Chapter 179 #2
“Let’s just say, you want to come watch the newbies at 1 today. I’ll be in the security room myself, watching with popcorn.”
Amelie smiles.
She isn’t stupid, I bet she knows exactly what I have planned because she signs off on all the tests.
“You’re evil, but I love it. Please go and get dressed, I really don’t need any sexual harassment rumours going around.”
“With Kalen working here, I don’t know how you don’t have one a day,” I quip, even though I sort of mean it.
She gives me a tight smile and returns to her conference, and I take my leave to get dressed.
One o’clock can not roll around fast enough.
Virtual Reality headsets have made the facing your fears portion of recruitment a lot easier and less expensive for The Order, but some are still carried out, old-school style.
Declan Jones. Absolutely petrified of clowns.
You and Kalen both, my friend.
Amelie stands next to me in the viewing area as Declan and Kalen both stand side by side. I spoke to Declan earlier and warned him that if he told Kalen his fears, I would nut punch him and he would have me as an enemy. He really doesn’t want that when I have an in with Amelie.
“I’ll race you Declan. If you beat me, you get an automatic pass,” Kalen says confidently. I grin. This is going to be easier than taking candy from a baby.
“You’re on. You might be underestimating how much I want to be here.”
The men shake hands and our tech guy hands them both their reality headsets.
“Remember Kalen, if you don’t complete the dare, I win,” I call out cheerily.
Kalen gives me a thumb’s up as he slides his VR goggles on. I bribed the tech guy to drop them in a reality that you wouldn’t immediately think of clowns being in, so it’s not so obvious.
We watch on the screen as they are dropped into an amusement park. Declan, also knowing the drill, climbs the stairs alongside Kalen. They reach the top and we watch as they pull down the safety bar.
I mean, really? The safety bar? It’s a virtual roller coaster, they physically can’t fall out. Still, it adds to the authenticity I guess.
Kalen throws his hands in the air. “This is going to be a piece of piss.”
I laugh at his word choice. I expect piss will be involved shortly, but it won’t be because this is easy or funny. Well, funny for him. For me, it’ll be hilarious.
As the rollercoaster takes its first upside down bend, a clown appears beneath them. Kalen lets out a blood curdling scream and both Amelie and I bend with laughter.
With the next corner, there are clowns juggling bowling pins that are on fire. Kalen grabs Declan’s arm and both men squat – as if that is going to help.
Even if I lose the bet, this was so worth it. I have not laughed this hard in a long time.
“Why is Kalen…”
“Shh,” Amelie says to Sawyer. “It’s his bet. Adrienne organised it.”
Sawyer chuckles, “Now I understand why you were naked today.”
“If you stick around, Kalen will be naked soon enough, just you wait and see.”
Sawyer gives Amelie a kiss on the top of her head. “I see my brother’s dick way too much as it is, so have fun with that.”
Kalen screams again, at the end of the track, there are clowns waiting.
“I hate you,” he screams. Which I know is aimed at me and that makes me happy on the inside.
“Sucks to be you,” I call back, way too fucking happy with how well this is going.
We watch as the roller coaster comes to an end. Declan has to face his fears. The tech guy steps up beside me.
“I have this ready to go on a split screen. I’m presuming Declan will stay and fight the clowns, but Kalen not so much. The one with the chainsaw will give chase.”
I snort. “I owe you big time.”
“Just a favour,” he replies.
Amelie raises a brow at me.
“What? A favour is so worth it for this and you know it.”
Amelie nods. She doesn’t like us wasting our favours, you don’t get a lot and it’s complicated how it works but I would have used it even if it was my last.
Considering I have never really used any of mine and have managed to accrue a few, I have a couple to spare.
Also, because Kalen has the power to hand them out and he gets me to do stupid shit in exchange for them, this is even more poignant because he’s practically bribed the tech guy himself to go through this hell.
The clown gives chase as Kalen jumps over a barrier, his screams fill the air.
Declan manages to choke a clown out and steal his weapon – the guy is sweating bullets but he is fighting.
Kalen, on the other hand, is running deeper into the amusement park.
He jumps onto a merry-go-round and ducks down behind a mechanical horse, but the clown comes closer, searching for its target.
Kalen’s head pops up and the clown instantly zones in on him and this time as he screams and starts to run, he really runs…in real life—
Ooops.
He smashes into a wall and falls on his arse.
I am in full blown hysterical laughter mode. So bad that I can barely breathe. He gets back to his feet and that is when I see them…the ants… with faces like clowns.
Kalen must see them as well but it’s too late, they have started to climb his legs.
He jumps on the spot dusting them off. He starts to remove his pants, and the second they hit the ground, the chainsaw clown reappears.
Kalen tries to run, trips over his pants and curls up into the fetal position and rips the headset off his head. Failed in big red letters fills the screen, Amelie runs over to him and I almost feel bad but then remember he made me walk into Amelie’s office naked and even laughed at my expense.
Fixing my light up sinister clown mask in place, I stalk over to him and bend down. When he glances up at me he jerks and shoots backwards, slamming into the wall again.
“Your week starts now,” I say with a smile. “Be thankful I didn’t make you get a clown tattoo.” He flips me off and I laugh. “It’s going to be a quiet week for me.”
I shake my head as Amelie sits on the ground and Kalen practically crawls into her lap.
Hopefully Kalen learns a valuable lesson, and comes up with way better dares when he is coming up against me. Because I never back down from a dare and I play to win.