As Callum shut the door behind him, Mo turned to Netta, his nerves crackling. ‘So, you haven’t decidednotto come to the gala?’
‘Definitely still thinking about it.’
‘The whole fake date thingiskind of weird,’ admitted Mo. ‘Even for me.’
‘Super tropey.’ She grinned. ‘Like we’re in one of those cheesy romance movies where they have to pretend to be a couple to win an inheritance, or get a promotion or something. This—’ she gestured around them at the escape room signage, ‘—would absolutely be the start of a montage.’
Mo snorted. ‘Ha! Yeah. I guess I’ll have to throw some snow at you at some point and maybe you’ll wipe ice cream off my face and then we’ll fall in love even though we really,reallydon’t want to.’
‘But not before we go for a bike ride around a lake where one of us falls in, but like—adorably,’ said Netta. ‘And then another romantic interest will come along for one of us, but it won’t work out because even though they’re absolutely perfect, they’re not the one our hearts really want.’
‘Yeah, because true love conquers all, right?’ Mo demolished the rest of his cookie.
‘If only,’ said Netta, shaking her head. ‘Imagine if life was really like that.’
‘I’d have to carry a bucket with me at all times.’
‘Good morning, players!’ boomed a voice from behind them. Mo and Netta turned to see the Games Master, who was clearly just Callum dressed up as a bearded wizard, standing behind them. ‘Your challenge awaits. In a moment I will escort you to the Magic Shop, where you will be surrounded by wonder and mystery.’
Mo looked at Netta. She was trying her hardest not to laugh, a cookie crumb clinging to her bottom lip. Her very,verynice bottom lip.
‘The wizard has cast a dastardly spell on the village and has vanished, leaving the townsfolk to live a miserable existence,’ announced Callum. ‘It is your mission to return the village to the happy place it once was. When you’re inside the room, the doors will be locked. The only way out is to find the clues to break the spell. Do you accept this quest?’
Mo and Netta nodded solemnly.
‘Very well,’ Callum said. ‘Follow me.’
‘And let the montage begin,’ Mo whispered.
Netta’s giggle faded quickly once the escape room’s door shut firmly behind them. ‘Whoa, this is— Wow,’ she said, looking around. She turned and tested the door. ‘We’re really locked in here, huh?’
Mo nodded and cast his eyes around the dimly lit room. Floor-to-ceiling timber panels lined the walls and shelves were loaded with dusty spell books, jars filled with potions and strange pieces of equipment. A gilded cage contained a live rabbit and a clothes rack held a selection of velvet robes. On the counter sat an old-fashioned cash register and a stuffed parrot, and behind the counter was a narrow door, partially covered by a beaded curtain. On a low table, crystals and gems in bowls vied for space with glass balls and clusters of coloured feathers, and a rack displayed a shiny selection of silver lamps and jugs. Tarot cards lay scattered on the floor. Banners bearing strange symbols hung from the ceiling. Fat candles in every colour were dotted around the shop and soft music played in the background.
‘Is that a window over there?’ asked Netta, pointing to a curtain on the other side of the room. ‘Maybe we could let some air in?’
‘Let’s have a look.’
Mo stepped over a pile of magic carpets to reach it, and as he pulled the curtain back, a wooden shutter was revealed, open just enough to allow a peek through. He closed one eye and pressed the other to the opening to see the ‘view’ of the village scorned by the wizard. A woman appeared to be pleading for help in front of an apothecary and the street around her was littered with sleeping townsfolk, all out cold on the footpath.
‘It’s not a real window,’ he said to Netta, drawing back. ‘Take a look. I think it’s a clue.’
Netta peered through the crack. ‘This is the result of the spell he cast on the town?’
‘I guess so. Either that or everyone’s been going a bit too hard on the mead.’
Netta’s grin came and went quickly. ‘Okay,’ she said, her cheeks flushed. ‘I guess we should split up to look for clues if we’re ever going to get out of here.’
Mo looked around, taking in the clutter and chaos of the shop. ‘May the force be with us.’
A huge grandfather clocked ding-donged to let them know that five minutes had passed already.
Twenty minutes later, they’d discovered three of the five clues they’d need to find the wizard and save the villagers from eternal sleep, and Netta was starting to look highly uncomfortable, her face flustered and her breathing shallow.
‘You okay?’ asked Mo.
‘I thought I was over it.’
‘Over what?’
