#oc mitchie

You can just barely see the pink line across her nose on the old face up. It wasn't originally part of her design, but the sealant left a bump there so I drew over it. Now it's become a focal point of her face.

She bit her tongue to stop herself from groaning in frustration. Twenty minutes she had been standing there, crossing and uncrossing her arms, tapping her steel-toed boot against the cobbled path, and yet, nothing. The child in front of her did not react. She doubted he even knew she was there. His eyes were practically glued to to the game in front of him, darting this way and that to keep track of the little ghost cut outs he had to shoot to prevent from flying into a plywood box painted to look like the haunted house ride. He had restarted the game six times. Just give up already.

Shooting games weren't exactly her favorite, she preferred sliders or crane games, but she didn't exactly have a choice here.

When she had first arrived at the (seemingly) aptly named Fun Park, had first walked through those gilded gates, she had been taken in by the bright colors and enticing games. The workers were all dressed in cartoonishly absurd costumes that made a certain mouse overlord's cast members look plain. Each area of the park was themed, and boy did they commit. Oceans and ferrys in the pirate section, green and blue aliens poking out of the ground in the space section, a full fog-entrenched graveyard in the spooky section. Actors lurked in every corner, giving each area its own story, if one only took the time to listen.

It was a dream come true for her. She had always loved amusement parks. Some of her best and earliest memories were of family trips to any and every park her parents could find. So when she hearrd of Fun Park, she knew it would be a perfect last hurrah before her senior year started in a few weeks. Her parents, swamped with work, had given it some thought and decided they trusted her enough to go on her own.

Well, admittedly, they did think she was going with some friends from school, and she had asked said friends, but not a single one was free. They had all made their own plans with their families before school started. She hadn't minded too much. They rarely hung out together outside of school anyway.

Her first few hours in the park were amazing. She had played so many games and won so many prizes that she had had to buy a backpack from one of the shops to carry them all. Usually she was lucky to bring home just one cheaply-made plush. Now she had at least a dozen!

But despite the amazment being thrown at her from every angle, it wasn't enough to keep her from noticing how... off things were, like she had scratched away the shiny veneer only to reveal the rot beneath. It started when she noticed that every single other visitor was almost unnaturally happy. Their eyes were just a bit too bright. Their smiles were just a bit too wide, showing just a few too many teeth. Every one of them she spoke to wasted no time in lavishing her with their delight at the park, pointing out their favorite game or ride or character actor or prize. Even when she didn't ask.

Surely at least one of the thousands of visitors would be having a bad time. She may love theme parks, but even she had had bad visits. A least one roudy toddler should be sobbing and screaming because of the heat, or because the lines were too slow, or because they didn't want to leave. And yet, there was not a single frown on any person in the park. Maybe she was just lucky and had managed to avoid all of the tantrum-throwing children. Maybe, but it was enough to make her start looking closer.

Piercing gazes looked back at her from the faces of the non-character workers, the ones in identical uniforms who managed things away from the attention grabbing displays. Sharp eyes set in blank faces, like masks of who they used to be before they put on those garish uniforms. Those eyes practically burned into her when she dared step off the well-worn paths. Understandable, they obviously wouldn't want visitors to wander into employee only areas, but it wasn't warning in their eyes that made her skin crawl. No, they didn't look chastising. They looked hungry.

Surely the strangeness was just a bit, right? Something to spook any unsuspecting visitors who didn't realize that the family-friendly horror area wasn't the only place to find scares? She must have just been overthinking things because this was her first time along in such a busy and unfamiliar place.

But that was when she realized something. Something awful, something that should have been the first thing she noticed when things started feeling off.

There was not a single parent in the park.

Every single adult she had seen was under the employ of the park. She was probably the oldest non-worker in the entire place. Children as young as five were just wandering around unaccompanied. When she tried asking one of the smaller ones where their parents were, she was brushed off in favor of skeeball. Asking one of the adult workers just resulted in a ream of ticket being pressed into her hands and being told to go have fun, wasn't that why she was here?

