Throughout Cal High history, seniors have created and organized an annual game that brings paranoia, blood, sweat and tears.

That game is none other than Assassins.

It’s $5 per person and $10 per team to enter the game, and the godfathers of Assassins create rules and assign targets.

Armed with Nerf guns, the teams stake out, hide, wake up early, and go to bed late, all to “kill” their targets.

At the end of the game, whichever group wins gets 80 percent of the $1,200 raised.

Senior Nick Fajardo agreed.

“I think seniors should play, as it is a great bonding experience for you and your partner,” said senior Nick Fajardo.

Assassins is referred to as a passage of rites among the senior class at Cal and other high schools throughout the Bay Area.

“It’s definitely a tradition,” said one Godfather, who wished to be unnamed because he’s concerned of repercussions from school administrators.

Many take the game quite seriously. Others, on the other hand, play the game for fun or to win all the money.

“It’s all fun and games until someone takes it to the extreme,” said senior Cameron Oddieo.

Senior Ali Cox also believes that seniors shouldn’t take Assassins to the extreme.

“Everyone should play, just don’t be stupid about it” said Cox. “Don’t paint your gun black and go to elementary schools.”

Many of the seniors and administrators worry that there will be someone who will take it too far and ruin it for everyone.

“There is a potential for misunderstandings that could cause concern among people who aren’t playing and don’t know that it’s just a game,” said assistant principal Sarah Wondolowski.

Some seniors are determined to win, and their flaming ambition has had them training for the game in interesting and rigorous ways.

“I’ve been training with the wild Victor and the wild Oscar,” said senior Mike Arata. “I have two pistols that have been already modded. I’ll hide under people’s cars at four in the morning like a fox in the night.”

Another strategy that groups often use is reducing their vulnerability by not going out.

“My partner and I came up with a way to limit our exposure as much as possible,” Fajardo said of he and his partner, Sarah Lashanlo

When asking some seniors how far and extreme they will go many said as extreme as possible to win the cash.

“If I won the money I’d spend it on (tickets for) the Electric Daisy Carnival,” said Oddieo.

Other students have more practical uses for the money.

“I would put it in the bank to add to my college spending money,” said Fajardo.

Eighty percent of the pot, or $960, will go to the winner and the other 20 percent, $240, will be split among the four Godfathers.

As the Godfathers prepared the rules and organized the game, they expected that some player might have problems with a couple of the rules.

“My only problem with the rules is that I disagree with the fact that you only have 48 hours to get your targets if your partner is shot,” said Fajardo. “I think you should be allowed the remainder of the two-week time period.”

Once the game began in late February, administrators sent an email to parents asking them to discourage their teens from participating.

“The email was sent out district-wide to all high school parents,” said Fry.

It was also informing the parents that this is not a school function, effectively removing any chance of the district being sued or held responsible for any student actions.