Hey there, reader!
This is my last year in high school before I need to move out of the house. I'm not sure what I had a little extra time, and I'm figuring out how to further invest my time before moving out. I decided to get this chapter out of the way, see if I can get more views before heading out.
BTW, I'm dangerously close to not passing math. I'm headed off to a really good school on the east coast, but if I fail that class, I have a chance of having my application rescinded. Wish me luck while I cram for the upcoming finals!
With that said, I'm still searching for other fanfiction to read. Leave comments in the box!
Enjoy the chapter!
A brief thank you to RubyMoonz, DdotChou, MoldyJellyBean, ShadowDragoon32, Shiro No Kishidan, Pokepia's Haunt, and kyoto knight.
Chapter 29
The King's Game
CM Academy West side, Command room: 6:00 AM
Pierce arrived at the command room before anyone else. Everyone on the team came with a mild sense of curiosity.
"You called us, Mr. Spvone?" asked Lucy.
"Yes," said Pierce. "As you know, the last full moon operation was a success. A few weeks ago, it occurred to me that our team needs time for group recreation. I suggested that we throw a premature party. Since our victory was recent, why don't we all go tonight?
"How late will we be out?" said Lucy.
"Just before midnight," said Pierce. "But I believe you have tomorrow off from school. Unless there is a schedule conflict, then we can go tonight."
"Uh, sure," said Victor. "Where to?"
"The karaoke bar in the Escapade Mall."
"Didn't we fight there?" said Leon. "It would feel weird to throw a party in a place that we tore up in less than an hour."
"I was sure to repair all the damage we did," said Keira. "So there shouldn't be any problems with going there."
"You think they'd have problems if we had a robot and a thug informant with us?" said Conan.
"Not if we all wear school uniforms," said Lucy.
"Screw that," said Ellie. She stood at the border of the room and watched. "I'm sticking with the trench coat."
"Think of it like celebrating on the field of our victory," said Pierce. "Besides, none of the mall's owners have anything against us."
"I request that we all go," said Charlotte. "Tonight is the optimal time to rejuvenate."
Slade chuckled. "We should go then."
Leon looked around. He looked at Ellie. "You wanna come to?" he said. "Everyone's invited."
Ellie glanced over her teammates. "Whatever," she said with a shrug.
Pierce clapped once. "Let's carpool and meet up at the mall. I'll get us seats!"
Orebo's Karoke bar: 7:00 PM
Somehow, Pierce got the VIP room.
The room was half the size of Slade's homeroom with plastic lounge chairs surrounding a table in the center and sealed with a glass door with soundproof lock. Dim overhead lights were controlled by a light switch that doubled as a volume control meter. Two cordless microphones were stationed in front of the chair in the center and a large LCD television was installed into the wall. The members of S.E.E.S. followed Pierce into the VIP room and marveled at the décor. They all took seats and continued to look around. Meanwhile, Pierce scrolled through a menu in his hands.
"I'm ordering drinks all around," he said. "So don't worry about getting thirsty during our stay."
"Are you sure this is alright?" said Lucy. "Isn't this too expensive?"
Pierce shook his head. "A few years ago, I got called on duty to handle a robbery in progress. I stopped the robbers, and the owner of the Escapade Mall said he'd do me a favor if I ever came back. He still owed me from then, so this whole party is on the house."
"Seriously?" said Victor. "Let's dig in then!"
A few minutes later, an employee came in with a tray full of glasses. The glasses were filled with a coppery liquid with large ice cubes floating on top of them. These beverages were passed around and teammates started drinking heartily. Only Slade, Leon, and Conan sipped their beverages sparingly. Charlotte sipped hers to be polite. The drinks went around for a minute in silence.
"It's pretty quiet in here," said Keira. Her eyes flickered as if she were tired. "Shouldn't a karaoke bar be louder?"
"This one's been spruced up, Miss Kingsley," said Pierce. A slight slur was in his voice. "Nobody can hear us outside, and we can't hear anything from other booths. So whatever happens here stays here."
"Anything?" asked Victor with a smirk.
"What do you think he said?" said Ellie with a leer.
"Then what are we doin' just sittin' around?" Victor cheered. "Let's party!"
Conan glanced at his friend. "Are you feeling alright?" he asked.
Victor scoffed. "Sheesh, always the killjoy, Conan!" The jokester mediated for a moment. "Killjoy Conan, Kill-for-joy Conan? Conan's joy kills me!" He broke out into hysterical laughter.
