Whispers

Amusements

Karina didn’t let Lucius pay for bus fare, explaining she had a card she could easily use for the both of them. After about a minute of protestation and an increasingly agitated bus driver, Lucius relented with the promise from Karina that he would pay off everything else that afternoon.

The smile never leaving her face, Karina guided them to a seat near the back. When the bus jerked forward and Karina pitched to the side, Lucius, on instinct, wrapped his arm around her waist and steadied her. His front collided with her back in the process, causing Lucius to lift Karina off the floor for a second. Breathing in to clear some of the heat on his face, he edged them closer to the row Karina wanted and let her go so she could slide into the window seat.

“You okay?” Karina asked when he took the seat beside hers. “Your face looks splotchy. You’re not getting sick, are you?”

Whisperers didn’t get sick, Lucius thought. He rested his chin on his palm and said, “Where are you taking us? I’m really curious.”

Karina wagged her finger like a puppy’s tail. “Uh, uh, uh. You’ll have to wait and see.”

This time, when she smiled, Lucius noticed the smallest indentation. “I didn’t know you had a dimple.”

He touched her cheek. She didn’t pull back, showing him her full blush. He was captivated by how sweet she looked when her cheeks pinked. The color reminded him of strawberries in cream.

“It comes and goes,” she said.

He laughed. “How can a dimple come and go? It’s either you have it or you don’t.”

His reaction caused Karina to drop her gaze and wring her hands on her lap. It was too adorable. A lock of her hair fell from her shoulder. Unable to resist, Lucius took the long strand between his fingers. It was softer than he could have imagined. As her face grew redder, he tucked the ribbon of hair behind her ear.

“I’m sorry,” he said immediately, the tiniest of grins on his lips. “I didn’t mean to laugh at you. I just thought you were so cute when you said your dimple came and went.”

Her gaze met his then, slightly hidden by the fan of her fiery lashes. “You think I’m cute?”

The air between them charged. All it took was one spark and they would explode. Lucius felt light-headed. It was like all the blood in his body rushed to his head. He had to remind himself to breathe. Her lips were a couple of inches away. If he leaned forward he would be able to taste them. But two things stopped him: The picture and the sense of betrayal that came with kissing Sasha at Janika’s party.

The second confused him. It wasn’t like he had sworn fidelity to Karina. He wasn’t even sure what was going on between them. But still, his heart contracted. He broke eye contact by looking out the window. A giant Ferris wheel loomed in the distance, and behind it was a monster roller coaster, all twisted up like a giant snake.

“Why do I have a feeling that’s where we’re going?” he said, pointing at the amusement park slowly getting bigger as they got closer.

Karina twisted around to gaze out the window, which gave Lucius a full view of her back. Something he needed to break the tension that had arisen between them. Until he was sure the boy in the picture wasn’t in any way Karina’s boyfriend, he didn’t want to give in to his feelings. Better he suffered without her knowing how he felt than humiliate himself by doing something stupid like kissing her when she was clearly unavailable.

“I thought it would be fun!” Karina bounced in her seat. “I hadn’t been in so long.”

Lucius swallowed in anticipation. He had never been to an amusement park. The closest he got was through movies. They looked like fun places, but the rides. They seemed unsafe. He wouldn’t die. But Karina was mortal.

The bus slowed to a stop and Karina practically shoved Lucius out of his seat, distracting him from morbid thoughts of rides malfunctioning.

"Come on! Come on! Let's go!" she chirped like a canary.

Lucius, nimble and quick, stood and took her hand. He led the way out of the bus and landed on his feet gracefully. But Karina took off running without letting go of his hand, so he was jolted forward. It took all his skill to stay upright and keep pace with Karina’s long-legged lope. He was sure if he had fallen she would have dragged him several meters before realizing. That was how excited she was.

Once they reached the ticket counter, her excitement bled into Lucius as well, as if it moved from her hand into his until it reached his heart. His earlier apprehension about the rides dissipated.

He paid for two all-access passes, which had Karina hopping from foot to foot like a bouncing jellybean. Her hair swayed behind her, creating a wavy waterfall. The guy at the counter smiled and passed two plastic bracelets toward them. Karina snatched them with a quick “thank you” then she pulled Lucius toward the entrance. The park attendant snapped the passes on their wrists and reminded them of the fireworks display at eight that night. Karina’s face lit up.

“Can we stay out until then?” she pleaded.

Lucius didn’t have the heart to say no. He suspected he would never be able to say no to her. And it scared him a little. But when he remembered that she thought he was human, he relaxed. If she didn’t know he had powers, the less likely it would be that she would ask for something he might regret doing for her. Lucius chastised himself for thinking that way. Even if Karina knew he was a whisperer capable of almost anything, she wouldn’t ask him to do things that would get him in trouble. She wasn’t that kind of human. He trusted his gut in that.

