I've got some things to say
'Cause there's a lot that you don't know
It's written on my face, it's gonna be hard to swallow
Everybody's got a secret

I thoughtfully let the blue bracelet slip through my fingers. It bore the number 39. I wonder if the numbers meant something or were they assigned purely at random? If I remember correctly, Ann had the number 6, but since she was once again conspicuous by her absence, I would have to wait and see if I could get an answer to this question. Until then, however, I had to stay in bed and somehow pass the time. This was what I did best anyway. Besides, I had promised Ann that I wouldn't go out on my own a second time, but after the encounter with that military guy, I really wasn't that keen on it any more. I put the bracelet around my right wrist and then sighed and picked up the book on my bedside table again...

After dinner, the time finally came and there was a knock at the door. By now I was even a little nervous, partly because of the anticipation of finally getting out of here and partly because I was hoping to be allowed to ask all the questions that had been running around in my head since I had been here. Ann was the one who went to the door and opened it.

"Hello, Kuina. I'm glad you could make it."

"No problem. It's not like it's the first time I've done this," replied a bright female voice directly behind Ann. "And after all, I don't have to play today."

Ann stepped aside, revealing the young woman, named Kuina, who was now also eyeing me curiously. She raised her hand in greeting and smiled broadly. Kuina had a pretty petite face and wore her long dark hair in a high braid consisting of several dreadlocks. Some of them even had colorful ribbons woven into them, which gave her an almost exotic touch. What puzzled me the most, however, was her outfit. Why was she showing up here in a bikini? Had she just come from swimming?

"Hey, I'm Kuina Hikari. So you're the new girl everyone's talking about."

"Everyone?" I asked in dismay.

She laughed.

"Well, almost everyone. At least you're a hot topic here at the Beach right now."

"I wasn't aware of that," I said sheepishly, although I already had a hunch from the conversation I overheard earlier.

"Well, as far as I'm concerned, we can start right away," she said enthusiastically.

I nodded and rose from the mattress. I certainly wouldn't miss this bed. The only thing I was taking with me was the clothes Ann had left me. Well, I didn't own much else at the moment. All my possessions were either still at the hospital or at home.

"See you around," Ann said as I followed Kuina out into the corridor. But before I closed the door behind me, I turned to her again and smiled.

"Thank you for everything, Ann. And good luck with your game today."

She nodded stoically and the corners of her mouth twitched for a milisecond at least. A moment later, I was standing alone in the long corridor with Kuina. I noticed that she towered over me by almost a head and wasn't even wearing heels. And she had a figure that some people could only dream of.

"Oh, I haven't introduced myself yet," I said, a little embarrassed. "Izumi Tsuki."

I made a little curtsy to her, for the sake of politeness.

"Oh, no need to be so formal," she waved it off. "How much has Ann told you about this place so far?"

"Well, I know it's called Beach and there's a Mad Hatter who collects any skat cards you can win in the games because you hope to get back to our world through them."

Kuina snorted.

"Very well. But we'd better leave out the mad in here. Although it's not really wrong," she added with a chuckle.

"So I'm not invited here for tea with the March Hare? How disappointing," I sighed playfully.

"No, but a cocktail with the Hatter might be in it, if he takes notice of you."

I grinned.

"I can't wait."

"Well, but first," she eyed me a little sceptically from top to bottom, "I'm afraid we'll have to change your wardrobe. That's a cute dress, but you can't stay like that if you want to live here with us."

Want? Very interesting. I didn't know I had a choice.

"What's wrong with that?" I asked, frowning and looking down at myself.

Kuina smiled conspiratorially.

"Come with me for now. I'll explain everything in a minute."

We took a lift to the lowest floor and ended up in another corridor that looked almost identical to the one we had just left behind.

Nevertheless, I looked around curiously everywhere and tried to memorize everything relevant. This place seemed huge. Knowing me, I would get completely lost here on my own.

On the way, we occasionally met a few people who eyed me suspiciously and I couldn't even blame them, because I had probably stared at them in the same way, but that was mainly because everyone we met here, without exception, was wearing swimwear.

Is this some kind of dress code here?

We arrived at a heavy glass door and I was amazed when we entered the room behind it.

"Is this...a swimwear shop?", I stumbled and looked around, completely perplexed. There were bikinis, swimming costumes and swimming trunks in every conceivable color and size hanging on clothes rails everywhere.

