Chapter twenty
Crazy carrousel
Miss Pisti and Sinbad were the only ones the next morning that were bouncing around, happy to go towards an amusement park. ''You know, the weather is really crappy for a day outside.'' Judal pointed towards the window, as the king was dressing himself around six, just after he had woken everyone up, while shouting AMUSEMENT PARK DAY, YAAAY. ''I love a five year old trapped in an adult body.'' Ja'far muttered under his breath. ''What did you say?'' Judal asked him. ''Nothing, nothing. Sinbad, quit being so loud.'' Ja'far said, throwing a pillow towards Sinbad, who had been whining, ''But I wanna goooo.''
''Judal is right, the weather is really bad today.'' Ja'far said, as he looked out of the window as well. It was pouring, that's if you could see through the water that splashed onto the window. ''They probably cancelled it.'' Sharrkan added. ''I'm not going to cancel it!'' they heard a high pitched voice shout. ''Somehow I doubt she has.'' Judal said. ''She's right not to cancel it. It may be raining now, but I have this feeling that it will stop pretty soon.'' Sinbad told them.
''Your gut feeling, right?'' Ja'far asked, and Sinbad nodded. ''Oh, makes sense.'' Yunan added, as Judal frowned. ''That's hardly a good point. It's just a feeling, you can't be sure.'' he said. ''No, this is different. Whereas he usually is wrong, he's right when he's talking about weather. In the old days, he would have been a great navigator on a ship.'' Sharrkan said. ''It's really amazing, but it works. Better then the weather forecast.'' Ja'far added.
''Oh.'' Judal said, ''That's a weird talent.'' Just then their door burst open, Pisti ran towards Sinbad as she screeched, ''Sinbad, tell me about the weather today!'' Ugo followed, and it was somewhat obvious that he had a headache, probably trying to talk to Pisti about this trip. ''He just said it was stopping pretty soon. We could take the risk.'' Ja'far said. ''See, what did I tell you?'' she asked Ugo.
Ugo turned to Ja'far, ''You really think so? It's just a feeling, and it'd be waste if we were to go for nothing.'' he said. ''Oddly enough, I do. Sin is usually correct about these things. But, we could wait and see.'' Ja'far said. ''Or, we go ahead and believe him, not wasting any time.'' Sinbad said, sure of his case. All of them turned to Ugo, waiting for the large principal to make his decision.
''Wake up the students, and gather around. We'll take the risk.'' Ugo said, making Pisti squeal, before running off. ''She's troublesome when she's like that, isn't she?'' Sharrkan asked. ''At times, yes.'' Ugo said, before heading off to the main room to get some coffee. ''Cool. We're going! I'm so looking forward to it!'' Sinbad cheered. ''Today's ruckus is going to be troublesome, isn't it?'' Judal asked no one in particular. ''I have the same feeling.'' Sharrkan eventually added.
Soon enough, they were seated in the bus. As they left, the weather was still kind of bad, and Ja'far wondered if Sinbad's gut feeling had abandoned him. But when they arrived, the weather was bright and sunny, as if it hadn't rained at all. The air smelled fresh, and the parking lot seemed rather spacious, because there weren't many cars yet. Despite that, some rides were already moving, and music and laughter could be heard.
''Of all the strange talents in the world.'' he heard Judal say, and Ja'far smiled. This talent made Sin so unique. ''See, I was right.'' he heard Sinbad smirk, and Judal grouched something in reply. Pisti handed them the tickets, and a list with her number and meeting points around the park with the time behind it. ''We expect you on those points in time. You can be earlier, which is preffered. If you're late past the ten minute mark, you go to the bus, and have to wait there. Now, go and have fun.'' she told them, before making her way to the amusement park.
Ugo sighed, as he said, ''Have fun, we'll meet again around lunch.'' 'This is going to be fun, and I don't have to babysit my group all day.' Ja'far thought, as they teamed up with Masrur's group. ''Let's go!'' Sinbad said impatiently. ''Dear god, we should put him on a leash.'' Hinahoho said as he saw how excited the king was. ''That is not a bad idea, can't we do that the entire camp?'' Sharrkan asked.
Sinbad pouted as he turned to Ja'far. ''Help me?'' he asked, kinda desperate. ''They aren't actually going through with that, Sin.'' Ja'far reassured. ''God no, Ja'far would kill us.'' Sharrkan said, and Sinbad put his arm around Ja'far. ''Then I'm sticking around you all day. For someone that cute, you're pretty terrifying, and they know it.'' Sinbad bragged, before whispering, ''No worries, I know you better then that.''
