Game of the Blood Moon (Twilight x Squid Game)

I lay in my bed, the thin walls of my apartment doing little to muffle the classical music my neighbor was playing. I had been living in New York for three months now, and the loneliness of being in a strange city far away from home was weighing heavily on me. Yet, for some reason, the muffled music from the shared wall was comforting. It seemed to creep into my dreams, lulling me into a sense of security and peace. The notes seemed to wrap around me, providing a shield from the reality of my new home. As the music floated around me, I envisioned myself back in Phoenix, with the clear sky above me. I could almost feel the warmth of the sun on my face.

As the night went on, the music grew louder, filling the room, until it finally awoke, feeling groggy and stiff. My initial feeling of comfort was now replaced with a sense of dread.

"What happened last night?" I thought to myself. I couldn't remember anything after getting in the van. As I came to, I felt a thin blanket on top of me and springs digging into my back.

The violins and trumpets continued as I quickly threw the blanket off, quickly sat upright, and had a look around. I looked down and saw that I was wearing a green tracksuit, bearing the number 449 on the left breast. "How did I get into these clothes? Ew, did someone undress me!?" I thought to myself, suddenly feeling like I needed to scrub myself clean.

Gazing around the room, I realized I must be nearly 20 feet in the air, on top of a - I paused for a second to count - a 6-story bunk bed, surrounded by other tiered beds of various heights. There was a crowd of people, all wearing the same outfit I had on labeled with various numbers, standing around the room in clusters. They were looking confused and chattering amongst themselves. I scanned the room further and thought I must be one of the last ones up.

Having always been extraordinarily clumsy, I had a brief moment of panic about how I was going to get down from the top bunk of the bed. I breathed a sigh of relief after noticing the mental stairs between the beds. I took the steps one at a time, my muscles tensing. The metal creaked beneath me as I slowly descended with outstretched arms, ready to break any sudden fall.

After safely making it to the floor of the bunk area, I made my way to the anxious crowd of people. They were swapping stories about how they got here and the last things they remembered. I was hoping to find answers, but now I had the feeling they were just as confused as I was. "Hey," I said hesitantly, "does anyone know what's going on?"

The group exchanged uneasy glances before a woman with short dark hair spoke up. "None of us do. We all just woke up here."

"Bella...?" A familiar voice broke through the sea of murmurs. My heart skipped a beat as I turned to see Edward Cullen, his golden eyes fixed on me with a mixture of shock and something else she couldn't quite place.

"Edward!" I blurted out, my emotions a tangled mess of excitement, confusion, and hurt. "What are you doing here?"

He hesitated for a moment, his gaze flickering away from her face. "I don't know," he muttered, rubbing the back of his neck.

The awkward tension between us felt suffocating, and I couldn't help but wonder if I had made the right decision to leave Forks behind. I knew it was wrong to keep hoping he would come back, but I couldn't help thinking that maybe if I had only waited a little longer things would be different.

His expression softened, "It's good to see you, Bella." He gave me a melancholy smile. "If only it was under different circumstances," he said, glancing around the room.

I hesitated, wanting to believe him but knowing from experience how hot and cold his personality can be. My eyes quickly glanced at his chest, noting that his outfit was imprinted with the number 001. I vaguely wondered if the numbers had any significance or if they were assigned at random.

"Why are you here?" I couldn't help myself from asking. My mind buzzed with wild ideas about what happened to Edward after he disappeared. The Cullen family was always well off. What had happened while he was gone? While I was gone? I berated myself for making such selfish choices. 

Before he could answer, a group of people wearing pink hooded jumpsuits and masks entered, the one in the center with a square and the others with circles. Edward nodded in their direction as if instructing me to pay attention. I stayed still for a few moments, my gaze lingering on him, before turning away and then quickly looking back at him one last time. The workers stood in a row on a black platform at the front of the room, and the square-masked one began to speak, "I would like to extend a heartfelt welcome to you all..."