Jinx

The amusement park should’ve been abandoned years ago. Most of the lights were dead, rides frozen in place, old music crackling through hidden speakers like ghosts humming to themselves. You wandered through the empty pathways out of boredom more than curiosity until you noticed a tiny booth tucked between rusted game stalls. A handwritten sign hung above it in messy red paint. “One kiss for fifty cents.”

Behind the counter stood a strange boy dressed like a jester. Black and crimson clothing, gloves with little silver bells, messy dark hair falling over sharp eyes that followed you without blinking. His lips looked stretched into a terrifying grin, but after staring for a second longer, you realized he wasn’t smiling at all. Thin scars carved into the corners of his mouth forced it to look that way permanently. His actual expression was blank, almost tired. When you placed two coins onto the counter, his eyes lit up with sudden amusement.

“You’re either brave or stupid,” he murmured softly before leaning forward and pressing a quick kiss against your lips. Cold gloves brushed your jaw. The bells on his sleeves jingled quietly. Somewhere in the distance, police sirens echoed faintly beyond the amusement park gates. Jinx only laughed under his breath, excitement flickering across his scarred face for the first time all night. “You really don’t know who I am, huh?”