Dan pulled her chin up and their lips touched. Lexi grabbed his neck, pressing her tongue deeper into his mouth.
When they finally released each other, she realized that the kiss didn’t feel right. She liked Dan enough but he wasn’t Gabe. Lexi knew that if she had been kissing Gabe instead of Dan, it would have felt like no one else was around but them. Instead, she seemed to focus more on the muffled cries of children and the people working at the game booths than Dan.
Dan grabbed her hand, pulling her towards the House of Mirrors. Glancing in the first mirror, Lexi noticed that she looked like a freakishly tall cartoon character. In the next, she looked like a hippo. Oh no, she thought, Dan is going to think I’m ugly after this.
Lexi glanced at Dan in the mirror he was standing in front of, surprised to find that his reflection didn’t show up. She figured that that mirror must make you invisible. As she walked past it, her own reflection stared back at her.
When they reached the end of the tunnel, Lexi was feeling too strange to ask Dan if he had noticed that his reflection hadn’t showed up in that one mirror. She did have a headache before she left, so her eyes may have been playing tricks on her.
“Dan!” A girl’s voice shrieked from behind them. Lexi turned to look and saw Julie, the brunette girl from Violet’s house, standing next to a guy who looked like a taller, paler skinned, Dan with sideburns. She figured that he must be Dave.
“Hey, guys.” A tight smile formed on Dan’s face. He didn’t seem too happy to see them.
“Is this Lexi?” Dave asked, staring her up and down, like she was a piece of meat or a circus freak. It made Lexi uncomfortable, but she nodded anyway. “It’s about time we were honored by her presence,” Dave said, with a wink. Lexi felt even more uncomfortable than before. Who talks like that? What a creeper.
“Hi, Lexi. I’m Julie,” the girl said, extending her hand, “and this is Dave. He can be so rude to the new humans he meets.” Dave nudged her, and she laughed. “That’s what he calls people...humans.”
Lexi giggled. Dave seemed like the type of guy who would call people humans. It just added to his creepiness. He probably watched the Syfy channel too. It was funny how different he was, compared to Dan. It was hard for Lexi to even believe that they could be brothers.
*
“So, you’re Austin’s cousin? Dan’s told us a lot about you,” Julie said, as they stood in line for corndogs. Lexi nodded. “I’m so sorry for your loss.”
“Thanks, but I didn’t know him too well. I’m sorry for your loss too,” Lexi answered, unsure of what else to say.
“Thanks. We weren’t really close, but he was dating my friend Mary-Kate.” Lexi felt Dan’s body stiffen next to her. She remembered that he had said that Austin didn’t like Mary-Kate. Why hadn’t he mentioned that they were dating? Was Julie telling the truth or was Dan?
“Oh, that’s a shame. Poor girl. How long were they dating before...you know?”
“About a year. It was really on and off. Austin played hard to get, and it drove Mary-Kate crazy. I think it was more of a game than anything for both of them.”
“I heard that her father got Austin out of a lot of trouble. Do you know what that was about?” Lexi subtly glanced at Dan, unsure how he would feel about her questioning his friends, especially when he was the one who had told her about Mary-Kate’s dad getting Austin out of trouble. She just figured she wouldn’t mention his name, and, hopefully, he wouldn’t get pissed off at her.
“Austin got into a really bad car accident a few months ago. It was, like, really bad. Someone got hurt. Mayor Lawrence made sure that he didn’t get a DUI because otherwise he couldn’t play for the Briar Creek Cougars. He was an amazing quarterback and without him, the team would have sucked last season.”
Austin really was an alcoholic, like Lexi had assumed. She realized that she was probably right about his computer password. Bloody Mary had to be referring to his favorite drink.
“Come one, come all. It’s time for the most frightening scavenger hunt of all!” A clown on stilts roared at the crowd. Something about the clown’s tone made Lexi feel uneasy. She was pretty sure he looked like the Mayor with makeup on. Lexi felt the hairs on her arms stick up on end. She had never heard a scavenger hunt referred to as frightening.