And yet, it wasn't even the complete lack of adults or the blank faced workers of the mindless joy that was the worst of it. Oh no. She would have been glad if it had just been those things. No, the worst realization came when she tried to leave. Things had gotten too strange for her to want to stay a moment longer. But when she made her way back to the front gate, she was greeted by a smooth wall where the exit should have been. She was trapped, like a bird in a fancy cage.

This led her down a dangerous and strange path that revealed other kids who had realized the same horrible truth and were twisted into caricature-style actors, actual ghosts wandering around the truly haunted maze, and an entire other section of the park that had once existed before being shut down and all the employees trapped inside. The once-owner of the park, now trapped with his old workers, explained that he would be able to let everyone escape the park as a whole and break whatever curse was soaked into the grounds once he was put back in charge of the entire park. To do that, though, the closed section needed to be reopened. And to reopen it, the rides and games had to be repaired.

So now here she was, being forced to wait in line for a spooky shooter. One of the broken games was an old popgun arcade where the player had to gun down moving aluminum cut outs of little woodland creatures. The only thing still missing from the game was the actual popguns. It should have been an easy fix, especially when one of the trapped workers was the one to take and hide the guns. Unfortunately, he didn't trust anyone with popguns, acting as if they were real firearms, and wouldn't tell her what he had done with them until she had played every shooter in the park to prove she could be responsible. It was stupid and a waste of her time. It was also the only way she was going to get those guns.

She shifted her weight from one leg to the other. Wouldn't this kid just give up already? She had places to be, people to help, trapped souls to save. That was so much more important than this kid's failed run at one of the worst games in the entire park.

She was this close to just snapping and demanding the kid to hurry up and lost already when another kid in line behind her cheered loudly right in her ear.

"Hey!" she barked, whipping around to glare him down.

The little brat didn't even have the capacity to show shame, his face still pulled into the too-bright smile every other child had as he said "Sorry!"

Don't yell at the brainwashed twelve year old. It wasn't his fault. Whatever was controlling the park was the problem, not the kids. She was just frustrated, that was all. Her parents had always been on her case over her temper. She hated to admit they may have been onto something.

She took a second, then asked "What were you shouting about anyway?" It could be important. An offhanded comment from other kids had been what initially tipped her off that things were weird. The kid might have something.

The kid's plastic grin pulled just that much tighter. "The Rival just set a new record in Skull Sliders! Isn't he just the coolest?"

"The Rival?" she echoed. The name was unfamiliar to her. Who was he rivalling? The park owner? The other brainwashed kids?

"You haven't heard of the Rival?" he asked with a dramatic gasp. "He's only the King of the whole park! He has the high score in every game everywhere!"

Not every game, she thought sourly, recalling how just before coming here she had signed her name onto the leaderboard for the shoot-all-the-aliens game in the space area. If this Rival had been on the board, she hadn't noticed. King of the park, indeed.

Actually, why was this Rival guy a king? He had better not be some sort of final boss of this stupid park. If she had to fight a hidden puppetmaster above even the owner, she was going to lose her shit.

Before she could start grilling him for any more information on this so-called Rival, the game blared out with the ghostly wailing of a game over. Finally.

She practically shoved the kid out of the way as soon as he collected his half-dozen-ticket prize. Four coins dropped into the slot later, she was firing at little plywood ghosts to protect the painted house.

If she made sure to keep her ghost-killing streak going until she beat the previous high score, well, that was her business.

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Nine games played and nine new records set (so maybe she went back and played some of them again to get the high score, and maybe she kept playing the rest until she beat the previous record holders, not that it mattered), she had proof that she had played all of the shooting games and finally got the location of those stupid popguns. By the time she dragged the toy weapons back to the game, she was tired dirty, and utterly done with everything to do with reparing the park. She just wanted a break, damn it. But no, she wasn't allowed to take a break. She had more games to fix to reopen the old park.

She had half a mind to take the popguns back and see if they really did act like actual firearms. Maybe the way out was through shooting the owner. She didn't though, obviously, but she really, really wanted to. Who knew, maybe this whole thing would end with the owner dead, ensnared by whatever horrible magic kept this place locked tight. It was something to look forward to as she kept working.

