Day Eight.

The time had come for the fifth game to get brought to an end. All players were requested to meet inside of the game room—which we obeyed. To our surprise, the game room looked like it went through a complete makeover. It appeared as if we had wandered into a courtroom. In the far back of the room was a large bench. A wooden, roundtable resided in the center. Lastly, security team members sat on benches on the other side of the room.

“What’s going on here?” Darius nervously asked as he looked around the room.

“No doubt this is the handiwork of Caius.” Wyatt surmised. “Speaking of which, where is he?”

“He called us all out here, and yet he isn’t even here,” Melanie complained. She then walked over to the round table situated in the center of the room. She took a seat and rested her feet on the table.

“Give it some time. I am sure Caius will show himself eventually." Nicholas joined Melanie at the table. One by one, everyone gathered at the table and took their seats.

We sat there in silence. Despite the ridiculous decor of the room, the situation itself was tense. Someone in that room was a murderer. One way or the other, they'd get revealed.

I mulled over my investigation with Zoey. From all the clues we gathered, I couldn't paint a clear picture in my mind as to who the killer could be in the group. My first assumption was Melanie.

But, that seemed too easy.

That girl rarely hid anything and always spoke what was on her mind. Whenever a situation came to chaos drama; Melanie was the first one to step up. However, when everyone discovered Elena's corpse, Melanie didn't take credit for the murder.

"Sorry for the wait," A familiar, joyful tone reached my ears and broke me from my train of thought. I raised my head and looked at the door. Caius entered the room, dressed in a Judge costume. He went the whole nine yards. White, powdered wig, dressed in a black gown, and carried a gavel in hand. He sat behind the large bench and banged the gavel against it. "It is time to put the fifth game of Who Killed Whom to an end!"

An unexplainable tension hung in the air as we waited for Caius to explain to us the rules of the game.

It was a first for us.

All players in the game room, playing at the chance of stealing points from the others. Certainly, it was a situation that one couldn’t take lightly.

“So, how is this game going to work?” Darius asked.

“Do we all just give statements on what we think happened to Elena?” Iris followed up.

“No, no. Something like that would be boring.” Caius immediately dismissed the idea with a wave of his hand. “Chances are none of you would be entirely correct about poor, Elena’s death. So, this will all come down to a debate.”

“A debate?” I inquired.

“Yes. All the players will spend most of the time discussing the turn of events that led to Elena’s death. Then afterward, you will all vote on who you all think killed her.”

“So, there’s no doubt that she was murdered?” Henrika lowered her head.

“No doubt at all! I can guarantee you that Elena was murdered!” Caius announced with glee as he threw his hands up in the air. Once again, he proved that he was far from human.

“Any idiot with a decent pair of eyeballs could tell that from the start!” Melanie said.

“Moving back to the topic of the debate. What happens if everyone votes for the same person? Was there not a rule saying that the losing players would have points taken from them?” Nicholas interjected.

“That is indeed correct! Should a situation arrive where everyone votes for a single player, then points will be deducted from that voted player! So, everyone should be careful who they vote for!”

And like that, the stakes of the game increased. If a single player got voted as the killer, then everyone would gain points from that one person. And, if that person didn’t have enough points to compensate everyone—they’d most certainly die.

There were ten players left in the games. So, if nine players voted for one person, that person had better have more than eighteen points. The only ones that would be safe in that situation were Melanie, Klara, and Darius. Anyone else would die.

“You sure know how to make boring games like this more enjoyable, Caius! I’d tip my hat to you if I had one!” Melanie expressed her delight of the situation.

Iris slammed her hands on the table and stood from her chair as she exclaimed, “This isn’t a game! Someone’s life is on the line here!”

“Wrong!” Melanie pointed her finger at Iris. “This is a game, Rainbows!”

Before things could escalate any further, Caius banged the gavel on the bench. All heads turned towards him as he said, “That will be enough arguing, players. The debate has not even started yet. Please allow me to finish explaining the rules.”

“Sorry…” Iris returned to her seat.

“Now then, during the debate, all players can do whatever is necessary to discover the truth behind Elena’s murder,” Caius stated.

“Whatever is necessary? Even if that involves physically harming someone?” Zoey asked.

“Why, of course! We are in the game room after all! Remember, physical violence is allowed within the game room!”

“Oh, now that sounds exciting.” Melanie’s Cheshire smile crept onto her face.

