My camera hung securely from my neck as Jordan and I continued to follow behind the giggly couple in front of us. Mark and Ruby were literally attached at the hip, their arms tightly wrapped around each other's torsos. Jordan's head was bowed, glaring at the sidewalk beneath his feet. I knew he was feeling the same awkward romantic tension as I was.
"This was not how I played out this evening to be in my head," he grumbled, looking up slightly to eyeball Mark and Ruby's backsides.
"Aww, come on Jordan," I said with a pat on top of his gray beanie. "It could be worse. They could still be making out in the lobby while we stand and watch with shocked expressions caked on our faces."
Jordan snickered a bit under his breath and looked up at me. "Yeah, I guess."
"Besides," I continued, "I'm sure the festival will make up for it."
Jordan smiled and pointed ahead past Mark and Ruby to the sight of a bright yellow glow from Chinese lanterns hanging from the branches of the park trees. We were getting closer.
"Wow!" said Ruby as we crossed the final crosswalk to the park. "It's even better than last year!"
"This is an annual thing?" I asked.
"Oh, yeah!" said Mark, stopping and turning to face me. "This festival is something the Santa Barbara Parks and Rec. Association puts on every year. They say they do it to raise money for new parks, but I say they just want to show off how awesome their parks already are."
"Oh, Mark!" Ruby giggled, linking arms with him. "You're so funny!"
I rolled my eyes in annoyance and groaned softly. I heard Jordan snicker under his breath and bumped him with my hip.
"Hey!" he said playfully as he tried to bump me back.
I quickly jumped out of the way and said with a wink, "No bump-backs!"
Jordan laughed and I thanked God it was dark, so I knew Jordan couldn't see how red my face was becoming.
No bump-backs? I thought angrily. Ugh, what is wrong with me? Seriously!
I remember during that time, Mark and Ruby branched off from us leaving Jordan and I alone to enjoy the festivities.
To hide my embarrassed face from Jordan, I placed my eye to the viewfinder of my camera and started clicking away at every festivity in sight. There were booths lined along the park's paths handing out flyers about charity programs and fundraisers. There were little kiddie carnival booths for ring tosses and ball throws. Children were weaving around my legs with strings of balloons tied around their skinny wrists. Bright red and gold streamers were tied around tree trunks and lampposts. Every single tree branch was occupied with gorgeous handmade Chinese lanterns.
After what felt like a thousand clicks, I let my camera rest against my chest and I flopped down on a bench to take a break. Jordan smiled and sat next to me.
"Geez, I guess photography is basically your version of a workout," said Jordan smugly.
I smiled. "I guess you could say that, yes. Photography is my day-to-day. It's my way of...immersing myself in another world."
"Wow, you're a photographer AND a deep thinker!" said Jordan with a laugh. "I guess that explains how deep your photos are."
"Ha!" I said. "That's nothing compared to the other things about me!"
"Ooh, do tell!" said Jordan, propping his elbow up on his knee and letting his head fall into his hand.
I giggled and before he could protest, swiftly lifted my camera and snapped a photo of him.
"Hey, no fair!" he said, making a grab for the camera. "I wasn't ready!"
I laughed and held the camera out of his reach. "Nope, nope, you're not getting this!"
This went on for at least five minutes.
"Dang it, Carrie!" said Jordan, finally giving up and giving me a playful scowl. "How are you so fast with that camera?"
"Talent," I said with a shrug.
Jordan scoffed and grabbed the camera, lifting it up over my head and, holding it at arm's length from our faces, took a selfie shot.
"Aww, come on!" I said, covering my face a second too late. "No, I look horrible!"
"You do not!" he said, showing me the photo. "You look great!"
He was right. I actually did look great. My icy blue eyes were bright and stunning against the flash. My curls hung bouncy and free near the corners of my eyes and my bright scarlet lips were pulled up in a tiny smile.
"Wow," I said, "you're right." I glared at him. "And you say you're bad with a camera! If I didn't know any better, I'd say you pretended to suck at picture taking just to have an excuse to have me help you."
Jordan blushed. "Oh shut up."
I smiled and put my camera back around my neck. "So, what were we talking about? I forget."
