Hide Seek Kill - A Thriller Novel || Draft One

Twenty: Elizabeth

"Huh. They're the same." Zach crosses his arms, taking a step back.

No, that can't be right. The Host is full of puzzles. Why would they give the Players two of the same map?

There's got to be more to the parchments.

Channeling memories from the times she had to play Spot the Difference with Izzy, Elizabeth looks over the two maps. Her eyes scan every single dot, every coordinate, double checking the whole map before looking it over again.

There is nothing.

"See any differences?" she asks her partner, who simply shakes his head in reply.

"There's not a thing I can see that's different." Zach sighs. "Maybe we should look for another map?"

"No, I'm certain the answer is here." Eliza studies each map more closely. "It's got to be."

She sees him give her a look, but says nothing.

Heat and light.

Those have to be the key.

But where do they fit in the puzzle?

"Grab the map!" She hurries over to the lamp that sits in the corner.

"Which one?" Zach asks.

Is he dumb?

"The smaller one!" Eliza quickly removes the lampshade and snatches the map out of Zach's hands as soon as it's in reach.

She holds it over top of the lightbulb and carefully moves it bit by bit, trying not to catch it on fire.

About halfway across the map, Eliza stops.

"Bingo."

"Do I want to know what you're talking about?"

Eliza rolls her eyes. After all the time he's spent with her and Izzy!

"Secret messages. Invisible ink that is revealed with light and heat. You helped me do this with Isabelle, idiot."

"I know. I'm wondering what you found." She feels him looking over her shoulder.

"You're breathing on my neck, Zachary," she warns.

Zach groans. "Will you please not call me that?" He takes a step back nonetheless.

Eliza squints at the small handwriting that has now appeared on the parchment. She struggles to read what the message is. Are those numbers or letters?

After a moment of blissful silence, Zach asks, "What's it say?"

Elizabeth tries to decipher it, but fails. She reluctantly shows it to Zachary. "Good luck trying to figure it out."
It takes him a moment before he responds. Eliza can't help but stare as the light of the candle lights up his eyes.

"I can't make it all out, but I think it's something along the lines of 'Playing games with...heart...not...a sign...strength...sign...weakness.'" Eliza wonders how Zach was able to figure that out from the messy handwriting.

"So it's about playing with someone's heart? Why is the message here then?"

"I don't know." Zach waits a moment before speaking again, "This Host...they know more than they should. I don't know what that message means, but I know it's meant for one of us—the Players."

"But a message for who? It's not for me, and I'm guessing it's not for you." It seems that every answer Eliza gets leaves her with ten more questions.