He didn’t know how she did it.
He was better at chess—he’d taught her how to castle! Yet there she sat, smiling at him over folded hands. Unnerving. He needed to break her tempo—he’d try something crazy!
Daniel moved his knight out of position and tapped the illusory clock they’d projected along with the board and pieces. Now her seconds ticked down.
Her eyes calmly drifted over the playing field, taking her time, unconcerned. Infuriating. With a wave of her hand, Lea’s bishop took his knight. The horsehead piece leaped off the board and into her arms.
“There, there, horsey,” she mocked in a sickly-sweet voice, “You are with me now. Okay, go play with your little friends.” She added his knight to the other pieces she’d taken. “Soon, you will have plenty more friends to play with.” Lea tapped the clock and said in her most genial voice, “Your move, Daniel.”
He didn’t know how she did it.
In spite of his superior knowledge and experience, he lost at least half their games. At least winning would put her in a good mood.
Daniel had been thinking the last three days. Their group marched on with low morale, somber since the flag incident. Between that and their ominous ‘lucky streak,’ the frolicking of their journey’s beginning seemed far away. They needed something fun.
Without new television bringing them together, their leisure hours fractured. Daniel played board games with Wendi. Cassie flew, Kenta’s first choice was Go, Paul stuck with the uncompetitive Solitaire, and something else he couldn’t recall that probably wasn’t important.
He snapped out of it as Rana faded into existence and grabbed a protein bar from the snack table. Was their ‘guide’ spending more time Camouflaged?
Anyway, while Daniel could propose group activities all day, nothing he said could succeed without Lea’s support.
“Lea,” he began, off to a good start. He slid his rook forward.
“Hmm?” she said, smiling at him while deciding which move would be the most crushing blow to his spirit.
“Have you ever played poker?”
“No. Giving up? Trying to find a game you can win?”
“I haven’t played it either. It looked cool on TV, that’s all. Besides, it wouldn’t be much fun with two players.”
He made his move. She made hers.
“You know the rules?” she asked.
Daniel nodded. He remembered enough.
“Hmm.” And that was that.
Later that day, in her irresistible way, Lea rounded everyone up—even Rana—and started a game. The seven of them sat in a circle around a projected round table and cards. Lacking real currency, they agreed to use pieces of candy as betting chips.
Type dictated its value in grades; a good-sized bar of chocolate was worth five caramels or fifty jellybeans. Daniel started the clockwise rotation with Lea on his right going last—which turned out to be the worst possible placement.
Daniel began the first round with a few jellybeans. It being their first time, no one Raised. Until it got to Lea. She tossed out a few more, and the others Matched. Then she did it again. And again.
Daniel knew the theory. She was trying to fool him. Obviously. But this was Lea. All she had to do was sit there and smile that unbreakable diamond grin. Daniel started to sweat. Paul folded first. When she Raised again, Daniel looked at his hand and said to himself, It’s not anything special, and nothing’s stopping her from keeping this up until I’m out. He folded. Cassandra went next, followed by Kenta—who’d been convinced it was a trick until Cassie folded.
Rana had a perfect poker face, but he’d known that. Wendi Raised every time she got the chance. The next time it came to Lea’s turn, she asked Wendi, “Are you going to keep Raising?”
“I really want that candy.”
“Then I’ll end it here, Match.”
They revealed their cards. “High Jack!” Wendi shouted it like a greeting.
“Queen,” Rana said.
“High King,” Lea said as slow and sleek as possible to savor the moment.
“You stinker!” Cassie shouted with a smile of begrudged admiration as she threw down a Pair of Twos. She folded her leg-hands and twiddled the fingers, “So that’s how we’re playing this game…”
Daniel looked at his Pair of Sevens in dismay. He could have won!
Kenta snorted in disgust with himself and shook his head in denial, “There’s no way you can pull that off again.”
“Is that so?” Lea asked.
And that was how they spent the last of their candy.
Daniel won a couple hands, but Lea broke the bank. After the first round, Cassandra proved impossible to trick. Daniel suspected she listened to their heartbeats for tells.
Later in the night, Kenta encouraged Daniel to bet his enchanted sapphire. After he dismissed the notion as inappropriate for the table, Kenta challenged him to wager the secret of how Rana healed him in Eastwood. Daniel narrowly evaded embarrassment by asserting it wasn’t his secret to gamble.
During one game, Daniel caught sight of Paul’s eyes flickering around the table. They’d go from his hand to one person’s, back to his, then another person’s. The candle boy must have been Finding specific cards to eliminate specific high-rank hands from play, like straights and flushes. While not the best strategy, it was an interesting advantage depending on Paul’s memory and speed. Daniel didn’t say anything, and neither did the others.
Wendi quit early after winning a massive pot in a blistering stroke of luck. When they laid down their cards, she revealed a Spades Flush and shouted, “King me!”
