CHAPTER TWELVE: The Weight That Follows
The Lounge – 30 Minutes After the Confession Chamber
The room they were moved to was nicer than the others.
That was the first warning sign.
Plush seating. Warm lighting. Real food. Not vacuum-sealed, not rationed.
Noah eyed the tray of fruit like it was poison.
Reina sat near the corner, knees tucked against her chest, eyes locked on nothing.
Four survivors. Six began. No names exchanged. Just glances.
Moon-mask boy wasn't among them.
One of the strangers—the one who lied and was rewarded—was now wearing a silver bracelet.
It pulsed faintly with a soft glow.
> SYSTEM: EMOTIONAL RANKING – UPDATED. Top Emotional Integrity: Reina S. Top Influence Score: Dylan M. Lowest Trust Index: Noah A.
Reina blinked.
"I didn't do anything," she muttered.
Dylan—silver bracelet boy—grinned. "That's why you won. You didn't fake it."
Noah didn't speak. But he didn't look surprised by his ranking.
He never looked surprised by anything.
---
Private Room – Later
Each of them was assigned quarters.
Not beds—just privacy.
A new luxury.
But with it came something else: questions.
The door sealed behind Reina.
The screen on the wall blinked.
> "YOU HAVE BEEN SELECTED FOR PRIVATE INQUIRY." "Answer truthfully. You are being watched." "Failure to comply may result in forced reassignment."
Reina stood still. Her voice was dry.
"…What kind of inquiry?"
The screen changed:
> "Would you sacrifice someone to save yourself?" – Yes – No
Her thumb hovered.
She didn't press anything.
The system responded anyway:
> "TIME ELAPSED. DEFAULT ANSWER: YES."
She stared. The screen blinked off.
---
Interlude – Jack of Hearts
Somewhere else, someone watched.
A man in a crimson vest. Hands manicured. Face hidden behind a jackal mask.
He leaned back in a leather chair, eyes flicking through surveillance feeds.
"You see?" he said to someone off-screen.
"These aren't players. They're clay."
Another voice replied: "You said that about the last batch. They cracked."
The Jack of Hearts chuckled.
"That's the point."
He tapped the screen showing Reina.
"She's already changing. She just hasn't noticed yet."
---
Corridor – Later That Night
Reina found Noah standing outside the private quarters.
Neither of them slept.
She stepped beside him, quiet.
"I know it wasn't your fault. Mira."
He nodded, once.
"I still don't trust you," she said.
He looked at her.
"I'd be worried if you did."
She glanced down the corridor.
"Do you think we're being changed? Piece by piece?"
He didn't answer for a long time.
Then:
> "They don't want us dead. Not yet. They want us different."
Reina closed her eyes.
Then: "What happens when we're different enough?"
Noah exhaled.
> "They let us play a different kind of game."