"Yes, I guess that's what it used to be. Now it's the basic equipment for the newcomers. It's sort of compulsory to wear swimwear with us. If you don't, you not only make yourself suspicious, but also break the rules of the beach. But let's put it this way: not everyone is completely strict about this rule. Especially not those who belong to the council, like Ann. I guess there are a few more freedoms."

I looked at her speechlessly.

"I see. So I...really have to wear one of those things?", I asked suspiciously, taking one of the bikini models off the rack, which was far too revealing for my taste.

Kuina shrugged her shoulders.

"A swim suit works too."

"And what is the point of this rule?"

She lowered her eyes and sighed heavily.

"All right, then. In Beach, there aren't really many things you have to abide by. But there are three golden rules in total. The first one I just told you. The second is: you can live your life as you like here. Be free, party, have sex and drink alcohol as much as you want. In short: enjoy your life. The third and most important rule, however, is:" she paused theatrically and then looked at me again, this time with a completely serious expression, "Death to traitors. Without exception. Anyone who deliberately withholds his cards after a game will be executed. So the swimwear is primarily so we can't hide anything from the beach, especially cards or weapons."

A brief silence ensued.

In fact, I wasn't even that surprised at her revelation, especially since I knew there was a military squad to enforce these rules by force. However, since I had no intention of retaining the playing cards or stockpiling secret weapons anyway, I just nodded before my lips twisted into a suggestive smile.

"And what about a woman's weapons?"

Kuina was now grinning again, clearly amused.

"You're welcome to hide them, of course, but most men here prefer you to use them."

I giggled.

"I won't do them that favor though," I said cockily, reaching purposefully for a bikini I had my eye on. "I think it's better if they use their imagination."

"Damn, you're a lot more barbaric than you look," she said, shaking her head in disbelief. "But I like that."

Kuina led me to the changing rooms. There I peeled out of the pretty dress a little wistfully. I would have loved to keep it on, but obviously I had no choice but to bow to these strange rules. I looked at myself sceptically in the mirror afterwards. I had chosen a rather simple model in black. It had a halter neck, but the neckline was so high up that nobody could stare steadily at my cleavage. The panties also covered more than the usual models. The hem was not straight but had the shape of little waves, which gave the bikini something playful despite its simplicity. I liked it and felt at least somewhat comfortable in it. Nevertheless, I decided to add a thin beach yukata and some matching flip-flops. Kuina gave me a thumbs up when I came out of the dressing room.

"Fancy necklace," she said as I stepped closer to her again. "Is that a replica of a real heart?"

"Oh, uh yeah." I clasped the gold pendant tightly in my hand, which had been hidden under my clothes until now. "My ex-boyfriend gave it to me."

Kuina raised her brows in amazement.

"Ex-boyfriend? So... you're not over him yet?"

I pressed my lips together.

"The necklace just has a symbolic meaning to me, you know?", I tried to reason around. It wasn't a lie, per se, but it was also only half the truth. A hand came to rest on my shoulder. I looked up in surprise.

"It's all right, Izumi. You don't have to tell me if you don't want to. We all have our secrets."

Her smile was gentle and sincere as she said this, almost as if she understood me perfectly.

I wonder what secret she was carrying.

"And how did this actually happen?" asked Kuina, now pointing to the large white plaster on my stomach. I followed her gaze.

"Oh, that...a woman with an axe apparently mistook me for a tree, but I don't blame her, after all she couldn't see anything," I replied, shrugging my shoulders. It had hardly been two days and I could already make jokes about it.

What was wrong with me?

"Pretty rad. I heard it was a four of spades."

"Yeah, whatever that means."

"Spades means it's a game of athletic requirement. And the 4 determines the level of difficulty."

I paused in amazement.

"Do I understand that correctly: then there are 10 levels of difficulty?"

"Yep. And the symbols all have different meanings too. Come on, I'll tell you on the way or we'll get stuck here."

Kuina hooked up with me, almost as if we were old friends, and tugged me along mercilessly. She showed me around the compound a bit while educating me about the meanings of the various symbols on the maps. She also told me in detail about some of the games she had played so far. It was almost uncanny that we got along so well right away. Kuina was a very sociable person and a pleasant conversationalist. I couldn't imagine that there was anyone who didn't like her.

