The amusement park was a sensory overload of neon lights and screaming metal. It should have been magical—a private birthday party for me and my friends. But as I looked around the midway, watching the crowd, the illusion shattered.
I didn't recognize half these people.
They were tall, fit, and moved with a coordinated grace that screamed predator. They weren't party guests; they were guards. Liam had rented the park not to celebrate me, but to contain me.
Levi and Zara dragged me onto the roller coaster, and for a few minutes, the adrenaline drowned out the suspicion. But eventually, Zara disappeared with Julian, and Levi went to hunt for cotton candy, leaving me sitting alone on a bench near the carousel.
The calliope music ground out a haunting, mechanical tune. I closed my eyes, le
