CHAPTER 1

Chapter 1: Date a Liar

Artemis,

"This is madness!" I shouted while looking at the paper. My boyfriend, Jose has been holding for a minute now. "Totally!" he agreed as he aggressively holds his chin while remembering the words I just read to him.

"This game really sucks, giving no choice to town's people but to participate and follow their silly rules!" I said and sat on one of the wooden chairs inside my house. We are here in the kitchen. We were having breakfast when this bad omen arrived!

"What should I do?" I asked him with full belief that he would say something other than what he actually uttered.

"Seriously?" I asked and slammed my left hand on top of the table, I felt a bit numb but I didn't care. "They will kill us both if you won't participate!" he defended what he said and I sat here in disbelief.

"And this might be the biggest challenge on our relationship before our marriage!" he added, my left eyebrow lifted automatically upon hearing his word. "Don't you trust on what we have? Were you really thinking that if I didn't have to receive such omen you don't believe our marriage might work?"

I asked him, dead stared into his eyes as he swallowed his saliva.

"It's not like that. I mean we're only been together for a year." He said and looked into the window. I sighed, he's right. I might be just rushing too much because I don't really want to be scouted into this yearly game!

Married couples are excluded, that's why!

"Alright then." I said and he looked to my direction again. "If I won, you'll marry me from then on!" I said just bluntly throwing a bet. His face brightened after hearing my condition, he nodded so aggressively that his brunette hair fully covered his forehead.

"I trust you, that's why I am encouraging you to participate." He said and as he placed his left palm on my left cheek, I rested and forced a smile.

This is a one big challenge but I won't be thorn down, my love for him is impeccable that no man could sit on his place!

After that, everything that followed was a straight up nightmare. The Mayans, our government, prepared this very special day to conduct a seminar about this yearly game. I attend it every year that I memorized everything that I should know.

I am at the prime of my age were my memories are clear.

Me and Jose are sitting here in the back part because like what I said, we are at the prime of our age. Younger people and older people are gathered in front because they tend to forget what is the game all about.

"Ladies and Gentlemen and all in between! welcome to the new Date a Liar game were two opposite sex are partnered to one another and of course play the game!" 

Only the children clapped their hands when this old lady dressed in a very bright yellow cloth appeared holding a very loud microphone.

She has a bright smile but I know deep withinthat she's being happy because she and her comrades will soon watch the murder of multiple people who failed to stand their ground.

"You might be wondering young boy what really is the game called Date a Liar?" she said with his annoying high pitched voice, I cringed upon hearing it as if my ears going to bleed!

"You see, our world has changed, so much that our country, Maharlika, floated in to the sky. We received a long life span and now were over populated." She started and acted like a play is being acted on her mind.

"She's so dramatic!" I whispered to my boyfriend who's silently sitting and cringing. He just shrugged his shoulders and didn't even stared back to me. I shook my head and looked around here in the open grounds.

We're actually straight up under the sun being dried and soon be turned into a dried person. Luckily, we got chairs this year, last year was harder, we stood for straight hour listening to this deliberately rubbish talks!

"And us, Mayans who loves you all, decided to formulate a game now called Date a Liar, its rules are simple. You fall in love, you lose. Taking account to the basic starter of life which is pregnancy and birth, pregnancy resulted from intimate relationship and actions of couples. This is the best solution yet!"

She looks so cheerful as if she enjoys explaining how Date a Liar was considered to be created. This is their definition of birth control, I don't know what's the need of throwing people down because they fall in love.

Our Science is so advance that we can't formulate any pills or anything except throwing people away to actually control the continuous expansion of our population here in Maharlika.

"Now, where are the participants?" she suddenly screamed and searched for people, I almost fell on the ground because of shock. Her speech is rather short today, missing out key points like the existence of on land cities where this trash people, as the Mayans call them, end up living.

I shook my head and turned my sight to Jose. "I trust in you, remember, our love is thicker than blood." He said as he holds me both on my cheeks and kissed my forehead. I took a deep breath and finally smiled.

"I love you." I whispered as I stood up and finally walking in between the chairs. I squinted my eyes as I approach the stage because of the strong sunrays from the so bright sun.

Finally walking up on the stage, I held my left hand at my back as I stood side by side by the people I've known for my whole life. Surprisingly, we're only a total of twenty today, this year. Well not including those who comes from other cities.

"Now, I will pick your partners!" the announcer announced and as she turns to us, she winked. Two men wearing white clothes approached her, holding two fish bowls with rolled parchments on each of it.

The stood side by side and the lady inserts her hand on the right bowl first before diving into the left. She held the two parchment using her hands in accordance with the bowls she first reached on.

I stared as she unwraps the first paper. She loudly announced a name of a boy who I know been working on a log industry. Comes next a girl who I see everyday carrying a basket of flowers she arranged herself.

The two walks forward and starred at one another. The lady hugged them and pointed the side of the stage where she wants them to stand. She smile once again, feeling excited and she then reached to the bowls once again.

"Elio Caddel!" She announced and then a man wearing clothes like a cow boy. Of course the man who's very full of himself. He got the looks but because of his arrogance, he looks dimwit to me.

"Looking good, young man." The lady laughed and tap the broad shoulders of Elio.

"You will be partnered with Artemis Barlue!"  my hopes shrunk as I walk  to the front. I stared at him like he has something on his face not until the lady suddenly kissed us both in our cheeks.

"A lovely couple." She said and winked again. I looked to Elio's direction and he has already begun doing some silly movements. I felt my body hair stood us I felt disgust on what I am seeing.

Ugh!

This game truly sucks!