Chapter 36 – Escape with Joysticks

I hopped off my bike, my eyes flicking up to the large, sun-soaked house where Kimmy and Nick lived. It felt like ages since I’d seen my friends properly. With everything that had gone down lately, I was more than ready for some normalcy—or as close as I could get.

When I knocked, the door flung open, and Kimmy practically dragged me in by the arm.

“Finally! Look who decided to show up,” she teased, her voice playful but her eyes warm.

I laughed, trying not to get overly emotional at seeing Kimmy up and moving again. She looked almost like her old self—just a little thinner and maybe with a faint dark circle under her left eye. But hey, at least she was up, talking, alive.

In the corner, Nick grinned, waving from where he sat stretching out his legs on the living room floor. “Look who’s back from her love bubble,” he called out, his voice dripping with mock sweetness.

“Oh, please,” I shot back, rolling my eyes as I plopped down on the floor. “I came here to see if you two were, you know, still alive and kicking, not to get roasted!”

“Roasting? Us? Never,” Kimmy smirked, then nudged me with her foot. “But hey, you’ve been busy with lover boy Luca. Can’t blame us for thinking you forgot all about your friends.”

“Ugh, please don’t call him that,” I groaned, feeling my cheeks heat up.

“Oh no, we definitely are,” Nick said, grinning wider as he sat up. “One day he’s your mortal enemy, the next he’s got puppy-dog eyes, trailing after you like he’s on some kind of leash. I can’t keep up, Quinn!”

Kimmy leaned in, her eyes gleaming mischievously. “Honestly, Quinn, when we followed Luca silently and saw that he kissed you, I nearly died. Not from the Echo, mind you—from the pure shock of seeing Luca the Ice King looking like a total smitten fool.”

“Oh my god, don’t remind me!” I slapped my hands over my face, but I was laughing. “He’s so weird, right? One second he’s all ‘stay away from me, Quinn,’ and the next, he’s…” I shrugged, feeling a weird thrill at the thought. “It’s just… weird.”

“Oh, admit it. You like it.” Kimmy waggled her eyebrows, looking far too pleased.

I groaned. “You’re impossible. Ethan’s my boyfriend. Nothing is going to happen between us.” I poked Kimmy, who just rolled her eyes and poked me back harder. Soon, all three of us were jostling, giggling, and trading stories about embarrassing things Luca and Ethan had done over the years.

Eventually, we migrated up to Kimmy’s room, where she kept her gaming console and a small mountain of snacks. I flopped down on the beanbag chair, sighing happily as I looked around.

“You know what we need?” Kimmy asked, raising an eyebrow.

“Hmm?” I hummed, already feeling blissfully at ease.

“Some good old-fashioned Mario Kart therapy. Loser has to wear the cat ears,” Kimmy said, pulling out a dusty pair of very pink, very fluffy cat ears.

I chuckled, throwing myself into the game. For the next hour, we were lost in a frenzy of buttons, crashes, and near-misses. Nick kept shouting “red shell revenge!” every time someone took him out, and Kimmy was ruthless with the banana peels. Before long, I was laughing so hard my stomach hurt, my worries slipping away in a haze of goofy friendship and endless teasing. For the first time in days, I felt almost like myself again.

Midway through a particularly heated race, Kimmy glanced over, her face full of mock sympathy. “You know, Quinn, if Luca knew how hard you were struggling just to keep up with me, he’d probably be right here, holding your hand. And since there’s this little love triangle that you have created for yourself, Ethan will glare at Luca and hold the other hand.”

“Oh, stop!” I laughed, trying to concentrate on the game as Kimmy launched yet another red shell at me. “And for the record, they’d probably be more competitive than any of us!”

Nick chimed in, feigning a dreamy voice. “And he’d be all like, ‘I’m only helping because it’s the honorable thing to do. Nothing to do with Quinn, of course.’ And Ethan will just glare at Luca the whole time.” He let out a dramatic sigh, clutching his chest.

I nearly snorted with laughter. “You guys are terrible!”

“Terrible, or truthful?” Kimmy shot back, giving me a wicked grin as her character overtook mine on the screen.

Hours slipped by in a blur of banter, races, and snacks. We barely noticed the sun sinking below the horizon, the light outside dimming until the room was bathed in cozy shadows. Finally, I glanced at my watch and realized how late it was getting. I stretched, suppressing a yawn.

“I should probably head home,” I said, reluctantly standing up.

Nick looked at me, one eyebrow raised. “You’re not seriously thinking about going alone, are you?”

“Uh, yes, I am.” I grabbed my jacket and shrugged it on, trying to sound more confident than I felt. “I’ve got… this new magic thing going on, remember? I’ll be fine.”

Kimmy frowned, exchanging a look with Nick. “Are you sure? I mean, you’ve been through a lot lately, Quinn.”

“Guys, really, I’m fine,” I insisted, forcing a smile. “I’m not gonna let a few shadows stop me. Besides, if I can’t handle a quiet bike ride home, how am I ever going to deal with, you know… all the other weird stuff?”

Nick crossed his arms, looking unimpressed. “Yeah, well, forgive me if I don’t exactly love the idea of you riding off alone at night with the Echo out there.”

I rolled my eyes, giving him a playful punch on the arm. “You worry too much. I’ll be home before you know it.”

Nick opened his mouth to argue, but I grabbed my helmet and bolted down the stairs before he could finish. I pushed my bike out the door, calling a quick “bye!” over my shoulder as I pedaled off down the driveway, the cool night air filling my lungs.

The streets were quiet as I rode, my thoughts drifting back to the night’s laughter. It was such a relief, feeling that familiar lightness in my chest, letting go of all the strange, heavy things that had been happening. But as I got closer to the woods, the lightness began to slip away, replaced by a creeping tension I couldn’t quite shake. I pedaled faster, trying to ignore the feeling.

The darkness around me seemed thicker than usual, the trees casting strange, jagged shadows across the road. I forced myself to keep going, gripping the handlebars tightly. Just a few more minutes, and I’d be home.

Then, out of the corner of my eye, I saw something move. My heart thudded, my grip tightening as I stared at the bushes lining the road. The branches rustled, leaves shifting as if something was hiding just out of sight.

I shook my head, swallowing hard. “It’s just the wind,” I whispered, more to myself than anything.

But the feeling wouldn’t go away. It felt like I was being watched, every nerve on edge as I forced myself to keep pedaling. I could almost feel the weight of unseen eyes, tracking my every move.

Then, without warning, my bike jolted, as if I’d hit something, and my front tire stopped dead. I barely managed to keep myself from flipping over the handlebars as I skidded to a halt. My heart pounded, a cold sweat breaking out along my back as I looked up, scanning the dark shadows for any sign of movement.

And that’s when I saw it.

A large, dark figure stood in the middle of the road, blocking my path. I couldn’t make out its face, but its eyes… those eyes were glowing, a fierce, unearthly light that sent a chill down my spine.

My breath caught in my throat, my heart hammering as I tried to back up, my bike inching slowly in reverse. But the figure stayed where it was, unmoving, just watching me with those eerie, burning eyes. I opened my mouth to scream, but no sound came out.

For a heartbeat, we stared at each other, the world around us slipping into silence. Then, as I drew in a shaky breath, the figure took a step forward, its eyes never leaving mine.