Every Mafia's Favorite Girl novel Chapter 130

Chapter 130: "See You Down There"

Aren stepped out of the changing room dressed in a black long-sleeved tactical top and matching black tactical pants, the number 16 emblazoned across her chest.

The security check had been thorough.

Every inch of her clothing had been searched for concealed weapons.

Now all that remained was for her to report to the gathering room, where the sixteen remaining contestants would receive their final briefing before the second round began.

Before turning away, she cast one last glance toward the corridor leading outside.

’I wonder if Oscar’s team made it into the maze without any trouble.’

An uneasy feeling settled quietly in her chest. She couldn’t explain where it came from, but it refused to leave.

Hoping it was nothing more than unnecessary worry, she pushed the thought aside and headed deeper into the facility.

The corridor stretched on beneath rows of fluorescent lights — long, sterile, and almost unnaturally quiet. For a while, the only sound accompanying her was the echo of her boots across the polished marble floor.

At its far end stood a single reinforced door leading into a spacious chamber supported by thick concrete pillars. Sixteen identical metal doors lined the walls, each marked with a large number above its frame.

It didn’t take Aren long to realize that each numbered door led to one of the launch chutes descending into the maze.

From what Jordan had explained the day before, every contestant would be launched separately into different sections of the Dark Room through individual metal chutes.

None of them would know where they would emerge until the moment the chute released them.

Her gaze drifted toward the raised platform in the center of the chamber.

The Head Coordinator had yet to arrive.

Neither had Jordan nor most of the other competitors.

Even so, Aren immediately recognized two familiar figures already waiting beside one of the support pillars near the stage.

Sofia stood with her long, wavy hair tied into a high ponytail, speaking animatedly while Rosalia listened with her usual composed silence. The numbers 3 and 4 rested across their chests, reflecting their finishing positions from yesterday’s obstacle course.

Before either woman noticed her, Aren quietly slipped behind another support pillar.

’Lady Rosalia said Lady Sofia wouldn’t be very happy to see me.’

’I’d better stay out of her sight as much as possible.’

Resting her back against the cool concrete, she closed her eyes for a moment and drew several slow, steady breaths.

Despite the excitement bubbling inside her, she knew exactly how difficult this round would be.

Fighting in complete darkness wasn’t unfamiliar territory, but it had never been among her greatest strengths. This would be a challenge unlike anything the obstacle course had offered.

’If only I were practicing this with my squad instead of people I know are trying to kill me.’

The absurdity of the thought almost made her laugh.

While she stood quietly amusing herself, the main entrance opened once more.

Jordan entered alongside several other competitors, all dressed in identical black tactical uniforms. His eyes instinctively swept across the room until they found her almost immediately.

She was standing alone behind a pillar instead of gathering with everyone else before the stage.

Confusion flickered across his face.

’Why is she standing over there by herself?’

His gaze shifted toward the center of the room, where Sofia stood beside Rosalia, and understanding slowly dawned.

’...Wait.’

’Is she... avoiding Sofia?’

His heart sank.

’Could it be... she’s been avoiding me because...’

The thought never had the chance to finish. Before he realized it, his feet had already carried him toward her.

He stopped several steps away, careful not to invade the distance she had been so deliberately maintaining.

"Ariana."

Aren’s thoughts scattered the instant his shadow fell across the marble floor before her. Looking up, she found him standing there in the same tactical uniform, the number 1 displayed across his chest.

For the briefest moment, hesitation crossed her face, though she made no attempt to move farther away.

"You’ve finished changing?"

"Yeah." A faint smile touched his lips. "Why aren’t you over there with everyone else?"

"Ah..." She glanced aside before answering. "I’m just... reviewing what we practiced yesterday."

Jordan studied her quietly.

He had begun learning the subtle differences between her honest expressions and the ones she wore whenever she wanted to hide something.

This wasn’t one of her honest ones.

His eyes narrowed.

"Are you... uncomfortable around Sofia?"

"No!" she answered a little too quickly.

Catching herself, she stammered, "I mean... it should be Lady Sofia who is uncomfortable around me, not the other way around... I think."

Jordan stared at her, unable to believe a single word he’d heard.

