"How are you feeling?" Vante asked as he and Sintra left the hospital.

"Good, actually. It's almost like I wasn't hurt at all," Sintra said, despite her walking with a slight limp.

It didn't take a genius to figure out that the hospital's medicine and technology was not of this world. Her stab wound had fully closed up and though the bite wounds were still a little sore, the ache was dulling by the minute.

Sintra had been surprised at the slew of events that had occurred for them to get here.

After she had collapsed, Jesse and Felix made their way over to them just in time as Vante pressed the button labeled "back" on the map, the two holding on to either shoulder as they were immediately transported back to their elevators.

Vante scanned the pass first then threw it back to Jesse before the door closed since their machine would not move with the 4 of them inside it.

The elevator then shot through its seemingly magical shaft to bring them to the rest stop upon which doctors and nurses all waited for them with stretchers on standby for injured participants to quickly wheel them to the nearby hospital for treatment.

"This place really is amazing," Sintra marveled as they followed the white, cobble stoned path towards what looked like a 5 star luxury resort.

Palm trees tickled the blue sky as it giggled rays of warm sunlight that lovingly kissed Sintra's skin with early morning affection.

The path led them towards a fawn colored skyscraper of a building as Sintra took in the bevy of people that dotted the large outdoor pool and green lawn, some of them enjoying the relaxing melody of a tune Sintra didn't know and some tanning their skins with cocktails sitting in their hands.

"Who are all these people?" Sintra asked as she passed the pool to enter the building's luxuriously carpeted lobby.

"Some are participants, some are workers like those that treated you in the hospital. Jesse and Felix tried questioning a few of them but their memories seemed to be wiped. They don't even know their own names. Only that they work here and their job is to attend to the needs of the game's participants," he answered, looking around warily.

The lobby was as grand as the outdoors, soft welcoming yellow lights setting the ambiance for an amicable stay, though clamorous due to the assortment of people parading about in swimsuits and formal wear alike.

"Where are we going?" Sintra asked as her feet sank into the orange carpet with every step.

She still wore her pink nike shoes, a gift from her friend Lee before she had been taken by the unknown. She had discarded her dirty pantsuit for the simple attire of the white t-shirt and blue jeans that Jesse had brought from the closets of her room.

Vante had changed as well as he no longer sported his white buttoned down shirt and dress pants, replacing them with a plain black t-shirt and skinny jeans to match. He also wore sneakers—luxury brand ofcourse as his black balenciagas completed his ethereal dark look to aid him in the ability to look like the owner of this damn place. Sintra had tried terribly not to stare at him.

"You said you wanted to go to the spa right?" Vante asked as they passed the elevators to head down a spaciously well lit hallway.

Sintra almost tripped due to her limp but he caught her, instructing her to put her arms around his waist as he placed his around hers to help her walk.

She ignored the beating sound of her heart as she took in his cologne—the musky smell of a wealthy man.

Sintra wondered how he could possibly find the strength to put so much effort into his attire but then she accepted the idea that it came easy to him because that's just how he was.

"Can I ask you something?" Sintra asked as she pulled herself away from her own thoughts.

He nodded as he read the signs on each door. So far they had passed a gym, a library and a few different bars.

"How do you know so much about animals?" Sintra questioned.

"You noticed that huh?" He said, glancing at her before returning his attention to the doors they were passing.

"I went to Africa with my mother when I was about 6. She use to be in charge of a non-profit organization that helped build schools for kids there. One day me and a few of the kids were playing and suddenly I see them all run away. I stood there confused but when I turned around there was a lion prowling up on me,"

"Oh God! Did it hurt you?" Sintra asked, searching his exposed, muscular arms for scars.

"That's the thing, it didn't. It just watched me, its dark eyes regarding me like some sort of anomaly in its world. Before I knew it my legs were moving on their own and I started to approach it. It let me pet him before leaning into my touch," Vante explained, finally stopping at the door labeled 'spa'.

The intensity in his eyes as he recollected the memory left Sintra a little breathless, her imagination putting together pictures to visualize his obviously passionate moment.

"One of the natives working with my mom shot it. I was so frightened— so devastated that he had killed him. I cried over his dead body until my mom pulled me away. That experience changed me. So much so that after that I wanted to be a zoologist so I could learn more about animals. Possibly learn why one of the most vicious animals in the world was so kind to me. I had to pull my studies though after my mother died and my father took over the organization," he finished.

"Wish4all," Sintra said lowly.

"Yeah. So that's my villain origin story," he smirked, opening the door to the spa. "Ladies first."

Sintra folded her lips to stop herself from smiling as she headed inside. Once she had enjoyed the pleasures of a massage, mud bath and herbal body mask, Vante who had left her to her alone time waited outside the door. She couldn't help but ask if he was there all this time but it turned out he had went ahead and did a bit of investigation on his own.

"So get this. I wondered how so many participants were still here since I assumed most of them died. Turns out that these people are from all over the world. I met Russians, Indians, Jamaicans, even people from North Korea," he told her.

Sintra took a moment to digest his words. Lee had said that only about a hundred people were chosen to participate each year but Sintra was sure more than half of those people had lost in the previous games, especially since they had given multiple teams the same targets.

