257 Game Preparations

I was rather surprised by how nonchalant and natural the host and staff were when they called me up onto the stage. As I walked nervously, each step that I took was met with the jealous gaze of members in the audience as they kept their eyes on me. It would appear that a camera was trained on me as I saw myself walking up the set of stairs along the outskirts of the audience seating area. My heart pounded in my chest, but I did my best to not let my appearance show this vacillating uncertainty and nervousness.

A staff member wearing a hat with his head lowered walked up towards me while holding a microphone in his hands. The brim of his hat made it so that I could not see his appearance, but he handed me the microphone and patted me on the back as if in encouragement. Using this brief opportunity of proximity, he leaned closer slightly.

"There has been a slight change in the original plans," the man whispered into my ear. "Don't be surprised if the event deviate from the originally planned script."

Then, the man simply clapped as all the others in the audience did as he stopped in his steps and saw me walk up the stairs. I glanced over my shoulder and at the man. Slowly, he raised his head, looking up and over at me. On this familiar face, there was an amused smile. Just before I arrived on the stage, Ralus mouthed something to me, but I was unable to decipher what he wanted to say. However, if I were to guess, I would say he mouthed "Good luck" to me...

"Hello there, lucky audience member," the host walked over and greeted me. "You look awfully familiar? What's your name."

"My name is Alevian," I said into the microphone.

My hands trembled somewhat as I raised the microphone to speak into it, and I could feel beads of cold sweat forming on my forehead. It was...a suffocating feeling. Even though it was still bright outside, there were spotlights that trained on me, and then there were the audience who stared at me, making it so that the air felt dense and difficult to breath in.

I slowly turned my head away from the audience, redirecting it towards the host, whose face betrayed a slight hint of concern as he probably sensed my nervousness. However, standing behind the host, Irina simply smiled as she gazed into my eyes. In that look that she cast in my direction, I could sense nothing but a warm and wholesome sense of trust. This look she directed at me, for some reason eased my anxious mind.

"Now, Alevian," the host continued, progressing the conversation so that there will never be a dull moment. "As I said earlier, you look pretty familiar. Are you perhaps that boy Irina filmed the live Christmas Special with?"

"Uh...You um...actually remember that?" I was taken by surprise by the host's comment, but I suppose as a professional, it is technically his job to know stuff like this.

"Wow!" the host exclaimed and looked at the audience with wide eyes. "Are you sure you didn't bribe the producers or anything? Cause this is awfully convenient for it to be random!"

The host's comment drew out rounds of laughter from the audience, and as for the reason why they laughed, I do not know. In fact, I do not even have the leisure to even ponder it.

"So Irina," the host looked over at Irina. "This boy here is your friend, correct?"

"Yeah," Irina smiled and nodded. "He's one of my friends from school and someone who's helped me out a lot. I was so surprised when he showed up earlier today."

"He didn't tell you?"

"He didn't," Irina confirmed.

"Well, what a bad friend," the host jokingly remarked. "Now, since it's one of your friends that we've called up, I'm so sorry to say but I guess we'll have to cancel the game we had planned." The host then made an upset look as he spoke into the microphone. "We were originally going to do some games like the ones we did for Henvle's panel, but...since we have your good friend here," the host paused and looked over at me with a raised eyebrow and an amused smile. "We can't let this opportunity of getting to know Irina's personal life to waste!"

That sudden exclamation was followed by loud cheers and claps from the crowd. Judging off of Irina's facial expression, it would appear that she was oblivious to the topic of the game. However, she still remained professional and kept all her face free of any of vacillating.

"Since we got here Irina's good personal friend," the host said, raising a hand out in my direction, "and we have one of Irina's good actor friend Henvle also in proximity, how bout we have a competition between the two. A competition about who knows Irina the best?"

The crowd then cheered once again.

"Oh and just to prove that this isn't a pre-planned event," the host said, "we've sent out a camera crew to grab Henvle from the resting room. Shortly, you will all see Henvle's first reaction to hearing this news. And also, since this is a sudden change of plans, the staff is brainstorming questions and topics that will be asked right now. So, to give sometime to the staff to come up with good questions, let's give the stage to the big screen and all see Henvle's reaction to it all."