Keira snickered. "His face kills me!" she said with a laugh. She and Victor started laughing together.
"Well, they're looser than usual," said Slade.
Victor hobbled over and swiped the menu from Pierce. "Enough talk! Let's get busy!"
The next few minutes were a blur as everyone consumed their beverages. Victor strung a number of songs ranging from pop music to alternative rock. While a karaoke party was supposed to have multiple singers, everyone wanted to see the jokester make a fool of himself in an enclosed room. On the downside, S.E.E.S. was forced to hear his voice. Victor always sang off key and never hit the lyrics right. His voice was also very squeaky, yet no one had the heart to tell him that. After two songs, different classmates stepped up and sung in Victor's place when they couldn't take his singing. No one who stepped up had a considerable singing ability either. The last song ended with Keira and Lucy singing a desynchronized duet.
S.E.E.S.'s party was halfway done when everyone finished their drinks. The last singers put their microphones on the table and took their seats. Pierce ordered another refill, which came in a matter of seconds.
While everyone had full glasses, Lucy finally looked at her drink. "Hey, Pierce?" she said. "Did you order…?"
Pierce took another swig and laughed heartily. "I went for the bubbliest thing on the menu!" he said.
Slade stared with wide eyes. "You're not serious," said the homeroom teacher.
Victor pointed at his teacher. "Lighten up, Mrs. Slade!" he said. "The majority of us are within drinking age, and we got two adults to supervise us! What could possibly go wrong?"
Slade shrugged. Her face was red and her head was tipping. "I was never good with this stuff," she said. "If I had known before coming here..."
"It's gettin' pretty hot in here," said Keira. She unbuttoned her top button on her uniform. "Don't you think, Charlotte?"
Charlotte held up her finger to measure the temperature in the air. "Keira is correct," she said. "The temperature has increased by two degrees Kelvin."
Leon sniffed his drink. "Weird," he said. "Doesn't smell like booze..."
"You'd be surprised," said Ellie. Her nose became red. "Some drinks don't hit you until they're in your system."
Lucy stood up, slapped the table, and pumped a fist in the air. "Time for the King's Game!" she hollered.
A moment of confusion was shared with the members of S.E.E.S.
"Times like this, the adults play the King's Game," said Lucy. "It's the law!"
"What are you talking about?" asked Conan.
Lucy rolled her eyes. "My parents hosted this thing for guests all the time! They called me a kid and told me to go to my room. It's so obvious—the parties got a lot more fun after I went night-night!" Lucy swerved in place as her balance tipped. "I'm playin' the King's Game and ain't no one gonna stop me!"
Leon elbowed Conan. "Has she done this before?" he asked.
Conan shrugged. "I think this is her first time."
"Onward!" said Pierce.
"By God, I'm so recording this," said Victor.
"Leon!" said Lucy. She stuck her finger at him. "Get paper and pen ready!"
"Wait, why me?" said Leon.
Lucy put her hands to her hips. "The King's word is law! Chop-chop!"
Leon dashed out of the room. After a few minutes, he returned with blank copy paper and a pen. Lucy took the paper with glee and started writing numbers along its border.
"Um, Keira?" said Victor. "Do you know what's she's talkin' about?"
Keira snickered. "Well, you usually play this game with popsicle sticks, but paper works just as well. One makes you the King if you draw it, and the rest have numbers on 'em. The King picks a number and tells that person what to do." Keira snickered again. "But who has which number is a secret until the King gives the order!"
Lucy finished writing numbers and tore the paper into strips. "Keira, you are so into this!" she said. "You tell, em!" Both she and Keira erupted into laughter.
"They're already into high gear," said Leon.
"Can't blame 'em," said Pierce. "Who wouldn't want to cut loose?"
Lucy gathered all the strips and held them so their numbers were concealed. She fanned them out for all to grab. "Okay, everyone!" she said. "Take you number!"
The majority of the team was drowned in mirth by then, so there were no objections. Everyone drew a strip of paper and concealed their numbers. Lucy also took a strip to see what would happen next.
"So," said Lucy. "Who's the King?"
Victor waved his strip in the air. "Oh, oh!" he said. "Mine's all black! Totally black! Does that mean I'm King?"
Conan shook his head. "This won't end well."
