Page 106 of Scars Like Wings

We arrived at the boarding area of the ride inside, and Ophelia gestured for us to hop on. Before she left, she turned to us. Her saccharine smile turned into more of a sneer as she said, “You are going to really enjoy this one. Or you are going to be really scared. Either way, please be sure tofeelall of your emotions to get the most out of it.”

“Ooookay, sure. Thanks, Ophelia,” Quinn said as Ophelia left.

“Gods, she is so fucking weird.”

We stepped onto the platform to sit in the cart waiting for us. They were modeled like benches, reminiscent of churchpews with harnesses attached. The benches moved quickly, encouraging us to hurry and sit. Quinn and I hastily sat in the middle two seats of the four-seater. We pulled our safety harnesses down over our shoulders and chest, and an attendant came by to ensure they were down fully and clicked. She triple-checked everything. Then she smiled at us and gave a thumbs up before backing up. And our cart was sent on its way.

This ride was all darkness, fog, flashes of light, loud noises, and jump scares with a series of callbacks to the movies and the bench-like cart spinning us around and upside down. There was a dragon animatronic that blew fog straight at us lit in red to look like fire. We flew past spiders of varying sizes, including a giant one that was bigger than the car. The Whopping Willow came close to hitting us as we left the Forbidden Forest. There were even Dementors who came close to the cart using some trick of technology to make us feel the sensation of having our souls sucked out of us. It was wild shit, but we screamed and laughed as we rode. I gripped Quinn’s hand tightly the entire time. Another dementor swooped down close to us?—

Suddenly, our cart lurched to a whiplash-inducing stop. The Dementor halted mid-flight down to attack us. The world the ride was trying to create for us went mute. The lights and projection for the show turned black, plunging us into cave darkness instantly. It was mad scary. I couldn’t even see my hand in front of my face.

Well, at first.

As suddenly as the immersion of the ride had ended, my eyes started to ache with a stinging, sudden pain. I blinked a few times to force them to adjust and to make the pain go away. But if anything, it all got worse. If it wasn’t for my makeup, I would rub my eyes. I hissed as the agony reached a crescendo. Then as suddenly as it started, it dulled. I fluttered my eyes open, and I could see again. Not only could I see, but I could see the darkworld around us clear as day. I could see the machinery holding us over thirty feet in the air on a series of tracks. I could see the Dementor figurine looming in front of us. Like I had pulled the curtain back, I could see the entire backstage of everything. It was as if someone had turned the lights on.

But I knew no one had.

I could see in the dark.

“Attention, guests! My name is Caroline, your Attendant Wizard.” An announcer’s voice came on overhead, cutting through the quiet of Quinn’s and my breathing and the settling of the machinery. “We are experiencing some technical difficulties. I have my Engineering Team investigating the cause and troubleshooting the solution. We will be evacuating you shortly so you can enjoy other rides while we work to resolve this. Your ride vehicle will be in motion soon! We will do what we can to get things back up and running as soon as possible. In the meantime, please remain seated with your hands and feet inside the vehicle until further instruction is provided. We apologize for the inconvenience, and thank you for your cooperation. Oh, and happy birthday, Byrd!”

After she repeated her announcement again, I could hear whirring noises begin to sound. Soon, the cart moved forward slowly. I swung my feet as I watched the wheels below move us along.

“Some birthday, huh?” Quinn said. I glanced over at her. She was looking forward, her eyes scanning the darkness unable to see. Her hand was locked in her curls. She was worrying, her bottom lip nervous. I could tell that she had no idea I could see her. I could also tell that she had no idea how freaking cute she was.

I squeezed her hand to pull her back to me. “This is a birthday for theages. You know how many Harry Potter nerds wouldkillfor this opportunity? This is stinking cool.”

Quinn turned to me, her eyes searching for me but missing their mark. “Really? You mean it?”

“Hell yes! This has been the best birthday ever!”

“Thank you, sweetness.” I saw Quinn smile.

Then the work lights came on out of nowhere. It blinded me, and that ache returned to my eyes. I slammed my eyes shut and hissed loudly, the sound strange to my ears. Before I closed my eyes, I saw Quinn’s widen in shock as they met mine under the lights.

“B-baby, y-your eyes?—”

“Is there something in them? They have been bothering me.” Globes of color danced behind my vision that took its sweet time to clear up.

“They—they’ve changed?—”

“Hey, you two! Thank you for your patience!”

I looked away from Quinn to see a ride attendant standing on a catwalk high enough for us to jump onto. He was different from the female attendant who helped us board the ride vehicle. He waved as our cart approached.

“Feet up as you approach the catwalk. We’ll get you both out of here in no time.”

Our cart stopped against the catwalk as we followed his instructions.

Just as he came toward us to help us out, we heard it.

It was loud.

It was close.

It turned my blood to ice.

It was a scream.

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