After Rebirth, I Found My Sister and Toppled the Deadly Amusement Park

On my birthday, my sister took me to the amusement park.

But I turned around, and she was gone.

Twelve years later, I finally found her in a reeking basement.

By then my sister had been tortured until she barely looked human, burrowing into the trash pile at the sight of anyone.

That was when I understood.

The harmless-looking toy bear at the amusement park had a raving monster hidden inside it.

Not long after we got her out, on a rainy day, my sister jumped from a building and killed herself.

My parents' hair turned white overnight, and they died in grief.

When I opened my eyes again, I was back in the year I turned six.

The giant costumed mascot was walking toward my sister.

"Little girl, want to go with the bear and get more candy?"

I yanked my sister behind me and planted myself in front of her.

Then I snatched up the iron shovel beside me and swung it hard.

"Get away!"

"Don't touch my sister!"

...

"Aria, what are you doing?"

My sister dragged me back, angry, then turned to him full of apology.

"I'm so sorry, my sister didn't mean it. Are you hurt? Should we go to the hospital?"

"I'm fine."

The monster's voice went off right beside my ear.

My whole body went rigid.

He was grinning, as if nothing had happened.

He opened his palm again and held it out to my sister.

"Looks like the little one doesn't like candy. Why don't you pick one?"

Ice ran through me.

In my last life, it had been this candy too.

"Molly Harding, can we go home? I don't feel good. I want to go home."

I clung to my sister's hand, my voice shaking to pieces.

"You don't feel good?"

But before she could say anything more,

he curled his lips into a slick smile and bent down toward me.

"How about I take you to the hospital, sweetie?"

"Get away! Don't touch me!"

I screamed on instinct.

My scalp crawled.

"Aria!"

My sister's brows drew tight.

"How can you be so rude? Apologize to him right now."

"Oh, it's fine, it's fine, she's just a kid."

He smiled and waved it off, then pulled off the mask head.

"I've got nothing going on right now anyway, so let me take you. Two kids with no grown-up around, that's not exactly safe. Maybe I can help."

One look.

Every hair on my body stood up again.

That sinister face, the mole at the corner of his eye.

I would never forget it, not if I died.

Oswald Chavez.

It was him.

It was this face that had shoved my sister into a pit she could never climb out of.

"Molly, I'm fine now. We're going home right now!"

My breath caught.

My mind raced.

No. He could not get us alone.

There were too many people in the park now, so he wouldn't dare do anything out in the open.

But if he followed us somewhere quiet, then what?

Worse still, his eyes clung to my sister, sick and greasy.

"Get away from us! Stay back!"

My eyes went wide with rage, and I stepped forward and shoved him hard.

"Aria Harding! That's enough!"

After the third time, my sister's face went completely dark.

She almost never yelled at me.

Because our parents had raised us from the start to be humble and polite, never arrogant or overbearing.

She thought I was throwing a fit for no reason.

Oswald let out a bitter little laugh and stepped back.

"It's all right. I've just never been the type people take to. The little one probably thinks I stink, looks down on someone who does petty work like me."

"But there's no help for it. I've got two kids at home to feed, about the same age as you two. Seeing you reminds me of my own children, so I can't help wanting to be kind to you."

Lies!

He was lying.

I screamed without a sound.

He had no children at all.

That place was full of innocent girls.

But that grovelling, pitiful act only made my already gentle sister go soft in a way she couldn't fight.

"No, no! You're a good person! My sister's just not herself today. I'm so sorry. Thank you for being so kind."

"But we won't trouble you. I'll take her to the hospital myself."

The moment she said it, a flash of cunning lit Oswald's eyes as he caught the gap.

"Then where are the grown-ups in your family? When are they coming to pick you up?"

"They..."

My sister was about to blurt out that our parents weren't coming today.

I cut in fast and pointed at a middle-aged couple taking photos not far off.

"My mom and dad are over there waiting for us!"

Sure enough, Oswald's hands went still, and he looked up along the direction I'd pointed, suspicion in his eyes.

But I never expected what came next.

The middle-aged couple turned and walked away.

My chest tightened.

"Oh dear, little one."

Oswald let out a sigh of feigned regret, that oily smile creeping closer.

"Doesn't look like your mom and dad waited for you after all."

"They, they just went to buy something. They'll be back soon!"

