Chapter 14: I'm Playing With Fire, Yeah Right

I'm not much of a bragger, but the Carnival was simply amazing.

Everything was in order and everybody was enjoying themselves. I could hear the fun from the lively music and the laughter around me as I combed the crowds for anything that was out of place or needed to be changed.

By noon, we were playing cards at the back of our Committee Tent. It was set up like a gypsy's tent (or what I thought what a gypsy's tent looks like), it was midnight blue and a sign with "Fortune Telling" scrawled on it was hanging at the entrance. It was Jesse who came up with this incredibly fun idea to raise money for charity, as was the practice of the Carnival Committee.

Kim was currently on duty as the fortune teller, dressed in a long black cloak with a hood covering her face and fake super-long fingernails, which were crawling over a crystal ball sitting on the small round table in the headquarters of the tent, separated from our lounge by a flap of cloth.

"I'm hungry," I said. "Can anyone go and buy lunch?"

"No," chorused Brian, Jesse and Vicky.

I rolled my eyes and put my cards down on the ground upside down. "Fine. I'll go."

"I want a pepperoni pizza," said Jesse.

"No, you won't get one unless you go with me," I replied, making a face at him.

"Pleeease?" he pleaded, putting on his puppy face.

"You don't do that half as good as Galahad," I said, shaking my head.

"Galahad?" asked Vicky with a frown.

"Um, I meant Ga-Ga-Gary," I stuttered. "I think. Um, I mean, yeah, Gary."

Brian narrowed his eyes suspiciously at me. "Galahad? That sounds like some weird medieval name-"

"Anyways," I interrupted him loudly. "I'm going to get you all hotdogs now so no looking at my cards okay?"

I dashed out of the tent through the "backflap", my heart pounding like mad. Oh great, I let it slip. I couldn't believe that I just said Galahad's name in front of everyone! No big deal though, no normal person would link Galahad to a medieval knight. I mean, that guy sang Westlife! Seriously.

It seemed like Brian had an idea, but he was a sensible person, he couldn't possibly suspect that the guys had traveled through time. Right?

I was still musing when I was grabbed from behind, and I yelped as I was dragged backwards towards our tent.

"What the-?" I couldn't finish my question as Kim pulled the hood of her cloak over my face and the fake fingernails were jammed over my own.

"Alright, get out there!" hissed Kim and pushed me to the front of the tent before I could ask what the hell was going on.

Oh my God.

I immediately made a move to run back to our lounge before the couple sitting at the table noticed, but three pairs of hands pushed me forward. I tripped and nearly fell, effectively catching the attention of the pair.

I swore to Heaven, I would kill my own Committee myself when I got over with this.

I wordlessly sat down at the table, grateful for the fact that the hood shadowed my face.

"What would you like to know of your future?" I asked, disguising my voice in a thick accent I made up myself.

Midge leaned in close to Tristan, and said breathlessly, "I wanna see my future with my boyfriend. Right, Timmy?"

It took all my strength not to let my jaw hit the table as Tristan gave a small smile at her adoring face.

He actually smiled at her.

For two whole weeks I hadn't seen him smile. I mean, the closest he got to smiling was smirking.

Did he just smile at her?

Geez.

I forced a smile myself and poised my fake fingernails over the crystal ball, moving them in a circular motion as I racked my brain for something to say about her "future" with her boyfriend except that he might be whizzing back to the past anytime soon.

This fortune telling thing was more of an impromptu game, which I should be good at since I'm on the British Parliamentary Debating team. But my whole mind was a blank.

Then it came to me.

I kept my voice low and mysterious. "I see- smoke."

"Smoke?" echoed Midge with a scowl. "As in cigarettes?"

"Do not interrupt the fortune teller," I said ominously. "I see smoke over a great field. The grass has faded to brown, the sun is veiled by the haze."

I paused, trying to recall the battle scene in the Lord of the Rings movie.

"There is a great army," I saw Tristan stiffen, and Midge looked baffled. "There are swords, and arrows, and eagles flying overhead. There is a wizard cloaked in white- no, scratch that."

I turned to Midge, making sure that the cloak still hung over my face. I didn't even notice my voice going lower. "I see your boyfriend in the middle of it, a sword in hand, wearing armour, on a warhorse. There are screams, blood- and death."

