Family Treasure Hunt

“Okay, so we all know the rules for the game, right?”

Everyone nods and makes noises of understanding, relaxing in various positions scattered around the room.

“Rae?”

Reina looks up from smiling at her phone, in a daze. “Hmm? What?”

“Do you understand the rules?”

“Uh…”

“Okay, one last time.” Salem crosses her arm over her chest and uses the other to point aggressively, emphasizing each word she says.

“This is a team building exercise. Bring us all together to like, bond and stuff. We’re all one big family now. We’re sworn off from communicating with the outside world, so as much as I hate this, I can't reach out to Devon, and Verity can't talk to Mantis for the day. And…” Salem sighs, looking over at Reina again, who is tapping at her phone and smiling again. “Reina. That includes not texting Marcel.”

“Oh! Um… that's fine. We’re just saying goodbye anyway. Uh. Sorry. Continue.” He switches his phone off and frantically tosses it in the communal basket, which holds everyone’s phones and several other contraband items, including Verity’s Switch and some of Salem’s gadgets.

“Right. So the point of the game is a treasure hunt. Everyone has a list of stuff to find in different places. We’re in three groups, two of us each, first group to find all the items on the list and make it back to home base within 12 hours wins the satisfaction of bonding with your teammate and having a good time with your family.”

Verity grins and raises their eyebrows. “And…?”

Salem sighs. “And you and your partner get to pick the next big family event, scheduled for next weekend.” Verity makes a punching motion in the air.

“Felix and Reina, you’re stationed in Portland and surrounding areas. Verity and Cassie, you’re in the Realm because portals make quick travel accessible. Me and Foxglove are staying in Grimsvile and the forest.”

Felix smiles at Reina, who is tapping her finger restlessly against her knee and sneaking very unsubtle glances at the phone basket. He puts an arm around her and she relaxes, grinning up at him. Foxglove gives a thumbs-up to Salem, who nods curtly in response, whilst Verity throws a mischievous grin to an already-irritated Cassiopeia.

“There are ten items to find, you have twelve hours. You can stop for food or rest breaks at any time in the twelve hours, adults you are responsible for not rushing everything immediately. I made these arm bands-” she gestures to her arm cuff, which has a few buttons on it and is made of a sleek bronze metal. “- to make sure nobody goes too crazy. At various points in the day, it will beep to indicate time for food, and will only shut off if the sensor can smell the food nearby. It also helps you record which items you’ve gotten and it has an emergency button to call the other groups if anything majorly terrible happens. Which it won't.” She adds to reassure a sweating Reina. “You have to take minimum three breaks over the course of the day, but taking any more won't hinder your progress. This is a silly game we are playing for fun, okay? Don't get intense about it.” She throws an extra glance to Verity and Cassie, who seem to be gesturing insults and tactics at each other. Cassie stops when Foxglove puts a hand on her thigh, causing her to blush bright blue and turn to the others before smiling brightly. “A-okay! Sounds great to me! Yep!”

Salem smiles. “Before anyone asks, there is no special consideration for inability to perform at utmost speed. Everyone has an exception because of Foxglove’s chronic illness, Reina’s anxiety in public spaces and Cassie’s lack of depth perception.”

Cassie touches a hand to her eye patch and mutters something under her breath, which Verity suddenly seems to be concerned about. Salem moves on swiftly.

“You can eat anywhere, take any and as many rest breaks as you want. Your bracelet will scream when the time is up. It’ll ping us of each other’s locations if we’re not back here by the time it's over and we’ll come and collect you. Okay. That's it. Fun family bonding experience. Anyone got any last minute questions?”

Reina shifts her gaze back to the basket. “Can I check my phone again real quick?”

Sae sighs and checks her cuff for the time. “Five minutes. Everyone else, go to the bathroom, get your backpacks ready, whatever you need to do. Budget is limitless, quirks are on the table, do what you need to do to get your items all together. First official Dunsdon-Voulge Annual Treasure Hunt begins in 10.”