“The crowd turnout here is great,” I whispered in a near-shriek to Kylin. He stood beside me beaming with joy.

He glowed with a burst of youthful enthusiasm and squeezed my arm gently. I gave him a tug back as electrical excitement rallied through my veins with enormous delight.

I scanned the area around us with curiosity and excitement as my heart drummed in my chest. Our plan was finally coming into place. Earth, Dolaria, and Mixis, all represented as one united nation to play the most profoundly epic prank on the most deserving of all intergalactic creatures . . . Chad Wallace. The time for payback was finally upon us.

I glanced down at Katie, who was currently gathering the holocam device parts together and piecing them to the camera, ready to record the glorious action, front and center. She seemed more confident today on reckoning day than she had in the days and hours previously. As long as she was still planning on staying on our side, the right side, that was all that mattered to me.

“Can you believe this is really happening?” I beamed at Kylin, who returned my gaze with an eruption of joyful spirit. I couldn’t contain my exuberance.

“We will finally be able to get him back for what he did to us.” Kylin’s face was stone cold, without a hint or flicker of remorse.

“Serves him right.” I smirked smugly. All the years of suffering with him were finally coming down to this one brilliant prank.

“I have a feeling that after today, Chad Wallace will have learned his lesson.” Kylin crossed his arms with satisfaction and approval for his own failsafe plan which I had proudly assisted in ironing out the solid details.

There were probably at least two hundred Mixian and Dolarian spectators, along with Katie and me being the only Earthlings who were present and in on the prank. It was still a sign of unity in my opinion.

We were standing by the edge of the sea, the warm sea, might I add, where we would soon execute the prank that involved agreeable and cooperative Honkfish who would do their part in unfolding the joke.

“When are they bringing him out?” I asked of Kylin, metaphorically sitting on pins and needles. I didn’t know how much longer I could wait for justice.

“My royal police have worked hand in hand with the Crown Prince of Dolaria’s own royal brigade. On Prince Jerren’s whistle, Chad will appear from the dungeons and they will drag him to the edge of the water.”

I clapped my hands together with delight. “This is so exciting!”

I bounced up and down in my seat where I had a front-row view of the action. Our goal wasn’t to actually inflict real harm on Chad other than maybe a touch of psychological misfortune and discomfort. We weren’t savages. We knew how to get the message through to Chad without killing him.

He wouldn’t have to live with any lifelong physical wounds from the prank, and that was all that mattered. He would never bother me or Kylin again after today. We would make certain of that.

The crowd silenced, and I glanced down to the makeshift outdoor arena created by the Dolarians to see what was happening. My pulse swooshed in my ears as raw anticipation consumed me.

I noticed the adorable Prince Jerren waddle out with his cute furry body, adorned once again by beautiful jewels, necklaces and all his finest attire. He looked proud and stellar sitting in his place.

“He looks ridiculous.” Kylin laughed and pointed at his fellow crown prince. Men couldn’t resist the temptation to be competitive.

“Stop it,” I whispered and playfully slapped him. “You can’t poke fun of him. He’s helping us, remember?”

“I know.” Kylin rolled his eyes as if he knew he had to agree with me, deep down.

“Don’t worry. You are normal.” I grinned at him.

“Normal?” He laughed and glanced at me.

“Yeah, all men on Earth are like that too, always trying to outdo one another with competition.”

“Hmm.” Kylin pondered reflectively as if the idea hadn’t occurred to him before.

“Girls are like that also,” I added so that he wouldn’t feel offended. In some ways, girls could be even worse.

“Good to know.” He leaned in and planted a tender kiss on my forehead as he playfully smirked at me.

“It looks like Prince Jerren is getting ready to speak to the crowd.” I pointed down to where he stood proudly in the center of the arena, joyfully beaming at his people.

“Good evening, ladies and gentlemen.” He addressed the masses with a squeaky, high-pitched voice.

“Good evening.” Everyone nodded and greeted their beloved Crown Prince. Well . . . everyone who was a Dolarian.

“As you know, tonight, we will be participating in a prank against Chad Wallace, the dreadful Earthling who has inflicted reputational harm to the Crown Prince of Mixis, Prince Kylin!”