“However, I will not condone an all-out brawl. Should someone die during an act of physical violence, then I shall punish the perpetrator. We have to keep this game somewhat civilized.”

“That does not mean much coming from you.” Wyatt criticized.

“All the rules have been explained! Now then, let the fifth game of Who Killed Whom begin!” Caius banged the gavel on the bench once more.

“To start off with the debate, let us begin with a summary of the case.” Wyatt took the initiative and started off the discussion. “The one that was murdered was Elena. She was killed in the women’s bathroom.”

“Around 2 or 3 a.m. when everyone else was asleep.” Nicholas followed up.

“Not everyone,” Iris chimed. “The murderer was definitely with Elena when she died. They couldn’t have killed her if they weren’t there to ensure her death in the first place.”

"No duh," Melanie teased.

“Since the murder took place in the women’s bathroom, is it too much of a stretch to assume that the murderer is a female?” Darius fretted.

“I don’t see a problem with that theory. But, which one of us lovely ladies are you suspecting killed Funbags?” Melanie removed her feet from the table then leaned forward. Her mocking glance caused Darius to avert his eyes.

“As if it isn’t already obvious enough! If anyone killed Elena, it had to be you!” Iris pointed her accusing finger at Melanie.

Melanie leaned back and released an exaggerated gasp of shock. “Are you sure about that, Rainbows? If you are, then how about you cast your vote for me then?”

"You think I won't?!" Iris exclaimed.

“Calm down, Iris. You're letting your emotions get the best of you," Zoey warned.

Iris took a few deep breaths; her face seethed with unrelenting rage. I understood her outrage all too well. Keeping calm after a death of a loved one wasn't something anyone could do within a day or two. I doubted anything we said to her would quell her rage. Eventually, Iris settled down and took a seat. However, her eyes remained locked on Melanie.

"Anyway, Darius, it's too early to assume the killer's gender. If anything, it's irrelevant right now." Henrika said.

“I’m sorry, but, how is it irrelevant? Elena died in the women’s bathroom.” Darius stated.

"Why are we even staying focused on that one aspect of the case?" Salomon questioned. "Let's leave aside the gender of the killer and the location of Elena's death for now. Is there anything else we know?"

"From my investigation, I've learned that before Elena died, she was first attacked in her room," Zoey revealed.

"Her room?!" Darius exclaimed.

“Yes. When we entered Elena’s room, we found it completely trashed. There were clear signs of a struggle everywhere I looked.” Zoey announced. “My theory is that the killer attacked Elena in her room. Afterward, she escaped and fled to the bathroom, where she eventually died.”

"Okay. Now that just raises the question as to how the killer got inside of Elena's room in the first place," Nicholas said.

"Maybe they snuck their way in? Like, they could've picked the lock or something?" Darius surmised.

“Impossible. The locks are controlled by the scanners nearby the doors. The only way inside is by using the bracelets on our wrists.” Wyatt stated.

"What if the scanners got hacked? Is that a possibility?" Iris asked.

"Do we even have a hacker in our group?" Henrika wondered.

"It's possible. We don't know everything about one another." Wyatt's gaze quickly shifted to Klara, who naturally remained silent, utterly unconcerned with the entire situation.

"What if Elena allowed the killer into her room," I suggested.

“The only person I can imagine Funbags letting into her room is…Rainbows…” Melanie accused Iris.

All heads turned to Iris. The black-haired girl frantically tried to deny the accusation. But, she fumbled with her words several times. As I looked around the room, I noticed a few of the players make complicated expressions, as if they were going to entertain the idea presented by Melanie.

“That is true. Elena and Iris did have a close relationship.” Nicholas pointed out.

“They were never too far apart either,” Salomon added to the debate.

"Friends have the best opportunity to place a knife in one's back. Or in Rainbows' case, the entire body." Melanie claimed. Her grinned widened as Iris' face paled. The pressure stacked against her.

“Hold on a second!” Iris desperately pleaded. “I didn’t kill Elena! I would never do such a thing!”

“Then how else do you explain the killer getting into Funbags’ room? I doubt she’d let anyone else other than you into the room at such a late hour, Rainbows.”

It wasn’t good. Melanie shifted the topic in a whole other direction. She possessed a terrifying talent. If left alone, I believed that everyone would turn their suspicions towards Iris.

Hell, even I began to suspect her. It was true that Iris and Elena were close. Perhaps the closest out of anyone in Serendipity.

