Witness Protection ✔

Carnival

The carnival was everything she imagined it to be. From the lights and the smells to the sounds and vibrations the attractions created. It was heaven on earth.

They were going on a busy Saturday night, the crowd was supposed to conceal them as long as they acted inconspicuously. She'd been nervous about going somewhere busy. For months she'd only been outside in the early morning hours when the streets were deserted and the stores empty. But this was a whole different ballpark.

At first, she felt kind of overwhelmed. The sounds were too loud and the lights too bright. But that only lasted a minute before excitement took over.

She didn't know where to look, there was so much to see everywhere. She tried to burn everything into her brain so she wouldn't ever forget these moments.

From an outsider's perspective, Darius looked normal. His shoulders were relaxed and his hands were in his pockets.

But Nathalia knew him too well by now.

There was a muscle in his jaw that sometimes tensed when he looked at certain people, and she knew he had at least one gun on him. It was concealed well enough, and they were in a state where it was legal to do so. So even if people saw it, they wouldn't think anything about it.

"Thanks again for taking me," she said as she watched a carnie hand out flyers of some kind.

"You've got to stop thanking me, it's fine," he answered for what felt like the twentieth time.

"I'm just really grateful. We've got to-- wait is that a fortune-teller?"

She pointed to a tent, it was almost hidden away between a baseball toss game and a balloon pop. He followed her line of sight and nodded.

"Seems like it."

"Can we go?"

He looked at her like she was mad but still nodded. Truth be told, she didn't believe in fortune-tellers. She'd never visited one either. But it intrigued her nonetheless.

"Come see! Come see! The great madame Maevana knows your fortune! Tell me, kids, are you ready to know your future?" the man in front of the tent hollered loudly as he saw them approach.

What was it with people calling them kids?

But she still nodded eagerly as Darius bought their tickets, she doubted he wanted to know anything but he couldn't let her go inside alone. The man pulled back the purple curtain at the entrance and ushered them inside.

It smelled like incense and was kind of misty. There were pillows and rugs all over the floor and in the middle sat a small woman in robes in front of a low table. The woman had her grey hair in a bun adorned with fancy pins. Her arms were covered in gold bracelets and gold rings graced her fingers.

"Welcome, daring youngsters. So you wish to know the unknown? Please take a seat." she said as she waved her bony hands around.

Despite not believing in fortune-telling, Nathalia still felt nervous. She rubbed her hands on her thighs and looked over at Darius. He didn't look too impressed, but then again he never did.

"What is it you wish to know, child?" she asked.

"I-- um... My future?" she answered uncertainly. That's what fortune-tellers did right? Tell you about your future?

"Give me your hand," the woman instructed as she reached out her hands as well.

Nathalia placed her right hand in the woman's wrinkly ones. The woman closed her eyes and seemed to concentrate very hard until she nodded and opened her eyes.