10. Ivy Jade
Ivy Jade
Ugh, that annoying little snot, Ro.
I hated him more today than in all the previous years combined.
How dare he show up at my brother’s wedding with that…
smirk on his face? He was even worse at the corn maze.
Smug and arrogant, standing tall like some stupid scarecrow in the middle of that awful field.
And to think of all the people to run into for help, it had to be him…
He totally irked me. And how dare he call me rude?
I couldn't believe he would scold me like I was some child! The man hadn’t changed a bit since the last time I saw him at Gustav’s graduation party.
By the time we arrived back at the chateau, it was nightfall.
At least I managed to escape it unseen, but I dreaded my ride share.
If I had had our driver from home here, I knew he would have brought me here with the utmost discretion.
Except I wasn’t home; I was in front of this stupid Scare Park again.
The large lettering of the park name stood grand above me, filled with purple and red flashing lights—‘Thrill Valley,’ it read.
I bought myself a ticket with cash. I couldn’t have Papi or Mami know I was here at night; they’d wonder why.
And if they pressed me enough about ‘why,’ then my transparent face would surely give me away.
It’d flash like a bright red arrow on my forehead, pointing out the look of guilt all over my face for losing the rings. I’d die of mortification!
No, really. It would happen to me.
Once I passed the metal turnstile, I looked at the unholy park before me. It was dark enough that only the dimmed bulbs came alive, cascading terrifying shadows against the brick walls of the shops and haunted houses around.
My heart started to pound quickly as screams filled the crowded park. I turned left, right, and looked up and down. My hands tingled in the worst way possible. I didn’t want to be here. No freaking way! The terror of clowns was headed my way, and I looked like their next snack.
Nope, I refused to have a repeat of last night.
Except…
“Good Lord!” I shrieked loudly when I heard loud scraping sounds running towards me. I wanted to float away or explode into a million pieces, taking the park out with me. "Don't do that!” I yelled, shutting my eyes with both my hands, not knowing where to go, who was there, or what.
I froze in place. If I ran off, I expected to tumble down a ditch and right into a freshly dug grave, laboring a tombstone with my full name—Ivy Jade Castellanos, barely thirty and not so much thriving.
“Hey, Princess,” a deep, guttural voice said behind me.
I opened one eye to peek. Ek! It was him! High Jynx!
He remembered me?
I couldn’t even utter a word, but my other eye opened, so there was that.
“Why are you scaring me, clown?!” I barked, my hands turned into fists by my side. I was still on edge, dealing with the adrenaline hangover from the corn maze earlier.
“Nice to see you, too.” He smiled, swooping his dark hair back. He had that smile to him–not the one painted over his lips, but the one that was white and sterling. I had no idea that clowns could have such pretty teeth.
“You freaked me out, and if it wasn’t obvious yesterday, then you should know that I don’t do well in this environment.”
“The blood-curdling screaming was a bit of a giveaway,” High Jynx said, running his hand along his smooth jaw. “Which is why I figured you might want to wear one of these.” He held out a little flashing object.
“What is it?” I curled my hands to my chest. It looked like something a construction worker would wear. Plastic and cheap.
“This necklace protects you from all the boogeymen running around.” High Jynx fiddled with it. “It’s the universal sign of a scaredy cat.” The necklace was chunky, beaded, filled with colors and warning signs.
“It’s hideous…” I gawked. “It totally clashes with my outfit.”
“Just turn around already,” he said, shaking his head. I sighed and did as I was told, letting him lasso the necklace over my head.
His hand grazed the back of my neck. He pulled my hair through the loop, fixing it for me. I wasn’t sure what possessed me, but his standing so close to my body—touching me—made my mouth dry and tacky. An ugly, nervous laugh snorted out of my nose. I tried to play it off.
“It literally says ‘don’t scare me,’ and it’s twinkling,” I read the front of the necklace, feeling somewhat humiliated. “I look so obnoxious.”
“Well, obnoxious looks good on you,” he said calmly.
I turned to face him, trying to hide my smile.
My heart fluttered warmly.
I tried to remember what Romeo told me about my manners and being rude. It felt like a splinter in my chest, a stinging criticism I couldn’t accept.
“Thank you… High Jynx,” I said cordially, reminding myself to be polite. I wiped my hands down my pants, drying them off. Geez, I was so clammy.
