What Game Will You Play

Chapter 13

Authors note:

If anyone was wondering, above is the original cover I made for this book, and I thought it would be fun to look back at it and see how much it has changed. Anyway, here is chapter 13. Happy reading!

(This chapter has been edited)

*** End of authors note***

Devin pulls me in for a hug, and I tell him what I know he can see, "He's not here."

Devin holds me tighter, "I know."

"He's not here," I say once again, more to myself than to Devin. The person who helped raise us and taught us everything in life is gone, and we never got to say goodbye. A wave of sadness washes over me, and I have to fight to hold back tears. After another moment, I start to feel anger build up inside of my chest.

No. I tell myself. He's not dead, he's just not here.

We survived, we made it out. Maybe he's alive too. And even better, maybe he is unharmed. It is unlikely but not impossible. Maybe he is still in there looking for a way out. Maybe he has been looking for us in there this whole time, and we left without him.

These thoughts flood my mind as I stand here. I think of all the possible places he could be and all the ways that he could have gotten away from those guards he tackled.

I hope he is uninjured, but my Dad against two guards is not the safest of situations, and if he is alive, then it is safe to assume that he is injured in some way. If he is injured, then he probably needs help getting out.

I push away from Devin and look around the group of people again until I find Aiden. Aiden is standing to the side, talking to another guy who I don't think I have seen before. By the looks of his dirty, torn clothes, he's a Jumper like Aiden.

They are in the middle of a conversation as I walk up to them.

"I want to go back in," I stay. I eye the two of them down, silently daring one of them to try and stop me.

The two of them stop their conversation and look at me like I'm crazy. "Excuse me?" Aiden asks, lifting one of his eyebrows in question.

"I want to go back into the carnival," I state once again, but this time, I make it clear that it's not a question. There will be no changing my mind. I look at them deadpanned. The anger in me I felt before is still present, and there is no masking it. "I just want someone to bring me back into the carnival so I can look for my Dad. You can wait by the maze, you don't even have to go in. I can go alone, but I do need someone to show me how to get back there."

The guy who Aiden was talking to looks at me like I have two heads before he changes his expression to one of sympathy. "Look, sweaty," I raise my eyebrows so high I think they reach the moon. "The odds of your Dad still being alive are slim, and I don't want you risking your life or any of our lives just for you to go looking for a dead man," he says.

I don't know who this guy thinks he is talking to, but I am not a kid, nor am I stupid. I know this isn't a good idea, but I just want to find my father. He is my family. I have to try anything I can to bring him back if he is still alive in there.

I am about to give this guy a mouthful of my mind, but Aiden puts his hand up, stopping me before I get to say anything.

"While I don't agree with the manner in which my friend said that," Aiden pauses to give a quick glare at his so-called friend. "I do agree that it's best if we all stay together. We got everyone we could find out, and now it is too risky to go back in when there will be shooters walking all around in there. I understand that many of you guys still have family in there, and they might still be in the show tent, but there is no way we can get them out safely. We can't have everyone go in looking for their loved ones, that just wouldn't end well. Someone would be bound to lead the shooters back here, and we can't compromise the lives of everyone here. I'm sorry."