The jokester cleared his throat and put his foot on the table. "As your new King," he said. "I command thee to suck face!"
Ellie's eyes widened. "Suck face?!" she exclaimed.
Victor clapped his hands together in prayer. "Please, God, luck be a lady! Number four!"
Leon yelped.
The jokester jumped as well. "I meant number three!" said Victor.
"No take backs!" said Pierce.
Victor's face became beet red. "Oh, Leon!" he said. "I knew we'd be best friends! Well, this is my first time. Be gentle!"
The jokester tackled Leon to the ground. A series of shouts came as they wrestled to the hard floor. The mini-brawl ended with Victor's lips sloppily pasting saliva all over Leon's face. The senior took no hesitation to punch Victor in the eye. Everyone else laughed. Given the mirth in the air, everything was too superficial for the fluke to be personal. When all was said and done, neither Victor nor Leon was in the mood to continue the brawl. They returned to their seats.
"Only the first round, and everyone's getting' hot and heavy!" said Lucy. "On to round two!"
If Slade or Pierce were in their right minds, they would have stopped the game there. However, they were beet red and becoming very drowsy. Tonight's party could go in any direction, and neither adult could prevent surprises. Everyone became tentative about taking papers, yet they took them anyways. Each person in the room was very careful to not reveal their numbers to the others. Among the inebriated majority, the few who had the capacity ot think were sweating bullets.
"So who's the King?" asked Lucy.
Charlotte raised her hand. "My lips are ready to 'suck face,'" she said.
"Charlotte?" said Slade. "Could we have a reasonable task instead?"
"Oh, that's not how it goes," said Keira. "In the King's Game, if one King wants to kiss, then the next one's gotta be more extreme!"
"Aw yeah!" said Victor. He received an elbow into the side from Leon.
Charlotte deliberated about her next dare. "Number six must allow me to bite her nose," she said.
Keira perked up. "M-me?" she said.
"Wait a minute," said Leon. "Charlotte's a walking calculator!"
"Just let her do it," said Pierce. "What could possibly go wrong?"
Keira's face was red to begin with, but now it was completely crimson. Charlotte walked over and sat on Keira's lap. The iron maiden spread her legs apart and perched them at Keira's sides. Charlotte held one of the senior's hands and used the other to hold up Keira's chin. The iron maiden opened her mouth and started nibbling on the senior's nose. Keira squealed with fear.
"This feels so wrong!" said the senior. Her eyes were watering at the corners.
Charlotte stopped nibbling. She was entirely callous about what she did. "Perhaps you would have preferred to 'suck face?'"
Keira shook her head. "No! Anything but that!"
Charlotte leaned in to continue harassing her teammate. Slade tapped Charlotte's shoulder and the iron maiden returned to her seat. Everyone laughed once more.
"This game just gets better and better!" said Lucy. "Next round, here we go!"
Everyone returned their papers for reshuffling. By then, the air was intoxicated with booze. No one objected to drawing papers again. Conan looked at his paper. Before Lucy could ask, he held up his slip and stood up.
Slade gave a sigh of relief. "Oh, Conan," she said. "Someone decent this time. Please don't do anything drastic."
"Don't bet in it," said Lucy. "So what'cha gonna do, Conan?"
"Perhaps you would like someone to sit on your lap?" Charlotte asked.
"Oh!" said Lucy. "Pick someone to hug you!"
"Better yet," said Keira, "Just have them lay their head on you."
Conan chuckled. His face was reddening just like everyone else's. "Number five," he said. "My lap is yours."
The team looked around to see who would take the call. When no one spoke, all eyes turned to Ellie. The redheaded girl glared back.
"What?" she said. "I'm number six this time!"
Slade sheepishly raised her hand. "I'm not sure I can do this," she said.
"Come on, Mrs. Slade!" said Lucy.
Slade rose from her seat and walked in a zigzag path. She stopped in front of Conan and made tentative eye contact with him. The homeroom teacher turned around and prepared to sit. She took a deep breath and came down on Conan's lap. The fabric of her business skirt was the only barrier between the teacher and her student. Slade was careful to not lean back.
"Mrs. Slade," said Keira. "You gotta get closer!"
Slade clenched her teeth. "Why am I doing this?" she muttered with a slur.
Keira stepped over and helped Slade up. "Don't be stingy. Here's how you do it."
