CODY WAS A HARDER TARGET than I'd given him credit for.

      Once Monroe zeroed in on Aaron, I began chasing after Cody. That left Skylar alone―which meant she'd probably go and search out Claudia.

       That means, I thought, panting as I wove between paint-splattered walls, Claudia will probably get her wish after all. 

       Every time I doubted our victory―I mean, how good at laser tag could Monroe really be?―I heard that telltale sound of a vest vibrating from afar, and the signature words: "You got shot!" 

        I had a feeling Aaron was losing. Badly.

        Up ahead, Cody knelt and aimed his gun at me.

        "Fuck!" I cursed, throwing myself behind a wall. The red laser beam glided over the floor, far enough away that it was safe for me to jump back out.

        "Fuck you, Talia!" Cody said, when the light on his vest flickered out.

        I let out a battle cry―only to realize the light on my own vest was now gone.

       "Hey!" I said. "Which one of you fuckers―?"

       From far behind, I saw Skylar give me the middle finger. Damn it. 

        Ten, I counted, waiting until I could shoot her. Nine.

        But then―as fast as lightning―I saw a beam of red light slip over Skylar's shoulder.

        "You got shot!"  

        Eight.

        All three of us had been temporarily suspended.

        I almost shouted Claudia's name, thrilled that she'd hit Skylar, until I saw the swish of Monroe's ponytail. For a moment, under the glow-in-the-dark light, her eyes glowed jade. The colour of war, of victory.

         The world was hers to take. Hers to conquer.

         Claudia had been right. She was really fucking good.

         But behind her, I saw Aaron's red vest flash. He was pointing his gun at her, aiming right for her back―

         I opened my mouth to shout, "Monroe!"

         I didn't even have to. She had already moved, already escaped. 

         Aaron's vest winked out. "You got shot!"

         I didn't know how she'd managed to hit Aaron, just seconds after he had aimed at her. Even if she'd been a CIA spy trained in the deadliest martial arts, I probably couldn't have been more impressed.

         What would it be like to fuck her?  I wondered.

         I should unstrap that vest, toss aside her gun, and kneel between her legs, surrounded by the shadows and the maze walls and the glimmering orange paint. I should claim her victory as mine, lick the sweet triumph from her lips. 

        I wanted to―to―

        Her. 

        I wanted her. Every part of her. Every dark, glorious, competitive inch of her. I wanted skin and flesh and teeth and bone. I wanted the clash of mouths and the slide of lips and hands, her hands on my body, my hands on hers. I didn't think it would ever be enough. I didn't think I could ever get enough, but goddamn if I wouldn't try.

       My vest vibrated back to life.

       And I had to take a step back, reeling. What had I just thought?  

       Those weren't . . . the kinds of things girls imagined about their friends.

       Or their enemies.

       Or other girls in general.

       But the feelings still lingered. Not even running after Cody again could distract me. 

       I wanted to devour her. To touch every part of her, to feel every curve and hollow and scar. I wanted to make her moan. Make her mine. And I wanted her to do the same to me. I wanted her to call me by her name.

       Maybe it's just the game, I reassured myself. 

       Who knew I could get so turned on by laser tag?

       I only knew it had been an hour of hunting down Cody, shooting him, and getting shot, when something strange happened.

       My vest turned into a different colour. Green.

       And over the speakers, after briefly cutting that action music, I heard the voice of the boy from earlier―the boy from the counter.

       "For the last five minutes of the game, it will be every man for himself." 

       It was all he said before turning the music back on. And the thumping, echoing beat of the wordless song reverberated in my bones.

       No more teams. No more sides.

       Cody had disappeared from my line of sight, but I didn't care. I wasn't going to hunt him down anymore.

       No, I had five minutes. And I would make every single one of them count.

       I was going after Monroe.

       She hated me, and I . . . I hated the way she made me feel. Like I was starving for her, like I'd never get enough of her.

       For fuck's safe, I had never even kissed her. How could I already want to jump her bones?

       And I wasn't going to kiss her. Ever. 

       I had to remind myself that I had a boyfriend. I had Aaron. Aaron. Aaron. 

       Even if I wanted to kiss her, which I didn't, I wouldn't because of Aaron. Because I could never imagine hurting him, not like that.

       Four minutes left. 

       I still hadn't found Monroe. Everyone's vest was a different colour now, so distinguishing between my friends meant going closer.

       Too close. 

       My vest vibrated. "You got shot!"

       I whipped around. "Claudia?"

       She shrugged and waved goodbye, sprinting away without a second thought.

       "So much for blood is thicker than water," I muttered.

       "Need some help?"

       The voice startled me. I blinked, realizing Aaron was on the other side of the wall I was using for cover.

       "How can I trust you?" I hissed. "This is every-man-for-himself. And you already betrayed me once."

       "You mean when we scared the shit out of you?"

       "Yes!"

       "To be fair, I didn't think you'd be that scared by Skylar whispering boo."

        "You're just helping my point. I don't think you're trustworthy."

        And then, suddenly, Aaron was in front me. Palms raised, gun hanging at his hip.

       "Shoot me," he said. "If you don't believe me. Shoot me as many times as you want."

       I narrowed my eyes at him. "This could just be a trick to get me back at me later."

