She’s not wrong. This isn’t something we’ve done in a long time. My own damn stubborn fault.
“I guess.”
“We shouldn’t make a habit of it.”
I hold her gaze. “Probably not.”
“You have Ella, and I?—”
“There’s a lot you don’t understand. It’s not like that.”
She sighs and shakes her head. “Whatever you say.”
She starts her car, and I step back, thinking she’d very well run over my foot. But instead, she rolls down the window. For a beat, my pulse picks up. Will she ask me to come over? To give in? Deliver on exactly what I promised the other day?
“Goodnight, Knox.”
Nope.
“Get home safe.”
Her taillights disappear down the dark road, and I stand there watching until they’re no longer visible. Once I’m in my car, I open my app and watch her marker until it’s on her street.
This time, I don’t feel an ounce of shame about it, and now that I know she knows, I wonder if secretly she likes it.
Chapter 24
Sawyer
This isn’t right. I’m back at Wonder World and everything is normal. Giggles thrusts his hand out, holding a red string, and when I look up it’s attached to a circular mylar balloon with my face on it. Except, I look all wrong. My eyes…they’re…red. And my smile, it’s uncanny.
He chuckles, nudging his hand, insisting I take it. So I do, just so I can get away from him as fast as possible. His eyes follow me as I step back, those spiraling irises like something out of a horror movie.
How did I get here? I’d never come back willingly.
Popcorn crackles beside me, bells ring, announcing game winners, and rides whir, their circus music playing extra slow somehow. Calliopes and organs bleeding into one another in a way that makes the hair on the back of my neck stand on end.
I look around, searching for someone I recognize, anyone who can tell me how I got here.
But now that I’m paying attention, I realize I’m alone. The sights, the smells, the sounds are all here, but the people are gone.
I let the balloon fly up into the crystal blue sky, happy to be rid of it, and run toward the exit. A path I know all too well.
Breathing hard, my feet pound pavement. I’m close now.
When I finally stop, too out of breath to keep going, I’ve landed in the one place I’d never choose.
Velocity towers in front of me, shiny and new. There’s no sign of the accident. No sign that anything horrific happened here.
I turn to run away, pumping my arms this time, but when I stop again, I’m back in front of Velocity.
Tears form in the corner of my eyes.No. No. No.
I have to get the hell out of here.
“Hello!” I yell. “I need help!”
A twisted voice blares like it’s being delivered in a bullhorn. A chuckle, deep and menacing.Giggles.
