Page 37 of The Wishing Game

"Around there," she says with a mischievous smile—which I take to mean she's much older than that.

"And your brother?"

"He's a few... decades older than me."

I nod, storing that bit of information. I'm a baby compared to them—hell, probably compared to anyone in here.

Soon, a whooshing sound envelops the room as the hole fills up, the ground appearing once more as it was before.

"The well has absorbed all of your wishes. Now you are officially part of the seventy-ninth edition of the Wishing Games!" Inara says excitedly.

"That means we can finally reveal what awaits you for the first game."

The screen behind them lights up again, showing five squares, each corresponding with a trial. With the wave of a hand, Inu brings the first square into focus, the question mark slowly disappearing to be replaced with the picture of a bridge.

My brows furrow in confusion, and I'm not the only one baffled by the ambiguous clue.

"For the first trial, you are allowed to work in teams of up tofiveindividuals," Inara starts. "Of course, if you don't trust anyone, you can attempt it alone." Her lips tip up in a cunning smile.

"There are, of course, advantages and disadvantages to this. If any member of your team dies during the trial, youalldie. You will be putting your fate in the hands of strangers—and potential enemies," Inu adds smugly. "You have five minutes to choose whether you will compete in the first trial as a team or by yourself."

Hushed whispers and suspicious glares abound in the crowd.

"We'll be a team, right? Me, you, and Cer." Thea immediately grabs my hand, her smile intoxicating.

I find myself nodding despite myself. As a human, I doubt I'd do much by myself. I don't yet know how demanding the contest will be, so I'll benefit from having them by my side. But what's in it forthem? Because if I die...

"Are you sure? I'd be the weakest link," I admit honestly.

"Nah," Thea dismisses my words. "We'll make it through this, trust me," she adds confidently, pointing to her brother with an amused grin. "Cer is practically unbeatable," she whispers in a low voice.

He scoffs, but he doesn't turn, nor acknowledge our conversation.

"If you've decided how you will compete, please form a queue in front of the stage to receive your task for the first trial."

"Wait... Is there a different task for every team?"

"It seems so." Thea nods as she gets to her feet. Her hair is magically dry while mine is still soaking wet—well, I guess beinghumanhas some downsides.

She takes my arm and hops over to her brother, looping her arm through his, too. She's probably the most excited and energetic person in this room. Everyone else is wary, suspicious, and greedy for the prize. Not Thea, though. She seems to be in it just for a good time—or maybe annoying her brother.

To my surprise, there are a lot of people who form teams, only a few choosing to compete in the game individually. But as I study the teams, I note that almost all have partnered up with their own species, or at least as close as possible.

As if reading my thoughts, Thea explains.

"There are a lot of enmities in the underworld. Half of the people in this room hate the other half. I'm surprised no one has started a fight yet. Especially with humans."

"Do you guys hate us so much?"

"Hate you? Of course not. I find you rather cute," Thea adds vehemently. "But not everyone shares my opinion. Most hate humans because they're different—and powerless. But mostly different."

"Awesome," I mumble, suddenly realizing why everyone was staring at me with distaste. In fact, the people I suspect are also humans have partnered up together. I'm probably the only one with non-human teammates.

"Don't mind it. The wolves over therehatethe foxes." She points to two teams that are currently baring their teeth—fangs?—at each other. "The nymphs abhor the satyrs." She points to another cluster. "And it goes on and on. Very few get along." She shrugs as if this is simply the nature of things.

"Is there any wiki page for the underworld that I can use for reference?" I joke lightly.

"Wiki?" She frowns.

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