Chapter 5
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Our terms had been ironed out and sealed, not to be opened again until the game was completed. No matter what happened now, the rollercoaster was on the track and the drop was coming, which explained the perpetual queasiness churning in my gut. I don’t know what I originally pictured when I envisioned getting to this point in the plan, but I don’t think I could have ever seen any of today coming. Was I really about to bet my life on my special interest?

“We’ll play a claw machine.” Fuck it, what else was I good at? Mara’s finger pressed to her lips as she processed the situation I’d just landed us both in.

“The thing from pizza places… and gas stations? One of those?” She bit down on her fingernail, her tail flicking in thought.

“Mhhm! They’re actually really fun once you get the hang of them. I’ve spent a lot of…” Her finger was on my lips now, my words gumming up my throat on the way out.

“Fine. I accept.” Mara motioned her hand towards the center of the circle, and the whole place started trembling. It was almost enough to put me on my ass for the umpteenth time tonight, but I managed to keep my balance enough to watch a claw machine the size of a small apartment break through the basketball court and rise towards the ceiling. If I wasn’t in mortal peril, I would have been beside myself; it looked like a hell of a machine.

This was no basic kit you’d find out in some random corner store - the body was a cylinder made of transparent plexiglass, visible all the way through. Multicolored lights pulsed gently from every angle, casting flickers of color on the worn-out gym until the whole place felt like a game parlor or casino. Sure, the school had seen better days, but it was a major mood shift to look at it now in comparison to what it was when I forced my way in. I was enraptured. When I finally broke eye contact with the mother of all prize grabbers, I realized Mara was glancing at me and smirking.

“Now, since my summoner is apparently a nerd… why don’t we make this a little more interesting.” Mara elbowed the machine and prizes started cascading from an opening in its ceiling: there were stuffed animals, capsules the size of kickballs, and a few very distinct plush skulls with various types of horns sticking out of them. It was hard for me not to find even the skulls at least a little cute, if I was being honest. “Here’s the kicker: each of these prizes has a tag marking it as one of ours.” A flame burst forth from her hand and when it dissipated, Mara was fanning out two paper tags with symbols on each, one an “H” and the other an “M.” “If all your prizes get pulled from the machine, that’s game over for you. If you pull a skull, you forfeit your next turn. Does that sound fair, Holly dearest?” The demon took my chin in her clawed fingers and held my gaze to hers.

“I think… I’m good with that.” There wasn’t a lot about myself I had confidence in, but my ability to break and conquer machines like this was my bread and butter. I gritted my teeth for a year and took down one after another in pursuit of the goal that was right behind this one last game. Nothing tonight had gone quite the way I had wanted, and the fact that Constance would be on the other side of this circle when all was said and done was the cherry on top of the disaster sundae that I did not order. The idea of plowing towards that conversation wasn’t exactly a pleasant thought, but if I didn’t take this seriously and put my best in here, there might not be an after. Come on, Hawley; final boss. This is something you can handle. I lowered my head, determined. “How do we figure out who goes first?”

“Ah ah ah! So eager! But I still haven’t added my twist, love.” Her face was pure mischief in the artificial light of the flashing LEDs. Steps rose up from the ground underneath her feet as she bounced up to the massive console of the device, twirling around before coming to a stop at the top of her newly manufactured staircase. “You’re quite the puzzle, Holly, so here’s the catch: if I grab your prize, I can ask you any question I like, and you must answer me honestly.” No way that was going to go horribly wrong for me. “Of course, out of the spirit of the game, you’ll get the same treatment if you land one of my prizes.” Mara made the motion of a finger gun towards me, and I felt something latch around my neck. While I reached up to feel for what had happened to me, Mara did the same to herself, a simple black collar appearing around her neck as well. “Surely we have no reason not to trust each other, Holly the Summoner…” Mara ran her fingers along the length of the collar. “...this is just a bit of insurance. If you don’t give an answer that is sufficiently honest, these collars will do that for you.”

My palm rubbed feverishly against my leg as I took in her words. My adult life had been one of secrets out of necessity and safety, but I knew going into things that I wouldn’t make it out without at least some of my guts being spilled. Mara glowered down at me from the top of the staircase with devilish intent, her finger playing in a “come hither” motion beckoning me to join her at the controls. I took a full breath, let the air slowly flow out of me and began to step towards the stairs. The second my foot hit the first step, upbeat music began to thump from somewhere nearby to welcome me in. The words “GOOD LUCK, HOLLY >;D” scrolled across the LED header on the face of the machine and I stopped dead in my tracks. Was that… what she thought my name was?