Returning his attention to what they were currently doing, which was falling in line for the roller coaster, of all things, Karina had grabbed a map of the park and methodically presented her plan of attack. They would tackle the scariest rides first, interspersing them with milder rides like that swing thing that went round and round. Karina laughed at him every time he described a ride by what it did rather than its real name. She didn’t correct him or provide the name as a way of teasing him. Lucius didn’t mind since her laughter went through him like good energy. It charged him, changed him.

It took fifteen minutes until the conductor was strapping Karina and Lucius into their seats. The roller coaster was the kind where their feet dangled. Lucius had to think if he had tied his boots on tightly. Losing one or both of them during the ride would be mortifying. And he wasn’t about to walk around the park in socks searching for his shoes the rest of the afternoon.

“What’s wrong?” Karina asked, sensing his apprehension.

“This is the first time I’m riding this thing,” he admitted, surprised his voice didn’t break. His stomach was already making cartwheels. And his hands were slick against the chest restraints.

Karina smiled dangerously, like a shark ready to take a bite. “I like that you’re experiencing all these new things with me.”

“Somehow that doesn’t make me feel better.”

The roller coaster slowly made its ascent up the hill. They were practically on their backs when they neared the summit. The click, click, click cut through Lucius’ nerves. The other passengers with them were already screaming.

“Just enjoy the ride,” Karina said, facing the slope fearlessly.

“I don’t think that’s—”

The rest of Lucius’ sentence ended in a scream taken somewhere inside of him he had no idea he possessed.

With each twist, turn, and flip, Lucius was glad his screams joined the rest of those from the passengers. Karina’s laughs interchanged with her high-pitched shrieks. Her red hair flew everywhere, sometimes even whipping Lucius in the face.

At about halfway through the ride, his legs had turned to jelly. And, by the time the ride was over, Lucius had no feeling from the waist down. He wobbled onto the platform. He left any machismo he had at the first drop. If Desmond were with him, he knew how his friend would react. He wouldn’t hear the end of it. The word sissy bandied about. To his surprise, and great envy, Karina bounced off the roller coaster, unscathed. She was merciless, already pulling him away from the ride, not waiting for him to recover.

“That wasn’t so bad, was it?” Karina wrapped her arms around his.

“Right. Bad,” he said back, his voice louder than he expected. His ears still ringing, he got only half the words.

Karina maneuvered them to a booth beside the roller coaster and began searching the group of pictures plastered on the back wall. “Look, here we are.”

Lucius groaned. It wasn’t the most flattering picture of him. It showed his mouth fully open in what he suspected was a scream and his eyes were wider than he had ever thought he could open them. Karina, on the other hand, was smiling, as if she knew where the picture would be taken. At her insistence, he bought the picture, begging her to shove it into her backpack before anyone else saw it.

She continued to stare at it. “You look good.”

“If I wanted to audition for a horror film extra, maybe.” Lucius shook his head.

Eight rides and three unflattering pictures of him screaming his lungs out later, Karina decided they needed a break. Lucius didn’t hide his relief when they had taken a seat at a table in one of the themed cafes scattered around the park. The one Karina chose was made to look like it came straight out of Alice in Wonderland. Their chairs were toadstools. The table was a leaf a caterpillar used as an umbrella. And the waitresses wore blue baby doll dresses with white aprons.

Again with the aprons, Lucius thought. It was starting to become an inside joke with him. Maybe he had a secret fetish he had yet to discover about himself. He imagined Karina in an apron while she ordered. It would look cute on her, he was sure of it. But, then again, she could wear a trash bag and call it a dress and still look cute.

“We’d like your Mad Hatter High Tea set please,” Karina said, pointing at a picture in the menu.

“What kind of tea would you like with that?” the waitress asked, her blond wig dripping over her shoulders like fake sunshine while she bent down.

Karina looked to Lucius.

“Do you have mint tea?” he asked.

The waitress stared at him for a second and blushed.

“Y-yes,” she stammered. “We have a-an excellent Moroccan Mint blend.”

“We’ll try that then. Thank you.” Lucius smiled at her graciously, which deepened the woman’s blush. She scribbled on a notepad made of a deck of cards and skittered away.

“I think she has a crush on you,” Karina said in a conspiratorial tone. She even leaned forward and covered the side of her lips with her hand.

Lucius didn’t spare the waitress a second glance.

“You think so?” He kept his gaze on Karina. “I didn’t even notice.”

Karina sat back, mischief leaving her expression. “How’s the amusement park experience so far?”

“Based on the collection of incriminating pictures you have of me, I’d say very successful.” Lucius smirked. “Now you have a full arsenal which can be used for blackmail.”

She actually blushed. “I wouldn’t do that to you.”