He didn’t know how she did it.
He was better at chess—he’d taught her how to castle! Yet there she sat, smiling at him over folded hands. Unnerving. He needed to break her tempo—he’d try something crazy!
Daniel moved his knight out of position and tapped the illusory clock they’d projected along with the board and pieces. Now her seconds ticked down.
Her eyes calmly drifted over the playing field, taking her time, unconcerned. Infuriating. With a wave of her hand, Lea’s bishop took his knight. The horsehead piece leaped off the board and into her arms.
“There, there, horsey,” she mocked in a sickly-sweet voice, “You are with me now. Okay, go play with your little friends.” She added his knight to the other pieces she’d taken. “Soon, you will have plenty more friends to play with.” Lea tapped the clock and said in her most genial voice, “Your move, Daniel.”
He didn’t know how she did it.
In spite of his superior knowledge and experience, he lost at least half their games. At least winning would put her in a good mood.
Daniel had been thinking the last three days. Their group marched on with low morale, somber since the flag incident. Between that and their ominous ‘lucky streak,’ the frolicking of their journey’s beginning seemed far away. They needed something fun.
Without new television bringing them together, their leisure hours fractured. Daniel played board games with Wendi. Cassie flew, Kenta’s first choice was Go, Paul stuck with the uncompetitive Solitaire, and something else he couldn’t recall that probably wasn’t important.
He snapped out of it as Rana faded into existence and grabbed a protein bar from the snack table. Was their ‘guide’ spending more time Camouflaged?
Anyway, while Daniel could propose group activities all day, nothing he said could succeed without Lea’s support.
“Lea,” he began, off to a good start. He slid his rook forward.
“Hmm?” she said, smiling at him while deciding which move would be the most crushing blow to his spirit.
“Have you ever played poker?”
“No. Giving up? Trying to find a game you can win?”
“I haven’t played it either. It looked cool on TV, that’s all. Besides, it wouldn’t be much fun with two players.”
He made his move. She made hers.
“You know the rules?” she asked.
Daniel nodded. He remembered enough.
“Hmm.” And that was that.
Later that day, in her irresistible way, Lea rounded everyone up—even Rana—and started a game. The seven of them sat in a circle around a projected round table and cards. Lacking real currency, they agreed to use pieces of candy as betting chips.
Type dictated its value in grades; a good-sized bar of chocolate was worth five caramels or fifty jellybeans. Daniel started the clockwise rotation with Lea on his right going last—which turned out to be the worst possible placement.
Daniel began the first round with a few jellybeans. It being their first time, no one Raised. Until it got to Lea. She tossed out a few more, and the others Matched. Then she did it again. And again.
Daniel knew the theory. She was trying to fool him. Obviously. But this was Lea. All she had to do was sit there and smile that unbreakable diamond grin. Daniel started to sweat. Paul folded first. When she Raised again, Daniel looked at his hand and said to himself, It’s not anything special, and nothing’s stopping her from keeping this up until I’m out. He folded. Cassandra went next, followed by Kenta—who’d been convinced it was a trick until Cassie folded.
Rana had a perfect poker face, but he’d known that. Wendi Raised every time she got the chance. The next time it came to Lea’s turn, she asked Wendi, “Are you going to keep Raising?”
“I really want that candy.”
“Then I’ll end it here, Match.”
They revealed their cards. “High Jack!” Wendi shouted it like a greeting.
“Queen,” Rana said.
“High King,” Lea said as slow and sleek as possible to savor the moment.
“You stinker!” Cassie shouted with a smile of begrudged admiration as she threw down a Pair of Twos. She folded her leg-hands and twiddled the fingers, “So that’s how we’re playing this game…”
Daniel looked at his Pair of Sevens in dismay. He could have won!
Kenta snorted in disgust with himself and shook his head in denial, “There’s no way you can pull that off again.”
“Is that so?” Lea asked.
And that was how they spent the last of their candy.
Daniel won a couple hands, but Lea broke the bank. After the first round, Cassandra proved impossible to trick. Daniel suspected she listened to their heartbeats for tells.
Later in the night, Kenta encouraged Daniel to bet his enchanted sapphire. After he dismissed the notion as inappropriate for the table, Kenta challenged him to wager the secret of how Rana healed him in Eastwood. Daniel narrowly evaded embarrassment by asserting it wasn’t his secret to gamble.
During one game, Daniel caught sight of Paul’s eyes flickering around the table. They’d go from his hand to one person’s, back to his, then another person’s. The candle boy must have been Finding specific cards to eliminate specific high-rank hands from play, like straights and flushes. While not the best strategy, it was an interesting advantage depending on Paul’s memory and speed. Daniel didn’t say anything, and neither did the others.
Wendi quit early after winning a massive pot in a blistering stroke of luck. When they laid down their cards, she revealed a Spades Flush and shouted, “King me!”