Dan grabbed Lexi’s hand and roughly pulled her towards the direction of the crowd. “Come on. This is going to be a lot of fun.”
Lexi had no choice but to follow, trying not to trip over Dan’s feet. It seemed as though everyone at the carnival was also going to be participating in the scavenger hunt.
Julie and Dave followed close behind, holding hands.
“Everyone will be broken into a team of four people. Once you have your group, get your list of clues from one of the people standing up here with orange shirts. You may begin as soon as you get the list.” Dan stepped forward and grabbed a piece of paper for the two of them, along with Julie and Dave.
Bringing the list back to the group, Dan read the first clue out loud. “I am bright and cheerful, if you’re next to me, you’ll hear an earful. Don’t hide; just come along for the ride.”
“Oh, that’s easy!” Julie exclaimed. “I know where the first clue is.” She grabbed Lexi’s hand and started running. Once they turned the corner, Lexi spotted the large carousel a few yards ahead of them. She realized that it was what the clue was talking about.
By the time the scavenger hunt began, most of the rides had been shut down. The carousel horses looked eerie and deserted when they weren’t all lit up by the lights surrounding them. Climbing over the gate that guarded the carousel, Julie and Lexi ran up to the horses.
“I found it!” Lexi squealed excitedly, as she pulled a horseshoe-shaped clue off of a pink horse’s neck.
“Awesome!” Julie jumped up and down enthusiastically before stepping of the carousel. She climbed back over the gate and ran, disappearing from Lexi’s sight.
As Lexi tried to follow, she felt her feet moving beneath her. Music began blaring, and she observed that her body, along with the stationary horse next to her, was suddenly a few feet away from where they had been.
Glancing around, Lexi noticed that she was the only person on the ride, since most of the other carnival goers were trying to find their first scavenger hunt clues. She looked at the control station, and she didn’t see the carousel operator.
Had the carousel really turned on all by itself? Stepping off the ride, Lexi ran in the direction that Julie had headed.
As much as she didn’t want to think about it, Lexi considered the possibility that Austin’s spirit had been the one who had turned on the ride. Was it possible for a ghost to start up a carnival ride by itself? A month ago, Lexi never would have believed it, but right now, it was the only explanation that made any sense.
“There you are!” Dan said, walking over to her. “Julie said that you found the next clue.”
“Yeah,” Lexi answered breathlessly, handing it over to him so that he could read it.
“Near or far, go to the place that makes you seem different from who you are.”
Lexi repeated the question in her head a few times, unsure of what the clue could mean.
“I know! It’s the Antique Photo Booth! You have to dress up when you get your picture taken, so you look different from how you usually look!” Julie squealed. “Maybe we can take a group photo before we start working on the next clue.”
“No, Julie. We’ll miss out on the prize if we take too long.”
“What’s the prize?” Lexi asked, suddenly becoming more excited. She had never won a prize before. She hoped it was something good.
“It’s a surprise,” Dan said, an annoyed look on his face. Lexi figured that he must be one of those overly competitive guys – or he really was mad at her for talking to his friends about Austin.
Together, they raced to the antique photo booth. Lexi asked, “So, where would the next clue be?”
“I guess we’ll see. I th
ought you said you’ve done scavenger hunts before,” Dan questioned.
“Yeah, when I was little. Besides, I’m the one who found the last clue. I just don’t see any here yet,” Lexi answered defensively.
Lexi couldn’t help but sense that Dan was acting differently towards her. Maybe their kiss had rubbed him the wrong way, too.
“Hmm. If I was a clue, where would I be?” Julie wondered out loud, tapping her pointer finger against her lips. Lexi thought that Julie seemed like an attention whore. Everything the girl did was over emphasized. It was as though she viewed her life as a theatrical performance.
“Guys, I really don’t think the clue has anything to do with the Antique Photo Booth,” Lexi glanced around. “There’s no one else here. Wouldn’t more people have figured it out by now?”
