The Second Contest

Trevor watched as Riley composed himself. He looked a little nervous but mostly held it together.

"So if I want to open a new box, I just walk up and pick one?" Riley asked.

"Correct," Violet told him. "You can choose any one you like."

Riley strode forward and selected the nearest present, a purple and green striped box with a purple bow. Returning to his dais he opened it up to reveal a five point chip. The scoreboard updated accordingly.

Anna came next. She looked over at Riley. "Can I take Riley's five point chip?"

"You don't have any chips of your own," Violet replied.

"Right. So if I trade with him, wouldn't he be stuck without anything to take back?"

Violet shook her head. "No. If you have no chips you can't initiate a trade."

Anna made a sound of displeasure but looked like she'd expected that answer. She picked her own present and opened it up to reveal a two point chip.

Paige was third. She looked around uncertainly. Paige had never cut a particularly imposing or confident figure, but Trevor had always known her to have a sort of quiet assurance about herself. Today though she seemed withdrawn, out of sorts.

"We pretty much have to take a new chip, right?" she asked.

"On the first round," Violet told her. "Yes. Pretty much."

"Alright," Paige said, stepping down from her dais and picking out a present from the ones nearest her. She unwrapped it and looked inside, furrowing her brow. She held it up, and Trevor squinted to read 'Lose 2000 BP' on the chip.

"That's one of the special chips," Violet told her. "It's worth no points in the game. Whoever holds that chip at the end will lose 2000 Bonus Points."

"So I don't even get any points this round?" Paige asked.

"I'm afraid not. You can still trade it though," Violet offered.

Paige sulked while Kaya started her turn. Kaya picked up a package and ripped off the wrapping, peering inside. "Sweet," she said before holding up a chip with a big '7' on it.

Natalie came fifth and Trevor crossed his fingers. His sister picked a sky blue present with little snowmen on it. When she held her chip up her face fell. "One point," she told them. Trevor's heart sank. There was still a lot of game to be played, he reminded himself. But this wasn't a great start for Nat.

Laura was next. She got her chip out and held it up above her face, squinting. "Chips are out of ten right?"

"That's right," Violet confirmed.

"So an eights pretty good then," Laura beamed, practically skipping back to her dais. "It's not a nine. Or a ten. But beggars can't be choosers."

Aaliyah and Hanna were up after her. Hanna took a step but her mom put an arm on her shoulder and walked over to the center instead. Aaliyah studied the presents, although what she could possibly be looking for Trevor didn't know. She finally settled on a red-and-white striped present with a floppy green bow. She tore the wrapping off and squinted down into the box with a confused expression.

"What does this mean?" she asked, holding the chip up for Violet's inspection. It featured a bold '1.5x' on it's front and back.

"Ah," Violet told her. "That's another one of the special chips. This one is a bonus. Whoever holds it at the end of the game will receive one and a half times as many points on the next bounty they complete."

"What an excellent bonus," Aaliyah complained in a deadpan. Hanna didn't look too excited either. Trevor understood where they coming from, but points were points. That chip could actually end up being worth quite a lot if they played their cards right.

Chloe was the penultimate player in the order. She looked more nervous than she had this morning. Trevor managed to catch her eye and offer her a reassuring smile, which she returned weakly. Chloe picked a box and opened it. She looked relieved. "Seven," she said, holding up the chip.

Audrey brought up the rear. As always, she held a careful poker face. If she was feeling any particular way about the contest Trevor couldn't tell. She matter of factly strode down to the center, opened a random package, and held up her chip. "Four," she stated, before returning to her dais.

"That's the first round completed," Violet narrated. "See? It isn't so bad. Riley can lead us off again as we start the second round."

Trevor took a look up at the scoreboard, although he knew that things were likely to change a lot before they called it a day.

---

Audrey took stock of her situation. Going last was definitely a disadvantage. Everyone else would have a chance to trade before she did. If there was a chip she wanted, there would be eight turns for others to try and take it before she had an opportunity of her own. She was starting this game off on the back foot.

It was Riley's turn and he was staring up the scoreboard in thought. "If I want to do a trade," he asked, "what do I do?"

"Just say who you want to trade with, then tell them which chip you're giving them or taking from them," Violet told him.

"Alright. Then...I'd like to give Laura my one-point chip."

Violet nodded, and Riley walked over to Laura to hand her his chip.

"What do I do now?" Laura asked.

"Since he gave you a chip," Violet said, "you give him a chip."

"I can't just give him back the one pointer, I assume."

"No," Violet confirmed.

"Crap. So my only choice is to give him my eight point chip."

"Sorry," Riley said, a crooked if genuinely apologetic smile on his face.

"Yeah. Whatever. Here's your chip." Laura handed it over. She looked a little dejected, but not necessarily upset. Riley walked back to his dais.

