Risebelle sighed sharply. "Alright, Jess, put me down so I can think properly."

  Jess didn’t even acknowledge the request.

  Risebelle’s eye twitched. "Jess. Put. Me. Down."

  Instead, Jess hummed in amusement. "You know, you’re really not heavy at all. Kinda funny, huh?" She smirked. "It’s like we switched roles. You’re the tall princess, and I’m the strong knight carrying you off to safety—"

  SMACK!

  Jess let out a yelp as Risebelle’s palm collided hard with her ass. The impact was so forceful that Jess nearly launched her forward while instinctively letting go.

  "OW—WHAT THE HELL?! MY BUTT WILL NEVER BE THE SAME, RISEBELLE!"

  Jess whimpered and clutched her backside. "You monster! My poor, innocent butt—violated by your brute strength!"

  Risebelle, standing tall with her arms crossed watched with a blank stare. "If you’d dropped me when I asked, it wouldn’t be in pain right now."

  Jess sniffled while rubbing her sore rear with care.

  Harty sighed. “Girls, how about we focus on not dying in here?"

  Risebelle turned her gaze to the room with her fingers tapping against her arm. "Right. Let’s get out of here."

  Harty let out a dry chuckle. "Yeah, uh… that’s gonna be the challenge of the century. Because unless you can phase through walls, I don’t see a single thing that’s gonna help us escape."

  The trio began to think separately. Risebelle considered the layout of the hidden arcade, Jess thought about the interactions she had witnessed and Harty tried to analyze their current situation.

  After some time had passed, Harty turned to Risebelle and asked, "Risebelle, I've been wondering... why you shout out like that when you heard the name 'Rosebelle'? It's almost like you knew her or something."

  Risebelle’s fingers twitched slightly. The name Roselle echoed in her mind, pulling her back for just a moment—back to a different time, a different life.

  She knew this was just a memory.

  They didn’t know who Roselle was.

  They wouldn’t understand.

  She couldn’t tell them anything about that other life.

  Risebelle inhaled quietly before answering. "I—" She paused, then shifted her stance. "I heard a similar name before. That’s all."

  Harty raised an eyebrow. "Yeah? Where?"

  Risebelle shrugged. "Can’t remember exactly, but uh….It just caught me off guard, alright? Don’t make a big deal out of it."

  Harty studied her closely before saying, “You mean…A name like… Roselle?”

  Risebelle’s breath caught in her throat.

  ‘Did he just say…?’

  She snapped her head toward him with her eyes opened wide. “How did you—?”

  Harty crossed his arms. “Makes sense you’d know her. She is a student at our school.”

  Risebelle masked her shock quickly, but her mind raced. ‘Roselle’s here? In this school? This is the last thing I expected to hear but… I need this information.’

  "Right… of course," she said smoothly. "I just didn’t expect to hear that name here, of all places."

  Harty nodded. "She’s been saying she’s got a doppelg?nger. Someone’s been going around, messing up her life. And get this—last week, she and her best friend, Sarah, got into a fight that left Sarah in the hospital."

  Jess let out a low whistle. "Damn."

  "But here’s the weird part," Harty continued. "Both Roselle and Sarah swear up and down that she’d never do something like that. Still, after that whole mess, Roselle got expelled last week. And even though she’s back now, her friends have been treating her like crap ever since."

  Jess suddenly stiffened. "Wait a damn minute! I was attacked by someone looking just like Risebelle—you’re telling me Roselle’s dealing with the same thing?!"

  Harty’s gaze darkened. "It’s way too much of a coincidence for this to not be connected….Alright, First thing’s first—we need to get the hell out of here. Then we find this Rosebelle and get some damn answers."

  Risebelle nodded.

  Harty pressed on, “At least we know one thing for sure—if she’s been messing with Roselle, then she has to be a part of the school, too.”

  Jess cracked her knuckles. "Good. That means we can actually find her."

  The trio resumed their search for an escape route, but to no avail. They could not find much in the darkness. After what felt like hours, Harty, Risebelle, and Jess exchanged weary glances.

  Harty let out a sigh and then kicked the side of a machine. "I can't believe this!”

  Risebelle continued to look around but her eyes didn’t see anything different. "It's as if the passage we used to enter this area has vanished. This is highly unusual."

  Jess crossed her arms and frowned.

