BLOOD PAWN

"Orion, come down!" Uncle Darius’s voice echoed through the house, firm and commanding.

"Coming, Uncle Darius!" I called back, my voice slightly less enthusiastic. I dragged my feet down the stairs, secretly hoping to delay what I knew was coming. As I descended, the living room was empty, but faint sounds of laughter and chatter drifted in from the backyard. I could already guess what awaited me—playtime. My least favorite kind of time.

As I shuffled through the hallway, I caught sight of Mom—Anara—standing near the doorway. She was folding some linens, but her eyes flicked up to me the moment I tried to pull off my “I’m so tired” act. I let my shoulders droop, my lips turning down into a pitiful frown, hoping she’d take pity on me and let me stay inside.

But she was ready for it. With a knowing smile, she raised an eyebrow and gave me a gentle, but firm, shooing motion with her hand. Her eyes twinkled, almost teasing me, like she was saying, "Nice try, little one, but you're not getting out of this."

"Mom, I’m really tired…" I muttered, trying to give it one last shot, my voice low and dragging. I even threw in a little pout for good measure.

But she only came closer, bending down so we were eye to eye. She placed her warm hand on my cheek, her thumb brushing my skin softly. “Orion,” she said, her voice sweet but with that no-nonsense edge, “you've been reading all morning. Go out, run around a bit. It's good for you.”

I sighed, knowing I’d lost. “Alright…” I grumbled, but there was no real frustration behind it. Just the kind of reluctance you feel when you know you’re fighting a losing battle.

She kissed the top of my head, smoothing down my hair, and whispered, "Have fun, my little star." That was all it took—Mom’s way of saying she wasn’t mad at me for trying to get out of it, but I wasn’t going to win, either.

As I trudged towards the backyard, I could already hear the voices getting louder. Uncle Darius was talking excitedly, probably explaining some new game. I pushed open the back door, and there they all were—my sister Elara, her hair gleaming under the sunlight, and Aria, her partner in crime, both bouncing on their feet, their faces bright with anticipation. Uncle Darius, towering over them, grinned as soon as he saw me.

“There you are, Orion!” he boomed, clapping his hands together. “Ready to join the fun?”

Elara caught my eye, her expression a mix of excitement and mischief. “You’re slow, Ori!” she teased, sticking her tongue out at me. “We’ve been waiting forever!”

“Yeah, come on, Orion!” Aria echoed, her hands on her hips, looking as bossy as ever. “Uncle Darius said we’re going to play tag game, and you can’t be the winner if you don’t hurry up!”

I glanced back at the house, half-hoping Mom might appear and tell them to wait. But the door remained closed, and I knew she was giving me no way out. I inhaled deeply, then let it out in a sigh, before flashing a small, resigned smile. “Fine, fine, I’m here. Let’s get this over with…”.

“Alright, everyone, gather ’round!” Uncle Darius called, clapping his hands to get our attention. I walked over, still holding the toy sword he’d given me earlier, while Elara and Aria quickly scrambled over, their eyes wide and eager.

“Since we’ve got all our players here now,” he said, glancing at me with a wink, “I’m going to explain the rules of our game one more time—just so no one can say they ‘didn’t know’ when they lose.” He said this last part while pointing a teasing finger at me, and I rolled my eyes, but a small smile crept onto my lips.

“Here’s how it works,” Uncle Darius continued, pacing back and forth like a drill sergeant. “One of you is going to be ‘It’—that’s the chaser. The rest of you need to run, dodge, and hide to avoid getting tagged. If the person who’s ‘It’ catches you, they have to shout ‘Tag!’ and touch you. And then, tag—you’re it!” He clapped his hands loudly for emphasis. “You become the new chaser.”

“Sounds easy!” Elara piped up, bouncing on her toes. She had that determined look she always got when she was ready to prove she was the best at something. “I bet I won’t get caught.”

Aria giggled and nudged her. “That’s what you said last time, and you still got tagged by me,” she teased.

Elara shot her a playful glare. “Yeah, but I was ‘It’ last time when the time ran out, so I actually won! You’ll see, I’ll win again.”

I watched them bicker, shaking my head a little. I wasn’t quite as competitive as they were, but seeing their excitement made me want to try harder, too.

Uncle Darius cleared his throat to regain our attention. “Now, now, save the trash talk for the game. Remember, the backyard is our game zone. No running inside the house, no climbing up trees, and no squeezing under the fence, Elara,” he added, giving my sister a pointed look. Elara grinned sheepishly, recalling the last time she’d tried to hide by wedging herself behind a flowerpot near the fence.

“And here’s the kicker,” Darius continued, his voice getting lower, as if revealing a big secret. “The person who’s ‘It’ when the timer runs out is the loser. Everyone else? You’re the winners, and you get bragging rights for the rest of the day.”

“Ooooh,” Aria said, her eyes wide. “I’m definitely not going to be ‘It’ when the timer runs out.”

“We’ll see about that!” Elara shot back, her hands on her hips, already looking like she was planning her escape routes.

Uncle Darius held up a small wooden hourglass, flipping it over dramatically. The sand inside began to trickle down, marking the start of the game. “Alright, we need to pick who’s ‘It’ first. Any volunteers?”