Riley's turn was well executed, Audrey thought. If he had just taken her eight-point chip directly then Laura would have been able to take one of his chips in return, and she'd have chosen to take his five-point chip. By giving her the one-point chip, instead of taking the eight, he **** her hand. Audrey would have to remember to pay attention for if somebody only had one chip to trade. Players in that position could be backed into a corner. She'd also need to make sure she didn't leave herself similarly **** if she could help it.

Anna looked around at the other contestants. She had only two points; both Kaya and Chloe had seven point chips. Those could be trades worth considering, Audrey noted. In the end though Anna strode forward to try her luck with a new box. "What the hell is this?" she asked after unwrapping her present. She held up a chip with some writing on it that Audrey couldn't quite make out.

"Oh, that's a fun one," Violet said. "That's the Minor Upgrade chip. Whoever holds that at the end of the contest will have their minor transformation in the upcoming vote replaced with a major transformation instead."

"Are you serious?" Anna asked, her mouth hanging open.

"I am," Violet confirmed.

"Ugh." Anna rolled her eyes and went back to her dais, mumbling. Audrey picked out the word 'bullshit' more than once.

Paige was up third. Audrey frowned as the girl picked her way down to the boxes. She seemed nervous, and she probably should have taken some more time to think about her turn. The best move for her had definitely been to trade her worthless chip for one of the seven point chips held by Kaya or Chloe. Paige wasn't thinking straight.

She unwrapped her chip and sighed. "What does Double Dip mean?" she asked, sounding defeated.

"That's another one of the special chips," Violet told her. "Whoever holds that chip will be transformed twice instead of once. The two most popular options will be selected instead of only the first."

Paige stared down at the chip in her hand. The poor girl didn't even have a single point yet. When she got back to her podium she looked noticeably worse for wear than when she'd started her turn. Audrey clenched her teeth. Paige needed to pull it together or she'd spiral. It was hard to watch.

Kaya came fourth. She was tied for holding the most valuable chip still up for trade, so her turn was much more straightforward than the others that had come before her. With no attractive trades on the table she opened up a new box. "Another seven," she noted positively. It was a good pull. Now if someone took one of her sevens she'd at least have the other.

Natalie came next. She was staring at Kaya, though her face didn't give much away. "I'd like to give Kaya my one-point chip," she said in a neutral tone. Natalie was someone to watch out for, Audrey noted. Natalie wasn't exactly cold blooded, but she'd do what needed to be done.

"Go ahead and trade with her then," Violet said.

Natalie approached Kaya and handed over the one-point chip.

"Hm," Kaya said. "Should I give you my seven point chip? Or my seven point chip?"

Natalie looked to the side, not cracking a smile. Kaya sighed and handed over one of her chips, some of the wind leaving her sails.

Laura was up next. She had only one real choice, since the one-point chip she held had already been traded that round. She walked down and picked a bright, sparkly package. "Oh, sweet!" she called out as she flung the wrapping paper aside. "Nine points! Well, unless one of you takes my chip again. I'd rather you didn't. Just so you guys know."

Aaliyah and Hanna were whispering between each other in conference. The play seemed obvious to Audrey: trade their 1.5x bounty chip for Laura's nine points. Evidently though it wasn't so straightforward in their eyes, because when the whispering stopped Hanna strode down to the center to pick up a new box. "Sexual Bonus Points?" she asked, staring uncertainly at the chip she'd unboxed.

"That," Violet explained, "is a chip which will grant Bonus Points for advancing your sexual relationship with your harem master. For the next week, every victory point earned from a sexual act will also earn 100 Bonus Points."

Hanna chewed her lip, clearly unsatisfied with the box she'd chosen. As far as special chips went it wasn't bad; it was clearly a strict positive. Audrey understood the disappointment though. Like Paige, the Jalals still weren't on the board yet; they had zero points so far. Plus, looking at the two of them, she wasn't sure they'd even be able to put the bonus chip to use.

Chloe was in almost the same position as Kaya had been in. Her seven-point chip didn't leave her with any attractive trade options. She could steal Laura's nine point chip, technically, but that was only worth a net two points. The young girl made the choice to open a new box pretty quickly. "Six points," she declared, returning to her dais.

Audrey expected Chloe to do much better this time around. She'd come in last in the first contest, but having taught her Audrey knew that Chloe was quite clever. She'd wanted to recruit her for the philosophy department; Chloe showed promise. The first contest hadn't given her a great opportunity to shine though. It had focused mostly on deception and juicy secrets, neither of which were Chloe's forte. This game was more up her alley.

As Chloe took her place back on her podium, Audrey turned her attention to her own turn. There were two clear options: open a new box, or steal Laura's nine-point chip. The trade would be worth a net five points, which was pretty good. Unfortunately, Audrey would be left with only one chip. She'd be a sitting duck for exactly the kind of trade Riley had pulled off earlier in the round. Paige or the Jalals could hand her a worthless chip and she'd be **** to give them her nine-point chip in turn. So the trade was a non-starter.

