Page 19 of Enter if you Dare: Part One

Noa watches me from where he is sitting, and I’m not sure how I feel about the way he is looking at me with increased interest.

I pick the flower up from where I left it and fist Cipher’s hair with my other hand, pulling his head back and leaning down to press my lips to his.

“Aww!” Noa gushes. “You two are so cute.”

I ignore him and release Cipher’s hair.

“You’re welcome,” he mutters, knowing that is my way of saying thank you for reminding me to shower. If Noa wasn’t here, the outcome of that kiss may have been different, but him seeing me naked once today and the resulting commentary is enough. I don’t need him to see me fuck and hear his thoughts on that.

After Noa went on and on about his time with her, I knew Valli would sign the NDA. He wants to tell her so much—I can see the interest in his eyes—and she seems to like him. But I don’t know how I will be able to share her with him. I guess it’s a hurdle I will deal with when we get there. You can only kill a person once and claim it’s an accident. If he ends up dead . . . well, at least I can say I tried. For her.

Maybe that’s what people mean when they say someone changes you. I was always told there was nothing inside me worth saving. Maybe she will prove them wrong and show them all I really do have a heart.

Valli

The text comes while I’m on my break.

Tonight, 8:30, Fear Island. Tell the gate guard your name.

I can’t stop thinking about it all day, and by the time I get home, I have decided I’ll go. And here I thought they only made me sign the NDA so Noa could talk to me freely, but whatever this is sounds a lot more interesting. I can’t wait to see what really goes on.

It’s still weird walking into my house and not hearing the sound coming from the fridge; it has been making the noise for so long that I have become used to it. I also love the new deadbolt. Now Rowan has no way inside, since he hasn’t been back to ask for a key.

I shower and spend way too much time figuring out what I should wear. It will be cold outside, but I also want to look nice, then I overthink it all, wondering if I am supposed to dress up. Finally, I decide to go casual because not dressing up isn’t as embarrassing as being the only one dressed up in a crowd.

By the time I arrive, my nerves have kicked in, but not in a bad way. Rather, I’m half anxious, half excited. The atmosphere feels different from the last two times I have been here, though admittedly the first time I was running for my life.

The gates are open, and Khodi nods when I give him my name. He secures a black band on my wrist, which flashes amber and then stays that color.

“Do not take it off until the end of the night, when you come back out these gates. If you remove it early, one of the security team will be alerted, and you will be escorted from the premises.”

I nod and he lets me past, and I wander forward to where maybe a dozen other people gather near the stage.

A woman walks out onto the platform dressed like a ringmaster. “Welcome, you exquisite misfits and delightful miscreants, to Fear Island,” she says, then pauses for dramatic effect. “My name is Nixie. The wristbands you’re wearing are trackers, and the color tells your hunter that you belong to them for the night. Lose it and you leave. It’s that simple.”

She paces the stage, her charisma capturing our attention. “Here is how tonight works: you have no rules other than not removing your wristband. You can run, hide, fight back, and scream until your throat gives out, for all I care. Do whatever your body demands. The hunters have two rules: they cannot kill you, and they can only chase their assigned color. Except for the Scarecrow—he plays by his own rules. At night, the cornfield is the one place where I cannot guarantee your safety. If you go in there, you are on your own, so take my warning seriously.” She looks directly at me as she speaks the last part.

“Some of you will last five minutes, others might surprise yourselves. A very select few will walk out of here at the end and won’t ever be satisfied with ordinary again.” She spreads her arms wide with a grin. “I suggest you run now.” Then she jumps off the stage.

Music shatters the silence, broadcast from speakers somewhere, and the people scatter.

I’m about to move when a hand closes around my arm, and I turn to find Nixie.

“You’re Valli.”

“Yes,” I say.

She studies me for a second. “I want to ask you something, and I need you to be honest.”

I nod and wait for her question.

“Are you sure about this?”

I open my mouth, but she holds up a finger.

“Really think about it before answering.”

I close my mouth and consider her question for a moment. “I’m not entirely sure what I’m supposed to be certain about. No one has told me what tonight is.”