Crazy, All Crazy, A Little Madness Is Good

Episode 16

Marcus Wilson stood in a small grove, eyes fixed on Sophia's avatar on his phone, his brow furrowed enough to trap a fly.

At this moment, his and Sophia's avatars overlapped perfectly on the map, yet the area around him was completely empty—not even Sophia's phone was in sight.

Even if she had dropped her phone and ran, there should at least be some trace of the device, right?

"What the hell?" he muttered, turning in a slow circle.

[Nicholas Anderson]: @Director Davis Is there a location problem?

[Director Davis]: The location data is accurate. I would notify everyone immediately if there were any issues.

[Nicholas Anderson]: Then Sophia must be cheating. I don't see her anywhere.

[Director Davis]: She's not breaking any rules.

[Nicholas Anderson]: ?

[Jacob Collins]: What's going on? Maybe you're not looking carefully enough. Send us a video so I can see.

Nicholas quickly uploaded a video.

He filmed a complete 360-degree view of his surroundings, not even missing the area above his head. But throughout the entire shot, there was nothing but trees and leaves—no sign of Sophia anywhere.

[Ethan Parker]: Did you check up in the trees?

[Nicholas Anderson]: Yes, checked already. Nothing there.

[Ethan Parker]: That's strange.

The viewers in Nicholas's livestream were equally confused.

[Wait, where is she?]

[You can see everything clearly, but where's Sophia?]

[She must have hidden her phone and run off. How is that not breaking the rules?]

[I've been saying all along, Sophia is supernatural...]

Nicholas was stubborn—despite not finding anything, he persisted in searching, thoroughly combing the area as if determined to look under every leaf for answers.

Until Director Davis finally offered a hint in the group chat.

[Director Davis]: Half the time has already passed, and you haven't found anyone yet. You might want to try a different target @Nicholas Anderson, or you'll end up in last place.

Nicholas was frustrated but had no choice. He had to switch targets.

This time, he set his sights on Jessica.

Interestingly, Jessica was also at the farthest point from him.

[He's running out of time, why is he still going after the farthest person?]

[I understand targeting Sophia because he dislikes her, but what's his issue with Jessica?]

[Don't try to understand what's in the mind of a handsome guy. He can chase whoever he wants.]

[I think there's a reason. Jessica and Sophia agreed to choose each other earlier. Maybe Nicholas doesn't want to give them that opportunity, so he's trying to make them lose?]

[LOL, why would our star actor do that? He'd be thrilled if Sophia chose someone else!]

To save time, Nicholas sprinted at full speed again. By the time he reached Jessica's location, he was visibly exhausted, his designer t-shirt darkened with sweat patches.

But another problem emerged.

[Nicholas Anderson]: @Jessica I don't see you.

[Jessica]: That's exactly as it should be.

[Nicholas Anderson]: ...?

Nicholas put down his phone, staring at the serene lake before him in silence. The blue water sparkled in the sunlight, completely undisturbed.

[Emma Frost]: If I'm not mistaken... Jessica's location shows she's on the lake?

[Jacob Collins]: Does this estate have boats? If I'd known, I would have gone out on the water too.

[Nicholas Anderson]: No.

[Nicholas Anderson]: There are no boats.

[Ethan Parker]: What?

This time, everyone fell silent.

[This is getting creepy in broad daylight. First Sophia vanishes, now Jessica has disappeared into thin air?]

[Damn, this turned into a horror show]

[Did our actor just encounter ghosts?]

Just as the comments started drifting toward supernatural theories, Director Davis reminded everyone about the time.

[Director Davis]: Friendly reminder: only ten minutes left. If you still can't find anyone, you'll end up in last place @Nicholas Anderson.

Nicholas had no choice but to grit his teeth and change targets once more.

This time, he couldn't afford to chase the farthest target, so he headed straight for Ethan, who was closest to him.

He successfully found Ethan at the lakeside pavilion, sitting comfortably on a bench with a book in hand.

"Took you long enough," Ethan said with a smirk, closing his book.

[Director Davis]: Ding! Ethan Parker has been found and now joins the "It" team to help Nicholas find others.