Well, she supposed that made things simple then. She walked down to the center of the plaza and picked up the nearest box. She assumed they were randomized, it didn't seem likely that it mattered which one she chose. She pulled the ribbon off, tore open the wrapping, and opened the box. The chip inside was staring back at her with a large '10' on it's face.

Audrey was at first elated. She'd found the best possible chip, although she **** herself to hold onto her poker face. She reached into the box, then stopped short of pulling out the chip. If she took it then she would have a similar problem as she had faced when considering trading with Laura. It would just get stolen.

While having two chips would except her from someone just giving her a bad chip and forcing her to give them her high-value chip in return, she wouldn't be that much better off. Paige, for instance, could take the ten point chip directly and leave Audrey with **** but to take one of her two special chips, both of which were quite bad. Anna could do the same, and while Audrey could choose to take Anna's three-point chip instead of her special chip that would still be a loss of seven points.

Audrey pulled her hand out of the box, leaving the chip behind. A plan was beginning to come together. Her place at the end of the turn order made setting up advantageous trades difficult. Her best path to victory was to consistently avoid trades and build up a large collection of mid-sized chips. Chips big enough to add up to a good score, but too small to be worth stealing. Counter-intuitively, a five-point chip might be better for her here than the ten-point chip she'd opened.

"I'd like to use my re-roll," Audrey said.

Violet nodded. "Go ahead. You may open a second box. Then, you can keep whichever of the two chips you'd prefer."

Audrey set her current box down and picked up the one next to it. This time she unboxed a six-point chip. Perfect. "Six points," Audrey called out.

She returned to her dais, and when she turned around she was greeted by the sight of dozens of servants pouring into the center of the plaza. One of them spirited away the box she'd opened but not chosen while another replaced it with a fresh box.

The servants then each picked up one of the remaining boxes and began to walk around each other, weaving and interlacing in a complicated piece of choreography as they passed their boxes back and forth between one another. Audrey tried to follow the box she knew had the ten-point chip in it but quickly lost track. The servants all stopped at once, clicking their heels together, then placed their boxes back down at their feet before departing.

"That marks the end of the second round," Violet declared. "Chloe and Riley are tied for first. Let's see if they can hang on to their lead."

---

Riley was leading off the third round, but he hadn't quite made up his mind about what to do yet. He didn't have any good trades. There wasn't anyone who he could give his five point chip to for profit. The best he could do would be Natalie, who'd have to give him a seven-point chip in return, but that would only net him two points. Taking someone's chip instead, of giving his five-point chip away, had even worse prospects; they'd just take his eight point chip. The best case there was to take Laura's nine-point chip, which would only net him one point.

What Riley was really considering was whether or not to bank. Assuming the chips were evenly distributed over the range of one through ten, then regardless of the curve the expected value of opening a new box was five and a half points. That meant that as a naive model, ignoring trades and the actual values of the remaining unopened chips, he could expect to gain five and a half points per turn if he just kept opening boxes. If he banked now that would mean he'd spent three turns securing thirteen points; that was below the five and a half points per turn threshold, which suggested banking would only be worth it if he had sixteen and a half points or more.

Ignoring trades wasn't necessarily a smart thing to do though. If he had thirteen points in all one-point chips then opening a new box would be a trivially easy call to make. But he didn't. He had an eight point chip where over half his points were concentrated. Looking at the board, someone like Anna or the Jalals could take it and leave him **** but to take something worth less in return. Anna could make that play on the next turn and he'd go down six points. On average, opening a box and letting her do that would lose him half a point total.

Riley thought it through one more time, then made up his mind. "I'll bank," he declared. It was the safest play.

He flinched as the chips he was holding suddenly shot out of his hand. They flew down to the rim of his podium, half-embedding themselves in the marble. He raised an eyebrow, appreciating the showmanship but wishing Violet had given him a heads up.

It was Anna's turn next and she made the predictable play.

"I'll take the nine points," she said, walking up to Laura.

"Yeah. That figures. What do you have again?" Laura asked. Anna showed her her chips: a two-pointer and the Minor Upgrade chip. "I'll take the two-point chip." She was clearly annoyed at having a second chip stolen from her.

Riley licked his lips nervously while Anna went back to her spot. It was Paige's turn, and he was worried about her. She'd had awful luck unboxing so far. More than that, she'd missed a play last round to trade her zero-point chip for one that was worth something. Looking at her it was obvious to him that she wasn't in a good head-space. She fidgeted nervously with her ponytail and wore a worried expression. In a different type of contest he may have been able to help her. He swallowed, hoping she could work her way through this.

"I'll um, I'll give Chloe my Double Dip chip," Paige said.

She was clearly uncomfortable going after another contestant, but Riley was proud of her. She'd managed to push through her reservations to do what made sense. More than that, it was a fairly clever move. Riley smiled, silently cheering her on.

