Chapter Four - Wanna Bet?

Woo! Guess who's back with another update for you guys? I know this one took a longer time than usual, but I got distracted with revamping plot lines for others and putting another story up on here. This update would have been here sooner even with those problems, but again my fanfiction account deleted half the chapter on me again when I tried to save. -.- That killed some of my motivation. But it's here now!

Also, I totally apologize for not responding to your reviews of Chapter Two last chapter! D: That was not intentional in anyway. I will be adding those at the end of this chapter to make up, so if that section is longer than usual, that's why. c;

But enough about me. As we saw last chapter, Lila has completed her challenge, saving a life by doing so. That's one of nine, meaning we have eight more people to go. Let's see who number two will be.

We are here to laugh at the odds and live our lives so well that death will tremble to take us.

~ Charles Bukowski

Kim's Point of View

I stare at the door to Chloe's mansion, glancing back at the bluenette who's standing beside me. She looks incredibly shaken up, and based on our conversation, it seems like she has every right to be. The poor girl got roped into Lila's challenge, and although she didn't say anything about her own thoughts, I don't think she was expecting to have to get so involved in the whole thing. She certainly wasn't expecting how sick the hoops we're being forced to jump through we're going to be. I wasn't either, but now that I was the only person who wasn't there to so far know what the challenge entailed, I suppose I did kind of see it coming. This guy is threatening to kill people we care about. Why would his challenges be easy or lighthearted?

If Marinette and I were closer, I would've hugged her, even if it was awkward for someone as manly as me. She obviously needed some sort of comfort, but I didn't know what to give her. We haven't talked since we graduated a few years ago, and this is honestly the first time we've ever been one on one. I don't even think we've ever worked on a project together in school, at least not one that was just the two of us.

So instead I stood there watching her internally break down as she informed me about Lila having to carve words into her skin with a knife only two days ago, forcing herself to bleed to keep Nathaniel alive. She got admitted into the hospital and apparently has to stay for psychological evaluation. Lila was in no shape to say anything to defend herself when she was barely managing to keep from passing out due to blood loss, and it wasn't like Marinette could say anything about the Gamemaker and his threats to justify what Lila did. They probably think that the Italian girl was trying to hurt herself on purpose, but I think Lila can tough it out, even though I've only had a few brief encounters with her. No doubt the girl will have herself out of there in a few days after setting them straight about her not needing to be there.

"And you don't know if anyone else got a challenge?" Marinette asks, obviously trying to keep her distress about that mere idea hidden and failing to do so.

I shake my head. "No, I'm barely even in contact with anyone in this game that's on our side of the table. I haven't talked to any of them, including you, except for Chloe since high school. I did talk to Nino once when he was the DJ at an event I attended, but it was all catch up. If there was another challenge, no one told me."

My former class representative nods, taking a deep, calming breath before focusing on the doorman standing across the street from us. "Well, then let's see if we can talk to Chloe."

In the end, we never get the chance to talk to the blonde, who appears to be just as much of a brat as she was before. We barely managed to get inside the building, and when we did, Chloe refused to see us, or as she termed it, "refused to give us an audience." When we tried to say we were going to stay there in front of her room till she opened the door and talked to us, she just kept the door shut. After five minutes of that, some people came up that Chloe must have called and "escorted" us out.

Needless to say, the entire thing was useless.

"Thank you for driving me home, Kim." Marinette says from beside me as she hops out of the car. "You really didn't have to. My apartment, as you saw, wouldn't have been that far to walk, especially since I walked all the way there."

"I'm making up for my lack of chivalry in the past." I respond. "The streets can be dangerous. Besides, it's not like it was any trouble, since you're such pleasant company, or even out of the way. This was on my route home as it was."

"Well, thank you for that." She gives me a smile, but it doesn't reach her eyes. I can see how exhausted and forced it is even without having seen her ages. "I suppose I'll see you whenever the, uh, group meets up again, hm?"

I nod my head. "Definitely. It's only a few days away, and I've made sure nothing is going to come up. Besides, it's off-season for me anyways. And I take it you'll be there."

She gives me a thumbs up. "Don't hesitate to talk to someone if a challenge comes your way."

Ironically, Marinette seems to have become somewhat of a leader in all of this, just like she did when she stepped up to be class representative. I don't think the move was even intentional. However, no one is disagreeing. She's done well, but I worry about it for her mental sake. How many more challenges will she get roped into because she seems so trustworthy and eager to help?

