The Game Of Life
The Game of Life
Written By: Clara Hixson
-We are all pawns in the epic Game of Life-
Part 1: Introductions
Chapter 1
New York City
Nicole
It was another normal day at work for Nikki, suspicious stares from her
coworkers, the neverending beep of the scanners at the checkout line, the
occasional woman yelling in her face to talk to the manager. Nothing was ever
different. Until the day that it had been.
10 Years Ago
Nicole was sitting at home eating breakfast that morning. She had slept in
because her boss had given her the week off for Christmas. She was going to fly
to Seattle to visit her family, who she hadnt seen in years. She couldnt wait to
see the smile she had missed so much, appear on her sister Kitty's face again.
She finished her oatmeal with a sigh placing her bowl in the sink amongst the
other dirty dishes she had yet to do.
Ill get to it later. She told herself. She
walked into her apartment living room and sat down on the couch. She foraged
through the velvety cushions to find the remote, and with the click of a button
she turned on the news. Something was wrong. Something major. Images flashed
across the screen. Someone was dead. Not just someone.
Kitty. Her face paled
as she watched the screen helplessly. Someone had murdered Kitty. Her sister,
her best friend, her one and only confidant. She couldnt comprehend it.
No!
Kitty couldnt be gone. She saw her just a month ago. No she couldnt be dead.
All these thoughts ran through her head as days, months, even years went by.
Nicole didnt see her family that Christmas or the next. She didnt see Kitty.
There was no word of who the murderer was, and there never would be. At least
thats what the officers had told her.
Back to the Present
After a long day of work, Nicole decided to grab food on the way and eat
at home. However, when she pulled into her driveway and walked up the steps
she was met with a surprise. A small cube-like package sat on her porch with her
full name,
Nicole Aviana Calrissian, in beautiful swan-like cursive. She stared at
it for a moment. She hadnt ordered anything that week, and she had no idea
who wouldve sent her anything. She gently picked it up and carried it inside,
before placing it on her coffee table, sitting on the couch, and taking a good
look at it. She opened the package carefully, wary of its contents. She reached
her hand inside and felt something smooth yet shaped, and almost cold, like a
stone. She pulled the item from within the bag and was confused to see a small
car with a figure in the driver seat. There were seven empty holes in the car
where it seemed that more figures could be placed. It was made out of a
beautiful ruby stone that glistened as the light hit it. But that wasnt all. On the
bottom of the car was a date. And a time. And an address. It read,
Meet me at
midnight, on the 5th day of the second week in October. Nicole ran over that
date in her mind. But that was next week! She hurriedly read the rest of the
instructions and placed the address into her phone.
Huh. Thats weird. She
thought to herself. All that appeared was an open field, blurred so heavily that
she couldnt see its contents. She had no choice. It might lead her to answers
about Kitty. And it wasnt like she had anything better to do.
Chapter 2
New York City
Robyn
As the curtains closed, Robyn was left with a feeling of loss. A feeling of
grief that he hadnt felt in a while. This had been his fathers favorite show and
they would go and see it all the time before he died. He could almost hear the
sound of his dads coughing in another room, while his mom struggled to help
him in all the ways that she could. It wasnt his fault. Of course not. He told
himself that everyday. But there was always that ever present feeling of guilt,
that his death had left on Robyn. He stood up. No, he wouldnt dwell on this. He
would bury himself in the distractions of the world, just to find peace. He would
call his friend Nikki, thats what he would do. He went to his car and as he
turned the key, he thought about what he would tell her. Why would he even be
calling?
Because youre struggling emotionally and you cant stop thinking about
your dad. A voice whispered in his head. But no, he knew better than to talk to
her about that kind of thing. She knew better than he did the feelings of grief,
and it would just make them both feel worse. He settled into his seat and called
her. He didnt know what he would say. He would improvise, that might work,
thats what all the best actors did.
