I was really happy with the number of reviews and views I got in such a short amount of time, so I really wanted to post this chapter. It was just going to kind of sit around for a few more days so I thought: eh, why not?

Anyway, please review! It always makes me so happy and when I'm happy about a story I write!

Chapter Eight

"Everyone! This is the start of the third phase." A little green, bean-like butler called, looking a bit too merry to make me feel at ease. The other contestants shuffled past Minoru and my brothers, sending me long, hard side-long glances. They were silently seething that I had passed, I could just feel it.

And it was starting to really piss me off.

"Try it, weasel," Amori snarled at a contestant in purple who had gotten within shoulder-bumping range. I glared up at him. They had all been doing small things like that, obviously cowed by the sheer numbers that my brothers and I represented but also petty enough to try and shove me around. Pretty soon I was going to start slicing off their hands.

Umori scowled, his ugly mug making a few of the surrounding contestants step farther away. Still, the little glances I kept getting was enough to rile me into a low simmer. Across the stone slab that we were situated on, I caught the amused glint of Hisoka's golden eyes, his red hair vivid against the morning sky.

His eyes roamed over me, his lips curling as a trickle of his aura pushed against me, making me teeth gnash. He was goading me and dammit but it was working. I snapped at another contestant with a cap on as he came a bit too close, sending him skittering away in wide-eyed surprise.

That damn dream. That dream with its beating disappointment. My ma had wanted me to be so much more than I was and yet all I had risen to was a petty thief. I could feel it pulse through me like a shot of liquor, burning and stinging. I would have been a disappointment. Worse, I was throwing away something that could make me famous. Something that would allow me to lead a good life. Damn her. Damn the wisps of her that still fluttered around me.

You're in a foul mood, Minoru mused, not taking the time to even glance at me as my fingers tightened around his paw. I seethed, fuming, still grappling clumsily with the bit of Hisoka's aura that kept pushing against mine. Across the clearing, I saw him playing idly with a deck of cards, looking so nonplussed that I wanted to go over there and strangle him.

Sweat dribbled down my neck, something rancid and rabid bubbling up inside of me. My fingers ached, my muscles screaming for some relief. I wanted to fight. I needed to do something to stop this irrational beast that was starting to tear at my insides.

"In order to pass this phase, you must reach the bottom of this tower alive," the green butler continued, grinning.

"Morie, you need to calm down," Imori breathed, not daring to touch me as he glanced nervously around. I was starting to draw attention. The wrong kind of attention.

Hisoka had stopped playing with his stupid cards, his brows furrowing as his aura pulled back a bit from mine before diving forward like a feral animal let loose. I met it, my head snapping around to glare at him. Stop pushing me, I thought, sending a warning shove into him that made his brows go up. I tried to reel myself in, taking a deep breath as he let me be for a moment. Bad things happened when I lost control.

Near the ramp that had let us exit the airship, the man with the pins and purple skin seemed to have developed the same interest. His eyes, which were just as dark and impassive, stayed fixed to me, his head clicking this way and that disjointedly as he watched. I squeezed my eyes shut. Calm down. Calm down.

"Just take a breath," Umori suggested.

"I know!" I snarled, sending my brother back a step. Immediately regret filled me, followed closely by the need to get away. I had held myself together so well up until this point and now - now I was covered in damp sweat, the urge to scream and lay someone out almost overwhelming me. It was pathetic - an utter disgrace that I had let this competition get me so riled. Yanking my hoodie over my head and to the ground, I stepped quickly away from the cluster of my brothers. "Just give me five seconds."

Keep it together, Morie, I chastised myself, my fingers trembling as I tugged down my tank top, the obnoxious yellow smiley face plastered on it mocking me. I stopped, sensing Minoru just at my back, his eyes watchful as he kept a close guard on me. Or maybe it was the other way around. Maybe I was the thing that he was guarding the others against. When I got angry, people got hurt. I had learned that on the streets and I had learned that with my brothers.

Just at my ankle, I could feel Hisoka's aura brushing along me, testing at my boundaries.

I gritted down, frowning. His presence riled something inside of me - something that I hadn't even realized had been lying dormant. Something savage and angry. But I couldn't let him control my emotions - egging me on into anger. I could control myself. I wasn't a child anymore and I could control myself.

Better? Minoru asked as I let out a breath, opening my eyes to the glare of the sun. I nodded, my muscles still tensed, that same itch still there just beneath my skin but a little calmer. Without thought, Minoru reached down for me, picking me up so that I could rest on his shoulders. The little green man had left us already, leaving the remain contestants to wander around on the roof of the tower.

I had only caught about half of what he had been saying which would leave me leaning heavily on Minoru and my brothers for the rest. They were all just a few paces around, waiting patiently in their usual cluster. They wouldn't want to separate this far into the game.

We have 72 hours to find our way through the tower and to the bottom, Minoru supplied, taking a step toward Amori and the rest. Just across the clearing Hisoka's eyes had wandered to something just behind my brother's feet. I blinked, taking in the rumpled mess of my hoodie.

A low rumble broke through my confusion. What-?

I think it's coming from-

A scream tore from my throat as the ground beneath us buckled and then vanished, leaving nothing but gaping darkness moments before we were careening down. Terror blurred my vision, making the startled expressions on my brother's faces seem like blobs.

"MORIE-"

It was too late. My arms locked around Minoru's neck as he flailed, trying to grab onto something but only finding air as we dropped. My shoulder slammed into something hard and unforgiving, making me yelp and let go of him. He gave a similar squeal of discomfort as his ribs hit the ground.