"You were gonna tell me some other things about yourself," said Jordan, flashing me his brilliant smile.
I hesitated. I didn't want to ruin a perfect moment by diving head-first into the story of my past. It was too much to even think about, let alone tell someone I've only known for two days. Jordan didn't deserve that, and I wasn't ready to tell.
Hmm, I guess it's time to bust out the nerd me! I thought.
"Oh, right!" I said. "Hmm...I guess I can start with the fact that I'm the top rank in Black Ops Zombies online, or that I once won three straight games of Prop Hunt as a scientist."
Jordan's eyes widened and his mouth dropped. "No way! You play Black Ops and Prop Hunt?"
I nodded, feeling my shyness coming onto me again.
"I've also won a total of twenty-two Minecraft Survival Games in a row," I said somewhat bashfully, "but I don't like to brag."
"You're kidding!" Jordan exclaimed. "Twenty-two straight games?! That's incredible!"
I ran my fingers through the bouncy curls in my head. "Well, I am pretty awesome."
Jordan chuckled and nudged me with his elbow. "Trust me, I know. Next time I play Survival Games, you should join a Skype call with me and my friends and we could all play together."
I smiled, feeling pinkness flood through my cheeks. "That sounds fun. I'd like that."
"It won't be so fun when I beat you," he said with a smirk.
"Ha!" I laughed. "Says the guy who got outplayed by a parkour master!"
"Ooh, ouch!" he said dramatically, clutching his hand to his heart. "That hurt, Carrie! Brutal!"
I looked up at Jordan and our eyes locked. The light from the lamppost behind me reflected in Jordan's pupils, making his eyes sparkle and gleam with golden light.
"I'm glad you asked me to come with you tonight, Jordan," I said softly. "To be honest, I'm not a huge fan of festivals."
"Really?" he asked. "Why?"
"Large crowds of people make me really uncomfortable," I replied. "It's easy for me to get claustrophobic, but being here with you makes it bearable."
"Aww, thanks Carrie," he said. "I'm just glad we finally got a break from Mark and Ruby being all mushy and clingy and stuff."
"Oh, yeah," I said, remembering Mark and Ruby had gone off somewhere. "I wonder where they went."
And then, as if on cue, I heard Ruby's voice calling our names.
"Carrie, Jordan!" she shouted.
Jordan and I looked up to see Ruby standing in a big patch of grass across the park. In both her hands were two Chinese lanterns. Mark was standing next to Ruby; he also had two lanterns in his hands.
"Oh my God!" I said happily, jumping up from the bench. "Mark and Ruby got us both a lantern! Let's go!" I grabbed Jordan's hand and yanked him up off the bench. In my moment of happiness, I had completely forgotten how strong I was.
"Whoa!" Jordan shouted, stumbling forward. I pressed my hands onto his shoulders and managed to catch him before he fell on his face.
I couldn't risk him damaging his adorable little face.
"I've gotcha!" I said quickly as he tried to steady himself. "Sorry, I must've forgotten to mention I'm a little strong."
"You're telling me!" he replied rubbing the upper part of his arm. "Thanks for the save, though."
"You're welcome," I said, feeling a smile tug at the corners of my lips.
Jordan smiled then cleared his throat and glanced down at his hand. I followed his gaze and then suddenly became aware of the fact that I was still holding his hand. Our fingers were curled around each other in hopes of fighting off the cold. I felt the fingertips of our free hands brush together, as if making the attempt to intertwine.
I swallowed as I looked up into Jordan's eyes. I could see the reflection of my face in his pupils. One corner of Jordan's mouth was up in a smile, giving him a very derpy expression. I snickered under my breath and shook my head. Jordan chuckled awkwardly and cleared his throat as he slowly slid his hand out of mine. He seemed hesitant to let go at first.
"We should...probably go see Mark and Ruby before they ditch us again," I said softly, toying with one of my curls, my eyes still locked on Jordan's.
"Yeah," he breathed, tugging at the back of his beanie and shoving his other hand into his jacket pocket.
Several more seconds of awkward staring passed before Jordan was able to speak again.
"I like the curls," he said quickly.
"What?" I said, unsure if I had heard him right.
