Lillian

I was dumped, soaking and shivering, onto a platform near the top of a very, very high room. I sighed. Why couldn't I just have a simple challenge? One that involved brain work and thinking. Or just one that didn't involve heights. 

I laid down flat on my stomach and peered over the edge. The platform moved upwards so that I wouldn't be able to stand up again. Not only did I almost have a heart attack, but I think I uttered the most profanity I had ever spoken in my life. 

On the floor, a large -4 was painted in red.

"Minus four?" I asked no-one in particular, my shaky voice sounding quite annoyed and shocking me. "Since when does snakes and ladders have a minus four?"

"Contestant," the voice said, yet again making me jump out of my skin. I screamed so loudly that the echo made me miss some of the next bit. "- the other side of the room without falling. The ledge will rise and drop in a random formation. You must jump from the ledge and catch the metal bar above you. Once you have remained holding the bar for fifteen seconds you will be pulled up into the next room. You may take as long as you wish, but you only have one attempt. If you miss you will be eliminated from the game."

A leap of faith. Far, far too much faith.

"What!?" I demanded frantically. "What!? No!" 

My heart was thumping so loudly I could barely think. I had not heard one word about how I would be saved from death if I missed the metal bar. I mean, seriously, there was no way anyone could survive a fall from that high up onto solid concrete.

I looked at my hands. They were wet, of course, and since the water had gone through this room before rushing off to the left, so was everything else. Heights were not my strong point, and I hated surprises. When I applied for this, they made me write down a list of my phobias from strongest to weakest, and now it seemed as though I was being presented with all of them. What chance did I have of completing this?

"How am I supposed to-?" my own high pitched yelping cut me off when the platform dropped about thirty feet without warning, accompanied by a the loudest nails-down-a-chalkboard scraping sound I had ever heard.

My grip tightened on the edge and I pressed my forehead against the surface, bracing myself. Quite rightly, too, as not a second later it shot right back up and stopped when there was just a few centimetres between my body and the ceiling. 

"Oh god, oh god," I whimpered. "Oh god."

I was so scared, all I could do was count the seconds until something else happened. 

... One hundred and thirty four, one hundred and thirty five, one hundred and-

SCRREEEECH! 

Suddenly I was halfway down the room. There was another kind of ruler thing painted on the wall right next to me. Not that it helped me to know how high up I was, but it certainly helped to terrify me that little bit more as the number whizzed past.

My whole body was shaking violently. I was gripping the ledge so tightly that my knuckles might have broken through my skin if I had the strength to grip any harder.

Back up to where I started.

Think, Lily, think. 

I'd have to get out of here somehow, and it was blatantly obvious that whoever was running this thing had only supplied one way. 

Drop. Drop. Drop. 

"Oh christ, oh christ that was scary," my words were almost impossible to understand because of how much my voice trembled, but it's not like there was anyone there to hear it.

Or was there? Where were the cameras?

I shook my head to clear my thoughts. What I needed to do now was stand up. There was absolutely no chance of reaching the bar if I didn't stand up. So I braced myself and turned so that I was laid on my back.

Bad move. The ledge fell downwards so fast I was sure I was going to fall, but I didn't. Now I was too terrified to even speak. There was no denying I would fail this.

A door opened near the top of the room, and a figure swayed on the frame before saving themselves when they saw what they would be stepping down to.

They peered at me as the ledge shot up, and I got a full view of their face. Alex.

"Lily?" he asked, shocked and confused.

"Help me," I begged desperately, and I was dropped again.

RATE THIS CHAPTER!

Author guidance for This exercise

Snakes and Ladders

Six children from the age of thirteen to sixteen are thrown into the most deadly game of snakes and ladders they will ever play.
It's a race, but not to see who can get to 100 first. It's to see who can get there at all.
This is no board game.


Participants

Name: Charles (Charlie) Mason
Age: 15
Appearance: Red hair that is shaved close to his head. Green eyes with little specks of gold in them. Freckles sprinkle his pale skin.
Personality: very happy, to the extent that some people migh call him childish. But he's a fighter. He loves people and working with people, and is really big on teamwork, even if it ruins his chances of winning.
Extra: he's an only child, so he's spoiled. But he doesn't let it get to his head.
Author: Shally16

Name: Lillian Summers
Age: 15
Appearance: On the short side at 5 foot 1, is very skinny. Has brown eyes and dark ginger hair.
Personality: Intelligent, but this is hidden by her very shy and nervous nature. She doesn't really like to talk to anyone she isn't close to, and keeps her feelings well hidden.
Other: she wears a locket bracelet on her left hand, which she refuses to take off. No-one knows what's in it or why she wears it, as it isn't the most attractive piece of jewellery. She is also going out with Alex.
Author: AutumnMay

Name: Archie Brooks
Age: 14
Appearance: Average build, though quite lean, chocolate brown curly hair that comes just below his ears, blue eyes that come to life when he has an idea, but glaze over when he's thinking, button nose.
Personality: A complete nerd, and proud of it. Is always suspicious of things, especially things he doesn't understand, is quite quiet but takes the lead if it's anything needing intelligence, surprisingly very kind and thoughtful underneath, but it comes off as really awkward and nerdy.
Other: He's secretly gay, but very good at hiding it.
Author: dancingshoes14

;Name: Alex Trestleford
Age: 16
Personality/Appearance: A sarcastic, witty personality. Will do anything to protect Lily. A little "naughty." Black hair, green eyes, 6'3'' and wiry. Clever and very energetic and excitable almost to the point of oddness.
Author: starwarsfreak117

Name: Victoria "Tori" Graham
Age: 16
Appearance: Fine blonde hair in a pixie cut, has a habit of wearing really bright headbands or bows all the time. She's what you would call "funsized", tiny but hyper. Rosy skin that refuses to tan, much to her despair. Slim, with green eyes.
Personality: An only child, she's intoxicated with self-confidence because her parents always tell her that she can do anything if she sets her mind to it. With not much ability in anything, her one specialty is determination. She's slow to do things, a drag-along almost, but her belief in herself sees her getting there eventually. She's very friendly and active, a fun person to be around.
Author: HeyJude

Name: Addaline "Addie" Peters
Age:13
Appearance: She has hair that falls a little below her shoulders, and is the color of fresh honey. Her skin is mikly soft and the color as well. She is avarge size and built petite but she is not.
Personality: Addie is very tough. Growing up, her family was all men. She has four older brothers, who picked on her, which made her bringing up a lot more enjoyable, since those things amuse her. She is sweet but she is also greedy. She wants everything and she wants it now.
Author: Maggie4ever

updated Feb 6 by AutumnMay