Prince Jerren held up his furry webbed hands, and the crowd went wild, cheering and clapping to their hearts’ content. They really respected their whimsical leader.

After a few moments of relishing in the positive attention, Prince Jerren held up his hands again in a motion for the crowd to die down with their hollering. I could really tell that he was basking and relishing in the adoration shown to him.

“At my whistle, the royal brigade will bring out the kicking and screaming Chad Wallace, who will think he’s on a firing squad for execution.”

Prince Jerren jeered wickedly, clapping his hands together while the crowd erupted with laughter. He couldn’t resist being part of this elaborate prank.

“You know these fools love a good joke.” Kylin gestured around the arena.

I had to laugh. “They do have a really playful sense of humor. They probably live for this stuff,” I agreed with him. It was a day that would go down in history.

“All right,” Prince Jerren said into his microphone. “Now is the time to put your game faces on.”

Amazingly, the crowd silenced at once. “When we bring Chad Wallace, human male, out from the dungeons, we will wear somber expressions and trick him into believing we are throwing him over the edge of the sea wall, when in reality, he will be in a small tank with the Honkfish where the water remains at a warm ninety-two degrees.”  

Everyone murmured their understanding, and for a few seconds, Prince Jerren stood there, staring blankly off into space. I wondered what was going through that furry head of his.

“What’s he doing?” I whispered to Kylin in confusion.

Kylin shrugged. “He’s probably collecting himself into character.”

I glanced down at Katie, who made eye contact with us. I gave her a slight wave and she responded with a grin and a thumbs-up. I wanted her to see my approval at the last minute.

“It’s so awesome to see Katie finally coming to her senses,” I told Kylin.

“Yes, she was a stupid girl who is easily trained,” Kylin joked.

“It took her a while,” I argued, “but at least she knows which side is the one to pull for now.” She was one of the types who could definitely be considered easily manipulated.

“I’ll agree with that.” Kylin squeezed my hand. It was go time, now or never.

“At my call, the lights will go out,” Prince Jerren squeaked, then yelled with all his might, “Lights!”

The lights went out, and the arena was blanketed in darkness. The area was so hushed and silent you could hear the sound of your breath as it escaped your mouth.

You could have heard a pin drop. It was eerily silent and still. The hair on the back of my neck prickled, and for a moment or two before Chad was slated to emerge, I almost believed that this could have been a real execution. Chad was going to be terrified and scared straight.

I heard the whistle from Jerren and immediately looked to the soft yellow glow of the lights emitting from inside the palace walls right beside us. There was a creepy aura swirling around us all.

With a boom, the doors slammed shut behind them and I watched as Mixian and Dolarian royal guards dragged a kicking and screaming Chad to the middle of the arena.

He was dirty, covered in grime, and his hair was greasy and wet. His clothes were torn and ripped in some places, but otherwise, he appeared intact and unhurt. He might have looked slightly thinner than normal.

“Let me go!” His shouts echoed through the arena. His cries bellowed and lashed at everyone.

When the guards reached the place were Prince Jerren stood in center, he nodded his cue to Kylin and me. I put my brave face on. It was time to bring my brother to justice.

It was our turn to play our roles in the prank. We gave him subtle nods in understanding, but Chad would never have noticed. He was full of despair and hysterics.

He continued to swiftly jerk his body around and perform an array of wild thrashing movements. He was fighting his release. I had to give him that much. His survival instinct must have been running like wildfire inside him.

“Let me go!” he wailed, trying to bite and spit at the guards who remained stoic statues, grimacing as they tried to keep a tight grip over the aggressive Chad. They didn’t waver or flinch, which I found remarkable.

Kylin and I moved to stand next to Prince Jerren. I folded my hands together and glanced at the ground, pretending to be both distraught and emotionally distant. I had a role to keep up and a poker face to play if I wanted this to work.

I glanced at Katie, who stood in the shadows, seeking to remain undetected so that Chad wouldn’t be able to see her filming the entire charade as it unfolded. Otherwise, he’d be on to us.

I was just happy to see her holding up her end of the bargain, which was to capture the whole event on camera. I knew it must have been hard for her. Surely, she’d be torn and conflicted, but she was strong. This was her chance to prove her worth.

