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"Why don't we sit-- umm…" Uma stepped away from the stable and eyed the pasture around them. "Over here!" She beamed, trotting over to an exceptionally soft-looking patch of grass.

Grace hesitated, still glancing toward the door. 'I guess there's nothing I can do but wait,' she briefly lamented before following Uma. "Yeah, sure." She inspected Uma's body from behind as they strolled toward their destination. There were no apparent changes besides the somewhat bestial nature of her eyes.

Upon both of them sitting, Uma faced Grace with a wide grin. "I'm really excited, by the way! Aren't you?"

Grace raised an eyebrow. To be completely honest, she still didn't trust Uma. Despite her resolution to make friends, not enemies, Lucius had already poisoned her well of good intent; she was off to a bad start. Uma seemed friendly enough, but she was also incredibly suspicious. "I guess I'm not really sure how to feel right now," she finally replied, flopping onto her back with her arms sprawled as she stared at the illusory sky.

"Oh, that sucks," Uma sadly replied before lying on her back next to Grace. "I understand, though. I don't expect you to trust me yet, and you've already made a few enemies, so I'm sure that's also weighing on you." She put her hands behind her head and let out a low yawn.

Grace grimaced. Uma wasn't wrong; she couldn't stop thinking about her encounter with Gina and Edith a short while ago. "There's only so much I can do. I'll have to deal with the hand I was dealt." On top of her other stress, the fact she seemingly knew so little about the real world greatly concerned her. 'I'll have to check out the library later.'

The two lay in silence for a minute while a warm breeze flowed through the pasture. Uma eventually turned to face Grace, who was still lying next to her. "If it means anything, I know Lucius is full of shit. It's sad now many actually took the bait he laid out," she scoffed, rolling onto her side while facing Grace and propping her head up on her hand.

Grace couldn't sense any dishonesty in Uma's words and demeanor, but she didn't consider herself a complete master at reading people. "Do you only think Lucius is full of shit because of his behavior during the first match? Or, do you know something about him no one else does?" She demanded, deciding to cut to the chase.

"You really don't hold back, huh?" Uma grinned and let out a boisterous laugh. "I know what kind of person Lucius is." Her expression suddenly grew serious. "He's just like Kalea. Neither are people I would choose to be anywhere near."

Grace's heart rate picked up at the mention of Kalea. She was the one Uma had been speaking with a little while ago. She took a deep breath and sat up with her legs crossed, gazing toward the distant door. "I'm pretty sure I know what you mean, but could you elaborate?" Knowledge was power, so learning about the people she would live with for an undisclosed time wouldn't hurt.

Uma stretched, yawning as she sat up next to Grace. "I have no problem with masochists. Humans have a right to put themselves through crazy bullshit if it gives them some kind of gratification," she stated simply, also staring at the distant door.

Grace wasn't sure where Uma's point was going, but she patiently waited for her to continue.

"I can't stand sadists," Uma uttered with severity in her voice, her expression souring. "Those who get some profound, sick joy out of tormenting others, even when they stand to gain nothing in return."

Grace hadn't seen Uma like this before; her energetic and enigmatic demeanor had been replaced with cold, bitter loathing. "I'm guessing you consider Kalea and Lucius to be sadists, not that I'm arguing on the Lucius front."

"Someone like Lucius fetishizes the suffering of others. He has more money and power than he could ever need, so he lives to fulfill his carnal desires at any expense," Uma continued, locking eyes with Grace. "Most of the contestants here are felons, as you're already aware. Humans are great at blending in and wearing masks; I can guarantee there are others here who hide their sadistic tendencies."

Something about this conversation felt off to Grace. She couldn't put her finger on it but had an odd feeling. "I can't say I disagree with anything you've said," she replied to Uma. "Lucius is definitely a sadist, and I wouldn't be surprised if some contestants hide their darker interests. It makes sense to me, and I will avoid those types as much as humanly possible." She'd be weary of Uma's warning about Kalea but already weary of Lucius and the VVIPs, so hearing her spiel about sadism wasn't the most helpful.

