It's completely silent inside, a sign that they've gone to sleep just as Thea had done.
With a sigh, I take a step back. There are a few bags scattered on the floor—the only luggage we'd brought with us. I do a quick inventory, noticing that not only do we not have any food, but we're also out of water.
A smile surfaces on my face as I imagine them waking up to hot food and fresh cold water. Maybe I'll even get athank youfrom Z—though I'm not getting my hopes up.
Leaving the apartment, I take a moment to orient myself outside. All the buildings look the same, and I assume they're all used to house the contestants. I walk slowly, looking right and left as I absorb as much information as I can.
To my right, there's a team comprised of three people. None of them seem human. In fact, one of the men on the team is juggling small flames on his fingers. My eyes widen in shock. No matter how strong my team is, I haven't seen either Cer or Ze have any such abilities. Thea confessed herself that she's not very good at anything except her charm—and sharp claws. A tremor of fear runs down my back.
They've been my first introduction to people with powers, and I've been so in awe with what I've seen of them that I immediately thought them unstoppable. But that's only because I didn't know better. I haven't met anyone else with such powers. But now...
Despite my efforts to keep a low profile, they notice me staring at them. A smirk appears on the man's face, and with a flick of his fingers, he sends a few balls of flames toward me. I jump back just in time to see the fire go out on the ground in front of me.
I walk faster, keeping my gaze to the ground. Yet no matter how much I try to ignore my surroundings, I'm aware of others displaying their abilities. There's a girl wielding shards of ice, while another can morph water molecules. Some guys a distance away are having a sword duel, practically flying in the air.
As I pass by them, I feel their curious gazes on me, but I also hear hushed whispers.
Human.
Somehow, they know I'm the weakest link.
Spotting a staff member a distance away, I decide to inquire about food and water.
"There's a canteen on the other side of the complex. It's the only building with a red door. You will need your room card to get supplies," she mentions.
"Thank you," I murmur with a smile. Searching for the building with the red door, my mind replays our conversation as I wonder how we were able to understand each other. Although her language sounded foreign, it was also familiar at the same time and I could somehow understand it.
Maybe it's just a side effect of being in this world? I'll have to question Thea more about it.
After a few failed attempts and even more run-ins with other teams who glare at me snidely, I'm not any closer to finding the building. On the other hand, I'm starting to realize thathumansaren't very popular with this crowd.
God, it's almost as if I had the word tattooed on my forehead. Otherwise, how else would everyone know that I'm human?
Shaking my head, I ignore all the sharp glares and snide remarks as I walk farther to the back. It's only after what feels like forever that I come across the red door. Smiling to myself, I go inside the building. There's a lady at the counter, looking bored out of her mind as she rests her head on the table.
"Excuse me." I clear my throat when she doesn't acknowledge my presence.
She lifts her head, raising her brows in question.
"I'm here for food and water?" I force a smile.
"Room number?"
I show her the key and the small tag that says fifty-six. She nods and points me to the left.
"You can grab food and water from there. There's a limit of four items per person per journey," she adds in a robotic tone.
I blink.
"So I'll have to come back if I need more?"
She nods, her attention half drifting away.
Well, there goes my idea of surprising everyone with a meal. But since I'm already here, I decide to go inside and grab at leastsomething.
As I step inside, I'm surprised to see rows and rows of food and drinks. It's almost like a buffet, with a lot of options that you can fill your plate with. Whenever an item runs low, a staff member comes in to add more, making the entire experience very fast and efficient. There are a few other people around, but there's no designated space to eat inside. You can only come in, grab your food, and go.
Grabbing a plate and a fork, I peek around, curious to see what type of food they'd have in this world.