That night, no one really sleeps.
Phones stay face-down.
Lights stay on.
Kaida sits on her bed, staring at the dark screen like it might blink again if she breathes wrong.
It does.
A soft vibration.
Not loud.
Intentional.
ROUND THREE INITIATED
MODE: TRUTH
Everyone freezes.
Prince stands up immediately.
"No. We said we're not doing this."
The screen changes.
REFUSAL REGISTERED.
TRUTH WILL BE ASSIGNED.
Ryan exhales slowly, rubbing his palms together.
"Okay… okay, wait. Everyone calm down."
Zyren looks at him sharply.
"You sound like you're considering it."
"I'm considering that last time we refused, someone ended up in the hospital," Ryan snaps.
"So yeah, I'm thinking."
That's the first crack.
Prince turns to Ryan.
"So what, we just let it interrogate us?"
Zyren steps forward now, voice steady but firm.
"We don't let it do anything. But pretending it's not real is stupid."
Prince scoffs.
"Since when are you on its side?"
"I'm not," Zyren says.
"I'm on the side of not watching someone else break."
Jason finally speaks, tension clear in his voice.
"So what, we sacrifice someone every round?"
Ryan shakes his head.
"No. We choose who answers instead of letting it pick."
The phone buzzes again.
DELAY NOTED.
Kaida swallows.
Before anyone else can argue, Zyren speaks again ….louder now.
"Listen," he says.
"This thing feeds on panic. On silence. We've all seen it."
He looks around the room, then straight at Prince.
"And some of us are better at staying quiet than others."
Prince stiffens.
"What's that supposed to mean?"
Ryan jumps in quickly.
"It means secrets don't belong to one person."
Jason looks between them.
"Why does it feel like you're accusing us of something?"
Zyren doesn't answer.
The phone vibrates sharply this time.
A name appears.
KYRA
Her breath catches.
"No," Jake says instantly.
"Pick someone else."
SELECTION CONFIRMED.
Summer steps closer to Kyra.
"You don't have to…."
But the screen changes again.
TRUTH QUESTION:
"Have you ever been protected by someone else's silence?"
The room goes dead quiet.
Everyone turns slowly.
Kaida feels her chest tighten.
Kyra's lips part… then close again.
Her eyes flick to Kaida for half a second.
Prince notices.
His voice is low.
"What was that?"
Kyra shakes her head fast.
"I—I don't know what you want me to say."
TIME RUNNING.
Ryan leans forward, softer now.
"Kyra… you don't have to explain. Just answer yes or no."
Zyren watches Prince closely.
Too closely.
Kyra whispers,
"Yes."
The phone pauses.
Then:
TRUTH ACCEPTED.
PARTIAL DISCLOSURE RECORDED.
Prince's jaw tightens.
"So someone covered for you," he says slowly.
"Who?"
QUESTION COMPLETE.
The screen goes dark.
"No names," Jason mutters.
"That's convenient."
Prince turns to Kaida now.
"You've been quiet."
Zyren steps in before she can answer.
"Because quiet doesn't always mean guilty."
Prince snaps back,
"And defending doesn't always mean innocent."
Ryan steps between them instinctively.
"Enough. This is exactly what it wants."
The room feels split now.
Not girls versus boys.
But fractures everywhere.
Kaida looks down at her phone.
One last message fades in.
ROUND THREE COMPLETE.
TRUST LEVELS: UNSTABLE.
She closes her eyes.
Because Round Three didn't expose the truth.
It exposed something worse.
Doubt.
———————
The tension doesn't die after Round Three.
It just shifts.
Zyren breaks the silence first, arms crossed, eyes on Prince.
"You know… for a team captain, you think really slow."
The room goes still.
Prince turns slowly.
"…What did you just say?"
Zyren shrugs.
"I said what I said. You keep acting like we should just wait and see. That's how people get hurt."
Prince laughs once, sharp.
"Are you saying I'm dumb?"
Zyren tilts his head.
"If that's what you think? Then yeah."
That's it.
Prince steps forward and shoves him.
Zyren shoves back.
Next thing anyone knows, fists are flying.
"Whoa…!" Ryan shouts.
"Hey, hey…!"
Thorian jumps up.
"Wait…..are you guys actually fighting?"
He looks at Prince in disbelief.
"This is low, even for you."
Jake winces but mutters,
"I mean… Zyren wasn't wrong though."
Prince pulls back, breathing hard.
"I never said he was wrong," he snaps.
"I just don't think we should blindly do what it says."
Lyrelle claps her hands once, slow and loud.
"Hey. Hello?"
Everyone looks at her.
She points toward Saphira, who's sitting quietly on the couch.
"Don't forget Saph literally just got discharged from the hospital."
Her smile is tight.
Playful.
But mean enough to sting.
The boys step back, awkward.
Summer drops onto the bed dramatically.
"Can we just… sleep? I'm actually exhausted."
Everyone stares at her.
Like, frrr girl?
She blinks.
"What?"
Ryan laughs and lightly smacks her arm.
"You're unbelievable."
Thorian sniffs the air suddenly.
"Uh… Saph? Is there food? I'm starving."
That breaks the tension.
The girls head downstairs, bringing plates of food back up.
As they eat, Saphira hesitates, then goes to her mom.
"Mom… can my friends sleep over?"
Her mom looks at the group, then smirks.
"Sure. But make sure you're all very careful."
The way she says it makes everyone groan.
Saphira gasps.
"Mom? Ew. Yuck!"
She runs upstairs dramatically, everyone laughing despite themselves.
Later, the noise dies down.
Kaida sits on the edge of the bed.
Kyra joins her, knees pulled to her chest.
They talk quietly.
About school.
About nothing.
About everything except the one thing that matters.
The secret stays buried.
After a while, Kyra steps into the hallway.
Jake is there.
"Hey," he says softly.
"Are you okay?"
Kyra shakes her head immediately.
"No."
That's all it takes.
Jake pulls her into a hug.
She holds on longer than she should.
When she pulls back, their faces are close.
Too close.
They kiss.
It's quick.
Soft.
And full of things neither of them says.
From her room, Kaida feels something twist in her chest.
Because the Shadow Game doesn't need to speak tonight.
It's already watching.