"What time is it?" April asked.
Casey quickly looked down at his phone, then tucked it away in his front pants pocket. "Seven fifteen."
"That's it. I can't wait any longer. Let's get something to eat," she decided, grabbing Casey's hand.
He chuckled and walked with her to a nearby food booth, where they got in line. "You never used to be this hungry before."
"Well I never worked out as much as I have been recently. I had to make up for your absence." She bumped his arm with her shoulder.
Casey studied the edible options on the menu above the food trailer, sighing heavily. "Yeah, yeah. You don't have to remind me."
"Oh, c'mon." April rolled her eyes. "I was just kidding."
"I know you were. It still makes me feel bad, though."
"Okay, fine. I won't mention it again," she told him, crossing her arms over her chest.
Casey smiled and entangled his hand in her ponytail. In the evening light, her hair glowed a rich, orange hue, matching the sun setting over the waters. "Thanks."
The line was long and the day, nice. There was no better way to describe it. The weather was gorgeous. Fluffy clouds dotted the pink sky and the breeze from the ocean rustled each person's hair. The waters were still cold, but that didn't stop the beach from being a fantastic scene where children raced and the waves rolled up against the sand.
But since there were still at least twelve people in front of them and their stomachs were growling, Casey and April found no pleasure in the aesthetics of their surroundings. They discussed stepping out of the line and finding a place to eat elsewhere. But the amount of hungry people gathering behind them changed their minds. They were closer now to their turn to order than they would be trying to get into nearby Taco Bell, which was most likely packed at the moment.
By the time the made it to the front, the sun had set even further in the distance. April quickly asked for a hotdog, a funnel cake, and some lemonade to wash it all down. When she received it, she dug right into the hot dog. Not only was she starving, but she could barely hold everything in her arms, so she had to get rid of something.
While she chewed and waited on Casey, April leaned up against the trailer and looked around for a place for them to sit and eat. The crowd wasn't as dense as in summer, which made April - the month, not the female - one of the more perfect times to visit Coney Island. It also provided a better view of the dark haired girl April was certain she recognized.
Across the trampled, dirt path, a woman stood with her back turned, chatting with a tall, brunet man who looked to be in his mid twenties, as they stood in line for cotton candy. Actually, both of them looked familiar to April, though she was sure she'd never met the man before. But the girl was so recognizable that she grew frustrated trying to figure it out. The way she carried herself, her posture, her hair . . .
Casey was taking his sweet time, so April shoved the rest of the hotdog into her mouth and crossed the path. There was a large trash bin on the other side. As she tossed the paper bowl in and turned around, she made she to get a good look at the couple on her way back over.
When she finally processed the face of the girl, her heart stopped. There, in jean shorts and a black biker jacket, stood Karai. It was difficult to tell with the outfit and how much less makeup she was wearing. But it was definitely the Foot commander herself, flesh and blood, on a date at Coney Island. And she was laughing.
Flustered, April hurried back to her boyfriend. "Casey! Speed it up!"
"Hold on, I'm almost done," he said, digging through his wallet.
"Come on!" She nagged.
He slapped some five dollar bills on the counter, grabbed his food, and stepped away. "What is it?"
"Karai's here."
Casey's head immediately jerked up to look around, scanning the area. "What? Where? Why?"
"Over there." She pointed in the general direction of their hated enemy.
Casey spotted the unique hairstyle immediately. But he was thrown off a bit by the outfit. "That's her? Standing next to the dude with the brown hair?"
"Yes."
"Who is he?"
"I'm not sure," April admitted, sipping her lemonade. "But he seems familiar for some reason."
Casey squinted at the couple. The evening was growing steadily darker, so it was getting harder to tell exact facial features. But the girl was Karai for sure, just dressed down from her usual ninja attire. "A business partner of the Shredder's?" He suggested.
"Maybe. But why would Karai be on a date with him?"
Casey took a bite of hotdog. "Mm. How do ya know they're on a date?" He pointed out through a full mouth. "They coul be talking delifery times for secret weapons or somefing."
Shaking her head, April pulled a piece of funnel cake off and stuffed it into her mouth. She chewed and swallowed before speaking again, unlike Casey and his atrocious manners. "You and I both know she doesn't operate like that. If they were talking about secret plans, they wouldn't do it in a public setting. They're not that stupid." She watched them for a few more seconds, then decided, "We should get closer so we can hear what they're saying."
Casey shrugged. "Okay. Not too close, though." He licked his fingers satisfactorily. "That chick's got the observation skills of freaking cheetah."
"We'll need a disguise." April looked around in search of something; a giant, floppy hat and a pair of sunglasses. Anything. But no such a luck.
Two clowns carrying balloons walked by just then, instantly triggering the redhead's imagination. When she brought up the idea to Casey Jones, he wasn't so willing to go along with it. But April had her ways of charming people into believing what she told them. She was certain she could procure the outfits in no time.
"Are you kidding me?" He repeated in her ear for the sixth time as April tried to convince the white-faced men that she and Casey were meant to take the next shift.
"Where're your costumes?" One asked, his deep, shallow voice surprising April.
She reached up to smooth the hairs on top of her head. "Uh . . . see, that's the thing. They're, uh, still at the dry cleaners!"
Suddenly going along with April's lie, Casey nodded vigorously. "Yeah, yeah! We gotta go pick them up right now, actually. C'mon, Red." He grabbed April's arm, flashed a quick smile at the clowns, and tugged her along with him through the crowd. She struggled and shouted at him to release her. When they had gotten a safe distance away, Casey held her to his chest tightly so she wouldn't run away. "April, they're getting on the Ferris wheel."
With a frustrated sigh, April turned to look where Casey pointed. The sky was a dark blue at that point, but the lights all around the amusement park lit up the area. Karai and her date were just sitting down on one of the seats. April gasped. "We have to get on that ride!" She exclaimed.
Casey held her back. "No! She'll see us for sure if we do that."
"But we have to hear what they're talking about!"
This time is was Casey's turn to sigh. He looked around for a way to make sure they wouldn't get caught while performing their sneaky spy eavesdropping. April wouldn't leave him alone until he went along with her plans. "April! Over there at that tent! There's a bunch of cowboy hats."
Together they rushed to the tent and payed for two hats, shoving them on their heads. Their food had been hidden in a far corner near the back of another booth for safekeeping. Even though they were in the middle of a super intense mission, they weren't going to waste perfectly delicious, fatty snacks.
Feeling like undercover agents, they strolled up to the Ferris wheel and slipped to the front of the line just before the next seat came to a stop behind the conductor. The children who were supposed to be next grew annoyed at the two young adults who cut in front of them. But they would survive. Casey and April handed the man their tickets and buckled their seat belts beside each other. Then they went up.
They kept their heads together and made vague hand gestures throughout the ride, so that if Karai would happen to look down, she would think they were just another couple involved in conversation. Occasionally they took turns pointing out at the scenery which, in actuality, was rather pretty.
As they climbed higher into the sky, they were able to pick up bits of the chatty exchange between the two above them.
"This is Elly's least favorite ride," said the man.
"Your sister?"
"Yeah . . . likes that one over there. Spins so fast you feel like throwing up."
"This is beautiful. I love it."
April looked at Casey with wide eyes and whispered, "I know why he seems so familiar! He's Elly's brother!"
Casey looked confused. "Elly? The girl who told you about me?"
"Yes! I knew she has a brother, and she showed me a picture of him once."
"But why is he with Karai?"
"That's a very good question."