Today Tonight Tomorrow(20)

As my eyes readjust, a group of student council juniors takes the stage: incoming president Logan Perez and VP Matt Schreiber, plus Nisha and Olivia. They’re all wearing blue T-shirts, though Nisha and Olivia are weighed down with clipboards and papers and boxes filled with armbands. It’s clear they’re the minions in this operation.

“Congratulations, seniors!” Logan shouts, her voice so controlled that she doesn’t need a microphone. She’s led Westview to two basketball championships already, and she’ll probably do it again her senior year, though I won’t be around to see it. “You’re all officially playing Howl.”

Whoops go up from the crowd, and it’s impossible not to feel amped. Last year, I couldn’t wait until it was my turn. You’re not done with WHS until you play Howl. Right now, I’m clinging to that pretty tightly.

“As far as you know, everyone is an enemy,” Logan continues, pacing the stage. “Your best friend, your boyfriend, your girlfriend. Trust no one.”

Mara and Kirby exchange a worried glance as Matt takes the mic.

“The basic game structure is the same as past years,” he says. “Before you leave this room, you’ll receive a blue armband and a slip of paper with your target’s name on it. In order to make a kill, you have to pull off your target’s armband. Then you’ll assume their target, so do not lose your slip of paper.” He cups a hand over his ear. “What was that?”

“Do not lose your slip of paper,” the auditorium echoes, and he flashes us a thumbs-up.

“You also need to message us when you make a kill so we can keep track,” Logan adds. “You all have the number from earlier.”

“But, Logan,” Matt says, “how do you win?”

“Great question, Matt. You’ll receive all fifteen scavenger-hunt clues as soon as you leave this room. You’ll need to capture photographic evidence for each clue. Some of them might refer to very specific landmarks, while others are more general. You can get them in any order, but keep in mind that there might be a lot of other people at those specific landmarks, people who might be hunting you. You’ll send your photos to us, and we’ll verify them for you. While you can share photos with your friends at your discretion, we’ll be running them through a reverse image search to make sure you’re not cheating.

“To win, you have to be the first person with all fifteen clues who makes it back to the Westview gym. The game will end one hour before graduation on Sunday if we don’t have a winner.”

“So what you’re saying is this game goes all night?” Matt says. “And tomorrow, too?”

Logan nods. “Yep! And you all raised a ton of money this year, so we have a really exciting game in store for you.” Logan pauses for dramatic effect, then grins. “The grand prize is five thousand dollars.”

A low whistle rolls through the crowd. Five thousand dollars—that’s more than double our prize from last year. It would cover the first-year tuition my scholarships didn’t.

I could buy so many books.

“Okay, okay,” Logan says, holding up a hand to regain control. “Should we talk about the safe zones, Matt?”

“Let’s talk about the safe zones, Logan!”

I have to admire how they’ve choreographed this, how well they work together. They’ve always been friends, partnered up on projects in leadership, and as demonstrated by their nearly landslide votes, are pretty universally well liked among the student body. It’ll probably be a much more peaceful student council.

“Throughout the day, you’ll get text blasts from us instructing you to meet at certain safe zones, and showing up at those safe zones will be mandatory. We want to make sure you’re not just hiding out somewhere, but we also want to give you a chance to rest and spend time with your friends. You can hang out at the safe zone if you’re killed, too. This is your last day! The last time you’re going to see all these people! We want you to have fun with them—”

“—when you’re not trying to murder them,” Matt finishes. “Any questions?”

A freckled hand shoots into the air.

“Are we to assume we have geographical limitations?” McNair asks in his overly formal way.

Logan points at him. “Yes. Good question. No farther north than Eighty-Fifth Street, no farther south than Yesler, no farther east than Lake Washington, and no farther west than Puget Sound.”

They answer a few more questions—“What happens if you lose your armband?” (don’t do it), “Can you double up on photos?” (no: one clue, one landmark). Text blasts will keep us updated on the game standings.

“We won’t take any more of your time,” Logan says. “Nisha has armbands, and Olivia has your targets. Be sure to collect one of each. Your armband should be tied only once around, not in a knot. And obviously, don’t let anyone see the name you have. We know some of you will decide to work together on the scavenger hunt, but be careful. You never know if someone will sacrifice your friendship to win a big pot o’ cash.”

That’s what happened last year: two best friends worked through the entire scavenger hunt together, and at the end, one of them killed the other, who’d been her target.

“You have five minutes before there’s a target on your back,” Logan says. “Same with the safe zones: five minutes of safety before your enemies are free to take you down.”