Prince walks in, arms crossed, frowning.
"What's going on? Why are you two looking all… weird?"
Lyrelle freezes.
Summer glances at her nervously.
"The… the game," Lyrelle stammers.
Prince blinks.
"What game?"
Kyra nudges Kaida, who swallows hard.
Kaida grabs her phone. The screen glows faintly, pulsing like it's alive.
"It's… the Shadow Game," Kaida says quietly.
"It just started last night… and it's not normal."
Prince raises an eyebrow.
"Shadow Game? You mean like some stupid app?"
Saphira shakes her head.
"No, Prince… it's… it's serious. It does things. It gives dares, tells secrets… and we can't refuse."
His eyes go wide.
"You're telling me this app…some game….made you kiss Summer?"
Lyrelle's face burns red.
"Yes! That's exactly what happened!"
Summer bites her lip.
"It's not like we wanted to… the game dared us, Prince. We had no choice."
Jason, Zyren, and Ryan…who had been nearby…lean in, curious.
"What's going on? What game?" Jason asks.
Kyra glances at them, her hands trembling slightly.
"We… we all have to play now. It doesn't just affect us girls. It can involve anyone. The game… it's real. And it's dangerous if you lie or refuse."
Prince runs a hand through his hair, his voice tense.
"So you're telling me… you've been hiding this from us, and now we're part of it?"
Kaida nods slowly.
"Yes. And now that you know… you have to play too. It won't stop just because you weren't aware."
The boys exchange uneasy looks, realizing this isn't just fun or school drama.
The Shadow Game had just pulled them all in.
And Kaida knew one thing:
nothing was going to be normal again.
——————
The room feels off.
Too quiet.
Saphira sits on the edge of the bed, scrolling on her phone without really seeing anything. Summer is across the room, pretending to be busy with her bag, but her eyes keep drifting back.
Jason steps closer to Saphira, lowering his voice.
"Hey… you've been quiet."
She shrugs without looking up.
"I'm fine."
He leans in, gently, like he always does, trying to kiss her forehead.
Saphira stands up immediately and steps away.
Jason freezes.
"Saph…?"
Everyone goes still.
"I need space," she says, her voice flat. She moves to the other side of the room and sits down, facing away from him.
Jason looks confused, hurt.
"Did I do something wrong?"
No one answers.
Summer swallows hard. This is her fault. She knows it.
She walks over slowly.
"Saphira… can we talk? Please."
Saphira finally looks up. Her eyes are sharp, nothing playful left in them.
"Talk about what?"
"I swear, I didn't mean…."
"Save it," Saphira cuts in. Her voice rises just enough to sting.
"You always do that. Act innocent. Like things just happen around you."
Summer's face falls.
"That's not fair."
Saphira lets out a bitter laugh.
"Not fair? You were texting my boyfriend. Secretly. And now you want to 'talk'?"
"I didn't ask for it!" Summer snaps, then softens.
"I would never do that to you. You're my best friend."
Saphira stands up too now.
"Best friends don't do things that make you question everything."
The words hit hard.
Kyra looks like she might cry.
Lyrelle clenches her fists.
Kaida watches silently, already knowing the game did exactly what it wanted.
Jason steps forward again.
"Saphira, listen….nothing is going on. I promise."
She looks at him, eyes burning.
"Then why does it feel like I'm the only one who didn't know?"
Silence.
Summer whispers,
"I'm sorry."
Saphira shakes her head.
"Don't. Not right now."
She grabs her bag.
"I can't be here."
As she walks toward the door, Kaida's phone buzzes loudly.
Everyone turns.
The screen lights up with a new message:
"Conflict acknowledged."
"All players are now active."
The Shadow Game had succeeded.
It didn't need dares anymore.
It had them exactly where it wanted them.