My class representative waves one more time before walking into her apartment. Out of habit from the times I hung out with Alix I wait and watch till she's slipped inside, and then I start up the car again. It's a habit I'd learned after talking to my good friend, who was the one that made me realize how unsafe things could be, especially for a girl. Then again, this entire situation was drilling the idea that the world isn't safe into my head.

The drive to my house is a short one. I suppose it's a bit surprising to see that I'm the only one who's bought one of those yet, but then again, it also appears that I'm making the most money out of everyone else we just reunited with. There's not really much to do about the matter, so I just roll with it. However, when I pull up in my driveway, any further thoughts on the matter are cast aside at the sight of the package laying there. It could be just a simple order, but I can't think of anything that I ordered recently. My mind tries to fathom up some other excuse. Perhaps it's a gift? I can't think of anyone who would deliver me a gift like this either.

No, unless I'm mistaken, there's only one possible scenario, and I need to just confirm it. Parking my car, I carefully make my way over and pick up the package, giving it a quick once over. It has no labels, just like that envelope that was slipped under my door detailing some of the rules of this sick game and instructing me to meet Marinette in the park.

There's no mistaking it; I'm the next one up in this horrid game.

I reach into my pocket, pulling out my phone, and pull up Marinette's contact. My fingers keep missing the keys intended, but I finally manage to type out my intended message.

Kim: I got a box.

Marinette's response comes through seconds later, and I'm not sure if that surprises me or not.

Marinette: What do you have to do?

Marinette: Do you need help?

Shaking my head, I shut my phone off. I don't even know what it is, and I suppose I technically don't even know if the box is from the Gamemaker. I also know that I need to do this myself. I can't have Marinette help me.

Taking a deep breath, I pray that there's nothing to draw the neighbors' eyes and rip the box open while standing in my yard. Inside is a paper that simply has the address of a nearby cemetery on it, a cellphone, and a flashlight. None of those seem like good signs, but then again, they don't seem particularly bad. I instantly regret that when the cellphone begins to vibrate and ring out of nowhere, giving me a heart attack. I scoop it up, nearly dropping the entire box in the process, and quickly answer it.

"Good evening, Mr. Le Chien!" A deep voice, sounding rather like someone you'd expect to hear announcing at a game, echoes into my ear. "How are you doing?"

"Who are you?" I say back, but I have a feeling I already know. Still, it doesn't hurt to ask just in case.

The speaker chuckles as he answers, "Why, it's me, Kim. The Gamemaker. Don't you recognize my voice?" Before I can give him a snappy retort, he follows up with, "Don't worry. I wouldn't expect you too. It's part of my...charm. Wouldn't you agree?"

I force myself to remain calm and ignore his question, instead posing one of my own. "Let's skip this small talk that's obviously wasting my time and get straight to the point of this all. What do you want me to do?"

The Gamemaker laughs again. "No beating around the bush with you then? I like that in a challenger. It makes these things so much more interesting." The way he drags out the end of the statement makes me uncomfortable. He certainly knows all the buttons to push. "You probably have seen the address in the box by now, as well as the flashlight. Those are both vital for your next task. Starting at ten o'clock, you will need to enter the cemetery at the north entrance and follow a string I've laid out for you all the way to the south entrance. The flashlight will, of course, be used to help you get your bearings in the dark."

That sends off all sorts of warning bells in my head. It certainly sounds like horror movie material, but then again, I'm forgetting that this whole experience is. "The cemetery you have on the address closes at seven forty-five though."

I can almost hear the sneer in his voice when he responds with, "I'm sure you can find a way around that, Kim. You love finding loopholes." What is that supposed to mean? What does he know?

"And do I have a certain time I need to be about by?" I suppose I should be aware of that.

"Well, since you asked..." I'm hating this Gamemaker more and more by the second, "I suppose we'll cap it off at midnight. If you haven't called this number back by then, you'll have lost."

The thought of having his phone number begs for another question to be asked. "What's to stop me from turning this phone in to the police to let them track you down?"

"Besides the fact that I have several of your friends and old classmates and won't hesitate to kill them?" That already is enough to remove any thought of running to the police from my mind. "Both your phone and my phone were bought for the specific point of this task. I will be destroying mine once you fail or win, and I suggest you do the same, unless you want it to randomly blow up sometime." That thought is a gruesome one. "Also, forget tracking the call, because I'm not making it anywhere near my base, and there's no surveillance to track me hear. Understood?"

"Understood." I say, ignoring the fear that would like to be acknowledged so badly within me and instead focusing on a plan to make his game so much more easier. "So I guess I'll be calling you once I complete the task?"

"I guess you will." There's a snicker in his voice as he adds, "If you complete it."

