Page 94 of Goldsin

“Julian ...” Aurelia giggles before a hint of worrystrains her voice. “I-I think I might puke if you don’t put me down.”

The doors lead to what appears to be a basement. When we reach the bottom, I put Aurelia down as I contain the chuckle threatening to come out at the way her hands jump to cover her breasts from my prying stare.

Like she wasn’t just stripping naked in front of one hundred sets of eyes.

“Bit late for modesty, don’t you think?”

She doesn’t answer me. She’s too busy glancing around.

We aren’t in a storage unit like I anticipated. This is an old indoor theme park under renovation. Which makes my skin crawl.

There are barrier planks outside a semi-deflated bounce house. Dust and flakes of dried paint cover most of the floor. Big, dull cartoon statues smile with crooked teeth, and there’s a jungle gym missing most of its monkey bars.

This place is?—

“Creepy.” Aurelia breaks the silence. A shiver runs down her body.

This place is dry and cold, but I know that shiver came from the eerie ghosts of people laughing and having fun in this room.

“This place is like something out of a horror movie. Why would they have an abandoned indoor theme park?”

“They’re renovating.” I tilt my chin toward the equipment. “It could get turned into anything.”

She squeezes her arms tighter. The movement pushes her breasts higher up, and I see the pinks of her nipples peeking between her fingers.

“So why did you bring me down here? Just to comment on my lack of modesty?”

Ah, so she did hear me.

“Partly.” I smirk then place the tray of cocaine on the yellow seat of a spring horse, taking out the pocketknife to arrange the powder. “And partly to talk about your little striptease upstairs. Victoria dared you to do it, didn’t she?”

“I don’t see any harm in it.”

I scoff. “Of course Victoria dared you.”

Aurelia narrows her eyes.

Carefully, I separate the powder into long lines, licking the remnants off the blade. “I saw her sniff your shirt. She wants you.” I peer up at her to catch her reaction.

Did she already figure it out?

Her eyes widen, two emerald gems peeking out at me.

I guess she didn’t.

“You can use that to your advantage, you know,” I tell her.

“I ...” She chews on her lip then falters when she sees what I’m doing. “What are you doing!” Her voice rises.

“Isn’t it obvious?”

“You don’t even know where that came from! And besides, this place is ... sad. It’s just sad to do it in a place like this.” She wiggles her shoulders as a way of pointingto our surroundings since her arms are preoccupied with covering what’s mine from me.

Sad?How can a well-loved playground be sad? There’s nothing sad about a place full of memories; a place that once was useful. “Sad” is something that remains the same through time.

“Doesn’t mean we can’t have some fun with it.”

I steadily stand up from my crouched position. With the knife twirling between my fingers, I tilt my head to the side, deciding which part of her I want to scar first.

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