Chapter Text
It was that time of year again. Cool weather, colorful leaves, pumpkin spice, and haunted houses. The last of those was what Mira, Adam and Kai were waiting to enter.
Kai had been beyond excited the Monday he had announced that they were all going to a theme park on Saturday as a reward for Kai finally getting his room cleaned. It would be his mom's treat--- she would pay and, in an effort to let Kai have some independence, she would spend the day in town while the teens enjoyed the park. And with Halloween fast approaching, the park would offer an exclusive series of attractions--- haunted houses!
That had been enough to snag Mira's attention. Even though haunted house attractions didn't scare her anymore, she loved a little campy horror. On top of that, she hadn't been to a theme park since she was seven. Bring on the thrill rides!
And as far as thrill rides went, Kai was perfectly willing to provide. He had made it his goal to drag Mira and Adam onto each and every roller coaster in the park before it got dark. His enthusiasm for all things fast and furious was infectious--- even to Adam, who was hesitant at first. But his hands were up soon enough, and after the first two rides he was almost as much of a bonafide thrillseeker as Kai.
For today, anyway. He was high on adrenaline now, but Mira was sure he'd go back to "cool, cautious, think-it-through first" Adam as soon as the sun rose the next morning.
Thanks to a blessing of relatively short lines and thin crowds, the three managed to ride all but one of the park's coasters before evening came, at which time the kids sat down for a short dinner break. After that, they set off for the haunted houses.
That evening was not as fortuitous as the afternoon had been. With the special attractions open and ready for visitors, the park's traffic had increased by a considerable number. Guests clogged the passageways and made it difficult to get around, and the lines throughout the park were lengthier. The first haunted house they visited was just the sort of campy horror Mira had been expecting. It was a good laugh for sure, but she didn't think it was worth the 50-minute wait time they'd had to endure.
But the line for the second haunted house they attempted to enter--- one that was supposed to be legitimately scary--- was far worse, and Mira was sure that the wait time alone was scarier than whatever lay behind the ages-away doors of that attraction. Mira sighed and shifted onto her other foot again, then checked her phone for the time. Two hours. Two hours had passed since they entered this line, and there was at least another forty minutes ahead of them at the rate it was moving. This place better be good, she thought to herself.
Adam was every bit as annoyed as Mira. He had resigned himself to sitting on the border fence and tapping his foot. It was clear that he was trying to maintain a calm visage, but the mask was cracking every minute they crawled along, never seeming any closer to their goal. Mira knew that bugged him to no end.
Kai was getting antsy himself, but not with annoyance or irritation. He seemed to be growing more and more anxious the closer they got, and would often interject some statement about what this particular haunted house was supposed to contain. He sounded scared, even if he wouldn't outright admit that he was. Vampires and werewolves he could deal with. Demons and the paranormal... not so much.
Mira took another irritated glance up toward the ever-faraway house and let loose a long sigh. She stole a longing glance toward the main theme park area, its brightly twinkling lights making her wish they'd skipped out on trying another haunted house and just gone back to find something else to ride. It would have been a far better use of their time.
Mira felt a finger tap her on the shoulder. She turned to face Kai, who looked even more freaked out than he had this whole time they'd been waiting. "Hey Mira. I was thinking..." He clutched his arm nervously. "We've been waiting in this line for a really long time, and I don't really want to go in there anymore anyway. Can we just go do roller coasters again?"
Mira bit her lip. She knew she didn't want to wait in this line any longer, but after waiting this long, it seemed like a waste to duck out and give up completely. Adam seemed to share her sentiment.
"We've waited this long," he said. "I'm gonna stick it out."
"Yeah, Kai," said Mira. "Can you make it another forty minutes?"
Kai scrunched his brow. "No--- I said I didn't wanna do it anymore." He shifted his feet and gestured over his shoulder. "I'm going. I'll meet you guys at the haunted corn maze or something." He turned and stepped over the border fence.
Mira sighed. "Oh, all right," she said, half to herself. She looked at Adam and pointed after Kai. "I can't let him run off on his own. You sure you want to stay in line?"
"Yeah," Adam confirmed.
Mira playfully punched his shoulder. "You sure you're not gonna be terrified without me?"
Adam chuckled. "Pretty sure. Have fun."
"OK then." She smiled and waved goodbye to Adam as she stepped over the fence. "See you at the corn maze!" She took off after Kai, who had already made it halfway through the field back toward where they'd started.
Kai heard her coming and peeked over his shoulder to see who it was. He beamed, mischief in his smile. "So. Finally decided it wasn't worth it?"
"Oh yeah. Getting killed by your mom for letting you run off and potentially get hurt?" She saw Kai roll his eyes. "Definitely not worth it."
Kai scoffed. "Sure. My mom. Admit it; you didn't want to do it either."
"Oh, I was up for a scare," said Mira. She crossed her arms. "I was just... more up for getting out of that line."
"So you're saying it wasn't worth it." Kai's voice brimmed with self-satisfaction.
"OK." Mira huffed, a small smile on her lips. "It wasn't worth it."