“You’re very welcome, Ivy Jade,” he said softly. He remembered my name.
I smiled.
We both did.
Then for a while we stared–longingly. Could we stop now? No. We kept smiling, and even though I felt weird, I didn’t know what to do, except to keep going. I was officially awkward.
I couldn’t help but be hypnotized by his deep blue eyes.
Admittedly, his makeup was pretty good, his skill level at least…
and he wore almost the exact same outfit from last night, except this time he had on some black pants full of pockets along the sides, and a very tight black shirt.
His suspenders were… charming. That’s all I had to say. Very dapper and complimentary.
My mouth became dry again.
I shook my head. Focus: you’re here for the rings.
“I actually lost something here last night. I’m hoping there’s a lost and found around here. Maybe someone found it, or maybe it’s back in the ditch.”
“It? What’d you lose?” he asked, arms crossed.
“Something super important. It’s a little box with… two rings inside it.”
He twisted his lips to the side. “That does sound important. Where were you last night, besides lying in the ditch?”
“I don't know? I had my eyes shut the entire time. And aside from humiliating myself in front of you, I was all over the park." I waited for a minute, thinking. "I was at the fun house of mirrors–which was not fun by the way–then I did stop into a few gift shops. Maybe they found it there?”
“Okay, good, good. Let’s retrace your steps and look for it,” he said, glancing around the park. From his vantage point, I wondered what the park looked like. Maybe he’d be able to see the box from wherever he stood. "How much time do you have?"
I checked my phone. Between driving over here and driving back, it was about an hour. How long would I really be able to stay without drawing any attention to my absence?
“I have about thirty minutes. Maybe forty-five. Tops,” I said.
“That’s not very long,” he groaned.
“That's all I have, okay?” I said, feeling anxious. “Maybe we can just go to the lost and found first?” I asked.
“Nothing in there,” he said quickly—no hesitation.
“How’d you know?” I asked.
“I like to steal valuables,” he said seriously, catching me off guard. Too seriously.
I looked offended. “You’re a criminal?” I whispered. It was jarring to hear.
“It’s a joke, Princess…”
“Stop joking! Stealing another person's belongings is no laughing matter,” I said, but sorta laughed regardless. I was still getting used to his humor. At least it was better than screaming my head off.
“Of course not. But honestly, there’s nothing valuable enough for me to take from the lost and found. Not that I'm above it.”
I was still on guard with him. It was hard to tell when he was being sarcastic or serious.
“Don’t tell me you’re a deranged clown who is also a kleptomaniac. I can barely handle the idea of a clown,” I said, as we started walking through the road filled with horror everywhere.
“What do you mean?” he asked with a gasp.
“Don’t tell me… you’re a big fan of clowns and are starstruck to be seen with me?
I knew it.” I really liked how playful he was.
Was this part of his act, or was this really how he was?
Either way, at least it was something different.
Walking alongside High Jynx could’ve been worse—I could’ve been stuck here with Romeo, arguing and flustered.
But with High Jynx, I was somewhat more tolerant of his annoyance...
at least for now. We started back from the entrance and began to retrace my steps from the night before.
“Truth be told, I actually hate clowns. They scare me. Obviously.” I pointed at my scraped knees and arms. They were covered by my sweater and jeans, but I think he got the gist.
“Even if said clown helped you after that awful tumble he caused?”
"I'm still deciding, you maniac..." I teased, feeling his eyes on me.
“I deserve some extra points for helping you right now, right?” he said genuinely.
“Maybe,” I shot back. “I have no choice but to trust you. I hate this park, I hate these monsters, and I especially hate that I’m relying on you like some safety blanket to get me around.
” I felt completely out of control. “In what reality did I ever expect to be walking around with a clown by my side. A creepy one, no less.”
“I’m not entirely creepy,” he said quickly.
“You totally are… in like a tall, dark, and haunting kinda way…”
“That description makes me sound more handsome than creepy,” he muttered, sounding pleased with himself.
My breathing grew shallow. Handsome? I snorted.
I’d never consider him handsome, not unless I was blind. How could he be? Just because he had large arms and steely blue eyes, it meant nothing. He was officially psychotic.
“Just be quiet, and help me find these rings,” I said, then paused. “Please and thank you,” I added, springing in some manners.