Uma furrowed her brow, giving Grace a strange look. "You really have no idea how bad things can get here. Sociopath or not, you need to be careful of who you ignore and who you try to win over. There could be a situation where befriending a sadist is more beneficial than ignoring them."

Grace nodded in response. "Right-- yeah, that makes sense." What was with Uma's fixation on sadists? If Uma did harbor secrets regarding Mollusk Match, she could have provided a relevant warning. It was still too early to say one way or another.

Uma's lips curled into a smile as she laughed once more. "You'll trust me more soon, I'm sure. We just nee--," her words were suddenly cut off by the faint, mechanical sound of gears shifting. "Oh! This is wonderful," she said giddily while hopping to her feet.

Grace's eyes widened as she stared at the distant door. She felt like time itself slowed as a hole opened up in the artificial horizon. First, an armed guard stepped out, turning back and gesturing for someone to follow from the hallway.

"See?" Uma purred.

Adrenaline surged through Grace as she tightly clenched her hands. As predicted, a weathered old farmer stepped in behind the guard.

"Attention, all Mollusk Match Participants!" Yulia's voice boomed through the air. "As all of you know, your new home exists on an indoor farm, a technological marvel only possible thanks to the State of Union Government. A farmer, Mr. Johannson, will stop by daily to tend to the farm's needs. We are hoping to get some crops started."

"I--" Grace opened her mouth to speak. She hadn't been entirely sure whether to believe Uma or not. Her gut instinct had been that Uma wasn't lying since it would be easy to prove depending on whether the farmer showed up or not. Receiving this confirmation was still an immense shock.

"Please don't do anything to inhibit Mr. Johansson's work. That is all," Yulia coolly insisted before ending the transmission.

Uma stood to her feet with a satisfied grin and looked down at Grace. "Meet me in this same spot tomorrow at 1PM, and we'll talk more, okay?" She waved as she trotted off.

"Err--" Grace stammered, trying to get her head together. "Yeah-- okay, tomorrow," she called after Uma.

When Grace was alone, she flopped back into the grass with her arms and legs sprawled. 'She wasn't lying,' she briefly mused, touching her forehead. A pang of excitement pulsed through her body as the gears in her head turned. Uma, so far, didn't seem adversarial. Even if it was a slim chance, she could use Uma's secret intelligence to escape Mollusk Match with her humanity intact.

She briefly thought about Arina and her peculiar behavior over the last couple of days. ‘Maybe I should find her.’ 

After a few more seconds of contemplation, she decided to check on Arina to see how she was holding up. She let out a low sigh, standing up as she brushed grass and dirt off her clothes.

Now headed up the hill to Verdant Manor with a reasonable goal, her train of thought switched back to Uma’s accurate prediction. If everything Uma told her was correct, the second game of Mollusk Match had just started. While worrying about Arina and the other contestants was important, she couldn’t neglect that she was in the middle of a competition.

Grace entered Verdant Manor and saw Phoebe with Ella still playing games in the far left corner. This time, however, they were joined by a girl she hadn’t seen before. This new girl had pale skin and very long, bright orange hair that fell in curls.

‘The only girl I haven’t met.’ Grace contemplated her next action. She wanted to look for Arina, but she also wanted to make a good impression on as many people as possible. On top of that, she also needed some time to figure out what the current Mollusk Match game was supposed to be; otherwise, she might lose her opportunity to capitalize on the advantage she had been given.

To make things worse, Edit and Gina had implied that Ruby had already attempted to convince her team not to trust Grace. Or, at the very least, Ruby had convinced Edith and Gina to trust only her while Gina decided to hate Grace based on Lucius’ meddling. It was hard to say for sure.

“Ugh…” Grace grunted, placing a hand on her forehead as a faint tingle manifested in her body. So much happened over the last few days, making it hard to always know what to prioritize.

She ultimately decided on going to meet Ruby first. She could look for Arina afterward and think about the current Mollusk Match game as she did so. After letting out a low breath and wiping sweat from her brow, she walked forward.. At least her perspiration wasn’t sticky this time.

