CHAPTER 34: NIGHTMARE CIRCUS

The second I sat down, the whole room shifted.

The dust vanished. The walls stopped looking old and broken. The chandelier flickered to life.

The table?

Now covered in food.

Steaming dishes. Roasted meat. Freshly baked bread. Even wine in crystal glasses.

Felix, who was still on the floor, groaned. "Oh no. It’s the ’eat this and get cursed’ trap."

Julien crossed his arms. "Pretty sure it’s the ’eat this and get possessed’ trap."

Leo shook his head. "Nah, this is the ’eat this and we all die except one person who has to solve a mystery’ trap."

Mira sighed. "Or maybe it’s just a ’sit down and play along’ situation."

I exhaled and looked at the thing across from me.

The shadowy figure hadn’t moved. It just sat there, staring, those glowing violet eyes locked onto mine.

Then, slowly, it lifted its hand and gestured toward the food.

"Eat."

Nobody moved.

I sure as hell wasn’t about to.

Felix whispered, "Professor, please don’t tell me you’re considering it."

"I’m considering it."

Felix looked ready to die on the spot.

Julien sighed. "Of course you are."

Mira muttered, "It might be a test."

Leo frowned. "Or a joke."

I picked up a fork.

Everyone tensed.

I stabbed a piece of meat.

The shadow leaned forward.

I lifted it—

Paused—

Then, without breaking eye contact, I tossed it onto the floor.

Everyone froze.

Felix made a choked sound. "Professor, what the hell—"

The shadow?

It laughed.

A slow, twisting, broken laugh.

Like shattered glass scraping against itself.

"Clever."

The room rippled.

The food rotted instantly. Mold spread across the table. The wine turned black.

Felix gagged. "I knew it! It was a death trap!"

Julien muttered, "Not gonna lie, kind of impressed."

Leo looked relieved. "At least we didn’t eat anything."

Mira nodded. "And we learned something."

I glanced at the shadow.

It was still smiling.

That was the part I didn’t like.

The room darkened.

The chandelier dimmed. The walls cracked.

And then—

Other figures appeared.

One by one.

Shadows, just like the first. Filling the empty chairs. Silent. Watching.

Felix immediately panicked. "NOPE. NOPE. WE ARE NOT DOING THIS."

Leo swore. "Oh, that’s bad."

Julien grimaced. "So it’s a full-on haunted dinner party now?"

Mira didn’t say anything, but I could tell she was on edge.

I stayed seated. Watched. Waited.

The first shadow spoke again.

"You amuse us."

I didn’t like that.

It leaned forward.

"You are not supposed to be here."

No kidding.

I kept my expression blank. "Yet here we are."

The other shadows whispered.

The sound was... wrong.

Like voices played backward.

The first shadow’s grin stretched wider.

"Perhaps... you will entertain us a little longer."

The chandelier flickered.

The walls shifted again.

And suddenly—

We weren’t in the dining room anymore.

We were somewhere worse.

One second, we were in the creepy dining room.

The next?

Everything exploded.

Not literally, but close enough.

The walls twisted like melting wax. The floor dropped and reformed. The chandelier spun like a drunk ballerina before launching itself into the abyss.

And us?

We got thrown into something much worse.

When I opened my eyes, I was sitting on a carousel horse.

Not a normal one.

It had four eyes and was actively breathing.

Felix? Dangling upside down from a floating chair, screaming.

Julien? Balancing on a giant rolling eyeball, swearing profusely.

Leo? Clutching onto a shadowy figure like a lifeline.

Mira? Standing perfectly still while a thousand tiny hands tried to poke her.

And the worst part?

Circus music.

Out of tune. Slowed down.

"Okay," I said. "Who the hell let us into a cursed amusement park?"

Felix flailed. "I DON’T KNOW, PROFESSOR, BUT I WANT A REFUND."

Julien dodged a flying shoe. "This is officially the worst school trip ever."

Leo pried shadow fingers off his jacket. "WHY ARE THEY TOUCHING ME."

Mira, deadpan: "I think they like you."

"THEY CAN STOP."

At that moment, the carousel sped up.

And not in a fun way.

The horses screeched.

The floor vanished.

And suddenly, we were falling again.

We landed on...

A giant chessboard.

The pieces?

Moving.

And we were the game pieces.