"Ouch," a calm voice echoed through the simmering silence as I tried to get my bearings, blinking up at the dark ceiling. "That looked like it hurt."

Dazed, I forced myself up to my elbows, grimacing as my shoulder pulsed dully. It had been a short fall, thank God but I would definitely have a bruise there. We had fallen into a windowless, stone room. Sitting just a few feet away next to a smooth, cement slab was a grinning young man with dark brown hair. I blinked. I had never seen him before. Or more accurately, I had never noticed him before. He looked incredibly average with a pleasant smile and a plain shirt and shorts. Even his number was a little boring: 23.

"Who are you?" I sniffed, inching toward Minoru who was struggling into a sitting position.

Number 23 grinned, flashing a set of white canines. "You don't need to worry about me. Read the board."

He jabbed a thumb back at the blackboard that was positioned just above the cement slab. I flinched, staring at the jumble of lines and circles. There was something that I hadn't needed to learn on the streets.

And that was reading.

So far I had gotten pretty lucky. Sure, I could count well enough thanks to my brothers but they each were lousy teachers and there just hadn't been time to learn letters. That's what happens when you scrounge around your entire life for scraps. You lose track of time.

Nervously, I shifted closer to Minoru. He was the smarter of us. And he definitely knew how to read. His kind were more adept with that sort of thing.

From now until the end, you two will be traversing the Trick Tower together. Make decisions together and you will reach the bottom. Separate and only one will succeed, Minoru supplied, finally able to roll into a sitting position. I crouched beside him, staring hard at the boy just across from him. I don't like newbies.

I don't like anyone, I replied glumly.

We'll have to work with him to get back to your brothers.

Yeah. I frowned across the small space. Was there really any decision to be made? I had to work with him to get to the bottom of this tower. My brothers would more than likely have seen what happened to me and gotten into the same chamber by some shenanigan or another. Not to mention that I had left my hoodie up with them. Failing wasn't an option.

"I asked what your name was," I snapped, staying where I was.

"Ah, my bad," Number 23 grinned, rubbing at his hair. "Name's Ichihiro."

Even his name's boring, Minoru grumbled, getting to his feet. Slowly, I followed, our actions mirrored by Ichihiro. Ichihiro was a pretty boring name. Firstborn was what it roughly translated to - making it the number one go-to for unenthused mothers.

Keeping an eye on him, I inched toward the cement slab, eyeing the bracelets sitting on top of it. Across the room, Ichihiro gave a grin, flashing his wrist at me where an identical bracelet was firmly in place. I frowned. That looked a lot like collaring.

"Hello!" A cheery voice blared from the speakers inched into the corners of the room's ceiling. "My name's Lippo. I'm the prison warden and also the examiner for the third phase."

Great. Minoru griped. They finally got us. It's all been an elaborate trap to throw us in jail! I told you this life of crime would lead to three brick walls and some iron bars.

Oh, shut up. I frowned up at him. Still, the information made my skin crawl. I was less than enthused at the prospect of being trapped inside of a prison.

"There are several routes in this tower," he continued on. "While some are tasked with the unfortunate ordeal of majority rules, you will only have to deal with each other. As you can see, there are three bracelets that are to be worn as you go through your trials."

I scowled, staring down at the pair of bracelets still resting on the cement slab. He was right. There were three. That meant that they were considering Minoru a contestant. I opened my mouth to object, sensing a trap beginning to close around me. We had had an advantage when they had considered us a single entity.

"Oh before you begin to object, number 200," that cheery voice continued on, syrupy sweet. "Let me put you at ease. While my other examiners have considered you two to be one, I will not do so. Even that little boy with his monkey had to start the trial with it being considered a contestant. You see, every able body must be accounted for when going through my tower which means that even those performing in a servant role will be tracked."

Servant? Minoru fumed, a low snarl working through his chest.

"And it seems," Lippo said, his voice going soft and smooth as if he was leaning forward in interest. "That you're little pet is intelligent enough to understand me."

Minoru immediately stilled, falling silent. My eyes snapped over to Ichihiro, catching his hard stare before he was whipping around to whistle up at the ceiling. My insides rolled, that earlier anger starting to bubble up. I hated little men in little boxes who hid behind screens and speakers.

"My, my, that is a frightening look you have on your face, number 200," Lippo chirped and my lips twisted down even more. "It seems that Satotz was correct. You seem to need a bit of a closer eye… But that's neither here nor there. What is at present is that you have three people and must, therefore, move along." A slab of stone to our right shivered and then slid out of the way, leaving a torch-lit hallway in its absence. "I wish you good luck!"

With that the loudspeaker gave a pop and a fizzle, effectively cutting off communication to the warden. I glared at it. There was little chance that he still wasn't watching us.

"Well…" Ichihiro hummed, glancing expectantly at us. "Should we be…?"

Snarling, I yanked the bracelets from their small alcoves, clipping one onto my wrist then onto Minoru's as well.

"If you betray us, I'll tear out your insides and feed them to my friend here," I warned, tipping my chin towards Minoru as he bared his teeth before stalking past Ichihiro and into the hallway.

"Lovely warning," the man replied cheerily, making my head pound with pent up aggression. "I'll keep it in mind."

Please review! It always makes me so happy and when I'm happy about a story I write! I'm always up for a few follows as well if you're interested.