content!

 

Chapter 3 - Zenith, The CONTESTANTS, Please!

Each of us walk to our podiums, the lights all around us shining bright. Most of us seem too confused or wracked with stage fright to even say anything yet. Zenith seems very eager to start, the same grin plastered onto his face.

 “Now, I’m sure you’re all still quite confused. It’s not everyday you wake up and suddenly you’re starring on such an extraordinary gameshow! So before we get into all of those rules and details… why don’t we do a few icebreakers? As far as I’m aware, none of you know each other! At all! Things will be much more entertaining once you get familiar with one another.”

 “Oh!! Before that, actually… Where are my manners… I should introduce myself as well!”

 “The name’s Zenith! I’m the one of a kind, extraordinary host of this spectacular gameshow, and you happen to be my lucky contestants for tonight. You have been brought here by this generous fellow I’m sure you may be familiar with…”

He gestures to the strange, glowing purple eye that seems to be constantly staring straight through our minds. It’s the same figure I saw last night, watching me through the TV as intricate shapes and patterns in the static warped and danced around the screen.

 “All of you have quite the haunting pasts… I can see why these memories would be such a bother to you, making your everyday life such a pain…”

 “But! As mentioned in the deal you each made, One lucky winner here will have the chance to forget all of those memories! You can return to your everyday life, with a new perspective on things and a happy outlook on the future. The losers, of course, won’t be so fortunate… But there’s no need to get into those details right now! We have ice to break!”

He points at Benedict.

 “You! Get us started and tell us a little about your past.”

 “Well..! I have no business sharing this information with… these kinds of people, but I suppose if you all must know for the sake of this show or whatever…”

 “My name is Benedict. I live happily with my wife Catherine in our mansion and go on golfing tournaments weekly. I enjoy collecting all kinds of antique furniture to display in our home andAAAGGHHHH–”

Benedict recoils in pain, covering his head with his hands. That strange floating eye stares down at him with a piercing glare through his mind.

 “Oh, please. Your wife died five years ago after your mansion and all of your prized possessions burned down. What a shame you valued all of that useless furniture more than her life.”

 “Y… you bastard…”

 “Really now, did you think you would get anywhere by lying like that?”

Zenith just sighs and points to the next contestant.

 “Next!”

 “Oh, um… I mean, you can probably make some connections from the prison outfit I’m still wearing… really wish I could change into something else here… But! My name is Charlotte. I’m a journalist who was framed for murder and falsely imprisoned.”

 “Very interesting! You know, if you didn’t get a chance to star on this gameshow any sooner, you’d be dead! You were right next in line on death row…”

Charlotte gives a pained smile.

 “Haha… yeah…”

Zenith points at me, grinning ear to ear.

 “Your turn!”

Realizing it’s my turn to speak, I find myself beginning to panic again, trying to find what words to say. I found myself too interested in the other contestants’ stories that I completely forgot about mine. I didn’t even have time to practice what I would say in my head over and over again-

 “Hellooo? You there?”

 “Y- yes! I’m here! Um… My name is Nyah. Right now I’m a college student studying horticulture. I don’t really have anything else interesting to share about myself, but I know you’re probably looking for the past trauma that got me here, s- so, um… I…”

I struggle to get the words out. Everyone stares at me in anticipation. Thousands of eyes from the audience look directly at me.

I never wanted this to happen.

I never thought that deal would entail something like this.

It makes me sick to my stomach, the anxiety engulfing my mind, words coming out as quiet mumbles as I struggle to make sense of the jumble of memories in my head and string it into sentences. Zenith simply watches patiently, the same smile never leaving his face.

 “Take your time! But not too much time. We have a show to get on the road here soon!”

I take a deep breath and start to speak.

 “W- When I was younger, my older sister committed suicide. She jumped from our apartment building, and I saw it happen and was too late to stop her.”

 “How unfortunate… She was your biggest role model, correct? The one person you relied on the most, who made you feel less alone and took care of you when your parents weren’t home? Ah, don’t we all wish we could go back to when times were all bright and colorful, with no cares or worries in the world…”

That strange glowing eye seems to be glaring at him. He quickly notices this and moves on in a panic. Strange…

 “Oh no! Pardon me, I’m rambling on again! Next contestant, go!”

 “It’s my turn already…? Um… I’m Sage! I’m an artist and entomologist who loves insects. I can’t walk around for too long because of my chronic illness, and it definitely makes my insect studies harder, but I’m trying my best to do what I enjoy!”

 “I wasn’t able to really discover any of my passions when I was younger because of my parents, and how abusive they were, but… I’m trying my best to discover the things I couldn’t when I was a child.”

 “Ah, how inspiring! Finding ways to take your childhood back and enjoy the things you never had a chance to. I like it!”

 “Alright… Time to introduce our final contestant!”

 “...I’m Naomi. Um… since I was a little kid, I’ve always wanted to be a famous pianist like my father. Well- maybe not famous, but… to make captivating pieces of music just like he did. When we were fleeing my home country because of the war that broke out, he was fatally wounded by a sudden gunshot, and I watched his life fade away instantly.”

 “I… haven’t touched a piano since. I really want to try playing again, but… all I can do is remember everything that happened all over again. That’s why I took the deal, and, um… I’m here now.”

 “Ah, music… So many different genres, so many instruments to learn. It’s always quite nice hearing all kinds of tunes, and you can tell how much passion is put into each and every note…”

 “Anyways! It was very interesting hearing about your pasts. I do hope it doesn’t sound like I’m making fun of them or mocking them, of course… I just like to learn more about the kinds of contestants we have here each time! And after all, you’re here because of them, are you not? You’re all stars of the show, but only one can truly shine!”

 “Well! I think that was enough of an introduction. I’m sure you’ll get to know each other much more in these wacky trivia questions and physical challenges I have for you 5 tonight!”

 “So, without further ado…”

Spotlights shine down on the five of us, and the audience cheers once again.

 “It’s time for ROUND ONE!!”
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