RingRingRing
Hey this is Nicole! Sorry I cant come to the phone right now! If it's
really important, make sure to leave me a message or call me ba-''
Robyn hung up. There was no point in trying to call her again. She was
probably at work, doing normal work things, like he shouldve been. Instead he
had chosen to take the day off and go to a show in town. He pulled into the
parking garage and, feeling good about himself, jogged up the steps to his
apartment. He opened the door and before he could put one foot inside, his
eyes landed on a small paper-wrapped package. On it was written his full name,Robyn Jacob Owen. The font was so detailed, he was surprised he could even
read it.
Butwait. He thought to himself. No one knew his middle name except
for his family.
Not even Nicole. With a burst of curiosity, he picked up the
package, careful not to damage it. He grabbed a pair of scissors off the
kitchenette counter, and made a small cut on the wrapping. He tore it open,
carefully of course, and stuck his hand inside.
Weird. Almost like a stone, but
more defined. He thought to himself. He pulled it out and was shocked to see a
small car with a figure in the passenger seat. All seven other spots were empty,
and the car was made out of
gold. He turned over the item to see if there was
any information about the sender anywhere, and to his surprise, there was a
date, a time, and an address.
Why not? He thought to himself. The date was
labeled for next week, and oddly enough, he had the same day off. It wasnt like
he had anything better to do. He put the small car back in its packaging and
locked it in a drawer. He had lost enough in his life, he didnt want to miss out
on this chance for an adventure.
Chapter 3
Chicago
Sadie
Sadie watched as people rushed past her, on foot, wheelchairs, and
stretchers. This steady stream would continue on for another three minutes,
most likely, end and then return another hour later. It was her late shift, and the
only thing keeping her at this hour was the promise of a bed when she got
home. As she watched the people sitting in the waiting room, she turned to see
a woman standing at the desk with tears streaming from her eyes, which were
bloodshot and puffy. Her heart ached with empathy, and so she handed the
woman a box of tissues and offered her a water bottle. The woman looked up at
Sadie with gratitude in her eyes.
Thank you s-so much, m-my daughter the woman faltered.
Yes? Sadie didnt want to press, but she had to know what was causing
this woman distress.
My d-daughter the woman started again, was hit b-by a c-car, and I-I
d-dont k-know if sh-shes even a-alive!
The women collapsed into sobs, and Sadie walked around her desk to
give her a comforting side-hug.
Now, would you mind telling me your daughters name? Sadie
questioned. She was hopeful that the doctors would be sympathetic enough to
let this woman see her child, who was in such pain.
M-Melanie A-Anderson The woman stuttered as she blew her nose,
quite loudly, into a tissue.
Melanie Anderson. Sadie had heard that name before,
but she didnt recall where. All she could think about now was helping this
woman find her child before it was too late. She knew all too well what that
sense of panic felt like, when she had found out that her boyfriend had fallen,
and was in critical condition at the hospital only five months ago. She had
rushed to the hospital and made it there, just to find that she had made it there
too late. She pushed those thoughts aside and searched the database for
Melanie.
Melanie, Melanie, Melanieah! Sadie had found her. She was still alive,
thank goodness, in room 314, and was eligible for visits. Sadie looked at the
woman, now surrounded by a pile of used tissues, and spoke up. Maam, your
daughter is going to be okay and you will be able to visit her, as soon as you fill
out this paperwork and give it to my coworker, Sadie informed her as she
handed the woman a clipboard and pen. Sadies shift had finished a minute ago,
but she felt emotionally unable to abandon the woman. She walked back to her
office, grabbed her bag and headed out the door.
Huh. Thats weird. Sadie
thought to herself. Her bag was heavier than usual. She sat in the drivers seat of
her car, turned on a light, and began digging through the items in her handbag.
Her hand found a cube shaped box and pulled it out. Scrawled in the neatest
handwriting Sadie had ever seen, was her full name,
Sarah Penelope Davis. No
one had called her Sarah in over two years. She pried open the box with her
fingertips, careful not to damage its contents. Inside, she found a small toy car
with an undefined figure in the second row to the left. There were four rows in
total and two columns. All the other spots in the car were empty for a reason,
one that Sadie was unsure of. But the strangest thing was, the car was made out
of pure sapphire. She knew this of course because, when she and her previous
boyfriend, Nathan, had started dating, he gave her raw sapphire earrings that
complimented the blue in her blue-green eyes. Grief over Nathan filled her head
as she started to tuck the box away, but it was quickly replaced by the new
information on the underside of the car. A date, a time, and an address.
