Page 68 of Vicious Spirits

“I can already hear the creatures screeching.”

“You mean the happy laughter ofchildren?” Somin asked, rolling her eyes. “I never knew you were afraid of kids.”

“I’m notafraid,” Junu insisted. “I just keep a safe distance. They have sticky hands and sharp teeth. They’re like trolls.”

“Are trolls real?” Somin asked, eyes wide with curiosity.

Junu laughed. Throwing an arm over her shoulder, he said, “Let’s get this over with.”

With a whoop of joy, she raced forward to give her ticket to the boy standing at the entrance, Junu trailing slowly after. As they rode the escalator up, she felt butterflies in her stomach as she remembered staring at pictures of this place as a child. It’s where her father had promised to take her. A promise he’d never been able to keep.

It felt like one of those clichéd slow-motion reveals as she started to see the park above the escalator platform. The rides rising up, the lights, the colors. She saw the famous air balloon ride that hung in the sky, showing people the aerial view of thepark. She could make out the tracks that wound through the air and led to the outside portion of the park, like a trail to more adventures. As she entered the park, she closed her eyes and breathed in the smell, mostly the scent of fried food and sugary snacks.

I finally made it. Happy birthday, Appa.

And for a second, she thought she saw a man in the crowd, holding his hand out as if he’d been waiting for her.

“Why would you want to come here voluntarily? How can you stand the crowds?” Junu whined. Somin jumped at the sound of his voice. She’d been focusing so hard on the man, she hadn’t heard Junu come up behind her. When she looked again, the man was gone, if he’d even been there at all.

But she did see other figures moving throughout the crowd. At least a handful of them that others didn’t seem to notice, or perhaps they didn’t realize these forms were floating instead of walking. Ghosts. Somin squeezed her eyes shut; she didn’t want to deal with the supernatural. Not today. But when she opened them again, the ghosts were still there and the parkgoers remained mostly oblivious.

“They really can’t see them,” she breathed.

“Most of them, anyway,” Junu said, gesturing to a little boy who stared openmouthed at an elderly ghost beside him. The boy seemed equal parts in awe and terrified, like maybe he thought this was part of the park’s offerings.

“They can’t hurt you,” Junu said, taking her hand. He squeezed it comfortingly, and it helped calm her. “Not if you just ignore them.”

“Maybe this is a bad idea. Maybe this is selfish, coming here when the world is turning upside down.”

Junu sighed, “No, I promised I’d take you here. I keep my promises. Even when those promises lead to a day of torture.”

Somin laughed at his morose tone. Like he was being forced into hard labor instead of a day at an amusement park.

She craned her neck back to glance up at the glass dome above. It let in the sky and the sun while protecting the parkgoers from the elements. She’d just take today, no, just half of a day, and have fun. Then she’d return to the real world and the problems that plagued her friends.

“Fine, but no more complaining. I’m not calling you out for buyingtwoyouth passes.”

“What’s the matter with that?” Junu asked.

Somin gave Junu a knowing look. “You’re not quite a youth anymore, Junu. Haven’t been that for a few hundred years.”

“Well, the woman in the ticket booth didn’t care.” Junu shrugged. “And she seemed to like me. It’s almost like shewantedto give me the discount.”

“Everyonethinks they like you at first. Because people are innately shallow.” She playfully grabbed his chin.

“Everyone except you, my love.” Junu scrunched his nose playfully.

Somin stopped at that. She knew the words were said in casual jest. That they didn’t mean anything. But they made her heart stutter regardless.

“Come on, I want to go on the pirate ship,” Somin said, grabbing his hand, trying to ignore her erratic pulse.

“I don’t do fast rides.” Junu glared at the swinging pirate ship. Riders screamed in delight as it rocked back and forth, each time threatening to go all the way upside down.

“Why?” Somin teased. “Are you scared?”

“I’m just not willing to give up my breakfast right now.”

Somin laughed at the fear he couldn’t quite hide. She found she liked this new scared version of Junu. Made him seem more real. More human.

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