“Time’s wasting, summoner. I know my showmanship is breathtaking, but I’m going to need you to get a move on.” With a flick of her wrist, Mara had me levitating, my body floating briskly up towards the game’s console. I shrieked and skidded to a stop just short of her body, her finger pressing back against my forehead. “Good girl.” Why did that send me into orbit? My whole body felt hot, my cheeks undeniably flushed. Slowly and delicately, Mara pushed me into place and let me down on the ground. She was playing with her fucking food. “Alright darling, call it: horns or tails?” She opened her palm to reveal a large silver coin prominently featuring a demon with long, curling horns.

“Let’s go… horns!” I tried to regain a little bit of my shattered composure and ready myself. Mara rolled the coin between her clawed digits and then launched it into the air, letting it fall on the platform. It bounced a few times before finally coming to rest on… tails. She cackled under her breath and pocketed the coin again, obviously very pleased with herself. “Damnit… tails never fails.”

“So I’ve heard!” Mara slid her tail along my arm as she walked past, the little heart-shaped tip patting my hand on the way out. Everything was hard enough without adding in the fact that my demon was apparently a giant flirt. My muscles tensed and I did my best to pay attention as she took her first turn at the wheel. “Watch and learn, darling. This is what you get for choosing a children’s game.” I could see what she was going for the second she stepped up, and it was a good play. One of the prizes had landed out in the open without a single thing weighing it down; a prime target. She moved into position, and then stuck her tongue out at me as she dropped the claw on her hapless victim. It never stood a chance. Suddenly, the whole place was all lights and music and fanfare. There was a small flash of light, and the next moment she was holding it: a stuffed dolphin with a green “H” on its tag. One down already.

“Starting to rethink your life decisions, Summoner Holly?” Mara squished the comically large, fluffy dolphin and it made a cute little squeaking noise. “According to the rules, you owe me a question.” She couldn’t go too hard on me right out of the gate, right? This was the first question. International rules for party question games state that you start low to the ground and then cut deep. It was just the standard progression of the game. This would be a soft ball, I’d answer honestly, and we’d be back on the road again. Mara lowered her head and sneered at me with eyes full of knowing. “Why didn’t you attend a summoner’s academy?”

That was not a softball! She could’ve asked me my favorite color, or where I like to eat! I liked so many movies! Why couldn’t it have been about movies? On its face, I could come up with any number of honest answers to the question, but each one of them offered my pursuing huntress a trail of breadcrumbs to something worse. The blood was in the water, and I knew very well it was a shark that was holding that dolphin. It wasn’t a perfect answer, but it was honest and it was the best I could come up with on the spot.

“I wanted to when I was a kid, but my parents would never have allowed it. They were super strict.” I watched her face as she mulled over my words. The collar on my neck began to glow green.

“Well, I guess you’re telling the truth at least… Most parents in this area are chomping at the bit to get their little goblins in summoner prep schools. What, are your parents Criers or something?” Goddamnit. She was fucking vicious. I didn’t say anything, but a non-response here was as good as letting her know she hit the nerve. “Wait - no, they totally are! What’s a little lost sheep like you doing away from the flock?”

“You got your question, Mara, just let me take my-” A single claw started to lift the sleeve of my jacket up.

“Let me see your mark!” I smacked her hand away and grimaced. I hated that fucking tattoo.

“Ooh, what’s gotten under your fluff, my little lamb? What would mommy and daddy say if they knew you were out with a monster like me?” What was once anxiety was getting replaced with frustration. She was trying to get under my skin; it had to be the reason why she chose to twist the game this way in the first place. She could try if she wanted, but my eyes were on my happy ending.

“I do a lot of things my parents don’t like, like curse and drink and, uh… hang out with another demon, apparently?” There was still a lot to unpack there. “But I’m not one of them, and I’m long since done trying to be anything they wanted me to be. Are you happy?” I pushed past my demon and towards the console to take my turn.

“Oh, very.” Mara sidled back up to me with a manufactured innocence that did little to hide how proud she was of herself. She got more out of me than she expected, and her very first question got under my skin. I was going to have to do better if I wanted a chance at beating somebody this cutthroat. It didn’t matter how good at the game I was if I let her play her games with me.

This was going to be a long night.

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