Who
would want to give me an address? She wondered. She looked at it more closely
with curiosity, before tucking it away for good and driving homewards. It wasnt
like she was
actually going to go.
That could be dangerous! She warned herself,
but she couldnt shake the feeling that this was destiny, and that there was no
other option.
Chapter 4
Chicago
Xander
Xander took a deep breath as he sat at his desk alone in an office. The
light in the day was fading, and it was almost time to go home. Home. If that
was even a real word for him anymore. It hadnt been home to him for a long
time. 10 years to be exact. Today was the 13th anniversary of his moms death, or
whatever it really was, and his father still hadnt told him what had happened.
One day she was there. And the next A loud banging on the door interrupted
Xanders thoughts. He didnt even realize that he had been crying, he wiped
away the tears and held his water bottle against his eyes in an attempt to
remove any evidence that he had beenAgain the door shook from the force of a
hand ramming into it. Hold on a second! Xander yelled out. Jeez he
muttered to himself. He pushed back from his desk before walking towards and
unlocking it. He opened the door to see his coworker, Rebecca, standing in the
door frame.
Oh my gosh, not again. He thought to himself. This was the third
time this week that she had shown up at his door after work hours. This time she
was twirling a piece of her strawberry blonde hair in between her fingertips, and
blinking at him with her
heavily mascara-covered eyelashes. Hey Rebecca, what
is it this time? He asked her, already annoyed.
Yeah, she started, I was wondering if you wanted to come eat dinner
with us.
Xander, wanting to be a respectable person, declined this offer as politely
as he could.
But
Xan!
Xander flinched inwardly at the nickname Rebecca had given him.
She is
the most aggravating person in the world! He complained to himself. Sorry!
Xander apologized, I have a lot of work I need to get done, not true and Im
really busy these next couple nights, also not true. Xander had absolutely
nothing scheduled, and he had absolutely no idea what he would even be doing
the next couple of nights.
FINE with as much melodrama as one could, she let out a sigh, and
huffed herself out of the doorway, and down the long, tiled hallway.
He closed the door and turned around to see a small box sitting on his
desk. On it was inscribed his full name,
Alexander Ryan Torres. That was weird.
He didnt remember anyone putting a package on his desk, and it
definitely
hadnt been there earlier. He opened the lid of the box to find a small toy car
inside. The car was made out of pearl and had seven empty spots in it. One
spot, the one on the second row to the right, had a small figurine in it. He
looked at it in confusion, before turning it around in curiosity. On the bottom of
the car he could make out a date, a time, and an address. He popped the
address into his phone to see that it was only a five minute drive from his house.Perfect! However, the satellite image showed a grassy field, unlit and empty. He
decided that he might as well go, since there werent any big sports events that
he would be watching with his friends. He tucked the small trinket into his
briefcase, before leaving the building and heading back hoto his house.
Chapter 5
Dallas
Gwen
Gwen stared at her computer screen in frustration.
Solving mysteries isnt
supposed to be this hard! She told herself. Gwen had spent the last three days
stuck on one piece of a single crime. None of the evidence was fitting together.
She took a deep breath and stood up from her chair. She pulled open her
curtains and looked outside. It was a beautiful day.
Wasnt it always in Dallas?
