Page 40 of The Wishing Game

"It's actually very close to here," I say as I show them the screen, pointing at the distance between us and the location we've been given.

New Amsterdam Theatre.

For a haunted place, I would have expected an abandoned building, or at least something out of use. This is, however, very much in use. There's a musical performed there almost every day, which might make our mission a little more difficult.

"I know that place!" Thea exclaims. "I've been there before."

"You have?" Cer echoes.

"I saw a musical there a while back. What was it..." She frowns. "Ah, Alice in Rabbitland."

"Wonderland?"

"Yes, that one! It was so cool."

"And when exactly were you there?" Cer crosses his arms over his chest.

"Oh, a while ago." Thea waves her hand.

"You know you're not allowed to?—"

"If I can have your attention," I interrupt. "You can fight about that later. We need to focus on our assignment."

Thea sticks her tongue out at her brother before she gives me her full attention.

"Since I know where it is, I can lead you there," she offers. "We can tele—Ouch!" she exclaims, slapping her brother's hand aside. He glares at her.

I shake my head, releasing a weary sigh. It's not going to be easy with these two, is it?

"There's a subway station right around the corner. It's one stop away from the location," I tell them. "Once we get off, Thea can lead the way."

We could walk, of course, but I don't want to take any chances that the police might still be in the area. And with the hour growing late and the streets becoming emptier, it would be so easy to spot me...

I rummage through the pockets of the dress, sure I'd felt some money before. Since it had been on the left side, I hadn't noticed until my arm healed. My fingers brush against a few crumpled dollar bills—likely forgotten by Noelle inside the dress at some point. And as I peek to the side, I count a ten and a couple of fives—plenty for a subway ride and maybe for a snack later.

"S-subway?" Thea flutters her lashes, her smile a little forced.

"Don't tell me you've never been on one before."

Even I have, and I've rarely been out and about the city.

"Doesn't matter. It's a new experience." She shrugs. "Let's go."

She grabs both my arm and her brother's as she marches forward to the subway station. For someone who's never used the subway before, she sure is confident. Especially as we go down the stairs and come face to face with the turnstiles. Both Thea and Cer stare at them with a puzzled expression on their faces.

Leaving them alone for a moment, I head to one of the cash ticket machines to grab tickets for the three of us. The process is smooth as the machine feeds me the tickets.

A satisfied smile flickers on my lips—ah, but it feels good to be independent for once. Sadly, looking back, there have been very few instances in which I had any type of freedom. My childhood had been defined by the hacienda and my lowly status. After that, I married Nikki, and despite it being the happiest period of my life, we were both trapped by our circumstances—Nikki caged by his illness, and me, his faithful companion.

But as I walk back to Thea and Cer, I stop in my tracks, my mouth hanging open in shock. Cer is holding the detached turnstile in his hand, out of Thea's reach. She jumps up in an attempt to get it, but she's no match for Cer's height. He seems to derive pleasure from baiting her, chuckling as he moves the turnstile around while Thea chases after it.

"Guys," I call out. "You can't just..." I trail off when I realize that my words will fall on deaf ears. "Here." I stop by their side, handing them each a ticket. "Now put that down and let's go."

It seems that soon I won't be the only one wanted by the police.

TEN

They squabble for a few more seconds before they dutifully follow me to the platform. The train is set to arrive in a couple of minutes, time I decide to spend by laying down some ground rules.

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