Chloe handed over her six-point chip after accepting Paige's Double Dip chip. Paige could have chosen to take the seven-point chip from Chloe directly, netting an extra point, but Chloe in turn would have almost certainly chosen to take the Lose 2000 BP chip from Paige, rather than the Double Dip chip. That one point had to be worth getting rid of such a negative effect as Double Dip.

"I'll bank," Kaya said, coming after Chloe. Her chips also flew from her hands to embed in the podium. Banking there didn't make a lot of sense to him. Surely a better play would have been to trade her one-point chip for...well, almost anything.

Natalie was giving Kaya look that implied that she agreed with Riley, but she snapped out of it to take her turn. With only a seven-point chip, the highest value chip left available for trade, Natalie didn't have a lot of options. She stepped down to open a box.

"Two points," she said. Her tone was even but the clipped way she spoke gave away her frustration.

Laura's turn came next, and she stood there with a scrunched up brow. "I know I could trade my one-point chip," she thought aloud, "but what's even the point? I won't be able to keep whatever I trade it for. One of you is just going to take it. Again. I just need more points."

Riley wasn't sure he agreed, but Laura was already on her way to open up a new box.

"Five points," Laura called out. "Not bad I guess. Could have been better, but I'll take it."

She was only one point down from where she would have been had she traded her one-point chip for a seven-point chip, but now her points were less concentrated, so maybe it hadn't been a bad play after all.

Hanna and Aaliyah were up and the two were whispering between themselves again. It didn't last nearly as long as the last time though before Aaliyah stepped down to open up a new box.

Riley frowned. Had they missed their best play? They could give up one of their zero-point chips to Chloe, who in turn would have had to give them her seven-point chip; Chloe's other chip, Double Dip, had already been traded this round and so she couldn't trade it again.

"Eight points," Aaliyah said.

Well shit. That was the second time in a row a sub-optimal play had worked out. Aaliyah and Hanna had earned one more point than they would have if they'd traded and held on to the bonus chip. He shook his head. He was pretty sure they'd just gotten lucky, although without knowing the distribution of chip values he couldn't be sure.

Chloe was second to last and her choice was easy. She picked up a white and blue present with a silver bow and opened it up to reveal a seven-point chip. That was a good find. If she could somehow hang on to both of them she'd be in a strong position, and it was possible that she would given that there was an eight and a nine point chip on the field. People would go for those first, rather than her seven-point chips.

Finally it was Audrey's turn. Her mid-value chips didn't offer her a lot of trade opportunities. Having to use her re-roll so early had definitely not been great for her either. With no other options she went down to open up a bright red package.

"Five points," she called out.

Another middle of the pack chip. Nonetheless she was doing very well in point totals. Riley wondered if he'd have to try and do something about her.

"Another round down," Violet announced. "We're now more than halfway through the available boxes; only eighteen remain! A few of you are starting to break away, but the middle of the pack is a dead heat. This is still anyone's game."

---

Anna was not happy. The only chips she'd managed to open were a two pointer and the stupid Minor Upgrade chip. If she hadn't managed to steal Laura's nine-point chip she wouldn't even be in the game at all. It was seriously unfair.

Riley finished unwrapping his chip. "Six points," he said, holding it up over his head. It wasn't even that good, but it was way better than what Anna was getting.

It was her turn now. She could try and open up something good, but even if she pulled it off someone would just steal her nine-point chip. Hell, she'd probably open up like a two-point chip and go down points for the round.

Of course, if she chose to bank the nine point chip she'd have to bank the Minor Upgrade as well. She scowled.

Whatever. The audience hated her anyways. There was no chance they'd have picked the minor option in the first place. The whole show was rigged against her.

"I'll bank," she said. Anna wasn't about to let someone take the one good chip she'd managed to get her hands on.

Next up was Paige. With some relief Anna noted that their strategy seemed to have payed off. Paige was not holding it together well. Anna did feel bad for the girl, what they'd done to her had been awful, and she deeply regretted that it had been necessary. That was why she was pleased to see that Paige was struggling to play at the top of her game. If Anna had **** a transformation onto Paige for no reason the guilt would have been unbearable.

Paige looked around hopelessly. Anna couldn't see any good trades for her. Well, except for Riley. She could give him her Lose 2000 BP chip and get back the six-point chip that he'd just opened, but she didn't think Paige was cold enough to do that to him.

Anna was proven right as Paige trudged down to open up a new package. She unwrapped her present and look inside looked inside, then closed her eyes and let her head drop.

"Libido Increase," Paige said, barely loud enough to be heard.

"That," Violet interjected, "is another of the special chips. Whoever holds it at the end of the contest will have their sex drive increased."

Paige shuffled back onto her podium, head hung low. There was no fight left in her. Anna didn't feel good about it necessarily, but it looked like Paige was going to be out of the way in the race for victory points.

"Alright," Kaya said, rubbing her hands together. "Let's see what we got." She walked down to the center and picked through a couple different packages before settling on a dark green one with a brown bow. She opened it up and reached in, paused to read the chip, then shot her hand up into the air. "Eight points! Let's go baby!"