She shook those thoughts aside and stepped into her kitchen. She was a
detective, and had chosen that Wednesday as her work-from-home day of the
week. She looked to her oven, reminding her of the cookies that she had yet to
bake for her neighbors. Gwen stored the thought on a mental to-do list in her
head and walked out the front door. Sure enough it felt amazing outside. She
took a few careful steps down her walkway before turning onto the main
sidewalk on her street. She could smell fall in the air, and could see the effect it
had on the trees all around her. Piles of leaves in front yards were slowly
invading the street, being blown around by bursts of wind, and blowing her dark
chestnut hair directly into her face. Ugh! Gwen spat out strands of her hair in
frustration, before securing the temperamental strands with a hair tie. As she
walked, thoughts of the case filled her head. What made it worse was that the
case was a cold case and had been for ten years. A woman had been murdered,
shot actually, and they still hadnt found who did it or how. She ran through facts
in her head; they were what grounded her. Truth. Truth was always the answer,
well at least it was in her department. Her thoughts were interrupted by a
painful shove to the shoulder that caused her to fumble. She turned around,
annoyed to see a man of about twenty-six running down the street. He looked
back at her and she glared at him, only to be met by sad, brown eyes. She
quickly looked away, embarrassed and continued on her walk.
That was so
stupid! She reprimanded herself. She wondered how she had gotten so
distracted, that she hadnt even seen a literal human walking, no running down
the sidewalk towards her. She decided to turn back around and head home, in
hopes of baking the cookies that she had been meaning to. That would help her
solve the case, she knew it would. Keeping her eyes ahead, somehow Gwen
made it to her porch without any more incidents. A small bag hung from her
door handle. That was curious. She looked at it more closely. On the bag was
written her full name,
Gwendolyn Amelia Jones. No one had called her by her
full name since, well since her best friends death.
Stop yourself. Now is not the
time to be thinking about that. There are more important things to do right now.
She reminded herself. She gently pulled the bag off of the door handle and went
inside, placing the bag on the counter. She opened it to find a small car, made
ofdiamond. The small car had seven empty cylinders carved into it, and inside
one cylinder was a small diamond figure. It was seated on the third row to the
left. She didnt understand. Who would've sent that to her? She didnt even like
cars all that much. She rotated it in her hand, inspecting it, when she found an
inscription along what wouldve been the undercarriage. It was a date, a time,
and an address. She scribbled all three down on a notepad, before placing the
figurine in her closet. She didnt know what to do with it. She thought for a
minute.
Wait. She hesitated,
it could have to do with my case. She knew at that
moment that she had to go. She had to know if it connected to that woman.Kitty.
Chapter 6
Dallas
Nicholas
Nicks day had been going fine, until he had decided to go on a run. After
that, everything waswell different, that was one way to put it. He was proud of
himself actually, he hadnt thought once about Marion. He had gotten his work
done and finished the plans for his next big project. Hed even surprised himself
by planning a bike trip with a couple of his friends.
Maybe things will finally be
back to normal. Is what he had thought to himself that very morning. Things did
not go back to normal. At all. He had gotten home, and decided to go on a run,
because after all, it was a beautiful day. He stepped outside and let the Dallas
sun shine on his face for a second. Fall was here, which meant that swimming
season was over, but it also meant winter was coming, and winter was a bit too
emotional of a season for him. He shook those thoughts of and began on his
run, enjoying the crisp autumn air as it rushed past him. His pleasant thoughts
didnt last long. He began to think of Marion, his best friend, who had died
roughly five years ago. It wasnt that he missed her necessarily, he just didnt
ever know what to do with himself anymore. Ever. He often found himself sitting
on his living room couch, just thinking about his life before she had been killed.
Well he didnt ever really learn what had fully happened to her, but all he knew
was that one day she was there, and the next she was found dead in White Rock
Lake. Everyone had told Nicholas, it was probably an accident, she probably
drove off of the road. But
no, it couldnt have been, he refused to believe it all,
because he knew Marion never would have left him to face the world alone. He
was shaken from his thoughts by a sharp push by his side. It was an actual
person, and he had almost knocked her into the street. He looked back to make
sure that she hadnt, and he was met with a harsh glare. The glare came from a
woman, who looked to be abouttwenty-four or so. She was relatively short
compared to Nicholas, and had medium-length, straight, brown hair. She looked
almost shocked for a second when she saw him looking towards her, but she