Crossroads → Nicholas Scratch [CAOS]

xi. the attack

THE ATTACK
CHAPTER ELEVEN

It was dark enough for children to be asleep on a normal day, but the lights of the game stalls, snack booths and the ferris wheel especially blazed strongly enough to illuminate the entire fair, the darkness of the night could hardly be remembered. It was unbelievable how the lights, the smell of popcorn and cotton candy and the happy laughs and cheers from children could give her such a great night after having dealt with the revelations of the day. Dani was beginning to understand why the Greendale carnival was such a big deal. It was only something the people of Greendale got to experience once a year, and with all its incredible food, exciting rides and games and enchanting lights, it made sense that people always tried to make the best out of the night of the carnival and missed it so much once it ended. She'd been to many fairs in her previous cities, but those were nothing compared to this one. This fair made such a dull, small town seem so much bigger and exhilarating. It was an entirely alternate universe.

Dani noticed Nicholas to be even more enchanted than she was. Stood beside her, her arm linked in his, Nick gaped ahead, eyes seemingly glued onto the pink and blue flashing ferris wheel that rotated like the hands on a clock. She laughed at his enthrallment of the ride, "I guess we're going on that first, then? Roz said they'll meet us near the haunted house in around fifteen minutes." Taking Nick's silence as a yes to her question, Dani chuckled and tugged him along with her as she walked away from the entrance they had been standing at for five minutes, too dazzled by the thrilling night they were about to have.

"Why does it smell like the movie theatre we went when you first came here?" Nick's nose was scrunched up like he was appalled by the smell.

"It's popcorn. Don't be so dramatic." Dani laughed, pointing to the popcorn booth.

"It smells terrible."

"It smells like salt, Nick." She rolled her eyes. "And you ate like, half of my popcorn when we watched that movie."

"I know." He replaced the exaggerated look of disgust on his face with a cheeky smile. "I just wanted to see you smile."

"I'm okay, Nick. I swear," she assured, returning the smile as they continued to walk. "I'm not really thinking about any of it." It was true. The sharp, colorful lights and the clashing of a dozen different songs had done wonders for Dani; most, if not all, of the upsetting events of the day had already been wiped from her mind. The only thing she was thinking about was how she was going to have a great first date with a guy she realized she really, really liked, and also fun time with her other friends, Sabrina, Theo, Harvey, and Roz.

"Anyway, why do I get the feeling you've never been to a carnival before?"

"I, um... haven't." He scratched his head. Then Dani realized how insensitive that must have sounded; she knew that both Nick's parents had passed away and that he must have not had many opportunities to go to things like these. "It's okay," Nick chuckled, seeming to notice the distraught look on Dani's face. "It's not just that, though. The academy- I mean my school... is quite restricting anyways. Lots of, uh, homework."

"Well, I'm gonna make sure you don't miss out on anything fun ever again," Dani promised, grinning satisfied. "How about we start with the Ferris wheel?" Dani chuckled at how being oblivious to anything at the carnival was, Nick would just nod along with a childlike grin to anything she suggested.

Through the large crowds of kids and their parents or teenagers and their friends, Dani and Nick managed to find their way to the Ferris wheel. Like a toddler in a candy store, Nick's eyes were glued to the enormous ride that towered over them, every colour it illuminated reflecting onto his big, brown eyes. Dani handed two tokens to the man that stood by the gate of the Ferris wheel and then she motioned for Nick to follow her into a cabin that had just reached the bottom and a happy boy and girl, assumingly in a relationship, had exited. Dani went in first, Nick following suit and closing the small door behind them. The brunette girl smiled widely when the ferris wheel began to move and they were being moved backward and up. She felt like she was in a romance novel; almost every romance novel and even movie involved the boy and the girl getting on a ferris wheel together. Just the fact that she was here with Nick at such a beautiful event made her happy. It was like all the horrors of that day had never happened. The dark sky was filled with stars and just being so high up in the sky, despite her dislike toward heights, she felt like she was in a completely different universe. One without death or pain or lies. A world like that only existed in movies, though, and if she couldn't have such a peaceful world of health and happiness, she was happy she at least had Nicholas with her to ease her pains and worries even despite the insanity she had dragged him into.