TUESDAY, JUNE 19, 2012: UNDISCLOSED LOCATION, 5PM
"Excuse me." Christina Stockton stood in the mess hall, watching the dozen or so members of the AT currently eating there. With the way the game worked, they were all on different schedules, some of the men and women in front of her grabbing a quick dinner, others their breakfast. The cooks kept a rotation of high energy foods going, with options suitable to any time of day. She was pretty sure every time she'd seen Shamino in the room, he'd had waffles on his plate."Excuse me," she said again, louder this time. She was standing roughly in the front of the room, holding a clean metal pot and a ladle, borrowed from the kitchen specifically for this purpose. A clipboard was tucked under her arm. She banged the ladle against the pot, the clanging echoing through the chamber, cutting through conversations and rousing the half-conscious from their stupors.
"Excuse me, everyone. I have an important announcement to make."
All eyes turned to her, and she felt a little flutter of excitement. She was the one to break the news. After a long week, this was exactly what they needed to get morale up, get everyone back on track. And, besides, this year she was going to win.
"We just hit the halfway point," she said. She waited a few seconds, for the cheers to subside. Now she had their attention. The veterans, in particular, were excited. "You know what that means."
Christina set down the pot and ladle on the table closest the front of the room, then laid the clipboard next to them.
"Ladies and gentlemen," she said, "bets are open. You know the drill: twenty bucks in the pot, predict the winner, whoever's pick takes it home or gets the closest takes the pot. No duplicate picks. So grab 'em early."
And, right at the top of the sheet, in the very first slot, was written: Domino — Iselle Ovalle-Vandermeer
WEDNESDAY, JUNE 20, 2012: UNDISCLOSED LOCATION, 9AM
Once again, Tracen Danya sat in the chair behind the microphone, coffee in hand. It was strange, how what had felt so alien less than a week ago now felt almost routine. The goings-on on the island had similarly lost some of their interest, falling even further into routine than he'd always viewed them. The only thing of note was the degree to which the deaths had tapered off a little bit after the high of the past three days—the result, most likely, of the size of the island compared to the dwindling size of the Aurora High graduating class, and of the loss of some of the game's notable motivators.They'd come up with a good way to deal with that, though.
"Good morning, kids," he began. "I'm sorry to say that, after a very promising start, you've begun to slow down again. This is especially true given how many of you bumbled your way into stupid ends over the past few days. Surely you want to survive, don't you? Ah, but first let me tell you who won't be joining you in that struggle.
"To start with, Garrett Wilde stabbed Jaquilyn Locke; that one was actually yesterday, and just got missed in the shuffle.
"Gwen O'Connor and Casey Malkovich made undignified exits without the aide of their fellow classmates, though a swan dive off the cliffs and getting stuck in a danger zone, respectively. I'd ask anyone else intent on killing themselves to just get it over with, if you don't mind. It saves us some manpower, and it makes it easier on your friends to not have to hear about someone new giving up every single day.
"Cassidy Kant didn't give up, even in the face of her tragic loss a few days ago. It didn't help her too much, though, when she ended up soaking up Tyler Lucas' bullets. Just goes to show, you should be careful who you ally with. They might have enemies of their own.
"Katarina Konipaski then caught up with Cassandra Black, shooting, chopping—let's just say, making a mess of her.
"Speaking of messes, Oscar Trig made quite the pool on the floor of the mall after he was stabbed by Benjamin Ward. It's another lesson in the dangers of alliances. You never know when you'll find yourself expendable, and not everyone's willing to let you resign with grace.
"And that's not the only lack of manners we saw. Garrett Wilde was right in the middle of a fight when he was stabbed in the back by Andi Victorino. He didn't make it. Probably for the best; three's a crowd.
"Chase Rodriguez became Katarina Konipaski's second victim of the day, in a fairly clean shooting. Eliza Patton managed about the same, bringing down Garrett Cobbler.
"Meanwhile, Sunny Cho Lee tried to lift Joachim Lovelace's bag. He was more than willing to lend her his knife, though not in the way she'd have likely preferred.
"Kids, have you ever wondered why we're called Survival of the Fittest? Well, some just aren't fit to survive. Such was the case with Joseph Chaplin, who managed to run into a bar sticking out of his own impromptu barricade, impaling himself.
"Oh, and I almost forgot—Claire Monaghan smashed Matthew Young in the head with a flashlight, sending him toppling down a ledge to his death, and Alda Abbate strangled Meera Stele to death.
"You may notice that there's just too much space for all of you to run around in. We've noticed that, too. As such, for the remainder of the game, you're all to stick to the north-western, built up section of the island. That means that the Woodlands, the Nuclear Plant, the Nuclear Living Site, the Airstrip, the Golf Course, the Amusement Park, the Homestead, the Northern Coast, and Lighthouse Point are all off limits for the remainder of the game. Additionally, Central Park is restricted only for tomorrow, unless you're Andi Victorino. You impressed us, Ms. Victorino. Head to the park, and you'll get a new weapon, a big basket of fish and chips, and a smoothie.
"I'll check in with everyone left standing tomorrow. Pick up the pace, or we'll have to push you a little closer in.
"Goodbye for now."
DAY SEVEN: WEDNESDAY, JUNE 20, 2012
Weather: While cool and grey, and still somewhat windy, the bad weather finally shows signs of abating. By mid-afternoon, the clouds are lessening, dissipating entirely by nightfall. Temperatures remain similar to yesterday's, with a high of 61F, 16C at 4pm. Tonight is two nights after the new moon. The seventh announcement will come at 9 AM on June 21.
And, as usual, we also have rolls:
1. KK Konipaski (Rattlesnake) - Adam Morgan (MurderWeasel, Hero Card used)
2. Deanna Hull (D/N) - Alice Gilman (dmboogie, Hero Card used)
3. Logan Cadegon (Arscapi)
4. Claire Monaghan (Laurels) - Corey Esposito (CondorTalon, Hero Card used)
5. Kam So'oialo (Namira) - R.J. Roger Jr. (Un-Persona, Hero Card used)
6. Sean Mulcahy (MK Kilmarnock) - Jessica Sanders (MK Kilmarnock, Swap Card used)
7. Janie Sinneave (Inky)
As always, three days for cards, and a further seven for deaths.