BOTH. Thinking it over, I sat on the bed, taking in everyone's theories and thoughts, running them through my head like a database until something clicked.
"I think both of you could be right," I said aloud, drawing everyone's attention back to me.
"How can we both be right?" Rucker asked. "You can't have it both ways."
I motioned to Khan. "What if the thirteenth contestant does exist," I said and then pointed to Rucker. "But they weren't with us when we first dropped from the cages. What if they were already backstage?"
"What do you mean?" Khan asked.
"Jookie definitely said there were thirteen of us. We all remember that," I said, sitting up straighter. "So did the viewers. They voted on us, remember? But they've only been watching twelve of us in the house. I think the creators hid the extra person because they wanted to make a big splash later."
"But it's not really a big splash when the viewers already know they exist," Yaz said, pulling on her messy hair. "It would've been more surprising if they said it was twelve of us from the start, and then brought in another person."
"I agree with hook feet," Rucker said, making Yaz glower. "If the viewers picked and voted on us, they would've known who this thirteenth contestant is —they voted on them! How could they not know? Which means all element of surprise is gone, meaning why hide them? If this unknown contestant actually exists, they would've participated in the game with us from the start because the creators had no real reason to hide them."
"It's possible that the voting didn't go down like that," Khan said, turning to Rucker. "There were only twelve entry tapes posted on the app. The producers of the game could've let the viewers only pick twelve of the contestants, and they got to pick the last one."
"Which gives them the right to reveal them whenever they wish because they picked them," I said, making Khan nod.
"I guess," Rucker said, shrugging. "I think the thirteenth contestant died sometime that day."
"That is totally possible," I said, rubbing my eye. "But it's also possible that the surprise isn't that the thirteenth contestant exists, but who they are." I glanced at Khan. "You said that one of your fans mentioned there being previous seasons, right?"
"Correct," Khan said, inclining his head.
"Well, there's this girl — Bae who I met twice now," I said, looking at him. "She did my makeup for the one-on-one interview I did with Jookie a few months back, and when I talked to her about the game, she talked about knowing what I was going through. She also has pink hair, which goes with the strawberry-pink obsession."
Khan's eyes spiraled like two butterscotch cartwheels. "She could've been a previous contestant."
"What if they're building her up to come back on the show and be Layla's killer and the unknown thirteenth contestant?" I nibbled on the inside of my cheek. "It'd be a big shocker and a big ratings event."
"Wait, if she's a previous contestant, why she still here?" Yaz asked, cleaning her glasses. "If she won, wouldn't she go back to her old life?"
"That's the thing." I peered down at my fingers, playing with the fluffy blanket. "We don't know what we get if we win the game. What if they don't let us leave and we have to work for them? Or maybe we battle it out with the other season's winners? Or maybe she chose to stay? She seems to be really close to Jookie, and she hates my guts. Tini fought her twice now."
Khan tapped his jaw. "Didn't Layla's killer hate you too?"
"Yeah," I said, remembering the way they tortured me in the tunnel. It was so painful, and I could feel the underlying rage they harbored for me. And the way they kept calling me piggy felt almost possessive. Was that because of their need for control, or was it personal?
Did I do something to them? Tini did fuck with them at one point, but that possessiveness was there way before she came out. So, what was the root of their madness? Was it something I did or were they just naturally like this?
I tried to analyze everything that I could remember about our fight, but nothing stuck out except the word piggy. They kept calling me it. The only thing that came to mind when I thought of that word was my stuffed piggy that I burned to escape that locked room.
I still had no idea how they got it. Tini threw piggy away right after the murders, so how did they get it? And did it have something to do with Layla's killer? Did we have a past?
Ever since I got here, I discovered so many new and repressed things about myself that I wasn't so sure about anything anymore. I couldn't be certain about anything. Like if you would've told me at the beginning of the game that I met Jookie before, I would've laughed in your face. Also, what about the matching chess pieces with Seb?
I was so lost. And with so many unanswered questions, I couldn't say with confidence that me and Layla's killer didn't have a past.
"This Bae chick," Rucker said, tugging me from my bewilderment, "you met her twice?"
"The second time I met her was when you were getting patched up by the medics," I said, scratching the blanket. "She was doing Jookie's makeup. You didn't see the pink-haired girl through the window?"
"No," Rucker said. "But there was guards blocking my view."
"She's very close to Jookie to the point of being overprotective of him," I said, remembering her possessive attitude. That same possessiveness reminded me of the person who tortured me in the tunnel. "She keeps warning me to stay away from him and keeps attacking me every time we meet."
"Is Jookie her man or something?" Yaz asked, eyeing me. "There's only two reasons why a girl would attack you over a guy — he's hers, and she's doesn't want you to take him away. But if that's true, why stay with a guy who's clearly interested in someone else? And I'd be kicking his ass, not hers. Unless she came at me funny, and I'd just whoop both their asses."
"You wouldn't even have to use your fists, you could—" Rucker started, but Yaz bopped him in the head with the side of her fist, cutting him off.
