Let the games begin

Levi Summer

As soon as he was out of Laurens sight, he made a path straight for the bathroom. A few sympathetic students saw he was in pain and tried to ask if he was ok, but Levi walked right past them without acknowledgement. Once he arrived at the mercifully empty restroom, he spent about ten minutes weeping in the bathroom stall, before a familiar emotional feeling of guilt overcame him. This always happened to him whenever he was tormented.

"I deserve this. Why am I so weak?" he asked himself.

After another fifteen minutes of just sitting there, feeling sorry for himself, he went to the bathroom window to try his face. He finally got to math class 20 minutes late. The teacher there gave him a disappointed look, which made Levi feel even more guilty.

By the time class ended, Levi hadn't processed any of the lesson, having been stuck in his own head the entire time. As Math was the last class of the day, Levi went straight for the buses, praying he wouldn't have to talk with anyone else.

His wish was not granted however, as he once again ran into a Peterson sister, though thankfully it was just Kaitlyn this time.

“Hey, uh, Levi?” the girl asked as she approached from behind, making Levi jump.

After he looked around to see if Lauren was with her, Levi sighed and said “y-yes? Can I help you?” As he did so, his gaze fell to the floor.

Kaitlyn struggled to speak for a moment, as if worried she’d get in trouble. Then she finally said “I just… I wanted to apologize for Lauren earlier. That wasn’t nice of her.”

Levi blushed uncomfortably. “Did… did she ask you to say that?”

“Well no… but I just kind of felt bad for you earlier…” she responded. Levi’s face went even redder, as her admission just made him feel more pathetic.

She continued “I just… I just wanted to say that… I wish Lauren was nicer to you. That’s all.”

‘If you wanted to so badly, maybe you could have actually said something to her’ Levi WANTED to say. Instead he just said “It’s alright. I’m fine. Its my fault anyway.”

And before Kaitlyn could say anything else, Levi turned on the spot and walked as fast as he could.

After the school bus arrived, Levi went to his usual seat in the back. He took out the earphones of his iPod and leaned against the window, watching the dreary weather as the vehicle left. It usually took about 25 minutes until his stop, so he proceeded to zone out, trying his best to hold off any more depressing thoughts, and let the music muffle the rest of the world.

Levi watched the moving scenery through the window, barely thinking about it. After a while the bus entered a tunnel like normal. Yawning, Levi rubbed his eyes, exhausted from the emotional and mental strain of the day. It was only a few minutes later that Levi noticed something was wrong. Despite the fact that this tunnel usually only took about 15 seconds to get through, they were still moving inside it.

"What the..." Levi began, but stopped dead cold as he looked around. While there had previously been dozens of students on the bus with him, he was now the only one there.

“Oh no, did I fall asleep again?” he asked himself, while double and triple checking his surroundings to see if he missed anyone. He then looked up toward the front, where the driver was seated.

“Excuse me?” Levi tried to call out to them, who was concealed by their seat. Though he said it softly, as he didn’t want to be a bother. He got no response. Gulping Levi said it again “Excuse me. I think I fell asleep while you dropped everyone off. I’m sorry, but could you help me get back?"

Still no response.

"Hello?"

Silence.

Knowing he would probably get yelled at for walking while the bus was moving, Levi got up and walked to the front of the bus to ask the driver directly.

But the person he saw was not the driver he knew.

A short young woman with blue hair was driving the bus, wearing what looked like a French maid outfit. The sight was so unexpected that Levi could only gape while his mind tried to catch up.

Without taking her eyes off the road, the mysterious girl spoke in a monotone whisper. "Please sit back down. It is unsafe to be standing while the bus is in motion."

"I... uh... what...?" Levi stammered, totally lost.

"I said it is unsafe to be standing while the vehicle is in motion" she said in her same emotionless whisper, never taking her eyes away from driving down this never ending tunnel. "The bus has already healed your injuries for today. It would be rude to ask it to do so a second time"

"Healed... what... uh...." he began. It was at this moment he noticed that the pain he had been feeling ever since John hit him was gone. In fact, it had been gone for a while, and he simply hadn't noticed.

"I... uh... I think I'm on the wrong bus. The usual driver is a man and we don't go down this tunnel."

"You do not need to worry. You are on the correct bus. I ask you again to please sit down. I do not want you to get hurt” she said simply, never once changing her expression or tone. She added “though please note this is not an order, and you may do whatever you wish, should you prefer"

"Um... ok..." Levi said, and sat at the nearest available seat.

"Thank you. We will be arriving at our destination soon."

"And where exactly is that?" Levi asked, his confusion turning to nervousness.

"The Hotel of course… master Levi" the girl said, as the bus finally exited the tunnel. Before Levi could think about the title she had placed in front of his name, he gasped as he looked out the window again. Instead of the Utah highway, the bus was now cruising through lush forests, clear skies, and beautiful mountains in the distance.

"What the hell is happening?!" Levi exclaimed.

Azure

An establishing shot swept across a natural paradise, showcasing forest that went on for miles, broken up by beautiful lakes and mountains. A jingle play as the camera fades to various scenic vistas of the surrounding landscape, including waterfalls and mountain top views. It eventually cuts to a wide shot showcasing a magnificent white castle in the distance. The camera starts to zoom in, showing it in all its splendor.

It continues to zoom into the courtyard, revealing that a large stage had been set up, its technological presence clashing with the old world feel of the building.

Sitting on the edge of the stage, hanging her long legs over the side was Azure. She had donned a magician costume, top hat, and short skirt. Her outfit contained a large hole for her cleavage, which she had magically enlarged before rolling.

“Hello and welcome lovelies, to a fantastic season of Harem Hotel” Azure said with a sweet voice. “My name is Azure, and I will be your mistress of ceremonies. I hope all of you and I get along very well” she added with a flirtatious wink.

The camera switched angles and Azure turned to it with a perfect hair flip.

“For those of you who are first time viewers, Harem Hotel is a contest between a group of beautiful women fighting for their masters' affection. Throughout the game they will face fun challenges, and experience life altering transformations voted for by you, our loyal audience.”

As she explained this, a montage played of highlights from past seasons, all expertly chosen by Azure to show the wide range of possibilities. In a minor show of passive aggressiveness, none of the clips showed their hosts.

Azure got to her feet, making sure to lean down for the camera as she did. “Of course, the selection of our Harem Sister contestants is a tad different this time. You see, they all share one common theme. Each of them is someone who hurt their master in some way in the past.” Azure gave a pouty frown at this and moved her finger down her face in a mimic of teardrop.

“Fortunately for him, they are now going to make up for it with their undying love and affection, on this season of Harem Hotel: Payback Edition!” she cheered, her frown changing immediately into a wide smile as she jumped for joy, jiggling her chest in a way that was certainly intentional. The title of the show appeared on screen as she did so.

Meanwhile, a school bus pulled into the courtyard in front of the stage, timed exactly as Azure had scripted. She grinned as the sunny sky turned dark and a spotlight shined on the bus door. A drumroll sounded.

“And here he is. The man of the hour. The master of our season. Let's give a big hand for… LEVI SUMMERS!!!”

The door opened and Levi stepped out, his mouth hanging wide open.

“Uh… hi?” he said, awkwardly.