Reap by James Frey

Author:James Frey
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Publisher: HarperCollins
Published: 2016-04-11T04:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER SIX

“Harappan, Nabataean, Donghu, Sumerian, Shang, Olmec. We’ve killed half of them,” I said. “The rest are all out there, waiting for whatever is supposed to happen at a Calling.”

We were still in the café, the place still heavy with anger and the smell of blood and gun smoke. Through the big glass windows, we could see the six remaining Players. A few were looking in our direction. They must have heard the gun.

But, instead of coming toward us, they all moved toward the sunburst, forming a circle around it. I moved to the window and opened it, hoping I could hear what was happening.

“So this is it?” the Sumerian asked. He was a short kid, maybe 16. He wore a red tunic and pants that reminded me of the clothes I’d seen people wear in martial arts classes. In fact, almost everyone appeared to be in fighting clothes, as if this were the Olympic judo trials. Most of them appeared to have a weapon of some kind—concealed, so as not to draw attention, but I knew what I was looking for.

There were four boys: the Sumerian, the Harappan, the Shang, and the Nabataean. The Olmec and the Donghu were girls. The Donghu was bouncing from foot to foot as if she were preparing for a boxing match. The Olmec was gorgeous—a tall, tanned girl with long, black, curly hair. She looked about my age—19, maybe.

She had a confused and angry look on her face.

“Who is that?” she said, speaking to the other five Players but pointing over at our café. She had virtually no accent. “The girl who just went into the restaurant. Who is that?”

“What are you talking about?” the Nabataean asked. He had a low voice, and he spoke perfect English, but with a British accent, and he stood as still as a tree, his arms folded. “This is about us.”

“Have you noticed there are only six of us here?” the Olmec said. “That girl who just went into the café was in Mexico. She was there right before the sign from Huitzilopochtli. The explosion.”

“Someone has already started Playing,” the Harappan said calmly. “And I don’t think that it’s Player versus Player. I think someone—one of you—has brought assassins from your line. They’re watching right now. Maybe they have us in their crosshairs. This is not in the rules. The Makers are watching us, and they know who is a Player and who is not. They will not tolerate cheating.”

“I didn’t do this,” the Shang said. “I don’t need help to defeat the rest of you.”

“Perhaps should go see who in the café,” the Donghu said in broken English.

“Perhaps you should,” the Harappan said.

The Olmec girl pulled an obsidian knife from her belt. “One of you is lying. But it won’t help you win. Let’s get this started.”

“Do we wait for another sign?” the Shang said. “Or has the game begun?”

The Harappan spoke. “Someone thinks the game has begun. I do not know what the Makers will rule about this breach, but I do know that you will not need to wait long.

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