Destiny Untold - Fated Mates series Book 1

Chapter 17

The feeling of motion, like laying on a trampoline, is the first thing that registers in Amara’s mind. The heat of the sun warms her face and she can faintly hear someone's voice. Groggily she opens her eyes to be met with energetic hazel ones staring back. Blinking helps clear her vision. Sina’s laugh now fills her ears "Get up! Get up! You totally disappeared last night. I looked for you after I was free again but you were nowhere to be found."

Sitting up Amara rubs her eyes and gives the redhead an apologetic smile "Sorry Si, I went for a walk and just kinda got lost. I meant to make it back." She easily waves it off, obviously not all that mad about it. "You can make it up to me by spending the day out. Let's go have fun!" She excitedly bounces up and down on her bed and Amara flings one of her pillows at Sina with a laugh.

The pillow is easily caught and Sina uses it to hit her back. At that point, Amara has no choice but to defend her territory. A ferocious battle ensues, Amara swears she is close to victory when they both tumble off the bed onto the ground with a resounding thud, a heap of tangled limbs and bedding. A truce is called in between fits of laughter.

"Alright, alright. I'll get ready. Did you have something in mind?" she now stands at the dresser trying to pick out what to wear. Looking back, she spots Sina in the mirror trying to fix the mess that they made of her hair.

"Not really. Maybe we can drive to the next town. There's a county fair going on that sounds like a blast. Then we could grab a movie and pizza to bring back tonight. I'm in the mood to totally pig out." Shaking her head Amara agrees and enters the bathroom to freshen up and change.

The weather is nice and warm out so a pair of high-waisted shorts with a form-fitting grey tank tucked in will be fine once she throws an oversized flannel on like a jacket just leaving it open. White sneakers are probably her best bet since they will be running around the fairgrounds. Throwing her hair up into a pineapple will be cute but keep it out of the way. It only takes a second to slick on a coat of gloss and a little mascara.

Studying herself in the mirror it's hard to believe that they haven’t been here that long all things considered. Images surface from last night and she remembers the brief but nice encounter she had with Maddox. The craziness that she had awoken to kept her from thinking about it but now that she is, Amara realizes she fell asleep by the river sitting beside him. Which obviously means he must have carried her back. The thought brings a blush to her cheeks despite trying to resist it.

Sina's insistence to hurry up pulls her back to reality. Snapping out of her reverie she steps out and grabs her phone and wallet so they can go. Closing her door they make their way downstairs just chatting. "Do you have a car? I kind of don't have my own but I can take my mom's if we need it." In actuality, I kept putting off getting one since the family was constantly moving together. It didn't seem practical or necessary with the lifestyle they had. Maybe now would be a good time to think about it and start saving up.

"Yup! I drive the younger pack members around when necessary to take the load off of their parents from time to time so a car was a must. Besides, my parents were probably tired of me constantly asking to make fast food runs. What can I say? sometimes a girl just needs a midnight taco."
Amara shakes her head lightly but replies "Well tacos are definitely serious business."

"That's what I said! Honestly, sometimes people just don't understand".

Just then they reach the landing directly in front of the entrance. Passing by is Lyam with his friend Scottie who Amara vaguely remembers meeting the other day at dinner. “Hello, ladies! Where are you fine women off to, and do you need company? We have a two for one special going on at the moment” Scottie jokes with his hands alternating between awkwardly crossing over his chest then going down to rest on his hips. He is completely oblivious to Lyam silently laughing beside him.

“Ignore this dumbass. We actually have classes to get to. If we miss another one of them my mom will kill us both” Lyam emphasizes the last word and Scottie shoots Amara and Sina an awkward grin ‘Sorry to break your hearts then my fair maidens. We’ll have to take a rain check” he places a hand over his heart with a solemn nod to himself.

“Yeah...we’ll have to just survive somehow. We are heading to the fair a town over but we should all do something together soon” Amara says and pats Scottie’s arm, amused and already a little endeared by the manic puppy energy.

“Oh! When we get back we’re doing a movie and pizza night. Pop around the theater room if you wanna join” Sina offers and Scottie instantly perks up. The other three try not to laugh and Lyam drags him away as Scottie enthusiastically assures them that they will be dropping by with copious amounts of chocolate and drinks.

They head out of the door together but the boys diverge to Lyam’s silver truck while the girls walk over to Sina’s cute habanero orange VW bug and hop in. Amara has to admit, the adorable pint-sized car with its vibrant unique color fits her personality perfectly. The engine comes to life and they buckle in to get on the road. “It’s a shame they couldn’t come but at least we have each other and we are much cooler anyways" Sina winks at her jokingly and she laughs while rolling her eyes.

"We should get some music going. Everyone knows any good drive needs music."

"Wise words! My phone's connected to the cars Bluetooth. You can just scroll through my playlist and get the party started.”

