Kayla shakes her head. “You silly bastard! They’re all adults, and if they didn’t want to be around you, they wouldn’t. You can’t tell me you’re smart enough to have manipulated an entire island of people. No, your actions may align with that goal, but the staff keep coming back because you’re a good listener. What they tell you stays with you, and calculating or not, it is because you give them something they all need and want.”
“But I don’t care. That has been a fact I had no problem with until recently.”
Kayla leans her head on my shoulder. “I don’t know what your trauma is, Ares, but just because you can’t feel, doesn’t mean you don’t. Your brain is wired differently, and you do what works for you. So long as you’re not hurting those around you, I think you are doing better than most people.”
God, she is impossible. I just handed her a reason torun, and all it has done is brought her closer. Kayla is stupider than I thought, or she is right, but either way, now I know her history. I can keep her close and use it to my advantage.
If I felt anything, I would hate myself for using that against her.
Kayla
Ares asked me if I could work a shift at his bar this week, and I agreed because it just so happened to fall on my night off. Honestly, I would rather work than sit at home doing nothing. Everyone is in costume, while loud screams and laughter fill the air. I know exactly what a lot of them are doing, and I want to join in.
Nixie stops by the bar early in the night to check in, something Ares says she does most nights. It allows her to sit and take a break from being on her feet. I love watching her stroll through crowds and demand their attention. I want to be her when I grow up.
Vero bounces in and drapes himself over the bar.
“Why do you have to work?” he whines. “I would much rather be chasing you.”
“Because Ares needed an extra pair of hands.”
Vero steals the cherry off a drink I just made,laughing as I slap his hand away and put my own over the top.
“You can’t touch other people’s drinks,” I playfully scold.
He pokes his tongue out, and the stem of the cherry is tied in a knot. “I wanted to show you a trick. Now please come and play—I am so bored. ARES! Where are you? Please let Kayla come play with me.”
I snort. “Ares will be back shortly, and you need to go back to work. I’m sure there are plenty of people to scare, and you are good at it.”
His face gets swallowed by his huge smile. “Iamgood at it, and I don’t even have to try. Why do you like me if I’m scary?”
I lean across the bar and take his face in my hand as I smile back at him. “You don’t scare me, Vero, but it’s your job to scare people.”
He sighs and leans in, pressing a kiss to my lips. “Fine. I will go scare people since it’s my job, but tell Ares he owes me nuggets.”
“Okay.”
Vero jumps from his stool and screams as he looks up to see Cave walking into the bar. Ares has mentioned that he normally doesn’t leave the cornfield unless it’s to eat. Cave looks around, and I wave him over. He is hesitant at first, but then he cautiously moves through the bar and sits on a stool in the corner. Vero skirts along the far side of the bar to get away from him. I really love how scared he is of Cave. Although heis spooky as fuck, I think the Scarecrow is just misunderstood.
“Hi, Cave, is everything okay? Ares will be back in a minute.” He doesn’t say anything, though his eyes meet mine in recognition. “Is there anything I can help you with?”
“I wear the shape of everything but have no shape of my own. I follow without being invited and leave without being asked. I am closest to you when your back is turned, and I vanish the moment you face me. I have been here longer than you know.”
The blood drains from my face as I open my mouth and snap it shut. The answer is a shadow, but why would he be giving me that riddle? Cave doesn’t wait for me to respond; instead, he gets up, turns, and leaves the bar.
I try to ignore what Cave said and get back to work; maybe a shadow isn’t the answer. I need to think about it again when I’m not distracted. Ares is taking a hell of a lot longer to get back than I expected. All he told me was that Clay needed his help with something and he would return as quickly as he could.
Once the crowd dies down a little, I start cleaning so I don’t have a list as long as my arm when it’s time to close. The hairs on the back of my neck stand on end, and I look up, finding the alley is full of people and nothing out of the ordinary. Everything looks normal, and I go back to wiping down the bar.
It’s nothing, Kayla. You are just rattled by Cave. That’s all.
Everything is fine for the next half an hour until I feel it again, but this time my skin crawls. After years of going through what I did, I have learned to listen to my instincts when they scream that something isn’t right. I stand in the doorway and look out into the alley, peering at the people still going in and out of the gift shop. Two men in costumes are standing outside the bar, and someone is leaving the alley, but I can only see their back. I watch as he disappears around the corner.
“What are you looking at?”
The sound that comes out of me is embarrassing. I spin and my elbow connects with something solid. The glass in my hand tips, and cold liquid runs down my wrist and drips to the floor between us. Ares looks at the puddle and then up at me.
“Fucking shit! Donotsneak up on a girl like that.”