Ja'far blushed, before asking, ''Where do we go first?'' ''Rollercoaster!'' both Sharrkan and Sinbad shouted. ''Right of the bat. I don't see why not.'' Hinahoho said. ''Let's just get it over with.'' Judal said, and Koha nodded. ''Which one? The sign states there are three rollercoasters.'' Ja'far said. They turned to see the sign, but then Sinbad spotted a rollercoaster, the one that was towering above it all. ''That one!'' he said, pointing to it. ''Wow.'' the group stared in awe. ''That one.'' Sharrkan agreed.
''Just as Judal said, let's get it over with.'' Ja'far said, before the group headed over there. ''Say, Ja'far, I kinda don't like rollercoasters. Do you mind if I don't go?'' Yunan asked. ''Not really, I don't think I'm that keen on going on this one either. We can guard their bags.'' Ja'far said. Masrur tapped his shoulder, ''Wanna wait too?'' Ja'far asked. Masrur nodded.
Soon enough, they stood in front of the rollercoaster. ''I'm not going.'' Judal said, as he eyed the thing. ''Why not?'' Sharrkan asked. ''Because we want to live. Are you seriously going in there?'' Ja'far asked. ''Yup, right Sharrkan and Hinahoho?'' Sinbad asked. ''Sure.'' Hinahoho said, and Sharrkan nodded enthousiastically. ''Have fun. We'll arrange your funeral down here.'' Koha said, checking his phone.
They watched as the three left towards the nonexistent line. ''They are insane.'' Judal said. ''Technically, these things are build safely. It's the rush that can scare people off. But, I really don't like the noise it's making.'' Yunan said, wincing as a cart rushed by. ''They'll be fine. I bet they'll come back, wanting to go once more.'' Ja'far said, before furrowing his eyebrows. ''Something wrong?'' Yunan asked. ''Why is Hinahoho returning?'' Ja'far asked, as he watched the giant heading back to them, shoulders hanging.
''Didn't you want to go?'' Spartos asked. ''I did. But, I'm too big for the cart, so they didn't let me in. I mean, it's not fair, some people are too small, I'm too big.'' Hinahoho said. ''Perhaps there are other things they will let you in, these carts do seem particularly small.'' Ja'far reassured him. ''Principal Ugo will probably get this all the time.'' Yunan said, which seemed to cheer Hinahoho up a bit.
''Oh, there they go.'' Koha said, pointing as a cart left, and Sinbad's shout of joy surely was heard throughout the park. ''It's so fast.'' Ja'far said, as the cart rushed off towards it's first loop. But, slightly before the loop, it stopped. ''Did... did it just stop?'' Judal asked. ''It did. Probably on purpose for the kick of it. Weird place to stop, though.'' Yunan said. They waited, and waited, but the cart didn't seem to move.
''This cart isn't moving, is it?'' Sharrkan asked, as they had stood still on the track for about five minutes. ''I thought it'd be a wait for the rush, but this takes the thrill out of it.'' Sinbad commented, hoping they'd start moving soon. Perhaps the others had been right about not wanting to go into this thing. ''Due to the excessive rain this morning, the tracks have become too wet. Please remain seated as we work on the issue.'' they heard from a nearby intercom.
Both of them groaned, did that seriously happen to them? ''I told you that they would manage another Incident. Earlier than expected, though.'' Judal said. ''Another? You mean something like this happens all the time?'' Spartos asked. ''Unfortunately, that's what fate decided for this group.'' Yunan said, and Ja'far nodded, even if he thought that Yunan's theory was far-fetched.
''What happened yesterday?'' Koha asked. ''We don't talk about that, ever again. Seeing that they're not moving, maybe we should get into action. At least warn Principal Ugo and Miss Pisti, and perhaps see how the staff here is going to resolve this, and how long it will take. How long do you guys think they will be stuck in there?'' Ja'far asked, making it obvious that the mere mention of yesterday would result in trouble. ''I know Principal Ugo fairly well, and I believe I can track down Miss Pisti.'' Yunan said. ''Great, you cover that. I'm going to check in on the situation, seeing how they are faring. The rest, please wait here, and let's hope for the best.'' Ja'far said, before heading towards the entrance. ''Soooo..., yesterday was that bad?'' Koha asked. ''Yes. It was.'' Judal replied shortly.
''So, we're going to be in here for a while. Why not play a game?'' Sinbad asked. ''A game? Seriously? We're stuck in a rollercoaster, and the first thing your mind goes to is a game?'' Sharrkan replied. ''Do you see anything else to do? We can't leave this thing, seeing we're indeed stuck. You don't expect us to just sit here and wait. God knows how long this will last. But we can take the time to discuss the basketball team for example.'' Sinbad said.
''What kind of game did you have in mind?'' Sharrkan asked, seeing Sinbad's point. ''How about I spy? We have an overview of the entire park, so that could be fun.'' Sinbad said. ''A park with things and people that move constantly, no thanks. Any other suggestions?'' he asked. ''Truth or dare?'' Sinbad opted. ''We can hardly perform any dares. That'd be the same as just talking.'' Sharrkan explained.
