Page 118 of Knot That Serious

“Oh, we are so gonna win,” she said to Raj as they gathered near the beta for the rules.

“Now, now, this is all just a bit of fun, yeah?”

Eli squinted at him. “Yeah, of course.”

Winning was fun.

The beta explained his rules, only fumbling over his words a little bit as they all paid serious attention. Two versus two. Each team had to find the other’s home base and shoot it.

“I figured you guys would want a challenge, am I right?”

“Damn straight,” Jack drawled. Eli chuckled and agreed.

“Awesome. So, every ten minutes the black lights are going to cut out and for two minutes it’s gonna be pitch-dark. It’s intense, so if you want the lights early, just press the button on your left shoulder,” he said, indicating his own green-lit vest. “It won’t tell anyone who pressed it, so don’t be shy about it—the black lights will just turn back on early.” Then he pointed out the emergency exits and told them how to score the most points.

“If you’re shot, you’ll be out of commission for fifteen seconds, and your vest and gun will go dark. You won’t be able to shoot anyone else during this time, and no one else can shoot you. Everything will power back on when it’s time. Teammates can shoot each other, and yes, you get points for it.”

Eli shared a look with Raj and she had to fight the smile on her lips.

“Wow, I have to say you guys are much better listeners than the big groups I get in here,” the kid said.

“We take this very seriously,” Jack responded, shooting a grin in Eli’s direction.

“Alright, do you think you’re ready?” he asked.

“Absolutely not,” Beckett said softly. Eli glanced over at him and elbowed him in the side.

“It’ll be fun,” she promised. “I might go easy on you.”

“No, she won’t,” Jack interjected. Then he glanced at Raj. “Watch your back with her.”

Eli gasped and held a hand to her chest. “I would never betray my tag partner.”

“Oh, so it’s just me, then?” Jack asked, his cute, bitchy little tone making an appearance.

“That was one time,” Eli cried.

“Never forget,” Jack drawled.

Eli rolled her eyes.

“You guys do take this seriously,” the beta said, and then pushed a button. Two doors opened, one on each side of the room. “Purple to the right, blue to the left,” he said. “Your guns will turn on in thirty seconds. I’ll do a countdown over the intercom.”

Nerves and excitement mixed in Eli’s stomach, and she grabbed Raj’s hand. “Let’s go!” she said, pulling him along.

His chuckle was like melted butter in her ear, and her eyes widened as they entered the arena. “Wow,” she breathed.

Huts and fortresses and bridges and little pathways were painted black, only visible by the paint that glowed beneath the black lights, outlining everything like out of a comic.

“We need to find our base,” Raj said softly. Eli nodded, blinking against the fog pumping into the room, its sweet marshmallow scent filling her lungs.

“Do you wanna split up?” she asked.

“Yeah, sure,” Raj said. “Be careful.”

“I will,” she whispered.

Eli set off to the right, and Raj went straight ahead, cutting beneath a low bridge connecting two platforms.

---