A couple of hours passed… hours which I spent at the library, checking out their catalog of mystery novels. After finishing some of them, I headed to the coffee shop to see if there were any sweet baked goods.

I entered to see David at a table, stuffing his face with a cinnamon roll.

"Afternoon David," I greeted, sitting down across from him.

He looked up from his treat, mouth still full. He quickly swallowed his bite.

"Oh, hey Jack," he said, "How're you doing?"

"I'm alright, just a bit weirded out by this situation," I said, "There's any more of those?"

I pointed at the remainder of the cinnamon roll that was in his hand.

"Yeah, there are a ton in the back," he said, "Got an extra one right here."

He removed a bag from his pocket and handed it to me. We ate in silence for a bit - the rolls were delicious - before I spoke up.

"Sooo… Elite Thief, huh?", I asked, "How'd that happen?"

"Honestly, I've always had a knack for it… and I'm greedy." David said, "Started stealing when I was… about twelve years old, I think? Never got caught though, so I continued."

"Never did particularly well in school, nor was I particularly good at anything else… but I could fit in tight spaces, so that was convenient for me. When I was 22, I—"

David hesitated for a moment. "Wait, I shouldn't even be saying this!?"

"I've never been a snitch," I said, "And don't worry, we've got attorney-client privilege."

"Huh? But I didn't hire you… and I don't even know what that means," David shrugged.

"You paid me with this cinnamon roll," I said, finishing the last bite, "And it means that whatever you tell me is confidential, could get me disbarred if I told anyone."

"I won't pretend like I know enough about the law to argue," David laughed, "But I'll trust ya."

"First off, you know about Area 41?" He asked me.

"Yeah, who hasn't? Government base and all, not particularly secret… except for what's inside." I said.

"Well… you wouldn't hear about this from anyone else, but when I was 22, I stole a couple of gadgets from there," he said.

"Really!? Why wasn't this on the news?", I asked, shocked.

"I mean, think about it. One of the highest security facilities in the US broken into? With millions worth of technology stolen? "David said, "A cover-up was the only thing preventing a total loss in faith of the government."

"Nah, you've got to be pulling my leg. You might be the Elite Thief, but Area 41 is too much," I shrugged.

"I'm telling you, it's the truth!" David frowned.

"Prove it," I said.

"How?" He asked.

"Show me one of your devices!" I insisted.

"You think I'd be dumb enough to bring one on a plane?" The thief laughed, "You'll just have to take my word for it."

I suppose I should just play along for now.

"So… how'd Shining Futures find you?" I asked.

"I've heard rumors that the organization that owns and runs this place is more powerful than the United States Government," he said, "So maybe that's it?"

"You think so?" I asked.

"They threatened to turn me in if I didn't come… but they wanted to recruit me as an agent for them after the ceremony," He said.

"I see…"

"What about you? What's Jack Waggoner done that's so special?" He quickly asked.

"Never lost a case," I said, "Dealt with a lot of unruly clients and bloodthirsty prosecutors, but my side has always come out on top."

"Anybody like me?" He laughed.

"Haha, no," I said.

"What's the biggest case you've taken?" The thief asked.

"I can't say too much about it, but to be euphemistic, it involved someone passing beyond the veil."

David looked a bit shaken.

"That's the job! It's not pretty and it's no joke."

"Oh, alright," David nodded, seeming a bit more assured, "If for some reason I need a lawyer, I know who to call now."

I winked at him before getting up from the table.

"Gonna go get some air," I said, "I'll see you later, David."

"Bye Jack," David said, waving.

The sky was getting a bit darker, so I took another walk around the trail on the edge of campus. I ran into Herbert, who was sitting down by a tree.

"Hey, Herb!" I greeted, "Can I call you Herb?"

"Evening Jack," the historian greeted, "Yes, you may."

"What do you think about this whole thing?" I asked him, "A bit freaky isn't it?"

"Indeed. I suppose this will certainly be something for the history books though," he said, "Assuming I even make it out alive."

He looked a bit panicked.

"I'm sure you will," I said, "I don't think anyone's dumb enough to try anything."

"I sure hope so," he said.

"How about we take a walk, to get our minds off of things?" I asked him.

"That'd be nice," Herbert answered.

We walked a lap around the trail before seeing Margot and Marie.

"Hey Margot, hey Marie!" I said as I waved at them.

They greeted us, although Margot shot me an annoyed glance.

"Hi guys, care to join us for a walk?" Marie asked.

"Sounds like a great idea, we were just taking a walk ourselves," Herbert said.

The four of us started to walk together, with Herbert at the front with Marie, leaving me with Margot.

"So… Margot! How's life?" I asked.

"Oh, you know, nothing special… other than being stuck in a goddamn school and being forced to kill somebody!" She yelled at me.

"And of course you of all people had to be invited too…" she muttered.

"Well, if we're all gonna be stuck here anyway, we might as well make the most of it. That means not holding any grudges," I said.

"For the sake of the group's well-being, I don't intend on starting any arguments. But that doesn't mean I'm going to be all buddy-buddy with scum like you," she said.

"What'd I ever do to you anyway?" I asked.