After a while, we also approached the music, which again filled the air and made the ground tremble under our feet. Only a short time later, we were standing in the middle of the dense crowd. I hadn't been to a party in over two years and for the first moment I was completely overwhelmed by the many noises, the colorful flickering lights and all the people pushing past us. I felt a pang of panic spread through me and I desperately gasped for air. My surroundings began to spin abruptly and the colors mingled wildly. I felt my knees give way.

"Izumi? Hey, what's wrong?" Kuina's hand reached for me and quickly pulled me aside to a more secluded corner. There, breathing heavily, I slumped against the wall of the house. "You look pale. Shall I get you some water?" she asked, a little perplexed, stroking my forearm reassuringly.

I shook my head.

"I'll be alright," I murmured, embarrassed, and noticed how my airways were gradually filling with air again. I breathed in deeply and out again. "Just a little panic attack."

"That must have been a bit much for you today. I can show you to your room. Then you can rest a little," she offered kindly.

I nodded gratefully and Kuina pulled me back to my feet with a quick jerk. We made our way back into the building and I was relieved when the noises from outside finally died away.

"You don't socialize much, do you?" she asked hesitantly after we had been walking side by side in silence for a while.

What could I tell her?

"I guess not," I replied quietly. "But maybe I'm just exhausted."

Admittedly, that was a lame excuse, but I didn't feel like talking to anyone about my illness. I didn't want to think about it any longer, especially not now when I might have had a golden opportunity for a fresh start. I wanted to bury it all for good and start living instead.

"Believe me, almost all of us here felt that way at the beginning. No one wants to admit that we now live in this sick world where you have to fight for survival almost every day, but you eventually come to terms with it," she sighed.

Welcome to my world, I thought bitingly, but didn't say it out loud. We arrived at another complex of buildings. Curious, I studied the large plaque on the wall that hung right next to the entrance area:

9th floor - Kingsuite
8th floor - Suites 5-8
7th floor - R 51-52 / Suites 1-4
6rh floor - R 41-50
5th floor - R 31-40
4th floor - R 21-30
3rd floor - R 11-20
2nd floor - R 1 - 10
1st floor - Restaurant / Ballroom
Ground floor - Lobby / Swimming pool

"Do the room numbers have anything to do with the numbers on these wristbands?", I asked with interest, pointing to the blue plastic band on my wrist.

Kuina laughed.

"No, not exactly. It tells which place in the ranking you are at the moment. Hatter has number 1. The other members of the council have numbers 2-9. We believe that when a set of cards is complete, only one person can travel back with it at a time. So number 1 should be the first to go when the time comes.

Then number 2 follows and so on." Kuina suddenly grabbed my arm. "So you're number 39 then, not bad for being new. Must be because of the four of spades you delivered."

"39 is supposed to be good?" I asked, aghast, frowning at the number as she let go of my wrist again.

"Well, if you keep collecting cards, you'll have a chance to move up the rankings."

How encouraging. Then I'm sure it'll only be another 50 years before I'm ranked number one.

When we arrived at the lift, Kuina pressed the call button.

"Your room is on the 3rd floor," she explained as we entered the spacious lift. Only a little later we were walking through the long corridor, where one room followed the next.

"Why are the keys all on the outside of the lock?", I asked in amazement.

"For security. If someone dies in a game, we can still get into their room afterwards without any problem. But don't worry," she added when she saw my worried expression. "You can lock all the rooms from the inside."

"I see."

"Here it is," she said suddenly, stopping in front of a door with the number 13 (luckily I'm not superstitious). "The room has just become available," she continued, turning the key.

"That means someone who died in a game lived here until recently?" I asked with a dry throat.

Kuina nodded seriously.

"Yes, I think her name was Maki. But to be honest, she wasn't really a loss to humanity. So no need to be sad."

To be honest, that didn't reassure me much, but I nodded tentatively.

As we entered the room, I looked around it completely speechless. It looked devastating. There were piles of laundry on the floor all over the room. I also discovered empty energy cans, crumpled cereal bar wrappers, used make-up wipes, various make-up items and even a box of condoms.

"I guess she wasn't exactly a neat freak, our dear Maki," Kuina said completely dryly. "Come on, I'll help you clean up here quickly."

"Thank you," I said with relief.

