The people who had gathered around to watch applauded, and Gabe let out an approving whistle.
“I got down all the bottles in less than three balls, so I believe I have my pick of the prizes,” I said, smiling up at Doug. “And I’ll take the teddy bear.”
“Here you go, little lady.” Doug pulled down a bear and handed it to me. “And we have another champion! Fellas, step right up, and see if you can beat a girl.”
“I’m moving on now, but thank you.” I stepped away from the booth and handed the bear to Gabe, who looked impressed. “Here you go.”
“That was quite a feat of strength,” Gabe said.
“Thank you.”
“You remember my sister, Selena, and her boyfriend, Logan Montgomery.” He motioned to them with the cotton candy, and Selena took that as an invitation to walk over to us. Logan followed behind her with his friend in the matching shades. “And this is Logan’s friend, Troy Gendry.”
The name Gendry flashed back to the badge of the unhelpful deputy in town. Troy barely looked at me when Gabe attempted to introduce him, and even though he and Logan were still a few feet away from me, I could smell the alcohol coming off them in waves.
“I’ve been trying to get Logan to win me something since we got here.” Selena pointed her thumb back at him, and over the top of the shades I could see Logan give an exaggerated eye roll.
“Babe, if you want a tacky bear, I’ll buy you a tacky bear,” Logan said, loud enough so that everyone around us could hear, and Selena scowled at him. “I don’t need to spend time and money winning you one.”
“You don’t have to keep the bear.” I pointed to the bear that Gabe had under his arm. “You know, if you don’t want to.”
“Are you kidding me?” Gabe sounded offended. “I’ll treasure this forever.”
I laughed. “I’m sure you will.”
He turned to his sister, handing her the rest of the cotton candy. “Hey, Selena, do you mind if I head out? I think I’m gonna go walk with Mara and check things out.”
“Yeah, that’s fine. It was nice seeing you again, Mara.” She smiled at me.
“Yeah, you too.” I gave her a small wave as I started walking away with Gabe.
We walked down the midway, neither of us saying anything at first. Gabe twirled the blue bear in his hands, and I tucked my hair behind my ear. I was acutely aware that all the booths around us were filled with people I knew, people who were watching us and could easily out me as a member of the sideshow.
“So, you snuck out pretty early this morning,” he said, giving me a sidelong look.
“Yeah, sorry.” I smiled sheepishly at him. “I had some things I needed to do today, and you were sleeping soundly, so I didn’t want to wake you.”
“I was afraid that my snoring had frightened you off or something.”
I laughed and shook my head. “No, you didn’t snore.”
“I didn’t? Well, that’s good to know.” He smiled, then looked around, as if something just occurred to him. “Are you here with anyone? I’m not pulling you away from your friends, am I?”
“No. My friends, um, are watching a show,” I said, since it probably would seem weird if I came to the carnival alone.
Then again, I had gone to a party last night by myself. But that was all the more reason to make up friends now. I didn’t want to give him the idea that I was some kind of strange loner.
“Show?” Gabe asked.
“Yeah. There’re acrobats in the tent.” I pointed to the end of the midway, where a large red-and-white-striped circus tent was set up next to the rides. The Fantastic Flying Phoenixes was painted across the top in big letters, with a poster of Safēda and Mahilā off to the side, advertising the tiger show.
“Really? And you didn’t want to check it out?” Gabe asked.
I shrugged. “I’m just not that into acrobats, I guess.”
“So, you’re too good for acrobats, and you’re an expert at the milk bottle game. What do you wanna do next? Do you like any rides?”
“Yeah,” I said. “I am kinda partial to the Ferris wheel.”
I did actually love the Ferris wheel, but I was also looking for an excuse to get away from the bright lights of the midway and the prying eyes of nearly everyone I knew. My mom was busy in her tent, but if she came out, she’d spot me, and I wasn’t entirely sure how she’d react if she saw me flirting with a townie, no matter how cute he was.
“How about this? Since you won me this handsome bear, I’ll pay for your ticket,” Gabe suggested. “Sound fair?”
I nodded. “Yeah. That sounds perfect.”
10. rota fortuna
When we went over to the Ferris wheel, we had to wait in line, and I was surprised to see that the line was already so long since the carnival hadn’t opened that long ago. It worked in my favor, though. The guy running the ride was so busy that he didn’t even notice me when Gabe handed him our tickets, let alone comment on knowing me.
Gabe held the door open, letting me climb into the lavender gondola first, and he got in beside me. He put his bear on the far side of the bench, and he had to slide up next to me so his leg pressed against the thin fabric of my dress.
The ride jerked to a start when it began moving, causing me to lean against him. I laughed and moved away when it smoothed out again, as the car rose slowly into the night sky. Some of the lightbulbs that ran around the edge of the wheel had gone out, so the farther we went from the ground, the darker it became.