Lee wasn't exactly wrong but it appears they had chosen a hundred people in each country worldwide.

"I don't think they were in the games we were in either. A few of them spoke about winning games in caves or underwater," Vante continued.

"Underwater?" Sintra asked, fear rising like bile in her throat.

Sintra couldn't swim. She had taken a bit of lessons in her early 20s but gave up because work had became too demanding. She hoped to God they wouldn't be going underwater.

Vante regarded her troubled expression as they walked down the hall, taking her hand as they stopped.

"Hey, don't worry okay?" He comforted. "We'll get through it all."

Sintra nodded as she looked up at him, his eyes making a bigger promise than his words ever could. She had initially considered him rotten to the core but after the incident in the desert he had become very charming. It almost made her forget that he had bought a ton load of shares in her company and taunted her about it.

She was about to question him about that when a stumbling drunk exiting the door of a bar they stood infront of interrupted them.

"Hey! Quit hogging the hallway dummies!" He said, a woman under each of his arms all giggling at his boisterous choice of words.

Vante's fists clenched, ready to fight but Sintra held him back as the staggering man made his way down the hallway to God knows where.

He had left the door to the bar open and Sintra got a view of flashing neon lights, sultry, seductive music and chattering people inside.

"Wanna go?" Vante asked, tapping into her curiosity.

Before she could reply, a familiar voice called at her inside and Felix and Jesse made their way towards the door to greet them.

"I was wondering where you two love birds were. A tour of your room I suppose?" Jesse shouted over the music, alcohol emanating from her breath.

Her low eyes gave away her lack of sobriety and the fact the Felix had to hold her up to prevent her from collapsing was further confirmation.

"Did you say room and not rooms?" Sintra asked. "We share a room?" She turned to Vante.

Scratching his head awkwardly, it was Felix that saved him from answering as he told us all to come in to have a drink with them and the quartet all entered the bar, closing the door behind them.

The room was a lot bigger than Sintra had intially thought but as Sintra's eyes flitted to the half naked women on the poles and gawking men at their feet she quickly realized that this was no ordinary 'bar'.

"This is what you spend your rest time doing?" Vante asked pointedly to Felix. "I mean, I expect it from her but Felix, I thought you were a better man."

There was humor in his voice and it made Sintra giggle. Vante rarely joked but this had been his second time doing so and it was clear he had a knack for it.

"What can I say? I'm a man through and through," Felix smiled as they settled into a booth in the corner of the room.

"I'll get us drinks," Vante announced.

"No alcohol for me please," Sintra told him.

"A blood mary for me!" Jesse hiccuped.

"I just want water," Felix stated.

Nodding at their orders, Vante left for the bar and Sintra couldn't help but watch his well built frame walk away as he ran a hand through his black curls.

"So you too are together," Felix said as soon as he left, catching Sintra's attention.

Her mind ran to their conversation in the desert and immediately she began to sweat.

"It's not like that—"

"But you want it to be?" Jesse shouted over the music.

Sintra couldn't answer. Did she actually like Vante? She hadn't really thought about it given all that had been going on.

Her mind ran through the reality of things. If they somehow managed to get through this and return to their normal lives they would still be rivals since he was now a major shareholder in her company. He could make things very difficult for her since he now had a say its direction.

Him being as brilliant as he was must have surely gotten his big shot friends to invest as well which meant that if he was unhappy, he could request an election for new board members or even elect himself as the sole director and then appoint himself to other positions.

Despite all of this being true, she wondered if he would still do something so conniving after what they had gone through. Was he the same man inside the elevator that morning? Or had he changed? Lord knows Sintra definitely has.

"Waters for you two. Sprite for you and me," Vante announced as he returned to the booth.

"I said I wanted a bloody mary!" A drunk Jesse protested.

"No more alcohol for you. You need to stay hydrated or you'll have a hangover during the next games tomorrow," he told her.

She scowled at him, turning the water to her head as Felix chuckled at her.

"I'm gonna go look at the naked ladies," she said after downing the rest of her water, dragging Felix with her as they headed to the front of the stage.

"You alright?" Vante asked, his voice laced with concern as he noticed that Sintra hadn't touched her drink.

"I was just thinking about reality. What'll happen when we leave this place, you know?" She said as Vante placed his ear closer to her.

He sighed, taking a sip of his sprite before speaking.

"You'll go back to hating me," he said, looking at her.

"And you'll go back to usurping my company," she retorted.

He laughed, turning his attention to the stage for a moment before looking at his drink.

"Usurping? What is this? The 1700s? No one's trying to steal your company, Sintra." He said as he took another sip of sprite.

"Then why? Why did you buy all those shares? I know you weren't the only one," she stated.

Sintra watched as he opened his mouth to answer but decided against it, turning his attention to the stage again. She could tell he had no interest in the dancers and was just finding away to come up with a response.

"You know I almost believed you were different from that morning? Almost," Sintra stated, venom lacing her words.

He turned to her, his eyebrow twitching as a frown formed on his perfectly sculpted lips.