Felix immediately collapsed. "I hate everything."

Julien checked the board. "Okay. If this follows normal chess rules—"

One of the knights grabbed Leo and YEETED him across the board.

Leo, mid-air: "THAT’S NOT NORMAL CHESS RULES!"

Mira dodged a bishop trying to bludgeon her. "This game seems rigged."

Felix wailed. "OF COURSE IT’S RIGGED, IT’S EVIL!"

I sighed. "Fine. Let’s play along."

The moment I stepped forward—

The board vanished.

And now we were—

Hanging upside down.

On the ceiling.

"ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!" Felix screeched.

Julien groaned. "I give up."

Leo, still recovering from being thrown, muttered, "I hate magic."

Mira blinked. "I think the rules change every time we try to play fair."

Felix flailed. "Oh great, so it’s like taxes."

I sighed. "Okay. Everyone, just—"

The ceiling became the floor again.

We all crashed.

Hard.

When I sat up, the room was normal.

Too normal.

No flickering lights. No screaming walls. Just a quiet, dusty hallway.

Felix sat up. "Are we dead?"

Julien dusted himself off. "If we are, I want a redo."

Leo rubbed his head. "Everything hurts."

Mira checked her surroundings. "We’re back in the mansion."

I exhaled. "Good. Let’s keep moving before—"

The wall opened its eyes.

Felix screamed.

Leo swore. "WHY."

Julien groaned. "Of course the house is alive."

Mira stared at it. "This place really hates us."

I crossed my arms. "Yeah, well, get in line."

The wall blinked.

And then?

It started laughing.

Felix immediately bolted. "NOPE. I’M OUT."

We all ran.

Because screw this house.

We ran.

Fast.

Dodging laughing walls, twitching furniture, and the occasional floating fork.

Felix, panting: "WHY—IS EVERYTHING—TRYING TO KILL US?!"

Julien: "BECAUSE WE’RE IN A HAUNTED NIGHTMARE HOUSE, YOU IDIOT!"

Leo: "LESS TALKING, MORE RUNNING!"

Mira? Calm as ever. "This is fun."

Felix wheezed. "FUN?! HOW IS THIS FUN?!"

Mira shrugged mid-sprint. "It’s different."

SLAM.

We burst into a new room and locked the door behind us.

For once, the room seemed... normal.

A library.

Dimly lit, but no floating horrors in sight.

Felix collapsed onto the floor. "I’m gonna cry."

Julien flopped onto a couch. "I need a refund on life."

Leo leaned against a bookshelf. "Can we leave now?"

Mira walked over to a table. "Something’s here."

I turned. "What do you mean—"

Then I saw it.

A fancy silver platter.

With a note.

"Take a seat. The Host will be with you shortly."

Felix sat up. "Nope. No. Nuh-uh. Not doing this."

Julien eyed it. "Do we... wait?"

Leo groaned. "Why would we wait for a ghostly host?"

Mira poked the platter. "Maybe it’s polite."

Felix gawked at her. "MAYBE IT WANTS TO EAT US."

Before I could tell them to shut up—

The lights flickered.

A cold gust of wind blew through the room.

And then?

A chair moved.

The chair dragged itself toward the table.

Then another.

And another.

Soon, all the chairs were neatly lined up—like a dinner party was about to start.

Felix gripped my sleeve. "Professor, I swear, if a ghost sits down—"

And that’s when the air in front of us twisted.

A figure flickered into view.

Pale hands. A suit from another century.

And a face—

Completely blank.

No eyes. No mouth.

Just... smooth skin.

Felix passed out.

Julien’s soul nearly left his body.

Leo went completely still.

Mira? Unfazed.

And me?

I crossed my arms. "Let me guess. You’re the ’Host’?"

The faceless figure nodded.

Julien whispered, "I hate this place."

The Host gestured to the table.

Leo whispered, "I REALLY hate this place."

Mira sat down. "Might as well see what happens."

Felix twitched on the floor. "Murder... dinner... I hate... everything..."

Julien sighed. "Fine. But if I get possessed, I’m haunting all of you."

We hesitantly sat.

And that’s when the silver platter lifted on its own.

Underneath?

Nothing.

Just a single note.

"RUN."

Silence.

Then—

The walls SCREAMED.

And the entire library collapsed.