''Well, not here, no. But we can remember the dares, and do them later on.'' Sinbad said. ''Haven't we done plenty on this trip? What if a dare gets out of hand?'' Sharrkan asked. ''You're no fun anymore. The old you would have jumped on this chance.'' Sinbad pouted, as he watched the group break up. ''What are they doing?'' he asked himself. Sharrkan sighed, they should at least entertain themselves, right..?
''Probably seeing what they can do to help us. Let's play truth or dare, then, but we tell each other the challenge before we make a choice to be sure.'' Sharrkan said. ''Yaaay.'' Sinbad said, before instantly thinking of a truth and dare question. 'Alibaba and Ja'far were right, it's this easy to distract us.' Sharrkan thought. ''Oooh, I have something. So, ehrm, the truth involves a question about what happened at Ja'far's place when his ceiling collapsed, and the dare involves tickling Masrur.'' Sinbad said.
''That's easy, the dare, tickling Masrur. Knowing him, he won't even react.'' Sharrkan replied, before adding, ''My turn next right?'' 'I can ask him about Ja'far or make them go on a date. He'll be so proud of me.' Sharrkan figured, before deciding upon playing it more subtle. If he started out like that, then Sinbad would put two and two together, and realise what was going on.
''Sure, go ahead.'' Sinbad said, already thinking about his next question. ''Okay. So the dare is to go into a slow-ass boring ride today, and the truth is about why you and Ja'far occassionaly pretend to be the king and his advisor.'' Sharrkan said. ''Truth, because I'll die in a boring ride. I thought this would be more spectacular.'' Sinbad said, before adding, ''We roleplay them, because, well, Ja'far loves history, and I'm the school king. And it started out as a study session, because I didnt grasp history through books, and we figured this would help. After that, it went better, and it was fun, so that's where the roleplay of history came from.'' Sinbad explained.
''Oh, I see. Good that it helped. Your turn.'' Sharrkan said. ''Okay, so truth is about what happened when you saved Ja'far when his ceiling collapsed, and the dare is about hugging Princi- no wait, Miss Pisti!'' Sinbad said. ''You want to know that badly?'' Sharrkan asked, and Sinbad nodded. ''Well, sucks to be you then, a hug for Miss Pisti it is. Perhaps I can find her in a good mood.'' Sharrkan said, sticking his tongue out to tease Sinbad.
''Maybe next time.'' Sinbad said, ''Your turn.'' ''Okay, so the dare is to hug Yunan, he'd love it. The truth, what made you fall in love with the person you like?'' Sharrkan asked. ''Shouldn't have told you that I liked someone. Oh well, this is a tough choice, because my answer could reveal who I like, and I find Yunan really, really weird, so that would be one awkward hug. So, I'll take my chances, because, well, you're not that clever.'' ''Hey!'' Sharrkan objected, but Sinbad continued anyway.
''I like the person I like because, I think because of his eyes, and the way he makes me feel. He looks up to me, and that is something special, because, even though he is shorter, I look up to him. Does that satisfy your truth question?'' Sinbad asked with a red face. ''It's cool.'' Sharrkan said, Ja'far would be so happy to hear those words. If only it had been Ja'far here, instead of him. ''So, truth, what happened when you guarded Ja'far when his ceiling collapsed and the dare-'' Sharrkan groaned as Sinbad continued, wondering how the others were faring.
''One day, I ask for one day without them causing trouble.'' Pisti said, as Yunan had reached her and told what happened. ''They didn't cause anything today, it sorta just happened. The staff is working on it, Ja'far is checking on that situation, but it could last long enough for them to not make the meeting point on time. This time, it's not their fault, and yesterday nothing that spectacular happened.'' Yunan said. ''Ehrm, nothing special happened yesterday either, right? Monday was just an incidental mistake. I hope they are okay.'' Ugo said. ''Right. But I still have the feeling something is bound to happen today.'' Pisti said, grouching.
Ja'far entered the entrance of the rollercoaster, where he was instantly greeted by a technician. ''Hi, I'm sorry to say that this ride has stopped. You can't go in there.'' Ja'far nodded, ''I know. My friends are stuck up there, and I was wondering how the situation is being handled. We're here on a school trip, and my teacher has a very strict list of when we meet up. And more importantly, I'm concerned for their safety.'' Ja'far explained.
''Oh, I see. I can't promise you when, but they will come out of this safe and alive. Currently, they are restarting the system and see where she gets stuck. After we have retrieved that information, we can automatically hoist them up, and then restart the attraction. We apologise for this problem.'' the technician said. ''It's okay, I mean, it's troublesome for you as well.'' Ja'far said, before the lights suddenly switched off, and then on again. ''Ah, they are rebooting the system. If I'm correct, then your friends will get moving again soon.'' the technician said. ''That's great. I will wait for them at the exit.'' Ja'far said, bowing politely before heading towards the exit.