Rucker rubbed his head, glaring. "Meanie."
"He could also be a relative or close friend. I know some girls who are very overprotective of the men in their lives," Yaz said, ignoring the whining Rucker. "Especially when he starts dating another female. Could Jookie and Bae be brother and sister?"
Rucker snorted. "I can't imagine that jolly motherfucker with parents, let alone a sibling. I feel like he was made in a lab."
Could Bae be Jookie's sister? They were close, and she was extremely nosy and domineering when it came to him. But was that out of sisterly concern or romantic jealously? And since I met Jookie before, did I meet her before too? Was there a connection I was missing?
"They don't look alike," I said, putting an image of Jookie and Bae side by side in my mind. "But it's possible." I paused, playing around with an idea. "If Bae was a contestant, maybe Jookie was too. Maybe him and Bae were on the same season."
"Since they survived together, that would make them really close," Khan said, understanding. "Which could be the reason why she's so overprotective of him."
"If Jookie was a previous contestant," Yaz said, rubbing her forehead. "Doesn't that just prove that we're stuck here? Even if we win, they'll keep a short leash on us for the rest of our lives?"
A dreary hush consumed the intense atmosphere, all of us bowing our heads at the thought of being a part of this for the rest of our lives. I almost succumbed to the negativity frying through my brain cells, but I closed my eyes, knowing that depressing about it wouldn't help.
"That's not completely true," I said, trying to lift everyone's spirits. "With the way Jookie is, I wouldn't be surprised if he wanted to stay on and be host."
"Now that you think about it, I couldn't picture Jookie doing anything else." Yaz chuckled. "Could you imagine him working retail or something?"
"Every customer who annoyed him would be dead," I said, making everyone laugh. "But still, we don't know for sure if Bae and Jookie are previous contestants, so I don't think we should worry about the consequences of winning. Let's just win and see what happens."
"That's all we can do," Khan said. "We'll just focus on finding the thirteenth contestant for now."
"If they even exist," Rucker said. "All you got are theories."
"And no evidence to back them up," I said, tone soft.
"So, what do we do?" Yaz asked. "Just wait for Layla's killer to attack one of us again?"
"Basically," I said, not seeing another option. Hopefully we could catch them in the act.
"We have a lot of unanswered questions and theories, but we do know one thing for certain," Khan said, looking at all of us. "They hate Bet, and I think that hatred will make them attack again even if the game is on hold." He paused, tapping his chin. "Even if it's all just theories, I honestly think Layla's killer is the thirteenth contestant, and I think they live in the walls. And someone — one of the current contestants — is helping them. Fee fits the bill for that. And I think if we look into him, we can help prove that the thirteenth contestant does exist and not just a theory."
"I agree," I said, turning to Rucker. "I know you don't believe that the thirteen—"
"I'm not saying the thirteenth contestant can't exist," Rucker said, interrupting me. "I'm just trying to give y'all another perspective. I think it's possible, but it could also be the producers fucking with everyone too."
"That's true," Yaz said, itching her thigh. "They're not the most honest people. They could've killed Layla themselves to control the game."
"But Jookie literally said that twelve killers walked into this house," I said before biting my lip. "Layla was innocent. So, where's the other killer?"
Rucker didn't say anything.
"Jookie also gave me this weird riddle a while ago and the answer was thirteen," I said, looking at them. "What else could that mean besides there being an additional contestant?"
"Right now, I think we should go along with the most logical theory which is that the thirteenth contestant exists," Khan said, stretching. "And if they do exist, they couldn't have survived this long without help. We need to look into the other contestants to see if they're helping them. Fee is our best suspect at the moment."
"Chi too," Yaz said, standing. "Chi loves pink, so they'd have that in common."
Khan pinched his cheek. "Gmie might have a connection to the thirteenth contestant as well." He looked at me. "Remember the first night I patched you up?"
"Yeah, it was the night Gmie and her posse attacked me," I said, getting what he meant. "Demo was with her, but there was also a third person too. They never took their mask off, but I always figured it was Chi or Aries because Gmie was allied with them at the time."
"But what if it wasn't either of them?" Khan said, voice low, eyes swirling again.
"It could've been Bae," I said, thinking back to the height and weight. "Gmie making a deal also shows that she has some type of relationship with the producers of the game or at least backstage people."
"What if in exchange for Gmie's help, Bae offered up her connections backstage?" Khan paced again, head down. "What if Gmie got to make her deal because of Bae? Bae's already close to Jookie, so it would've been easy to set up a private meeting."
"I thought Gmie just walked up to Jookie and pitched her deal," Yaz said, wiping out the wrinkles in her shorts. "Remember when she walked off with him after Layla's killer reveal? I thought she did it then."
"Possibly, but we don't know if that's the first time she talked to him. She could've already made her deal and was just finalizing plans," Khan said, making a point. "I keep an eye on all of the contestants' movements, but I can't track them twenty-four seven. Plus, they could've been communicating via messaging, which I have no access too."
