The dimly lit surrounding woods encased me and Millie in their eerie claustrophobia. Dancing and writhing weren't the only talents the trees possessed. Their tightly twisted branches wove together over the narrow dirt path, making the area even more unfamiliar upon our return.

Before attempting to go through the intertwined branches, I took in the fevered growls of the Wolfman behind me. I knew he couldn't get through the barrier, but the slim possibility that he would rip the metal panel from the doorway with his brawny grip—before doing the same to us—swirled around in my head.

Radio static briefly crackled from somewhere overhead, causing me to look above and search the unlit rafters for the source of the noise.

"Now it's time for another game," a male voice radiated from speakers somewhere above us in the scaffolding, immediately stopping the unnerving snarls and growls behind us.

Like a caged animal, a wave of claustrophobia and an urge to escape rushed me as I forced myself to pay attention and listen.

"This is a game about strategy." The voice drew me in with its rich tone and rhythmical words, making my ears perk up to capture the nuance hidden within. "To succeed you must think beyond the next step. Because you never know what the other players would do or how they'll react. So, like a game of chess, pay attention to the moving pieces and have your own strategy and backup plans. That way if you plummet, you can always land on your feet."

Millie examined the twisted branches before us, running her fingers between the sharp thorns and along the rough bark. The branches twitched in response to her touch, urging her to take a step back.

"And with that ..." the voice continued. "We open a new chapter toward the battle for victory."

Millie glanced over her shoulder at me. "This is gonna suck really bad. So be ready for anything."

My eyes went wide with increased fear. I knew what sort of games and tricks to anticipate, and still I wasn't ready for it. I couldn't even fool myself into thinking I was prepared after what I just experienced.

"So, before I explain the game and the rules, allow me to introduce this game's players and remind everyone of their current survival scores," the words echoed as the host continued. "Here alongside Kamila Wendall, also known as Kam the Activist, is not her reflection, but something that looks just like it... her twin sister Millicent 'Millie' Wendall also known as the Vagrant!"

I turned my head just as a spotlight flooded...me.

The light was so intense its heat caused beads of sweat to form along my eyebrows. Instinctively, I tried shielding the brightness by extending my hand and using my palm as cover.

The host went on, "Millie's current survival score is at two out of ten for her lackluster performance with the egg in the Big Bad Escape Room." His tone turned more serious and direct. "A tip, Millie? Stay observant and always think one step ahead."

"I want out!" I yelled to the light, exchanging harsh words for politeness. "We no longer wish to participate."

The light went out with a distant yet audible metallic clunk only to come back on and cloak Millie in its warmth, physically and visually ignoring me. "Kam the Activist's current survival score is at five out of ten. It increased one point since the last competition due to her quick thinking between games when saving her sister from the jaws of our mighty Big Bad Wolf."

I imagined producers replaying the moment onscreen for viewers at home, showing the snarling, crouching beast gradually approaching me as I lay on my ass after falling.

Even though the games were not currently live, I've watched enough Grimm Games episodes to know the show insisted on repeating footage of heroic moments. I was sure they had the recording of my epic failure with the egg in the office too.

"And on the opposite side of this beautiful, enchanted forest, is Sonya Torres the Babysitter with a survival score that currently remains at four out of ten."

I glanced to Millie to get a sense of her thoughts. She read my mind instead, offering up a few words about our unseen opponent. "I had to face off with Sonya before. She's brutal."

The voice continued from the intercom, "And alongside Sonya is not quite the lookalike, but a familial newcomer nonetheless, her big brother Tobias Torres the Trucker." The rich vocals of the voice sounded just like the long returning Grimm Games' host Chuck Gillian. I could imagine his sly smile and full head of dark hair combed over with a superman swirl to match his brazen candor.

Suddenly the spotlight disappeared to be exchanged with an ethereal blue glow that illuminated the tops of the dense trees and the rotten fruits at their base. The glow highlighted the rolling fog that suddenly crept through the thick forest and shrubs, and even the dewy moss which grew along the tree trunks.

The host's voice boomed above us like an all-seeing godlike force. "We would like to welcome you four to the latest Grimm game we like to call, Enchanted Crossroads. In Enchanted Crossroads, a twisted adaptation of the Hansel and Gretel tale, you four will face a morally complex challenge that incorporates the concept of the Prisoner's Dilemma with our favorite Grimm fairytale about a gingerbread home within the woods.

"Hansel and Gretel is a classic Grimm fairy tale about two siblings, Hansel and Gretel, who are abandoned in the woods by their parents during a time of famine. They stumble upon a candy-coated gingerbread house owned by a wicked witch who intends to eat them. The children outsmart the witch and eventually find their way back home with riches, having overcome challenges and dangers in the enchanted forest.