They divided tasks—Ethan would look for Emma who was nearby, while Nicholas would pursue Jacob who was farthest away.

Soon, Ethan found Emma behind some bushes, not exactly making a heroic effort to stay hidden.

"Found you," Ethan said, tapping her shoulder.

Emma shrugged with a smile. "Oh well."

[Director Davis]: Ding! Emma Frost has been found and now joins the "It" team to help Nicholas find others.

By now, Nicholas was getting closer and closer to Jacob.

After all this running, Nicholas was nearly spent, but being the competitive man he was, he pushed on despite his exhaustion.

Suddenly, Jacob's avatar started moving.

[Here we go, the chase is on!]

[For someone who parties all the time, Jacob runs pretty fast]

[Nicholas is looking pale, can he even keep running?]

On screen, Jacob ran with all his might, with Nicholas in hot pursuit behind him, like two wild men tearing through the forest.

Just as he was about to be caught, Jacob turned and ran across a bridge, with Nicholas right on his heels.

The drone overhead broadcast Director Davis's voice.

"Countdown begins, ten, nine, eight..."

Nicholas's legs burned as he pushed himself harder, stretching his arm out as Jacob stayed just beyond his reach.

"Seven, six, five..."

With a final desperate lunge, Nicholas's fingers brushed against Jacob's shirt.

"Four, three..."

"Got you!" Nicholas gasped, his hand firmly grasping Jacob's shoulder.

"Two, one—game over!" Director Davis announced. "Nicholas's team has captured Jacob Collins, Ethan Parker, and Emma Frost. Sophia Miller and Jessica remain uncaught. They are today's winners!"

[WHAT? How did that happen?]

[I can't believe Nicholas couldn't find either of them!]

[Sophia and Jessica must be wizards. I'm convinced.]

[This means they get to choose their dates, right?]

Everyone gathered back at the mansion's entrance. Nicholas, Ethan, Emma, and Jacob were already there, but Sophia and Jessica were nowhere to be seen.

"Where are they?" Director Davis asked, checking his watch.

Five minutes later, Sophia strolled up from the direction of the woods, looking completely relaxed in a light jacket and jeans.

"Sorry for the wait," she said with a mischievous smile. "I was a bit far away."

"And Jessica?" Director Davis asked.

As if on cue, Jessica appeared, walking up from the lakeside path, her clothes entirely dry despite her location showing she had been in the middle of the lake.

"Here I am," she said cheerfully.

Nicholas looked between the two women with narrowed eyes. "I demand to know how you two managed to disappear like that."

"All in good time," Sophia replied with a wink.

Director Davis cleared his throat. "As promised, since Sophia and Jessica weren't caught, they each get to choose their date partners for today."

Jessica stepped forward first. "I choose Sophia."

The comment section exploded:

[SHE ACTUALLY DID IT]

[SOPHIA AND JESSICA DATE CONFIRMED]

[My ship is sailing!!!!]

Sophia nodded with a slight smile. "And I choose Jessica."

Nicholas's jaw tightened almost imperceptibly.

"Perfect," Director Davis said, though he looked slightly disappointed that the women had chosen each other instead of creating more male-female pairings. "You'll be heading to the coastal restaurant for your date. The rest of you will pair up too—Nicholas and Emma, Jacob and Ethan."

As they dispersed to prepare for their dates, Nicholas pulled Sophia aside.

"How did you do it?" he asked, his voice low. "I was standing right where your location showed you were."

Sophia gave him a cryptic smile. "Magic."

"Don't give me that," he insisted. "There has to be a trick."

"Perhaps," she replied. "But would knowing the answer really make you feel any better?"

Before he could respond, Jessica approached and linked her arm through Sophia's. "Ready to go?"

"Absolutely," Sophia replied, leaving Nicholas standing there with his questions unanswered.

As they walked away, Jessica leaned close to Sophia's ear. "Should we tell them how we did it?"

"And ruin all the fun?" Sophia laughed softly. "Never."

The two women shared a conspiratorial smile as they headed toward their waiting car, leaving the mystery of their impossible disappearance hanging in the air behind them.