His heart melted. He reached across the table and took her hand in his.

“I was just teasing.” He changed his smirk into a gentle smile. “I’m having lots of fun. I couldn’t have thought of anything better to do for the rest of the afternoon. Thank you for taking me here.”

Karina blushed again, giving his hand a squeeze before she let go to make room for the whimsical tea set the waitress brought to their table.

"Your tea sandwiches will follow in a few minutes," she said, sparing Karina a small glance before looking at Lucius full on. She bent down extra low to give him a perfect view of her cleavage. Her bra had magically disappeared from the time she had taken their order to when she set down the tea.

"Let it steep for two minutes before removing the tea ball inside. Is there anything else I can get you in the meantime?" she asked Lucius breathily.

“No, that would be all,” he said without even looking at her.

Karina traced the rim of her empty teacup with her fingertip. “So where do you want to go next? I’m saving the Waterlog for last because chances are we’ll get wet.”

“I can’t wait,” Lucius said honestly. He didn’t mind getting wet if it meant continuing this day with her. “Why don’t we try the Haunted House?”

“Perfect,” she purred.

Master, Shamus’ voice pinged in Lucius’s mind, making him wince at the surprise of its suddenness. His heart sank before it was replaced by annoyance.

What is it, Caretaker? I am in the middle of something, he said back, keeping his eye on Karina while she served them both the tea. The sharp aroma of mint wafted up from the cups, filling Lucius’s lungs with its freshness with each inhale.

I would not be bothering you if it were not important, sir.

Lucius resisted the urge to rub his forehead. Someone had better have died, Shamus.

Sir, I think it best that you return as soon as possible. Master Tomas is here.

The panic in Shamus’ voice pissed Lucius off. He needed to cut his time with Karina short because of it. Shamus was right. He wouldn’t dare disturb Lucius if it wasn’t important. And Tomas waiting for him? What could it mean?

He tsked.

“What’s wrong?” Karina ever in tune with what he was feeling. It was almost scary.

“I suddenly remembered something I had to do,” Lucius said, reaching for the lie and hating every word of it. It tasted of acid on his tongue.

“Oh.” Karina couldn’t hide her disappointment, which stabbed Lucius straight in the heart. “I guess that’s better than you leaving without saying anything again, isn’t it?”

“I’m really sorry.” Anger mixed with sadness in the pit of his stomach. It had better be as important as Shamus made it sound to be or heads would roll.

“Don’t worry about it.” Karina plastered a warm smile on her face. “I completely understand.” She raised her hand and asked for the sandwiches to be wrapped and the check.

“Karina,” Lucius closed his hand over hers. “Are you mad?”

“No,” she said a little too quickly. Then she took a quick breath and composed herself. “Yes. I mean, a little. I won’t lie.”

“It’s good that you’re not.” But her words were barbed wire to Lucius’ heart. “If I can stay, I would. You have to believe me.”

She searched his face. “I believe you.”

That hurt even more. There was that complete trust again. She didn’t question. She just accepted.

“We can always come back,” Lucius insisted.

“I know.” Karina took his hand in both of hers. “Lucius, don’t worry. It’s okay. It’s not like we won’t see each other again, right?”

“Tomorrow.”

He pulled out a fifty from his wallet and left it on the tray the waitress had left on their table with their receipt. He stood and took Karina’s backpack from the floor and hooked the strap over one of his shoulders. With his other hand, he took hers and pulled her up to him.

“Aren’t you going to wait for the change?” she asked without taking her eyes away from his.

“I’d rather make sure I take you home safely.” He bent down and left a kiss on her knuckles.

They hurried to the entrance of the park and caught the bus that was about to pull out of the stop. The whole ride into town, Lucius held on to Karina’s hand. They hadn’t spoken the whole time. Karina seemed to sense the turmoil roiling in Lucius like a raging storm. She rubbed her thumb over his hand, sending calming warmth into him. But it wasn’t enough.

Lucius walked Karina to her door from the bus stop.

“I’ll see you tomorrow,” he said.

“You don’t need to give me those puppy dog eyes, Lucius,” she said, touching his cheek.

He leaned into the softness of her palm. “I hate that we couldn’t finish our . . .”

“Date,” she finished for him.

“This was a date?” Hope blossomed hotly in his chest.

“What else would you call it?” She leaned up and planted a chaste kiss on his cheek before taking her bag from him. “Now go. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

They shared a smile before Lucius turned and left. Happiness filled every step he took. But when he rounded the corner and was sure he was out of eyeshot from Karina’s house, he sobered and teleported himself to his bedroom. There, by the fire, sat Tomas. Concern etched deep lines on his face.

“Tomas?” Lucius said.

His mentor tore his gaze from the flames and said, “Sasha’s been found dead.”