The fairground lights flickered like fireflies as the night began to wind down. Music from the barn stage had softened into a lazy country tune, and the scent of popcorn and hay hung heavy in the cooling air.
Anne stood near the game booths, her plush cow tucked under one arm, Zahir beside her, quietly watching the stars.
Then Brittany arrived.
She stormed across the fairground in her perfectly pressed boots, her hair bouncing with every furious step. Daniel spotted her and sighed audibly, rubbing the back of his neck.
"Oh great," he muttered.
Brittany reached them, her voice already rising. "Daniel! You said you'd meet me! I've been looking everywhere and you're here—laughing with her?"
Anne stiffened. Zahir raised an eyebrow.
Daniel groaned. "Brittany, not now."
But Brittany was on a roll. "You ditched me for Anne Waters? Seriously? What is this, a charity event?"
Everyone nearby turned to look. Mira, standing a few feet away, winced. Even the booth attendant paused mid-ring toss.
Anne glanced at Brittany, then at Zahir. "She recovered," she whispered. "She wasn't supposed to."
Zahir's expression darkened. "That wish was sealed. It shouldn't have reversed."
Anne's heart thudded. "Then how did it?"
Before Zahir could answer, a scream tore through the fairground.
It was Mira.
She ran toward them, her face pale, her eyes wide with terror. She stumbled into Anne's arms, sobbing uncontrollably.
"Mira?" Anne held her tightly. "What happened?"
Mira gasped for breath, her voice shaking. "Leo—he's gone. He was just—he was right there—and then—then this thing came out of the woods—"
Zahir's eyes snapped toward the tree line.
"What kind of thing?" he asked sharply.
"I don't know!" Mira cried. "It wasn't human. It—it had eyes like fire and it whispered something—then Leo vanished."
Panic rippled through the crowd. Students screamed. Booths were abandoned. People began running toward the exits.
Anne turned to flee with them—but something stopped her.
It was like invisible hands gripped her ankles. Her breath caught. She couldn't move.
Zahir grabbed her arm. "Anne, we have to go!"
"I—I can't," she whispered.
Then the creature emerged.
It stepped from the shadows, tall and cloaked in swirling mist. Its eyes glowed amber, its voice a low rumble.
"You didn't wish to find a contract in here," it said.
Anne froze. "What?"
The creature extended a long, clawed hand. In it was a folded letter, sealed with a wax emblem shaped like a crescent moon.
"Mrs. Hodgins awaits you," it said.
Anne took the letter with trembling fingers.
The creature vanished.
Zahir pulled her close. "We need to leave. Now."
Anne nodded, clutching the letter to her chest.
As they ran toward the exit, the fairground behind them descended into chaos.
And somewhere in the woods, Mrs. Hodgins waited.
To Be Continued.....