"The...the curls," he stammered. "Your hair, it's really nice. I...I like it."
From that moment on, I was a lover of curls.
Eventually, we made our way over to Mark and Ruby.
"Geez, took you long enough!" said Ruby. I caught her raising her eyebrows up and down at me and glancing for me to Jordan. I waved her off with a look that said "I'll explain later".
Ruby handed over a lantern to both me and Jordan. There was a gorgeous purple flower pattern all around my lantern. On Jordan's was a large red dragon, its long body encircling the entire lantern. It had its large pointed teeth bared in a sinister snarl. Ruby and Mark's lanterns both had a gleaming yellow sun design.
"Wow, these are so beautiful!" I said with a smile. "I'm kinda sad to know we're gonna launch them into the air."
"Don't worry, Carrie," said Mark as he produced a red lighter from his back pocket. "Once we release them, they'll be even more beautiful!"
With a steady hand, Mark ignited the bottom of all four lanterns. Instantly, the lantern felt lighter in my hand like that of a bird feather. Before long, it was no longer in my hand. It hovered just over my palm and with a little push, my lantern was soaring high above our heads. Ruby, Mark, and Jordan let theirs go as well and up they flew like giant fireflies on a summer night. They splattered the night sky like stars and painted a soft yellow glow along the grass like early morning sunshine. I had never seen anything so beautiful.
For a moment, I shut my eyes and imagined myself as the purple flower lantern. I imagined flying free in the midnight air without a care in the world. There were no boundaries, no restraints, no worries, nothing tying me down.
I was happy.
I was free.
I imagined the red dragon lantern flying with me as well. We circled around each other, happy and in love, finally free of real world drama...
I stole a glance at Mark and Ruby. Ruby was now wearing Mark's hat, her head was resting on his shoulder and her fingers were curled tightly around his hand. She looked so happy. I had never seen Ruby that happy in years.
Something brushed along my hand again and I looked at Jordan. He was smiling at me, his cheeks a bright pink. I did not even have to look down to know he was holding my hand. My smile broadened and I let my head lay against his shoulder. I heard Jordan gasp slightly in surprise, but then I heard him let out a happy sigh. Hearing that happy sigh made me smile even more.
"Carrie," Jordan whispered, "can I tell you something?"
"You know you can tell me anything," I said dreamily, still enthralled by the beauty of the lanterns against the sky.
I heard Jordan taking nervous and shaky breaths. He scratched the back of his head anxiously. I looked up at him with worried eyes and he turned to gaze into my worried, icy blue eyes.
"What is it, Jordan?" I asked. "Are you okay?"
"I'm just...really nervous, actually," he said with a nervous chuckle.
I was starting to get nervous by that point. If Jordan had something to tell me and it was enough to make him nervous, that could only mean...
I felt my body tense up a little bit. In my mind, I could feel Her eagerly waiting for what he had to say.
"Jordan?" I said questioningly.
"Carrie," he said, "I don't know how exactly I should tell you this. And I really hope this doesn't make you uncomfortable or anything but...look, I really like you."
Oh my God...
"Jordan, I..." I hesitated, unsure how exactly to respond. "We've only been friends for two days. You don't even know me."
"But I could," he replied, "if you let me."
I turned to look and Mark and Ruby. They were several feet away from us, blissfully unaware of us as the reflection of the lanters in the sky danced against their eyes.
I turned back to Jordan. "You don't understand. I'm not...I'm not normal. I come from a bad background. My sister has already dealt with this and I don't...I don't want anyone else I care about getting hurt."
"I'm not a child, Carrie," he said sternly. "I can handle everything you throw at me."
"Yeah you say that now---"
"You're scared," he said suddenly. My eyes widened. "Trust me, you're pretty easy to read. You're afraid of...falling in love because you're worried I'll get hurt."
I stared down at my feet, my arms folded across my chest. "I...I never said I was in love."
"You never said you weren't," he said softly. "Carrie, have you ever been in love?"
"N-no," I said, not looking up at him. "The time I spent on the road, I learned not to get too close to someone." I forced myself to look up at him. "Is this...what that feels like?"
"I wouldn't know," Jordan replied. "I haven't felt like this before."