Midge gasped, and Tristan solemnly put a protective arm around her shoulders. I had to bite the insides of my mouth to keep myself from throwing up.

"But- but why?" she asked squeakily.

"Why?" I smirked. "Only fate knows."

Tristan tossed a coin in the charity box and stood up, staring intently at me. Like he knew I was me (um, yes, that made sense). I kept my eyes trained on the crystal ball as they walked out, Midge sniffing pathetically.

When I thought that I was safe, I threw back my cloak, only to meet the steely gaze of Tristan.

"What?" I snapped.

"We need to talk," he replied flatly.

"As I have said before, I thought you weren't that fond of talking," I said in rapid fire.

"Faye," he growled. "I am serious."

"And I'm not?" I shot back. I stood up and poked him in the chest. "I don't know what's up with these weird tantrums you choose to throw at me, just cut it out 'cause I'm sick of your behaviour."

"We need to talk," he repeated himself.

"Yes, I heard that the first time round but NO I'm not talking to you!" I turned around to leave but Tristan managed to haul me outside, despite the fact that I was practically digging my heels in the ground. "Let me go!"

He didn't stop till we were a few feet away from our tent, a relatively quiet area, and I jerked my wrist from his hand.

"What do you want?" I snarled at his tanned face.

"Why did you talk about that?" he asked darkly.

"Care to clarify?"

"The battle."

"It just came up. What? Did it upset your girlfriend?" I asked sweetly.

He took a step towards me, but I didn't move. Heck, did he think that I was scared of him? He needed to have his masculine ego deflated. It's the twenty-first century, for crying out loud.

"Was it deliberate," he asked/stated.

"It was spontaneous," I replied.

"Why did you hint at our origin," he asked/stated again.

"Oh, did I?" I asked innocently.

Tristan leant down and said threateningly in my ear. "You're playing with fire."

I mirrored his move, standing on tip-toe and whispered sarcastically in his ear. "I'm scared."

He simply smirked at me and walked away.

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I must have looked murderous when I got back to the tent, because Jesse volunteered to buy lunch for everyone and Vicky suddenly lost her walkie-talkie which was still strapped to her belt. Only Kim had the guts to talk to me.

"Well, what did he want?" she asked, sounding impatient.

"Nothing," I replied.

"Oh yeah? You two were glaring at each other like there's no tomorrow," stated Kim with a smirk.

"That's because Tim only knows how to glare at people," I said dryly. "And why the heck did you get off duty so suddenly just then?"

"Oh, I just thought you'd want to handle those two yourself," shrugged Kim nonchalantly.

I snorted. "Handle those two?"

"You did a great job by the way," she patted me on the shoulder. "You scared the crap out of Midge."

"My pleasure," I said tonelessly.

"Someone's looking for you, Faye," called Vicky suddenly from outside.

Thinking it was another Music Association committee member, I groaned and trudged outside.

I brightened immediately when I saw my visitor. "Jake!"

"Faye!" he laughed and gave me a hug. "It took me forever to find you!"

"Well, you did find me after all," I grinned.

"The Carnival looks fantastic, great job," he commented, looking around appraisingly.

I took advantage of the moment to scan his attire. He was dressed in formal clothes, but his shirt was not tucked in and he wasn't wearing a tie. I ignored the looks Kim was giving me which were screaming "Who is this hot guy!".

"You just got off work?" I asked casually.

"Yeah, it's horrible, being a lawyer," he joked with a wink.

I laughed. "Have you had lunch yet?"

"No, you?"

I shook my head. "Let's get a hotdog or something."

"Cool," said Jake. "Then maybe you'll show me around?" He wriggled his eyebrows comically

I grinned. "Love to."

The hotdogs that we bought were thankfully edible, and we had a stroll around the Carnival before I suggested going on the Ferris Wheel.

"How did you manage to get hold of that?" asked Jake, staring up at the Wheel as we got into line.

"By yelling on the phone," I replied smartly.

Jake grinned. "Sounds like you're good at that."

I was about to reply when I spotted someone over his shoulder.

I must have started glaring or something, because Jake followed my gaze and when he turned back to me, he had a questioning look on his face.

"Hell-ooo Faye," sang Midge as she queued up behind us, her hand laced with Tristan's. "Who's your friend here?"

