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“I just want to know how long my head start is,” I tell them with a grin.

Vero claps and Clay says, “Five minutes from when we get to the front gate.”

Then he hands me my wristband. We’re using it for the tracker, and it’s the only way they would let me out of their sight. But they promised not to use it unless it was an emergency.

We walk together to the front gate, and excitement radiates through me. Tonight the island is closed, and when I asked how they pulled it off, Vero zipped his lips.

“Your time starts now,” Brawley says the second we reach the gate.

I don’t try to argue that we just got there, or that I wasn’t ready—I just run.

It’s my birthday. I want to be chased and hunted. And if someone doesn’t pull my hair or slap my ass soon, I might have to do it to myself. I want more, but I will settle for that. Baby steps, I tell myself. These big, bad, tough guys have gone soft on me, and I want my crazy, rough men back.

Tonight is mine, and I know what I want.

The paths are lit an amber color, and the island is still, which feels weird. I’m not used to there being no activity at all.

When I reach the end of the alleyway, I run toward the arena, jumping over the rope that has it sectioned off. As I move down past the haunted mazes, I see they are closed for the night, and that makes them even spookier. They are pitch black inside as I push through the door, and I use the cover to catch my breath. After a few minutes of navigating my way through the building, I hear Brawley’s voice.

“Let’s check in the maze,” he says.

I stop and remain completely still. Though I hear footsteps, I can’t tell the direction, whether they have come from the entrance or the exit. I tiptoe forward and see the glowing exit sign, with the door propped open.

I spin back the way I just came and run.

“She is coming back your way,” Clay calls out, and I laugh.

My eyes have finally adjusted to the darkness, and I grin as I see an emergency exit illuminated ahead. Running straight for it, I shove my body through the door and hit the ground running. Their boots thump behind me, but I don’t turn around to see who is following me or how close they are—I just focus on the path ahead.

I make it to the strip of grass between the maze and Sideshow Alley before I am ripped sideways by a large hand gripping my arm. Spinning using the momentum Vesper has been teaching me in the ring, I drive my elbow backward, and it connects with Brawley. He exhales hard, but my hit wasn’t enough to wind him like I had hoped. I rip my arm free and race away, leaving him behind me as he laughs.

“That’s a good girl, make it worth it.”

I cut through the center of the island, trying my luck near the circus tent, making it inside unhindered. As I creep toward the center, the spotlight turns on, and when I spin, I see Ares at the lighting panel.

He doesn’t run toward me; that isn’t his style. “I assumed you would have gone to the sideshow first.”

I smirk at him. “You assumed wrong.”

“Well, I won’t make the same mistake twice,” he says, cutting the lights. “I think I know exactly where you are going next. See you there.”

I don’t wait to play more of his mind games; I run to the Asylum to see if Vero is waiting for me. Plus, there are some good hiding spots where I can rest for a few minutes, since running in a dress and boots wasn’t something I thought through well. I slip in through the hidden entrance Vero showed me and pass into the hall and listen.

If Vero is here, I’ll hear him.

I make it to the end of the upper corridor and freeze, momentarily thinking someone else is here. Then I realize it’s the wax figure of myself, standing at the end of the hall.

A sound comes from behind me, and I spin, startled. But there is nothing there, yet once I turn back, the wax figure has moved. Or at least I swear it has, even though it’s not possible.

It’s freaky watching myself stare back at me.

I slip past the figure, squealing quietly when I swear it moves, then I take the stairwell up to the landing and step through the door.

“You made a noise—that was your first mistake.” I hear Vero’s voice coming from behind another door. Then the handle rattles.

“Just a little noise, like a⁠—”

“If you finish that sentence, I will push you off the landing,” I snap.