Page 27 of Poisoned Pawns (The Gamemakers Trilogy #1)

Ivy-Revelations & Whiplash

Sneaking out of Desmond's dorm was a shitty thing to do, and I feel so bad for doing it, but Everly and Millie needed me and what kind of friend would I be to not be there for them? I couldn’t exactly tell them, “Hey, I’m with Desmond.

I’ll be back later.” Guess that makes me a liar and a fraud.

Jesus, fuck. How did everything get so fucking complicated?

I hate this. It's one thing to lie about little things, but it's another to lie about something like this. I’m going to have to tell Millie at some point. There’s only so much I can hide for so long before it bleeds over and I lose my best friend over not being able to keep it in my panties. Ugh!

Walking into the sorority house, I’m immediately bombarded by Everly.

“Where the fuck have you been? I’ve been calling you all night!” she growls.

“My phone was on silent. My bad!” I lie.

“Yeah, well, we have a fucking problem, and you’re not going to like it!” she tells me, and I huff.

“What the fuck happened now?” I ask, and she shoves her phone in my hand, pressing play.

My eyes widen as I see Katie being railed from behind by an older man as a whip smacks against her back, slicing into her skin.

Moans greet my ears as the camera moves around to her face–bloody and beaten, then it moves to the man fucking her, and I gasp.

“Holy fucking shit!”

“Yeah, and Millie is not fucking okay!” she spits.

“I wouldn’t be okay after seeing this either.”

“There’s more to this than just finding out your stepdad was fucking our best friend! Keep watching,” she tells me, and I look back down at the screen. After watching for a few more seconds, I look up at her.

“What am I looking for?” I ask.

“Just keep watching. We are almost there,” she tells me, and then I see it and drop the phone. It bounces off the rug, and my hand immediately covers my gaping mouth. A tear falls from my eye. Wiping it away, I look at Everly.

“Who is the person behind the camera? How did you get this? I have so many fucking questions,” I say, my tone laced with venom.

“I don’t know who sent it, but Beth allowed it to be played at the party last night,” she tells me. I go to take a step, but she grabs my wrist. “It went viral on the school’s website. Everyone fucking knows about it!” she informs me, and I see red.

“Where is Beth?” I spit, and she looks up, and low and behold, there she is, standing at the top of the landing with her arms folded. I’m going to rip her fucking head from her body.

Running up the stairs, I come face to face with her. She smirks, and I rear my arm back and punch her in the face. Her head whips back as she stumbles on the landing, falling to her ass. I grip her hair, wrapping it in my fist and pulling her head back, forcing her to look up at me.

“You think this is a game, Beth? Get it taken down now or else!” I spit, and she laughs.

“Or else what? What power do you have? I will get you kicked out of here so fast,” she threatens, and now it's my turn to laugh.

“I’d love to see you try, but if you want to play this game with me, then I’d watch your every move, bitch! Because one day, you never know, you may wake up bald with deflated tits and flat lips. No one fucks with my friends and lives to tell the tale. You understand me?” I growl.

“Are you threatening to kill me?” she shrieks, and I pull her hair tighter in my fist, bringing her face closer to mine.

“If I was, you’d be dead already. Now get it taken down!” I demand, releasing my grip on her hair and climbing the stairs to Millie’s room. Swinging the door open, I see her lying in her bed sobbing. Running over to her, I jump on the bed and throw my arms around her.

“It’s okay, Millz. If Beth knows what's good for her, she'll have someone take it down.”

“Everyone saw it. I can’t come back from that,” she cries out, but I squeeze her tighter as Everly joins us.

“Why didn’t you tell us?” I ask, and she shakes her head.

“I couldn’t. He threatened to kill Mom, and I can’t lose her after we lost Laura.”

“Understandable!” I tell her.

“Dessy is going to flip when he sees the video!” she deadpans.

“Yep, he sure is. Did you ever tell him, Millz? Did he know?” I ask, and her eyes widen.

“Who do you think videoed it?” she says, and I gasp.

“What?” I say as I look over at Everly, who is wearing the same shocked expression I am.