However, that information alone wasn’t enough to entirely convince me to the idea that Iris killed her. And the fact that Melanie of all people led the charge against Iris also influenced my decision.

“What if she did?” I blurted out. The gazes of the others moved to me at that moment.

“Huh?” Melanie tilted her head.

“What if Elena did allow someone other than Iris into her room? Elena was a pushover after all. A glorified doormat. I’m sure all someone would have to do was ask, and she’d go out of her way to do it.”

“Unfortunately, that’s true. It's no secret to anyone that Elena was weak-willed.” Henrika agreed with my argument.

“That fatal part of her personality is what ultimately led Elena to her demise,” Wyatt concluded.

“So, whoever Elena let into her room, attacked her in there?” Salomon asked.

“Yes. That is what the crime scene led me to believe.” Zoey answered with an affirmative nod.

“If that’s the case, then the killer couldn’t have been any of us.” Darius suddenly shot up from his chair with an expression of delight. His face beamed with confidence as he continued, “The no physical violence rule is always in effect; except when inside of the game room. If any of us attacked Elena, then our bracelets would’ve killed us on the spot. If that were the case, then there would be two dead bodies instead of one.”

“Hey, he has a point…” Iris nodded.

“What are you suggesting exactly, Dumbass?” Melanie demanded. “Caius already said that the killer was one of us.”

“Yes, the killer was one of us.”

“Darius, would you please enlighten the rest of us as to what you are thinking?” Nicholas requested.

“Prepare to have your minds blown! For I believe that there is a mystery player in these games! A thirteenth player to be exact!” He daringly declared. “And that thirteenth player is the killer!”

A thirteenth player? While his declaration was daring and shocking, it held no merit. From the beginning, we were made aware that there were only twelve players.

“Hey, Dumbass, mind keeping your mouth shut?” Melanie harshly suggested.

“What?! Why?!” He exclaimed.

“We’re trying to solve this case. If you keep talking, I fear your idiocy will infect the rest of us.”

“Your theory is impossible, Darius. There were only twelve players at the beginning of the games.” Wyatt politely affirmed.

“I know it sounds crazy, but just hear me out.” He pleaded with eyes of desperation. No one objected to the idea as he continued, “When we all woke up, we all met in that basement with thirteen doors. Sure, the thirteenth door led us higher into the facility. But, what if it also belonged to the mysterious thirteenth player?"

“I'm getting sick of hearing you talk," Melanie suddenly shot up from her chair. "Shut up, or else I'll beat the shit out of you!"

“What?! Why?!"

“Darius, if you check your bracelet, it shows you how many players are in the game as well as the rankings.” Zoey touched the screen of her bracelet and showed it to everyone. “There are only twelve spots. So, your theory about a thirteenth player is wrong.”

“Another thing to mention,” chimed Iris, “if there were a thirteenth player, they would have died on day one. Remember, one of the rules state that all players must be present in the lobby when the games start.”

“If there were a thirteenth player, then where’s their body?” Melanie asked as she sat back down.

“Their body is in this very room. Because the Thirteenth player is none other than Caius himself.” Darius proclaimed as he pointed accusingly at the Game Moderator.

Caius unleashed a shrill shriek of astonishment.

“Talk about a plot twist!” Melanie said—her tone filled with excitement.

“This can’t be happening, right?” Henrika appeared vexed by the situation.

“It seems like the cat is out of the bag…” Caius lowered his head dejectedly. However, he quickly raised it and said, “Just kidding! Did I fool you? Huh? Did I fool you?”

“Huh? Wait, so you’re not the thirteenth player?” Darius slowly lowered his arm in confusion.

“There was never a thirteenth player, to begin with, Darius. While I do enjoy the moment of suspense, you brought to the courtroom, making erroneous accusations towards the judge is a big no-no.” Caius shook his head and wagged his finger. “Do something like that again, and I will have you in contempt.”

“Something tells me that you don’t want that,” teased Melanie.

“Darius, please keep quiet for a little while. I believe that you have wasted enough of our time.” Wyatt suggested. His tone tinged with frustration.

“Right. I’m sorry.” Darius returned to his seat then hung his head.

“Let us move on to the subject of the murder weapon,” Salomon suggested.

“We initially thought that the kitchen knives were the cause of Elena’s death. But, thanks to the autopsy, we learned that it was, in fact, the bracelet that killed her.” Henrika revealed.