I didn't bother to smile. "Guys, this is Jake. Jake, this is Midge and Tim. He's staying at our house at the meantime."

"Nice to meet you," said Jake warmly.

"Hi Jake," said Midge flirtatiously. "I haven't seen you around at school."

"I'm not a student," answered Jake politely. "I'm a lawyer."

"Wow, that's so cool!" enthused Midge. "How did you two meet?"

I was aware of Tristan's hard stare at us, and I said calmly, "We knew each other when we were kids."

"We were neighbours," added Jake.

"Wow," said Midge dismissively. "Oh, aren't you excited about our dance later, Faye?"

Jake looked curious. "What dance?"

"It's just a performance," I shrugged. "It's a tradition for the Committee to perform something to wrap up the show."

"It's ballroom dancing," said Midge importantly.

"Ballroom dancing!" grinned Jake. "You never told me, Faye."

"You never asked," I replied lightly.

"Will you be staying to watch, Jake?" asked Midge excitedly.

"I'll have to leave by three," he answered. "When's the dance?"

"Aw, you're gonna miss it," she lamented. "The dance starts at five!"

"What a shame, I'll be at a meeting then," winced Jake. "Maybe I'll dance with you sometime later?" he turned to me with a smile, shutting Midge out.

"I'm not sure if I want to dance anymore after tonight," I replied uncertainly.

"Why?"

"High heels are fatal," I said solemnly.

Unexpectedly, Jake laughed, and I had to grin at him.

"Next!"

"Come on," he took my hand and we hurried to take our places on the Ferris Wheel.

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I guess I was glad that Jake wasn't there to watch me dance. I was so nervous that I was ready to jump off a building.

"Breathe, Faye," Joshua ordered, hands on my shoulders. "Just breathe. You'll be fine."

"No! I can't remember anything!" I shrieked in the tent behind the stage. "Can I go home? Pleeease?"

"Nonsense," said Lancelot sternly. "You're gonna be fine. Stop fretting."

"Oh my God," I started to lower my face to my hands, but Colette leapt at me and grabbed me.

"No touchie!" she screeched. "You'll ruin the make-up!"

"Repeat after me," Christopher joined in my personal counseling team. " 'I will not make an ass out of myself.'"

I was bordering on hysteria. "I WILL make an ass out of myself!"

"Piss off!" said Kim, shoving my brother away. "You're making her nervous!"

"Nervous? I'm HYSTERIC!" I yelled. "Oh please, just let me go! I'll buy you all lollipops! Strawberry flavour! I'm serious!"

"Thirty seconds!" shouted one of the assistants.

"Noooo!" I sobbed tearlessly.

"What do you do to a hysteric teenage girl?" Joshua asked Colette.

"Um, slap her?" suggested Christopher.

"No! Her make-up!" screamed Colette, annoyed.

Then Tristan was standing before me, his hands in his trousers' pockets, looking incredibly good in his dancing suit.

"We practised," he said quietly, his eyes holding mine in a composed manner.

I nodded.

"You will remember your steps."

I nodded.

"Alright dancers, take the floor!"

"C'mon gorgeous!" Joshua grabbed my hand.

Suddenly, it all began.

The afternoon sun was gentle and warm on my face, frozen in a smile, walking as elegantly as I could on dark blue heels which matched my dress. I could hardly see the crowd just a few feet away as Joshua and I took centre stage, which Madame reluctantly agreed to only because I was President of the Committee.

I rested my right hand on Joshua's shoulder, while he held my other, arched my back and looked at the clouds overhead, waiting for the music to start. In the few moments of silence I tried to bribe myself. If I don't fall, I can go home and take my heels apart then throw them at stupid Midge looking so smug with Tristan-

I was startled out of my evil plans when the music started with a bang. It was quicker than I remembered, and I found that there was no room for nerves as my head filled with the routine of my steps and the enticing rhythm of the music, banishing all other stray thoughts.

Quick, quick, slow- quick, quick, slow- those practice sessions with Tristan really paid off. I could see the surprise on Joshua's face as I got through the first half of the dance without tripping, though some of my steps were unsteady. The music slowed and he twirled me around so I was facing the crowd, all hushed and attentive, as the notes dwindled to a soft, mellow note.

