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“And at night?”

She chuckles. “Still harmless, but let’s just say he enjoys his job a lot.”

Kayla cuts down a side path between what she says are the haunted mazes, leading to a circus tent. She takes me inside, to where kids sit in the stands and a man blows fire from his mouth high into the air. She tells me his name is Halston—his mask is freaky, like a devil mask but not.

When I say as much, she tells me that Banks makes a lot of their masks. Then she mentions something about never taking the face cream if he offers it, and that his special ingredient is not all that special to anyone except him. Whatever that means.

We end up at the cemetery. “And this is Noa’s domain,” Kayla explains.

A sound comes from our left, and Kayla follows it. We walk past a few headstones, and I wonder if real people are buried here. We find a guy who must be Noa, waist deep in a hole. He peers up at us, looking rather like a zombie.

“Valli!” he says excitedly. “You came back! I knew you would.” He turns to Kayla. “I knew she would. I didn’t tell anyone, but I could feel it.”

Kayla laughs. “You told me.”

“In confidence, so it doesn’t count.” He points the tip of his shovel at her. “I thought you would keep it between us.” He looks back over at me. “How do you feel now? Kayla said that you were beat up pretty badly. It looks much better—still a bit of a mess honestly—but hey, you have survivor energy.”

“Thanks, I think,” I mutter uncertainly.

“Noa, the woman has never met you before, and you’ve just told her she looks like shit,” Kayla chides with a laugh.

“No, I didn’t—it was a compliment,” he blurts, looking at me again. “Do you want to help me dig a hole? I have a spare shovel.”

I glance at Kayla for help, but she is answering an incoming call, and I watch as her face drops.

“Is everything okay?” I ask.

“It’s Vero,” she says, before tuning back in to her call. “How did that even happen? No, don’t pull that—it will make it worse. Shit. Okay, I’m coming. Do not do anything until I get there.”

I try not to laugh as Kayla tilts the screen toward me, which shows Vero’s tongue stuck to something that looks suspiciously like the inside of a freezer.

She ends the call with a huff. “Can you believe this is the third time he has done that? I have to go, but Noa will look after you. He can walk you back to the main gates, and I promise he is safe.”

I nod as she runs away.

“I am safe,” Noa says, still standing in the hole. He holds out the spare shovel, and I think, What the hell? Might as well dig a grave.

Digging is meditative in a way. Noa and I fall into a rhythm, and it’s actually nice. He hums for a bit and then starts to talk.

“This one’s not real, it’s a prop, most of them are, and I like to dig. Yet at night . . .” He pauses and looks at me wide-eyed. “Actually, I can’t say what they’re used for at night. We have NDAs, and it’s complicated. Let’s just say it becomes a little more interactive.”

“That sounds secretive.”

“It is, and I respect it, but it limits my desire to tell you everything. It’s probably why they have them, as some of us like to talk a lot. Well, mainly me and Vero.”

I laugh. “Can you tell me anything about how the island works at night? Or is all of it a secret?”

He rubs his chin, smudging his makeup. “I can tell you it’s invitation only, for adults, and there are rules you need to follow.”

“What kind of rules?”

“We can’t kill anyone—the performers, that is. Out of context that sounds weird, but it keeps the guests safe.”

“Are you one of the performers?” My voice drops as I ask.

“Mostly during the day. I’m also the groundskeeper and do general maintenance if Cipher is busy, and I’m the resident weirdo who talks to the headstones at night. Let’s say I suit the environment.”

“I believe that,” I reply, and he looks pleased. “How long have you been here?”