“Okay,” Naomi says to the group. “Ready to start?”
Everyone shuts their eyes as a voice over an app on Naomi’s phone starts walking us through the order. Werewolves are instructed to open their eyes first, and I eagerly pop mine open. Em’s head is bowed, eyes shut. Naomi bends to crack her neck, eyes closed. I turn to Harlow, who is staring back at me with a curious expression.
“Ready for this?” she mouths.
I wink, and she rolls her eyes, but affectionately.
We’re instructed to close our eyes again from the app, and I settle in.
This will be fun.
After we all wake up, Harlow turns on Naomi. “Who were you?”
“Troublemaker. You?” Naomi fires back and cocks a challenging eyebrow.
“Villager,” I answer before Harlow can. They both turn to me. “I was the Seer and looked at her card. She was the villager.”
Harlow hesitates for the briefest second before nodding. “She’s right. So, that leaves you, Em.”
“Bullshit.” Em hurriedly glances between Harlow and me. “Iwas the Seer.”
“Oh yeah?” Harlow says. “What did you see then?”
“I looked in the middle?—”
“That’s convenient.” I scoff.
“—and saw two villagers.”
“That’s impossible,” Harlow says. “There’s only two villagers in the game, so there’s no way that’s what you saw.”
“I think you’re full of it, Em,” I say.
“W-What?” Em splutters. “I’m not lying. I really am the Seer and looked in the middle!”
“But two villagers?” Harlow says dubiously.
“Yeah, I know I’m new to this game, but that sounds so unlikely,” I say. “Like, you didn’t even see the robber in there?”
“Oh, come on!” Em turns to Naomi, exasperated. “Babe, I swear I’m not lying. Iwasthe Seer.”
Naomi watches us argue with a narrowed and suspicious expression.
“Wait.” Harlow leans forward. “You were the Troublemaker. Who did you switch?”
Naomi’s scrutinizing gaze slowly works her way around the table as she analyzes us. “I switched Harlow and …”
I wait on bated breath to see if she’s still a werewolf or has been swapped out for a villager when Naomi finishes.
“Lily.”
I don’t let my reaction show, but I’m so damn relieved. If Harlow had been switched with Em, she’d easily sell me and, now Em, out as the werewolves.
“I think Em is a werewolf, and when she looked in the middle, she saw a villager,” Harlow says.
When only one werewolf opens their eyes, it means the second werewolf card is in the middle three. The solewerewolf gets to look at one middle card to help their ability to lie about who they are.
“That makes sense.” I nod along.
