♠ ♦ Alice in Borderland ♣ ♥

18

I don't know how I could've thought that nothing would happen if I just kept aloof for three days, but strangely enough I am caught off guard because of several things. Soran and I should've expected to get to this point and that it didn't matter if we would keep to ourselves, but still we are dumbfounded as we enter the lobby to wait for our names to be called out to join a game.

'So,' I hear a sharp voice say behind me, 'you're still alive.' It sounds as if Eymi would've preferred it differently. I turn and look at her. She is flanked by three other girls. Somehow I expect Yoshua and Reo to join her at any moment, but then the exact opposite happens. 'We can say the same about you,' Reo remarks, looking at Eymi with a foul look on his face. Yoshua also doesn't seem to like seeing her again and that's definitely the case the other way around. What probably should've been a hateful speech to us at first, now suddenly unfolds into an argument between them.

Perhaps I should've asked Chichiro if he could have prepared me better for this reunion. I scan the lobby and see him leaning against the wall. It seems as if he had wanted to come up to me, but had stopped when he saw the others. Still, he reluctantly moves forward when Niragi says that the groups for the games will be announced. The others don't even give a sign of acknowledgment when Chichiro approaches, but I give him a nod and lift the corners of my mouth slightly. Confused, he does the same. He's probably wondering where we stand now. After our conversation I haven't spoken to him for three days. I wasn't purposely avoiding him, I just wanted to decide how I would react to the others first. I hadn't made that decision yet, but Soran and I wanted to sign up for a game. It just feels a little safer to know that we have an extra day left. I should've known they would try to find us in the lobby.

When I see Yuki standing, I look at him for a moment. He doesn't seem to mingle with the others or notice us in the slightest. While we wait for Hatter to call out the groups, the others start to get on my nerves. 'How are you?' Yoshua asks, a question that almost makes me laugh. I don't respond to it.

'Beachers!' Hatter shouts through the lobby, after which it becomes quiet. 'Tonight it's that time again and some of you will be competing in the arena!' There is loud cheering, as if it were something very heroic. 'Your contribution will certainly not be forgotten!' Cheers again. 'Soon, the groups will be announced and you will make your way to the correct car! Of course we all sincerely hope that you will come back!'

While we have to wait for it to finally be quiet again, I feel my heart pounding in my throat. What if Soran and I don't get assigned together? Could we trade with someone? Four groups have already been called until I finally hear my name. 'Kairi,' I'm told, 'Chichiro, Hansai and Ringo, to car five.' I feel my heart sink to my shoes. 'And the last group: Yuki, Kenshin, Soran and Manari, to car six.'

Somewhere vaguely I hear the others say something to us. Yoshua wishes us luck and hopes we'll be back, Eymi hopes I'll never come back and all I can think about is shit, they separated Soran and me. Hastily and panicked we walk to the cars, where I address the first militant with the question whether a trade can take place. 'Is there something wrong?' I hear Niragi's voice say behind me. Cautiously I turn and look straight into his grinning face. Immediately I can see that they did it on purpose. 'Kairi and I would rather play a game together...' Soran begins. 'And we'd all rather not have to play a game,' Niragi replies with a shrug. 'Do I need to remind you of rule three? You, car five,' he says to me, after which he looks at Soran. 'And you, car six. Now.' He moves his rifle from his left to his right shoulder and looks at us expectantly. 'You have one minute.'

'It's okay,' Soran mumbles when Niragi has walked away a bit. 'It's not okay, Soran,' I say panicked. Normally I do my best to control my expression, but now I can't. I only have one minute to say goodbye to him. What if I never see him again?! 'What if I die? What if you die? You're paired with Kenshin!' I will never forget or forgive the boy who nearly killed my cousin. 'I'm sure he's still mad about last time. What if he...' I can't even finish my sentence. Time is ticking and I don't want to make him feel like he has to worry about me, but he already does.

'Kairi.' I turn my head to the side and see Yuki standing with us. Because of the stress it doesn't feel awkward to see him again, even though it would be. 'I'll make sure he doesn't do anything to him.' I don't know what I've done to deserve that, but he looks at me seriously and insistently. I can feel it: he means what he says. He will really try to make sure he can't hurt Soran. The two guys are definitely stronger than he is. Yuki's words allow me to breathe again. I look at him and nod.

Then it's Soran's turn to look at me in panic as Hansai and Chichiro arrive at my car. 'Hansai is good friends with Kenshin,' he mumbles, 'and Chichiro...' Even though I told him about our conversation, Soran hasn't been gentle with him. He doesn't trust him at all. I can't say I do, but I still don't want him to die. Yuki glances at Chichrio, then turns grumpy to Soran. 'Come on,' he mumbles as he prepares to go to the car. 'Yuki, wait,' I say. He half turns and looks at me expectantly. 'Thank you,' I say, 'and good luck.' He nods.

I wrap my arms tightly around Soran and fervently wish that this isn't the last time I can do that. 'See you tonight,' he tells me. I also decide to approach with a positive attitude. 'Yes, see you tonight.'

'Yes, lovebirds, the minute is up,' Niragi says triumphantly. Soran and I let go of each other and then each walk to our own car.

The ride is silent, which makes me think even more about the upcoming game and the rest of the evening. Maybe I should worry less about Soran and more about surviving this evening. Still I can't help thinking about him and imagining how I'd be feeling if I came back to the Beach and wouldn't see him anywhere. I'll search every inch until I'll find him, but what if there's nothing left of me after that? What if that happens to him?

'Kairi,' Chichiro says to me softly, 'focus.' He's right: I need to focus on our game and survive first. When I get out, Ringo looks at me with a curious look. He's going to test me tonight, that's for sure. 'A department store,' Hansai mumbles, 'how boring.' The four of us walk in and each grab a cell phone. In the fifteen minutes that follow, two more players can register. Hansai leans against the wall and puts two earplugs in his ear. I curiously look at the iPod in his hand. Where could I score one?

'What's he like to you?' Ringo asks. When I look at him, I see him leaning against the wall with his arms folded, looking at me inquiringly. 'That boy from car six?' It doesn't sound like he really cares and that he's just asking to kill some time. 'Who?' I ask him. 'Soran or Yuki?' Apparently my counter-question is very amusing, because he pulls up the corners of his mouth. 'I knew,' he replies with a grin, 'I won that bet.' I don't know what he's talking about and I don't want to find out. I look away at my phone.

I don't mean to intrude, but my eyes fall on Chichiro's phone and I see that he has collected more cards in the meantime than I have. There are mostly low cards in there, but he has played three more games than me. He doesn't do the same the other way around: he stares at the ground with a blank look in his eyes.

I look up when I see movement at the entrance. Two boys walk in together. They each grab their own phones and are called out as Jinju and Kube. They look at us inquiringly. It looks like we're not the only Swimsuits they've come across, because they look at each other meaningfully. I hate to call myself one of the Swimsuits now.

'Maximum numbers of participants has been reached,' the computer voice says. 'Registration is now closed. The game starts now.'

My heartbeat speeds up and I keep staring at my screen, hoping the symbol and number will appear soon. What is the first game I'm going to play without Soran? What is the game that might just make him do everything else without me?

'Difficulty...'