Chapter 22: The Ring

Lorne's POV

Gus built the Chapel booking page in 2022, as a joke, and he refused to apologize for it.

I opened it on day twenty, the night of the vote, at eleven, in the supply room, with the door locked.

The page was gold and cream.

At the top it said: UNDO YOUR VOWS.

Below that, a small field read: Your spouse's full name.

I typed Roxie Kettering.

The page thought about it.

Then it said: Are you sure?

There was a box to tick.

I ticked it.

Are you REALLY sure?

I ticked it again, more slowly.

A third box came up, in smaller letters than the others.

Type the words I AM SURE to continue.

I put my hands on the keys.

I typed I.

I deleted it.

I typed it again, and the A, and got as far as the M.

Then I took my hands off the keyboard and sat looking at the screen.

Nature of incident, I thought. Other.

I did not fill in the form.

Gus came in without knocking, which he has never done in his life, and stood behind my chair.

"You found my page," he said.

"It's a terrible page."

"It's a deterrent. The average player gets stuck at box two."

"And box three?"

"Eleven players have ever reached it."

"Every one of them cried."

I closed the window.

"Gus. If one of us doesn't show up on day thirty-one, what happens?"

"Nothing."

"Nothing at all?"

"The button stays dark. It's a two-person lock."

He cleaned his glasses on his suspenders.

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