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Cleo sat in the waiting room, any minute now they'd be hooked up to a machine, forced into a new reality and forget all but a few of thier memories, not be remembered until she dies on her final life.
Cleo already had three games ("the life series", as they'd been dubbed) under her belt, she knew what to expect; friends, foes, betrayal, bloodshed. The prize almost made it worth it.
They hadn't won an event yet, but the last game, double life, they had gotten so close, the closest she had ever been. If only they hadn't been put with a soulmate that pushed them off a bridge...
In the beginning she'd only thought it was one game to partake in, only to be forced into another several months later. Not that she can be entirely upset, it was kind of on her for not reading the fine-print when she signed up. But even so, they, (and all the other contestants they've asked) swear it wasn't there when they signed the contract.
Some people hadn't started at the same time as them, she almost didn't feel sorry for them, atleast they knew what they were getting into. But even more questionably for Cleo, some people had managed to miss out on a game, the third installment had three less people than the one prior, at first she assumed it was for an even number, but even then it didn't fully make sense. If they knew how to escape, they would, but not without atleast one win.
The games as a whole were for the watchers' entertainment, strange beings who saw your every move. Not fully sure who, she heard some of the other participants in "the life series" had some previous run-ins with the watchers. Even a rumour that one of then is a watcher themselves. (If Cleo had to make a guess it would be Grian, just something about those cold, black, beady, eyes felt like those of an eldritch being)
Cleo snapped out of her thoughts at the sound of her name being called. She was ushered down the hallway by strange figures in masks, their outfit looked to be an attempt at an angel, but the grey and yellow made them look somewhat less and angelic, the masks all had the same symbol on them, she'd heard Martyn, BigB, Jimmy, and Grian refer to it as the "evo symbol" before, but she wasn't quite sure where they'd gotten it from.
They were taken into an empty room, aside from an empty chair hooked up with wire, it looked extravagant, like some kind of torture device. The room itself didn't help, white walls, white floor, white ceiling and bright blaring lights that hurt to loom at.
She remembered the games, obviously fake standing here now, but something about the generator made them so real. The pain of dying is something hard to forget, and it doesn't get any better the 11th time round.
She remembered 3rd life; the crastle. Stealing a llama. Bdubs her partner who was red for so much longer than she was, but still managed to outlive her. Having to partner up with the people who murdered said partner (much to Bdubs dismay) to take out a common enemy. The rest is kind of blurry.
Although a bit fuzzier, she remembered last life; the fairy fort. BigB's Betrayal.The (short lived) new found trio with Scott and Pearl (Gaslight, Gatekeep, Girlbos). The satisfaction of taking away BigB's final life.
And she remembered Double life; Unable to find her soulmate she made a pact with Scott. Finding out she was soulbound to Martyn, who had ran off to the nether with Pearl. Scott and their matching house with a cute little bridge. Meating Martin halfway, only to be pushed off by him, killing them both. The closest they'd ever been to winning.
But soon, none of that will matter. She'll be thrown into a new game with a new gimmick, she'll have to make new friends, new foes. There will be more betrayal, and more bloodshed. Cleo knew not what would become of them.
But who knows, maybe this time, they might just have a chance, a chance to come out on top. Win a game.
She was fully hooked up to the generator now. Wires coming out of everything, a flick of a switch could be heard and they felt themselves fading away, her vision fading to white...