This footage would be gold. It would be go well beyond getting Chad back for his prankster years of sociopathic behavior directed not only at me, but to so many other innocent victims as well.

As I stared at Chad, kicking and screaming and begging desperately to be freed, I couldn’t help but feel the sweet relief of closure. He was a slimeball, whether he was my brother or not.

Finally, he was going to get served what he deserved in the end. Karma was a bitch, and it was coming back to haunt Chad today. I just hoped our hard work and efforts paid off and that he would finally learn his lesson.

For all the years he’d hurt me as I tried to raise him after our parents died, I was finally getting the vindication of the stress and grief I had to endure with him and his rebellion. It was a long time coming, and the result was bittersweet . . . but mostly sweet.

“Mr. Chad Wallace.” Prince Jerren attempted to calm my brother by speaking to him, but he was too slight, tiny, and squeaky-voiced to do the trick. I wasn’t even sure if his soft voice would be audible over Chad’s wails of misery.

“Mr. Chad Wallace,” Kylin roared, and the effect worked. His voice bellowed and boomed through the arena, shaking these water moon creatures to their furry little cores.

Chad stopped kicking and biting momentarily to stare at Kylin, then his gaze shifted until his eyes locked on mine with obscene horror. Betrayal had finally looked betrayal in the eye.

I didn’t waver. I held onto my self-control and took a deep breath, then flicked my eyes away, breaking contact with Chad’s before I caved. I was a tough shell, but I didn’t want to give myself any opportunities for cracking under pressure.

“What the hell is going on here?” Chad panted in the aftermath of his fighting with the royal guards.

Kylin spoke in a somber, firm tone of voice, giving way to full actor mode, playing the evil role without mercy. “Chad Wallace, of Earth, you are hereby sentenced to death by execution for your crimes against the Mixian Crown Prince Kylin.”

Nobody in the arena said a word. Chad appeared dumbfounded. His mouth hung open like a trout in the water.

“Georgia? What the hell is going on here?” Chad’s voice bordered on panic.

“I’m really sorry, Chad,” I said in a muted voice. I refused to look at him.

“You can’t let them get away with this!” Chad shouted and began thrashing against the police once again. “Georgia, do something! I’m your brother, your flesh and blood!” His attempts to make me feel a resonating guilt were not going to work this time.

He was ballistic, in a terror of mania, going crazy with panic. I didn’t feel an ounce of remorse for what we were doing. Chad deserved what he got. He’d brought all of this on himself.

“I’m sorry, Chad,” I repeated. “There’s just nothing I can do. This is bigger than any of us. You fucked with the wrong species, apparently.” I had to give myself an internal pat on the back. I was playing my role perfectly.

I tried not to grin. I was enjoying this prank way too zealously for my own good. I knew that Chad would only come out of this with emotional wounds and nothing physical, which made it easier to handle.

“Come on, you.” One of the Mixian members of the royal police growled and then yanked my brother, forcing his feet to scamper on the pavement in front of him.

“No, I’m sorry. Georgia, wait! I didn’t mean any of it. This was only supposed to be a little prank! Where’s Katie? She’ll tell you! Katie!” Chad shouted into the wind, but nobody could save him now.

My muscles tensed, hoping that Katie wouldn’t cave under Chad’s manipulative pressure.

I struggled with all of my might to send her the vibes of strong empowerment, and apparently, it was effective.

Katie remained tucked away in her little corner of darkness, the camera rolling along as planned. Everything was going to work out in the end as long as Katie remained strong and stoic.

“Goodbye, Chad.” I waved at him as the men shoved him closer to the edge, where he would soon be tossed like a rag doll into the pool of surrounding Honkfish. I gave him a sobering and grave expression for extra effect in the moment.

“Please don’t do this,” Chad cried, begged, and pleaded. He was crying real tears now as his cheeks glistened with wetness.

Tears streaked his face under the light of the Dolarian moon, cleaning the dirty perimeter of sweat and caked-on grime from the days he had spent locked away in Prince Jerren’s dungeons.

I reminded myself that Chad would come out of this unscathed and that he deserved the prank he was getting. It would all be over soon, for everyone involved.

“Throw him over!” Prince Jerren wasted no time in hastily fast-forwarding to the most delicious part of the prank. His voice sounded excited and thrilled beyond measure.

