The Maid and the Amnesiac

Now alone with Alex and Angel, we set out to find the two missing people, Tristan and Isabelle.

"Well, detective, any intuition?" Angel teased, her movements anxious while maintaining a soft smile. I took a minute to ponder.

"I would assume they might be locked somewhere, judging by how they didn't find us."

"I didn't notice any locked doors when I scanned the mansion. Then again, I never got the chance to check the dining room or upstairs." Alex replied.

"Then which area do you think would be more likely to have them?" Angel asked while scanning the central hall.

"Not sure, but I do want to check on our food situation. Might as well head towards the dining room first." Alex adjusted his glasses with a calm and composed demeanor.

"Not a bad idea," I nodded as I glanced around for the dining room. Using the signs on the walls as a reference, I found the dark oak door that leads to it not far from the central hall.

The three of us waltzed in while taking in the new environment. The dining table had a nice red cloth draped over it, and the floor's carpet had a unique star pattern that made the room feel unique and different. On my left was the door to what I believe to be the kitchen.

"This is a fancy mansion. I wonder how the mastermind was able to get a hold of it," Angel pondered out loud, placing her hand on her cheek.

"They either have money, or they broke into it," Alex scoffed, leaning on the dining table.

"I doubt they broke in. Doing so would raise a lot of red flags, given that it must have taken them a while to prepare for this death game. In order to evade the law, they must be the owners of this building or acquainted with the owners." I commented, glancing around at the decor. They sure have an extravagant taste.

"You make a good point. If it were broken into, then the real owners would have surely done something about it by now." Alex smirked as he replied.

"The mastermind also planned for us to stay here a while. T-They must be sure that nobody will figure out that this game is happening..." Angel replied shakily.

"Didn't Oracle say something about that? that no one is out there to help? I wonder what he meant by that. I know that my partner would have noticed my disappearance pretty quickly." I put my hand on my chin. Jessy wouldn't just let me disappear like that...

"Kidnapping thirteen people without a trace is pretty impressive. There has to be a lead somewhere," Angel added optimistically.

"Given that some of us, like George, are actual politicians. It's not like our disappearances could have gone under the radar." I responded.

"You're right; how can Oracle and the mastermind be so confident?" Angel replied with newfound optimism.

"That's what I am trying to figure out. Maybe there's something bigger at play outside of this mansion?" I hypothesized.

"That would suggest that we have been missing for a while. I find that pretty unlikely," Alex pointed out.

"Who knows, this whole situation seems far-fetched. I certainly don't know how someone could pull this off." I crossed my arms with a puzzled expression. Looking at Angel and Alex, a dark thought started to cross my mind. They could be valuable pawns...

"May I change the topic?" I leaned in closer.

"What is it?" Angel turned to look at me.

"It's just an idea, but what if we shared our roles? Just the three of us, we could form an alliance of some kind." I suggested. It's not a bad idea. After all, we don't know just how dangerous of a situation we're truly in. A safeguard such as an alliance might prove beneficial if shit really does hit the fan.

"I don't know. Sharing our roles might put us at a disadvantage. I'm not sure I trust you enough," Alex lifted his glasses.

"But knowing more about how the roles work might help us later. If we don't understand the situation, we could start to turn on each other. That's what the mastermind wants." I looked into Alex's cold, calculating eyes, but he wasn't fazed by my logic.

"Sorry to disappoint you, Hank. But I can't do that, maybe at some point. But as far as I know, you're my enemy. Everyone is my enemy," Alex crossed his arms in cold confidence. What's so wrong with your role Alex?

"I agree; I can't trust anyone with that information. Or they might target me." Angel's eyes shifted away nervously.

"But it's the most logical thing to do, right? I mean, alliances keep people alive" I tried persuading them further, but it was fruitless. Why am I being so persistent? Is this situation getting to my head?

"People aren't dictated by logic, Hank," Angel glanced back at me with sharp annoyance in her expression.

"I guess. Sorry about that." I apologized reluctantly. Perhaps it's just too soon.

"Let's just continue to the kitchen," Alex suggested as the tension filled the musty air of this mansion.

"Yeah," Angel agreed with a sigh, opening the door to the kitchen. A calm girl wearing a black and white maid outfit stood next to what seemed to be a cellar door. She was slightly shorter than me and looked to be in her late twenties. Her hair was short and brown, the length only reaching the back of her neck. She looked very confident and calm.

"Ah, a person!" Angel shouted, startled. The lady turned to us in response.

"Oh, I'm truly sorry. I didn't mean to startle you." She glanced in the other direction.

"D-Don't worry about it. I just wasn't expecting to find you this quickly, is all." Angel chuckled slightly as she placed her hand over her heart.

"If you were in here the whole time. Why didn't you go to the entrance hall?" I questioned, crossing my arms.

