A deranged man who likes to call himself the Director kidnaps a teenage boy and girl to be his actors. He expects them to perform the six acts of his play without messing up once, or else harrowing pain awaits them.
🥇1st place / The Cosmic Awards
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NATHAN SMILED EVEN though he knew he shouldn't. A masochistic reflex, perhaps, or maybe just a way to maintain his quaking composure.
Whatever the explanation behind the involuntary smile was, Adelaide sure as hell didn't understand it. She gawked at Nathan like he was a reincarnated prehistoric animal.
"How . . . Why in the world would you smi—"
"I don't know, okay?" Nathan quickly cut Adelaide off. "It's a reflex."
The Director tutted, a small buzzy noise through the earpiece, then said, "Look at my actors enjoying a conversation. Go get changed!"
"Shit." Nathan and Adelaide jolted alike then scampered across the stage, down the stair-steps, and hesitated in front of the room's door. One wrong move and they'd trigger the Director. They waited for a last order.
"Change at the same time—we can't waste a minute. One of you in the bathroom and one in the room. My heroine, make sure you close the door behind you. We all know what my villain's like."
Nathan's jaw dropped, brows drawing into a sharp frown. There was something particularly annoying about the assumption that all boys were thirsty assholes. In another case, Nathan would've spewed a string of obscenities but he swallowed down the instinct.
Adelaide gave Nathan a look, then both simultaneously glanced at the bathroom. Nathan realized she was thinking of something else.
"You change in the bathroom," he said. "It's fine, I'll change here."
Adelaide looked like she wanted to thank him but time didn't allow her; she hastened to the bathroom and disappeared for a split-second before thrusting out Nathan's clothing bag.
Fetching it right in time, Nathan cautiously watched the door—the glass slit towards the top through which the Director could be staring. He pushed the door so that it closed without clicking, though the thought of the psycho invading his privacy killed a nerve.
Nathan huddled in the corner adjacent to the door, on the other end, and quickly changed into his scene two clothes. Adelaide came out of the bathroom just as he was righting the belt around his hips.
She flinched, tilting away whilst rambling, "Oh my gosh, I'm so sorry. I totally forgot to ask if you're done but I didn't—"
"Don't worry about it." Nathan walked towards the door and nonchalantly gestured Adelaide over. "I was done anyway."
Nathan opened the door and stepped outside, followed by Adelaide. They climbed to the last rung and peeked at the stage: the curtains had closed again, and now a picnic basket and a checkered square rag lay on the floor.
"Prepare yourselves on stage," the Director said. "My villain, remember to sit right over the spot I marked for you. Right over it."
Nathan nodded, but it took him a quick breath to function. The Director's advice flashed in his head: keep acting no matter what happens. What the hell was gonna happen?