That comment infuriates me. "I will!" However, he doesn't hear those words, because the line goes dead before I say them.

And so I unceremoniously shove the phone into my back pocket and return to my car. It's a quick drive over to the cemetery, but it's only seven fifteen when I arrive. That means I have quite a bit of sitting and waiting to, but I do it. I'm too afraid to go anywhere else, and I'm certainly not hungry enough to try and go get something to eat. I feel too sick to my stomach at the thought of Max's life being on the line to eat. That's a lot of weight to have on your shoulders, even if you have shoulders as strong as mine. At one point, I have the thought that I could fill Marinette in on these events to pass the time, but I decide against it. I'll fill her in once I win. That leaves me sitting in the car, left alone to the company of my own thoughts, and a fair amount of plotting ensues. In fact, I've developed quite the plant to ensure my victory.

The Gamemaker won't know what hit him.

Finally, ten o'clock strikes. I even make sure to wait till the Gamemaker's phone says it to count it as that time, just in case it won't count otherwise. Once it does, I step out of the car, staring at the cemetery with the closed gates before me. Trying to find some way in seems stupid. It would probably take half my time just to figure out how to get in without getting caught and into massive trouble. Besides, how do I know what he has rigged up in there? No, I have a much simpler way of doing this.

And so, with one last look at the barred gate staring at me, I spin on my heel and begin to make my way around the cemetery, quite pleased with myself. The Gamemaker thought he was so clever, but like he said, I love finding loopholes, although I sure this isn't what he meant when he said that. Now I'll ensure that I make it around in time as I hear to the south gate, and Max will live.

If I could pat myself on the back, I totally would.

The cemetery is much bigger than I thought, but that just makes this whole thing more realistic. I have no need to run, even though I could, and so instead just enjoy my leisurely walk around. I don't know why I was so concerned with this whole thing. This was so easy to bypass and easy to win. When I finally see the south entrance, it's just struck eleven o'five. Even more pleased with myself, I stroll up to the gate and lean against it. Look who's so smart now?

Still internally congratulating myself, I pull out my phone and call my last number. "Hello, Gamemaker. I beat your stupid game."

"Ah, that you did." His voice is different this time. It's an odd comparison, but it reminds me somewhat of Lord Voldemort's from the Harry Potter Movies.

I don't really care much for his tone. I'm more pleased with the fact that he totally fell for my walk around the cemetery. I outsmarted him in his own game. That on it's own is a victory unto itself, and topped with the fact that I saved Max's life, I feel like I'm floating.

"So Max is safe." I announce, which gets quite the reaction from the Gamemaker.

Raucous laughter pours from the phone, and it's so unexpected that I actually have to jerk the phone away from my ear because of the unexpected noise. "Your whole gang seems so confident in who you're saving. It's quite amusing."

That comment, even without this whole scenario, would strike me as odd. "What's that supposed to be?"

He snickers, and I can practically see him waving away my questions with his hands as he says, "Oh, nothing. However, there is one slight problem with your victory, Mr. Le Chien."

That drags me back to earth, and I hesitate before asking, "And what would that be?"

"As I said earlier, Mr. Le Chien, you love loopholes. You use them all the time. How about we run through a few examples?" This conversation has suddenly taken a turn, and I'm not sure I like where it's going. "The first would, of course, be your dating life. You just can't seem to promise to be exclusive, because you'll lose your loophole to date around." I cringe. So perhaps I'm not the best with that, but I never go on more than a few dates with those girls. I've only ever had eyes for one, but she's never noticed. She's the real reason I've never actually promised exclusivity, although I suppose having my options open was another. "And then to get your nice job as a professional sportsmen, you cheated your way through the process. Bribery is generally frowned upon when exposed, Mr. Le Chien." Again, it's another jab to my pride. There might have been a bit of bribing, but that's how everyone gets into sports. How was that anything like compromising my morals? That's not a loophole, it's just using my resources. "And I know that a few of your team's victories have seemed oddly rigged when examined closer."

I have to speak up at that. "Rigged? They weren't rigged. Anything I've done is never against the rules."

The Gamemaker chuckles. "I suppose. If that's what you need to tell yourself to get to sleep at night, so be it. However, I would like to call it cheating." The word has an edge to it that grates on my nerves, and suddenly I wonder if my earlier victory thoughts came about to soon. "What do you think of cheaters, Mr. Le Chien?"

I force myself to remain calm. There's no way he knows I didn't go through the cemetery like he wanted. "Well, if they blatantly break and disregard the rules, then they deserve to be punished."