"I was planning on leaving this kitchen, but there's someone in this cellar, and I can't seem to open the door. Would you mind lending a hand?" She spoke elegantly. Angel, Alex, and I looked at each other before Angel responded.

"Of course. You're Isabelle, correct?" Angel walked over and kneeled at the cellar door as she asked.

"That would be my name. You must've heard it from Oracle." Isabelle then looked over at Alex and me.

"If we all pull on it at the same time, we might be able to break it open." She suggested.

"Right," Alex lifted his glasses as he reluctantly approached. I nodded and got down to the cellar door.

"On three, One.. Two... Three!" Isabelle counted. We all pulled on the handle at the same time when suddenly the lock broke, and the door swung open. Knocking us to the ground. Quickly, I got back to my feet and looked down the cellar door. At the bottom of the dark staircase was a large man with an Afro and glasses. His shirt was a mix of black and white, with symbols of the moon and sun on both sides of his chest. I'm assuming he would be Tristan.

"He still hasn't woken up?" Angel asked. I quickly made my way down the stairs. The rest followed.

"Hey, wake up." I pat his face a bit to try to wake him. He seemed to respond a bit.

"Huh?..." Half-asleep, Tristan turned to face me.

"Who are you?" His eyes opened a bit, his pupils a crimson red.

"I'm Hank, but that doesn't matter right now. What matters is that you're alright." I replied. He sat up and wiped his eyes. I took a glance at Alex and noticed a slight scowl on his face. Does he know who he is?...

"Hank?... Do I know you from somewhere? I can't remember.." Tristan yawned.

"I don't think I recognize you," I replied with slight confusion.

"No, this isn't right. Why is my memory so hazy?.." His breathing started to get faster as he gained consciousness.

"Calm down, Tristan. All of us forgot how we got here." Angel held out her hand.

"Tristan?.. Who's that?" He pushed Angel's hand away in a panic. What?...

"Isn't that your name? Oracle said there are only fourteen people here, and you're the last one." Alex replied with a scoff.

"No, no, that's not right! My name is not Tristan; it's... Why can't I remember? Where am I?! What's going on?!" Tristan's anxiety rose.

"Calm down! We can't explain anything unless you calm down." Angel put her hand on Tristan's shoulder.

"First, let's get out of this damp cellar," Isabelle suggested.

"Right," I agreed. Letting Tristan lean on my right shoulder, we all made our way to the dining table. I explained everything Oracle told us and all the information we know so far.

"I'm not sure I get it, but I'm involved in some sort of killing game, huh.." Tristan pondered.

"That's about the gist of it. Has your memory come back at all?" I asked.

"No, I can't remember anything about myself. It's all blank." Tristan gave a deep sigh as he placed his hand on his forehead.

"You must have it much worse than us then." Angel crossed her arms.

"You should probably check your role; it's in one of your pockets," I suggested.

"That would be important, wouldn't it?" Tristan sounded disheartened as he methodically pulled out his card. "Heh, this is some kind of sick joke then." He gave a fake laugh as he held the card between his fingers.

"You don't have to tell us your role if you don't want to. No, it might be best if you didn't," Alex reminded while looking down upon Tristan.

"What good would that do?" Tristan's expression dropped.

"Then are you planning on telling us?" I asked. He took a moment to think about it.

"Only if you tell me yours. I'll swap information with anyone who wants to." Tristan placed a deal. Information for information.

"I suppose that's fair. No reason to put yourself at a disadvantage for no reason," Isabelle replied.

"Without memories, this game is the only thing I have going for me. Might as well make it interesting," Tristan chuckled.

"Interesting? What do you mean by that?" I questioned.

"Ah, it's nothing. My head is still a bit fuzzy." Tristan combed his afro with a comb that was placed in it when he woke up.

"Still, it worries me how fast you recovered. Are you sure you're doing alright?" Isabelle looked at Tristan with pity.

"Certainly, I'm not sure why, but I feel right at home here," Tristan put his hand over his face, which had a menacing smile. Should I be concerned?...

"Wowwwwww, that's deep." I heard a familiar voice from the other side of the dining room as the door swung open, revealing a mischievous kid with a checkered cape.

"Ah, Jasper. Where's the rest of your group?" I turned my attention towards him.

"I killed them." He smiled as he tilted his head, his eyes turning yellow. My heart skipped a beat.

"W-w-what!" Angel shot up from her seat and slammed her hands on the table.

"Anyways, looks like you found them," Jasper responded with a straight face, his eyes green.

"Are you just going to casually go over the fact that you just admitted to murder?" Isabelle replied with a deadly serious expression.

"Huh? Did I do that? I don't remember." Jasper yawned.

"Are you messing with us?" Tristan's crimson eyes glared into Jasper's yellow and green eyes.