I forced the words out through gritted teeth.

Molly's patience finally ran out.

"Aria Harding! What has gotten into you? First you hit someone with no manners at all, and now you're lying! Didn't Mom and Dad teach you not to lie?"

"If you keep this up, I won't like you anymore."

I couldn't hold it in another second and burst into sobs.

"Even if you don't like me, I still don't like him! I don't like him standing so close to you!"

Oswald's fake smile stopped for a beat.

Molly frowned.

"What is wrong with you today?"

I opened my mouth, wanting to tell her about my last life.

But I knew how absurd it would sound.

Coming from a six-year-old, it would only sound like crazy talk.

All I could do was cling to my sister like she was the only thing that could save me.

"Mom and Dad said we can't eat things from strangers!"

"Molly, let's call the police, okay? Let the officer take us home!"

The moment I said it, everything around us froze.

The smile vanished from Oswald's face.

Molly startled and quickly scooped me up.

"Ari, don't say things like that! The man was only being kind, and besides, the officers are so busy. How can we go bothering them just because you're throwing a fit?"

Seeing Molly waver, Oswald took another step back and sighed.

Then, like a magic trick, he produced two bottles of water from inside his costume.

"I think the little one's just shy. Being shy is perfectly normal. My own daughter was the same when she was her age."

"Never mind, don't be too hard on her. Here, have some water first. It'll help settle the nerves."

My mind went blank with a roar.

Candy. Water.

In my last life, it was these two things that destroyed my sister's whole life!

"Get away! Don't touch us!"

I snapped completely, snatching the bottle and hurling it hard at his face, drenching him.

"Aria Harding!"

Molly lost it now.

"Don't drink it! Molly, whatever you do, don't drink it!"

I cried until it felt like my chest was tearing apart.

Oswald watched me quietly and raised an eyebrow.

He picked up the half-empty bottle from the ground and drank it down in one go.

"Little one, you're overthinking this."

That eager show of innocence left Molly stunned.

"Ari."

She didn't scold me right away. Instead she gently cupped my face.

"Tell me. What's really going on? Why are you so set on calling the police?"

The tears came pouring out.

"I had a dream. I dreamed you ate his food and then you disappeared!"

"Mom and Dad and I looked for you for years and years."

Molly froze for a few seconds.

"How could that be?"

Her voice broke, barely holding together.

"Later the officers found you in a place that was dark and reeked. Your face was burned, your arms and legs were broken, your teeth were gone. You didn't know me, and you didn't know Mom and Dad."

At those words, a tremor ran through her whole body.

Something urgent flickered in Oswald's eyes, and he edged one step closer.

I wailed with everything I had.

"Then call the officer! Call now!"

Maybe it was the look on my face.

She lifted her head to look at Oswald, backing away as she held me tighter, and pulled out her phone.

"Ari, we don't have any proof, so I can't just call the police for nothing. But I can call Mom and Dad."

The call connected.

Dad's laugh came through, warm and doting.

"Ari, it's your birthday today. Are you having fun at the amusement park with your sister?"

"Daddy! Come get us, right now!"

I couldn't help it. I screamed it into the phone.

He paused for a second.

"It's still so early. Weren't you begging to play the whole day when you left this morning?"

"I don't care! I don't want to play anymore! I just want to go home!"

The tears spilled over before I could stop them.

Seeing me losing it, Molly took the phone, hesitating before she spoke.

"Ari's not herself today, Dad. She's acting really strange. There's someone in a toy mascot costume, and she got scared and won't stop crying. She keeps insisting we go home."

Dad laughed it off.

"That kid. She's always been timid. The mascot probably just spooked her."

"Be good, Ari. Listen to your sister. Daddy's got a few projects he still needs to finish. Once I'm done, I'll take you and Molly out for a big dinner tonight, okay?"

In my past life, he'd said the exact same thing.

But before he ever finished his work, Molly was gone.

After that, Mom cried every single day until she nearly went blind.

Dad's hair turned white overnight, and he'd sit in the living room chain-smoking.

Smoking and slapping himself, hard, across the face.

"If I'd just gone to get them sooner. Why did I work late? Why?"

Later, to look for Molly, they quit their jobs and sold the house.

I snatched the phone out of Molly's hand like something had come over me.