“I think Orion should be ‘It’ first,” Elara said, grinning at me. “He’s been reading all day, he needs to run!”

I blinked, caught off-guard. “What? No way, why me?”

“Because it’ll be fun!” Aria chimed in, nodding eagerly. “You never want to be ‘It’!”

I looked over at Uncle Darius, hoping for some kind of rescue, but he just laughed. “Looks like you’ve been volunteered, Orion,” he said, patting me on the back. “Don’t worry, you can handle it. Just catch one of them, and you’ll be free.”

I glanced at Elara, silently pleading for help, and she seemed to understand immediately. Without missing a beat, she stomped her foot, puffing out her cheeks like she was about to cry. “I want to be ‘It’! If I’m not ‘It,’ then I won’t play!” she declared, crossing her arms and putting on her best pout. Uncle Darius raised an eyebrow, clearly caught off guard by this sudden protest.

He looked at me, then back at Elara, and sighed, shaking his head with a grin. “Alright, alright, Elara. You can be ‘It,’ but no changing your mind halfway through!” he said, pointing a playful finger at her. Elara's face lit up, and she practically bounced on her feet with excitement.

“Yay! I’m gonna catch you all!” she cheered, turning to Aria with a determined glint in her eyes. I felt a wave of relief wash over me, glad that my little sister had saved me from being the chaser. It was almost like she could read my mind, knowing exactly how to get me out of trouble.

Uncle Darius flipped the hourglass, and the game began. As soon as the first grains of sand fell, everyone scattered. Elara’s eyes were locked onto Aria, and without hesitation, she sprinted after her, her little legs moving as fast as they could. Aria, squealing with laughter, zigzagged across the yard, trying to dodge Elara, but she was no match for my sister’s determined speed.

“Tag!” shouted Elara, tapping Aria on the back. Aria froze, her mouth hanging open in playful disbelief. “Oh no, now you can’t save your brother from me!” she said with a mischievous grin, narrowing her eyes and looking straight at me. She took off running, her ponytail bouncing as she darted towards me.

I stood my ground, watching her charge at me, a playful glint in her eyes. “Run, Ori! Run!” Elara yelled, her voice full of mock urgency, as if she was trying to help me but secretly enjoying the chaos.

I couldn’t help but chuckle. “Oh, how predictable,” I thought. They always targeted me because they knew I wasn’t as quick on my feet as they were. They thought they could win this game by making me ‘It’ and then just running around, leaving me chasing shadows. But what they didn’t know was that I had a plan. I could still win without even breaking a sweat.

Aria came barreling towards me, her eyes gleaming with triumph. “If you don’t run, you’ll be ‘It’!” Uncle Darius called out, urging me to move. But I stayed put, watching Aria close the distance, my mind already working through my plan.

Just as Aria reached out and touched my arm, she shouted, “Tag!” with a grin that said she thought she’d won. But in that same moment, before she could even take her hand away, I lightly tapped her hand and said, “Tag,” right back.

There was a moment of stunned silence as everyone processed what had just happened. Everyone froze. Aria looked at me, blinking in confusion. “Wait, what?” she said, trying to process what had just happened. “But… I tagged you.”

“And I tagged you back,” I replied simply. “There’s no rule that says I can’t tag you right after you touch me. No cooldown. So, you’re still ‘It.’”

Aria’s mouth fell open, and she stood there for a moment, staring at me, trying to figure out how to argue against that. But she couldn’t. It was a perfectly valid move. Uncle Darius’s eyebrows shot up, and he let out a hearty laugh. “Looks like brains really do beat brawn sometimes, huh?.”

Elara’s eyes widened, and then she burst out laughing, clapping her hands. “That’s so smart, Ori! You tricked her!” She danced around, delighted by how her twin brother had outwitted everyone.

Aria finally shook her head, a mix of admiration and frustration on her face. “Fine! Then I’ll tag you again!” she declared, lunging forward.

“Tag,” she said, touching my arm. But I was ready, and immediately touched her hand.

“Tag,” I said, as calmly as before.

This back-and-forth went on, Aria getting more and more flustered while I stayed cool and collected. Each time she tagged me, I tagged her right back. She was practically hopping on the spot, trying to get the upper hand, but I could see her getting more confused and tired with every round.

Elara was doubled over with laughter, barely able to breathe. “She’s stuck! She’s totally stuck!” she managed to get out between giggles. Even Uncle Darius was chuckling, shaking his head in amazement.

“Looks like you underestimated him, Aria,” he said, his voice warm with pride. “Orion’s got brains to match your speed.”

Finally, Aria threw her hands up in the air, exasperated. “This isn’t fair! I can’t win!” she cried, though she was laughing now, too.

“Nope,” I said with a small, satisfied smile. “But you can still run.”

Aria’s face broke into a smile, and without missing a beat, she darted away again, calling back over her shoulder, “Just wait until next time, Ori!”

I watched her run, shaking my head a little. It was silly, it was simple, but it felt good. I hadn’t moved much, but I’d still managed to hold my own. Maybe they were faster, but I could always outthink them—and that was a win I was happy to take.