"Then I suppose that will be a befitting way to handle things with you, now won't it?" The words echo in my head once I hear them. "Do you really think so little of me to think that I would be fooled by you simply walking around the cemetery? Please, Kim, I am of far superior intelligence to you, and I'm insulted that you would even think that would fool me." His voice reeks of ego. I hate him for it. "Especially since, if you'd paid more attention, you would've seen the tracker I left on your phone." That causes my heart to practically stop in my chest. There was a tracker on this phone. How was I such an idiot to miss that? How dumb can I be? "I suppose that's why Max was always the brains of your operations."

Max. Oh gosh, he's going to hurt Max. I can't let him kill my friend!

"I didn't cheat." I argue, grasping at straws to try and save my friend. "You never said I had to go through the cemetery! Just that I had to get from the north entrance to the south entrance."

"The meaning was inferred." He brushes off the argument, but I cling to it.

"No!" I practically shout the word at him in rage. "You don't get to do that. You never said I had to go through it!"

"You cheated, Mr. Le Chien." The Gamemaker says, ignoring my further attempts to justify what I did. "And, in the words of yourself, if cheaters blatantly break and disregard the rules, then they deserve to be punished."

He totally has twisted my words against me. In desperation, I snap, "Don't hurt Max! If you hurt him for this, I'll kill you!"

"Oh don't worry, Mr. Le Chien. I won't be doing anything to him." Then the line goes dead, and in a rage I toss the phone over the fence of the cemetery. "If anything is done to him, it's on your own head."

I've just killed one of my childhood best friends. What have I done? Why couldn't I have just gone through his stupid cemetery? My vision blurs, but I force the tears back. I won't cry. I'm tough. I'm a man. I don't cry. The few droplets of water I can feel on my face must be rain, not anything else.

Through the blurriness I manage to type out one message to Marinette, who has apparently been spamming me this entire time, trying to make sure I'm okay.

Kim: I failed.

The mighty Kim Le Chien has fallen, and I won't even be the one to pay the price. What have I done?

And so we have our first failure within the story. Were you expecting to actually see anyone fail in this story, or no? :p If you weren't, then I'm sure that that came as a shocker, but what can I say? I love a good tragedy. cx Anyways, what do you think of the chapter? Was it good? Bad? Again, I'm sorry it took so long to get to you guys. :c However, hopefully this made up for it! How do you feel about Marinette and Kim's attempt to get in to see Chloe? How do you think things are going to go when it becomes her turn? Were you expecting Kim to be next, seeing as it was his perspective? I'm assuming probably. xD What do you think of his attempt to outsmart the Gamemaker? Did you think it would work and that he would get away with it, or did you find it stupid? Who do you think the Gamemaker will target next, and what do you think he or she will have to do? Let me know in a review!

Now, let me make up for not responding to your reviews last chapter on Chapter 2 by responding to them all (including the ones about Chapter 3) here. I'm so sorry I forgot to last chapter! That was not intentional in any way. I love you guys and your reviews, and because of that, I want to make sure I respond to each review to express it. c: Of course, I also love all of you who follow and favorite! I feel like I tend to not show how much I appreciate that, so let me reiterate that I love that as well. Getting emails from Fanfiction about reviews, follows, or favorites make my day every time. c:

pinksakura271 (Chapter 2) ~ Firstly, I wanted to say thank you so much for your review on "Please Don't Go!" I can't respond to reviews since it's a one-shot, but I wanted to say that was amazing. c: Anyways, onto your review for this one. Yes, I know, no appearances from Plagg till way further on is rather sad. :c He's one of my favorite characters. However, I will try to throw something in later specifically for you. c; And you hate Ladybug? I suppose I can see why I might, although I'd love to know your personal reasons. I don't necessarily mind her, and I didn't even mind writing that part all that much. It was more disliking having to write through everyone coming and all the ground work that I had to lay out. I would have much rather skipped straight to Lila's task. xD And aww, thank you! I absolutely love writing these ones because they are far less happy, so even though I do enjoy those, I'm glad to know other people like these too. It will definitely prompt me to continue writing ones that are far more tragic. I'm glad the chapter size was good! And trust me, I don't mind the rants. c; I actually love when you guys give me rant reviews. It means a lot to know my stories were worth getting a rant review! And haha, yes, complete wishful thinking on Marinette's part. But I would be wishful too.