The host then gestured for me to come join him and Irina as the two of them walked off stage temporarily as the screen showed a live feed of the camera crew making their way to the resting area to grab Henvle. I did as I was told and followed the two of them off stage.

"Our mics are muted for this part," the host said after taking a deep breath. "So you can talk now."

"That was...rather unexpected," Irina said to me, blushing in an embarrassed manner.

"Yeah," I sighed as I looked over at the monitor.

The crew had entered the resting area and Henvle had appeared on the screen. He was sitting on a couch as he stared at the live feed of the stage from the television in the resting area, mouth gaping wide open in surprise. When the television showed him on it, he looked over at the camera and then back at the television.

"You've got to be kidding me," Henvle sighed and shook his head as he smiled. "I just got off stage! You're not gonna give me a time to rest?"

"Sudden change of plans," the camera man's hushed voice said.

"Gosh," Henvle got up from his seat and shook his head. "It'll be tough... I feel like Alevian will know a lot more about Irina than I do."

"Are you scared?" the cameraman asked.

"Of course not," Henvle smiled at the camera as he walked out of the resting room. "I got this. Wait for me everyone."

The screen then cut to black as the staff began setting up the stage for the game that will be played shortly once Henvle arrives from the celebrities' resting area. There was a frantic and yet calm atmosphere among the staff as they continued to set up, moving skillfully and with great accuracy.

"Does he know about this?" I asked.

"No," the host shook his head and chuckled. "I was only notified of it when you were walking up the stairs by the director." The host then tapped the earpiece he had on.

"Are you fine with this?" I looked over and confirmed with Irina.

"Yeah," Irina nodded. "The questions won't be anything too bad."

"Hopefully," I said. "Because people will do anything for publicity."

"Where's Alvelyn and Muria?" Irina then asked.

"I don't know," I shook my head.

"Those two other girls?" the host looked over at Irina and I. "They'll be on stage as well. In fact, very soon."

Maybe they will be involved in this next game that we will be playing in some way or form? I don't know. But according to what I do know, the original plan was scraped and changed last minute. Therefore, it has all deviated from the original script and it will mostly be improvisation from this point on. Hopefully, Alvelyn's and Muria's roles are minor. That way, we can leave all the heavy lifting to the professionals, because when the games begin, it'll be the showtime for the professionals.

"Time for us to go back up," the host muttered to Irina and I.

The host was the first one to walk up the stairs and reemerge on the stage as the staff finished setting up the stage for the game that we will be playing. There were two decorated tables with a large, red button in the center of its surface as well as a whiteboard and marker, and on the exterior surface of the table facing the audience, there were a monitor attached. All in all, these tables appeared to be the type you would see in quiz shows. Nearby, there were also three decorated seats on the other side of the stage, with the one in the center of the three being the most extravagant.

"Welcome back everybody!" the host said in his energetic and lively voice. "As you can see, the stage has been set up! And who do we have there?"

The host pointed in the direction of the stairway that lined the outskirts of the seating area. Walking up the stairs were Henvle, who waved at the audience with a large smile on his face.

"Henvle, welcome back!" the host greeted the young celebrity. "Now, Henvle, Alevian, please take your position behind those two tables."

Henvle walked over to me and gave me a firm handshake before the two of us walked over to the tables. The monitors attached to the front side of the tables displayed our names, so we both knew which ones we were supposed to go to.

"Now that the contestants ready, let me welcome the judges!" the host said loudly into the microphone as he raised his free hand in the direction of the stairs leading to the stage from the dressing room. "The staff saw that Irina was with some friends of her's, so we nagged them to be the judge. Let us welcome them in!"

Then, to my surprise, Alvelyn and Muria walked up from the stairs and onto the stage also dressed in maid outfits to compliment Irina's. Alvelyn kind of shared my initial countenance, but beside her, Muria appeared rather calm. Almost as if she's used to standing before a crowd. However, I can sense a slight betrayal of her embarrassment in that faint blush on her face. It was probably from the outfit she has to wear.

"Now judges," the host said as he gestured for the two girls and Irina to go have a seat on the three chairs. "Once you've all taken your seat, the game may finally begin!"