Alice in Borderland

Chapter 8 - First evening

Ann leads me through countless corridors to the said room, where they have stowed all the clothes. I scour around a little while Ann takes the two knives out of my sports bag.

"I forgot them, I'm sorry," I say honestly, and she looks at me sternly. She watches me suspiciously as I look for my clothes together. For the games I choose both a short jogging pants from Nike. As a top I take a simple white shirt. For the beach I take out the following: a light brown, loose trousers made of linen combined with a tight, black bodysuit. A white bikini and a Greek-inspired beach dress. I put everything over my arm and then I run in front of Ann, who still wants to show me my room. As soon as we stand at the door she leaves me again without a word and I just go in.

The room is not huge, but already a little bigger. It has a private bathroom with shower and a large shelf at the sink. Some hygiene items and towels are available. In the main room there is a double bed, a closet, two cosy-looking armchairs and a table. There is even a small balcony from which I can see the pool area. I put my belongings in the closet and decide to put on the black bodysuit and loose trousers. I store my bag under the bed and since my gaze keeps swinging down to the pool area, I decide to look around there. I close my room door behind me and stroll downstairs.

Meanwhile, not only some, but most seem drunk. I enter the pool area and look around again until I decide to go to the back bar. There's not that much going on there and it kind of looks like a bar in Hawaii. As I walk across the facility, I get the feeling of being watched, but I try to ignore it first. I look around at the counter and when I can't find a bartender and everyone uses themselves, I just jump over the counter. I get an overview of what alcohol and mixed drinks are available here and just mix what sounds good into a mixing cup. By looking up again and again, I try to get an overview.

I see some of the alleged military troops at an angle on the other side of the pool. I recognize them by the fact that they carry weapons in contrast to the others and that the guy with the piercings from the conference hall is with them. He talks to them, but keeps looking over at me. When he notices my gaze, he starts to grin and licks his lips for a moment. Admittedly, he looks pretty good, but he looks like he's looking after every girl here. I keep looking around and discovering some unknown faces, but they just seem to stare because I'm new. For example, a boy who seems to serve as a running boy and carries something from the military troops into the building. And then there is the boy with the white-blond hair and the white vest, Chishiya. I can't quite say whether he looks at me curiously, high-nosely or disinterested, but that I notice his gaze doesn't seem to unsettle him. He stands next to a big girl with dreadlocks. She wears a blue bikini and chews around on a kind of plastic straw.

I shake the cup to mix everything up when I notice that a slightly drunk girl is loosening up from the group at the bar. She leans over the counter and speaks to me a little louder so that I can understand her across the music.

"What did you do?"

"Tequila Sunrise with a little extra", I answer kindly. Somehow I try to hide the others and this distraction is just right for me.

"I love tequila, it's funny"

"Should I make you one?" I offer her.

"How sweet you are, thank you," she lares a little, and I fill in a little bit of everything to mix her a cocktail. Somehow it reminds me of my time before graduation. We were in a club every weekend and celebrated until the sun rose. At some point the owner knew us so well that I was sometimes allowed to stand behind the bar and make the drinks for us. Anyway, I give the girl her finished drink and she tries straight away.

"It tastes fantastic, thank you," she says, and I nod thankfully to her before running back to her group and continuing to dance. I also drink a little off my glass and look around what frozen fruits are in the freezer. Suddenly I notice a boy coming behind the bar. He laughs lightly, and as I turn around, he leans on the counter and looks at me grinning.

"Hey baby, fancy a line?"

Baby, really now? I recognize to a pupil that he must have taken something and try not to take it too badly.

"No need," I say dismissively, just trying to get rid of him. He is annoyed and frankly he stinks of alcohol and vomit. He gets one step closer and grins strangely.

"You know in the beach here you don't have to be ashamed of anything. Here everyone drops their inhibitions and nobody cares. There in the back corner, everyone has fun together. We can just stop by, and if you don't like it, we can just go to my room"

"As I said, no need," I say slightly annoyed. He wants to reciprocate, but someone else leans loosely over the counter and interferes.

"She doesn't fancy you, so forgive you"

I turn to the voice and recognize the man with the piercings. He still has the gun loose on his shoulder and when the annoying boy sees him, he makes a departure and walks away. I smile gratefully at the man with the gun and when he looks at me, he grins charmingly.

"The hatmaker will see you, I shall bring you to him"

I tip my drink down on a train and climb over the counter again. He makes an interpretation that I should follow him and I notice more staring at us. We walk inside and take the stairs until we walk along a few corridors on the top floor.

"My name is Niragi by the way"

"Sayuuri, thank you for just," I say kindly and he has to laugh easily. He opens a big door and we enter a suite that is certainly eight times the size of mine. The hatmaker is in the salon and kisses the woman next to him in a bikini. I look to Niragi if we bother but he just laughs.

"We're there," he says loudly, and the hatmaker almost pushes the woman off the couch. He tells her to go and I sit on the opposite couch on his gesture. Niragi stands nearby and leans against the wall.

"Niragi and you should know yourself now. But if it bothers you or you want privacy, I can send him away"

"No is okay"

The hatmaker prepares three glasses of gin and each of us takes one.

"So Sayuuri, let's tell us. How did you come to Cross 6?"

"Oh it was my first game. We were a total of seven and it was in a library. We should find a book before the time expires when there is a small switch. Every six minutes, the one who was furthest away from it was killed and every now and then there was a little passage from the book that appeared on the ceiling," I explain succinctly.

"How many survived?"

"Three"

"Chishiya thinks you came up with the idea of the book. He said in front of the casino there was a man who called you a smart head"

"Yes, I recognized the last line and it was clear that it was from Dante's Inferno"

"I can see you are an asset to us. Do you like your room?"

"Yes, of course, it seems cozy"

"Do you still have any desire? A minibar, a shelf, a new mirror?"

"Oh maybe a record player, so if that's possible in any way"

"A humble wish, I will see tomorrow what I can do"

We have a drink and as the evening passes, the conversations become more and more relaxed and also a little more private. Danma tells how he founded the beach and his idea behind it, the utopia he imagined. We certainly talk for two hours, but I avoid revealing too much of myself. In the end, I leave him alone with his acquaintance from before and go to my new room.