Chapter 1
A risky challenge always entwined with romance, the Last Dare game came with dire consequences - something Cassy knew all too well.
Seated in her parked car in the afternoon sun, she drummed her perfectly manicured fingers on the steering wheel.
Her piercing blue eyes, framed by quality artificial lashes, were fixed on the abandoned shed, fashioned from an old truck, a few yards off the road on the outskirts of San Jonas.
Her blonde hair, styled in loose waves, caught the sunlight as she glanced around, her expression a mix of determination and curiosity.
Yes, this was the place. This was the Spiritualist's home she once encountered - a quiet travel route on the expressway, the only neighboring structures a gas station, an ATM stand, a call booth, and an average standard motel nearby.
The shed she once encountered, was weather-beaten with rusted panels and a faint outline of its former purpose. A sense of eerie familiarity washed over her as she recalled the rustic charm of the Spiritualist's abode-a makeshift haven adorned with a weathered wooden sign proclaiming 'Know Thy Future.'
It was still there but broken down and leaning against the wall with some windows shattered and overgrown with ivy.
The shed carried an air of mystery and intrigue.
She knew Inara and Zee burned the book, but she still wondered if by some unexplainable chance, it was still around there somewhere.
After experiencing firsthand a taste of the game's consequences, her mind was open to strange possibilities.
Also, after her experience, this was the last place she should be, but once again, perhaps stronger than ever, her desire to marry a handsome billionaire just like Inara and Zee had resurfaced.
She stepped out of the car, her heart pounding, her stylish mid block heel sandals crunching against the gravel.
It had been almost nine months since her last encounter here, and she could clearly recall what had happened-how Violet May, the Spiritualist, had freed herself from the clutches of the game.
Cassandra had almost become the new diviner because of this same desire of hers. She had even lost her cousin and a hired thug in the process. She knew she shouldn't be here, but passion drove her action.
Her desired man was out there for her. All she had to do was pay the price.
She checked the spot where Inara and Zee had burnt the book but saw no evidence of such action. Her heart still pounded. Perhaps the rains had washed everything away.
She approached the porch. The wooden porch stairs creaked under her weight as she climbed up to the door.
The door was stiff from lack of use, but a push with more energy opened it. The air inside was not so stale, thanks to some broken windows.
Cobwebs hung in corners and across the ceiling. She wished she had worn a face mask.It didn't look like the place had been vandalized. It seemed like most people stayed clear of anything tied to the supernatural.
Her eyes were drawn to the table where Violet May had once attended to her, and her feet followed.
Among the things strewn across the table was the ancient book, its title reading Shadow of Joy. She proceeded to flip through the brownish pages. She caught sight of different game titles. She stopped at the title that read The Last Dare. This was it.
She let her eyes study the page concerning the game. It read-
The Last Dare
A game of the heart with romantic ties.
A challenge, a test of the heart. To win the game is to perform the dare and secure one's deepest desire, but to fail is to forfeit one's future.
The rules are simple:
1. Engage with the target - without revealing your true intentions or the nature of the dare.
2. Perform your dare.
Consequences:
Success: There are no guarantees. It is not a game of coercion. If the target connects with you, your desire will be fulfilled.
You will be free from the game only after performing your dare.
If you cheat the game, it will find you again because you're its debtor and you must pay.
Failure: If you do not perform the dare, you will rapidly age at unexpected times, randomly until the final transformation will occur, and you will die.
---
Two ways to play:
1. With another person.
Here, you both must give each other a dare.
Chant:
Before beginning the dare, your fingers must be pricked, the sharp sting of the needle a reminder of the seriousness of the pact. Blood wells up, warm and crimson. Your pricked fingers are pressed together, the blood mingling to signify a bond and seal the oath.
Then, recite the following chant to seal the pact:
"With our blood, we do perform the last dare. We seal an oath to perform the dare we give each other, and we agree that the dare will not be one that drives the other to take a life."
2. With the game
No blood required.
Chant: The last dare (3x). I recognize the power of you. I choose to perform any dare given to me with respect to the heart, trusting that there will be no dare that will force me to take a life.
---
Warning: The Last Dare is a game of the heart and spirit. It cannot be forced or manipulated without dire consequences. Approach with sincerity, or suffer the fate of those who have failed before you.
***
Cassy paused to think. Where had the game come from? She vaguely remembered Violet May saying the place belonged to a coven of witches.
She flipped the book to the first page and saw a blank page with just the words:
"The sorcerer from the east coven."
This was dark. Maybe she needed to back out. Her phone rang, startling her. She recognized her father's ringtone and picked it up.
"Dad?"
"Cassandra Blake."
Cassy immediately knew there was trouble as he called her full name.
"Dad, is everything alright?"
"There's trouble. You have to come home now." His voice was urgent.
Cassandra was torn between doing the dare and going home at once to find out what was happening.
"Is something wrong at home?"
"No, but it's...bad for you. Please get home now." He ended the call.
Reluctantly, Cassy stepped away from the book. Perhaps, she might return and find out what it had in store for her.
For now, she would rush home and find out what was awaiting her there. Exiting the place, she shut the door and made her way home, driving through the less busy expressway bordered mostly by tall trees and interwoven vines, the sunlight dancing on the windshield.
But even as she made her way home from the daunting scene, the thought of marrying a billonaire still occupied her mind. The qo will be the man? how will she meet him? And most importantly, how soon?
nice story