The Witch, The Preteen, And The Lion Tamer's Son

chapter one

Family vacations- peaceful, fun, stress-free... maybe being forced to partake in activities with your family that you usually wouldn't, and take pictures you'd like to burn but for the most part, its a vacation. No one knows who you are, and it feels like you're some avatar lady, walking on trees all delicately and such. Do you know what I mean? Like you're some unstoppable badass that no can read. It's freeing. 

I didn't feel like that when I was at the front of the line for the biggest rollercoaster in Sondercity. My brother grinned wickedly at me,  so I walked forward to avoid him seeing me shiver. I wonder if you can just slip through and actually go flying at any time... or your entire cart completely derail... How often do they check these things? The bored look on the seatbelt-ist doesn't help. He looks like a fly could land on his eye and he'd still be the same. Jack's smugness doesn't fade, and I'm starting to think it's his fault I'm this nervous in the first place. He stole all the confidence. I glare at him as I brush past.

He sits next to me, grinning, and it doesn't take me looking at him to know it. I can feel it. I buckle the fabric belt with the huge clunky buckle and the bar has to be put down by the seatbelt-ist. The track ahead goes straight up from where I'm sitting. My stomach is not being a great stomach right now.

The guy checks our belts after the first two rows ahead of us and then lowers the bar which is about two inches from me because of Jack. He juts both of his arms out, cracking his knuckles dramatically. I glare at him so hard I hope it burns, "You'll be fine," he goes.

Before I know it, the ride's going. It doesn't take long to realise that, no, it was Jack's fault I was nervous, it was definitely the heights! The cart seems to go so slow when it's at the top of a slope, and the first one felt like I was getting a chance to not plummet 50 feet in 50 seconds, but I, in fact, was not. I don't know how it felt like ten years and two breaths at the same time, but we shot down, and I screamed.

 I remember seeing Jack's shocked face as I blacked out. Probably because I don't scream. I'm usually rational. Maybe in my past life, I died on an amusement park ride. God knows it's possible. I fade in and out of the ride, each time filling me with more terror than the last. Jack's laughing and my neck hurts, but all that matters is the fear at the moment. I completely black out for a second and when I do, 

Jack is gone and the ride is slowing down. I hear his laughter still. I must've hit my head or something because my entire head is ringing, along with ears and my vision is white massively around the edges. I hold my head with one hand while I unbuckle with the other.

"Jack?" I call, my head pounds when I try to, "Jack..." I mutter, I feel like I'm going to puke. I stare at the floor trying to make it stop spinning. Time must have passed quickly because now I had the seatbelt-ist staring at me like I was an annoying eleven-year-old cocky child.

"Hey, you know you have to get off. You have to get in the line if you want to ride again, even with the necklace." His eyes scream that I'm just a child to him. I'm 18, and I know I haven't been for even six months but still.

"I don't-," My voice, I suddenly realise is deeper, "have a necklace, it's a bracelet? And I just need a second, okay." These pants are not my pants.  This isn't even my same skin colour. Did I leave my drink unattended? Am I tripping on acid? 

"Just get going Mandy, I really don't have time for this." I look over at him in disgust.

"Mandy? My name is-" he interrupts me anyways, "Yeah, yeah, sorry- Miranda. Happy? Just get."

I ultimately decided that an animal- a cat, a dog, a bird even- would be more help than he would ever be. I give him a side look as I walk off. As soon as I'm around the corner, I use a wall for support. I feel a bit dizzy, but I can feel it subsiding. 

"Jack?" I called, hoping maybe, just maybe, he'd hear me. Did you forget something? There's so many people I don't see him at all. I remember seeing a restroom a few stands down, and right now my appearance is kind of huge concern. If I'm being honest it feels like I'm in a movie. Maybe it was something in the airplane food? Jetlag?

That's just stupid, but I'm at least four shades darker than I last remember and my clothes are not my clothes and I don't have half an idea of what's going on and sometimes it's just nice to pretend it's something stupid.

I sigh out loud. Defensive even towards my thoughts right now.

The bathroom sounds empty when I walk in, and the door is huge and heavy so it's obvious i'm in here. I hate these kinds of bathrooms because they're so heavily sealed it reeks and it's so musty. Makes you feel like you're breathing in shit. It doesn't feel like the right place to have an existential crisis. The mirrors are heavily scuffed and don't even look made of mirror material, but the reflection is the problem.

That isn't me. 

<3

yk when someones terrified of rollercoasters and they literally pass out? can't relate i love rollercoasters sm and idk? don't think they're scary bc of me. im really excited for this book!! ily cheers