Piece by piece, every single one of her recent strange behaviors started making sense.

’So that’s why you’ve been avoiding me.’

He wanted to press further, but recognizing the timing wasn’t ideal, he decided to change the subject.

"I see. Then... are you nervous?"

"A little." She tried to smile naturally. "I’m more curious than anything. What was it like down there? I mean... during the previous years you competed."

Jordan let out a quiet breath as old memories surfaced.

"Scary."

The answer came with simple honesty.

"The first few minutes are always the worst. You don’t know where you’ve landed. You can’t see anything. Every surface you touch startles you until you figure out what it is."

Then, realizing how grim that sounded, he forced a small smile.

"But don’t let what I said scare you. Remember what we practiced yesterday? Just listen carefully to every sound. Build a map in your head one step at a time. And if it ever becomes too claustrophobic... if you panic..."

His expression softened.

"...find somewhere safe and call for me. I’ll run to you as fast as I can."

Aren faltered at how worried he sounded. A warm smile finally found its way onto her face as she tried to lighten the mood.

"The others might reach me before you do if I start shouting your name."

A quiet chuckle escaped him.

"Contestants, please gather for the briefing."

"Contestants, this is the coin you are tasked with finding once you enter the Dark Room."

"There are only three coins hidden inside the maze, each placed in a different location."

"You will be able to identify the correct coin by feeling these serrated edges with your fingertips."

"As in every Marchetti Trial, you may do whatever it takes to obtain a coin from another contestant."

"Once three contestants emerge carrying a coin, the round will immediately end."

"A warning horn will sound, after which our staff will enter the maze, restore the lighting, and escort all remaining contestants out."

HOOOOORNK!

"That is the signal you will hear. Understood?"

"Good. Handlers will now escort each contestant to their assigned launch room. Good luck."

One handler gestured toward the door marked 16.

"This way, please."

Beside Aren, Jordan glanced between the doors labeled 1 and 16, a faint smile appearing once more.

"Looks like we’ll be going our separate ways. Your door’s right across from mine."

Aren followed his gaze before looking back at him. A small smile bloomed across her face before she even realized it.

"See you down there."

Jordan’s gaze lingered on that smile a heartbeat too long.

"...See you down there."

He watched her disappear through Door Sixteen before turning toward his own.

Neither of them noticed the sharp, unreadable glance Sofia cast in Aren’s direction before she, too, turned away and stepped through Door Three.

The moment Door Sixteen closed behind Aren, a blindfold was pulled snugly over her eyes.

One of the two handlers secured it firmly in place while the other fitted a pair of noise-canceling earmuffs over her ears, sealing away every trace of sight and sound.

Guiding her forward, they led her down the corridor until a gentle pressure on her shoulders brought her to a stop.

Then they spun her around several times, disorienting her until there was no chance she could tell which direction she was facing.

When they urged her onward again, her foot nearly caught the other before they steered her through two more doors.

At last, they halted.

Two hands pressed firmly on her shoulders until she sat upon a surface that felt cool, smooth, and unmistakably metallic.

’I must be at the steel chute now.’

One handler applied steady pressure until she lay flat against the cold metal.

The other folded her arms neatly across her chest in the proper bracing position before nudging her forward until the soles of her boots rested against another slick metal surface.

’And this must be the launch gate.’

’Once they open it, I’ll be dropped straight down.’

Apparently satisfied with her position, one handler raised a thumb toward the other.

"Ready."

The second handler returned the gesture.

"Launch."

A heavy lever slammed downward.

The metal beneath Aren vanished.

WHOOSH!

Her body plunged almost vertically without warning as gravity seized her, sending her hurtling into darkness. She shot down the chute at astonishing speed, banking through one tight curve after another.

The polished steel was so flawlessly smooth that almost no friction slowed her descent. Cold air whipped across her face as she accelerated, faster and faster, until at last the chute leveled out.

The smooth steel beneath her abruptly gave way to something cold, damp, and uneven.

The dry metallic scent vanished, replaced by moist, stagnant air, while a thin layer of shallow water spread beneath her as she slid to a complete stop.

Behind her, a steel door slammed shut with a heavy clang, sealing the entrance and cutting off any path back.