Page 26 of Enter if you Dare: Part Two

Cave stands there and rolls his shoulders.

“So who is the lucky rabbit?” Noa asks, looking around. “Because I nominated myself twice and was rejected.”

“You’d enjoy it,” Valli says. “That is not the data we need.”

“I would enjoy it so much,” Noa replies, and Cave makes a sound that is almost a laugh.

“I’ll do it.” We turn and see Vero strolling toward us with his hands in his pockets, a big-ass grin on his face. “I volunteer as tribute. Someone’s gotta stress test the freak properly, and it might as well be someone with experience.”

“No,” Valli states, leaving no room for argument.

“Oh, come on,” Vero laughs. “He can handle it.”

“You’ll provoke him on purpose and spend the whole time trying to make him fail. It’s a hard no. This is not your revenge tour.”

“I’ll offer my services.”

The Jester pushes off the fence on the opposite side of the path where he has been hiding in the shadows. He steps forward in full costume, his face paint freshly applied.

“I’m new and neutral. The Scarecrow and I have no history. That’s if the corn king will have me.”

Vero goes to say something, but Valli pins him with a glare and he zips his lips. Cave nods.

“Wonderful.” The Jester unbuttons his cuffs and unpins his bells. “One request, though. Try to leave the face unmarred—it’s my money maker.”

Valli looks at Cave. “Thirty minutes and try to let him walk out alive.”

Cave holds her eye, then nods and walks into the cornfield.

“If I die,” the Jester says, “my tomatoes go to the love of my life.”

Vero cackles. “There is no way that witch will ever love you back.”

The Jester shrugs. “Forced proximity works for some people.” He winks and steps into the stalks.

Anxiety fills me. It sucks when you can’t see anything and have to rely solely on what you can hear. For the first few minutes, there is nothing. The stalks rustle a little, and beside me Noa has squatted down and stares into the field. Valli stands with the clipboard pulled to her chest. All of us wait, not knowing how this will play out.

A few minutes later there’s movement, and laughter echoes around us, then everything goes still again.

“He’s herding him,” Noa whispers. “See the rows moving? God he is good! I want to be in there so bad.”

At the ten-minute mark, there is a shriek. “That was my good knee!”

Valli’s shoulders drop a little, and I place my hand on her arm, willing her not to give up on him yet.

By fifteen minutes, we are back to silence. My chest grows tight, and I check the camera feeds on my phone, then force myself to put it away. Vesper can see the entire perimeter, so if anything happens, we will be the first to know.

At seventeen minutes, the whole field shudders, radiating from the middle.

“He’s fine,” I tell them.

Almost twenty minutes down, and a new noise starts. Noa excitedly squeals and then slaps both of his hands over his mouth.

“Is he . . . throwing corn at him?” Valli asks.

“Sounds like it,” Noa says.

After twenty-five minutes, the cornstalks part, and the Jester appears. He is laughing, and his face paint is smeared. A length of rope trails off one ankle, and his hands are tied together loosely in front. He makes it to the grass and rolls onto his back, then lies there wheezing with laughter.