"Daddy, no! I don't want a big dinner! I want to go home, right now, this second!"

I was crying so hard I could barely get the words out.

Dad's voice lost all its ease in an instant.

"Ari, why are you crying?"

"Someone wants to take Molly."

"He had all these different-colored candies, and he wanted us to drink some water, and he keeps staring at Molly!"

"The one in the mascot costume?"

"Uh-huh."

The line went dead silent.

Molly pressed her lips together, still doubtful.

"Dad, could Ari just be reading too much into it?"

A moment later Dad's voice came back, calm now.

"Never mind that for now. This isn't something small. Listen to me. Right now, go find an adult in a work uniform, a staff member."

"Daddy's heading down to the car right now, and I'll call the police for you. Even if it's a misunderstanding and we've bothered the officers for nothing, I'll explain and apologize to them. And whatever you do, do not go anywhere with anyone! You hear me?"

"I hear you, Daddy, hurry!"

The tears came harder.

But before I could catch my breath.

The loudspeaker blared out, sharp and piercing.

"Attention, all guests. Due to a sudden malfunction in the main control system, and for your safety, the amusement park is closing immediately."

"Please follow staff instructions and exit quickly, safely, and in an orderly manner. Repeating: all guests, please exit the park at once..."

The park was clearing out.

No one was watching us anymore.

My mind went blank.

"Oh dear, little one. What awful timing."

Oswald pressed in close, his voice sickening.

"Everyone has to leave now. Why don't you two come with me? I'll take you somewhere cooler to wait for your daddy. How does that sound?"

"Get away! Don't come near us!"

I screamed and hugged the phone tight, backing away.

"You don't need to trouble yourself, mister."

Molly stepped forward without flinching, staring him down, cold.

"We already called our dad. He's coming to get us any minute now. So stay away from us!"

Oswald froze, then let out a low, oily chuckle.

His voice went soft, coaxing.

"Little girl, it's fine. Just come with me somewhere nice first. When your dad gets here, I'll give you right back to him."

The second he finished, his eyes turned vicious and he lunged, grabbing for Molly.

"Get back!"

She was faster.

She snatched a bottle of pepper spray off the booth counter.

And blasted it straight into Oswald's face.

"Aah!"

He clapped both hands over his eyes and shrieked in pain.

Then the furious roar.

"Damn it! You little brat!"

"Run!"

Molly grabbed my hand and we ran for our lives.

But the moment we tore around the corner, I went rigid.

Dead end.

A dead end straight ahead.

No time to think. Molly's eyes went sharp.

She flipped open a dumpster beside us, waist-high, without a second's hesitation.

The stench hit us in the face.

We didn't even get to catch our breath.

When a swarm of footsteps came thudding in from outside.

"Oswald, where are they?"

A rough, hoarse voice, a stranger's, cut through the air.

"Weren't you saying you had a surprise for us?"

Oswald cursed, seething, right above our heads.

"What's the rush? We've got this whole park booked out. Nobody's coming to save them today."

"If that little brat weren't exactly my type, you think I'd have gone to all this trouble to drag you all out here?"

Cold flooded through me.

How could this be happening?

In my last life, it had only ever been him. Just one man.

Clang.

The dumpster next to us got yanked over, trash flying everywhere.

My eyes went wide with terror.

Molly clamped a hand hard over my mouth.

Neither of us dared make a sound.

"All right, all right. If they're not around here, check that little grove and the rest rooms. Two little kids can't have gotten far!"

A moment later, Oswald's frustrated cursing carried away.

The breath rushed out of me.

Molly and I looked at each other, giddy with relief.

Then, after a long moment, her trembling hands pressed a small pair of scissors into mine.

"Ari, listen to me. In a minute, I'm going to go out there and lead them away."

"You stay right here and hide. No matter what you hear, you do not come out. You wait for Dad and the police to come save you, okay?"

I shook my head hard.

"No! I'm not leaving. I want to stay with you!"

Her eyes went red.

"Ari, do as I say!"

I clung to the hem of her shirt with everything I had.

"I won't! Not this time. This time I am never losing you again!"

Molly froze.

Then the phone rang.

But before either of us could answer it, the dumpster lid was ripped open with brute force.

Oswald had circled back, running his tongue greedily over his gums.

"Little brat. So you were hiding in here after all."