Project: Socialize (Chapters 198-Continued) [Hiatus]

254. Game Preparations

I was rather surprised by how nonchalant and natural the host and staff were when they called me up onto the stage. As I walked nervously, each step that I took was met with the jealous gaze of members in the audience as they kept their eyes on me. It would appear that a camera was trained on me as I saw myself walking up the set of stairs along the outskirts of the audience seating area. My heart pounded in my chest, but I did my best to not let my appearance show this vacillating uncertainty and nervousness.

A staff member wearing a hat with his head lowered walked up towards me while holding a microphone in his hands. The brim of his hat made it so that I could not see his appearance, but he handed me the microphone and patted me on the back as if in encouragement. Using this brief opportunity of proximity, he leaned closer slightly.

"There has been a slight change in the original plans," the man whispered into my ear. "Don't be surprised if the event deviate from the originally planned script."

Then, the man simply clapped as all the others in the audience did as he stopped in his steps and saw me walk up the stairs. I glanced over my shoulder and at the man. Slowly, he raised his head, looking up and over at me. On this familiar face, there was an amused smile. Just before I arrived on the stage, Ralus mouthed something to me, but I was unable to decipher what he wanted to say. However, if I were to guess, I would say he mouthed "Good luck" to me...

"Hello there, lucky audience member," the host walked over and greeted me. "You look awfully familiar? What's your name."

"My name is Alevian," I said into the microphone. 

My hands trembled somewhat as I raised the microphone to speak into it, and I could feel beads of cold sweat forming on my forehead. It was...a suffocating feeling. Even though it was still bright outside, there were spotlights that trained on me, and then there were the audience who stared at me, making it so that the air felt dense and difficult to breath in.

I slowly turned my head away from the audience, redirecting it towards the host, whose face betrayed a slight hint of concern as he probably sensed my nervousness. However, standing behind the host, Irina simply smiled as she gazed into my eyes. In that look that she cast in my direction, I could sense nothing but a warm and wholesome sense of trust. This look she directed at me, for some reason eased my anxious mind.

"Now, Alevian," the host continued, progressing the conversation so that there will never be a dull moment. "As I said earlier, you look pretty familiar. Are you perhaps that boy Irina filmed the live Christmas Special with?"

"Uh...You um...actually remember that?" I was taken by surprise by the host's comment, but I suppose as a professional, it is technically his job to know stuff like this.

"Wow!" the host exclaimed and looked at the audience with wide eyes. "Are you sure you didn't bribe the producers or anything? Cause this is awfully convenient for it to be random!"

The host's comment drew out rounds of laughter from the audience, and as for the reason why they laughed, I do not know. In fact, I do not even have the leisure to even ponder it.

"So Irina," the host looked over at Irina. "This boy here is your friend, correct?"

"Yeah," Irina smiled and nodded. "He's one of my friends from school and someone who's helped me out a lot. I was so surprised when he showed up earlier today."

"He didn't tell you?"

"He didn't," Irina confirmed.

"Well, what a bad friend," the host jokingly remarked. "Now, since it's one of your friends that we've called up, I'm so sorry to say but I guess we'll have to cancel the game we had planned." The host then made an upset look as he spoke into the microphone. "We were originally going to do some games like the ones we did for Henvle's panel, but...since we have your good friend here," the host paused and looked over at me with a raised eyebrow and an amused smile. "We can't let this opportunity of getting to know Irina's personal life to waste!"