CHAPTER 82: JAMESON

After Avery is removed from Vantage and the Game, the remaining players return to the room where the contest began. Zella argues that because Avery attacked her, Avery’s key should belong to Zella. Jameson ignores the Game’s procedure and demands to know where Avery is.

Branford tries to calm Jameson, while Katharine mocks Branford for being soft. Rohan silences the room and refuses to simply hand Avery’s key to Zella. Rohan tells Jameson that Avery has been returned to her bodyguard, then announces that the Game will begin again when the bell strikes.

Rohan’s warning that he hopes no one fears heights shifts Jameson’s attention back to the room, its possible clues, and the silver chest in Jameson’s possession. Katharine urges Jameson to set the chest down, claiming he has no use for it yet, but Jameson recognizes that the chest is now Jameson’s only leverage. Since Jameson no longer has Avery or the final key, keeping the chest prevents anyone else from winning.

Katharine tries to unsettle Jameson by attacking his sense of identity and worth. Katharine suggests Jameson has never earned anything, that Jameson hides behind Tobias Hawthorne’s name, and that without Avery, money, or the Hawthorne legacy, Jameson is ordinary. Branford sharply tells Katharine to stop, but her words strike at Jameson’s deepest fear that Jameson has always been outshone by Grayson, Xander, and Nash.

Jameson fights the spiral of insecurity by reminding himself that he is not giving up. Jameson holds tight to the silver chest and steadies his breathing. The chapter ends as the bell rings, signaling the renewed start of the Game and the next stage of the competition.