(Continuation of above review response just to break up the block of text) Yes, the Gamemaker doesn't play around at all (I'm gonna have to steal that pun sometime :p). And agreed on the Nino and Marinette awkwardness being amusing in other circumstances. I'll have to write a one-shot with that table flipping at some point, maybe in one where Animan matchmaking succeeds? We'll see. Yep, Jalil is here! I agree, I do wish there had been more reference to the adoration of cats in Egypt, but I do believe there was an Egyptain Chat Noir on the papyrus? I don't remember for sure, and I know it wasn't called out, but I swear I saw something that looked like it. I love Nathalie a lot too! I really would like to see her get more development. And ooh! A Lila supporter! There aren't many of those. I like her when she's not out to mess up my Adrienette dreams. xD I do agree on Chat Noir being the true fighter, but he is supposed to be the protector. His costume and powers are far superior in the category of defense and even offense, while Ladybug is more meant for strategy and, in the show's case, destroying akumas. It would be hard for something with the power of Creation to injure, unless it's like creating injuries? I dunno, I kind of expected him to be the true fighter of the duo. And yes, Marinette is a bit oblivious to why Chat wasn't referenced, but they wouldn't be their oblivious selves otherwise. And ah yes, as you know by now, Nathaniel and Lila aren't actually dating, but maybe that'll change in the end? We'll see. :p And yes, Ivan and Mylene (such sweethearts) are engaged! But I've still got time to mess that up too... :p

smartgirl13579 (Chapter 2) : Thank you! I'm glad it was incredible. c:

CrazyNerd03 (Chapter 2) : I'm glad you love it! It's certainly different to write, and I really enjoy it. c:

Mikael0000 (Chapter 3) : Trust me, I wish I was genius enough to think of pulling it so that Marinette is the Gamemaker, or at least keeping it in the dark. xD Unless I'm just trying to lead you astray... :p Guess you'll just have to wait and see! Who's to say he/she will actually even be revealed?

pinksakura271 (Chapter 3) : Ahhh thank you so much for letting me know I missed them! D: I can't believe I did. I'm glad they were missed by you guys though! c: I'm glad I've been handling the blood and pain well so far! I've had to do some weird research for this story so far, some of it for things yet to even happen. xD It brings me to some weird stories though. They're not fun to read. ;-; Of course this chapter didn't have any of that, but that's because Kim decided to not go through the cemetery. Guess we'll never know if there would've been any had he entered! I'm glad you liked Lila's POV! It was super interesting to write from, and I find it super cool that she's your favorite gal in Miraculous. c; And haha, that's a good way to put it. cx And yes, the Gamemaker isn't super kind, but if he were, we wouldn't have this story! xD And agreed, it was all Marinette's fault, but people make mistakes. It was certainly an interesting villain. I will be excited to see if/when she makes another appearance. Her scar will certainly not be a fun one to bear, but at least she's kept Nathaniel alive! He's such a sweetheart, I adore him.

Unfound Name (Chapter 1) : That first word pretty much sums up the story. xD And haha, I'm glad it adds flair! He's very interesting to write. Hopefully you're still curious on what's going to happen!

Unfound Name (Chapter 2) : Haha, who's to say everything is as it appears? The people thing is, of course, pretty straight forward. But remember, the Gamemaker never actually said who the pairs would be. Everyone established them on their own. c; You'll just have to figure out if I'm leading you astray or not with that line of thinking! As for the Gamemaker, no promises on him ever actually being revealed. We'll just have to see.

Unfound Name (Chapter 3) : Don't worry, I lose my train of thought all the time! cx Yep, Marinette might end up being super scarred, we'll just have to see how it goes. And ah yes, I can't guarantee that they'll all be darker (this one for example wasn't), but they'll certainly get tougher and, as we've now established that people are gonna die, we certainly are going to be seeing some of that. Major character death warning now I suppose! xD And yes, I did say that just as a warning, since I wasn't sure what people would consider too dark. I definitely understand your confliction on the matter. I feel the same way about things of this matter, or even on things like watching people play through horror games. On the one hand, I'm desperate to get some answers, but I'm also nervous. So I totally get you. c; And don't worry about rambling! I don't mind. :p

Thank you so much for all those reviews and the support! It honestly makes my day, especially because this story was such an experiment. If receptions stays well, I am considering one of a similar style, but we'll have to see if I'm up for it after this one. cx

Fun fact before we go, just because I want to have a more interesting ending than my "see you next time," although I hope I will see you guys next time! Anyways, my fun fact is that this story was originally going to be named "Requests of a Killer." However, I felt that was far too straight forward and not nearly unique enough, so I decided to scrap that and use this name instead. However, both chapters one and two are titled that way in my doc manager, so I only began to save them with the actual name last chapter. xD

Anyways, until next time (there goes my attempts to not end the same way as always)!

~ Dagger