Candace found her mom in the kitchen, downing her morning cup of coffee. Her mom looked at her over the brim of the cup and said, “Nervous.”
It wasn’t a question, but a statement. Candace had known her mom long enough to tell the difference.
“Is it that obvious?” Candace asked.
Her mom nodded slowly, as though she didn’t have enough caffeine running through her system to function fully yet.
“It’s going to be okay though, right?” Candace asked.
“I don’t know,” her mom said.
Candace stared at her for a minute. “What do you mean?”
“I can’t promise you everything is going to be okay. I don’t know that it will.”
“What happened to the standard ‘everything will be okay’?” Candace asked.
Her mom shrugged. “You’re practically an adult. You’ll be eighteen in a couple of months. I think you’re old enough for the truth.”
Candace slumped. “I like the platitudes better,” she grumbled.
“Don’t we all,” her mom said, draining the last of her coffee. “Ready to go?”
“No.”
A few minutes later her mom dropped her at the corner by her school. As Candace trudged through the parking lot, she noticed Tamara’s car. That was weird. She had assumed Tam would be missing homeroom for whatever it was she had to do.
“Way to go, Candace,” a guy said, walking toward his car. He gave her double thumbs-up, and she smiled.
“Thank you,” she said, not sure what he was praising her for.
A couple of freshmen giggled and waved to her. Candace waved back. “What is happening?” she said under her breath.
A moment later she spotted the first banner. At first glance it looked like any of the billboards around town advertising Scare. Looking closer, though, she saw what the difference was. There was a picture of her in her Scare costume.
She stumbled and nearly fell. As she stared in horror, the words underneath the photo came into focus. Come see senior Candace Thompson at her night job. Come tonight with Valley Church youth group and get in free! There was also a contact number to call for details.
“Tamara!” Candace hissed.
As though on cue, her friend appeared. “Surprise!” Tamara said, a huge grin on her face.
“How could you do this to me?” Candace asked.
“You pretty much did it to yourself,” Tamara said. “I figured I’d just make sure you have a good opening-night crowd.”
“But, but I don’t want people I know to be there! First church and now school! I won’t be able to show my face anywhere by the time you’re through!”
“That’s what friends are for,” Tamara said.
“You keep saying that, but I don’t think this is what friends are for,” Candace said, gesturing toward the sign. A passing junior mistook the gesture and gave her a high five as he walked by.
“Look at that, you’re famous. Now I’m the one in your shadow,” Tamara laughed, clearly enjoying herself.
Candace wasn’t going to be able to make Tamara see just how embarrassing the whole thing was. She stared at her friend in bewilderment. She knew that Tamara thought she was doing a good thing.
Let it go Candace. This can only end in tears, probably your own. She closed her eyes. God, please help me to get through this without completely humiliating myself, she prayed.
She heard a series of wolf whistles followed by a guy saying, “Way to go, Candace!”
So much for complete humiliation. She opened her eyes and squared her shoulders. “Let’s get this day over with,” she said.
By the time Candace made it to drama, she was exhausted. She had kept a fake smile plastered on all day and had answered dozens of questions, many from people she didn’t even know. When the drama class gave her a standing ovation as she entered, she figured it was the crowning moment of the school day and did the only thing she could. She took a bow.
“I didn’t think people got applause until after they performed,” she joked.
“Depends on the circumstances,” Mr. Bailey said.
Candace took her seat and was grateful that after the initial outburst, the class became less about her and more about improvisation. Better yet, when her turn came, she got to act out the role of an old man, which was as far from a cotton candy vendor as she could get.
The moment school let out, she called Kurt and told him what Tamara had done. Kurt just started laughing.
“It’s not funny!” Candace protested.
“Sure it is. Besides, that’s awesome. Just imagine, everyone you know will come see you.”
She rolled her eyes in frustration as she realized she had chosen the wrong person to vent to. Kurt spent his days as a costumed character. He enjoyed showing off.
“This is completely humiliating,” she said.
“Get over it. You’ll be fine. And just imagine how cool this will make Scare for everyone who knows you. You should be happy that you’re not wearing a mask. This way everyone will know who you are.”
“Great,” Candace said.
“It’s going to be an awesome Scare. All the mazes look awesome.”
“I haven’t had a chance to look at them all,” Candace admitted.
“You totally should. You’re lucky, though, you’re working in the coolest one. Candy Craze is going to draw the biggest crowds this year. Lines will probably be at least an hour long.”
Maybe most of the people she knew would give up and head for the mazes with shorter lines. She could hope at least.
“Which is your favorite?” she asked Kurt.
“Well, obviously I have a soft spot for Candy Craze.”
“I would hope so.”
“But my favorite has got to be Tombstone in the Old West part of the History Zone. It’s killer.”
“Very funny.”
“As far as the rides go, I think the River Styx overlay of the Odyssey boat ride is way cool.”
Candace wondered if she would even have a chance to check out the rides, or if she would be way too busy with her Scare duties. “So, when can I see you?” she asked. She winced as she said it. It sounded lame and needy, even to her.
