to think this through.” As I say this, I hear my father’s voice barking, “You’re burning daylight,” as he tried to get us all to wake up and get moving. I hate to be the slowest to start, but something’s not right.

Braveheart and I glance at each other. By the expression on his face, he’s all out of ideas. Valor palms his bald head as he thinks. It looks like he’s working the galaxy’s hardest algebra problem in his head.

He closes his eyes—all three of them—his face screwed tightly in deep thought. I know better than to interrupt him, so I release both their hands and spin in a slow circle, seeing if I can get any clues from our environment. Nothing.

“We were all standing this way,” Valor says, facing the direction where the largest screen was hanging in midair attached to four drones.

As we turn in the same direction, I wonder what he’s getting at, but I haven’t a clue.

“It makes perfect sense that all the teams went off in that direction.” Valor points after them. All but the slowest teams are out of sight. “But when Willow said it had to be a trick, it got me thinking. Which way is north? Zedd smartly turned off all the screens but one, so we’d all be watching in the same direction, all fooled into thinking the finish line was straight ahead, just as the map suggested. But the map wasn’t pointing in the direction of true north. It was meant to trick us.”

“Valor’s brilliant,” I say, as I pat his bicep.

“Not very brilliant,” he says. “I know all the other teams are going the wrong way at a high rate of speed, but I don’t know which is the correct direction.”

We discuss for a few moments more, but can only come up with one idea—to separate, the three of us hurrying in three other directions. With Valor’s psychic abilities, as soon as the first one of us sees the flag, the others will be notified and come running.

“What if we get out of range?” I ask Valor.

We come up with an elaborate plan that is basically the same as playing Marco Polo. He’ll keep reaching out to us, we’ll keep responding, so he knows we’re still in contact with each other.

I look at the piece of tech on my wrist. Before they started filming, we were all given one along with a pack equipped with water, 5 nutrition bars, a bandana, and a lighter. I have no idea how we’ll be expected to use the bandana and lighter, but I keep them as if they’re gold.

Unlike the tech almost everyone on every planet uses, the wrist-tech is not equipped with the ability for us to communicate with each other. Really, it’s just a watch.

“We have five hours and twenty minutes until sunset. If what happened last season is any indication, Zedd doesn’t mean five hours and twenty-one minutes. Miss the deadline and you’re dead.”

“We’re going to make it,” Valor says calmly.

I’m learning things about my teammates. Valor is an optimist. Even when there’s no reason for it.