Grow a Damn Spine!

Kaitlyn Peterson

"Lauren, please!" Kaitlyn shouted as she ran down the halls to catch up with her sister.

"Leave me alone!" she spat back, increasing her pace.

"I didn't mean to hurt you!" Kaitlyn hollered, trying with all her might to hold back a sob.

Lauren stopped dead in her tracks as she let out a hollow laugh. "You didn't mean to hurt me?" she repeated. "Are you stupid?! What the hell did you think was going to happen?!"

Kaitlyn stopped a few feet from her sister. "Just listen to me! Last night, you said you wouldn't even try to get points. I just wanted to help."

"Help? What the hell were you thinking?" the goth asked, giving an intense glare that made Kaitlyn flinch.

"It's just, I was watching Elena's score. She went from last place to first in just a few hours," Kaitlyn tried to explain, praying that her twin would understand. "And she didn't even need to sleep with him!" she added. "I thought you could get enough points to be safe if you went up there tonight."

Lauren averted her eyes. "You had no right to make that decision for me," she muttered.

Kaitlyn couldn't suppress the new onslaught of tears. "I- I know! I'm sorry! But I didn't know what else to do!"

Kaitlyn took a few steps and took her sister's hand. "I'm so worried about you and-"

Lauren's eyes flared up into rage. She slapped Kaitlyn's hands out of hers as angry tears flowed.

"Don't touch me you TRAITOR! You're not my sister! I never want to see you again!"

"W-wha-"

"JUST GO OFF AND DIE!"

Kaitlyn's heart practically stopped, her whole mind and body frozen in shock.

Lauren turned and ran away down the halls, tears streaking behind her.

"I- I-" Kaitlyn stammered, unsure how to process any of this. She fell to her knees, tears streaming silently from her face.

---

Olivia Booker

Levi sat alone on a bench outside the library, feeling stressed out. He knew he shouldn't be hiding and was being selfish. His brain was telling him to go out and find the others, but it was already taking a lot of willpower to not retreat to the safety of his tower.

It was in this sorry state that Olivia found him.

"Oh, so you're the grand master himself," she spoke, breaking him from his thoughts.

"Oh, hello Ms Boo... I mean Olivia," he said, swapping out the choice of name, not wanting to be reminded of the bully who shared her last name. "C-can I help you?"

Olivia gave an uncharacteristically warm smile. "I figured that we should actually meet each other. You're kind of a big deal."

"Oh, yeah, that makes sense," he responded, only now realizing that they had never actually spoke. "It's- uh- good to meet you," he said, awkwardly averting his gaze.

"Something troubling you?" Olivia asked in an unusually perky voice.

"I... it's just...I'm sorry I got you involved in all this," Levi apologized, bowing his head slightly in shame.

Olivia's smile widened as her tone grew even more sickeningly sweet.

"Yup, you should be. It is your fault, and we all hate you."

Levi looked up at Olivia in surprise. "What?"

Olivia's fake smile instantly faded as her voice returned to normal. "Oh, is that not what you wanted to hear? I thought you'd be ecstatic to get more fuel for your pity party."

"That's not what I want," he said.

Olivia ignored him. "It feels good, doesn't it? Finding excuses to feel helpless and avoid responsibility."

"I'm not avoiding it," Levi argued. "I know everyone is counting on me. I just need some time to adjust. I'm under a lot of pressure."

Something in Olivia snapped, as primal rage filled her entire being. "You?! You think YOU are under a lot of pressure?!" she shouted. "Oh, for fuck sake!"

She yanked Levi by the arm and jerked him off of his seat, making him stumble onto his knees.

"What are you doing?!" he cried in alarm.

Olivia didn't answer. She grabbed him by the back of the shirt and dragged him towards a nearby door.

"Fuck, you shouldn't feel this heavy. You wanna know why you are?! Because, while you were sulking in your mansion, I lost five years of training overnight! So don't you fucking dare complain!"