"Hehe, am I?" Jasper grinned, putting his hands behind his head.

"Y-You little-" Angel was interrupted by the door opening once more.

"Don't just run off like that, Jasper!" Claire's voice emerged, Willow right behind her. Even though I knew he was lying, I sighed in relief. So this is the kind of game you want to play, Jasper.

"Figures, he was just lying," I explained to the confused Tristan and Isabelle.

"What!? I never lie!" Jasper chuckled.

"Looks like you found them. I'm glad they're okay!" Claire smiled.

"Should we gather the others now?...." Willow suggested quietly.

"Nah, they said forty-five minutes. We still have about twenty left. No need to rush." Jasper kept his hands behind his head.

"No need to rush? Don't you want to get out of here?" Isabelle asked.

"Why would you assume that? Maybe I enjoy being here." Jasper's eyes turned yellow. I can't tell if that's a lie or not...

"What's this guy's deal?" Tristan asked.

"He's a subconscious liar, apparently, " I sarcastically replied

"That's rude. You make me sound handicapped." Jasper's eyes shifted red.

"Sorry, I'm just answering the question," I responded half-heartedly. Jasper looked at me with grey eyes and then looked away.

"Whatever, let's eat something. I'm hungry." Jasper changed the subject.

"Shouldn't we conserve our food? The kitchen only has so much to go around," Isabelle asked.

"Hmm? Why should we? Most of us will be dead soon anyway." Jasper walked past us to enter the pantry of the kitchen.

"Hey! There's no guarantee that we will die!" Claire spoke optimistically.

"Seeing how people are acting now, I'm pretty sure people will die. Quickly might I add," He didn't bother to look at us as he made a bleak statement as he rummaged through the pantry, "There really isn't much to last us..." He mumbled as he grabbed a box of cereal and poured some into a bowl. Walking back out with an unfazed expression.

"You don't put your cereal in milk first?" Alex asked, relatively unfazed by Jasper's rash comment.

"It's better this way; milk is gross," Jasper mumbled.

"This is not the time! What do you mean by the way we are acting?" Isabelle replied with a serious expression.

"I'm calling you all idiots, obviously," Jasper responded with a cheeky smirk.

"It wouldn't hurt to be a tad nicer," Claire bit her lip. Jasper looked at her and then turned away.

"Sorry, I was just telling the truth." Jasper's eyes quickly converted to red and blue, but his expression remained static.

"Now that's just unacceptable. You walk in here like a nuisance and then call us idiots. That's just plain rude." Angel looked a bit ticked. Jasper, taken aback, put his hand over his mouth.

"Haha... Sorry, I can't." He spoke whilst squinting his eyes.

"You can't do what?" I pressured.

"Nothing, don't worry about it, Mr. Detective," Jasper put down his bowl and then walked out of the room in an awkward rush.

"Jeez...." Claire lowered her head. Do you know something we don't?

"Could you explain what just happened?" Angel asked Claire.

"Huh, uhm, no, sorry, I still don't have him figured out yet, haha." Claire awkwardly smiled. My detective's intuition is telling me that she is hiding something.

"Well, what do we do now?" Alex changed the topic.

"Wait till the designated time, I guess," Angel responded. However, as if fate had heard us, the intercom turned.

"Attention, everyone, can you hear me?" George's shaky voice played on an intercom.

"George? How are you able to do that?" I looked up to the ceiling of the room to notice speakers on each of the corners, as well as small cameras that I hadn't noticed before. I'm assuming Oracle is watching us...

"Too many people are talking simultaneously! I can't understand!" George spoke franticly. I suppose he could hear the others as well.

"Anyways, we found a communications room right next to what we believe to be the front entrance of the mansion. I figured this could be a good way to communicate a distress signal if needed. Furthermore, have we found Tristan and Isabelle?" George elaborated on the situation.

"Yeah, we found them. We're in the dining room right now." Angel spoke up quickly.

"Great, then we should all meet there. Everyone, make it to the dining room!" George announced. And just like announced, everyone started to trickle in, including Jasper, who just stayed in the corner of the room, observing us from a distance.

"Where were they?" Leo asked while flipping a coin in the air.

"Tristan was in the kitchen cellar. Isabelle was trying to open the cellar the whole time," Alex informed.

"Lovely, we now have two more mouths to feed. Now what?" Matt sarcastically asked. But everyone stayed silent.

"We could go over what we figured out while exploring," Annie suggested.

"Great Idea!" Claire agreed with an optimistic smile. Elizabeth stepped forward.

"I'll go first. Matt, Annie, and I checked out the top and bottom floors of the central hall. We found fourteen bedrooms, an indoor pool room, a music room, a game room, and two bathrooms. And finally, a huge locked door on the second floor." Elizabeth described.

