"Blair? You doing alright?"
Blair lay in her bed. She was aware that her mother called out to her, like she did so many other days, but she couldn't bring herself to do anything. She'd wake up, get dressed, go to school, go back, lay on her bed until she fell asleep, repeat. Ever since Alison died, that's been her life. She couldn't even bring herself to do any homework or studying. Not that any of her teachers called her out on it, even the hardasses. If she were to guess, they were under special instructions not to punish anyone in the games. Even if they never mentioned them in the building.
Her mom walked in anyway, leaving her breakfast on her desk next to her. It was toast and marmalade, the only thing she could bring herself to eat in the mornings. Then it was fruit for lunch. This looked like the start of some kind of eating disorder, but she couldn't stop herself.
"Bus in half an hour." Was all her mom said, taking yesterday's plate and walking out.
Blair finally rolled out of bed. Her legs didn't register it was time to wake up yet, so she faceplanted onto the wood floor. But that told her body it was time to move, and she didn't have any issues afterwards.
She looked in the mirror. Her hair was unkempt and could probably do with a cut, that she wasn't interested in getting. Her clothes weren't changed in about three days, and she probably went blind to the smell. So she changed, showered, did everything you were supposed to. She had a few more minutes, so she needed to test something. She placed her sketchbook on her dresser, raising her hand to the bird on the page. It came to life, it's inky mass flying in front of her. She flicked her wrist to her left, and the bird followed. She began moving both hands, guiding the bird around, which it did without fail. The only issue came from the bird knocking over an old lamp onto the ground, where the bulb inside it broke. But the bird itself was fine, like nothing ever happened. Just kept on flying. It was admirable. Blair guided the bird back onto it's page, slamming it back into place.
But now Blair had to test something. She quickly sketched out a knife. A really sharp one, with a handle that looked like it'd fit right into her hands. She raised her hand, and the knife was on top of the page. She grabbed it, holding the inky knife for a few moments. It was completely real looking. She drove it into the side of her dresser, and it cut into it. She dragged it downwards, and the knife left a mark. She slapped it back into place, and it thankfully didn't leave a mark. Now she knew that if she had to, she'd have the means to defend herself in a close quarters situation. She'd probably draw some more stuff later, but now she had to go to school.
School was normal. Nobody really talked to her. A lot of her peers were scared off by Alison, and her…interesting discussions on which fictional boys were hottest, her drawings of said fictional boys, and her occasional drawings of the actual boys in her school, which almost got her kicked out several times. And even after she was killed, nobody thought to talk to her that much. So on her own she looked. Looked for anything resembling an ally in the future games. Seeing as the tonight's game would have everyone involved, it was important that she had at least one person to rely on. So her options were the following:
Leon: On one hand, he just lost his main ally, Allan. On the other hand, he was willing to ally with Allan, so who knew what he'd do to get ahead.
Next option, Elijah and Valerie: Knew their way through a fight before the games, but they tended to stay out of everyone else's way.
Tedros, Mateo, Terrence, and Ines: Strength in numbers, but they might have enough. Also, the three guys are probably stuck protecting Ines, and Blair wasn't sure she had it in her to protect her. Besides, in a worst case scenario, she's definitely the easiest to sacrifice.
Ulysses, Gabriella, and Latrell: They also stick to themselves, but they have a habit of splitting up whenever challenges start, and don't seem loyal to each other. She doesn't know what deal they have.
Janet: Has the capability to pay off any issues that could arise, although the hosts have that covered anyway. Would be a good idea to cosy up to her, just in case.
Evelyn: Might be one of the best options. She knew her way around the third game, has a hunger to survive. A good option.
Sybil: Might not have the hunger of Evelyn, but she does have the most life experience of anyone here. Something to consider, maybe.
She didn't know if any of the options were all that good, looking back. So she went to class. Teacher asked about the homework, chewing out anyone who didn't do it, with the exception of Blair. A few more of the games players were in her class, most notably Evelyn, Janet, and Elijah. And none of them were chewed out either. The girls looked around at each other. They all knew. And they were told to just study for their exams. They were only a week and a half away, but Blair wasn't motivated. She needed to at least pass subjects like English and Math to move on to an art course she'd actually care about, but since Alison died, her motivation to do anything dwindled. She was nothing but an athlete drunkenly stumbling towards the finish line while her peers outpaced her tenfold. So she opened a book and drearily stared at it, trying to actually process some information, but couldn't.
Until suddenly, the buzz came back. The incoming announcement woke her brain, causing her to become more aware of everything. The small sounds of the class amplified, with each whispered syllable bouncing around her skull, until everything went silent, except the voice of whatever god was talking.
"Helloo, everybody!" The woman's voice announced. "Now, as I said last time, the next game will involve all remaining players. And the game is in Ritzrub, tonight! Now, I just want everyone to be at their best, and maybe not as attached to your friends as usual. And I just wanna say you don't need to come to Ritzrub yourself, we'll collect you. Anyway, goodbye!"
The feeling left, except Blair was fully awake. And the ability to fully study. And anticipate whatever game could require less teamwork than usual.