She slammed the door open and instinctively tried to throw him in. Yet, when her lack of muscles thwarted that, she hauled him a few more feet and dropped him like a sack of potatoes.

Levi looked up, terrified, as Olivia towered over him. "Get away! You'll lose points if you hurt me!" he cried in panic, his body going into fight-or-flight mode.

"Oh, so now you care about our scores?!"

"I never said I didn't! I just-"

Olivia lifted a hand to stop him. "Whatever limp dick excuse you're about to give, I don't care! Do you think you're some kind of trauma victim because your parents split and some teenagers are jerks to you? You don't know the first thing about suffering!"

"I-"

"Have you considered that none of us want to be here?! Of course, we don't! Yet, right now, the other chicks are wracking their brains on how to get in your pants. Even the ones who fucking despise you, and you want to know why?! Because contrary to whatever your fragile little ego says, this isn't about you! They're fighting for their lives!"

Unable to find the words, Levi instinctively fell to his default habit of asking for forgiveness. "I- I'm sorry."

This only pissed off Olivia more. "Stop apologizing! If you want to redeem yourself, then grow a pair, stop being such a pussy, and take some FUCKING RESPONSIBILITY!"

Repeatedly Insulted the Master: -6 VP

Harsh Truths: +6 VP

Levi gaped up at her, unsure how to react or even feel. Many people had insulted and ridiculed him throughout his life, but this felt different. Hearing her completely demolish his self-pity and selfishness was almost cathartic.

Because he knew she was right.

Azures words played back in his head. 'You've spent your whole life feeling worthless, but now you have a chance to give seven innocent women a chance for a semi-normal life, and being asked to sacrifice nothing in exchange.'

"Ok," he said simply.

"Say it back to me," Olivia ordered, ensuring Levi understood.

"What?"

"SAY IT!"

He took a deep breath. "I-I'll take responsibility."

"LOUDER," Olivia bellowed.

"I'LL TAKE RESPONSIBILITY!" he yelled, his voice breaking.

Olivia crossed her arms as she let herself fall into the nearest chair. "Fucking right, you will!"

---

Ji-Woo Summers

"So, we're all unanimously agreeing on the pool event, yes?" Ji-Woo asked the remaining meeting participants.

"Totes!" Tomoko nodded.

"Sounds good," Sophia agreed.

The three looked over to Elena, awaiting her response. She began to rub her arm awkwardly. "Actually, I just realized something. Can we change the time to be at night?"

Ji-Woo raised an eyebrow. "Why?"

Elena fidgeted in her seat, her discomfort growing. "It's just... I wouldn't be able to wear a gown in the pool, and.... uh..."

Tomoko pointed at her. "Oh yeah! Azure made it so durin' the day ya think everyone can see your tits if ya ain't wearing one," she communicated with the tact of a bull in a china shop.

Elena blushed. "I mean, that and... everything else."

Ji-Woo couldn't help but clench her fist in irritation. As a project manager, nothing irritated her more than a last-minute pivot seconds away from reaching a decision.

She took a deep breath and said, "Regardless, nighttime will not work. Remember Mr. Summers has his 'date' at that time."

Elena slumped in her chair, dejected. "Damn, you're right."

"You're gunna have to get used to this at some point," Tomoko offered. "May as well just bite the bullet."

"I know. It's just... I know logically it's only a feeling implanted in my head. But it's like it's been supercharged and won't go away. I don't know how long it will take to get a handle on it.

"If you're just worried about today, why don't you just use the Stargazing One-Shot," Sophia asked as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. She then observed everyone giving her the familiar look of having no idea what she was talking about.

"Wuzzat?" Tomoko asked.

"It's one of the cards available at the shop," Elena explained. "It turns the sky to a romantic star-filled night for a few hours. Though, now that I think of it, it cost 10 BP, so it's probably not worth it."

"How do you know that off-hand?" Elena inquired, impressed.

Sophia waved her hand dismissively. "Oh, I bought a purchase catalog. It lets me go through the options way more quickly. Plus, you can search without Jezebel hitting on you."