  Harty leaned against the spot where the passage should have been and spoke in frustration. "How could they set this up so fast? It's like they knew we'd be following them and planned this escape route in advance."

  Risebelle raised an eyebrow. "It's possible that Rosebelle and her companions have been using this hidden arcade as a base of operations for some time. They might have had multiple escape routes prepared."

  Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

  Jess leaned in close to Harty and playfully rubbed her hands on his arm. "Harty, darling, why you don’t show off those impressive muscles of yours and knock down this wall? I'm sure you've got the strength for it."

  Harty’s face turned beet red. “I—I don’t think that’s gonna work, Jess. I mean, uh…This is a wall. Not exactly something I can just—” He made a weak punching motion. “—knock down like some action hero.”

  Risebelle lowered her eyes and grabbed Jess by the collar, yanking her away from him. “Have you seen him? Scrawny muscles, Jess. Scrawny. He’s got a mind for chess, not the body of a jock."

  Harty frowned. “Well, you didn’t have to point out my flaws so adamantly…”

  Jess snickered and winked at Harty. “Awww, but you know, I believe in you.” She flexed her arms. “You just gotta feel the strength within you! Channel your inner beast!”

  Harty gave her a deadpan stare. "I think my inner beast is taking a nap."

  Risebelle sighed. “Enough messing around. We need a real plan." She glanced around at the darkness surrounding them. "There has to be something we're missing.”

  Risebelle turned her attention to the area where they had entered the hidden arcade. She searched for any clues or anomalies that might be able to help them.

  After a moment of careful observation, Risebelle noticed something unusual. She pointed towards the wall and said, "Hey Harty, look behind you."

  Harty turned and squinted at the wall behind him. His fingers traced along the surface until he felt it—a small, thin seam running vertically. His eyes widened.

  “Wait a second…” He pressed against it slightly. “This—it looks like the track for a sliding door.”

  Jess perked up. “Oh? So all we gotta do is push it open?” She stepped forward and slammed her palms against the wall with full force.

  Nothing happened.

  Harty sighed. “Jess, you can’t just use brute force.”

  Jess pouted. “Well it worked for me before!”

  Risebelle ignored them and examined the seam closer. “If this is a sliding door, then it must have a mechanism to open it. Look around—there has to be a button, a switch, something.”

  The trio began to investigate the area around the hidden entrance. While looking, they found nothing. Harty and Risebelle’s eyes met after a minute of searching. They both began to move towards a row of old arcade machines.

  Jess looked at the duo curiously, "What's going on, you two? What was that look about?"

  Harty and Risebelle moved towards a nearby row of arcade machines. They knelt down and began examining the area behind and underneath the machines for any hidden triggers or switches.

  Harty peered under the air hockey table and his eyes locked onto a switch beneath it. “Okay guys, I see the switch, but it’s kinda out of my reach. We need something small enough to reach it or someone who can squeeze in there."

  Jess folded her arms and frowned. “I’m not that small, I mean, I could do it, but... really?"

  Both of them turned to look at Risebelle.

  Risebelle, standing tall at 6 feet with her lean build arched an eyebrow and smirked slightly. “I know what you two are thinking, and the answer is ‘hell’ no."

  Harty and Jess didn't say anything. They just kept looking at her.

  Risebelle smirked "You wanna know why? Because I always, come prepared!"

  She reached for her bag—except her hand grasped nothing but air.

  Her entire body stiffened.

  Slowly, she patted her hip. Then her back. Then her sides.

  Her bag was gone.

  Her face twitched as realization hit. "Those bastards…" she muttered under her breath. “They took it."

  Jess winced. "Oof. Looks like they were thinking five steps ahead."

  Risebelle went to a corner of the area and sat in the fetal position. “Emptiness just filled my soul."

  Jess threw herself onto the floor and reached toward Risebelle like she was a fallen soldier on the battlefield. “Noooo! My knight! Come back to us! Don’t let despair claim you!”

  Harty approached Risebelle. “Risebelle, come on. You’re our only hope of getting out of here now.” He crossed his arms and gave her a pointed look. “Do you really want that doppelganger to keep running around with your face?”

  Risebelle’s eye twitched.

  Harty continued, “Sometimes, we gotta do things we really don’t want to do. Like squeezing into tight, disgusting spaces under an arcade machine.”

