Fear Games

2. Halloween Harvest

"IT'S PROBABLY JUST some sort of car malfunction," Esme said on the phone later that evening.

After I dropped Esme off at her house, I headed home and told my parents about the music blaring in my car again. Of course, my parents brushed it off, acting as if there was something wrong with the vehicle itself. Esme apparently thought the same thing.

"Maybe," I said softly. "It just seems a bit weird, doesn't it? Two days in a row? That's never happened before."

I could almost hear Esme shrug. "Don't worry about it too much."

"You mean like you're worried about Fear Games?" I asked.

Esme sighed. "I'm not worried exactly. Now that I've had some time to think, you're probably right, but it's just a bit weird, isn't it?"

"Tomorrow is Halloween,"I said. "It's probably just someone trying to scare us. That's what this holiday's all about."

"Do you think someone could have done that to your car?"

That was a thought that hadn't crossed my mind. Was it possible? Could the same person who left the note on my windshield broken into my car, turned the volume to my music all the way up, and left? It didn't seem that likely. How could they have gotten in?

"Why would someone go through all that to scare me?" I asked. "It's not like it really terrified me or anything. Just nearly blew my eardrums out."

"Don't forget mine," Esme added. "Either way, we're still on for tomorrow?"

I nodded. "Definitely."

We hung up, and before I put the phone down, I noticed a text message from an unknown number.

Don't forget: You are one of our very special guests to the opening of Fear Games tomorrow night. We can't wait to have you.

I laughed. Did these people, whoever they were, really think we were going to forget? Part of me wondered why they wanted us to go so bad, but if they were really having some sort of grand opening, it made sense they'd want people to come try it out.

But was it a coincidence I got the text after talking to Esme about it?

***

Saturday morning I woke up with a pounding headache. I went downstairs to get some Ibuprofen from the kitchen cabinet, hoping to get rid of the pain. Ever since freshman year I had chronic headaches. Got them almost everyday, although on occasion I was lucky enough to be relieved.

Mom and Dad both had work today, so it was easy for me to not tell them about Fear Games, because they wouldn't be home until about 10 that evening. I knew they wouldn't want me to go, because they'd claim it wasn't "safe" for me to go out on my own, despite the fact I was already seventeen. It was time they realized I could handle things on my own. I was mature enough to do things alone.

After all that I'd been through, I deserved at least that.

Once back in my room, I noticed I had a few texts from Esme, confirming that we were going tonight. Then I saw her most recent text.

Isaiah and Elijah got invites to Fear Games tonight, too. Guess we'll see them there. You okay with that?

Of course they did. The Universe really hated me, didn't it? I sighed, typing back, Fine. I'm okay with it, but don't really like it. It's not like we can tell them they can't go.