As she approached, she heard laughter and saw the girls putting away a Monopoly board. “Hey, guys! Are you three done playing for now?” Grace curiously inquired.

“Hey, Grace,” Phoebe curtly replied, folding the game board and sliding it into the dusty, old box. “Ella isn’t feeling well, so we’ll head outside for fresh air. Though Ruby was talking about organizing a board game night with an open invite to everyone. So, hopefully, we can all play soon,” she added with a smile.

“I hope to see you two again soon!” Ruby cheered, her voice dripping with an almost saccharine quality.

“Oh, I see,” Grace smiled. “I will see you two soon,” she waved as the two left. Ella’s body trembled as she walked, requiring Phoebe’s assistance.

Her focus immediately shifted to Ruby, who was putting a couple of games away on a shelf. She was of average height with larger-than-average breasts and wide hips. Emerald eyes contrasted with her pale skin and a faint spattering of freckles. From a glance, there were no signs of any transformation.

“You must be Ruby. I’m Grace; it’s great to meet you!” She smiled brightly. How would Ruby react? So far, there seemed to be no hostility.

Ruby flashed a wide, cheerful grin. “I finally got to meet you! I look forward to learning more about you, Miss Grace!” She clasped her hands together in excitement.

Grace felt a pang of mild relief. Ruby seemed nice; so far, so good. “You mentioned organizing a game night?” She finally pulled out a chair and sat at the empty game table.

Ruby plopped down directly across from Grace, placing her hands on her cheeks while resting her elbows on the table. “Yeah! Wouldn’t it be fun? We can all get to know each other and become better friends,” she insisted.

Grace briefly raised an eyebrow. Ruby wasn’t anything like she expected. She couldn’t blindly trust her but couldn’t come across as adversarial. “That would be fun; I’m all for team building.”

“You get it! I’m happy we see eye-to-eye on this. I’m hoping we can become close friends,” Ruby purred, intently staring at Grace.

Grace needed a tactful way to bring up her concerns. “Yeah, same! I’d prefer to make as many friends as possible,” she insisted. “However. I’m unfortunately not certain if some of the others would even be willing to participate if I’m there. One of the girls, Lisa, isn’t a fan of mine. Also, your teammates Edith and Gina have an awful impression of me because of Lucius.” She was careful not to sound accusatory toward Ruby as she spoke; she would work up to the question.

 Ruby’s lips curled into a frown as she tilted her head. “Oh?? Did Gina and Edith give you a hard time?” She inquired.

“I guess you could say that. I wanted to get to know them, but, well--,” Grace briefly paused mid-sentence. She decided her best approach was to be concise and to the point. “They basically don’t trust me at all because of Lucius. I also heard them mention how they needed to trust you and whatever you told them.”

Ruby groaned, sitting up straight as she placed a hand on her chin. “Those two will be the death of me, I swear,” she huffed.

Grace decided to be blunt once she realized Ruby wouldn’t likely get worked up or upset. “I’m not saying I distrust you but I want to hear your side. Did you specifically tell them not to trust me?” She kept her eyes glued to Ruby, meeting her gaze as she asked the question. Regardless of Ruby’s, Grace might be able to glean information from body language and facial expressions.

“Oh, heavens! Of course, I wouldn’t tell them something like that,” Ruby immediately replied, unflinching as she met Grace’s gaze with a desperate expression. “I’m so incredibly sorry for how those two treated you-- Gina, especially,” she insisted. “I would like the opportunity to explain myself.”

Grace noticed how Ruby didn’t miss a single beat. Her voice didn’t waiver, and her eyes remained entirely focused. To top it all off, her tone seemed genuinely apologetic.

“I’d prefer us walking away from this conversation as friends; I’m happy to listen,” Grace warmly assured.

