Gil sighed as he got up and went to stand before the collection of authors. “Alright folks, our secret tunnels map has finally been created thanks to Giana. She’s been a master at making these!” he smiled before setting a lengthy board up onto the stand and gesturing to it. On it was everything from layout, labeled rooms to the tunnels with their routes and locations.

Applause echoed through the room as everyone lifted their hands to show Giana their participation in the tradition.

She smiled.“Aww, thank you, all of you! It wasn’t that difficult though, except for the spider I found in one of the passageways on the ceiling—”

“A spider?!” Nicole squeaked.

Giana nodded.

“Yup, okay, how big?”

“About my—” Giana looked down at her palm, then looked up to Nicole, hand’s size?”

Nicole blinked. “I’m not using that passageway ever again.”

“Well I lost the spider so who knows where he is—”

“You didn’t kill it?!”

“What was I going to do! Squish it with my hand?!”

“I don’t know!”

“Stab it!” Kaitlin chirped, leaning forward in her seat to get in the space between the two. “Stabbing is a very good way to rid of spiders.”

“And then Kylie says her knives are props,” Nicole murmured before she pointed to the sisters. “How do you stab with a prop—”

Gil cleared his throat. “So, for legal reasons, I have to educate you all on the trickery tricks of the entrances.” He extended a pointer stick, then put on glasses and a tie just to adjust them.

“Where did you even get all those?” Nicole questioned, turning her pointing to Gil.

“The store and the internet.” Gil shrugged, then pointed the stick to the map. “First, there is an exit and entrance opening right outside of this meeting room as you all know. This one connects to all the other offices.”

“Is Megan’s connected?” Kylie asked with a shaky smile.

Gil nodded. “Yes, even hers.”

“To all the tunnels?”

“Yuppers.”

“And the connections to all the rooms merge at one point?”

“Yes.”

Kylie gulped. “So she has tunnel access to all our rooms?”

Gil opened his mouth, then looked to the map, hurriedly tracing one of the routes— “Oh dear.”

Megan cackled. “None of you noticed?!”

“NO!” the others in the room screamed in a mix of squeaks, voice cracks, and overall trembling.

“Well, maybe there’s a reason!” she giggled. “Maybe I keep an eye on if you’re writing or lying. Or maybe I just lay in wait for when I hear a cue to go and scream at you.”

There was silence in the room.

“Gil. Gil, can we block off a passageway?” Nicole asked in a hushed voice as if Megan’s ears weren’t just as sharp as her screams.

“No. Not one of Megan’s. Who knows what she’ll do,” Gil hissed in a whisper back.

Nicole groaned and dropped her face onto the table as her arms reached out. “We’re doomed.”

“Oh don’t be so sad! You’re only doomed if you don’t write!” Megan waved a hand.

The room tried to hide groans and cries.

Nicole Soto "Do it for the Fame!" A Contemporary/Semi-Dystopian novel touching on revenge and Corruption. Following Emeric through his fight with the Game Show Empire of Fame! Written Californian Author, Nicole Soto, we all are sad because it is... NOT YET RELEASED! Click ​HERE​ to read more about Nicole!

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