Dan looked across from where they were standing. At the House of Mirrors, a crowd of people had lined up. “Over there!” He pointed. “Those mirrors change what you look like.”
Grabbing Lexi’s hand, Dan pulled her into the dark tunnel with him.
Again, Lexi found herself staring at her reflection – fat, skinny, tall, short. For some reason, it freaked her out.
Glancing into the mirror that Dan stood in front of, she saw that his reflection was, once again, missing. Looking behind her, she realized that not only was Dan’s reflection missing, but he was missing as well.
“Dan!” Lexi called out. She heard a voice answer her, and whirled around in the direction it was coming from. She ran past the mirrors upon mirrors of her distorted image, each staring back at her menacingly.
“Lexi,” someone whispered a few paces in front of her.
Frightened, she stopped dead in her tracks. Sliding on the muddy ground, she fell onto her butt. Scooting backwards, away from the voice, she felt something sharp pierce through her hand. It had rained the day before, but she was pretty sure that the wetness she felt on the ground was the blood that was rushing from her fresh wound.
Getting up, she squinted through the darkness for Dan and called out his name.
“Lexi,” the voice whispered again, closer this time. She spun around. Her heart pounded loudly in her head, making her dizzy.
A hand grabbed her by the shoulder and slammed her into one of the mirrors, breaking it into pieces and producing a new wound on her forehead. Lexi moaned in pain.
Strong hands gripped her neck, their sharp nails cutting deep into her skin like razor blades. Picking her up by her neck, the person pinned her high against a mirror. Lexi flailed her legs and clawed at the person. In response, the person pulled her away from the mirror and slammed her back into it, hard. Black fuzzy spots danced across her vision. Dragging a sharp blade against her skin, the person lightly kissed her. Lexi shuddered and weakly called for Dan again.
She realized that her calls were going unheard and if she didn’t do something soon, she wouldn’t make it.
Lexi felt herself getting weaker, as the blood rushed out of her body, and dripped down her eyebrow. Crimson tears clouded her vision, and her body slumped into the person’s arms.
She lightly pushed at the person, trying to free herself. Lexi felt herself growing weaker, as the blood flowed out of her body.
Lexi finally gave up, closing her eyes, and allowing herself to succumb into the darkness.
*
“Where’s Lexi?” Julie asked impatiently. “Did you finish the game without us?”
“Uh, I think she went to the bathroom,” Dan answered, glancing over his shoulder. “She ran out on me in the House of Mirrors. And no, the game is still going.”
“We made a deal with you, Dan,” Dave said. “You agreed that you would not expose her to this environment without one of us present. She is an alien to this town. She doesn’t know a single soul except for yourself and Gabriel, and we know we can trust him about as far as we can throw him.”
“I don’t really care who she’s around,” Julie said impatiently. “I just want to finish the game. It’s going to be so much fun!”
“Well, I care whose presence she is in. We made a promise to her aunt and uncle. So, go find her, Daniel,” Dave said bossily.
“Calm down both of you. No one is going to get your prize, Julie. I’ll go look for her.” Dan said, annoyed.
“Alright. Well, go find her and then meet us back here so we can grab some food,” Julie said.
As Dan went back into the House of Mirrors to find Lexi, he spotted Gabriel kneeling over a picnic table outside the entrance. Looking closer, he realized that he was pressing himself against a blonde girl with red highlights, sucking her neck. Her back was facing Dan, so he couldn’t really tell if she was hot or not. Leave it to Gabe to find a slut at the carnival,” Dan muttered under his breath. As much as Dan hated to admit it, Gabe obviously had no problem finding girls. Why couldn’t he just leave the one he wanted – Lexi – alone?
“Lexi?” He called into the House of Mirrors, his voice echoing. “Are you in there?”
After waiting a few minutes with no response, he went back outside and scanned the crowd.
His stomach growled. Deciding that Lexi had probably already headed home, he walked back towards Dave and Julie so they could grab some food.