Kuina then organized two large rubbish bags. Into one we threw everything that was unusable rubbish, into the other the dirty laundry. The items I wanted to keep, on the other hand, I sorted neatly into the drawers. I kept a few of the make-up items, which I sorted into the mirrored cabinet in the bathroom. Things didn't look much better there either. How could anyone let themselves go like that? It was beyond me.

I went back to the hotel room and watched Kuina take a look at the box of condoms.

"So there are two left in here," she said triumphantly, pulling them out to hold them up. "What am I supposed to do with these?"

I shrugged my shoulders.

"I don't know. Keep it if you want."

She raised her eyebrows in surprise.

"I'll put them in your bedside drawer. Just in case," she said with a conspiratorial grin and pulled open the top shelf to drop the box in there.

I had to stifle a smile.

"They'll probably get dusty in there," I joked.

"Oh come on, a little fun never hurt anyone. The men here will all be crazy about you."

"But I'm not crazy about them," I said cheekily, sticking my tongue out.

Kuina grinned.

"Wow, that was really sassy," she said in amazement. "I wouldn't have guessed it at first glance."

When we were finally done with everything, Kuina dropped exhausted onto the freshly made double bed.

"I hope you don't mind."

"Go ahead," I grinned and sat down next to her on the mattress. The bed was much more comfortable than the one in the infirmary. "I'm very grateful for your help. I'm sure it would have taken me all night on my own."

"No problem," she said and then straightened up a little, supporting herself with her elbows. "Can I ask you something?"

I looked at her in surprise.

"Yeah, sure," I replied, curious to see what would come next.

"Do you really not remember how you got here?"

She looked at me urgently, almost like Ann had done earlier when she had asked me the same question. My gaze automatically turned downwards, where I stared intently at the light stripes of the bedclothes.

"No, I'm afraid I didn't. I hit my head. Maybe that's why I can't remember."

Again, I didn't tell the whole truth. I had to be careful that this didn't become a habit. But after all I had learned about this place so far, I was beginning to realize why the young man had not wanted me to tell anything. He had broken the rules.

He had brought me here even though currently there was an explicit ban on recruitment. Was I automatically a traitor too if I concealed the truth?

"Well, anyway. I think you've been pretty lucky to be allowed to stay here," Kuina replied thoughtfully. "They're not always so generous."

"What do you think would happen if someone found out who brought me here?", I asked, trying not to let on that I was a little afraid of the answer. Kuina made a definite hand gesture at her throat, making a murmuring sound.

"He would be executed."

I swallowed instinctively.

"That sounds like a harsh punishment for someone who saved my life."

"Hmm yes. But this world is a little different from the one we know. Here it's about submitting to Beach. If you're not trustworthy, you're a traitor in their eyes. That's the only way this system works."

I looked at her scrutinizing. Why did her words sound like she didn't count herself as one of the Beach people? Like she wasn't one of them...was that Kuina's secret, perhaps? Was she a trai-...?

Suddenly she started moving again and slowly pulled herself up from the mattress.

"I won't hog you any more now either. Have a good rest. If you want, I'll pick you up tomorrow at 9 for breakfast. Then we can go together."

I nodded gratefully.

"Where is your room anyway?"

"7th floor."

"One of the suites?" I asked, surprised.

"No, but my room is bordering to it. The suites all belong to members of the Council. Ann, for example."

"And I suppose the King suite belongs to the infamous Hatter."

"How did you guess?" she teased. "So good night and see you tomorrow," Kuina raised her hand again in farewell. "Oh yes, don't be surprised. From 12 to 6 the electricity is cut off in the hotel rooms."

I returned her wave, but Kuina had already let the door fall into the lock. I got up from the bed with a sigh and slid the bolt in front of it.

If this wasn't a busy day. My head was bursting with information that I was still trying to process. Rules, card symbols, rankings. It was hard to keep track of it all. And actually, I was still unsure if I even wanted all of this. These games were one thing, but this organization, for some reason, made me feel uncomfortable. The way they solve their problems with violence displeased me. Moreover, not a single word had been said about what would happen if one wanted to leave the Beach voluntarily.

Somehow I had the feeling that I had just moved from one prison to the next. But there was nothing I could do about it now. And at least I was still alive. That was something, too. Instinctively, I reached for the pendant around my neck.

"Thank you, heart."