Elated, she strode confidently back onto her podium. Must be nice, Anna thought.

Next was Natalie. Things had not been going so well for Trevor's sister, which was another lucky break. Natalie was essentially untouchable in these public contests. Screw her over too hard and Trevor wouldn't be happy, and then you'd lose points. That was what had gotten Anna to start an alliance in the first place. Something had to even the score between the people close to Trevor and the rest of them.

Natalie seemed to be thinking hard about her trades, but if she had one Anna didn't know what it was. The combination of a high and low value chip meant that she couldn't really give a chip away or take one without the other person being able to ruin the deal for her. Finally Natalie gave up and went down to open a new package.

Natalie gave a little smile as she looked into her box. "Nine points," she told them.

Ugh. Everyone could open up good chips but Anna.

Natalie got back to her podium, but Laura was looking right at her.

"Hey," Laura said, walking over. "Um, sorry about this. I'm going to take the nine pointer." Laura offered Natalie a lopsided, apologetic smile.

Natalie sighed. "Alright. I'll take the five point chip."

The girls made the exchange.

"Again," Laura said. "Sorry. It's just, well, you get it. Right?"

"Yeah," Natalie told her. "I get it. You're fine, don't worry about it."

Laura looked genuinely relieved. "Ok, cool. Thanks."

Anna shook her head. What was the use in apologizing? This was the game. Laura hadn't done anything wrong, and Natalie had her feeling bad about it. It was manipulative.

Next up came Aaliyah and Hanna. They'd pulled two of the 'special' chips and while they were both technically bonuses they weren't worth any points. The two talked it over but apparently decided to just do the same thing they did every time and open up a new box. Hanna walked down to do it this go around.

"Five points," she said, holding the chip up.

Well, that wasn't too bad.

Chloe was next. Out of the four people of them she was doing the best. She'd slipped down to fourth, but at the start of the round she'd been in second place. At least someone on the team was doing well.

"Bank," Chloe said simply. Her chips shot down into the ground in front of her.

Anna nodded in respect; Chloe was here to win. Banking her two seven pointers made sense, but Chloe had just banked the Double Dip chip right alongside them. The look on her face was hard. That could not have been an easy call to make.

Up last, Audrey strode down to pick a new package. Anna was starting to really dislike the woman. It was obvious she thought she was smarter than the rest of them.

"Four points," she said flatly.

Yeah, she could really get under Anna's skin.

"The fourth round comes to an end," Violet said. "Things are starting to spread out a little more, but most of you are within a single chip of first place and four of you are within one or less points of your nearest competitor. Only thirteen boxes remain!"

---

Laura was still in it. She could do this. Four points would tie her for third and put her in the top three. Well, not accounting for any points the others would get. But still. She was so close. She just had to hang in there.

"Three points," Riley called out, discarding the packaging he'd just torn through to get to his chip. Natalie had been right. He was doing really well. She'd have to remember that. Maybe he'd be a good person to go to if there was another contest like this one.

Anna was second. She wasn't having a great game, and the sour look on her face proved that she knew it. Laura had heard a lot about Anna from Natalie, and pretty much none of it was good. To hear Natalie tell it the girl was a straight bitch. Laura hadn't really had too much interaction with her, but Kaya didn't seem to like her much either so maybe that wasn't much of a loss. She was probably a Scorpio.

All of Anna's chips were banked so she didn't have much choice to but open up a new box. She tore through the wrapping without much ceremony then breathed a sigh of relief. "Six points," Anna called out. Not bad, that was the first good chip the girl had managed to open.

Next up was Paige. She was in last place, with only a third of the points needed for first place. With so few presents remaining that was going to be hard to make up. Laura felt bad for her. She'd been completely screwed. Given a bonus transformation, then dealt a terrible hand in the contest? It didn't really seem fair.

Laura remembered going up against her in the finals of the last contest. She'd been a good opponent. She'd really over-performed there, so maybe doing poorly in this contest was some kind of karma. Paige seemed nice though. Laura didn't think she needed it.

"Three points," Paige muttered.

Ouch. She really couldn't catch a break.

Kaya walked down to open her own box. She was already top three and only needed four points to tie for first. A good open here could catapult her into the lead.

"Oh you've got to be kidding me," Kaya called out. She showed them a chip with 'Lose 5 VP' emblazoned on it.

"This one is pretty self-explanatory," Violet said. "Whoever holds it at the end of the contest will lose five Victory Points in addition to whatever they earn from their placement."

Laura could see a bunch of other girls doing some math in their heads, trying to found out how screwed they'd be if Kaya gave them the chip. Laura herself had a nice healthy buffer of victory points though, so she was probably fine.

Natalie was fifth, and she too chose to open a new box. Laura still felt a little bad about taking the nine point chip Natalie had opened. She was still doing pretty well without it though, which Laura was happy to see, so that helped.

"Gain 2000 BP," Natalie said, holding up her chip.

