Chapter 3: The Tickets

"So Wander, where do you want to head to now?" Sylvia asked as she tossed the peel of an orange over her shoulder.

"Weeeeeeeeeeeeeell…" Wander said in a high pitched voice. He dragged the well along for several seconds, while raising one eyebrow and smiling in his signature way. Whenever he stressed this word it usually meant that he had done something without telling Sylvia about it.

"Wander… what did you do?" She asked with a hint of concern and annoyance in her voice. It was too early in the morning for her to have to fix one of Wander's messes.

"Don't worry Syl, it's nothin' bad." Wander said with a carefree wave of his hand. "I just wanted to tell ya that I heard about this amazing carnival planet just a few planets over! It has rides and games and food and I bet it'll be a heap of fun!"

"Huh, that does sound like fun." Sylvia said with a relieved smile. "We should definitely go there. But, what was with the face?" She narrowed her eyes and studied Wander before continuing. "You look like you did something buddy… did you?"

"Weeeeeeeeeeeeeell…" Wander said again.

"Oh no." Sylvia groaned.

"Don't worry Sylvia. Like I said, it ain't anythin' bad. It's just that the planet tends to get pretty crowded this time of year and you have to pay for a ticket to get in. So, I figured I'd surprise ya with some tickets!" Wander took off his hat, setting it down on the ground carefully before pulling out two, shiny gold tickets. They sparkled in the light as he twisted them around in his hand. "They weren't too much but because we were a little behind the crowd they did cost a bit extra."

"How much extra?" The expression on Wander's face did not calm her nerves.

"Just a… bit." His eyes darted around the planet, focusing on everything but her. "I didn't have enough in my little ol' savings so I um… had to borrow some from you."

"Wander! You took some of my money so you could buy tickets?" Sylvia's eyes widened at the guilty expression on her pal's face. She could feel her temper rising at the thought of her hard earned money, squandered away without her permission. She opened her mouth to start yelling again, ready to tell Wander exactly what she thought, but stopped when she noticed the drops of moisture at the corners of his eyes.

Wander was staring at the ground, refusing to look her in the eye. It was obvious he was trying to keep the tears from falling down. His grin was replaced with a grimace of guilt, it trembled as he spoke quietly. "I'm sorry Syl… I don't know what got into me. I heard about the carnival a little too late I guess. When I tried to get us tickets, he told me it would cost more than usual. I… I wanted to surprise ya but I didn't have enough. I thought that maybe, I don't know, if I used some of your money to get them you wouldn't be as mad at me because you'd be too busy havin' fun." He looked up slowly, eyes shining with tears he refused to shed. "After I did it… I knew I did something wrong. My gutty works felt like they were going to explode, they just kept squirming around. But he didn't do refunds and I couldn't get the money back."

Sylvia's heart snapped at the sight of her carefree buddy so forlorn. Swallowing the harsh words she had been about to say, she placed a comforting hand on his back. "Look buddy, I know sometimes you get excited and can't help yourself… but taking my money without permission is stealing."

"I know." Wander said with a sigh. "I don't know why I did it. I haven't stolen anything before… 'sides my hat of course, but that don't really count much. I promise I'll pay ya back Sylvia. Every single bit of it!"

"I know you will pal." Sylvia said with a roll of her eyes and a smile. It was hard to be mad at someone who was usually never doing anything to get mad about. She could tell that Wander was still berating himself for losing his self-control. His eyes still watered and his mouth was set in a determined straight line. "Until then, we might as well put those tickets to good use, huh?"

In one swift motion she hurled him onto her back and began running. Smiling, Wander wrapped an Orbble bubble around them. Soon they were sprinting through space towards a planet that seemed to glow with hundreds of colorful lights. Music could be heard from it even though they were still quite a few planets away. Wander marveled at how loud it must be on the surface of the planet. His eyes admired the lights for a few minutes before gazing towards the stars that surrounded him and Sylvia. He liked those lights much better.