"Here is the objective of our first challenge. Contestants are paired up and placed at opposite ends of a labyrinthine forest, they have fifteen minutes to find the opposing team at the center of the woods and discuss the contents inside the envelope awaiting them. But they only have until the end of the fifteen minutes for the subsequent part of the game to continue."

I looked to Millie. Her eyes widened and she readied herself by getting into a sprinting stance.

"Once the timer starts, you all may begin. Good luck and..." The voice took a long silent pause that made my stomach churn in anticipation. "The battle for victory starts now!"

A ticking clock sounded through the intercom. I searched above for the timer, not seeing the countdown, frustration quickly set in. The thorny, intertwined branches that kept us at bay, rapidly unraveled and opened the dirt path ahead of us. I didn't have time to fume as Millie grabbed my wrist and yanked me through the thick wall of trees and down the trail. "Let's go. We have only fifteen minutes to find the center and a freaking envelope."

My feet carried me over fallen branches and uneven dirt terrain as we pushed through the trees following the path before us. The fog made it difficult to see too far ahead, and only when we nearly ran right smack into a wall of thorny branches, we made an abrupt right.

"Oh, damn. Oh, shit," I huffed as I tried to keep up with Millie and avoid tripping over raised roots and fallen branches.

A split in the path a few feet ahead finally slowed her strides. "Keep to the right," I urged.

"You sure?"

No. "Just keep going."

We turned right, kicking up dirt in the process. My eyes scanned as far ahead as possible, and I cursed the increasing fog as it cloaked the path. As my feet hit the ground, the unstable earth beneath slowed me. The roots of the trees seemed to shift and ripple the moss and foliage to throw me off the path. Thankfully, I managed to stay on my feet and the uneven trail.

Whenever we met a crossroads, Millie took the right option, until it finally led to a dead end. She turned swiftly, ramming into me and knocking me off my feet with a loud, "Oomph."

"Get up. Let's go." The irritation in her voice made sense because I felt the same.

I pushed myself up and didn't even attempt to dust the damp and decayed foliage from my hands. My attention was on two things only, keeping up with Millie and trying to see through the blue-tinged darkness and the fog.

Keeping our pace, we rushed along paths and around impenetrable walls of branches and bushes. We continued through the forest even when the victorious cheers of our opponents echoed over the increasing ticking of the clock.

"Ten minutes remaining," chimed overhead.

"Let's go," Millie called out as she made another right turn.

"No, this way," I turned left, following the sound of unfamiliar voices somewhere in the woods.

Millie's footsteps gradually approached from behind me. "You said to keep right."

"Changed my mind."

"You can't do that when we have less than ten minutes to find the center."

"I can when it's this way." Quickly, I led the charge, swooping under twisted branches that outstretched over the path. But as she said the words, I wondered what would happen if we got lost and didn't find the center in time. Nothing good and it probably involved the Wolfman.

It didn't take long to hit another dead end that brought us to a screeching halt.

"I knew it," Millie growled through clenched teeth.

"We gotta think one step ahead, right?" I nodded to encourage Millie to do the same. "The rules were to meet our opponents at the center. According to those brief cheers of success, it sounded like they found the center. So, where they're at is where we have to be."

"Okay..." Millie nodded, registering my point.

"Sonya? Tobias?" I called out.

"We're over here!" An eager female voice answered back. "Follow my voice."

I locked eyes with Millie and her smile matched mine. "Let's hurry."

I kept her in my periphery as we quickly followed the voice.

"You have to hurry and get to the treasure box," Sonya instructed. "I think you'll have a choice to make when you get here." Her voice was to our left, and up ahead the trail led that way.

"A choice?" I called back, aware of the diminishing time and the constant ticking of the clock.

"Yes. Hurry!" Tobias's voice was deeper in register compared to his sister's. "You sound close."

"We are!" I followed the path lined with thick trees and turned left at the end of the trail to see an opening of fog at the end of the corridor of tall trees and shrubbery. "Come on, Millie. We're almost there."

"Five minutes remaining," chimed from the speakers and the ticking increased.

We sprinted side by side as the path widened, and we emerged from the maze to enter a small clearing surrounded by the trees. Several openings were placed at the edge of the uneven circle lined with forest. But in the center stood the pair of siblings in matching black body suits.

A spotlight illuminated the two and an ornate wooden treasure box that sat before them in the center of the clearing. The box was big enough to obscure their legs from the knees down.

As we ran forward to meet them. The box opened revealing a white envelope inside marked with the words 'Number Two.' Millie grabbed it and opened it and the ticking overhead stopped. I quickly rushed to her side to read the contents of the letter over her shoulder.

"Stand in your designated spots and await further instructions. Be prepared to privately discuss your choice with your sibling."

On the letter, two words were emphasized in bold letters: Cooperate or Betray?