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She was so light. Too light. Like she’d already started fading.

“I’m sorry,” I whispered against her hair. “I’m so fucking sorry.”

Then I ran.

We made it out just as the House collapsed. The entire structure folded in on itself, sinking into the ground like it had never existed. The stage, the galleries, the red door, the amphitheater—all of it gone, swallowed by the earth.

And when the dust settled, there was nothing left but an empty lot overgrown with weeds.

I laid Zinnia’s body on the ground and knelt beside her. Her eyes were closed, her face peaceful, but the blood staining her white dress told the truth.

She was gone.

And I was still here.

“Malachi.” Dahlia’s voice was soft. “We need to⁠—”

“Leave me alone.”

“We can’t just⁠—”

“I said leave me the fuck alone!” The words came out as a roar, and Dahlia flinched. But she didn’t leave. None of them did.

They stayed with me while I held Zinnia’s body and sobbed like a child. They stayed while the sun rose and the city woke up around us. They stayed while I finally, reluctantly, let them take her away.

And they stayed while I tried to figure out how to keep living in a world where she didn’t exist.

Six months passed.

Then a year.

I moved through the world like a ghost, going through the motions of being alive without actually living. I worked. I ate. I slept. But none of it felt real.

Nothing felt real without her.

Dahlia tried to reach out. So did Rook and Khaos. But I couldn’t face them. I couldn’t face the constant reminder of what we’d lost. What I’d lost.

So I stayed alone.

Until the night the envelope arrived.

It was black, with pink lettering on the front. My name written in an elegant script. And when I opened it, I found a single card inside.

You are cordially invited to the House of Freaks.

Admission: Free.

Rules: None.

The show begins at midnight.

My hands shook as I read the words. It wasn’t possible. The House was gone. I’d watched it collapse. I’d watched it sink into the ground and disappear.

But the invitation was real. And the address on the back was only a few blocks away.

I should have thrown it away. Should have burned it. Should have done anything except what I did.

But I went.