  Risebelle let out a long sigh. Then, she stood up and cracked her neck, stretched her arms and shot the two of them a glare.

  “If I get stuck, one of you is losing a limb,” she muttered.

  Jess grinned. “I volunteer Harty.”

  “Wait, what—?!” Harty started, but Risebelle was already lowering herself to the floor,

  Risebelle slid under the machine. Dust clung to her sleeves and the scent of old, uncleaned machinery filled her nose. ‘I’m already regretting this shit…’

  Just when she reached for the switch, she felt a light tug at the hem of her skirt.

  “I already feel you touching my skirt, Jess,”Risebelle said flatly. “Say goodbye to that hand when I get out of here.”

  Jess let out a sharp eep! and immediately let go.

  Risebelle took a deep breath and stretched her arm forward. Her fingers brushed against the switch just enough to click it into place.

  The hidden door creaked open, revealing the passage beyond.

  Harty pumped his fist. “Yeah! We did it!”

  Risebelle crawled out from under the machine, brushing the dust off her sleeves. “Good. And I didn’t even get stuck down there. A miracle.”

  Jess smirked with her eyes lingering on Risebelle’s body. “A real shame. I was hoping to get a nice long look at that perfect ass of yours, trapped in there. Maybe even snap a few pics for later for my private collection on As-."

  SMACK!

  Jess yelped as a sharp sting rippled through her butt once again.

  "AH—DAMN IT, RISEBELLE!" she whined with tears in her eyes. "That’s the second time tonight! What do you have against my poor butt?!"

  Risebelle’s face was slightly pink, but her face was stone cold. “Let’s go, Harty,” she said firmly.

  Harty, wisely avoiding any commentary slipped through the newly opened passage. Risebelle followed, and Jess, still rubbing her backside trailed after them.

  Once they stepped into the main arcade area, the first thing they noticed was the lack of people. The once-buzzing machines were now completely off.

  Harty immediately reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone. The screen lit up in the darkness, showing a single, unsettling detail:

  12:00 AM.

  His stomach twisted. "Uh, guys... It’s midnight."

  Risebelle frowned. "So?"

  Jess groaned. "So, the arcade’s shut down. And if everyone’s gone…"

  A long pause.

  “…We might be locked in.”

  Before panic could set in, Risebelle marched straight toward the front door. She pushed against it lightly—

  Click.

  It swung open without resistance.

  She blinked. "Now this is just poor security work."

  Jess gasped and clasped her hands together. "Oh, thank the goddess Exul for blessing us this day!" She sighed in relief and then stretched her arms behind her head. "Whew, what a wild night, huh? I think after all this excitement, I deserve a reward."

  Harty raised an eyebrow. "A reward?"

  "Yep." Jess smirked. "Movie night. With sundaes."

  Risebelle crossed her arms. "Sounds like a reward for all of us, not just you."

  Jess hummed, then wrapped an arm around Risebelle's shoulder. "Well… if you wanna make it special, it could just be the two of us." She wiggled her eyebrows.

  Risebelle shot her a deadpan stare. "Jess. You already forgot. My mother is going to kill me."

  Jess chuckled. "Oh, come on, just sneak out after they calm down. You know you want to. I'll even make us some popcorn, the buttery kind. And then we can wear those matching pajamas you secretly love. And then... maybe..."

  Risebelle jabbed a sharp finger at Jess’ forehead. "Behave yourself."

  Jess grinned. "I am behaving. I'm offering you an amazing night of popcorn, pajamas, and me—a once-in-a-lifetime package deal, really."

  Risebelle narrowed her eyes. "You just described that like a scam."

  Jess gasped and clutched her chest. "Wow. You wound me, my knight." She wiped an invisible tear. "Fine, fine, I’ll behave… for now."

  Jess gave Harty a conspiratorial wink. "Well, it was worth a shot. Harty, how about you? Up for some ice cream and a movie night? You can be my new best friend if Risebelle wants to be a party pooper."

  Harty chuckled nervously. "As… tempting as that sounds, Jess, I've also got to get home. My little sister's probably waiting up for me."

  Jess pouted. "So no movie night? What am I supposed to do now?"

  Risebelle shook her head while walking away. Harty chuckled and waved a hand while turning down another street.

  With that, they all went their separate ways, the mystery of Rosebelle still lingering in their minds.