Free Carnival World Boxed Set (Episodes 1-3) by Tawny Stokes, Michael J Lee Page B

If I eat any more snack cake I’m going to get the shits.”
    “Too much information, Ryan,” said Summer. He was crude but not wrong. Carnival food was many things but a nutritious, square meal wasn’t one of them.
    “I’ll go wake up Justin and Maddie then.” Darien moved back inside the pavilion but glanced over his shoulder at Summer.
    She gave him a reassuring smile. He turned back around and strode into the smoky interior. She glanced down at her foot and wiggled her toe. It wasn’t broken. But, in a way, Summer kind of wished it was. That way it would give Darien another reason to look at her, to smile at her, and to touch her. Something she would’ve given her right arm to experience in the other life.
    The little bitch!
    Nicole clamped her hand over her mouth to keep from screaming as she lay curled up on the sticky, filthy picnic table. She had managed only two moments of fitful sleep during the night and both times nightmares had haunted her. It was hard to relax in the first place, lying on a hard wooden table that was covered with dirt and splinters. The first time she dreamed about demon dogs that were about to eat her. The second time had been even worse. She dreamed that rust spread like a fungus from the ruined carnival rides and infected every one of them. She had seen Darien, Ryan and the twins staggering around. Their skin had rusted away, exposing hollow insides like an old drain.
    The only reason she hadn’t awoken screaming was because the scream caught in her throat and she sat up silently gagging next to Darien. She had wanted to reach over and touch him, just for reassurance. But she decided to wait until the morning came. 
    Just a moment ago she’d gotten up. She wanted to talk to Darien about the other night. But more than that, she wanted him to hold her, to comfort her. But when she woke, she saw him holding Summer. Nicole gagged on another silent scream.
    Back home she would have torn the tramp’s hair out. There, she would’ve had her friends backing her. They would have egged her on, especially Katie, the ringleader of the Crooks High popular girls. Hanging out with Katie and her posse wasn’t always makeovers and gossip. But it was better than being on the bottom rung like Summer Vaughn.
    One time Paula Turner had kissed Jack Rice, who was Katie’s boyfriend at the time. The next day Katie got the whole gang together, including Nicole, and they descended on Paula in the girls’ locker room after gym class.
    They surrounded her and chanted “Slut! Slut! Slut!” Nicole was nervous at first but got into it and enjoyed herself. Then Katie threw the first punch. Nicole stopped yelling and stood still as the rest of the girls piled on. Paula screamed and cried. She was curled up and bloody at the end. Katie hustled everyone out and Nicole felt her glare. She knew Nicole hadn’t participated in the beating.
    Nicole went home troubled that day and tried to talk to her mom about it. She said her friends had done something. Immediately her mother told her, “Nicole, you have a good group of friends. They’re all from splendid families. I’m sure they would never do anything wrong.”
    Nicole tried to explain but her mother cut her off.
    “Nicole, dear, it’s important you understand this. You must get along with your friends. You may not always agree with what they say or do. But you must get along. No one likes a complainer. No one likes a tattletale.”
    The next day at school a police detective arrived and asked students what had happened. He spoke to Nicole for about ten minutes. Nicole said she had no idea who attacked Paula. She hadn’t heard anything.
    The next day she learned Paula wouldn’t return to school.
    Nicole found herself now wishing Katie and the others were with her now in this strange place.
    Katie and the others wouldn’t have hesitated. They would’ve made her stronger, or at least too embarrassed not to strike back.
    But they weren’t here.
    Here she