"Another fairly self-explanatory chip," Violet said. "I think you get the picture."

Natalie nodded and went back to her dais with pursed lips. She was neck and neck with a bunch of the other girls, so losing out on points kind of sucked even if the chip was technically a bonus.

Laura's turn. Alright. She was pretty much dead in the middle of the pack. If she could open up a good chip she could advance herself pretty far. At the same time though, like two thirds of her points were in the single nine-point chip she held. If somebody took that chip from her she'd be screwed. Laura went back and forth on what to do for a while.

Damn it. She was taking too much time. She had to make her mind up. As much as a new chip would help she really couldn't afford to lose the nine pointer.

"I'll bank," she said, jumping a little as her chips shot out of her hands to embed themselves in her podium.

She really hoped that had been the right call.

After her came Aaliyah and Hanna. They might want to steal Anna's chip. They could give her one of their special chips and get back six points basically for free. It didn't seem like a bad deal to Laura, but instead they chose to roll the dice on a new box.

Hanna chose a pretty red box with Christmas trees on it, opening it up to reveal a chip with 'Gain 5 VP' written on it.

"That's a real score," Violet told them. "Hold onto that chip and you'll gain an extra five Victory Points regardless of how you place."

Good for you Hanna, Laura thought. They were placed pretty low on the scoreboard, but they weren't behind by much. Those extra Victory Points were probably worth it.

Chloe was next. She'd just banked all her chips last round so she couldn't really do anything but open something new. She stepped down to the center and unwrapped a solid green package.

"Three points," she declared flatly.

That was good news for Laura. Chloe was the next person up from her, and only getting three points made her easier to leap frog.

Bringing up the rear was Audrey. She was on fire. She may not have opened anything higher than a six pointer, but she hadn't opened anything worse than a four pointer either. Slow and steady, she was beginning to lock down her position in the top three. Laura didn't see how she was going to be able to beat her.

The same as the rest of her turns Audrey chose to open a new box. She picked the closest present up and unwrapped it.

"Four points," she called out.

Laura was pretty sure the best she could hope for was third at this point. But third wasn't that bad. Immunity to **** transformations was a pretty good consolation prize. Especially for her. She knew that the show would be gunning for her, since she'd been mostly unchanged so far. Laura clenched her hand into a fist, determined. There wasn't much game left to play but she was still in it.

"That ends the fifth round," Violet announced. "With only five boxes remain we're entering the final stretch."

---

Riley was only two points behind Audrey. This was winnable. He wanted immunity so badly he could practically taste it.

Forcing himself to remain calm, Riley reviewed his options. Banking was out of the question. It would lock him out of first, especially seeing as the game was likely to end before his next turn.

The best chip he could take was Aaliyah and Hanna's eight-point chip; then however they'd take his six-point chip in return and he'd only net two points. That wasn't good enough; even a single point for Audrey would break the resulting tie for first.

He could give his three-point chip away. The best trade he had there was to give it to Anna, who would be **** to give him her six-point chip. That would net him three points. It was enough to put him in first so long as either the game ended before Audrey's turn or she unboxed a special chip worth no points. That was a razor thin margin and it probably wasn't good enough either.

The only choice he had left was to open a box. He had no way of knowing which chips were left, but even a four-point chip would give him decent odds of ending up in first place.

Riley stepped down from his dais and selected a pale red package with thin white stripes. Carefully he undid the bow and pulled off the wrapping paper. He opened the box and peeked in.

"Ten points," he called out.

His stomach fluttered. Ten points. That put him at thirty two total points. He looked up at the scoreboard. If he held onto the chip he was pretty much guaranteed to win, but he doubted that he would. Chloe had a single unbanked chip, a three pointer. If he still had the ten pointer when her turn rolled around she'd take it from him. That put him at a virtual score of twenty five. One point ahead of Audrey, and eight points ahead of the current third place.

There were only four boxes left, and seven turns to go before Audrey's. If the game ended before her turn, or if she couldn't find a way to earn a couple more points, the contest was his. He swallowed, trying to get a grip on his nerves.

---

Anna stared at the paltry pile of remaining presents. This game had been a disaster for her so far. She had the worst luck. If she'd actually managed to open something better than a six maybe she'd have done better. As it stood though she was in fifth place with only three chips. Natalie was the only other person with as few chips as her. Meanwhile Riley, who had already been doing well, managed to pull a ten-point chip. She couldn't believe so much hinged on such a stupid game.

Anna stalked over to Riley's dais. "I'll take your ten pointer," she told him.

She caught at twitch at the corner of his mouth and she narrowed her eyes. He couldn't possibly be happy she'd taken it from him, could he? As Riley handed his chip over she tried to study his face, but if that had been a tell then he was hiding it well now. Anna let him take her six-point chip, trying not to scowl.

None of her chips were available to trade anymore so her total was locked in: nineteen point. Somehow she'd managed to crawl her way to third place. At least until the rest of them went.