After fixing up the popgun game, she was sent off to work on another. Oh joy. More sneaking past the hungry-eyed workers, more running seemingly meaningless errands, more games and prizes and rage-fueled records. It was a whirling blur of danger and boredom and spite, made worse by the unchanging skies above, because of course why would the cursed amusement park be beholden to the earthly day-night cycle? Don't be silly.

At some point in her quest, she found herself playing a shark fishing game in the pirate area. No reason for it. No one was demanding a stuffed shark or novelty eye patch or anything, no one wanted her to set a new record, no one was even asking her to prove she had played the game. She had just been walking past, heard the jaunty music, and somehow found herself standing with a fishing pole in her hands. The sun's non-movement really did a number on her perception of time, didn't it? Well, she may as well finish what she had started. Surely someone would demand something from this game from her eventually.

Just before she could catch the final shark swimming around in the shallow pond, her cellphone rang from her pocket. She jumped, and the shark managed to evade the hook. A curse slipped between her teeth. Stupid ringer ruined her perfect run.

The timer buzzed to end the game as she reached for her phone. The only numbers that worked within the park were others who were trapped inside. There were a few people who had her number, only a handful of other teens she had managed to free from the owner's grasp but who maintained their cover as mindless actors in order to spy for her.

She glanced at the name on the screen. It was Henry. He had been under the owner's command as the one who greeted new guests to the park before she had managed to shake him from the control. He was the first one she had freed, and the one who risked the most if he was caught. If he was calling, something must have gone horribly wrong.

"Mitchie! Where are you? Are you okay?" Henry's voice was frantic.

She frowned. "Yeah? I'm fine. I just finished a round of shark fishing. Are you okay? What happened?"

"You were supposed to meet up with Debbie over an hour ago, that's what happened! She's been crazy with worry!"

Oh. She pulled back and looked at the time. Yikes, more time had passed than she thought. It hadn't felt like it. She could have sworn she had only just started playing.

"Sorry," she said. "I lost track of time."

Henry let out a deep sigh. "It's fine. Just don't do it again, you hear? We thought the park helpers got you for sure!"

A shudder ran down her spine at the mention of the hungry-eyed workers. Henry had told her horror stories of others he had seen in her place, others who had realized something was wrong with the park and had tried to do something about it. They had been forcibly taken and twisted into the owner's 'helpers,' guard dogs that hunted down anyone who dared try and stop him. If they knew what she was up to, if they caught her sneaking into places she didn't belong, there was every chance she would be forced into their ranks.

"No, I'm still me," she assured him. "I'll head over now."

Henry's voice took on a tinny sort of worry. "Just don't drop off again without warning, okay?"

She rolled her eyes. "Yes, dad. I'll make sure to keep an eye on the time from now on."

"You better. I gotta go; Helper Helen's coming over."

"Be safe."

"You too."

She ended the call and slid her phone back into her pocket. She still couldn't believe how much time she had lost. A whole hour, gone. It made her think back over her entire time in the park. She couldn't say if she had lost any more time than that. She wouldn't even have known this time if she hadn't worried Debbie.

Another ticket found its way into her grasp and she was halfway to sliding it into the machine before she caught herself. What was she doing? She had to leave, not play again! And yet, there was something in her that yearned to play, to get a perfect run.

She shook it off. She didn't have time for this. Time to see what Debbie had for her.

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Thankfully, no one called her out on her half run, half jog through the throngs of smiling children as she hurried to meet with her friend. Debbie was fully understanding, though made sure to wring a promise to keep a better eye on the clock out of her.

Unfortunately, Debbie didn't have much more to offer her than understanding. She tried not to blame her. There wasn't much to learn in this area anyway. Most of the owner's henchmen worked in the center of the park, not on the outskirts where Debbie was stuck. This meetup had really just been to make sure the both of them were still alright.

