Zenon's Game Chapter 222

We raced over sand chasing a clear blue sky on the horizon. Eternally impossible to reach.

I saw Zenon on his quad bike at the top of a dune. His shape created a long shadow in the sand. I saw him slow down and turn his head towards my bike.

Then he drove fast down towards me. He swerved so we were driving in parallel and called out, "Do you know where the break is?"

"Why do you always think I can't drive?" I called out back, hitting the bike's limit.

"Because you can't!" Zenon yelled back.

The wind whipped against my ears, making it hard to hear. Without realizing, we found ourselves at the front of the competition.

We were going downhill now.

"Don't press the front brake hard or you'll flip over," Zenon called out.

OK, I'll admit I didn't know that.

My hands were vibrating over the handles as we drove so fast down it.

I very slowly pressed the brakes, turning my quad bike a little to create more friction.

"Brake in a straight line!" he yelled out, "Or you'll skid."

OK, I didn't know that either.

I pushed my body backwards to balance out the weight on the bike.

We crossed the finish line within seconds of Bryce, Oma and Axel. Bryce stood up on his bike and yelled out victory.

Zenon took his helmet off and came directly towards me, "Did you know where the break was?"

"Yes! It's here," I pointed at what I seriously hoped was the brake.

I like it when he's scared for me. He gets angry like this and I think it's adorable. Obviously, I would never tell him that.

Zenon helped take my helmet off, "You're crazy, Candy."

"You were right there with me!"

He smirked, "At least we now agree on who's the good driver."

My hair tumbled out of its squished ponytail. I grabbed my hairband before it fell. I saw his eyes flicker to my hair before locking with my eyes again.

"Quad bikes don't count," I argued, "I'm still a good driver of actual cars."

"Are you? Name one time you-"

"I saved a raccoon!"

He paused and looked down at the sand. "I should've seen that one coming."

The instructor held Oma's camera in his hand.

Our bikes were lined up, side by side with a backdrop of a sand dune behind us. I was standing on the back of Zenon's bike, pressing one hand down on his shoulder for stability. The other hand was raised in a peace sign. Cynthia was beside me, doing the same behind Axel.

"Smile for the camera!"

And that was it. We quad biked over sand dunes on new year's eve.

The ride back was long but nice. I sat in the back of the van with Zenon and had my head resting on his shoulder. We were dirty from the sand but that didn't bother me anymore. My hand was lazily resting on his knee and his hand was over mine. His head rested on mine and his beautiful blue eyes were closed.

"Zenon, what's your playlist?" Bryce called out from the front of the van.

Zenon opened his eyes and spoke in a low voice, "Let Candace pick."

"Me?" I asked, as if there was another Candace here.

Zenon handed me his phone to choose the next song. It was already connected via Bluetooth to the stereo.

"Choose anything," Zenon told me, "Don't think about what they want to listen to."

DJ's are under such pressure to bring the mood. I clicked the search bar and typed in a song. After a few seconds, it started to play.

Sun-EL Musician - Sonini feat. Simmy & Lelo Kamau

We arrived back at Bryce's villa in the mid-afternoon. We were dusty and dirty, but there was palpable excitement in the air. A morning in the desert had rejuvenated us and we were excited for where the evening would take us.

This was New Year's Eve and it had started off incredibly.

I entered the villa hungry. I wanted to take a shower and a nap and all my needs dissolved when I saw her...

Bianca was standing in a sundress in the middle of the entryway.

Like a horror movie.

"Welcome back," she greeted us, "I think it's time we all have a little chat."

The front door closed behind us.

I whispered, "Does she want to kill us?"

Horror movies often take place in a large empty house. Dusk is setting over the horizon as the clock ticks later. Suspense builds in the uncertainty and the victims question their loyalties.

"She's going to kill us," I whispered.

"There's a crazy look in her eyes," Cynthia whispered back.

We edged further into the entryway and the front door slammed shut behind us. I jumped, and kept my eyes trained on Bianca.

"Do you two want to direct this scene or can I take my shower?" Zenon asked us, not participating in our melodrama.

While we were weary after a long morning out, Bianca had spent all this time preparing. She had a motive and she stood eerily still in a sundress.

The blackmailer. Right?

"Welcome back," she greeted us, "I think it's time we all had a little chat."

"Ooh noo thank you," I tried to exit out the front door we just walked in.

Zenon rested his hand on my elbow, "I'll walk you to your room."

"My hero," I said sarcastically.

"Why are you standing in darkness?" Oma asked, flicking on the light switch.

"I didn't know where the switch was," she answered.

As part of our 'punishment' for ruining dinner last night, Bryce's dad had told none of the staff to come to work today. Which meant that we had to do things ourselves like... turn on the lights.

"Let's regroup in the living room in twenty," Axel suggested, seeing that Zenon and I were already halfway out the hallway.

~20mins later~