Unfair

Before her, stood a mannequin, posed in a combat stance.

It waited, unmoving, for her to make the first move.

"..."

Tuesday's hands hovered slowly toward the wooden sword at her side.

Crack! Crick! Crack!

But just before she could grasp it, vivid images of her skull being shattered by a wooden sword flashed through her mind.

The mannequin had studied her every movement, effortlessly predicting her every attack.

No matter how much she tried, how many tricks she employed, or how long she endured...

It always ended in defeat.

Tuesday bit her lip hard.

Before, she could at least imagine a scenario where she might survive the initial blow.

But now, no matter what she envisioned, death was the only outcome.

The mannequin remained still, but the atmosphere was tense.

Tap.

It shifted its foot forward, closing the gap.

The mannequin wouldn't give her time to strategize.

Tap.

Tuesday's hand hovered over the sword again.

Her fingers froze above it.

'Is there really no other way?'

Tap.

Fight and die or refuse and die—those seemed to be her only choices.

Determined, Tuesday clenched her fists, ready to battle with her bare hands once more.

CRACK!

Another image flashed, this time of her head being crushed by the mannequin's force.

The mannequin was faster, stronger, and relentless.

Even if she evaded, it would just keep coming.

It would never get tired.

Tap.

Footsteps echoed in her ears.

The mannequin stood before her, sword in hand, unmoving.

Tuesday didn't flinch this time.

"It's unfair..."

Trick?

The mannequin tilted its head, seemingly perplexed.

"This whole duel is unfair!"

She was seething with anger at the absurdity of the situation.

Thump!

She threw the sword aside.

"What's the point?! You don't eat, sleep, or even make a single mistake!"

She pointed at the mannequin, her voice rising in frustration.

"It's unfair! It's unfair!!"

Her voice echoed through the spacious room as she screamed like a frustrated child.

[#1/#2/#NaN Hide-Fair Duel]

Thump.

The mannequin dropped its sword in response.

"A sword? Are you even trying?! How does it make sense to fight something that can kill me with just one punch?!"

Trick?

The mannequin seemed even more confused now.

It had offered an advantage, yet it was still "unfair"?

"This game is nonsense! I want to play something else!"

[#1/#2/#NaN Hide-Fair Duel?]

A robotic voice echoed in the room, tinged with confusion.

"Why are you confused? This is supposed to be Hide and Seek, not some Fair Duel! You don't know anything about games!"

Trick!

The mannequin began to contort and twist.

"Look, it's simple."

She rubbed her temples, trying to keep calm.

"I hide, and you seek. Can't you grasp that?"

[#1/#2/#NaN Hide and Seek]

Suddenly, the entire room began to shake.

"A-Ah!"

Tuesday lost her balance momentarily.

"What's happening?!"

When she looked ahead, the mannequin was gone. In its place stood a very familiar door.

"I'm... back?"

It was the front door of her house.

Tuesday glanced around, recognizing the familiar living room.

The grand staircase, the odd statues, the bear rug, the stuffed animal heads, and a thick layer of dust.

It was unmistakably the Addams' living room.

The Addams mansion was vast, filled with countless empty rooms and bizarre trinkets.

Creak-

Tuesday reached for the door in front of her.

"!"

But what she saw was a strange black substance.

[59...]

It began to morph into a number.

Tuesday stared in disbelief.

[53... 52... 51...]

The numbers kept changing, and realization dawned on her.

It was a countdown.

The trial wasn't over. This wasn't her home.

Tap! Tap! Tap!

Tuesday bolted without a backward glance.

She had lost ten precious seconds to shock.

'A hiding place!'

She frantically searched her mind for a suitable hiding spot, but nothing came to her.

'Where? Dad's office? The garden? The basement?!'

All the rooms flashed through her mind.

Tuesday ran aimlessly, desperately trying to think of something.

She found herself on the second floor.

[Starting Hide and Seek]

A strange, androgynous voice reverberated through the mansion.

Time was up, and she still hadn't found a place to hide.

[Remaining time: 30:00]

Tuesday's eyes quivered with dread.

At this rate, she wouldn't last long.

Trick.

The sound of footsteps echoed behind her.

She wasn't sure how she could hear the mannequin's steps so clearly, but one thing was certain—it was on the first floor.

