𝓓𝓸 𝓸𝓻 𝓓𝓲𝓮 ❣︎ 𝓔𝓶𝓫𝓮𝓻 𝓐𝓭𝓭𝓪𝓶𝓼

𝓢𝓔𝓡𝓘𝓔𝓢 𝓞𝓝𝓔 ❣︎ 6

The Harvest Festival took place in Jericho. It was basically a field in the middle of the night, lit by lights on strings. There was also fairground rides, which Ember wouldn't care about if people didn't make such loud screams when they went in them.

Just as they were now, as Wednesday, Enid, and Ember stood beside a flying swings ride, watching Tyler and his dad argue ten metres away. Wednesday and Ember wore all black, but Enid, of course, had a pink jacket on, complete with a bright pink jumper.

"Are you sure you can trust that normie?" She asked Ember one last time.

"I trust that I can handle myself," she answered, avoiding the question. She didn't know whether Tyler was to be trusted. But he had helped her so far, so hopefully he would continue to do so.

"Well," Enid smiled. "Good luck, and safe travels."

She extended her arms and stepped forward. Ember stepped backwards.

"Still not a hugger," Enid smiled with a closed mouth. "Got it."

And with a quick glance at Wednesday, who shot her a cold one back, she was off, taken in by the festival.

But as Enid disappeared into the crowd, Ember noticed Principal Weems sitting on a bench about twenty metres away. And even though people were walking in between them, her gaze was always fixed on Ember and Wednesday.

So she had to move.

She went to this stall where you shot darts at balloons to win free teddy bears.

Pop! In one motion, Ember had thrown as dart that hit the first balloon straight on. Pop! Pop! As with the second and third. Pop! Pop! Pop! The stall owner was looking at her strangely. Pop-

"Jeez, you get any better at this, you'll be taking home a whole pack," Xavier Thorpe was leaning against the stall table as he gestured to the panda teddy bears being given out.

"Pandas don't travel in packs. They prefer solitude," Ember replied, hitting another balloon square on with a dart.

"Oh, so you should take one. You can relate," Xavier shot back.

"Oh, and I would've thought you'd have got the subtle hint," Ember popped the last balloon and turned to face him. "You should know I'm waiting for someone."

"Oh yeah, who's the lucky guy?" Xavier asked.

If Ember had known what jealousy looked like, she would've detected it here, but she didn't, so she remained willfully ignorant for the time being.

"What does it matter to you?"

"Well, I don't want anyone going off with a stranger, but Ember-"

"Sorry, I didn't mean to interrupt," Tyler was standing behind her, Wednesday by his side.

"You're not," Xavier said angrily, giving Ember a glance before walking off between her and Tyler.

"Well, this is going to be trickier than I thought," Tyler said, walking into Xavier's empty space. "Dad gave me a curfew. We're gonna have to go if we want to make it back in time.

"We've got some dead weight I need to lose first," Wednesday said, for she had also noticed Principal Weems, who was now sitting at another bench, eating a burger.

Ember said in a low voice to Tyler. "Meet us behind the parking lot when the fireworks start."

Tyler gave her a quick nod before going off.

Just when the stall owner came up with a panda for Ember.

"You see that sad, lonely woman over there?" Ember said, suddenly thinking of a way to ditch Weems. "She needs this validation more than I do," she handed the guy the twenty dollars she was going give to Tyler. "Distract her for me, will you?"