The senior came down and sat on Conan's lap. She then propped both her legs up and wrapped her arms around Conan's neck. The air around the junior became even hotter.
Keira giggled. "See? This is how you get close when a guy's sitting down."
Lucy shot up, swerved in place, and fumed. "Hey! I want a turn!"
She booted Keira over and sat adjacent to Conan. Lucy laid her head down on his lap and sighed. "This feels so nice," she chortled.
"I wish to join you all," said Charlotte. The iron maiden climbed on top of the lounge chairs, and lay horizontally behind Conan. She brought her knees close and her fingers on his shoulders.
With her, Lucy, Slade, and Keira present, Conan was entirely swarmed by women. The junior in the center had no objections to being piled with them. Keira sat on one leg, Lucy laid on another, Charlotte was lying right behind him, and Slade was sitting adjacent to Conan all the same. Everyone but the teacher wore grins on their faces.
"Conan!" said Victor. "Don't hog 'em all!"
"Too bad," Conan scoffed. "I'm the King."
Everyone except Victor and Ellie laughed. The latter took another sip and grew redder.
"You all are a pack of imbeciles," said Ellie.
In a minute, everyone returned to their original places. Every junior, senior, iron maiden, and adult was giddy beyond their minds. Lucy gathered the papers for another round of the King's Game. The team took their numbers and waited for another King to emerge.
"I am the King once more," said Charlotte. "Or perhaps I am the Queen? In any case, may I select my number and task?"
"Go for it," said Keira with her head drooping low. "Just don't pick me again."
"Number four, give me a piggy back ride."
Victor's face drooped. "Wait, what?" he said.
"That is correct. Victor, I want you to carry me."
"A piggy back ride?" asked Pierce. "Can he handle that?"
"Well, that's not the worst dare a King can pick," said Lucy.
"You appeared lonely," said Charlotte. "This is a gift from me to you."
"Victor," said Slade. "Think of this as a moment to build character."
Victor hesitantly stepped up and turned around. Charlotte's expression looked calm, but that didn't mean the iron maiden was plotting something dastardly. He had the nagging feeling that Charlotte would do something to make him regret taking this dare.
The iron maiden hopped onto the jokester's back. Her legs hooked around his side and her arms latched around his neck. Just as he feared, the junior had major difficulty holding Charlotte up. The mechanical girl was nearly as heavy as twenty cinderblocks. Victor's face bulged as his eyes began to come out of their sockets. He found himself kneeling over while trying to support her weight. Meanwhile, Charlotte was enjoying the ride.
"Now take me across the room," she said.
"Really?" Victor choked.
"A man is entitled to serve his Queen, no matter the difficulty in the task."
Victor spent an agonizing minute trying to carry his classmate across the room. While he carried a person made entirely of metal on his back, his balance was thrown off drastically. Every step he took threatened to make him fall on his face. The jokester finally completed the task by setting Charlotte down and collapsing on a neighboring seat.
Lucy cleared her throat as she gathered the papers for another round. "I think we're good for another game, right?" she said. "Don't leave me hanging!"
Victor groaned. "Shoot me now," he said.
Lucy shuffled the papers and had everyone draw their numbers. Leon rose and held up his slip.
"My turn now," he said with a reddened face. "And I want Ellie up here with me."
"Leon!" said Lucy. "You're supposed to pick a number first!"
The senior scoffed. "The King's order is absolute!"
Ellie rose and swayed about like a candle in the wind. She walked over to Leon with a red face. "What now?" she asked.
Leon bent down and picked up two microphones from the table. "Let's hear you sing."
Ellie's eyes widened. "What?" she said. "I don't think I can—"
"Oh!" said Keira. "Great idea! I haven't heard you sing yet!"
"I also wish to evaluate your vocal capacity, Ellie," said Charlotte.
"Yeah," said Lucy. "I bet you'd do great!"
Ellie sighed. Had the time and place been different, she would have declined and walked away. Given the amount of alcohol in her brain right now, her usual sense of judgment was temporarily suspended. She shrugged and took a microphone from Leon.
"Let's get it over with," she said.
Leon scrolled through the list of songs available and picked one. He fired it up, and the room was filled once more with music. The track began with a few chords from an electric guitar, then synthetic notes, which were followed by a mixture of both sounds. Everyone was familiar with this track: Burn My Dread.