"Would you mind if I took a look at this catalog?" Ji-Woo asked, suddenly very interested in this bespectacled girl.

"Uh, sure," she replied. "Just make sure to-"

However, Sophia was interrupted by Kaitlyn, who slammed the greenhouse open before walking to the group briskly. Her eyes were red, and face was still wet with tears. Yet her expression was totally blank, not dissimilar to Alison's.

"What did you decide?" She asked, her voice hoarse but otherwise emotionless.

Elena spoke first. "Uh, we were going to start with the pool party at one o'clock, and then-"

Kaitlyn cut her off. "Has Levi agreed?"

"We haven't asked-" Tomoko started.

"I'll do it!" Kaitlyn declared.

Ji-Woo shifted in her chair to better face the cheerleader. "Actually, we were planning for Elena to-"

"I said I'll do it!" Kaitlyn repeated. It wasn't a request or even a demand. It was an absolute statement, clearly not open to discussion.

"Uh, well, in that case-" Ji-Woo started, but Kaitlyn had already turned her back on them, marching towards the exit.

---

Olivia Booker

There was a long silence as neither Levi or Olivia moved. She was finally starting to feel her anger fade, and without her blinding levels of rage to distract her, she began to take in her surroundings.

The chess set looked antique, with each piece sculpted from marble or ebony. On the other side of the room was a large shelf filled with other games, some ancient looking, such as a worn down go set, and others as modern as Settlers of Catan. She also noticed a tea set on the opposite table, steam gently wafting from the top.

As her eyes drifted across the room, they settled back onto Levi, who was still stationary. He was staring at her, a spark of determination on his face. Her eyes casually drifted down to find something surprising...

His pants were tented.

Scaroused the Master: +3 VP

Levi, noticing her glimpsing between his legs, also looked down to discover his boner, not having even realized it happened. Turning slightly, he felt an urge to apologize but stopped himself, trying to keep what she told him in mind.

'Might as well get it over with,' Olivia thought to herself.

Sighing, she asked, "Do you want me to beat you off?"

Levi's eyes widened. "W-what?" he asked in disbelief. She had asked it as casually as one would request to use another person's phone charger.

"I want to test if you really took my words to heart. Do I have consent to beat you off?"

Levi was at a loss. After the total verbal beatdown she had delivered him, it felt surreal to hear her asking for his permission.

"You're asking for my approval?" he asked.

Olivia released an exasperated sigh, making Levi fear she was about to rant at him again. "Obviously, I am. I'm not going to just take you against your will?! I'm not a-"

She stopped mid-sentence, taking a deep breath. "Whatever," she said to herself, getting to her feet. "I've given you enough to chew on. Come find me again when you're-"

"Ok," Levi interrupted. "Go ahead."

Olivia did a double take. His head snapped towards Levi in surprise, not expecting Levi to actually accept.

"Are you sure?" She asked skeptically. "You're not just scared I'll break your neck if you don't, right?"

He slowly nodded, ignoring the mental image of Olivia snapping his spine.

Olivia massaged the back of her head, letting herself have a moment to think. Finally, she gave him an order. "Then get in position. Assuming you know how."

Levi nodded, his heart pounding fast and loud enough to hear in his ears. He got off the floor and onto one of the other chairs in the room. After sitting, there was another pause, as he was unsure what came next.

Olivia tapped her foot impatiently. "Well?!"

"Uh, what?"

"You expect me to passionately undress you?" she asked sarcastically. "Take off your fucking pants."

"R-right!" he stammered, unzipping his fly. His heart was going so fast that it might explode. With all the willpower he could muster, he tugged his pants to his ankles. However, he froze when he reached to pull down his boxers.

Azure's words rang in his head again. 'What you need to decide is what you do from here. Do you want to condemn them to an eternity of suffering?'

"No," he whispered to himself.

'Then stop abandoning them,' the memory of Azure concluded.

Nodding and closing his eyes, he yanked his underwear down.

BONUS: First to See the Masters Dick: + 5 VP

---

BONUS IMAGE