"Well, I'm glad there are enough rooms for all of us to have. I was worried that we would end up needing to share rooms," Angel replied with halfhearted optimism.

"And there is a pool! That's pretty cool!" Claire tried to be optimistic.

"I wish there was a library...." Leo sighed with disappointment.

"We're trapped in a death game. I don't think the amenities of the mansion are what we should be worried about," Elizabeth scoffed.

"It doesn't hurt to be optimistic..." Claire mumbled.

"I wonder if we could find a way to open the locked door," Tyrone put his hand on his chin.

"I could try lockpicking it," Jasper spoke up from the corner of the room.

"Can you do that? Or are you just lying again?" I shot back.

"I wonder." Jasper's eyes transformed into red and yellow.

"Wouldn't hurt to try. I think it could be useful if true." Tyrone gave him the benefit of the doubt.

"Then it's settled. Tomorrow I will try to pick the door. Hank can keep me company." Jasper forcefully volunteered me.

"What? Nothing's settled. Why would you even want me to join you?" I took a step back. I don't trust this guy...

"I don't know. I just figured that you would be the least likely to kill me. Unless you want me alone and vulnerable" Jasper's eyes shifted, with a mischievous grin.

"I never said that I wouldn't join you; I'm just shocked that you chose me out of everyone." I crossed my arms. Rejecting him would look bad on my part.

"Are you saying that you do want to kill me?" Jasper winked. This guy...

"Ignoring that comment, why wait till tomorrow?" I questioned.

"Because I don't want to do it today? No reason, really." Jasper put his hands behind his head. I didn't understand the logic behind it, but I just sighed.

"I really don't understand you," I replied.

"Hehe, I'll take that as a compliment," He responded with green eyes.

"That being settled, I'll tell you what we discovered." Tyrone took over.

"As you may know, we discovered the intercom. But we also found a pretty big storage closet with a variety of useful items like rope and tools." Tyrone crossed his muscular arms

"Useful? More like dangerous." Isabelle pointed out.

"However true that may be. Those items might help us escape." Tyrone argued.

"If escape is possible, Who knows? The whole building might be encased in metal for all we know.." Leo shivered.

"I don't think so," Jasper disagreed.

"What do you mean?" I leaned on the dining table.

"If this whole building was encased in metal, then how would we get oxygen? There has to be a vent somewhere or some opening." Jasper pointed out.

"Or there's a garden somewhere in the house providing enough oxygen for us." Elizabeth also suggested.

"No... That can't be right. Where in the house can there be enough plants to supply fourteen people with oxygen? It takes a lot of plants to sustain a single person, let alone fourteen." I put my hand over my face.

"Then there's a vent!" Claire shot up.

"Where?" Angel replied.

"Um... I don't know exactly." Claire slumped down again.

"Right, don't get your hopes too high." Angel looked away.

"We searched this place up and down, and yet I didn't see a single vent or opening." Matt pointed out.

"Even if there is a vent, it would probably be too small for us to get through," Elizabeth replied.

"Y-You're right..." Claire sat back down.

"That is strange. I never really thought about it till now, but now that I think about it, there aren't even floor vents. How are we getting oxygen?" Annie pondered. The lights dimmed again.

"You guys are hopeless," Oracle scoffed in his deep voice, "Yes, the building is encased. No, there are no vents leading outside, and that's that. You're on a limited oxygen supply. But you will run out of food before oxygen, so don't worry about it." Oracle replied.

"Heh, there goes that idea." Jasper hid his face to cover his eyes.

"There's no way of escape; the mastermind has made sure of that. So don't worry about that and play the game." Oracle shut off as soon as he finished the sentence.

"What an asshole," Matt grunted.

"Haha, I don't get it. Why were we chosen? What's the point of this game?.." George shivered.

"Maybe there is no point. Maybe the mastermind is just twisted." Tyrone sighed, trying to stay calm.

"It's not just the mastermind. Oracle is also in on it..." Willow quietly added.

"And I bet there is more. I doubt only two people did this," Jasper added. Everyone became silent, lost in thought.

"Can we go to bed?... This... This is just a lot to deal with. I feel like we will be in better shape tomorrow." Claire's eyes shifted as her hopes were shattered.

"True, it's been a tough day for all of us." Angel agreed.

"A good night's sleep might raise our spirits." Tyrone smiled softly. Everyone was too tired to disagree, so we slowly trickled out of the kitchen and to our rooms.

I lay on my bed, glancing at the ceiling.

No escape? No one to help? It's like we were placed directly into a novel, a story beyond realistic comprehension. Could any one of us with the professions we have afford a mansion like this? Could there really be a single mastermind behind all this?

My head started to spin as my brain pondered the insanity of the situation we were placed in.

"We will find a way out...." I whispered to myself as I slowly drifted asleep on the unfamiliar bed.