Then it started again, in a much more seductive tone than it had before. The sensual part.

I took a deep breath and waited. When the hand came, I knew it wasn't Joshua's. Shit.

The grip on my shoulder was confident, dominant, even. The palm was rough, sliding down my bare shoulder and the whole length of my arm to take my hand and spun me around in a tight turn.

For once, my prediction was right.

I threw my arm around Tristan's neck and closed the space between us leisurely, in time with the slow music, till we were so close that I saw my reflection in his dark eyes.

Suddenly the music accelerated like water spilling over a steep, narrow creek. I twisted out of his grasp, doing an impression of a "startled deer", as Madame liked to put in. I think I just ended up looking weird, but there was no time to wallow in my ridiculousness.

It was a dance of an impatient man and an unsure lady, Madame had said. And I didn't get it until now. Tristan moved with an predatory grace, his feet following mine with such an aggression that it sort of scared me.

The deep, seductive music sounded as if it was played to match Tristan's steps. His rhythm was impeccable. His foot touched the floor the exact moment a new bar of music started, his hands touched mine the very second the music heightened.

He made me nervous, and nervousness should lead to mistakes, but the way he led allowed no possibility for mistakes. His eyes seemed to draw the steps out of me, and I couldn't look away. Heck, I don't think I could've danced a wrong step even if I chased after myself with a stick.

And Madame didn't crown him the king of sensuality for nothing. My breath hitched every time his hands innocently skimmed my back and possessively seized my waist whilst the music grew richer, which were plenty.

Before I knew it, the last chord struck, and I was pressed against Tristan, our faces level, one of my arms around his neck and the other flung heavenwards.

The applaud didn't reach my ears until I became acutely aware of his hands on my waist and my thigh, and in a panic I nearly fell off him.

"Geez, get offa me," I hissed, and he unhurriedly freed me, with a smirk that I couldn't quite categorize on his face, still holding onto my hand as we bowed to the crowd.

"Faye! Faye! We love you!" I recognized Gawain and Galahad's maniac shouts in the enormous noise thrown at us, but I couldn't see them in the sudden rush of dizziness that attacked me.

I practically fled the scene once I hit backstage, not even noticing that I was running on heels. I didn't stop running till I reached the girls' room, and locked myself in a cubicle, panting like a horse, my brain in knots.

"Calm down," I commanded myself aloud. "Whoa."

What happened back there? Why was I dancing with Tristan? How could I have enjoyed it so much?

Because it felt really good. It was the kind of satisfaction that came to me an outstanding speech or a won debate. Funny it should come after a dance, especially one with Tristan-who-had-just-pissed-me-off.

"Faye Parkhurst!" someone burst into the washroom, screaming.

I opened the door of my cubicle. "What?"

Midge stalked furiously over to me, and yelled in my face. "You stole my boyfriend!"

"What?" I gaped.

"You stole my boyfriend!" she shouted louder this time.

"I heard you, you idiot!" I snapped. "And I didn't steal your boyfriend, as you put it!"

"Then why were you dancing with him?"
"Am I supposed to know?" I shot back.

I shouldn't have been surprised when Midge burst into tears, and that was when her followers entered, tissues ready and all.

"Darling!" squealed a random cheerleader. "Why are you crying?"

"That slut stole my boyfriend!" Midge sniffed, flinging an accusing finger at me.

"Which part of the sentence did you not understand?" I asked, rolling my eyes. "I. Did. Not. Steal. Your. Freaking. Boyfriend. Geez, I knew you were intellectually challenged, but it seems that you're worse than I thought."

"I know, darling! I saw!" another faithful follower sent me a glare.

"My dance was ruined!" sobbed Midge dramatically.

"Don't cry, darling! Your boyfriend will be heartbroken to see you like this!" cooed yet another cheerleader.

I snorted. "I'm outta here. Drama's not for me."

"You won't get away with this!" cried Midge, as threateningly as she could, which was not threatening at all.

"I am currently, literally, getting away," I told her, and shut the door behind me.

"Faye!"

I turned around and scowled. "Joshua Greenings. Just the man I needed."

Joshua had the grace to look uneasy. "Um, something wrong, Faye?"

"Why did you dump me?" I asked sharply.