"We have too many ifs," Rucker said on a sigh. "With the internet down, we can't check any camera footage or see what people are doing anymore. How are we going to prove or not prove that one of them is helping this unknown contestant?"
"We can try to get into everyone's room," I said, thinking. "If the thirteenth contestant is living in the walls and they have a secret ally, the only way to get into the secret ally's room is through a hole in the wall. They couldn't have been using the door because we would've seen them on camera by now."
"But Jookie did say that they've been tampering with the footage," Khan said, scratching his nose. "But I don't think the unknown contestant would take the risk of entering through the door. It's too risky. Eventually someone would've seen them. I find it more likely that they're sneaking in through a hole."
"But if Bae is the thirteenth contestant, why would she be living in the walls?" Yaz asked, forehead furrowing. "She has access to all that shit backstage. She could probably eat and shower there. She wouldn't need help or an ally."
"Bae being the thirteenth contestant is just a theory," Khan said, stopping mid-pace. "It's possible that it's someone else entirely. It could be this Zimmie person that Layla kept talking about."
"Or Zimmie is Bae," I said. "And she lied about her name to keep her identity hidden."
"That could be true," Khan said. "It's also possible that the creators are making her fend for herself while she's on set — to make it more authentic for viewers and to show that every contestant is and was on equal ground when betting." He brushed his hair out of his face. "Looking into people's rooms is a good idea, but not practical. No one's going to let us check out their personal space, especially if they're helping the unknown contestant. We could—"
"You're not going into other people's rooms," Rucker said, looking from me to Khan. "No dangerous shit until I'm up and running at full kick-ass capacity." He pointed to Khan and then me. "No secretly conspiring with each other and going off on your own again."
I went to speak, but Rucker stopped me. "And don't say you wouldn't cause you two would and did before."
Khan folded his arms. "I have no recollection of that."
"Yeah okay, you get off on puzzles and figuring shit out." Rucker snorted. "Instead of watching porn, you watch mystery movies. Probably busting your nut at the killer reveal scene."
Khan plopped into his computer chair. "For your information, I only come if I guess it right," he said before grinning, making me and Yaz laugh.
"So, what do you want us to do?" I asked Rucker. "Just sit and wait for them to attack?"
"Just wait until I'm better, and then we go looking into this pork-loving strawberry pop-tart," Rucker said, bobbing his head. "In the meantime, we just focus on surviving. Shit, we might not even have to worry about Layla's killer or this thirteenth contestant if they cancel the game."
That could be true, but I still wanted to know regardless. It would eat at me for the rest of my life if I didn't know who really killed Layla and who tried to get me to kill myself. I will find out their true identity, but for now, I'll listen to Rucker and wait.
Shifting out of bed, I stretched, cracking my neck. "I should probably go check on Seb then. Maybe he's cooled down by now and ready to talk."
"No," Rucker said, yanking the hem of my shirt. "Milky way could be the killer, and now that he's angry at you, he might not care about keeping that fruity tooty good guy image up anymore. You're not going anywhere near him alone."
Yaz chuckled. "I think that's why you're on the fence about their being a thirteenth contestant. You think Layla's killer is Seb."
"Yeah, I do." Rucker rubbed his scalp. "There's just something about him. I don't know what it is, but I just don't like him."
"I know you don't, but I feel this connection to him that I don't understand and can't explain," I said, looking down. "Plus, he's been nice to me and there for me. And been on my side always. I can't just write him off. Not yet. I don't know why he's reacting like he is, but I'm going to give him a chance to explain himself."
Yaz pushed up her glasses. "I agree. I ain't saying he's innocent, but I can understand him freaking out. And he did save both of you. That counts for something. Maybe if we talk to him, he'll just show us his ankle, and we can move on." She turned to me. "I'll go with you, but we're taking weapons. I may be nice, but I'm not stupid."
"Y'all aren't going anywhere without me," Rucker said through clenched teeth, eyes popping wide.
"Ah, you're not my daddy, so yeah — I'm gonna do what I want." Yaz skipped over to her corner, picking up a giant hammer.
Watching her swing that metal object triggered me a little bit. I flinched, as she tossed me a wrench, the cold steel sending chills up my arm. I really hope I didn't have to use this.
"Let's go, girl," Yaz said, grabbing my hand.
"Yaz," Rucker said, voice dripping in a warning.
"I have to go check something out in my room, so I'll go with them," Khan said, coming up behind us as Rucker tried to get out of bed and follow. "You have to stay in bed or you're going to prolong your healing time." His voice came out very stern but kind. "There's three of us against one. We'll be fine."
Rucker glowered at all three of us as Duke jumped into his lap, licking his hand. The doggy kisses seemed to calm him, and he sighed, brushing his bandaged fingers across his face. "Fine. Go. Be careful."
Before we closed the door, I heard, "I swear to god y'all are trying to give me a fucking ulcer."
♟♙♟