Page 91 of Beaches, Bagels & Babes
Zombie shooting games, air hockey, and skee ball heated up their impromptu competition. Daisy even managed to win a game by distracting Candace with a kiss on her neck while she lined up her shot. It was a dirty tactic, but Daisy was done holding back. She was having too much fun.
Unfortunately, it was getting late. The arcade and pier at large were starting to close. As they exited outside, the door locked behind them. It was a slow mass exodus with people filing out from the half-lit amusements. Nearby, Daisy watched the last lingering lines file into their seats on the Mouse Kart.
In a wistful tone, Candace said, “I guess that’s it, then. We should—”
Daisy grabbed Candace’s hand and dragged her to the coaster.
“One more thing!”
There was no one else left queuing for the ride. Still, they were breathless as they ran up the zig-zagging metal ramp to the ride attendant.
“Wristband,” the teen asked with a bored wave towards the barcode scanner.
“I don’t have a wristband,” Candace told him with a smile, “but my uncle owns the park.”
Dead-eyed, the boy blinked at her.
“Uh, Mr. Perry owns Perry’s Pier.”
“Yes. I’m Candace Perry, and I also work here. Peter Perry is my uncle. Can we get through?”
Again, he blinked. It was unclear if he did not believe her, or did not understand.
“Does Candy Perry ring any bells?”
“Uhhhh….”
Huffing, Candace tore her pier worker’s badge from her wallet and scanned the barcode. “There. She’s with me.”
“Actually,” Daisy corrected, “I have a ticket.”
Her hands were steady as she drew the single ride ticket she had gotten from Peter Perry. She’d held onto it all this time in a forgotten fold of her wallet; a token kept out of habit long past sense. Even so, in this moment, its presence and release felt so right.
Flatly, the teen said, “It’s five tickets.”
“Oh, for the love of—!”
Candace ushered Daisy past the teen, who did not make the barest attempt to stop them. His fly-trap mouth had not closed the entire exchange.
As they squeezed into the compact, two-person mouse vehicle, Daisy cast a nervous glance back.
“He’s not the one driving, right?”
“It’s automatic,” Candace assured her.
It was a tight fit in the little car, especially for two tall women. Both of their knees butted up against the front metal panel, and the lap bar jabbed down onto their middles. But, wiggling, Daisy found that there was no way she was going to fall out—that was a comfort.
With aclankclankclank,the gears started up, and the mouse jerked forward. In sync, Daisy and Candace’s hands linked atop the plush, cheese-themed foam that covered the lap bar.
Halfway up the first and highest incline, it dawned on Daisy how trapped she was. She couldn’t get out. Familiar anxieties mounted with each upward inch. Daisy sucked in one breath after another of the heavy air, buffeted by more wind the higher they went.
It was only as Candace urged her to open her eyes that she realized she’d pinched them shut.
“You need to see Wonderwood like this,” she yelled over the machinery sounds. “Trust me. I’ve got you!”
In a squint, Daisy managed to peek out and see what itlooked like at the top. Her eyes popped.
Wonderwood was her home and her prison. She’d been stuck here all her life and explored every inch of the marshy land. But she’d never seen it from this view.