Ruby sighed in relief. “Thank you for being so reasonable.” She cleared her throat before continuing. “Gina and Edith were extremely lost when the competition started. When I first met them, they were completely terrified.” Ruby’s voice quieted to a hushed tone. “Gina’s fear manifested as a defensive anger while Edith fell into a deep depression and wouldn’t leave her room. To make a long story short, I rescued them.”

“Rescued?” Grace responded. Something about that word didn’t sit quite right.

“I can’t stand seeing people suffer. It’s probably a bad habit, but I must do everything I can to uplift those around me. I spent much time and effort earning their trust and getting them to rely on me.” Ruby then let out a weak laugh, scratching her head. “Kalea had no interest in building camaraderie, so it was just us three bonding. I told them to put their complete trust and faith in me and that I would never lead them astray.”

Grace just nodded, carefully taking in every word. ‘How do you win over someone like Gina that easily?’ She contemplated.

“I am sure Gina’s disdain toward you came from Lucius. But I must apologize,” Ruby insisted as she bowed her head. “Gina is a serious, passionate person. Even if Lucius made you into Gina’s enemy, I still convinced her to put her absolute faith in me and no one else. So, she wasn’t willing to open her heart to you due to me.”

Grace wasn’t sure what to make of this. She obviously wasn’t there to see how Ruby bonded with her teammates. Her best option was to accept the apology while keeping an eye open for anything suspicious. “It sounds like you were trying your hardest to keep your new friends from falling into despair. I’m sure it helped lift their spirits to have someone like you to put their trust and faith in, and it’s hard to sit by and let your friends be upset without trying to help.”

Ruby’s lips contorted into a wide smile. “I barely have to explain a thing! You really get it, don’t you?” Her demeanor became cheerful as she nearly hopped up and down in her seat.

“Get what exactly? I do get how hard it can be to keep morale up when we’re all stuck in such an awful situation,” Grace carefully replied. She noticed a peculiar, slightly musky scent wafting from Ruby as they conversed. It didn’t stink, but it was an unfamiliar odor she couldn’t identify.

“Yeah, yeah!” Ruby excitedly nodded, leaning over the table and closer to Grace. “You’re just like me; I can feel it,” she insisted. “There’s at least one person you want to save and protect here, right? You want them to have complete faith in you, and, in turn, you gain strength by having others to protect.”

Arina quickly flashed through Grace’s head. ‘Someone I want to save…’ Her heart rate promptly picked up. Ruby wasn’t wrong. Not only did Grace want to protect Arina, but she was growing antsy and wanted to go find her as soon as possible.

“I guess you’re right. I understand how you feel,” Grace promised, offering a weak smile to Ruby. “If you can convince Edith and Gina to give me a chance, I’d happily join you and everyone else for some games.”

“Great!!! I will have a chat with them!” Ruby energetically replied, pushing her chair back as she stood. “Thank you for hearing me out; I’m just so glad to have another new friend,” she giggled.

Grace waved as Ruby walked off. “Yeah, same here! Let’s talk more soon!” By now, she was extremely eager to look for Arina.

The theater was near the board game area at the back left of the house’s main common area, making it the closest room to Grace. With her new target in sight, she headed toward the theater in search of Arina.

“Oh! By the way, Grace!” Ruby suddenly stated, stopping as she turned to face the one she spoke to.

“Huh?” Grace froze, turning to face Ruby.

“Lisa is the other girl who doesn’t like you much, right?”

Grace was taken off guard by the question. “Yeah, I can say with certainty she’s not a fan of mine,” she cautiously replied.

“Thank you! I will have a chat with her as well. I would love for all of us to play games and have fun together!” With that, Ruby finally took her leave.

‘Wait, what?’  Grace stared in befuddlement as Ruby waltzed out the front door. Lisa and Ruby were in separate groups, so why would Lisa even be willing to hear Ruby out? What did she plan on saying?

That same slight musky scent from before lingered in the air. Something about Ruby disturbed Grace, but she couldn’t put her finger on it. All she could do was throw these new worries onto her massive pile of concerns. The fact that Ruby didn’t try to tear her head off would have to be enough of a victory for now.

CHAPTER END

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