#Chapter 44: Rigged

Agnes Thea’s eyes lit up as the flashing lights and the speaker above the booth announced Elijah’s win. She rushed forward, reaching her little hands out. “Which prize would you like?” the vendor, a teenage boy with his hair hanging in his eyes, asked with a sigh. He looked like he wanted to be anywhere but here. “The shark, please!” Thea exclaimed with a grin. The vendor, however, didn’t seem to share in her enthusiasm. He grabbed a much smaller shark off of another shelf. “Here, kid,” he said, thrusting it toward Thea without even looking at her. “Next!” Thea’s excitement faltered instantly. She stared at the tiny, floppy shark in her hands, her lower lip trembling. “But… I wanted the big shark,” she said softly, her eyes darting back up to the grand prize. I stepped forward, frowning at the vendor. “Elijah won the game fair and square. The shark is the grand prize for hitting all the targets, isn’t it?” The boy shrugged and leaned lazily aga