She and Kai hurried past the beginning of the line and made their way back into the crowds. Kai walked with purpose, a confident little spring in his steps. He had to know what he was up to. "So, where were you planning to go?" asked Mira.
"I was thinking of riding the Cobra again," Kai announced with enthusiasm.
"The Cobra? Again?" The Cobra was the largest coaster in the park, and it was without a doubt the wildest of them all. It was a popular ride and a big draw for both enthusiasts and thrill junkies (such as Kai) alike. "Why not the coaster we didn't ride?"
"That one's lame," Kai scoffed. "If I'm gonna escape one line and get stuck in another, I'd rather it be the Cobra." He grinned madly. "Besides, it's more fun at night."
Mira laughed. "If you say so."
Kai smirked. "I wouldn't say so if it wasn't true."
Yes you would, Mira mentally retorted. Sure, Kai would only say what he thought was true, with the exception of his frequent bragadocious moments--- but what came out of his mouth was often "the truth according to Kai" rather than the objective truth. So when thrill-junkie Kai said the Cobra was more "fun" at night, that could only mean it was more terrifying.
And that Cobra was scary enough in daylight. She grinned with anticipation. Forget the hauntings--- she'd definitely picked the scarier outing.
Her enthusiasm waned, however, when she saw the length of the coaster's line. The Cobra had a massive queue area and a set of tall stairs leading up to it. Both were crammed full of people. Mira let out an exhausted sigh. She'd been hoping it would be clearer, considering how many people were flocking to the haunted houses. But it looked as if a few thousand others had gotten the same idea as Kai.
"Great," Mira grunted. "How long will we have to stand in this line?"
"I'd guess an hour and a half," said Kai. "No more than that."
"So, another almost two hours of standing in line."
"Yeah, it sucks. Still better than almost three hours though, right?"
Mira had to concur.
It was a slow climb up the stairs, and an even slower walk through the queue. Mira talked with Kai about games and TV shows to pass the time--- which somehow inevitably led to some joke about Adam. They were having such a good time chatting that the first hour passed much quicker than expected. There was still over half a queue left by that time.
Mira sighed. "Guess we can up that estimate to an hour forty-five," she said.
"Yeah, I guess it is taking longer than usual," said Kai. "Wonder what's the holdup?" He stood on his toes and peeked over the crowd toward the ride station to make sure nothing was amiss. "Looks fine to me," he said. Then he tensed. "Wait... hold on." He tapped Mira's shoulder and pointed a little ways ahead in line. "Weren't they behind us?"
Mira squinted at the people Kai had indicated. Sure enough, a sizeable group of people--- relatives, by the looks of them--- had appeared where they hadn't been before. Not that Mira had memorized what every person ahead of her looked like, but she was quite sure that those people hadn't been there a mere 20 or so minutes before. "Yeah, I think so."
Kai scoffed. "Really? Did they really all do that? Rude!"
Mira shook her head in agreement.
"Like... they can't do that," Kai continued. "We've been in this line way longer than them. And now they're gonna make us wait longer?"
"Not that much longer," said Mira. She could tell that Kai was getting fired up. She didn't want him to start a scene.
"I don't care!" hissed Kai. "They're not gonna do that to us."
Mira yelped in surprise when he grabbed her by the shoulder and forced her ahead of him in line. "Kai!" she hissed.
He nudged her forward. "Just be calm, OK? Be calm and stay in front of me."
Mira tried to stop, but Kai did not stop pushing her forward, past some of the crowd. People were turning to look. They were starting to comment. Mira swallowed. She didn't want any trouble. Why was Kai doing this?
"Kai! What are you doing?" she hissed.
Kai's answer was unusually firm. "I'm taking our place back, that's what!"
This is stupid, this is stupid, this is stupid... Oooooooh, what are we doing? Mira's heart pounded louder and louder in her ears. Her head grew light as the world turned hazy. Yet Kai kept nudging her onward through the crowd. She tried to ignore them--- the disapproving catcalls; their mocking declarations of Kai's name when she begged for him to stop. It's not worth it. It's not worth it, Kai! This isn't worth fifteen minutes!
"Hey!"
"Get back in line!"
"Yeah, Kai, go back!"
Mira could feel Kai's energy tense on her back. He was making a scene! And those people who had skipped ahead had never looked more unfriendly than they did now, as the two teenagers forced their way back in front of them. Kai was sure to push Mira closest to the non-skippers, putting himself between her and the angry throng, who had not yet stopped shouting their displeasure. Mira could still feel Kai's discomfort, which was only growing--- and Mira didn't feel so hot herself. She was still running the situation over in her mind--- why this was a bad idea and what was Kai thinking? She couldn't think straight anymore.
"Hey you," boomed a deep voice. "You think you can skip ahead of us?"
Mira's heart dropped cold from her chest, straight onto the concrete, as a massive man--- easily twice Kai's height and four times his weight--- stepped out from the parting queue to challenge him. It was David facing Goliath--- a scrawny redheaded kid up against a real monster.
Kai let out a small, reedy laugh. "You... you talkin' to me?" Mira couldn't tell if that steadiness in his voice was from nerve or sheer adrenaline. He nudged Mira further back and positioned himself between her and the man.
