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Left.

I turn right, cut through another row.

She hears me and her laughter changes. Breathless. Excited.

“Too slow!” she yells.

I laugh.

Oh, she’s going to regret that.

I deliberately slow down my pace, letting her hear the distance grow between us. Her heartbeat settles, just slightly.

Exactly what I want.

Then I cut through the corn and circle ahead of her.

Sage screams when I step into the path. “FUCK!” She spins and runs in the opposite direction.

I laugh so hard I nearly lose her.

Nearly.

She ducks through a gap.

Smart.

I follow as branches scrape my arms but I don’t care.

She looks back. “Cheater!”

“Reaper!”

“That doesn’t explain anything!”

“It explains everything!”

She laughs.

God. I love that sound.

The field changes around us. The corn isn’t threatening her now. It’s opening paths while closing others. It’s guiding her… towards me.

She realizes it. “You motherfucking corn!”

I bark out a laugh.

She cuts left and the field opens.

I follow as her heartbeat gets louder. She’s tiring herself out. I could catch her but I don’t—not yet.

The anticipation is half the pleasure, half the fun and half the thrill.

She knows I’m behind her, knows I could reach her. She wants me to. That’s what matters.

“Sage.”

She looks back and I gain ground.