Chapter 15

They were back, in the white room. Willow sighed, looking at Noah, whose face showed no emotion. He was just "disposing of a body," and he thought about the other body still laying under the bed. Eyes wedged into its skull, head detached from the body. Maybe somebody else will come and dispose of it. The room smelled awful, and he hated how bad it smelled. He wanted to finish the game and throw it away soon.

Noah looked at him, studying his face. Willow laughed nervously, turning away.

"Alright, darlings! First, let's choose a protectee!" Noah pointed towards Willow.

"Ah- me… I guess." Willow didn't like doing the talking, but he had no choice. "Three… hundred and three."

"Marvelous! Please leave the room, 303."

He found himself inside a black room. A single chair sat in the middle, and he took it as an invitation to sit. The air was dusty and cold, an eerie silence filling the empty space where sound didn't. Willow was slightly put off by the rusty scent of blood that filled the air, clutching his pants from his spot on the chair, clenching his teeth.

"Please put a hand out," a robotic voice started. He looked around, but couldn't find the origin of the sound. Nonetheless, he lifted his hand, fingers trembling slightly, waiting for something to happen.

"Please put a hand out," the voice repeated. He stretched it out further, waving it around wildly, waiting for a sensor, camera, or anything to recognize his arm.

"Please put a hand out." At the third time, he gave up, sighing. Suddenly, a table slid out from under him, and he set his hand on the rough wood. The table looked handmade, not yet sanded, with small splinters poking at his skin.

"Please put a ha- Please stay still." He stayed still.

"Please stay still."

"Please stay still."

A metal cuff strapped around his hand. He wondered when he would finish and get to leave. He looked around, trying to understand what this game was about.

Wires wrapped around his body, binding him in place. He sat there, his hand outstretched, stuck onto the rough table surface. A window, shedding a ray of light, solidified, showing the brown haired boy in the blank white room.

"Please stay st- Thank you. The game will commence soon."

Noah looked at him, waving, his face expressionless as always. He brushed the hair out of his eyes as Willow returned his wave with a smile – he could not wave himself, bound to the chair and the rough, homemade table.

"Alright, sorry for the long wait!" the voice came back. "You too seem like such good friends. Ha- I could tell just by looking." Noah shook his head, and Willow laughed nervously.

"Well, let's see how much these two besties know each other! With a series of tricky questions to test your knowledge."

Willow didn't know anything about Noah. Noah most likely only knew his name. This wasn't good. He could probably have done it with… Ren…

But Noah wasn't Ren. They didn't know anything about each other.

"Oh! One more thing. Participant in the black room, no talking, or I'll automatically give you a penalty. Only the participant in the white room may talk."

But… Noah was… mute?

Suddenly, Willow wasn't worrying about the body upstairs anymore.

"Now, what are these "penalties?" Well, I'm so glad you asked! The protectee in the black room will receive the penalties that the participant in the white room will give! It'd be too unlucky if the participant in the white room has hurtful intent, protectee~ You get five seconds until the penalty. There are… guess what… fifteen penalties! Now, let this thrilling game of trust begin!"

She laughed, but it was clearly caught in the microphone, unlike the typical intercom man. Willow looked down at his five fingers, taking a deep breath and looking at Noah. He just hoped… the penalties wouldn't hurt that bad.

"There are fifteen questions. You represent your team, okay? The more questions you get right, the more years taken off." Noah sat down on a chair, facing Willow through the mirror. They looked at each other, not speaking.

"Question one. What is 303's real name?"

Willow squeezed his eyes shut, waiting for the penalty.

"Five…

Four…

Thr-"

Noah opened his mouth, biting his lip. He looked at Willow through the glass. It was his fault that they were here, wasn't it…

"Willow."