KARINA

I SHIFTED IN MY SEAT as the interviewer on the other end of the desk looked down at my questionnaire. “Did I do it right?” I asked, unable to handle the silence any longer.

“That’s for the computer to decide,” she replied with a smile, flashing teeth so white I almost winced. “I’ll be back shortly. Don’t go anywhere.”

I was here because of Holly. I’d never have come if it wasn’t for her persuading me. She’d bribed me with breakfast, then begged me to help her get a decent article, claiming it had been months since her last byline. In the end, I’d agreed. “If it turns out to be some kind of scam and I get kidnapped?” I’d asked.

“It’ll make an even better article,” she replied, laughing as she did so.

If I’m honest, there was a part of me that was glad she’d made the decision for me. I was never any good at making decisions. It had always been easier to just go with the flow, do what people told me to. I found making decisions stressful. I always worried I’d make the wrong one. That was one of the reasons I was so eager to move in with Tony. He was a man who made decisions easily, telling me what to do. It made my life so much easier.

I thought about him that morning as I climbed onto the bus. It hurt to think about him, about what he’d done. I’d tried to call him but the line didn’t even ring at his end. Disconnected. He had no social media presence so there was no way of finding him online. He had vanished as if he’d never existed. All for two grand. It hardly seemed worth it.

Holly was right though. I should try and forget about him. It would only hurt more to keep going over what he’d done. The game would hopefully distract me. It was only a twenty-four hour thing anyway, what could possibly go wrong in twenty-four hours? Hopefully, it’d cheer me up, give her a decent article, and there was a slight chance I might see the guy from the park again.

I blushed at the thought. Why did I care about seeing him? I had already sworn off men. I didn’t want to see him. I didn’t care about seeing him. But my heart did speed up just a little when I reached the headquarters of Game Inc.

“You’ll have to forgive the chaos,” the receptionist called out over the sound of drilling behind her. I had walked inside to find an office that was more building site than anything else. “We weren’t expecting to be up and running for another week or so.”

“Do you want me to come back?”

“Not at all. We’re all glad you’re here.” She leaned towards me, lowering her voice. “Between me and you, we’re all very excited.”

“Really?” I asked.

She leaned back, tapping her nose. “I didn’t say anything but I am more than a little jealous, Miss Browning.”

I was taken up the stairs, the elevators not in action yet. On the third floor, things were calmer. No one in fluorescent vests or hardhats, just a lot of suits. The receptionist rapped on a clear glass door and from inside a woman no older than me looked up, flashing a smile and waving for me to come in. “Miss Browning,” she said, pointing to the chair opposite her desk. “Take a seat, please. Thank you, Caroline, that will be all.”

I heard the door close behind me as a pile of papers were slid towards me across the desk. “My name is Winona Cantrell and I must say I’m delighted that you’re here.”

“You are?”

“Why yes. When Mr Ford said he had a player ready, I thought he was joking but here you are, as beautiful as he said. Now, would you mind filling those in before we do anything else?”

“What is it?” I asked, picking up the papers and trying to ignore that Mr Ford had called me beautiful. I wouldn’t be able to focus if I thought about that too much.

“A survey of sorts. It’ll help us pick out the perfect game for you, make sure we make you happy. Can’t do that without knowing a little bit about you, can we?”

I flicked through the pages. “I have to fill it all in?”

“Please. I’ll go get us some coffee. You like coffee?”

I nodded, thinking how much I’d prefer tea.

“I’ll be right back,” she said, heading out the door and leaving me alone.

I looked at the questions. From a scale of one to ten, how adventurous are you? That was easy enough. They went on, over a hundred in all. How frightening would you find new experiences? How good at you at coping with pain? Once I had completed the first section, the answers changed to yes/no. I ran through them as quickly as I could, refusing to think too much. I refused to answer some of them. Ever had anal sex? Ever wanted to try bondage? Ever been spanked? They were mixed in with far more innocuous questions as if to hide them but I wasn’t going to give away the most intimate details of my past, who did they think I was?

“All done?” Miss Cantrell asked, pushing the door open. “Let’s have a look, shall we?”

She sat down and flicked through the paper. I thought she might tell me off for missing some of the questions but in the end she headed off to run some tests as she put it. She wasn’t long and she came back with an even broader smile. “I have good news, Miss Browning,” she said as she sat down. “We have a scenario for you that is going to be absolutely perfect. Are you ready for this?”

I nodded. “Go on.”

“You are going to be the new girl at a private member’s club.”

She fell silent and I waited but she just carried on grinning at me. “And?” I asked. “What next?”

“I can’t say. It would spoil it. That’s the whole point of the game. If you knew everything that was going to happen, it wouldn’t be much fun, would it?”

She slid a piece of paper across the desk. “If you just sign that, we’ll get you started.”

“What is it?”

“Just a standard contract. You acknowledge that it is just a game, not real life. No matter how real things seem, they are part of the game. Everyone apart from you is acting.”

“What’s this bit about being threatened?” I asked, pointing my pen at the small print.

“Depending on the type of game, someone may threaten you or another character. No one will be hurt, yourself included. That is a guarantee. Likewise, you might have someone fall in love with you or another character. It is not real, just a bit of fun.”

“Anything else I need to know?”

“Look at the underlined part carefully. You must not mention the game whilst playing it or it will break the fourth wall, spoil the illusion.”

“It says there is a get out clause, here, at the end.”

“There is. We want all participants to play willingly. If it ever gets too much and you want to end the game early, just say the phrase, ‘End Game.’ Then it’ll all stop at once. We take safety very seriously here. Now, I bet you’re wondering how you’re supposed to play, right?”

“I am.”

“Any way you want. That’s the fun! There’s a parcel for you at reception. It will contain your outfit, your character name, a few recommended traits for her, and the address of the club. Be there at 9pm tonight and be ready for the time of your life.”