Chapter 71: Midday Mile───── ❝ R U B Y F R I D A Y ' S P O V ❞ ────║ Gregorian Calendar ║ 02 - 28 - 2027 ║║ Sunday║ Third Day of Olympia's Cup║I glanced at the others, and there I saw that their faces were grim and set with determination, but behind their eyes I saw the same fear that filled my own heart. We had come so far already, completing challenges that had broken stronger teams. But this latest obstacle had extracted a terrible cost. The forest path seemed to stretch on forever, winding through the dense woods. No one spoke as we marched along the narrow dirt trail. The horror of losing Olivia to the pit of fire and snakes still weighed heavy on our minds. I could feel it pressing down on my shoulders, making each step harder than the last.Yet, I keep my eyes on the path, not wanting to see the faces of my remaining teammates anymore, as their eyes would show the same dread I feel inside — the guilt of surviving when Haley did not. We should have tried harder to save her,
Chapter 72: Hold On Tight───── ❝ R U B Y F R I D A Y ' S P O V ❞ ────║ Gregorian Calendar ║ 02 - 28 - 2027 ║║ Sunday║ Third Day of Olympia's Cup║— Lap 1 —The first obstacle looms ahead - Doom of Spikes. I grip the steering wheel tightly, narrowing my focus to the treacherous track unfurling before me. I swerve to avoid the first jagged metal spikes jutting from the dirt course, feeling the tires scrape perilously close.I weave through the forest of twisting spikes, adrenaline pumping with each near miss. The other racers are struggling, tires bursting and cars crunching against the metal teeth. I push my vehicle faster, racing ahead of the pack. A huge pit of spikes suddenly rises in my path and I hold my breath, yanking the steering wheel hard to the left. My car spins out, tires squealing as I drift barely an inch from the deadly obstacle.The course hammers my vehicle as I barrel through the lap, more spikes emerging from the dirt without warning. My concentration is razor-sha
Chapter 1: "Save Me,"───── ❝ T H I R D P E R S O N ' S P O V ❞ ─────"Fuck off, you bastards!"With her crimson hands grappling on the steering wheel, Ruby silently cursed while glancing at her rear view mirror. Her bloodshot orbs was now wide opened, tears dangerously dangling within its edges. Her once enchanting face had bruised all over, and her whole body were tremendously shaking.A look of 'I'm pissed' was in her attitude, but above all... she's actually terrified."Shit, shit, shit... " She ironically breathed, promptly glancing up to the dark sky. Without awareness of the road, her car moved over the highway, yet on her tail, two cars was persistently chasing up, their lights on full beam. She watched how the yellowed, yet bright light played in the droplets, showing this deluge, this flood from the sky, in apparently solitary drops.The rain began to fall. Slow, at first, but then it steadily became faster and heavier, thus stirring typhoons in her heart and head.With tho
Chapter 2: Welcome to Wonderland───── ❝R U B Y F R I D A Y ' S P O V❞ ────As if thousand of needles pricked my throat, I woke up startled. My breathing came into my consciousness and it sounded like I just suddenly emerged from a tidal wave. I automatically sat up as alertness from sleeping in open spaces kicked in. But a quick roam of my eyes told me I wasn't in the same cold, crimson place earlier- the academy's gate.I blinked my eyes a couple of times, feeling more awake now that I was out of the confined space of my nightmares. I could feel the coldness of the room seeping through my clothes, but I ignored it, instead I focused on my surroundings.If I remembered it right, I was just in the forest, just outside the academy's gates. But now, the place I am lurking was undeniably far from what I had expected.The bed where I lay was soft and warm, clean velvet walls surrounded me. From the ceiling, several crystal chandeliers dangled above the rectangular room with intricate car
Chapter 3: "Warning,"───── ❝ R U B Y F R I D A Y ' S P O V ❞ ────The most ironic thing about your first impression of me—I looked like, 'butter would melt.'Elders at my hometown always goes around saying that I had the most beautiful, angelic features, and an air of innocence that made me seem like the kind of person who would always be happy, giddy, and bubbly—a person that will brought glee. But as they got to know me, they would slowly realized that I am anything but innocent. I have a dark side. I have a sordid past. I have a history of all things miserable and morbid.I was born into a world of light, but my past is one of the darkness. I keep it hidden from everyone, and even buried in the deepest depths of myself, because I don't want them to see the mess I've become. It's not because I care, it's because... I simply don't."You are fiercely intelligent and have a sharp tongue that can cut like a knife, Ruby." That's how my adoptive deceased grandmother describe me. I don't k
Chapter 4: "The Offer,"───── ❝ R U B Y F R I D A Y ' S P O V ❞ ────I was panting heavily as I reached the Headmistress' office, barely able to keep up with the vast space of the whole vicinity. As soon as I took a fair glance of the sign that told me I was in for my right destination, I begrudgingly opened the doors, only to be greeted by an ominous feeling that I could not explain. The space I was standing shrouded in a deathly silence, and the only thing that could be heard was the sound of my own panted breaths.As I entered her office, I could feel the eerie feeling starting to fill the room. It was like it was trying to trap me and to hold me captive in the darkest dungeons ─ obviously a feeling that is far from being safe and sound in the bounds of this place.The office itself is quite large, with a high ceiling, giving it a feeling of intimidation. The windows are all boarded up, as if to keep out any and all light, and the only illumination comes from a single, frail light b
Chapter 5: "Uncanny Encounter,"───── ❝ R U B Y F R I D A Y ' S P O V ❞ ────Lowering my head in agony and distrust, I absentmindedly walked through the pathway leading away from the Headmistress office. With every step I take, my shoes echoed in the floor's vicinity, creating a foreboding noise as if being a soundtrack to my emotions.I felt numb and floating as I stepped into the shadows, not knowing where to go. My mind was blank and I couldn't focus on anything. All I could think about was the situation I was now gravely pinned in.Back at those four walls of mayhem, I made an offer, and Ms. Rose willingly accepted it. Which means that I am now officially enrolled at this insane institution, I didn't even know existed in the first place.How the hell did I manage to grasp this unknown school and pull myself down this dangerous rabbit hole? I can't help but raise these queries in my head, as I sigh again and again, my regrets filling and betraying my now shattered hopes. I continued
Chapter 6: "Sink or Swim?" ───── ❝ R U B Y F R I D A Y ' S P O V ❞ ──── "Cards & Rings of Honors..." The weird girl uttered those words as we take the dark passage through an unknown trail. Though I had no idea what those meant, something in her voice, something deep and ancient that spoke of long-forgotten secrets, filled me with a sense of trepidation. I knew there was something more she was going to blabber, but what? When I didn't budge nor respond even a tiny bit and decided to just listen to her, she stopped in the midway, facing me before continuing, "The thing on your hand, that's what it's called." She said, gesturing the little card and velvet box to perk my attention. I peered down at it, and swiftly put the ring on my finger as the dull orange glow of burning embers was guiding our way forward in the dark passage. It had been placed there with a mysterious weight, a sense of divinity in its touch that left me feeling simultaneously drawn in and repelled. "Oh, yeah? Th