“Grant? Hellooo? Aren’t you going to get on this ride with us?” Rhett asked, waving a hand in front of him. “Sorry guys, I’m not feeling well all of the sudden. You guys can keep going on rides, I’m going to go sit on one of those benches in the shade.” Grant pointed towards Knairez. “Aw, okay. If it gets …

“We’ve been here for awhile now, how about you two go on one last ride before we go?” Their dad asked. Grant, taking the final bite of his vanilla cola cubes, shut his eyes, savoring the flavor. He opened his eyes and looked out into the colorful lights dancing within the dark. “Okay, Elijah you have to go on the …

Grant and Elijah came to an area with benches placed on neatly trimmed grass before a stage. Metal structures erected from the corners standing about fifteen feet tall, at the top they all connected to one another. Lights wrapped in and around the hollow structures, flashing for attention in the outskirts of the fair grounds. Scanning the three rows of …

“What was that about?” Rhett asked. “I ran into them once and they needed money so I felt like helping them. They were just repaying me from the last time,” Ambri said. Grant’s perceptive yellow eyes peered into Ambri as her eyes darted back and forth. This didn’t make sense, who gives money to a stranger? And who expects to …

A forest Grant hadn’t seen before made its way into view as he stared out of the window. He had never noticed it the first night he drove down. The cluster of trees formed a thick barricade of flora that left the unknown contents within, a mystery. How deep and how far did it go? Was this where the lions …

Two weeks went by. Grant grew a bit more comfortable around the people he lived in proximity to, although most of the time he still kept to himself. He had gathered with the others two more times for bonfires in these two weeks and had encountered the others on multiple occasions as he went about his new life. His suspicions …

A knock at the front door jolted Grant awake. He clambered his way to the door, still fighting off his drowsiness. After telling Rhett he would be out in a moment, he wrapped his finger in a bandage that was left over from the previous owners of the trailer, prepared himself for the day, and headed outside. Across the street …

Grant laid awake in bed trying to fall asleep, listening to the light breeze against his trailer. Thoughts of leeches slugged around through his head, when he woke up it would be time for his first day on the job, after all. Imagining handling the slippery snot-like creatures sent shivers throughout his body. It couldn’t be as bad as it …

Grant had never heard of any lion sightings in Nhaja before. The nearest he knew lions to live in was two countries to the west, Jurai. Had they only recently came up here? He couldn’t think of a single reason, as to why they would migrate here. Jurai was mostly nature filled, with settlements of cities patched between vast amounts …

An ominous atmosphere spread through the area. Grant, head turned, stared in silence with his mouth agape. The shadowy figure trudged closer, hands full. “Wh-who is th-that?” Grant’s mouth dried as he spoke. The figure thrusted up their hand, carrying the silhouette of blades as they bounced light back from the street lights. Grant’s body shook. “I’ve brought bananas!” The …