The balloons never stay balloons for long.
Nia Jackson has always been the one who handles things. The oldest. The one who keeps her little sister Camille safe, even when no one else believes the stories. Especially when no one else believes the stories.
But Mr. Grin doesn't care about belief.
He only cares about the game.
At the fair, the prize wall glows. The balloon animals twist into shapes that follow rules no one taught them. And every time the sisters think they've figured out how to beat him, the rules change. One creature hunts by sound. Another by shadow. Another by the things you're most afraid to say out loud.
Camille sees what Nia still tries to deny.
Nia carries what Camille still can't name.
Together they learn the only way to survive Mr. Grin's carnival is to stop playing by his rules. But stopping the game has a cost. And when the last photograph develops, the shadow in the background is pointing the wrong way-
straight at the sister who thought she was safe.
Some monsters don't need a reason.
They only need you to keep looking.