As Nia walks down the hallway, she overhears Mr. Chav’s voice followed by two other unknown voices. Some of the words she hears are “dinner” and “kitchen.” Those must be the other guests Mr. Cash invited to the castle with Chav in the dining area. I think I can return the key and then come ...

Once she locks the door, Nia puts her clothes back in her suitcase. Afterward, she blocks the closet door and sits on the edge of her bed. What the hell was that all about? A woman I never met before pops out of the closet! Thank God I didn’t undress when she came in. Does ...

Hikari falls through the closet door and lands on the open top of a large pink suitcase. When she looks up, a frightened young woman holding pepper spray meets her eye. “Wait! I’m not an intruder. Mr. Cash invited me. I won’t hurt you!” The woman hesitates, backs away from the closet, and allows Hikari ...

Thunder from the approaching storm grows louder while the ocean waves below the castle create a deep hum that echoes into the upstairs hallway. At the writing desk, Nia taps her pencil on the journal page while she thinks of words to improve her poem. So far, it goes like this,             Bubble poppers,             ...

Hikari stares at the castle and its decorations; it shows confidence, despite its messy appearance of mismatching décor and the approach of an angry thunderstorm. She smiles to herself. Mr. Cash always has confidence, even giving it to his home. I want to have that kind of feeling in myself. She heads towards the front ...

The castle’s entrance walls are a deep shade of bloody red. Throughout the great hall, paintings and photographs of various games surround every which way. Nia tries to walk in quietly as possible, not wanting to disrespect Chav and to make herself invisible to any other guests who may already be in their rooms. However, ...

Nia continues walking towards the castle, looking over her shoulder in case Flip comes from behind. While doing so, she bumps into the leaves of a large olive tree, with several of the fruits falling to the ground. She hastily picks them up and puts them to the side of the walkway, making sure they ...

Hikari exits the taxi with her luggage, tips her driver, and walks to where the directions on her map lead to the castle. She happily sighs as she listens to the birds singing in the palm trees. I can hardly wait to see Mr. Cash, Hikari thinks to herself. This meeting is the thing that ...

An enormous rusty barge enters a Monte Carlo harbor, creating a stark contrast against the gleaming spotless yachts bobbing on the water. Kofi, carrying a small pet carrier thanks the captain and crew, slowly disembarks and resists the urge to purge himself of his seasickness through his mouth. He finds a bench facing away from ...

Hikari stretches her back on an airport bench in relief after her seemingly endless flight reaches the airport. Her head and knees ache from the cramping environment of a middle seat between two obnoxiously loud people. Hikari gathers her luggage and makes her way to the security checkpoint. The security guard searches her backpack, coming ...