Katie and Mira walked into the Sherdon hotel.

Katie’s car was done. Dead. Gone. Destroyed. The time and effort needed to repair it would be off the roof, so after Katie took care of the body and anything that might suggest a murder happened there, she put all her weapons in a bag and called for an Uber.

She wasn’t too concerned about the car. The curse would make sure it wouldn’t come back and bite her in the ass, and she could afford a dozen vehicles if she wanted to...no thanks to Mira’s promise of two million dollars of reward.

By the time they were waiting for the Uber to arrive, Mira has told Katie her story.

Mira came from the Seven Tribes. The Seven Tribes included, in fact, more than seven tribes. Despite having hundreds of smaller factions, the Seven Tribes was named such because there were seven major tribes that dominated the field, each capable of a distinct style of supernatural powers. The Seven Tribes was settled around rural Virginia. While each tribe retained some independence, there was always a Chief elected from one of the seven tribes. Most of the time, the Chief did nothing, but in time of chaos, the Chief would step in and save the Seven Tribes from destruction.

The chief nowadays came from the Tribe of Mu, a tribe specialized in manipulating plants. At first Katie was disappointed. What could plants do? Strangle her to death? But when she heard about how Chief killed dozens of challengers with the seemingly useless power, she decided that the man might not be that boring after all.

Mira and Grandma came from the Tribe of Ling. The Tribe of Ling specialized in telekinesis with psychic powers. It was a fierce and unpredictable power, capable of catching enemies by surprise. By the time the victims of Ling realized they were under attack, they were dead already.

Once upon a time, the Tribe of Ling dominated the Seven Tribes with an iron fist, but something happened. Mira didn't know the details. All she was aware of was that all the hundreds of of Ling elites that consisted of the Tribe’s fighting force disappeared overnight.

That event ruined the Tribe of Ling. Until today, the other six tribes have been doing their best to make sure their past leader wouldn’t rise to power again. As a result, the Tribe of Ling became the weakest faction in the Seven Tribes. Everyone could tell it would only be a matter of time before they were replaced by ascendants.

Mira’s grandma wanted to do everything she could to make sure that wouldn’t happen. The glory of Ling must be preserved. The tribe has survived for centuries. It wouldn’t perish at her generation. By herself, she was too weak, so she turned her sight on the Chief. Well, to be more precise, the Chief’s son, a young man named Kameron.

Kameron was a villain. He was known for abusing those under him. Handing Mira over to him was condemning her to a life of suffering. Grandma knew that, but her reasoning was simple. Mira was a member of Ling. She was raised in the tribe, fed by the tribe, and taught by the tribe. She owed everything to the tribe. As such, it was only right for her to save the tribe, no matter the price.

She should feel honored.

Mira obviously refused. Days before she would be officially married to Kameron, she found a chance and escaped. Grandma came after her herself. The youngster was no matter for the elderly. In one exchange, Mira was wounded while making her way to safety. That was when she stumbled into Katie’s car.

What happened next was common knowledge. With a stack of blind punches, Katie stepped in and stuck a knife through Grandma’s head.

“So, now what?”

The two got a room. In the end, Katie paid the bill. She wanted to preserve the moment when Mira admits she lied. Mira was looking around the room like she has never been in a hotel before, which, given her background, was probably true.

“Well, the drive from Virginia to here is around six hours.” Mira thought about it. “Kameron will arrive at my tribe around tonight. I don’t think he has a way to track me down, but even if he does, I can conceal my presence before he arrives. This way, he will never be able to find me.”

“So you’re gonna run?” Katie frowned in disappointment. “Where’s the fun in that?”

Mira glanced at her like she was a madwoman.

“You’re not here for fun. You’re here to get paid.”

Katie was smirking inside. She had to admit the girl had some guts to lie to her like this when she barely had enough on her to pay for a meal at McDonald’s. What she didn't know was that Mira was seriously freaking out inside. Lying to a normal mercenary was one thing. Lying to someone capable of killing a high-level Ling elder was another. But she was on this path now, and she had no choice but to keep going.

“Fine.” But Katie decided to play along with it. Mira might be lying, but sooner or later, Kameron or his goons, or if she was really lucky, both, would come after Mira.

Katie would enjoy dealing with them, especially Kameron. Mira talked about the man as if he was the devil. Katie really looked forward to testing to see if that was true.

Looking out the window, Katie realized it was getting late. She should get back home and get ready for the game tomorrow. Quietly pulling out her phone and calling for an Uber, she spoke to Mira without looking up.

“Stay here. I have some things to attend to, but I’ll come back tomorrow.”

The younger girl nodded. When Katie left the room, she finally released a breath she didn't realize she was holding.

---

The Uber came ten minutes after the driver responded to Katie’s request. Much to Katie’s disappointment, the driver, upon seeing a lonely young woman waiting for a car in the middle of nowhere, acted as a good citizen and didn't do anything.

On the drive back, Katie finally had a chance to think about the love triangle she was unwillingly involved in. Her fury has mostly being settled during the fight. The blood of a human being has cleansed her desire to kill, at least for now.

Perhaps she has been overthinking about this. Katie didn't like to think, but that didn't mean she couldn’t think at all. Ever since the games started, she was always a brute whose first instinct was to blast/stab through any obstacle in her way. Sure, it was working out very well for her, but that was beside the point.