“You might see me tonight. It depends on if our breaks match up,” he said.
“That’s not what I meant. I meant see you, as in date.”
“Oh. Well, obviously the weekend’s pretty booked. I’ve got classes Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday evenings at the community college. I could maybe do an early dinner on Tuesday though. Say four thirty?”
“Sounds good,” Candace said.
“Well, gotta run. Bye.”
“Bye.”
No sooner had she hung up than her phone rang. She looked at the caller ID and saw that it was Josh.
“Hey there,” she said, answering the phone.
“Hey there yourself,” Josh said. “How are you?”
“Completely humiliated,” she said.
“Why, what happened?”
“Tamara plastered banners all around school inviting people out to Scare tonight. They featured a picture of me in costume.”
“Ouch! Sorry. If I’d known why she wanted a picture of you in costume, I wouldn’t have given it to her.”
“So, you’re the culprit!”
“Guilty. Forgive me?”
“You’re forgiven. Sounds like you were a victim of her evil scheme too.”
Josh laughed. “At least Tamara’s being supportive. It could be a whole lot worse.”
It could indeed. Over the summer Candace and Tamara had nearly lost their friendship when Tamara hadn’t supported Candace in her need to get a summer job. She shuddered, not wanting to think what coming back to school would have been like if they hadn’t worked out their problems.
“So, what’s up?” she asked Josh, deciding to change the subject.
“I didn’t know if you’d heard, but you’ll want to get there half an hour early tonight for some group photos and gen
eral pep talks. Plus, it’s nearly impossible to get a dressing room first night because everybody takes so long to fuss with their costumes.”
“Thanks. I’ll make sure and get there early.” The butterflies she had been battling all day came back with a vengeance. “So, just how crazy is this going to be?”
Josh laughed. “It’ll be a madhouse, and opening weekend usually has only half the number of players as the following weekends.”
“Not this year, if Tamara has anything to say about it,” Candace sighed.
“I know it’s embarrassing, but it is really cool of her to pay for admission for all those people. I bet some of them have never gotten to attend something like Scare. It’s fun, but it isn’t cheap.”
Candace thought about Jen from youth group who had looked so worried when she was asking how much Scare would cost. Josh was right. There were a lot of people at her church with money but just as many didn’t have much of anything. Tamara was providing a special thing for a lot of people.
“Thanks, Josh.”
“For what?”
“Helping me get some perspective.”
“No problem. Catch you tonight, Candy.”
She smiled at the nickname as she hung up.
Sitting on the bench out by the school parking lot, she bowed her head and prayed. God, help me to do my best tonight, and help everyone who comes to have a good time and to be able to truly enjoy the evening and the companionship. Amen.
She opened her eyes just as Tamara showed up in the parking lot. Tamara rushed over as Candace stood up. Tamara grabbed her arm and held it high above both their heads. “A celebrity is riding in my car!” Tamara shouted.
Candace groaned as heads turned.
Tamara gave a shout, and finally Candace joined her.
“This is awesome!” Tamara said at last.
Candace laughed. Maybe she had been taking the whole thing way too seriously. The point of Scare was to be crazy and to have fun. As they walked to Tamara’s car, Candace joined her in shouting to everyone she could see, “Make sure you come to Scare!”
People waved, gave a thumbs-up and shouted encouragingly. Candace began to laugh in earnest. This had to be what being popular felt like.
7
As Candace arrived at The Zone, she desperately tried to hold on to her earlier enthusiasm and not get overwhelmed by the jitters. When she reached the costume department, the excitement in the air was double what it had been for dress rehearsal.
She saw Becca exit one of the dressing rooms in full pirate gear, and Candace feared she might be high on sugar. Becca was hopping slightly as she walked. Becca was allergic to sugar. It made her more than a little crazy, and uncontrollable hopping was definitely one of the symptoms.
“Hey, Candace!” Becca said, rushing over to her.
“You haven’t been eating sugar, have you?” Candace asked.
“No. Do you have some?”
“No. Sorry.”
“That’s okay,” Becca said, looking disappointed.
“So, the Muffin Mansion people are all going to be pirates?” Candace asked.
“Yup. It’s going to be awesome. Although we’re more privateers than pirates.”
“What’s the difference?” Candace asked.
“Pirates work for themselves. Privateers work for a king.”
“But all the pillaging and plundering?” Candace asked.
“Oh, just as much as pirates, but there’s a legal loophole for it all,” Becca said smirking.
“Cool.”
“Totally,” Becca said with another little hop. “See you later.”
Candace removed her costume from the rack and got in line for one of the dressing rooms.
“Well, well, if it isn’t the newbie,” she heard someone say.
She glanced to her left and saw Brandon and Will staring at her. They were both dressed in tattered costumes and had grotesque fake scars on their faces. Both of them wore black knee pads over their pants.
“What do you want?” she asked.
“Just a little Candy,” Brandon said, leering at her.
“Grow up,” she snapped.