Grabbing Sina’s phone, Amara does just that. The redhead's playlist is surprisingly diverse and they seem to share a lot of the same tastes. She is having a hard time choosing until she reaches what is without a doubt a quintessential driving song. Pressing play she hears the sounds of No Scrubs by TLC blast through the speakers.

Sina practically squeals in delight and they sing along in unison, It is basically against the law not to. The miles of road and luscious green fields pass by them. The sun is high in the sky without a cloud in sight. The music drifting inside the small space inside the car is let free when they open their windows. The refreshing spring breeze caresses their faces with no traffic in sight.

Amara looks over at her newfound friend and tries to memorize every bit of this moment because she doubts days this perfect happen all the time. As the miles to their destination dwindle down, they set the playlist to shuffle, laughing and singing the rest of the way there.

Amara hadn't been to a fair in years and can hardly contain her excitement. Paying for a day pass with unlimited tickets they walk in and immediately get stopped by a photographer. "Would you young women like a picture? You can have it printed out for you in the kiosk once you leave the fairgrounds."

Before Amara can ask, Sina is already saying yes. They turn so all the rides and attractions are in the background. The pair poses side hugging each other then take a couple more just making silly faces. Taking their stub to redeem later, they walk further in.

"I can't wait to see how they turned out! maybe they can print them on like mugs and stuff" Sina says while they eye the rides near the entrance.

"Do you really want to walk around wearing shirts with our faces or something?" the redhead just shrugs and loops her arm with Amara’s "Okay, a shirt might be a bit much."

"I'm glad we agree, I would've had to take drastic measures to keep it from happening."

A mischievous smile breaks onto Sina's face "Now I actually want one."

"How about I buy you an elephant ear instead?" Those were obviously the right words "Yay! I love elephant ears! I accept your offer."

They carefully weave in between the crowds of people as they explore. There are rides as far as the eye can see, the massive Ferris wheel placed directly in the center of everything. There is a chair lift chartering people through the sky from one end of the fairgrounds to the other.

To one side sit the children's rides while the other has the bigger more daring rides designed for teens and adults. There is an imposing tower with a two-hundred-foot drop. Spinning chairs that lift way up into the sky. Even a massive circular ride called Ring Of Fire which leaves you suspended upside down before swooping back down.

"We are so riding in the Ring Of Fire. Trust me, it's so fun! In a scary kind of way. Ooh, and The Falls where we sit in a log boat and go up and down this waterfall, you always get completely drenched!" Sina rants excitedly, tugging Amara in different directions

"I'm down for whatever you wanna so Si but the important question is...before or after elephant ears?" For the first time since they walked into the fair, Sina pauses to think it over. Either way would work seeing as there are food stalls lining the path between the rides. Everything from pizza, corndogs, candy apples, and more.

"I say rides then food then rides again." Amara had figured that's what she'd say. "On to the first ride it is then!" with that settled, she got to choose the first one. The giant lit-up sign reading HIMALAYA really drew Amara in and they quickly join the line before it gets too long. Lights are pulsing, the roof covering shrouds the ride itself in some darkness. The music thumps, the bass reverberating through your body. It makes waiting in line more fun when everyone is dancing and having a good time.

When it is their turn the pair gets into the same car and lowers the safety bar. "Brace yourself. It gets really fast, but it's awesome!" Just as Sina warns her, the ride starts moving now that it is full. First, it goes forward rapidly gaining speed. Their hands are in the air and giddy screams overpower the blaring electro beats. Then the direction suddenly shifts and they are dragged backward. The force of the speed makes her nearly slide onto Sina. Screams turn to laughter as the ride slows to a stop. They practically fall out of the car and dizzily step off.

The rest of the day well into the evening goes much the same. They go on almost every single ride -yes, even the kiddie rides and the house of mirrors...don't judge- only taking breaks to eat all the fried fair food they can handle. The two of them end up taking a bunch of pictures throughout the park, inundating Amara’s camera roll.

"I'm full, tired, and satisfied. I declare this a successful outing" It is as they exit the fair and head over to the kiosk to check out their pictures from the entrance that Sina makes this declaration.

"I can definitely agree with that. I don't think pizza and a movie will be happening though."

"Yeah, I underestimated how much yummy fair food we would eat. Or maybe I just overestimated how much I could possibly eat period."

At the photo booth, they each buy a copy of the pictures. The pair also picks keychains with a mini version of one of the pictures inside for one another. In the end, they both actually picked out the same one. A gold paw-shaped keychain. It felt like a little inside joke although the guy manning the booth seemed to think they were crazy just giggling over some pawprint keychains like weirdos.

With goodies in hand, they search out Sina's little VW bug within the sea of cars. The drive back was just as nice in a different way. While the drive up was full of energy and upbeat music, the return trip was relaxed with chill cruising tunes. The bluesy vibe of Rita Is Gone playing as they cross into Onyx Moon territory.