Caitlin, on the other hand, used smarter approaches. She made plans and tactics, some designed to end the games, but she couldn’t really discuss those with Katie, so when she saw someone with both the wisdom and the willingness to work with her, she decided to get closer to that someone and talk with him.

Now that she thought about it, the relationship between Caitlin and Zach was indeed more work than love. That was it. Simple. She was just overinterpreting everything the entire time.

As for why Caitlin was angry at her, well, Katie knew she brought it upon herself. Caitlin despised the games and she knew it, but she still giggled when the games spread to the other classes. There was no one to blame but herself.

Doesn’t matter. A smile appeared on Katie’s face as she realized, in the end, Caitlin was still hers. No one, not Zach, not Mr. Isaacs, could take her away.

After half an hour of drive, the Uber stopped in front of Caitlin’s house. Katie was in a good mood, so she matched the cost of the drive with an equal number of tips.

She came to Caitlin because she wanted to apologize. Now that she has had her fair share of kill today, she was willing to make a concession.

Katie knocked on the door. Caitlin’s mother walked over and opened the door.

“Is Caitlin in there?” Katie asked.

“Yes.” Caitlin’s mother answered quietly. “She and her boyfriend were up in her room for hours.”

The curse was in effect. Caitlin’s mother subconsciously ignored everything abnormal about what happened.

Katie’s smile suddenly disappeared. Boyfriend? Boyfriend? Zach and Caitlin went home together? More importantly, they have been together in the same room for hours? Wait! Calm down! Take a deep breath. Breath! Katie! Breath!

They have been talking about trying to end the games, so they must be discussing strategies to do so, right?

Doing her best to relax and think logically, Katie dismissed Caitlin’s mother and walked upstairs before suddenly pushing the door to Caitlin’s room open.

She didn't bother knocking.

What she saw made her blood boil.

Caitlin and Zach were laying together on the bed, naked. Their bare bodies cuddled together. Pieces of clothes were scattered across the ground. Seeing Katie enter, the two were obviously caught by surprise.

“Katie? What are you doing here…”

Katie quietly closed the door behind her before walking over and pulling Zach out of the sheets without a word. Zach tried to get up, but Katie sent a kick to his crouch. As the man bent over in agony, she pulled out her dagger.

The weapon, still with the blood of Grandma on its surface, has claimed at least a dozen lives of all types. Now, Katie intended on using it to end someone’s sexual life.

“I am really going to enjoy this…”

“Katie!” Still covered by sheets, Caitlin screamed. It took her a few moments to realize what happened, and when she did, Zach was already on the ground. She immediately placed herself between her two classmates. “Katie! Stop it!”

“You fucking son of a bitch! What have you done!”

“Relax!” Caitlin did her best to explain. “We were just discussing how to end the games…”

“At which point in that discussion did you two decide to bring the matters under the sheets?”

“Katie!” Now Caitlin was really offended. Her hands clutched onto the bed sheets tightly. “That is none of your business!”

“Of course it’s my business!”

“How so?”

“Well...but...I…” Katie suddenly found herself stammering. She might be the person holding the blade, but for the moment, Caitlin was dominating the field.

“I am my own woman, Katie, and I get to decide who I have sex with!”

Katie froze. For a moment, she wanted to scream at the top of her lungs. How could Caitlin say that? She’s only alive because I saved her ass more times that she could count! She would’ve been killed by the pain contest if it wasn’t for me! She would’ve been killed by the undead if it wasn’t for me! She would never have made it through the chip games if I didn't kill someone for her! How can she not see my feelings for her?

How in the bloody world could she choose to sleep with a random boy who she just met today over me?

Caitlin’s mine! She’s mine! SHE’S MINE!

But in the end, all those thoughts only came out in a single sentence.

“But what about me?”

Caitlin frowned. She guessed something, but… “What...what about you?”

Katie sighed before her tone suddenly changed.

“I love you, Caitlin, I am just going to say it here and now. I love you. I love the way your face curves. I love the way your hair shines. I love your voice and I love your smell, and I am willing to die for you.”

“Oh Katie…” Caitlin’s mouth hung open. She was speechless. “I didn't know…”

Suddenly, Katie glanced at Zach. Her tone turned fierce.

“But I am not some random teenage girl who shows her affection by loving words and small gifts. I am Katie Lockwood, and I am a murderous psychopath who enjoys pain who has a dagger capable of killing supernatural beings. I will win you over with what I do best, and if that means I have to kill a thousand people for you, then so be it.”

She snapped around at Zach. A wicked smile on her face.

“You wanted to join the games, and now you have. I wish you the best of luck in surviving, though I doubt your chances. I will not lay a finger on you, but at the same time, I will make sure Caitlin lives, but I will not do a thing to help you. By the end of the day, when your body is in the storeroom of Mr. Isaacs and your soul is being forged into an undead, I will have Caitlin in my arms. Then, we’ll see who’s smiling. Now, get the hell out of here.”

“Well if that happens, you’ll probably still be the only one smiling, just like you’re the only one smiling now.” Zach coughed, slowly taking over his clothes from the side and putting them on.

The room was dead silent. Katie’s eyes were trained on him until he left. Finally, she turned back to Caitlin, ignoring her bare chest and staring at her delicate face. Caitlin returned the favor, unflinching.

The two girls stared at each other before Katie was the first to back down. She silently turned and left without a word.