And yet, there was still that little itch in the back of her mind that demanded she just leave if Debbie wasn't going to be helpful. She forced herself to ignore it. Debbie was only thirteen; she shouldn't have to worry about how to free hundreds of other kids. Just being okay was enough.

At least meeting with Debbie got her closer to the secret entrance to the old park. With a tight hug and another promise to do better in the future, she slipped through the borders between sections and back to helping earn their freedom.

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She tipped her head back and groaned, not even bothering to hide it. It would be bad to shove the slow-as-all-get-out kid away from the game so she could play. It would draw unnecessary attention if she assaulted a park visitor. But if they would just hurry up! Come on, slider games weren't even timed! They could be done in two minutes, max. But no, they had to take their sweet itme and angle things just so and still only end up with a hundred points even though she regularly got near two thousand and-

"Hey, did you hear about the Rival?" a voice said from behind her. She looked back and stared down a kid wearing a novelty fish hat. He was pretty far from the pirate area; normally visitors who had area-specific apparel didn't travel far from where they won it. He must've gotten here just before that particular bit of programming set in.

"What about him?" She kept her body mostly turned toward the game. Just throw the damn slider already! "Did he do something? Is he here? You gotta give me some specifics."

He started bouncing so fast he was practically preparing for lift off. "I heard some other kids say he has every high score on all the games in the park! Can you believe it? That must be why he's called the King!"

"Seriously?" she said incredulously. "That's it? And it's not even true. I have the high score on at least a dozen games."

"Nuh uh! The Rival has all the high scores! He's the King of the Park!"

She rolled her eyes so hard she nearly made herself dizzy. Were all preteens so annoying? She didn't remember being such a contrary brat at ten.

Thankfully for him, the child in front of her finally finished their game with a whopping three hundred points, barely enough to earn a bottom tier prize. The instant they stepped to the side, she was already slotting in her tickets.

One play through for the stuffed bear someone wanted in exchange for a repair piece, and another to firmly cement her place as the record holder. The game spat out the top tier prize, but instead of hiding it away in her bag, she shoved it at the kid in line behind her.

"There's you damn high score."

She left before he could whine about the stupid Rival again.

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Rounding the corner, she grinned as she saw the ballon dart game was free from any lines. Someone wanted a prize again in exchange for their help, or some part she needed, or some other pointless reason. Probably. Surely. She wouldn't be here if they didn't. She had too much to do to waste time and tickets on darts of all things.

Just as she was about to load her tickets into the machine, a hand reached out and covered the slot. Her head snapped around, a snarl twisting her face. How dare-

Henry?

No, she realized as she took a second look at her saboteur. They had the same round face, same build - just a scant few inches on her, the jerks - and even the same silly pompadour hairstyle, but that was where the similarities ended. Whereas Henry had jet black hair, this kid's was light, almost auburn. While Henry stood at attention with a cheerful greeting to everyone who passed by, this kid jutted his chin up in arrogance and stood almost to invite a challenge. Where Henry had been forced into a saturated violet suit, this kid wore a slouchy tshirt and jeans with a blue winner's roset pinned to his chest.

"Who the hell are you?" she demanded. Henry lookalike or not, he didn't get to interrupt her.

A smarmy grin spread across his face. "The name's Rudy, though you've probably heard me called the Rival."

"You? You're the Rival?" This doppelganger was the so-called King? Seriously? He didn't look like much, though maybe that was just because he was a lazy reflection of her friend. She was used to the cartoonish doorman look the park had stuffed Henry into. This kid was a funhouse mirror, not a threat.

"In the flesh. I've heard rumors of someone trying to take my crown, so I figured I'd greet the new challenger before I beat them into the ground."

She arched a brow. "Well, you certainly think highly of yourself."

"I am King of the Park," he said, spreading his arms wide. He looked her up and down, snorting softly to himself before continuing "but if you think you're better, prove it. Beat my score."

Her eyes flicked back to the game they stood in front of. She was pretty good at darts and she had to play the game anyway. Might as well put this arrogant little sucker in his place. A feral sort of grin twisted her lips.

"Alright. Bet."