****
Chapter 7
Lexi’s eyes fluttered open and she felt her head throb. Looking up, she noticed a pair of deep blue eyes staring into her own. Gabe was leaning over her.
“Where am I?” She asked. “What happened?”
“You got hurt in the House of Mirrors. I don’t know what happened, but you cut your forehead up pretty badly. Your hair’s all bloody.”
Sitting up, Lexi pressed a hand to her head. Her fingers felt wet. She glanced at them, finding that they were covered in blood. “Should I go to the hospital?”
“No, I already took care of it for you.”
“Oh, you carry a first-aid kit?”
“Yup, at all times.” He grinned at her, his eyes sparkling. “It comes in handy when there’s a damsel in distress.”
“Where’s Dan?” Lexi asked, not sure why the guy who had brought her here was nowhere in sight. She was beginning to think that maybe their kiss had scared him off.
Gabe shrugged. “I don’t know.”
“Were you the one that was in the House of Mirrors with me?” she asked, backing away from him. “How did you find me?”
“I went into the House of Mirrors, and you were there unconscious on the ground. I wasn’t the one who did this to you, if that’s what you’re trying to imply.”
Lexi breathed a sigh of relief. Why had the thought even crossed her mind in the first place? Gabe may not like her the way she wanted him to, but that didn’t make him an evil person.
Standing up, he grabbed her around the waist and lifted her off the picnic table. His hands were strong, and his touch made her heart flutter. Maybe he wasn’t interested in her, but at least he came to her rescue when Dan hadn’t.
“Come on, let’s get you home. It’s getting late.” Gabe said, leading the way to the parking lot. Lexi followed, reluctantly.
When they reached his Jeep Wrangler, he opened the door and helped Lexi climb into the passenger seat. She took a whiff of the air, noticing a metallic smell combined with Axe body spray.
“Sorry if the car smells like gasoline. I do auto repair work part time after school, and sometimes the scent likes to travel with me,” Gabe said, answering her unasked question. He glanced over at her. “So, do you remember what happened? I highly doubt that you hurled yourself at that mirror.”
“Not at all.” Lexi sighed. “I wish I knew what happened. The last thing I remember was going into the House of Mirrors to look for Dan and then I woke up, and you were leaning over me.”
“Oh. So, you and Dan, huh? Never saw that one coming.”
“Why’s that?”
“I just didn’t realize you went for the douche bag jock type.”
“Yeah, me either. It never seems to work out with my type.�
�� She looked over at Gabe, who seemed to have caught her jab at him as he raised his dark eyebrows at her. “What were you even doing at the carnival anyway? You seemed pretty intent on not going.”
“I got hungry. You know Briar Creek. We have one Burger King, way over on the other side of town. I was in the mood for funnel cake,” he said, his eyes focused on the road. He poked her in her stomach. “If you want me to be completely honest, I just thought I might find you here.”
“Then why were you so against going with me in the first place?”
“Last year’s carnival left me with some memories I wish I could forget.” Lexi stared at him intently, waiting for him to continue.
He must have gotten the hint that she wouldn’t let this drop now, because he continued, “I witnessed three people die. Horrible, horrible deaths, Lexi.” He gripped the steering wheel tightly and squeezed his eyes shut, shaking his head as if he were trying to shake the memory out of his thoughts. If it were anyone else, she would have freaked out and told them to keep their eyes on the road, but she felt safe with Gabe.
“What happened to them?”
“I’m not sure how to describe it to you, or if I’m allowed to. A few months later, the mayor made this huge announcement on the news, saying that it was an accident so that people wouldn’t be afraid to come here this year. But I know what I saw, and it wasn’t an accident.”
Inching herself further into the middle of her seat, Lexi felt herself shiver. Gabe had probably been right. She should have never gone to the carnival. After all, she did get hurt. But, Lexi got lucky. She, herself, could have been the next person to die.
Suddenly, she found herself thinking about Austin again. Lexi wondered if Briar Creek was becoming such a violent town that people were murdered here regularly.
The Briar Creek Vampires 01 - Kiss of Death Page 6