“We all have secrets, and as far as my twin goes, they forced him and me to do many irreparable things, and he suffered far more than I.”

“How long Millie?” Everly asks, and a lone tear drops from her eyes.

“Too long,” she answers. My mind is whirling. We’ve been friends for so many years and I never knew my friends were being abused–forced to do heinous things. My heart breaks for them.

“I’m so sorry, Millz. I wish you would’ve told me. We could’ve tried to help or figure shit out,” I tell her, but she shakes her head.

“He’s too powerful, and as long as my mother is breathing, he will continue to hold it until her last, dying breath. Things got a lot worse when Laura died. I still don’t know the full story. Dessy won’t tell me shit,” she says, and I nod, taking all the information in.

“How did Katie get sucked into all of this?” Everly asks, and Millie takes a deep breath.

“I’m really not sure. I also don’t know if she was scared or if she enjoyed it.

Any time I would bring it up, she would change the subject or tell me to mind my business.

That was a fucked up situation. And to make matters worse, Desmond and her got really close, and Sal didn’t like it, so he increased Desmond's punishments and even forced him to watch them have sex,” she spills.

“Holy shit! The fucking plot thickens, but not in a good way,” Everly states.

I’m not sure what to say. I literally have no fucking words.

How did all of this happen and I didn't know shit about it? Ugh! At this moment, I just want to run back to Desmond’s dorms and hold him–show him I’m here and that he can trust me with his secrets. Fuck!

“Um, also, not to be the bearer of bad news, but uh, Silas is missing,” I tell them, and they both gasp.

“What do you mean, he’s missing?” Everly asks.

“The grave was dug up. No one is in there, and I don’t know where the fuck he is!” I huff.

“This is so fucked up!” Millie says, and I nod.

“It is, and I don’t know what to do or where to look first,” I tell them.

“Jesus, can we get through one crisis at a time?” Everly asks, and I laugh.

“You ain’t never lied, babe. Can we get a break already? I feel like I haven’t fully mourned Katie’s death, and we still aren’t any closer to finding out what the fuck happened that night, ” I say, as a yawn flies from my mouth.

“I know. It’s straight bullshit,” Everly states, and I nod.

“Alright, well, I need a shower and a nap! What are we doing tonight? Anything?” I ask, and they both shrug.

“Can we take a second and talk about last night? What the fuck was that shit in the ballroom? Our moms never warned us about that shit? I mean, I hooked up with a few guys and had fun, but a little warning would’ve been nice.

I wouldn’t have worn that fucking dress,” Everly laughs, and Millie’s eyes widen.

“Warren stayed with me the whole time, so it made it a lot easier for me not to be forced into an uncomfortable situation, so I was thankful for that,” she says, and I smile.

“Well, lucky for y'all. I was stuck with Oliver. Fucking prick!” I tell them, and they look at one another, then at me.

“What?” I ask with a raised brow.

“He was pissed when you stormed out, then he left not too long after you did. Is that who you were with all night?” Everly asks.

Fuck! Do I lie or do I tell them the truth?

Shit! My phone pings in my bra and I take it out, seeing the skull with the red X.

Perfect fucking distraction from the elephant in the room.

Getting up from the bed, I bend down and give Millie a kiss on the head and Everly one on the cheek.

“I gotta take this. I'll meet up with you guys later,” I smirk, and they giggle.

Leaving the room, I walk a few doors down to mine, open the door, and shut it behind me, flipping the lock. Stepping into the bathroom, I start the shower as I read the message.

Unknown:

It’s time to complete a task. If you fail, you will become the game. If you succeed, you will move to the next level. Click the link if you’re ready to kill.

Clicking the link, I read my first task.

Well hello, Little Killer, it’s time to complete your first task. These are the rules:

Tell no one!

Dress in all black, preferably black leggings, tank top, and hoodie. Put your hair up in a tight bun.

Leave at 8 p.m. There will be a blue sedan parked in the university parking lot near the sports arena in the last row, last spot. The parking lot will be filled for tonight’s swim meet, so don’t worry about someone seeing you.

