Beth arrives for the game

The crowd was even larger here than it had been outside the hotel, but fortunately for Beth, they hadn't been forewarned about her clothing situation.

A flash of vibrant red and pale white rushed past and before the crowd knew what was happening, Beth Harmon was past them and safely inside.

The nude girl bent double, panting after her sprint, chest heaving and threatening to spill out of her arm, and stared at her feet. Her eyes were telling her that they were still there...the only problem was, she couldn't feel them.

Beth tried to wiggle her toes, but nothing happened. The two blocks of ice at the end of her legs were refusing to cooperate.

"Miss Harmon. It's time."

Beth twisted round and a fresh blush spread across her cheeks...how long had he been staring at her OTHER cheeks?

"O-okay..." Beth replied breathlessly, her teeth chattering.

Gulping, she shuffled forwards.

xxx

Beth stood on the threshold of the huge auditorium, not knowing if she wanted to run away, or faint. Rows up seats stretching high up to the ceiling, all of them crammed with an expectant audience. For all the planning she had done in her head, Beth had forgotten about the venue she would be competing in. For the next few hours, hundreds of people would be staring at her pale, shivering body. Binoculars that would usually be used to watch the board, would instead be focused on her bare flesh, drinking in the sight of her natural beauty and hoping for a drop in composure that may exposure her most personal of secrets.

It was only a shove in her back and a powerful smack of her butt that got Beth to stumble forward and shuffle slowly to the table.

The applause that would usually greet the arrival of a compeitior was drowned out by whistles and cheers, and even some laughter. Beth's face burnt with humiliation. She knew exactly what they were laughing at. The great teen prodigy Beth Harmon was actually nothing more than a pathetic, embarrassed little girl.

By his expression, Beth knew immediately that Borgov hadn't known about the theft of her clothes. He was politely averting his gaze and offering a hand for her to shake. With both of her hands busy shielding herself, Beth simply stood there awkwardly until he offered her a seat.

Dropping into the cold, hard, metal chair, Beth immediately crossed her legs and folded her arms across her chest. She stared, unseeing, down at the chess board in front of them. How could she play the biggest match of her life wearing nothing at all and feeling like a human ice cube? Her vision became blurred as tears ran down her cheeks and splashed onto forearms already starting to tire from their uncomfortable position.

Beth jumped when someone tapped her on her bare shoulder.

"Miss Harmon, it is your play."

Looking up, Beth remembered where she was. With one arm careful cradling her breasts, the nude girl wiped her eyes dry, reached out a hand and shakily moved her pawn forwards.