Zoey woke up, blinking slowly as she tried to recognize her surroundings. She was trapped in a small space made of glass, while strong, unforgiving sunlight glared down at her, forcing her to narrow her eyes. As her vision adjusted to the harsh brightness, she gradually made out a cluster of chests a few yards away, surrounded by sand. Her stomach dropped and her whole body filled with dread as the sight of other glass cells like her own, accompanying the realization of what this must mean. She felt sick as she saw that the cells each held a person, confirming what she already knew.
"Rythian?" she asked, suddenly realizing that he must be here, too. "Rythian?" her own voice sounded raspy, as if she had just woken up from a very long sleep.
"Zoey?" came the reply, "Zoey, I'm here. Are you alright?"
"Yeah, I'm fine. But this is-"
"Yeah, I know." There was a grim silence. "I know. We'll get out of this alive, though, I promise-"
He was cut off as a loud voice boomed across the area, magically amplified so everyone could hear the unseen speaker. "Welcome to the Survival Games! You lucky tributes have been selected to compete for the prize. Winner takes all, and the losers lose, well, their lives!" There was a chuckle that nobody echoed. "You have been split into teams to give you a better chance of survival. The teams are as follows: Sips and Sjin, Xephos and Honeydew, Lalna and Lomadia, Rythian and Zoey, Martyn and Toby, Nilesy and Panda, and, to mix it up, we have a newbie! Fresh blood, you could say!" Another slightly manic chuckle. "Kim has no partner, to keep things fresh. Well, someone has to die first! Remember, alliances are allowed, as well as anything that will help you win. The only rule is that there must be one winner. And with that, " he paused for dramatic affect, "LET THE GAMES BEGIN!"