Anna hoped that she could hold onto her top three finish. Most of the others had gotten lucky; she'd had to fight for her placement. She deserved it.

---

Paige stared up at the scoreboard. Nine points. She'd need at least ten more points to even tie for third. It was time to admit that she'd lost.

Her eyes lingered warily on the four remaining boxes in the center of the plaza. She didn't have any good trades; she'd have to open one. Opening boxes had not been going well for her. Of the four chips she'd unboxed three had been cursed; the best chip she'd opened was only worth three points. Paige didn't have high hopes for this time around either.

Everything was falling apart.

With a heavy heart she began to step down off her dais.

"Wait."

It was Riley. Paige turned to look at him.

He took a deep breath. "Give me the Libido Increase chip."

Paige didn't understand. "What?"

"Trade it to me," he told her. "I'll give you my six-point chip."

She looked at the scoreboard. If he lost six points he'd drop below Audrey. He wouldn't be able to win.

"Riley," she said. "I'm not going to do that to you."

"This is your best bet," he pled. "We don't know what's left in those boxes."

"You're going to win," she insisted. "It doesn't make sense."

"Second place isn't that bad." He gave her a weak smile. "Let me do this for you."

"This is collusion," Anna accused.

Riley balked, staring at Anna incredulously. "It doesn't even effect you."

"It's the principle of the thing," Anna asserted.

Violet folder her arms and glared. "I don't remember there being a rule against players helping each other out. Do you, Anna?"

Anna shut her mouth and Violet nodded to Paige and Riley to continue.

"Riley..." Paige began.

"Please," he told her.

She ran her fingers over her chips, then looked back up at the scoreboard. Nine points. She needed at least four more to even get to eighth place, and that was assuming nobody else's score changed. Riley was right that taking the free six points made sense for her. Could she do that to him though?

Riley was still looking at her, his eyes begging her not to risk it.

Paige sighed. He was a good boyfriend. She walked over to him. Riley gave her a relieved smile but Paige could tell it was bittersweet. She shuffled through her chips, and handed him 'Lose 2000 BP'.

"Paige..." he protested.

She closed his hand over the chip and he fell silent. "If I'm going to let you save me, the least I can do is lower the cost."

He nodded. She took the six point chip he offered her, thankful but guilty. She was up to fifteen points. For Riley's sake she hoped it would be enough.

---

It was sweet the way those two looked out for each other, Kaya thought. She couldn't dwell on it though. She had her own problems.

The 'Lose 5 VP' chip was burning a hole in her pocket. She was currently in fifth place but she was still losing Victory Points. Getting rid of the chip would probably earn her more than trying to improve her placement.

Kaya studied the field, trying to find the best trade. Anna and Laura couldn't trade at all. Riley, Paige, and Chloe would all hand her back a three point chip, while Aaliyah and Hanna would give her one of the special chips worth no points at all. Unfortunately, that meant the most she could get was four points from Audrey.

Four points wasn't the worst thing in the world. It was pretty good actually. She'd go up to twenty points and take third place. Actually, since Audrey would lose four points, Kaya would be tied with her for second. She blinked. Taking second and offloading that stupid chip? Hell of a play.

Kaya walked over to Audrey. "I'm giving you my 'Lose 5 VP' chip," she told her.

Audrey seemed surprised. She looked up at the scoreboard, which listed out each of their chips, and understanding dawned on her.

"Oh. I get it," Audrey begrudgingly admitted. As expected she gave Kaya back a four-point chip, her lowest one.

"No hard feelings?" Kaya asked.

"You're just playing the game," Audrey told her. "I won't hold it against you."

"Appreciate it," Kaya said. Audrey seemed genuine, which was nice. She'd hate to make an enemy.

That said, as Kaya walked back to her podium Anna was not looking pleased with her. She'd just been bumped out of the top three. As far as Kaya was concerned though that was gravy. That'll teach you to lie to me, she thought. She gave Anna a sweet little smile.

Second place. Hell yeah.

---

Natalie focused up. The game was neck and neck. She was just barely managing to stay out of the bottom two and was only five points away from top three. Pretty much any halfway decent chip would secure her a strong finish.

Taking a deep breath, she strode down to the center and chose a box with green and red swirls. She opened it up and pulled out her chip, waiting to see what her fate would be.

Her blood ran cold.

This was bad.

"What does it say?" Violet asked.

"Public Sex Dream," she responded.

"Ah," Violet said. "That's a fun little chip. The next time you have an erotic dream, the rest of the harem will view it with you. They won't be able to participate in the dream, but they'll witness it sort of like a movie. Assuming they're asleep at the time, of course."

Natalie's mouth was completely dry as she walked back to her dais. First of all, she was now at the mercy of Laura, Hanna, and Aaliyah. She was only one point above eighth place and two points above ninth. If they scored more than that on their turns she'd finish in the bottom two.

Far more importantly though, this chip was a nightmare for her. Almost literally. Masturbating before bed meant that she almost never had erotic dreams, but if she did...

