Aiden and I walk across the open area to the maze, neither of us saying anything. I am starting to notice that despite our situation, not many people have much to say tonight. I guess there really isn't much to say about your own government trying to kill you.

I wonder what Devin is doing with the others back in the trees. Is he socializing with them like he usually does with strangers, or is he sitting alone waiting for me? I hope it is the first option.

If I do not come back, then Devin might not have any more family. I should not think about that right now. I need to keep focused on what is happening rather than what could happen.

“You said you were from Tundris?” I ask Aiden, hoping that this will distract me from worrying about my brother.

All he says is, “Yeah,” I wait for him to elaborate more and start telling me about Tundris, but he doesn’t.

“What was it like there? Are there really big snow storms there like we see on the news?” Aiden looks at me like it’s an odd question to ask, but it seems pretty normal to me.

“Yeah, Tundris has really long winters and short summers.” After another moment, he adds, “I like it better where we are now.”

“So, you hate the snow?” I ask, but he doesn’t answer, “Why? The news always shows kids playing in the snow, isn’t it supposed to be fun? Don’t you guys have snowball fights, build snowmen, and do things like that?”

Aiden seems a little annoyed by this question, and I regret bringing up the topic of his old town. It’s probably hard talking about a home you can never return to. I don’t even know if he has his parents. Did the shooters kill them? Are they back at the Jumpers camp? I don’t ask.

“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have asked.”

After a few more minutes go by, Aiden finally talks again. “Kids playing in the snow, is that what they showed you?” Aiden says, sounding a little belligerent. “Did they also show the roofs that collapsed on people because their houses were not built properly to hold that much snow? Did they tell you about the people who froze because the government wanted to preserve as much energy as possible by limiting the amount of electricity we got? How little heat we got.”

Aiden looks at me, “No, of course they wouldn’t show you that.” Aiden scoffs, “The New World really is a piece of shit.”

Aiden keeps going, “I thought that the carnival was going to be the government’s way of saying sorry for all their poor choices, but instead, they made the worst decision they ever could have made. I hope to one day make them regret it.”

I don’t know what to say. How could I have been so naive to believe that each town lived good lives like we do here in Treegrass? I thought the whole point of the New World was that everyone is safe here, we have food, resources, and protection, or at least we did, didn’t we?

“Sorry,” is all I say, but I know it does nothing.

“Don’t be sorry. You are not the one who failed us. Our government should be the one saying sorry.”

We walk in silence for the remainder of the time it takes us to reach the maze. Aiden puts his hand on the door but waits to open it. “Ready?” he asks. I nod my head in response, and Aiden opens the door.

When I step in, I wince at the bright lights. When my eyes adjust again, I see that my reflection, along with Aiden’s, can be seen all around us. Aiden moves swiftly, making a series of turns around the maze. He looks down while he does this, making me think he uses the same technique that I once did.

We come to the exit door and quickly look at one another before Aiden slowly cracks the door open. He peaks out of the opening of the door and then opens it wider to step out.

I think that coming back in here would probably make me an idiot, but I tell myself that this is like a game. Aiden and I are just playing a game of hide and seek, except in this game, when you are found, you die. Fun.

Just like before, the area outside the maze is poorly lit and quiet. There is no one around, so Aiden leads us back over the path behind all the games.

We go behind the games, and I carefully walk around the wires to make sure I don’t trip. Just like before, there is a foot of open space between where we are and the next game, and that space is brighter than the area behind the games. I cross the space with one stride, but something on the ground catches my eye. I look back to the ground and see that it’s blood.

Someone was either injured or killed here.

“Don’t look at it,” Aiden says, putting his arm on my shoulder to steer me away from the site.

I wonder whose it is. Is it a stranger’s, or could it possibly be my Dad’s? I feel like a terrible person for hoping that it belongs to a stranger.

Why couldn’t this day just be what it was advertised to be?

I wish I were back sitting under the big tent watching the show. At the end, they would announce the top three winners of the games, as Devin had predicted, and then we would go home and tell our Mom all about it.

There would be no bad news, no betrayal, no death.

I come back to reality when we reach the end of the pathway. The Ferris wheel is right before us. The lights are still on, but like before, the ride is not moving. It is in the same spot that we had to cross over from the kitchen to get to.

If the New World was having serious food and supply shortages, then how did they find the supplies to do all of this? And where are all the people who ran the games? I have not seen a single one of them since walking into the show.

Most of the people running the games were women, yet I do not recall seeing a single female guard. Do the workers know what happens at the carnival? Where do they come from? Are they from another town that has yet to be targeted by the government, or are they from the town of Officials? If they are from the town of Officials, then they probably know what has been going on.

All government officials live in their own town, which is located in an old city that has been rebuilt just for them. Each town has its own small police force, but they are rarely needed. The majority of the New World’s essential people, along with the military, are located within the town of Officials.

“Okay, we are not going to go back that way. Vesper said to keep going straight. The room he found was over by the rock wall and the big show tent.” Aiden whispers, “If your Dad’s alive, then he will most likely be with the other green box people in that tent.”

I look down. “My Dad threw the games for my brother and me… he had a red light on his box.”

Aiden looks apologetic and looks thoughtful for a minute before speaking again. “Did he make it out of the tent with you?”

“Yeah, he helped knock the fence over.”

“Then maybe he’s still out here somewhere hiding from the shooters,” Aiden says, giving me a small reassuring smile.

I tell myself that what he says is true and that my Dad is hiding behind one of the games. I know the likelihood of this happening is slim, but I can’t give up on him. He never gave up on us.

I give Aiden a small smile and nod to tell him that he’s right, “So, how do we get to that room?”

“Just follow me. We’ll stop at some of the stands on the way and see if anyone is in them. Maybe your Dad is hiding out there.”

I nod in understanding, and then Aiden continues, “Stick by me and do what I do. If we somehow get separated, then try to meet back at the kitchen where Theon brought you earlier.”

“Okay,” I say, and then Aiden peers out of the darkness to check if the coast is clear.

Instead of leading us across to the kitchen where we came from before, Aiden walks to the left, going behind the stands that all seem to be lined up against a wall. There is still enough space for us to move behind them but it is smaller than the normal booths.

If my memory serves me right, we should be over by the food court, and these stands probably gave out the food. Aiden emerges from the shadows, moving into the booth from the open side. He comes back out a second later, his head shaking no. There is no one inside.

He continues to do this for the remainder of the food booths, and then they turn back into the regular game booths. Each step he takes is a careful one, and I can tell by his eye movements that he is perceptive about everything he sees. The game booths, still illuminated, force us to remain hidden as best as we can.

We both make sure to stay in as much darkness as possible while still being able to see our surroundings before moving on to the next booth. Aiden checks to make sure no one is coming before he sneaks into the next stand and then the next. No one is in either one of them.

Aiden comes back to join me behind the next game booth, and we both freeze as the sound of heavy boots reverberates from the other side of the stand. Each step I hear echoes in my head, reminding me of how risky this is.

I look at Aiden, and he puts a finger over his mouth to tell me to be quiet. The two of us stand there in silence, staring at each other.

Chapter 14

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