"Yeah, I'm talkin' to you."
No! No no no no no, this is what I was afraid of! Kai was about to get himself pounded, Mira was sure of it. What was his mom going to think if that happened? Mira stood with her fists clenched. She was ready to strike back if anything violent happened--- and she swore, with this much adrenaline rushing through her veins, she could be five times as violent to that man if he so much as laid a finger on her defenseless friend.
Kai did, at least, seem a bit nervous. He looked around at the crowd, who were intent in watching the whole scene play out. His hands both trembled. But when he took a look back at Mira, there was a fire in his eyes.
He faced the man again. "So, you're mad at me for skipping ahead of you? Ha! Funny. I thought you guys skipped ahead of us first."
The big man shifted his bulk onto his other foot and maintained his intimidating stance. "I'mma beat you up, kid."
"Ha! No you're not."
"Kai!" Mira hissed. He ignored her.
"All these people watching? All these cameras? They're gonna see you. They're gonna know exactly who you are, and you're gonna get arrested for assault! Err, maybe battery. Whatever!"
"I ain't afraid of jail. Been there twice."
Mira dug her nails into her palms.
"'Well..." Kai faltered. Mira held her breath. "Well... look at all these people!" He held himself firm once more. "I don't think all these people are gonna let a 400-pound gorilla beat up on a teenager."
That was it. That was going to get him whooped. No... no wait. The man wasn't responding. He just stood there, silent, still in that blown-up pose, while Kai glared up at him with defiance. Finally, the man returned to his place, muttering vain threats under his breath. Mira exhaled. Kai relaxed as well, and returned to Mira's side with a shuddery sigh.
No further words were exchanged between the two friends for the rest of the wait. Even though the conflict was over, Mira couldn't stop thinking about it. Her stress level was through the roof. And when they finally got on the Cobra, the ride was absolutely more jolting and intense than before--- but Mira could not bring herself to enjoy it. Even on a twisting, leaping roller coaster, she was still distracted.
What could have happened? What if Kai had been beaten to a pulp? Would she have just watched on in shock, or would she have intervened? Would she have been able to? Would they have both been creamed? She remained wordless and lightheaded even as they got off the coaster and headed for the exit.
"Woo-hoo!" Kai exclaimed, bent over with excitement. "Didn't I tell ya it was more fun at night?" Mira said nothing. Kai let out an awkward chuckle. "You OK, Mira? Too intense?"
Mira's brow scrunched. "If you mean what happened in line..."
"You're still worried about that?" Kai gently scoffed. "It's over now. I handled it. I'm fine!"
"I don't care!" blurted Mira. "It was stupid and reckless and... and you could've gotten yourself killed!" She wiped away a stress tear. "What were you thinking?"
Kai deflated a little. He looked down at the stairs as they descended, shoving his hands into his pockets. "Sorry, Mira," he said at last. "I didn't know it would stress you out that bad. I thought you'd be proud of me!" Mira bit down on her lip to calm herself. Kai looked back up at her. "But I'm fine! You're fine. Nobody got hurt and we did the right thing." He smiled.
"But you could have!" stressed Mira.
"But I wasn't," said Kai, annoyed. "Just let it go. You sound like Ma."
But Mira couldn't let it go. She still worried. Those people were going to be out and about in the theme park. What if they ran into each other again and that man wanted a Round Two in a more discreet location? It wasn't as if Kai was difficult to spot. All she could do to protect him was stick as close to him as possible. Sure, her belief that it would somehow keep him hidden was irrational, but it made her feel better.
Mira had never been so happy to hear Kai's obnoxious text tone. He checked the phone and sighed. "Ma's outside the park," he said. "We'd better find Adam quick."
He wasn't far from the Cobra--- just a ten minute walk to the bathrooms outside the haunted corn maze. Adam smiled and waved when he saw his friends approach, but his smile slipped when Mira came close enough for him to see her distressed expression. She tried to make herself seem all right, brushing some loose hairs from her face and smiling back.
Adam came closer to meet them. "Rough ride?" he asked with a chuckle.
"You could say that," Mira answered. A genuine smirk pulled her lip. "So. How was the haunted house?"
Kai leaned forward, fists clenched with excitement. "Were you scared?" he challenged.
Adam shrugged. "Not really. It was creepier than the other one, but... not as scary as it was cracked up to be." He looked over his friends with interest. "What about you guys? Anything interesting happen?"
Mira and Kai shared a glance, then Kai turned back to Adam with a grin. "Dude, the line was crazy! But I'll tell you on the way back. Ma's waiting outside and if we're not there within 20 minutes she might lose it." He laughed. "Just..." He glanced at Mira, then back at Adam. "Just don't tell Ma anything about this story, OK? She'll kill me."
Adam nodded. "OK."
And the three teens made their way back to the front of the park. Though the day had been fun, Mira was so ready for it to be over. She was tired and still in a haze from the night's stressful event--- not to mention her feet were sore. She was certain she'd fall asleep on the ride home with no trouble at all, even with all this stressful stuff muddying up her thoughts.
Perhaps a good night's rest could bring her the clarity she needed.