Chapter 38

The grand hall greeted me as I entered an entirely new dimension. Or at least it felt like it. The once boring and suppressive hospital-themed walls transformed into tall marble pillars that lined the outer part of the expanse. The floor was so shiny that I could see my own reflection on it. There were chandeliers, a central water fountain, an array of buffets, the whole shebang. I still would not get used to the richness of the newly displayed scenery. I don't think I could ever get used to it. And to think that kids my age have lived in this type of wealth since birth.

There were twenty thousand people here, and I wasn't sure how to find my party. I wanted to look around, but I didn't even know where to start. But, I had to start somewhere. I chose the buffet place, knowing that at least one of the twins would be there. I slid around on the black marble floors and dodged incoming traffic. Nobody looked at me twice; I was just another outer sector kid to them. Which I was, I'm not arguing.

The closer I got to the buffet the more my mouth started to salivate. My stomach made noises despite it being filled only a couple of hours ago. I grabbed myself a plate and started to pile item after item. "Oi! You better calm down there," said a familiar voice. I looked behind me from the buffet table and saw George. "I know you're hungry, but you don't want to feel like a hippo when the games are only a couple of minutes away."

"George! How'd you find me?" I asked surprised.

"Genius like you still hasn't figured it out yet?" he mocked me, "You just need to think of the person's name, and a small arrow in your head leads you to them."

I tried to think of Bill's name. Multiple first names of 'Bill' popped up, but there were too many. I asked George, "What's your last name?"

George softly said, "Rigas."

I narrowed my search and found Bill's arrow. It was bright green. I thought of my own name and searched for where my own arrow was. I didn't see it. I looked at George and asked him, "Where's B-"

"Vincent!" An arm wrapped around my neck and tried to suffocate me. I jerked my head back while my oxygen supply was chocked out of me. It was Bill. I tapped on his hand, and he let go. I gasped for air and demanded an explanation. Bill laughed and explained, "George and I found each other ages ago. We noticed that a person's arrow would be covered by the person that they wanted to find. It's not really that great, but it's a cool trick." I shrugged my shoulders and smiled in agreement.

"Do we just wait here?" I asked.

"I think so. If you go back into your brain, there's this timer that counts down. I think we wait until it reaches zero," Bill said. I nodded.

We all stuffed our plates with delicacies and found ourselves a table to sit at. We laughed and talked, waiting for the games to begin.

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Flin POV:

I woke up to find myself in a brightly lit room, where there was no one to be seen. I think that I was laying on an examination table; I tried to look around, but my head was seized to the ground. Well, the table. A quiet voice came over me and said, "Hello, I'm your doctor, so please remain still." A wave of calm sloshed all over me. The voice continued, "I am only going to inject you with the tracker that you need."

I said, "I don't really need it."

The voice replied, "But, you will be participating in the games, so it's sort-of like protocol."

I looked at where the voice was coming from, and said, "Ted, you really don't have to do this."

The voice shook a little, "How d-do you know my name?"

I laughed softly and replied, "I was the one that hired you and the rest of the gang to get these shots in." Ted was taken back. He set the needle down and unrestrained me from these straps. I thanked him and went on my way.

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Micheal Grey POV:

I was jittering in my seat. I was in the office area of the location where the magic was about to start. I couldn't wait to see all of the players breathe in the new stadium of their futures. From my desk, I could track all of their newly appointed aptitude percentages. All it took was them to swallow the pill, and the percentage would be calculated instantly. This was my plan to find the boy that I was looking for. If my aptitude was ninety-nine percent, then he would have the same innate talent. Otherwise, this whole procedure of handing out thousands of evolution pills for free would be inane.

But, I had hope! For being the incarnation of evil, I sure had a lot of hope.

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George POV:

I closed my eyes to picture the clock counting down the seconds; there were exactly three minutes left now. A loud boom came from the hundreds of speakers that were implanted in the wall, "Hello, hello! There are exactly three minutes left until the Evolution Games begin! I want to make exactly two announcements: one of which is a humble reminder that all the participants that have not found their parties will be transported alone. The other, Mr. Grey has allowed each and every one of you to keep on a personal item. So, please choose wisely."

The speaker cut off, and we were left alone to decide. I spoke out first, "I was thinking maybe that we could all bring along something worth value on the island. Like matches or food or something."

My brother added, "That was one of the best ideas that you've ever come up with, George!"

"Quit shitting on me!" I retorted. I looked at Vincent in case he had anything he wanted to add. But, he kept quiet. "Vincent, what are you going to bring along?"

He replied by showing us an expensive-looking golden chain with a pendant that dangled in the middle. It was a pretty aquamarine and it sparkled like crazy in the bright lights of the hall. Bill jumped on it, "Vincent, put that thing away! Are fucking crazy?"

Vincent's face showed a hint of confusion, but he put it back into his pocket regardless. I explained, "There are thousands of players here that are from the outer or middle sectors. They're like US. Meaning, they don't have a good chance to get anywhere near the top twenty. So, what's the next best thing that they can do?"

Vincent answered in a fit of realization, "Steal from the other players!" He slapped his head, and I didn't stop him. Quite a few people already saw the necklace, and they were eyeing us.

Bill asked him a question, "Why do you want to bring the necklace? Can't you bring something that's going to help the party on the island?"

I lightly punched Bill on the shoulder and said, "Vincent isn't stupid! If he does something, it means that he has a valid reason."

Vincent spoke, "Well, in case your curiosity gets the best of you, the necklace is a gift from my late grandfather. He was the only person I knew when he gave me this."

I looked at Bill and said, "See, I told you!"

Bill looked at both of us and replied, "That's nice and all, but how is that going to help US as a PARTY on the ISLAND." He stressed a few of the important words.

Vincent thought about it and responded, "As you said, people want the necklace, right?" Bill nodded his head. "Then, I can use it to trade for stuff if we ever need to do so."

I interrupted, "But, you can't do that! The pendant probably has your grandfather's photo in it or something!"

Vincent took out the necklace, more discreetly this time. He unlatched the gold chain and slid the pendant out. He waved the gold chain and said, "Voila." I nodded my head.

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Vincent POV:

I tucked both the pendant and the chain back into the pockets, away from suspicious gazes. I checked the clock, and I was surprised to see that we only had about five seconds left. The twins must have also noticed because they hurried off the table and stood up next to me. As soon as the clock struck all zeros, the announcements turned right back on. "Alright everyone! It's time to get this party started!"