"My bad for saying you'll go back to hating me. Looks like you never stopped," he said, leaving the booth as he stood to walk out.

"Vante, wait!" Sintra shouted but he was already through the door.

Heaving a huge sigh, she pushed her sprite across the table, only looking up when everyone inside the bar started to cheer.

Raising her head, her mouth hung agape as a half naked Jesse appeared on stage, her short skirt twirling as she spun around the pole like a professional.

She caught sight of a pleading Felix who looked nothing short of embarrassed as he begged her to get down.

A chuckle escaped from Sintra's mouth as she watched her dip before rising again, climbing the pole skillfully.

"What can't that girl do?" Sintra said to herself, tittering as she enjoyed the performance.

"Go Jesse! Wooooh!" She cheered her on, laughing as Felix scolded her for encouraging the behavior.

She heaved another sigh, heading to the bar for a drink stronger than sprite.

The day waned on and before Sintra knew it, it was time to leave their rest stop.

After leaving the strip bar with a very wasted Jesse, Felix took her to their room which was just across the hall from her and Vante's.

It was a luxury suite. White on white with even a private dining room but Sintra spent the night both eating and sleeping alone as Vante did not join her til the next morning.

"Hey," Sintra said as she let him in.

"Hey," he replied, heading straight for the bathroom.

"Can we talk?" Sintra asked outside, just as he shut the door.

She could hear the shower running as she leaned against the mahogany, staring at the ceiling while she waited for a response.

When he didn't answer Sintra sighed, pulling a gray pantsuit similar to what she had worn to work the morning of her quote on quote 'abduction'. She didn't know why but wearing her work clothes helped her feel better. It helped her feel like herself.

After everything that had taken place she needed some sort of reminder that she was not a monster or a maniac. She was the CEO of a well renowned charity organization that helped people, even if she was trapped inside this strange place. If she wasn't that then she was nothing and she'd worked hard to not be nothing.

She quickly dressed with the clothes they had provided her, sitting on the edge of the bed before Vante emerged from the bathroom with only a towel around his waist, water still dripping off of his body.

Had Sintra been pale she would have surely flushed red and in that moment she was glad for her abundance in melanin.

She averted her gaze as he opened the closet door but not before properly taking in his toned muscles and chiseled body.

As curiousity took ahold of her she stared at him as he picked out an outfit, her breath hitching at the large tattoo of a lion in the centre of his back.

She didn't see that through his white button downs.

He grabbed his clothes before re-entering the bathroom and Sintra released the breath she had been holding as she tried to shake off her inappropriate thoughts.

When he emerged, he was dressed like Sintra but without the jacket. With the top buttons left open, a light blue button down shirt hugged his muscles and he paired it with gray dress pants and white adidas sneakers, completing his look as he slicked back his wet hair with both hands before placing a pair of small, diamond earrings in each ear.

This really did come to him easy.

"All the workers in the hotel and hospital have disappeared. You should pack extra clothes just in case. I have a feeling we'll be needing it," he said to her as he plucked his watch from the bedside table near Sintra.

"Vante, I didn't—"

"We're gonna be late," he cut in, checking his watch. "This place will probably disappear too at 10 so we need to head to the elevators." Was all he said, stuffing another suit of clothes in a backpack before leaving the room.

Heaving another sigh, Sintra packed another suit as well, stepping out just in time to see the perplexed faces of Jesse and Felix.

They were in some sort of argument about nakedness and headaches but stopped as soon as they saw the desolate look on Sintra's face.

"You alright?" Felix asked but Sintra just nodded, ignoring the rest of their conversation as she followed them to the stairs. She had had enough of elevators.

When they arrived outside, Vante was waiting inside their elevator, a hand tucked into the pocket of his pants and his legs crossed as he stood while staring at something in his hand.

"What's his problem?" Jesse frowned.

"I think I hurt his feelings," Sintra admitted, her eyebrows furrowing as she watched him.

"Tuh! Men." Jesse said.

"Hey!" Felix protested, causing Sintra to smile at them.

"See you in the next one," Sintra told them, though she had a feeling that she wouldn't be seeing them for some time.

They nodded at her, saying their goodbyes before Sintra entered their elevator.

Standing next to Vante, she glanced at the object in his hand, staring at the words on his verification card.

"Vante Kim
27 years old
Special skills: Vast knowledge of animals
Athletic swimmer"

Sintra was surprised he didn't try to hide it.

The doors closed just as a baby blue light illuminated the compartment and they began to move down the shafts this time as they descended to floor 12.

They traveled in silence, the display panel showing floor 13 before Vante decided to speak.

"Can you swim?" He asked, watching the panel finally countdown to 12.

"No I can't. I mean I took lessons at one point but nothing more than that. Why?" Sintra asked, a frown forming across her mouth.

Sintra caught sight of something yellow near his legs, wondering how she had never noticed it before.

She bent over as she tried to get a better look but noticed water pooling inside the elevator and panic skidded down her throat as it spread throughout her entire body.

Slowly she rose, looking at the elevator door as water tried to force its way through its crevices.

"Don't panic," Vante warned. "Or you could really die this time."