Drake was at a loss for words. He had just called Amelia and learned that she was heading towards Crimson Carnival to search for her father. But it was getting dark and he did not feel good about letting his best friend take on those corrupt fire elementals by herself. He buried his head in his arms and groaned. What am I going to do? he thought to himself, even though he already knew the answer.
"Hey, are you okay?" a voice suddenly asked.
He looked up to find Rachel staring at him with those gorgeous chocolate brown eyes—eyes he would not mind being mesmerised by if it were not for the dire situation his best friend was now in.
"Something just came up." Drake avoided looking at her directly in fear that he would be tempted to stay at the beach with her longer. "I'm sorry, I have to go," he said as he began to walk away from the sea, which was now reflecting the beautiful colours of the sunset.
He felt Rachel's hand grab his arm almost immediately. "Wait! You're not making any sense. Please just tell me what's wrong?"
Still avoiding eye contact with her, Drake's mind raced as he quickly thought of a plausible explanation. "My best friend's in trouble and I'm afraid she'll need my help tonight. I don't have much time to explain—"
"Then let me help. Let me come with you," Rachel suggested.
Drake scratched his head and made the mistake of looking up again. His dark brown eyes met hers and he found himself not being able to resist her pleading eyes and pouty red lips. Those lips... if only I could... he shook himself out of it.
"All right, but we have to hurry," he said with a sigh. Part of him was delighted with the idea of going to the carnival with her. But another part of him could not help wondering if he had made a grave mistake dragging a normal teenage girl into this.
Rachel smiled, grabbed his hand and took off. "Well, C'mon! Like you said, we don't have time to waste."
🔥 🔥 🔥
"Wow! That was a lot of fun," Rachel admitted as she attempted to get off the roller coaster.
All Drake could feel was the world still spinning around him and his stomach giving him a tough time. He tried to get out of the roller coaster but nearly toppled to the ground. Rachel rushed to his side and placed his arm around her for support.
"Are you okay?" she asked with a giggle.
Drake felt like throwing up. "I'm feeling great!" His vision was starting to return to normal but walking straight was still a bit of a challenge. He wondered how Rachel had ever convinced him to go on that horrifying machine.
"You don't look so good though."
"I'll be fine. Just, never make me go one of those big rides ever again."
"But we haven't even gone on the three largest roller coasters here yet."
Drake frowned. He no longer felt dizzy, but his stomach was still churning a little. "I think I'll pass. How about we go visit the house of mirrors next?"
"That sounds boring." Rachel did a twirl in search of their next destination. "Hey, how about we pay a visit to the fortune teller?"
"I'm a Christian, so I'm not keen on that either."
"Aww c'mon Drake, please? It's just a bit of fun and you don't have to believe any of the bollocks they say."
She was looking at him with those irresistible puppy-dog eyes again and he knew he could not win. Well, I guess it's okay... I mean, I don't have to believe any of this fortune telling stuff right? "Okay fine, but if I start to feel strange, I'm living right away."
Drake followed Rachel away from the busiest areas of Crimson Carnival and towards a quieter section. There were fewer lights and people here to brighten up the night and he noticed a few deserted food stalls to the left and a small tent that read 'free fortune telling' to the right.
"I'm getting a bad feeling about this," Drake whispered.
"Don't be ridiculous Drakey," she replied with a giggle.
"Drakey?"
Her cheeks turned red instantly. "Sorry, should I not call you that?"
This time, it was his turn to laugh. "Nah, it's fine. It's just that no has ever nicknamed me that before." He grinned at her and realised that he felt a lot happier around her.
They entered the small tent and he saw an old lady with a brown robe sitting behind a simple square table. A bright blue crystal ball sat in the middle of the table and there were two chairs opposite her as if she had been waiting for them.
Well, this seems very typical of a so-called fortune teller, he thought. Nervously, he approached her and took a seat, gesturing for Rachel to do the same. "Hey um, we came to get our free fortunes." Drake wondered how much trouble he would get into if his parents caught him visiting a fortune teller.
The old lady looked up at them and smiled kindly. "Why, what a lovely pair you both are. Young love is beautiful, is it not?" she said with a chuckle. "So, who wants to go first?"
"But we're not... never mind. Um, he can go first," Rachel pointed at him.
"Very well." The old lady hovered both of her wrinkly hands above the crystal ball and gazed into it intently. The mysterious orb turned a fiery red and some strange symbols could be seen appearing and vanishing inside.
Rachel gasped in surprise, but Drake was not very impressed by the light show. It's probably just the work of technology carefully hidden around the tent and in that crystal ball, he thought proudly.
"I see the emotional conflict in you and the tendency to give in to rage. Your wild emotions often lead you to poorly-made decisions and guilt. However, I also sense immense potential and power in you. And one day, you will be the master of your own emotions and be the flame that lights the way rather than the fire that destroys everything in its path."
Drake was speechless. Half of it sounded like utter nonsense to him but the part about fire intrigued him. Could she somehow have known I was a Seeker of Fire? He shook his head. No, there's no way she could've known. That fire analogy must be a coincidence.
Rachel nudged him with a playful grin. "Woah, looks like someone believes in you. Do me next!"
Rachel sat at the edge of her seat and the fortune teller gazed into the crystal ball once again, which was starting to turn into a darker colour. Black mist now inhabited the orb and the woman gasped as her hands continued to hover over it in a circular motion.
"T-This can't be!" she said in a harsh whisper.
Drake had a bad feeling about this. The worst part was that the fire analogy had suddenly reminded him of his initial quest to Crimson Carnival: to find Amelia and help her get back her dad. He cursed himself silently for being so forgetful and getting distracted so easily. He decided that after this was over, he definitely had to look for her as soon as possible.
"What is it?" Rachel asked.
The crystal ball was now engulfed in a dark cloud of mist and the fortune teller had stood to her feet and backed off from them with her arms outstretched in fear. "Y-You are no ordinary human... I only see darkness in you!"
What in the world is going on? Drake stood to his feet and tried to get Rachel to follow him. "Let's just get out of here."
The old lady pointed a long trembling finger at Rachel as if accusing her of something terrible. "Y-You must be a demon, it's the only explanation! Get out of my tent!"
The colour in Rachel's face was completely drained. "B-But—"
"GET OUT!" The woman began to reach for a cricket bat in the corner of her tent.
Immediately, Drake grabbed Rachel, pulled her out from the tent and did not stop running until they were at least a couple of dozen metres away from the crazy place. He looked behind him, confirmed that the old lady was no longer chasing them with a cricket bat and paused to catch his breath. He looked at Rachel to see her crying silently in shock.
Just when Drake thought that nothing could get any worse, it did. The abandoned food stalls on the left side were on fire and running away from it was his best friend. Crimson Carnival had turned into Nightmare Carnival in the span of two minutes.