“The bracelet activated and injected poison into Elena’s bloodstream,” Wyatt added.

“But, that only happened because Elena broke a rule while in the girl’s bathroom,” Iris said.

“So, we have to find out which rule she broke.” Nicholas mused as he brought his hand up to his chin.

“Where would that possibly get us? Does it matter which rule she broke?” questioned Melanie as she leaned back in her chair. “It doesn’t change the fact that she died. So, what’s the point?”

“Finding out which rule she broke is crucial to the murder case.” Zoey solemnly revealed.

“Says you…” Melanie challenged.

“Are you going anywhere with this?” Iris aggressively asked.

“You all put your faith in Cyclops. But, what if she was the one that killed Funbags?”

No one entertained the idea of Melanie’s accusation. Out of everyone, Zoey worked the hardest to uncover the truth. It was a no-brainer that she was innocent. As far as everyone was concerned, Melanie was only trying to divert our attention from the real issue.

“Then, shall I expunge the doubt from your mind and prove my innocence?” Zoey crossed her arms and smirked. Once again, it unsettled me. Whenever I saw her break away from her usual stone-cold expression, a wave of foreboding always coursed through my body.

“That’d be a nice start, yeah.” Melanie dismissively shrugged her shoulders. She seemed more annoyed than usual.

“Fine, but before that, let us return to the main topic regarding Elena’s death. As mentioned earlier, the killer attacked Elena in her room. Then, she fled to the bathroom to hide. Tell me, is that not a suspicious place to hide?” Zoey questioned.

“She has a point,” Iris agreed. “Based on the floor plan of Serendipity, the restrooms are located on the farthest side of the hallways. If Elena ran all the way there to hide, why hadn’t she tried calling for help by ringing the doorbells in the rooms she passed along the way?”

“Have you forgotten?” interjected Nicholas as he raised his hand to gain everyone’s attention. “Certain functions in the facility cease working at a particular time. Caius listed them in the rules.”

“That particular time is 12 a.m., right?” Wyatt asked. “Since Elena was attacked around 2 or 3 a.m., there is no way the doorbells would have worked.”

"Also, certain rooms are locked down as well. If we follow the floor plan of Serendipity, the only rooms available around that time are the bathrooms." Henrika said.

“Elena chose the bathrooms because it was the only option left. The killer was smart and chose the correct time to attack her." Zoey said.

My gut wrenched when I heard the former detective praise the efforts of the killer. Words of praise were the last thing I expected to come from that woman's mouth.

“This is good and all. But, I don’t see how this proves your innocence, Cyclops.” Melanie said.

“I will get to that now.” Zoey reached into her coat and placed several pictures on the table. They were pictures of Elena’s corpse in the bathroom.

“When did you have the chance to take these?” Wyatt picked up some of the pictures and examined them.

“I was the first one to discover the body. I borrowed a camera from art room and took a few pictures just in case.” Zoey picked up a particular photo that caught my attention. It wasn’t that of Elena’s corpse, but of a strangely shaped bloodstain on the floor.

“What’s that?” Iris asked.

“A bloody footprint I noticed on the floor near Elena’s body. I was able to get a part of it captured since most of it got covered with Elena’s blood.”

“Are you insinuating that the owner of this footprint is the killer?” Nicholas asked as he lowered the shades from his face to get a better look at the picture.

“Perhaps…”

“Judging from the tread…it looks like the soles of a boot. But, the only people that wear boots are Klara and Melanie.” Henrika pointed out.

All eyes turned towards the two mentioned. Klara never moved her attention from her book. Melanie, however, seemed interested in the turn of events.

“Then, would you two mind showing us the soles of your boots?” Wyatt asserted.

A long, drawn-out sigh came from Melanie as she shrugged her shoulders. She complied with Wyatt’s demands without complaint. She set her leg on the table and allowed everyone to compare the sole of her boot to the footprint in the photo.

To the surprise of no one, it was a perfect match. The eyes of many players burned with rage as they focused their attention on Melanie. It seemed at any moment they’d lunge across the table to attack her.

I wouldn’t have minded seeing that.

“Melanie…you better start explaining yourself right now.” Iris slammed her hands on the table then stood from her chair. She made no other aggressive movements. But, she looked ready to pounce at any moment.

If things continued to progress the way they were—I feared for what would happen to the killer.