       "It's not. I swear it. I won't betray you, Talia. I really am sorry about the boo thing. So . . . alliance?"

       "Oh, fine," I said, switching the aim of my gun to another player in the distance.

       Who is that?  I thought. It was a violet vest, but so far, I'd figured out that I was green, Aaron was orange, and Claudia was yellow.

       I let out a breath. Tightened my grip on the gun.

       And squeezed the trigger.

       I didn't think I had gotten it. The figure was so fast, hurtling up the staircase, but then I saw it: the flicker of its light going out.

       "Fuck yeah!" I said, bumping Aaron's shoulder. "Got someone."

       My real goal was to find Monroe. At any cost.

       I saw the violet player disappear up into the maze on the second level. And then I had an idea.

       "Aaron," I whispered. We were back to back, but I caught a glimpse of his side profile as he turned slightly. "Do you know who got which colour?"

       "What?"

       "You know. Like I'm green and you're orange. Who's who?"

       He hesitated. "Cody is blue. I think Monroe's purple. But I haven't seen Skylar yet."

       Just then, I heard the automated voice cry, "You got shot!"  

       It was so close that I thought it was me. But when I turned, the light on Aaron's vest was extinguished.

       Two minutes left.

       "Skylar is red," Aaron added.

       Skylar. Fuck. "Do you see her?"

       "Hiding behind a wall right there. I think she's waiting to shoot me again."

       I had a choice now. And before I could think twice, I had made my decision.

       I needed to find Monroe.

       Skylar was a much better laser tag player than me, so I'd have to outwit her. She hadn't noticed me yet, but if I started running upstairs―where I'd seen the player with the violet vest disappear―she'd switch her target to me.

       I couldn't have that. Not when there were less than two minutes left.

       Aaron's vest was back to orange now. 

       "Aaron?"

       He turned. "Yeah?"

       I was pointing my gun at him.

       "I thought we had an alliance!"

       "I'm breaking it," I said firmly.

       He took a step back. 

       "Come on. Let's talk about this, Talia. You don't really want to shoot your boyfriend, do you?"

       "I will if I have to."

       Another step back. "Talia."

       I moved closer, forcing him to stumble a little. I just needed him exposed. 

       I was going to give Skylar the opportunity she needed.

       "Sorry, Aaron. It's every man for himself."

       Betrayal flickered in his eyes. "Talia, don't―"

        And I didn't―shoot him, at least. 

        But I knew Skylar was waiting for the chance, and as soon as she struck, I was moving backwards. Skylar was distracted now, and I could make my exit.

        Along the way, I saw Cody and Claudia―blue and yellow―circling each other in a deadly match. 

       I had the perfect opportunity to shoot both of them from the top of the stairs, but I didn't. That would waste time, and I had a minute left.

       Monroe was somewhere up here.

       It was just the two of us in this maze, and I shouted, "Come out, come out, wherever you are!"

       I wanted to shoot her. I wanted to look her in the eyes and pull the trigger.

       Forty-five seconds.

       I was barely breathing hard as I rushed through the labyrinthine structure of the maze. Head turning wildly, I tried to catch any sight of a glowing purple vest.

       Had she gone back downstairs while I'd been talking with Aaron?

      But just as I thought it, I saw something: a reflection of violet light, bouncing off the maze wall up ahead.

      Cat-and-mouse, I thought.

      If that was the game she wanted to play, so be it.

      I didn't know why I had to do this. Why I wanted to win against her so badly.

      But somehow, it felt as if maybe it might prove something. 

      You were wrong, I wanted to say. And I'm right. 

      About what, I wasn't sure. But I just wanted to win. Because maybe it would erase all those feelings, all that hunger. 

      So I ran harder, but when I skidded to a stop at the wall where I'd seen her, there was no trace of purple light.

      Twenty seconds left.

      Fuck. And I had a feeling that if she didn't show herself, I'd never find her.

      "Fuck, Monroe! Just come out!"

      And . . . as if she'd been waiting for me to say it, to say her name, she came.

      I was too stunned to even lift my gun.

      She moved fast. If she wanted to shoot me right then, she could have. Instead, she closed the distance between us.

      I swallowed. We were so close now that our vests brushed against each other.

      I should shoot her. I should point my gun and―

      My hand didn't work, though. No part of my body did. I was breathing heavily, frozen into place by the sight of her lips, sharpened into a dark smile. 

      All I had to do was lean my head an inch forward. And we'd be kissing.

      She must have known the effect she had on me. Because her smile grew wider and for the first time, I realized she had a dimple in her left cheek.

      Shoot her!  some part of me screamed. That's what you came here for! Shoot her! 

      Ten seconds.

      "Truce?" I mumbled.

      No! No truce! Shoot this motherfucker! Win!

      Her eyes slid down. Towards my mouth. And I imagined what she'd do to me if I let her, if I hadn't pushed her away.

      But maybe it was too late for that.

      "No," she whispered. Her eyes were still on my lips. "I don't want a truce anymore."

      She shot me―and walked away.

>>>

Well, holy fuck. That was intense. 

Someone please tell me where I can find a Monroe. Or, you know, custom-make her. Do you know any factories that are willing to create fictional characters? 

From the moon and back,
Sarai