They both laughed sadistically at that. “Grow up, grow up,” Will mocked.
“I don’t know, Will, are we ready to grow up?” Brandon asked.
“I’m not sure. Let me think. Nope!”
Will touched her shoulder, and Candace jerked away. “Get away from me!” she snapped.
Then she felt something touching the skin just below her throat. “What on earth?” she asked, moving her hand there.
She screamed when she touched something furry and moving. “Get it off me!” she shrieked.
“What’s the matter, scared of a little mouse?” Brandon said.
The girl in front of Candace turned around and grabbed the mouse that was trying to get under Candace’s hair. The girl held the mouse out to Will. “Keep your little friend to yourself or I’ll squash him,” she threatened.
Will snatched the mouse back. “There, there, she didn’t mean it,” he cooed to the thing.
Will and Brandon retreated, and Candace thanked the girl in front of her.
“Don’t let those guys get to you,” she said.
“I’ll try. At least they’re not working in my maze. I thought they were working in a history maze, but it doesn’t look like it from their costumes.”
“They’re in one of the Scare zones that guests walk through between attractions. They run through the dark, slide on their knees, and try to scare people.”
Candace shuddered. “That shouldn’t be too hard for them.”
A few minutes later Candace was dressed, and she headed for her maze. She still had half an hour to kill so she walked around admiring some of the other decorations and themes. Finally she headed back to her own maze and met up with the psychos mingling outside.
“This is the big night,” someone who she thought was Ray said to her.
“Yeah. Have you worked one of these before?”
“This is my fourth year. Gets wilder each time. I’ve never been in the featured maze before though. We’ll all have to work extra hard to live up to the reputation this maze already has.”
“How can this maze already have a reputation when no one has gone through it?” Candace asked.
“You’d be surprised.”
A supervisor showed up. “Places everyone!”
Candace was one of the last to walk into the maze. When she reached her alcove, Reggie was already there.
“I’ve got a lot of friends showing up tonight,” Candace told Reggie.
“Does that make you nervous or excited?”
“Terrified.”
“Join the club. That’s one of the reasons I wanted to work as one of the psychos in this maze. Anonymity. My friends know I’m in here, they just don’t know where.”
“I’ll have to remember that for next time,” Candace said. If there is a next time.
The fog and music suddenly kicked on, and Candace jumped. A minute later a supervisor came walking through. “Ten minutes to show,” he told everyone.
Candace’s heart started pounding in earnest. For a moment she was terrified that she was going to pass out. That would probably be the worst thing she could do. Way more humiliating than running and screaming. Suddenly, fainting topped her list of anxieties about the evening.
“You’ll be great,” Reggie said encouragingly.
“Thanks. I’m sure you will be too.”
And then there was movement at the entrance. There was no time to think. Candace jumped out and ran. The fog was a lot thicker than it had been at rehearsal, and she couldn’t see the black curtain. She panicked when she realized she had missed it and glanced over her shoulder. Reggie was nowhere to be seen.
Candace sprinted down the hall as fast as she could, startling an umpire. She was desperate to get around the next turn before the players saw her alone in the hallway. She made it and somehow found her way to the nex
t spot she was supposed to appear.
She saw the group coming and jumped out a second too late, ricocheting off the lead guy and spinning into the wall. She kept her feet under her, though, and kept running. When she reached the finale, she was relieved to discover that she didn’t recognize anyone in the group. She returned to the start, determined not to mess up again.
Tamara was in the tenth group to come through. With her were several of the girls from youth group and one of the girls from Drama. Candace screamed especially loud, and they screamed back, obviously having practiced to do just that.
The next hour was a nightmare. Every group that came through was made up of people from church or school or both. Fortunately Candace was able to do everything right.
The rest of the night passed in a blur. By the time it was over and Candace turned in her costume, she was shaking with fatigue from head to toe.
“You okay?” Kurt asked, looking concerned.
She nodded. “I survived,” she said, realizing that Tamara had been right to buy her the Candy Craze T-shirt.
“I heard you did more than that,” he said. “I heard you rocked.”
“I hope so.”
“Get some rest. I’ll see you tomorrow night.”
“Okay,” she said.
She made it to her car and called Tamara. She wanted someone to talk to while she was driving so she wouldn’t fall asleep.
“Well?” she asked when Tamara picked up.
“Amazing!”
“Yeah?”
“Seriously, you were totally awesome!” Tamara shrieked.
“Thanks,” Candace said, praying she could drive home in safety.
“Everyone can’t stop talking about it. A bunch of us are still at the church if you want to come hang out.”
“I’d love to, but I can barely keep my eyes open,” Candace admitted.
Tamara instantly sounded sympathetic. “I believe it. I have no idea how you could keep that up all night.”
The funny part was that Tamara and all the other players probably had done as much running and screaming as Candace had. At the end of the day, though, she guessed that the big difference between attending Scare and working it was that the excitement of being a player gives you energy for hours, while the ref just gets sweaty and stressed.
The Fall of Candy Corn Page 6