Chad put up a fight. He clawed at the guards, trying to pull them overboard with him, but in the end, he wasn’t strong enough to ward off the sturdy men who gripped him like the mighty beasts that they were.

He flew into the water with a splash, making a plunking sound as his body hit the surface of the water. There was so much finality to it. I knew Chad could swim, and he’d be able to stay above water for now.

There was a moment of silence as we all watched with baited breath, waiting to see how Chad would react. My breath held in my lungs, unable to be expelled from the anticipation.

A few seconds later, Chad shrieked, wailed, and swam in the water, splashing and soaking parts of the tank he was in. His arms and legs flailed about. He was thrashing for his life.

“Get me out of here!” he cried defiantly, and I could tell by his tone of voice that he was thankful to still be alive so far.

A few seconds later, as if on cue, the Honkfish began their part of the prank too, diligently doing their jobs once again to play the role they were destined to perform. Chad didn’t know that the Honkfish were harmless.

Their air bladders erupted in unison, an annoying yet chipper sound of honking, squeaking, and wailing. To Chad, he would probably think of them as threatening noises.

“What the hell is going on?” Chad screamed and swam away from the sound as it erupted all around him, vibrating through the pool of water. He was now swimming frantically.

“Something is trying to attack me!” Chad yelled as he continued to thrash.

Kylin and I were silently holding back fits of laughter as we watched Chad panic and swim around in the darkness because we secretly knew that he was in a pool surrounded by harmless fish.

“You can’t do this to me!” Chad yelled as he swam violently, being chased by the Honkfish. “Why am I being chased by deadly clownfish? What kind of alien fish are in this water? What happens if they touch me?”

Chad spoke a million miles a minute as he panted and breathed through the torture. Meanwhile, Katie came closer in order to record him from inside the water. She remained discreet behind the protection of the camera.

Everyone was laughing, but Chad was none the wiser, trying to escape the unseen creatures. He couldn’t hear how we were making fun of him. In his mind, he was trying to narrowly escape perilous circumstances.

After what was probably seeming like an eternity to Chad, but in reality was only three minutes, I gave Kylin and Prince Jerren the cue to cut the lights back on. I’d seen my fill of his wails and hasty swimming.

We could stop inflicting this disaster on Chad and reveal the mock-execution for what it was in reality, just a great and a well-devised joke. He would have never suspected us. We were too good at playing his game.

“Hit the lights!” Prince Jerren squeaked, demanded of his tribe.

In an instant, the lights flipped on from the overhead lamps and lanterns and Chad stopped struggling against the water. He blinked his eyes in confusion and craned his neck with weary caution as he glanced around at the crowd.

“What the hell?” He spun around, surrounded by brightly-colored Honkfish who continued to make their squeaking sounds but were by no means trying to inflict harm on him.

“These are Honkfish,” Kylin admitted to Chad, pointing at the creatures who surrounded him. “They are completely harmless. You are not in the sea, but in a warm tank filled with water.”

“Are you fucking kidding me?” Chad roared with anger and hostility. “This was all a prank?” He slammed his fists against the water, creating huge swells around the pool.

“A prank that’s all caught on camera,” Katie said as she emerged from the shadows, boastfully tapping the side of her beloved recording device.

“Katie? You were here the whole time? What the fuck! Let me out of here!” Chad demanded. His eyes flashed with hatred and fury and he snarled.

“Not before we upload the video.” I laughed and pointed at Chad, who could have breathed fire at me with his menacing look of boiling hatred.

He would calm down eventually. I knew that much. He was humiliated in the moment, as he rightly should have been.

“Already finished!” Katie quipped with cheer and delight. “Now, every one of your beloved followers and fans will see what a fool you are, Chad Wallace!”

She was grinning from ear to ear. I stared at her in befuddled amazement. She had come through for us after all. I’d never felt so much respect for a fellow Earthling girl in my entire life.

Katie spun around to give me a high-five, which I returned with passion and vigor. “Well, Chad, it looks like the tables have turned. The joke is finally on you.”

I gave him a smirking glare. I was filled with satisfaction and vindication. My brother’s jokes were finally twisted around to land right where they deserved—in his lap.