"I didn't dump you!" he protested.

"Oh yeah? Was it a mirage or was I dancing with Timothy?" I challenged.

"Oh that," he said, scratching his head. "Well, you see-"

"If you were that ashamed of dancing with me, you could've told me," I interrupted him, poking his shoulder. "But I don't appreciate being tossed around without my consent."

"Look, Faye, I'm sorry but-"

"Yeah you're sorry, but guess what, it doesn't matter because within fifteen minutes the whole school will be thinking I'm a slut who stole the most popular girl's boyfriend," I snapped.

"It's not like that-"

"Well it seems to me that it is like that. Whatever Joshua, game over," I turned on my heels and returned to the field.

Kim was the first person I saw after I emerged from the school building, and she looked beautifully flushed and excited.

"There you are!" she grinned, grabbing my arm. "We have a surprise for you!"

"Oh?"

We sprinted across the field (on heels, mind you, I was getting hang of it) to the stage we just performed on, and I was surprised to hear music- Westlife, precisely- wafting gently in the air.

A large crowd of people were swaying to the tender tone of Why Do I Love You, and I couldn't help but laugh when I saw the Medieval Cowboys singing on stage.

"Why do I love you?" cooed Galahad into the microphone, looking like a pro. "Don't even want to. Why do I love you like I do, like I always do?"

Then Gawain caught sight of me and waved, and heads swiveled to my direction.

Brian and Jesse then went on stage and pushed Arthur from his mike stand, while the others continued the song.

Jesse said animatedly into the microphone. "I guess we all owe our thanks to Faye, who made this amazing Carnival possible, and for the lovely dance she just performed for us. Thank you, Faye, we love you."

I blushed as I was awarded a round of applause, and cheeky catcalls from Gawain and Galahad.

"We love you Faye!" shouted Gawain before going back to his cooing. "Why do I love you like I do, like I always do?"

"And of course, we have to thank the rest of the Committee as well," added Brian jokingly, but was given an uproar of cheers. "And to our guest performers, the Medieval Cowboys!"

"That's all from us folks, have fun and we wish you all a good night," concluded Jesse.

I cheered with the rest of the crowd, a warm happiness settling in my stomach. We did it. We pulled it off. It was done.

I knew then why I had that sense of satisfaction a few minutes ago. It was not because I danced with Tristan- it was because I knew our hard work had finally paid off.

"I love you guys!" I declared as we did a Committee Hug.

"We know," winked Brian. "Now let's go and celebrate!"

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"Wow, your car's a mess, Brian," I said, climbing over a stack of books.

"Yeah, I hate clearing lockers," he replied.

I stopped short. "What?"

Vicky pushed me out of her way. "Don't tell me you forgot, it was you who insisted on having the school clear the lockers."

"Oh shit, I forgot!" I swore.

"Here, take this bag and get over with it," said Jesse, throwing me an empty plastic bag.

"Thanks," I grumbled and got off the car, jogging all the way to my locker.

The corridor was empty and eerily quiet, though I could hear the distant thump of the Medieval Cowboys' songs. I quickly unlocked my locker, and groaned at the enormous piles of paper that had accumulated in it.

I was gingerly extracting a very old sweater from the mound when someone cleared their throat behind me.

"Tristan!" I hissed, my hands on my chest. "You scared me."

He did not say anything, but stepped closer till he was standing before me.

"I want an explanation," I demanded bravely, looking at him in the eye. I remembered the times that I was afraid to even hold his gaze, which were quite recent, actually. I wondered when I got rid of that fear.

"So do I," he replied, burying his hands in the pockets of his trousers.

For the first time, I realized that he had untucked his white shirt and unbuttoned the first few buttons, but his hair was still gelled in a tidier fashion than his usual scruffy style.

"Why did you and Joshua switch places?" I asked, my eyes snapping up to his.

"You needed help."

"No I didn't," I protested. "I would've asked if I needed help."

"No, you wouldn't have," he answered self-assuredly.

"Oh yeah? What makes you think so?" I asked, folding my arms across my chest. His eyes followed the movement, lingering inappropriately, consequently making me blush.

"Your pride," he said simply.

I snorted. "Sounds like you know me pretty well."

"Observation," he shrugged.

