Chương 16: Are You Afraid?
Anna remembered everything she had gone through because of that game.
The long days practicing, the nerves every time she sat at a table, knowing that she had to win to survive, not for fun, but out of obligation.
It was her ability to play that had once allowed her to stand out, but it was also what had trapped her with the family that adopted her.
Playing had never been fun for her.
"Ah... no, thanks," Anna replied with a slight smile, trying not to sound too reluctant.
Leo looked at her with a curious expression, surprising her.
In her past experience, he had never been much of a talker, let alone one to ask questions.
"Why not?" he asked calmly, but his evident interest made Anna look up in surprise.
"I'm... really bad at it," Anna lied quickly.
She knew she shouldn't draw attention to her skills, especially now when she still didn't fully understand what was going on with this return to the past.
Leo frowned slightly, as if unconvinced by her response.
"It doesn't matter," he said calmly. "It's not about winning. It's about having fun."
That statement caught her off guard.
Anna looked at him in amazement because, for her, the game had never been a source of fun.
It had always been a means to achieve something else. It was an escape, a risk, a way to control her destiny in the orphanage and later with the family that adopted her.
But playing for fun?
That had never crossed her mind, or at least not for a long time.
Leo insisted again:
"Are you sure you don't want to play?"
Anna swallowed, trying not to show her nervousness. She knew she shouldn't do anything that would attract attention at this moment, but she was also thinking about Edrick.
He had found her through cards in her previous life, and if playing was the key for him to appear, maybe she should accept.
"Well... I'm not sure yet," she responded, a hint of hesitation in her voice.
Leo looked at her again, noticing something in her expression.
"What's bothering you?" he asked with a seriousness that Anna found unsettling.
"Nothing," Anna replied quickly, feeling her heart race.
"It doesn't look like nothing," Leo said with a calmness that was unnerving. "Your face is tense... and you're sweating."
Anna remained silent, completely surprised.
She never would have expected Leo, someone who had always been so quiet, to read her emotions so easily. She wasn't sure how to respond.
But the truth was, behind her nerves, there was the possibility that playing again could change the course of this new past. She knew she had to do it.
Finally, she sighed.
"Alright," she said, almost to herself. "I'll play."
They both stood up from the table, leaving their plates in the designated spot, and walked toward the group of kids still engrossed in their game.
When the kids saw Leo approach, some greeted him cheerfully, although a few exchanged quick glances.
One of the kids, with messy hair and a sly smile, motioned for Leo to join.
"Leo! Come on, we need one more."
Leo nodded but, before sitting down, he pointed at Anna.
"Sure, but I want to play with her."
The kids' eyes turned to Anna.
Some looked surprised, while others seemed more curious than anything else.
One of them whispered quietly:
"Isn't she the one who got the guys in your room into trouble?"
Leo just shrugged.
"It wasn't a big deal," he said indifferently.
Another boy, slightly taller than the rest, made a face.
"But she's a girl. She's probably going to mess up the game."
The tension rose slightly, but Leo didn't seem fazed.
"Guys, what's the problem? Are you afraid of losing?" Leo asked with a slight smile.
The kids looked at him, and though some hesitated, in the end, one of them, clearly stung by the challenge, firmly said:
"Afraid? No. Never."
"Then let's go," Leo said calmly as he gestured for Anna to come closer.
Anna, who had been watching the entire interaction from a small distance, couldn't help but smile inwardly.
The situation seemed somewhat amusing to her. Somehow, Leo had managed to smooth things over while also challenging the other kids in a way that forced them to accept her presence.
But something told her this wouldn't be a simple friendly game.
The looks on the kids' faces weren't exactly welcoming.
They seemed ready to take the game seriously.
Anna sat next to Leo, letting out a soft sigh as her mind wandered to what she was about to do.
Should she play seriously?
She knew she could win easily if she wanted to, but she also remembered that this was a crucial moment in her past life.
Her fate changed from here.
Maybe, if she took a different path, something different might happen.
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