'The planet's lights might be more excitin' but these lights sure are more relaxin'. Always there when I look for them, like billions and billions of friends.' Wander thought with a sigh as he reclined on Sylvia's back. She was busy sprinting and wasn't paying much attention to him at the moment. He knew she already had forgiven him for the tickets, but he still hadn't forgiven himself. 'I sure hope she isn't too mad when she finds out why I really wanted to come here. I can't believe I lied to her… I never lie to her or anyone for that matter.'

His gutty works, as he liked to call them, were still squirming around inside of him. He had a feeling they wouldn't stop until he came clean. But he couldn't tell her until he was certain it was true. Wander didn't want Sylvia to worry about him for no reason. Closing his eyes, he thought back to when he had first found out about the carnival planet. It had been a few planets before the one they were leaving, on a dry planet full of tumbleweeds and rocks.

…..

"Now Wander, I'm going to go get us some more Orbble juice. You just stay put okay? I don't like the looks of this place." Sylvia said sternly. She placed both hands on Wander's shoulders so he would be forced to look her in the eyes.

Smiling, Wander agreed while trying to wiggle out of her grasp. He was itching to check the nice, little town out. It was amazing! There were rickety buildings that made noise when people walked into them and a well in the center of town where people went to get a drink. Tumbleweeds rolled by constantly and he was certain he had seen a rock shaped like a star somewhere. His eyes grew bigger and bigger as he imagined all the incredible things he had yet to see.

Sylvia sighed, she could tell by the look on Wander's face that he was not content to just sit and wait for her. He was going to… wander off somewhere. Deciding that all she could do was get the Orbble juice as quickly as possible, she released him and dashed towards the store.

As soon as Sylvia was in the shop, Wander turned around and began to race through the town. His feet were nothing but a blur against the ground as he sprinted from building to building. He knew that Sylvia didn't want him too, but he figured it was just because she was a little jumpy from the landing. Their Orbble had popped unexpectedly, hurling them towards the ground without warning. Wander had been fine, but she still had insisted that she examine him to make sure he was not hurt in any way. Wander had held back his giggles and let her do it. After all, what was the harm in making her feel better? When she had finally been done, Wander had casually noted that they were out of juice and that she should get some more.

Wander didn't consider it tricking her. They did need more juice, and Sylvia was the one that was better at getting things. Whenever she sent Wander on a mission he was usually sidetracked by good deeds that were practically screaming for him to do. He shrugged his shoulders at the thought of Sylvia being able to ignore someone with untied shoes or a mat that people kept tripping on. He couldn't do it, but she sure could. He had to admit that her attitude did come in handy when they needed something done quickly.

"Sylvia did need to get the juice." Wander said to himself as he examined a large boulder. "If I happen to get a little look see at the town, well… it can only help."

"I don't know who this Sylvia is… but I do have somethin' that can help ya and her." A voice said from behind him. It was deep and gravelly, like whoever was speaking had not drank all day.

"What the what now?" Wander said as he spun around quickly. He had not even heard anyone approach, he had been so focused on the boulder. "Oh, hi there stranger! My name is Wander and Sylvia is my very best friend. Who might you be?" He held out his hand for the strange man to shake.

The man was small, being only a few inches taller than Wander, and looked as if he was made out of a boulder himself. His grey skin was rough and cracked, small brown hairs stuck out from the top of his head. It was as if he had tumbleweeds growing out of him. Two yellow, beady eyes looked at Wander's hand with disgust before he finally shook it with a large hand of his own. "My name's not important, but if ya have to call me somethin', call me Bud."

"Okay then Bud." Wander said with a large grin, ecstatic at making a new friend. He suppressed the shivers that threatened to go down his spine at the feeling of the hand in his. Bud felt hard and rough, like he was shaking hands with the dry ground. "What was it you were sayin' bout helping me and Sylvia?"

