The Sinister Screen Queen

The living room was a war zone in disguise.

On the surface, four girls sat around a modest wooden table, playing Ludo as a gentle breeze rustled the curtains. But what was really happening?

Chaos.

Tanya stared at the board, utterly dismayed.

"This is absurd." She muttered. "How am I losing? I've literally lived through hell."

It hadn't started this way. Things had escalated.

From the moment the dice hit the board, Emilia and Allegra declared open war, sending each other's pieces back to square one like it was a national sport.

No logic. Just pure spite.

Then, in a twist that should've been funny if it wasn't personally devastating, both of them turned to Tanya.

"Team up with me." Emilia demanded.

"No, with me!" Allegra countered, flicking her hair and flashing her grin.

Tanya raised her hands. "Neutral. Switzerland. Leave me out of it."

Wrong choice.

Minutes later, both girls had sent her Ludo pieces flying off the board… Emilia first, knocking her green token out, followed by Allegra avenging a long-forgotten insult by doing the same moments later.

"So much for neutrality." Tanya grumbled, biting her lip in frustration.

"It's called karma," Allegra said with a smirk, flicking one of Tanya's green pieces off the board.

"I didn't want trouble." Tanya growled. "I was Switzerland!"

Emilia slammed her red piece forward. "Then explain this!" She knocked Tanya's other piece back to start just as it neared the safe zone.

"That's for not siding with me!"

Allegra cackled and immediately returned the favor, booting another green piece. "And that's for siding with no one!"

"Oh, come on!" Tanya groaned. "I literally did nothing—"

"Exactly." They said in unison.

Tanya exhaled through her nose. "You've both made a powerful enemy tonight."

Tanya wasn't one to give up.

Drawing from what she liked to call battle-hardened board game experience, she barely held her own. A 2v1 had never felt so personal.

The next few rounds devolved into what could only be called a revenge duet, with Allegra and Emilia alternating between sabotaging Tanya and occasionally sabotaging each other because old grudges die hard.

And through it all, no one noticed Ming.

Quiet and gently moving her yellow pieces one by one into the final zone.

Tanya noticed first.

"Wait… Ming's about to win?!"

They all turned. Ming sat there quietly, an innocent smile on her face. Three yellow tokens were already in the home zone. The fourth was halfway there.

"How could you." Tanya glared at Ming, but was inwardly impressed.

Allegra dropped her die. "She's been winning?!"

Emilia gasped. "Why didn't anyone stop her?!"

"I said 'good luck' like five turns ago!" Ming protested.

"Did you make sure we were all listening!?"

A brief moment of silence.

Tanya looked at Allegra. Allegra looked at Emilia. A nod passed between them.

"I don't like either of you." Allegra muttered.

"Feelings mutual." Emilia shot back.

"But I hate losing more." Tanya finished.

A temporary alliance was formed. Ming's yellow piece didn't last a single roll.

Ming barely blinked before her yellow piece, freshly spawned by a 6, was immediately booted back by Allegra.

Next round, Tanya blocked her path.

Emilia sent the same piece back again with a perfectly timed roll.

Ming stared down at the board. "Are you all serious right now?"

"Yes." said all three in unison.

And so the alliance held… barely.

They let each other move unhindered, focused on stomping Ming's progress at every turn. The poor girl couldn't get a single piece more than three spaces without it being squashed like a bug under synchronized girl-rage.

But peace is never permanent.

Soon, each player had one token left, dancing dangerously close to the finish.

Tensions flared. The alliance was dead before it even had a name.

And that's when Allegra without warning, kicked Ming under the table.

"OW! What was that for!?"

"You looked too focused." Allegra said sweetly.

Ming rolled a 5 instead of the 6 she needed.

Emilia, seeing an opportunity, tried to move her piece seven spaces despite only rolling a six.

"Emilia!" Tanya snapped. "You can't just add one because it suits you!

"I felt a 7 coming!" Emilia defended.

Then Tanya's green piece got sent flying… again, this time by Ming.

That was it.

Tanya reached for the nearest pillow, stood up, and with a mighty WHUMP smashed it down onto the board, sending plastic pieces flying like confetti.

"I WIN!" She declared, hands on her hips. "Say otherwise and face me."

There was a long pause.

Ming blinked. "You smashed the board…"

"Eh this, like… a combat victory?" Allegra squinted.

Emilia slowly reached for a pillow.

Tanya's eyes narrowed. "Don't even…"

It was too late.

All three girls reached for their own pillows with violent intentions.

"Oh crap." Tanya whispered.

The other girls rose in unison, pillows in hand, grinning like foxes.

Tanya took one step back. "Wait, let's talk about this—"

WHUMP