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So. Turned out he wasn't challenging her to darts. Instead, he wanted her to beat his score in basketball toss. One hundred and fifty points to win, and each sucessful basket could only earn her three points max. If it wouldn't have drawn too much unwanted attention, she would have slapped his arrogant smirk right off his face. Too bad she had to settle for just showing him up instead.

Somehow, through some miraculous stroke of luck and skill and a heaping helping of spite, she managed to beat his score by twenty whole points. Her arms burned and she was this close to leaving her backpack on the ground afterward instead of having to lift it up again, but she did it. She saunted back to where Rudy had said he would wait, most likely compelled by the park like all the other kids, and gleefully showed him proof of her sucess.

Instead of just accepting his defeat like a normal person, he met her with another challenge. Fifteen hundred points in one of the games in the space area. No problem, as long as it wasn't another physically challenging game like the last. She might actually hit him if it was another ball toss.

Each challenge he posed, she beat, never taking more than two attempts to utterly trounce his record. The more times she returned brandishing her victory, the angrier he became, to the point he was practically shaking with rage. She just laughed as he scrambled for another, harder challenge to throw at her. This was the Rival? The King? Please. She was so much better than him, and it showed.

On her way to her next challenge, two thousand points on a pirate shooter, her phone started buzzing in her pocket. She didn't even bother checking the id before turning it off. She didn't have time for that. She had a game to win and a score to shove in Rudy's stupid face. She couldn't wait to see how angry he got this time.

As she stalked through the crowds, she heard excited little voices taling about Rudy again. 'Oh, haven't you heard of the Rival?' 'Yeah, she's got the high scores in every game!' Ugh. Was that all the mindless hoards could talk about? The park needed fresh material.

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"Mitchie? Mitchie!"

A hand wrapped around her arm and yanked her back. She spun around, coming face to face with - Rudy? Wait, no, the hair was wrong, darker than Rudy's. His bright eyes were filled with worry, not contempt. Why was he calling her that? Why was he bothering her?

"Mitchie!" the boy said again, hand still firmly closed around her arm. "We've been worried sick about you! You haven't been picking up any of our calls, you've missed every single meeting we've tried to schedule. What's going on?"

She shook her head. Right, that was her. But who was this jerk? Didn't he see she was busy? She didn't have time for whatever this was.

She grabbed his wrist and shoved him back, making him stumble. A brief look of hurt flashed across his face as he righted himself. She turned on her heel and started walking away, off to her next challenge. This kid's hurt feelings weren't her problem.

"Hey, where are you going?" he demanded. "We're supposed to be working together to reopen the old park, remember? Come back! You know I can't leave here! You're the only one who can do this! Mitchie!"

She just kept walking. She had a game to win.

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Every challenge. Every game. Shooters and sliders and claw machines and darts and ball toss and fishing and skeeball and every sort of game an amusement park could possibly have. She won everything. Her name was emblazoned atop every single scoreboard in the park twice over. She did it, she put that smug little jerk in his place.

She dropped a stuffed prize in Rudy's hands as she came up to him for the final time, lips pulled into a broad, self-satisfied smile. His own face was a hard grimace. The poor plush was strangled in his fist.

"You did it." His voice was hollow. "You actually did it. You beat me."

"I beat you," she agreed.

He stared at her, long and hard, before breathing a deep sigh. the prize she forced on him was dropped to the ground and he removed the winner's ribbon from his shirt. With a heavy air, he reached forward and pinned it to her shoulder.

"Congradulations, Rachel. Looks like there's a new Rival."

Huh? Her name wasn't Rachel. Her name was... was... Something slotted into place deep in the back of her mind. Maybe it was Rachel. Yeah, of course. How silly of her to forget her own name. Rival Rachel. Now didn't that have a nice ring to it?

She didn't pay any mind as Rudy slunk away in silence. Her attention was already grabbed by the fishing game just a few  steps away. Her last score should be fairly easy to beat. A ream of tickets found their way into her hand and she stepped right up to the game.

Behind her, she heard some kids talking to each other, bright excitement in their voices as they crowed: