Lavender Monarch has Exactly Thirteen Fears

37. up, up and away

We leave the house of mirrors and find Jade and Indigo leaning against the back wall. 

"What took you so long?" Jade asks. 

"We...got lost?" I say, looking at June. Jade breaks into laughter. 

"Please tell me you guys were making out in there!" 

"Of course not!" I swat her arm, hating the way I can feel my cheeks warming again. "Let's go, we only have fifteen minutes till this place closes."

We got here pretty late and it only stays open till 1 am. With all June and I's gallivanting around, the time just slipped away. I pull out my list and cross out mirrors. Looking up at the mass amount of people milling around that we'd been walking through for the last thirty minutes, I cross crowds out too. One word seems to bore a hole through my head. Heights. 

I tuck the list away into my pocket and look up at my three friends standing around me. 

"We have just over ten minutes, where are we going?"

"Well I don't know about y'all," Indigo says, "But I need some fairyfloss." 

"Yes!" Jade cries, "Fairyfloss is my Kryptonite." 

After eating all those marshmallows, I don't think I could stomach it even if fairyfloss is one of my favourite foods. Plus, June and I have a mission to complete. 

"We'll meet you guys after," I say. The two of them walk off, giggling and swinging their hands in between them. June and I turn and walk the other way. We both know exactly where we're going without having to exchange a word. I look up at the massive spinning wheel of coloured lights and feel my stomach start to summersault like some kind of circus performer. 

I stand in front of it for what feels like forever. 

But forever is only two seconds away. 

"Hi," June says to the man in front of the ride. "Two please."

The man gives him a grim smile and shakes his head. "Sorry mate. We're closing up for the night, no one else is being admitted."

I bite my lip and turn to June. "It's okay, we can always come back tomorrow." In all honesty, none of me wants to come back tomorrow. I need to do this now, but I don't want June to feel bad.

"No!" he says in sudden defiance, "we are so close to finishing. We're doing this. Tonight." 

I silently thank him for his stubbornness. Smiling, I step back. "Okay, but you have to work out how!" We're doing this tonight.  

He turns back to the man and puts on his best 'mature voice'. 

"I completely understand, sir. However, my friend here and I are on a very important mission that we must complete tonight. It is of vital importance that we get on this ride. Is there anything we could possibly do?" 

The man bursts into raucous laughter, spit flying out of his mouth and getting caught in his moustache. 

"Look, son. I don't know who you think you are...but that was rather cute. So, okay. We'll make a deal here, see. But don't tell anyone, okay? okay. Well that chicken. Can you smell it? Yeah? Well, I've been smelling it bloody all night and I say, I'm starving. If you can get me some of that then I just might let you on. Now off with yous." 

He flicks his hand at us and turns away. I look at June in bewilderment but he just starts running. 

"C'mon! We don't have much time," he calls. I run after him, laughing.