Chapter Four
Amirah
A loud squeal pierces my ears, getting louder and louder.I groan, reaching for my alarm clock, but my hand lands on cool metal.Wind brushes my hair away from my face, getting stronger and stronger.
It takes me a second to peel my eyes open, and when I do, I’m looking down to my death.Clasping onto the railing, I scream.My breath comes in and out in short bursts.I try to move, but the strap around my waist keeps me in place.I’m high above the ground, sitting on a rusty roller-coaster cart.It moves up and up, the metal clicking and squealing.
Darkness surrounds me, and it’s hard to see.Little lights scatter along the railing of the roller coaster, but they don’t do much.
Where the fuck am I?The last thing I remember is being with Kai’s friend, Bear ...I’m sure that’s his name.It suits him.He’s big, and danger radiates from him.I was trying to escape, then everything went black, and now here I am—strapped into an old fucking roller coaster, about to fall into the unknown.No, this can’t be happening.
The cart comes to a stop.Wind surges around me.This is it, the calm before the storm.I’m going to die.Everything I’ve been through in my life comes down to this very moment.
I think of all the fun I’ve had.Sneaking my best friend Freya into parties and swimming at the beach together.Of going to school and acing every class.Of Jewel—of what I did.
Of all the things I haven’t yet experienced and now will never have a chance to.
I won’t be able to do all the important things I still want to accomplish.
“Smile.”Bear’s voice echoes from a speaker in front of me, through the otherwise quiet air.
I frown, shaking my head furiously before a bright light blinds me from somewhere in front of me.I shield my eyes, then it’s gone, darkness consuming me once more.
“This is your captain speaking.Hold on tight.You’re in for a fright.”A robotic voice comes through a speaker somewhere in my cart.
My hands clench the safety bar in front of me.The old rust bites into my cut skin.Am I about to drop to my death?Will the safety belt around my waist fail me?What’s waiting at the bottom?I don’t know, and that frightens me.
There’s still so much I want to do in this world.I try to release the strap around me, but my fingers shake and I can’t get it loose.
Before I take my next breath, I’m falling.I hang on to the bar in front of me with all my might as my hair flings back over my shoulders.My screams and the squealing of metal against metal pierce my ears.
Bright-white light blinds me once again, then I’m sucked into a dark tunnel.The wind disappears, and I’m left with my heavy breathing.The cart jerks to a stop, and I fly forward.My breath leaves my body as the seat belt bites into my skin.Darkness surrounds me everywhere I look.
“Amirah Ledger, you’re about to enter a restricted zone.Only those invited may enter.Please ensure you leave all belongings behind—you won’t be needing them anymore.It’s time to say goodbye to your old life and say hello to your new home: Dareland.”The robotic voice sends waves of unease through my body.
My sweaty palms slip on the railing.Dareland—now that doesn’t sound like fun.If Bear is running his own amusement park, there’s no way I’ll make it out of here alive.I remember when I saw him at the tracks that he cut his own lip open just for fun.He’s a psycho.
My hands claw at my seat belt, trying to find the buckle.I can’t see anything.Cool metal meets my fingers, and I attempt to lift the lever.I wiggle my hips, but the belt doesn’t budge.Fuck.I frantically try again and again, but it doesn’t release.
We’re moving again.I slump back into my seat.A mixture of tears and sweat runs down my cheeks.We stop, and the speaker somewhere in my cart crackles.
“Knock, knock,” the voice says, and I refuse to answer.
I’m not playing his games.I bring my bottom lip between my teeth.
“Who’s there?That’s what you’re supposed to ask, princess.”
I freeze.Maybe if I’m still enough, some other delusion will enter his mind, and he’ll leave me alone.
Even as I think it, I know there’s no chance.
“The Dare Land!”
Curtains are pulled away, bright lights and vibrant colors blinding me.It takes a second for the blurriness to disappear, and when it does, I want it to come back.This is too much.
A massive open clown’s mouth with missing teeth stares back at me.Fake blood drips from its bottom lip.The track continues through his gaping mouth, and I want to turn around.Where’s the fucking exit sign?
The cart pushes forward, and once again, I’m falling.We drop headfirst through the mouth, and then I’m surrounded by my own reflection.I’m in a room full of mirrors inside the world’s creepiest clown.There I am, sitting in the old cart, sweat dripping down my face.My dark hair sticking to my skin.My eyes widened in horror.