'There's no time to think!'

Tuesday darted into a room and slammed the door shut behind her.

The room was all too familiar.

It was their room.

Two large windows, a small bench filled with books, and a neatly made bed.

Where could she hide? Under the bed? Too obvious...

As her hand neared the bed, she spotted a familiar doll.

Marie Antoinette.

An idea, as wild as it was cunning, sparked in Tuesday's mind.

For the first time, a wicked grin spread across her face.

'This just might work.'

*

In the air, dark matter began to coalesce.

From it, the peculiar mannequin materialized.

As always, it listened closely to the voice in its head.

[Find her]

A short, clear directive.

The mannequin began processing the information in its memory.

"Her" was the target. It needed to "find her".

What should it do once it found her?

It tried to decipher its master's intentions.

The last command replayed in its mind.

[Kill her]

The same as the first trial.

This must be what its master wanted.

With its goal clear, the mannequin began strategizing.

It scanned the area, analyzing all the matter in its surroundings.

Five compartments, including the one it occupied.

Forty-nine objects in sight.

To locate her, it would have to examine each one.

It began methodically scrutinizing every object, one by one.

[Remaining time: 20 minutes]

Ten minutes elapsed.

The mannequin reorganized its data.

At this pace, it would fail. Failure meant "death."

Trick-!

It twisted unnaturally in mid-air.

Despite its brief existence, the mannequin had learned a few things.

The "unknown" was dangerous.

The "unknown" led to mistakes, distracted it from its goal, and disappointed its master.

It needed a better approach.

It opened the door, realizing that it could expedite the search by ignoring generic objects.

Now, it would only focus on anything that obscured its vision.

[Remaining time: 15 minutes]

Ten minutes were spent on the first floor.

Five minutes on the basement.

The mannequin felt a strange sense of "happiness."

It wanted to be more efficient.

Crick!

The sound of a piano being torn apart echoed through the room.

It had discovered a way to accelerate the process.

[Kill everything]

If it simply destroyed everything, it wouldn't need to check each object individually. If the target was hidden, "her" would die along with it.

This way, it could both eliminate the target and save time, pleasing its master.

Crack! Crack! Crack!

The mannequin advanced, smashing every object obstructing its view.

The basement and the first floor were now devoid of hiding places.

It turned its gaze to the staircase. The second floor—it had to be there.

The mannequin ascended.

Crack!

A door shattered into splinters.

[Remaining time: 10 minutes]

Ten compartments remained, leaving just one minute for each.

Crack! Crack!

The mannequin tore through objects with precision.

It repeated the process over and over.

Now, only one room remained.

[Remaining time: 2:37]

The door was already open, and the windows as well.

"She" must be inside.

Every door had been destroyed so far.

Trick-! Trick!

The mannequin contorted in frustration.

If it had examined the floor more thoroughly, it could have saved even more time.

Tap. Tap.

The mannequin entered the room.

This time, it examined every object with care.

Ahead, a bed was in plain view.

A shape lay beneath the blanket on top of the bed.

The target had to be there.

It approached, sword raised.

Crack!

The bed split in half.

A doll's head rolled out from the blankets.

It wasn't "her."

Before the mannequin could process its shock, a strange blanket enveloped its body.

Trick!

It tried to move, but it was too late.

Its body was hurled out the window.

The last thing the mannequin saw was a child giving it the middle finger.

"Fuck you!"

And with that, the mannequin's consciousness faded.

[#1/#2/#NaN Fair- and Seek (Complete#?#@]

*

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MUST READ

We will have a break of two weeks. We will come back on 05/09 - 2 PM (GMT-4). This is not a drop.

SORRY, I FORGOT THE COLLEGE (╯°□°）╯︵ ┻━┻; SomeRandomReader asked me today, "What is your schedule?" I analyzed it and noticed the college vacations had finished, my Gmail was red and the deadline was near and had already been extended!! At the same time I hurt my finger in the door, imagine me writing it with a purple finger and cracked nail XDDD.

I canceled everything to finish it. My cellphone also will stay turned off. I'm really sorry guys, is urgent (┬┬﹏┬┬). Sorry for the grammar in this chapter too, I'm not in the mood to check it.