The senior and the redheaded girl sucked in breaths and began to sing. Leon's singing ability was nothing special, so his voice died out after a few seconds. Ellie's voice, however, was in key with the music, more so than the singers prior to her. To everyone's surprise, her voice came with vigor and passion. All members of S.E.E.S. were entranced by the way Ellie poured her heart out through a microphone. Leon even stopped singing to hear her voice.
The song lasted no longer than two minutes. In that time, Ellie managed to plow through four stanzas and three rounds of the chorus of her song. The redheaded girl's voice was full of soul and enthusiasm throughout, which betrayed her cold demeanor she usually displayed. Every note and every word Ellie sung was mesmerizing. When the song was over, her rich voice was still ringing in everyone's ears. Everyone else applauded and cheered in unison.
"Wow!" said Lucy. "I never knew you had that kind of voice!"
"Yeah!" said Victor. "You'd hit the pop charts in no time!"
Leon patted her on the shoulder. "The King is pleased," he said.
Ellie's face grew red in more ways than one. "Shut up," she said.
From there, the rest of the party was a blur. Everyone resumed the King's Game, but none of the dares were as impressive as Ellie singing. The game was dropped after another two rounds when Lucy and Keira passed out from exhaustion. Shortly after, the staff at the karaoke bar notified the team that their time to rent the VIP room was almost used up. Pierce called the party to a close and proposed that everyone return home.
Charlotte and Leon volunteered to carry their unconscious members back to the cars outside to return to West side. When everyone was back in the dorms, Victor passed out in the lobby. Leon carried him back to his room while the girls were brought to their respective quarters. Everyone fell asleep within minutes of returning to West side.
CM Academy West side, Lobby: 1:00 PM
Conan, Victor, Leon, and Lucy convened in the lobby to share their headaches. Everyone was clutching their heads and closing their eyes. No one really remembered the last few minutes before they went to sleep. Rather than discuss their sparse memories, they were more concerned with avoiding bright lights and loud noises. Every noise or beam of radiance became ten times more potent, and everyone's senses were more than sensitive now.
The four students waited a few minutes to settle down. They slouched for a few minutes before Ellie lumbered in and melted onto a neighboring seat. She groaned.
"That was one hell of a party," said the redheaded girl. "Do you guys usually go this hard?"
"No," said Victor. "Who knew booze would have so much kick?"
Lucy groaned. "Don't remind me," she said. "I'm gonna be sick."
"Want a bucket?" asked Conan.
Leon rubbed his eyes. "Does anybody remember the last thing we did?" he asked.
"I think I gave Charlotte a piggy back ride," said Victor. "It all goes black from there."
"Yeah," said Ellie. "Nothing important happened after that."
Victor patted down his pockets to find his cell phone. He pulled it out and checked the screen. His eyes bulged when he saw time. "What the hell did we drink?" he asked.
Ellie shook her head, and then clutched it. "Damn headache," she said.
"Wait a minute," said Victor. "My phone was on the whole night. And the recording device app was on."
"Was it?" asked Lucy. "Does that mean you recorded everything we said?"
Ellie's eyes widened. "It better not be," she said.
Victor tapped the play button. "I think I flipped it on right after Charlotte's dare."
The phone blasted a myriad of noises laced with shuffling noises and voices. Everyone suddenly remembered the recorded sounds as those from last night. They all listened through a jab of words spoken by the members of S.E.E.S. When all the chatter subsided, the whole recording was filled with singing. Ellie's voice filled the volume of the record, and the sound was just as vibrant as the team remembered it.
Ellie jumped up. "Delete it!" she exclaimed.
Victor tapped more buttons on his phone. "Yeah, I'm definitely saving this," he said.
"Cheer up, Ellie," said Lucy. "This is a golden record, so there's nothing to be ashamed of."
"I can't have that!" said Ellie with a flustered face. "What if somebody heard me?"
"They will now," said Victor. "I'm definitely posting this on my wall."
Ellie hopped over and tried to grapple Victor. The jokester rolled aside and started running. As the junior started sprinting, Ellie came charging after him. Their chase brought them out of the lobby and out in the streets.
"You are so dead!" she shouted. Her words echoed through the walls. "You are so freaking dead!"
The chase continued out into the streets. Everyone waited until the sound of shouting died out. Conan checked his cell phone.
"What do you know?" he mused. "Looks like I recorded the song too."
The senior laughed. "Send me a copy," said Leon. "This is priceless."