Jordan's gaze was stronger now, more intense. There was determination sparkling in his gorgeous brown eyes. The beating of my heart was accelerating to an unimaginable speed. Jordan took one final deep breath.
He started leaning in closer to me, his face just inches from my own. I could feel his cool breath against my lips. He was just an inch away...a centimeter...a millimeter...
Suddenly we were engulfed in horrific screams.
Screams.
Horrifying, nightmarish screams.
The entire park was in an uproar of horrid screams and cries. Jordan and I were looking around anxiously. Mark and Ruby were doing the same. We saw families running up and down the paths, screaming and crying in pure terror at the scene that was unfolding.
And then there were massive cracks, pops, and bangs mixed within the screams.
It only took a second to realize those sounds were gunshots.
"RUN!" a woman cried. "HE'S GOT A GUN! HE'S GOT A GUN!"
Bang...bang...BANG!
In the distance, I saw a man dressed in black running up and down the path, shoving people to the sides and knocking them down. He had a large assault rifle clutched in his hand and was firing up and down, left and right.
No, no it can't be! Not here, not now!
"Carrie, Jordan!" Ruby shouted. We turned to find her and Mark being swallowed up by the crowd. "RUN!"
Jordan and I began running after Mark and Ruby, trying our best to keep up. We dodged and weaved through sprinting parents clutching their terrified children against their chests. Bullets soared over our heads, just barely missing us as we ran. I saw Mark shoving other people out of the way in hopes of clearing a path for us.
The grip Jordan had on me was the strongest grip I ever felt. His fingers were curled like giant boa constrictors around my wrist. It hurt, but I didn't care. He had me, and that was all that mattered.
And then an overwhelming feeling of pain engulfed me.
I felt the bullet enter through the flesh in my leg and shatter my bone. I cried out in unimaginable pain. My screams overshadowed all the others; my vocal chords were on fire.
I collapsed on the ground on my stomach and found myself in a sea of running feet. I felt my camera crack under my bodyweight. I could feel the warm blood flowing from my open wound. Jordan had lost his hold on me. He quickly whirled around to find me struggling to crawl across the pavement.
"CARRIE!" he screamed. At the sound of my name, Mark and Ruby stopped running.
Jordan dove to the ground and scooped me up in his arms, not caring about the blood soaking his clothes. More massive gunshots rang out as he continued to sprint through the crowd, this time with Mark and Ruby trying to keep up with him.
My vision was already growing dark and blurry. I felt sick; I knew I was losing a lot of blood. I tried to keep my eyes focused on Jordan, but his face was growing blurrier by the second. He spoke to me, but his voice sounded distant and muffled.
"Carrie, don't you dare die on me!" I heard him cry. "You cannot die on me, Carrie!"
I wrapped my bloody hands around him, leaving red handprints on his neck.
"Help...me," I whispered. "Please...help me."
I heard police cars and fire trucks coming up the street. There were numerous screams of ambulance sirens as well.
Ruby let out an agonizing cry. I knew it was because she had seen the blood. Although she was tough, she could not stand the sight of blood, even if it was my own. Through my blurry vision, I saw her clinging to Mark, sobbing into his chest. Mark was doing his best to comfort her, to keep her looking away from the blood.
I remember hearing two new voices, possibly paramedics because I remember flashes of white clothes. I remember them taking me from Jordan and my blood already soaking their scrubs. Someone had also taken my camera. I don't remember who.
"No, no!" Jordan screamed as they lifted me from his arms. "No, please let me go with you!"
"Sir, you must stay behind," one of the paramedics said. "We can't have a crowded ambulance. We have to be able to work on her!"
"No, please!" he sobbed. "Carrie! CARRIE!"
I remember screaming Jordan's name and that only seemed to make him cry and beg even more. I remember seeing Mark grab Jordan by his arms, holding him back while Ruby had her hands over her eyes, shaking horribly with her harsh cries. I remember lifting my bloody hand, screaming and crying out to Jordan.
And then, just as the ambulance doors were being shut, I heard Jordan scream something new.
"I L---" but his voice was cut off by the closing of the doors and the screams of the sirens.
And then, everything went black.