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Part Fifteen

   That didn't mean it wasn't still there. Sam was still indeed scared of his friends, but that terror promised to shriek out at another time. For now, he could at least try and relax with the soothing sound of cards being dealt before him.

   Skip repositioned his arms to enclose Sam, bringing up a barrier of cards in front of him for Sam to see them in clear detail. While he still had to force his neck up to make out what the cards were, Sam felt much better having them right in front to avoid any eye damage. He swung around to face Skip, surprised at first from how close his face was in proportion to Sam's body, before recovering and settling into crossed legs on top of the table.
  
   "What cards make us win?" Sam asked, attentive to learn and hopefully beat Eli with the human on his side.

   "It's not really about the cards, it's about how lucky we get with the layout at the start. But typically, higher number cards aren't as useful unless someone can place a king down."

   "...okay," said Sam, and Skip snickered Before motioning him to 'just watch and learn.'

   As the game played out, it was clear to Sam how a majority of time was spent relying on the luck of whatever card you could draw, as well as the strategy required to notice the stacks that needed to be moved. With only two cards left in Eli's hand, and four left in Skip's, Sam was growing anxious.
  
   "Relax," Skip whispered down to him, his warm breath washing over as if Sam were stepping on top of the heating unit. "We still have a good chance."

   Sam could see fire in Skip's eyes, and a ferocity he had never known before played across Elijah's features. It was only a simple card game (despite Sam not being able to play it), but it seemed that winning was important to humans.

   For Sam and his parents, winning only meant being able to share whatever new gains that came to them. It was a scary change of pace, especially knowing that humans had the tendency to become greedy over losses. Regardless, Sam stayed calm and watched the game play on, tensing only slightly when it came to a close and Skip slammed his final card on the table with a smirk.

   "And here I thought you were supposed to win?" He continued to torture Eli, who only focused on reshuffling the deck before them.

   "Oh, no worries. Sam's on my team now, which means I have a good luck charm," Elijah stuck his nose in the air and waited patiently for Sam to walk back over to his side of the table.

   Sam, for his part, wasn't sure how comfortable he felt witnessing another game. Especially not when he took into consideration the fact that Eli might actually get upset if he lost another round, no matter how nice he was. A mad human was a dangerous human, and Sam wanted nothing to do with one expressing that anger.

   As it turned out, Sam dealt with it.
  
   He didn't once complain, only shifting back and forth on his heels as the games played on throughout the day. Not to mention the horrible feeling in his stomach, or the pains that followed anytime he writhed in discomfort. Sam didn't know where his newfound insecurity came from; he normally considered himself a relatively confident guy for his stature, but being stuck in a room with two predators for that amount of time did something to his spirits. It wasn't as though Elijah and Skip did anything to make him uncomfortable on purpose, they truly only tried to include him, but passing him back and forth as if he were a rabbit's foot gave him a fleeting sense of self doubt that brought Sam in the verge of crumbling.

   Still, he held it in. Sam refused to break in front of his friends, especially when all they were trying to do was make him feel better considering the scenario. If he were to fall apart out, it would be on his terms only.
  
   So, when a creaking door rang out through the living room, and sluggish footsteps brought a tired but refreshed Leo into the room, Sam let out the biggest sigh of his life.