I’ve tried to stay away from her for the last few days, which meant observing her from a distance.
When the message came through from Mercy, it was the first time I was disappointed. She’ll complete the challenge with me then pull away again. And every time it’s getting harder to let her.
I stay propped against the hood of my car as she walks over. There’s no acknowledgment as she situates herself beside me.
The other teams have all arrived, and so has the Decider. “Control if you dare. It’s what we crave but must relinquish to succeed. Leave all your belongings here and get on board.”
He motions to the bus behind him. I toss my phone and keys into my car. Ivy opens the door to her car and does the same. I wait until she’s with me before I follow her onto the bus. She drops into a seat, and I sit next to her.
Once everyone is seated, Decider stands at the front and instructs, “Put the blindfolds on your head. Remove them before I permit, and you’re eliminated.”
“Wonderful,” Ivy mumbles as she grabs one of the coverings and ties it over her eyes, then I do the same.
“Where are we going?” Brooke asks.
Micah responds, “How the fuck am I supposed to know?”
The bus begins to move as Brooke asks, “What if they’re driving us to our death? They could be planning to kill us and we all just willingly followed like the three blind mice.”
Remy shouts, “There’re eight of us, so eight blind mice?”
After Brooke yells at him, Ivy plainly states, “They won’t. If we’re dead, there’s no one to manipulate to occupy their miserable existence.”
“They could find the next set of players,” Remy states.
“Silence,” Decider shouts, and the chatter stops, leaving only the highway noise. It’s been at least twenty minutes, and we’re still driving.
Reaching over, I run my palm down Ivy’s forearm until I reach her hand and pull it away from her wrist, entwining her fingers in mine and stroking my thumb over the cut. She’s made herself bleed again.
I pull her hand to my shirt and hold the material securely to her skin. Her muscles tense before she pulls out of my grip.
Ivy doesn’t want my help. So, I rest my palm on her thigh, needing the contact. Thankfully, she doesn’t remove it.
It feels like nearly an hour before the bus finally comes to a stop.
“Exit the bus,” Decider announces, and I rise to my feet and maneuver off, keeping a hand on her as we stand in place for a few minutes until Decider finally says, “Remove the blindfolds.”
When I pull the material off, there’s nothing but night surrounding us. We’re standing on an elevated highway over water. There’s no doubt that we’re on the Lake Pontchartrain Causeway.
“Jumping when you can’t see what’s below is giving up control. Knowing where you’re going is key. Focus on your goal and avoid distractions and fears while still moving forward. And that’s what you’re going to do. Jump off the ledge then go tothat spotlight over there.” He points to the pitch-black space as a light appears.
“You can see the goal. But you don’t see what obstacles await between here and where three pirogues are waiting. No more than two people per vessel. Return here to complete the challenge.”
Ivy laughs as she props her hands on her hips.
Decider looks at her, and asks, “Something you’d like to add?”
“No. Easy math. Four teams, three boats, two people each, one team out. I get it. I’m just tired of the bullshit riddles and ominous illusions.”
I position myself in front of her as Decider looks at me. Yeah, I know. She’s got a mouth on her, but there’s no stopping her once it gets going. He turns his attention back to Ivy who shifts to the side so he can still view her but doesn’t speak.
We move closer to the ledge and peer over the side. A black hole. It’s so dark we can’t see what’s beneath us.
Brooke is the first to start panicking. “We don’t know what’s down there. We can’t even see how far the drop is. What if there’s not water down there and we break our necks hitting the ground?”
“We’re over the water,” Garrett says.
“How do you know?” she asks.