Inside the glove box will be your next set of instructions. Once you read it, take the lighter that will be next to it and burn it.

Good luck!

-Gamemaker

Closing out the link, it disappears like it was never there in the first place. How the fuck? I guess tonight's going to be hella interesting. Might as well get a shower and take a nap. Who knows what this night will bring, but I’m ready.

The sun has officially set and the night sky is littered with stars shining so brightly.

I take a deep breath as I walk through the university parking lot, spotting the blue sedan exactly where it's supposed to be.

A familiar giggle to my right catches my attention as I turn my face to see who it is.

Getting closer, I see the deep red cutlass, knowing exactly who it is.

Walking up to the car, my eyes collide with hers, and she hops off the hood running over to me.

“Ivy Bloodworth, how the fuck are you babe?” she asks, and I laugh,

“Dylan St. James, I’ve missed you. Where the hell have you been?” I ask as she wraps her arms around me, squeezing tightly.

“He’s been holding me hostage from having any fun as of late,” she smiles, pointing over her shoulder at her boyfriend, Easton.

“I see that. I heard you moved out of your mom’s house and shacked up with Mr. Broody,” I laugh, and she rolls her eyes.

“Yep, sure did, and tonight is date night. Why the fuck we are here drinking is beyond me,” she tells me, and I shake my head.

“Well, when he lets go of the reins, you should hit me up. I miss going to the shack,” I tell her, and she nods.

“We leave next week for our mom's wedding. When we get back, I’ll slide in your DMs and make plans,” she says, and I nod.

“Sounds good. See ya soon,” I tell her, and she places a kiss on my cheek, then turns to walk back to her car. I continue my journey to the blue sedan and open the door before climbing in. Reaching into the glove box, I find the keys and the note with my next instructions.

Leave the school and get on the highway. Take it to the next exit and get off. Make a left at the light and drive a quarter of a mile. Make a left after you pass the Hess station, then keep going until you get to the dirt road on your right. Turn down it and drive until you hit the clearing.

Once you arrive, grab the backpack in the back seat and get out of the car. Walk towards the lake. Once you reach it, make a left and follow the shoreline for five minutes. Hop the 4ft metal fence and you will see a house. It’s completely empty.

Enter through the back door and another set of instructions will be waiting for you on the counter.

Now burn this!

Reaching into the glove box, I grab the lighter and set the paper on fire, letting it burn over the cup of water sitting in the cup holder.

Jesus, they really thought of everything.

Once the paper is completely out, I start the car and follow the instructions, hoping I remembered all the turns I will need to take.

Slowly, I leave the parking lot and do exactly what was asked of me.

It takes all of twenty minutes to get to the clearing.

I shut off the car, grab the bag, and continue my journey.

I don’t know if I'm anxious or excited to see what I have to do, but being out here in the complete darkness alone has me on edge a bit.

As I hit the shoreline of the lake, I hear rustling behind me, so I move faster, hoping to get to the fucking gate quickly.

Looking behind me, I see nothing but the water hitting against the sand and rock with the moonlight shining down on the lake.

It's gorgeous out here, but equally frightening.

Rustling behind me gets louder, then all the hair on the back of my neck stands, causing a chill to race up my spine.

“I see we have a frightened little rabbit out here tonight,” a deep voice says, and I whip around looking into the night but see nothing. I know better than to yell out. I will not die out here like every other dumb bitch in those horror movies. I keep moving, picking up my pace.

“If I were you Ivy, I’d run. Because if I catch you, you’re mine!” the voice warns, feeling as if it's coming from right behind me. I jump, thinking I felt his hot breath on the back of my neck. Fuck it! I run!

I don’t know if this is a part of the game or what, but I’m not trying to find out! Fuck this!

“Run, little fear slut, run!” He laughs as my feet pick up the pace, wishing that damn fence would come into view, but all I see is darkness, making me feel like I got fucking played tonight. Is there even a fucking fence? Or a house? What the fuck!

Please don’t let me die out here tonight. Please, for the love of god, I don’t want to be killed in the middle of nowhere. Fuck!