Brittany stared out the bus window as it headed toward Morris County.
The landscape blurred past.
But her memories were far too clear.
The alley.
Gabriel and his group.
The balloon.
The gunshot.
The clown.
He still appeared in her dreams.
Sometimes as a savior.
Sometimes as something worse.
---
When she arrived home, she opened the door slowly.
Her mother was in the living room, watching a movie.
The warm glow of the television lit up the space.
Safety.
Normalcy.
Brittany let her shoulders drop.
She smiled.
—Hi, Mom.
Her mother turned and smiled back.
—How was the trip? How's your father?
—It went well… and Dad is fine.
Her mother nodded, relieved.
—I'll make lunch. Go take a shower.
Brittany smiled.
Here, she was safe.
---
The Next Day – School
The cafeteria buzzed with noise and laughter.
The cheerleaders occupied their usual table.
Vivian was among them.
Perfect.
Calm.
As if nothing in the world had happened.
Brittany walked toward her.
—Vivian… can we talk in private?
Vivian noticed the tension in her voice.
She stood up without saying anything.
---
Outside the Cafeteria
—What's going on? —Vivian asked.
Brittany hesitated.
She took a deep breath.
—You… did you have anything to do with a clown?
Vivian tensed.
Her fingers curled slightly.
—Why are you asking?
—Because I was in the capital, in Trento… and I got into trouble. A clown showed up. He said he was the "killer clown" they've been talking about on the news.
The silence grew heavy.
Vivian remembered.
The cult.
The skinless man.
The skinless woman.
The blood.
The clown facing them without fear.
She still had nightmares.
She stepped closer to Brittany and grabbed her by the shoulders.
—Tell me exactly what happened.
And Brittany told her everything.
The gang members.
The balloon that appeared out of nowhere.
The clown stepping out of it.
The popsicle he offered her as if it were nothing.
The gunshot.
The way he wasn't harmed.
The way he left the men incapacitated.
Vivian listened to every detail.
She didn't understand why the same clown who saved her from the cult was now in Trento.
But she knew one thing.
He never appears without a reason.
There's always something behind it.
Though the truth was much simpler.
Ryan was just bored.
And walking around for money.
But they didn't know that.
---
—Did you hear about the paint explosion at a club? —Brittany asked.
Vivian nodded.
—Yes.
—I think it was him.
—I think so too.
They both fell silent.
—FBI agents came to my house —Vivian finally said—. They wanted me to tell them everything that happened with the clown.
Brittany's eyes widened.
—FBI?
Vivian nodded.
—They're officially investigating him.
Brittany swallowed.
She remembered Loren.
The look he gave her in front of her father's apartment.
The promise in his eyes.
Dark.
—Vivian… I had trouble with a gang.
Vivian looked at her carefully.
—Gabriel's?
Brittany nodded, confused.
—Yes… what does that have to do with anything?
—I think you're in danger.
The words landed heavily.
Brittany remembered everything.
Gabriel's brother.
Loren.
The visit to the apartment.
Her father in the city.
She had heard rumors.
That gang was dangerous.
Very dangerous.
She began to tremble.
Vivian noticed.
She took Brittany's hands.
—Calm down. Those guys can't do anything to you.
—How do you know?
—Because the FBI already knows you had run-ins with them. If something happens to you… they'll be the first suspects.
That calmed her a little.
It made sense.
The authorities were involved.
They weren't alone.
Brittany looked at Vivian for a few seconds.
As if hesitating.
Vivian understood.
—Ask.
Brittany took a deep breath.
—Vivian… do you believe in the supernatural? In magic?
Vivian fell silent.
Before, no.
Never.
But after what she had seen…
After facing something that shouldn't exist…
After a clown appeared out of nowhere and destroyed human monsters…
She looked Brittany straight in the eyes.
—I'm starting to believe.
And for the first time…
They both felt that the world was much bigger.
And much more dangerous.