"Stop that! I know exactly what you're trying to do…" she frowned.

"Hey, I have no idea what you're talking about," I shrugged.

"Don't play dumb with me! You're trying to rile me up and I'm not rising to your bait," she said.

"Okay, let me change the subject then. How was life before you got here? Single, married, kids?" I asked.

"If you really want to know… Life is great, can't complain. Me and my girlfriend have been together for a bit over a year and we're very happy. We're looking to adopt after we get married, maybe move to another state," she told.

"How about your work life?" I asked.

"Work is great too, although as a supposed 'Elite', I guess that's the norm," she continued, in the calmest tone she's ever used with me, "What about you, Jack?"

"I've been doing pretty well myself. Still single, but I'm practically married to my work. Been making lots of money, won pretty big in the stock market recently. LA's a fun city, nightlife is cool… and you know about all that other stuff…" I said.

"Yeah. Don't worry, I won't stoop to your level and tell anybody," Margot said, "Don't piss me off though either."

"Deal," I said, holding my hand out.

She shook it and we continued to walk in silence. I eavesdropped on Herbert and Marie.

"Greece, have you ever been? Such a fascinating nation, with such a rich history," Herbert said excitedly, "I'm sure you've read a ton on it as a philosopher though, right?"

"Actually, yes! I got to go there about a couple of years back. Probably the most fun time of my life," Marie answered, "I loved the beaches, although I just tended to read books instead of actually entering the water."

Herbert seemed genuinely happy talking to Marie; it seemed to take some worry away from him. The four of us walked some more until the sun set. We then headed to our respective dorm rooms.

Herbert and I entered ours to find most of the guys relaxing, watching some movie on the flatscreen in the common room. Christopher was in the kitchen, cursing loudly of course… However, there was also a delicious aroma coming from there.

"He's sober again?" I asked Buck as I sat down next to him.

"Yep, he was worse earlier though," the mountain climber said, "Wait… I think I smell garlic bread, I'll be right back!"

The mountain climber went to the kitchen and returned with some garlic bread, a piece of which was already in his mouth.

Us guys feasted on the garlic bread and watched a movie until Chris came out of the kitchen with a big plate of chicken wings.

"These right here are Rogerson's Signature Wings! After ya taste these, you'll never eat chicken elsewhere again!" The chef said, "And don't bother asking for my secret ingredient… I'm not telling you shit!"

He set the food down, took his flask from his pocket, and took a swig.

Rogerson's Signature Wings did not disappoint indeed; we devoured them all within minutes. Best chicken I had ever had and it wasn't even close.

"There don't happen to be any more of these wings left over, right?" I asked the chef.

"Nope, it's all gone," Christopher answered, "Now if you'll excuse me… I'm off to bed."

Christopher made his way out of the common room, walked through one of the doors, and closed it behind him.

"Speaking of rooms… There are 9 of us now, but only 8 bedrooms," Sam said.

"Looks like someone will have to take the couch," I said.

"Well, Drake, you were the last one here so…" David said.

"That's okay, Drake can take my room," Buck said, "I had wanted to sleep outside anyway, so this works out perfectly!"

"Thank you, Buck," the president said, "You'll be rewarded later for this."

The door to the common room opened, revealing our captor.

"What're you doing here?" Drake snarled at her.

"I'm just here to distribute your new devices. They each have a map, rules, a messaging/calling application, as well as information about the other participants in this game," Ultio said.

She swiftly put a device in each of our hands before entering Christopher's room and giving him his.

I turned on my device and was met with a screen that read "Welcome, Jack Waggoner!"

There was then an application screen that displayed applications listed as; Map, Killing Game, Phone, and Messages.

I clicked on the 'Killing Game' application, which took me to another screen displaying 'Rules' and 'Participants'. I then clicked on the 'Rules' tab.

Killing Game Rules and Regulations:

Participants must live on the Shining Futures University campus for the duration of the killing game.

Once a murder takes place, all participants must participate in a trial.

If the blackened is exposed during a trial, they alone will be punished.

If the blackened is not exposed, all remaining participants will be punished.

If the blackened wins the class trial, they will graduate and re-enter the outside world.

The killing game and class trials will continue until only two participants remain.

There can only be two murders per class trial. Any murders after the second and before the trial will render the perpetrator's life to be forfeit.

Nighttime is designated as 12 A.M. to 8 A.M. However, as adults, you are not required to abide by that time.

Violence against Ultio, the president of Shining Futures, is prohibited.

Ultio will never directly commit a murder.

Your Ultipads are very important items. Do not damage them.

The Body Discovery Announcement will play when three or more participants discover a body.

Violation of any rules listed will render the perpetrator's life to be forfeit.

Ultio can add (or subtract) any of these rules at any time.

The rules seemed simple enough. Hopefully most of them won't even be relevant. Although I'll still have to determine whether I can trust these people not to end my life on a whim.

I quickly checked the other participant info as well as the map, before putting the so-called "Ultipad" away.

"If any of you have questions, feel free to ask!" Ultio said, "Otherwise, I'm going over to the girls' room to give them their tablets."

None of us responded, so our captor left our dorm.

I went to my room, changed, then went to sleep.