"Still," I brought the conversation back on track. "That doesn't give you the licence to change partners, especially dance partners. Mind you, I wasn't the only one who seemed upset about it. Your girlfriend made the biggest fuss in the century over it."

He looked thoroughly uninterested, so I continued bitterly, "She called me a slut."

"Which means?"

"A whore, prostitute, something along those lines," I explained impatiently. "Obviously, she thought the switch was my idea. So you'd better go and make it up to her, or the entire school would think that I am a slut and I'll be kissing my potential School Council presidency goodbye."

"I will explain," he nodded.

"Oh joy, at least I can rest assured that my clothes won't magically disappear after my PE lessons," I said sarcastically. "But you won't get that anyways. So in conclusion, do not do anything concerning me without my permission in the future, all clear?"

He nodded again.

"Cool, so goodbye to you, I guess you'll be busy explaining to your dear girlfriend that you willingly chose to dance with me over her today," I turned back to my locker, but his hand stopped me.

"You haven't answered my question," he said.

"You haven't asked," I retorted.

"Who is Jake?" he asked.

I rolled my eyes. "Um, hello? The guy you saw today. That's Jake."

Tristan frowned. "I meant your relationship."

I stared at him. He was the last person on earth who I thought would be interested in others' affairs. "Uh, why do you care?"

"Answer me," he commanded.

Defiance swelled in me. "Who am I? Your all-knowing electronic dictionary?"

Tristan gave me his mocking smirk. "It was a simple question."

I fought the urge to bare my teeth at him like a wolf, and replied snappishly, "We're friends. Just friends. Happy, mother dearest?"

He took another step forward. Now I was feeling the effects of claustrophobia.

"Okay, I take the 'mother dearest' part back-" I started blabbering, but found myself completely incapable of continuing when he started kissing me. On the mouth.

My brain seemed to shut down the very moment his lips touched mine, because my knees gave way and in a haste Tristan had pushed me against the locker door beside mine to keep me from collapsing like jelly. I could feel one of his hands grasping my waist, while the other was planted next to my head. To make sure he didn't fall on me, I supposed.

Because it really felt like he would be falling on me. I had never been kissed like this- well, the only other time I kissed someone was just an emergency situation- but this, it felt weird. Like he was really eager.

But Tristan was never eager, right?

Well, here he was, kissing me like there was no tomorrow. Or at least it felt like that. My lungs were running out of oxygen and my skin was so hot that it felt like it was on fire. My mind was in such a haze that I hadn't even kicked his ass for kissing me yet.

What am I doing?

In a panic, I pushed him away.

"What do you think you're doing?" I hissed, panting for breath.

He was as stoic as ever, he didn't even look as if he was breathing.

"You have a freaking girlfriend! An intellectually challenged one but still, she's your girlfriend! And you can't go around kissing people when you're in a relationship!" I rattled on, only because I didn't know what to do otherwise. "And what was that for? Who says you could kiss me, huh? Are you insane? I'm pissed off at you, for crying out loud! And what if somebody saw us? Can you imagine what would happen to my potential presidency-"

My tongue involuntarily tied itself when he came way too close again. For the second time that day, he leant down and slurred in my ear, "You're playing with fire."

"Yeah, and I'm the fire extinguisher," I snapped, elbowing him in the ribs. "Piss off. And don't you dare kiss me again." My voice wavered when I got to the last part and I scowled, frustrated.

He smirked at the slight treble in my declaration, and I barked, "I mean it! And don't you ever smirk at me!"

That only seemed to encourage him to smirk, as he said a third time, "You're playing with fire."

"Shut up!" I yelled at his back as he coolly left me flushing bright red in the middle of the hallway.

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(nervously) Well?

I won't further comment on this chapter, I just hope you guys liked it hehe. I originally planned to make it longer, but it's already 13 pages long, so it will continue in the next chapter.

Once again, I'm incredibly busy, though the fashion thing is over- and no, I didn't win, but it was a fantastic experience. I'll try to update asap, but with my public exams only seven months away, there is no guarantee. I will try to finish the story before my exams though, so have your fingers crossed!

Last but not least, thanks for the amazing reviews everyone! I'm surprised at the number of people saying that they've had a good laugh! I'm flattered! Well, till the next chapter, as always!