"Well, have ya ever heard of the planet three planets over? It's a carnival planet, full of games and rides and food fer everyone." Bud said as he released Wander's hand. He smiled, revealing his yellow, pointed teeth. "I jus' happen to have a few extra tickets I can sell to ya… that is, if ya have enough."

"Wow! I'd love those tickets!" Wander said with a leap into the air. "That sounds like a great planet! How much?"

"Well…" Bud motioned for Wander to come closer. Leaning in, he whispered an amount into the furry nomad's ear. His grin widened when he saw the smile slip from the orange traveler's face.

"I don't have that much, but um…" Wander said with a nervous look towards the store Sylvia had went into. "My pal Sylvia's got a little bit stashed away in my hat."

"Jus' borrow it from her then." Bud said with a low cackle.

"I… I guess I could." Wander slowly took off his hat, reaching a hand inside. Wander began to think of Sylvia. She had trusted him with her emergency money because she believed that it would be safest with her best friend. The carnival planet would be fun, but was fun worth losing his friend's trust? His face suddenly hardened, snatching his hand out of the hat, he faced Bud. "No. I won't borrow anythin' from Sylvia without her permission. That isn't even borrowing… why, it's stealing and I refuse to steal! I'm sorry, but you are just going to have to sell those tickets to someone else. Please, have a pleasant day."

Bud's eyes widened as Wander began to walk away. He was sure that he had been about to make a big profit on those tickets. He needed something else to pull the little guy in. Something to peak his interest, something he couldn't ignore. A devious grin formed on his crumbling face. "Ya know, I jus' remembered somethin' I did yesterday. I sold a ticket to someone who looked an awful lot like ya'll."

Wander screeched to a halt. He began to shake nervously, turning around slowly. Wide eyed and mouth agape, he stammered out a question. "L-l-like me?" He didn't like where this conversation was going. His brain screamed for him to run away before he did something he would regret, but his curiosity had always been stronger than his common sense. It forced him to stay and listen to what Bud had to say.

Bud casually leaned against a rickety, wooden shack as if he couldn't care less about the conversation. "Yep. Short little gal. 'Bout an inch or so shorter than ya'll in fact. Blonde fur, green eyes, and a pink scarf tied round her neck. She bought a ticket from me and raced off towards the carnival planet."

"Gal?" Wander whispered in awe.

Bud's grin widened at the tone of Wander's voice. He had him hooked. "Yep… gal. Real nice gal too. Sweetest voice I've ever heard. Asked if I had ever seen anythin' like her before. Told her no, but I gotta change my answer after seein' ya."

It sounded as if Bud had seen another Star Nomad. Wander looked at the ground in thought. He had never heard someone say they had seen someone like him before. Most people in this galaxy didn't even know what he was. Star Nomads were few and far between. Seeing two in the same galaxy was as rare as seeing two flowers bloom at exactly the same time. If Bud was right… that meant there was a Star Nomad on the carnival planet. His eyes hardened. He had to find her. He had to know.

Silently, Wander took off his hat and reached inside.

…..

Wander frowned as the memory ended. 'I had to lie.' He tried to convince himself that he had no other choice. 'Sylvia wouldn't like that I bought somethin' from Bud. She thinks the tickets were from some official worker. He might have been, I never thought to ask him. Plus, I don't want Sylvia to know 'bout the other Star Nomad… not yet. Not until I'm sure.'

Sighing, he turned around and sat upright on Sylvia's back. The truth was, he wasn't sure if he wanted to know either. It would crush his heart to get there only to find out that Bud had been lying to him. Maybe it would be better to not hope so much. That way if it turned out to be a lie, he wouldn't feel as bad. Wander shook his head grimly. He forced himself to hope, because he wanted to feel what it was like to believe there was another Star Nomad out there for as long as he could. He didn't know when, or if he ever would, be able to feel that kind of hope again.