Natalie shivered. This was not good.

---

Laura stepped down off her dais. All her chips were banked so she really didn't have an option but to open a present and cross her fingers. There were only three left.

She was in last place, but most of the other girls had already gone and she wasn't down by that many points. She had a good shot of pulling herself out of this.

She studied the first present: beige with little red reindeer prancing around on it. She didn't trust it.

The second one was white with red polka dots. Even as a little girl she'd hated polka dots.

The third present was matte blue with holographic pictures of Santa Claus. She scrunched up her nose. It would have to do.

Laura tugged the bow loose and unwrapped the box. She licked her lips, then stuck her hand in and pulled out the chip. Four points.

"Four points!" she shouted, hopping up and down.

She stopped, looking back at Hanna and Natalie. Her friends were in the bottom two slots now.

"Sorry," she said, composing herself.

"It's fine," Natalie told her. "Congrats."

Laura kept her head down as she walked back to her dais. Stupid. She always did this. She could get so caught up in games. She looked up at Hanna who was staring at the remaining two boxes with a serious expression. Laura hoped that she hadn't hurt her feelings. She really wanted Hanna to like her.

---

Hanna licked her lips. They were in last place. One of the two remaining boxes might hold the key to getting them out of it.

"I'll open this time," she told her mom, eyes fixed forward.

Hanna took a step off the dais, but her mom's hand fell on her shoulder, stopping her.

"Wait," her mom said. "I have an idea."

Hanna turned back around.

"Kaya's four-point chip was traded earlier this round, yes?" her mom asked in a hushed voice.

Hanna nodded. "Yeah, she got it from Audrey."

"And her seven-point chip and her one-point chip are banked."

It clicked. "She can only trade her eight-point chip," Hanna whispered.

Her mom nodded. "We can give her one of the worthless chips, and she'll have to give us back the eight-point chip."

"Mom, that's brilliant." Hanna paused. She looked up at the scoreboard and frowned. If Kaya lost eight points she'd be knocked from third all the way to the bottom.

Her mom must have seen her concern. "This is the game," she told Hanna gently.

Hanna nodded slowly, but she didn't want to do this to Kaya. The two weren't very close, but she'd invited Hanna on that hike. She'd reached out. This felt like a pretty shitty way to return the favor.

"I'll do it," her mom told her. She gave Hanna's shoulder a squeeze then walked over to Kaya.

Hanna watched, miserable, but knowing her mom was right. This was the game. What were they supposed to do? Lose on purpose?

"We give you this," Aaliyah said, holding out the '1.5x Bounty' chip.

Kaya took it uncertainly, and then her eyes went wide as she looked down at her own chips and realized the position she was in.

"Oh," Kaya said. "Shit."

"We are sorry to have to do this to you," Aaliyah told her, holding out her hand.

"Guess I should have been more careful," Kaya answered solemnly. "No worries."

Kaya handed over the only chip she could, and Aaliyah walked back over to Hanna with their new eight points. Their position on the scoreboard catapulted all the way up to second place, while Kaya's sunk like a stone.

---

Chloe was in fifth. In the grand scheme of things that wasn't so bad. Compared to coming in last it was a real upgrade. Barring a complete disaster, she was going to walk out of this contest in one piece.

Chloe briefly considered just banking. Audrey and Riley would open the last two boxes and end the game without her having to risk a 'special' chip.

She had no margin for error though. She was at exactly zero Victory Points. The padding provided by placing even a little higher would come in handy during the third contest, to say nothing of the immunities she could earn if she got lucky and broke into the top three. She was only three points away from that. She'd be kicking herself if she saw what was in those boxes and found out she could have made it.

Her mind was made up but Chloe was still nervous as she strode down to the center of the plaza. Of the two remaining boxes Chloe chose the beige one. The bow fell to the ground as she unwrapped it. Chloe opened it up and peered inside.

"Six points," she declared. Shocked, she spoke the words dispassionately. Chloe picked up the chip, then looked up at the scoreboard. Her name was at the top. Six points. She was in first.

Chloe strode back to her dais then turned to stare at the last present. If she could just hold her place she would have complete immunity to transformations. She'd skip an entire round of changing. Her nerves were on fire as Audrey walked off her own podium to open the final box and decide their fate.

---

There was nothing else to do. Audrey was in fourth place with no trades worth making. It all came down to the final box.

She picked it up, white with red polka dots and a big blue bow. Silently she undid the bow and pulled off the wrapping paper, letting them fall crumpled at her feet. She closed her eyes and reached into the box, pulling out the chip by feel.

She looked.

"Four points," she read.

It was enough.

Her eyes snapped up to the scoreboard where her name floated from fourth place all the way to the top. She'd done it. She'd won. She was in first place.

Audrey let out a little laugh as her chips, along with everyone else's, began to dissolve into smoke. She'd won!

"Congratulations," Violet called out, "to our first place finisher: Doctor Audrey Friedman!"