''So, the dare is to lick the foot of Judal, or tell the truth about what happened when you were protecting Ja'far when his cei- Whoa, hey, we're moving back!'' Sinbad yelped as the cart was being pulled back slightly. 'Dodged a bullet right there.' Sharrkan figured, before the cart stopped moving, and then, proceeded to go to the loop, before rushing over the rest of the tracks.
''They are moving again.'' Hinahoho said, when Ja'far had reached them. ''Woohoo!'' he heard, before nodding. ''I can hear that. I hope that's all for today. For once, I'd like to enjoy a day without too much trouble.'' Ja'far said. ''Hey, they are moving again.'' they heard Yunan say, and turned to see him with the teachers. ''Gyaah, I came for nothing. You guys better make it towards the meeting point.'' Pisti said, before wanting to walk towards the other attractions.
''We should wait for them, we are still their guardians, and have the duty to see if they are alright.'' Ugo told her. ''Ugh, fine. But we're going on this ride next.'' she said. ''We'll see about it.'' he replied, and soon enough, Sinbad and Sharrkan were on the ground again, safe and sound. ''Oh, thank god.'' Ja'far heaved as they were smiling. ''Only you two, told you something would happen.'' Judal greeted them.
''Oh, no worries there, right Sharrkan?'' Sinbad laughed. ''Yeah, yeah, for the next few minutes pretend we've gone insane.'' Sharrkan said, before turning to miss Pisti, and hugging her. ''Hold on, what's going on?'' she screeched, as he let go and turned to Masrur. ''Don't hurt me!'' he squeaked as he started tickling the giant. ''What happened up there?'' Ja'far asked Sinbad, who just shrugged. ''We were having fun, speaking of which-'' he nuzzled Judal's hair. ''It was a dare.'' he said, before Judal could react.
''Oh, am I next?'' Yunan asked. ''No one is next! None of this is going to happen anymore. Now get it over with, and can we please, please, just continue?'' Ja'far asked. He stomped off, before he got a reply, and Yunan followed him. ''Let him be, it's a bit warm, and he was really worried.'' Hinahoho told everyone else. ''Who cares about that? You promised me something.'' Pisti told Ugo, before running off towards the gigantic rollercoaster.
''She's going to get me killed one of these days.'' Principal Ugo sighed, before following her. ''Not that they get to use it. He's too big, and she's probably too small.'' Judal said, pushing Sinbad off him. Soon enough, they did return, with a pouting Pisti and a relieved Principal Ugo. ''They didn't let you in, did they?'' Hinahoho asked, and Pisti shook her head. ''Called it.'' Judal smirked, as the teachers wandered off.
''Ja'far, Ja'far, wait up.'' Yunan finally caught up with his classmate. ''Oh, Yunan... the rest is still there, aren't they?'' Ja'far asked. ''Yeah, they are. Is yesterday still bothering you that much? I mean, I was worried as well for their well being today, but your outburst suggests more is going on.'' Yunan said. ''That's an understatement. There is too much going on, and I don't even know or understand half of it. I talked it over, but I still don't have any real answers. And if Sin and Sharrkan had been in the loop, and had fallen... I don't want to think about it. All I want is one day to relax, is that so much to ask?'' Ja'far asked.
''It's not that much to ask, sweetie.'' Yunan said. ''I told you to stop calling me that.'' Ja'far said. ''I know, and I'm still pondering on a good nickname for you. The past days have been stressfull for you, but we didn't plan on what just happened. Both of them are that important to you, aren't they?'' Yunan asked. Ja'far nodded, ''Yes, they are. No matter how idiotic their behavior is, or the fact that they continue to be idiots, doing some idle dares after being in danger, I love them.'' Ja'far explained.
''Love is a strong word, you know. Oh well, maybe nothing else will happen today. But, you'll get your day of peace, I promise you that. Allow us to take care instead, we are with an entire group, and we'll make sure nothing happens again. So, smile and enjoy yourself, you already work hard enough.'' Yunan told him. ''I would love to, but what if...'' Yunan got closer, too close for Ja'far's liking. ''Ja'far, I-'' before he could continue, Sharrkan had reached them.
''Ja'far, there you are!'' he yelled, and Ja'far sighed as Yunan took his distance. ''Everything alright here?'' he asked. ''Ehr, Yun-'' ''We're fine. I'll lead the others towards the next thing, probably the next ride. Meet you there.'' Yunan said, before skipping off. ''Are you okay? He seemed really close, I thought you were crying. Not that you would cry, but-'' Ja'far interupted Sharrkan by hugging the taller boy.
''I'm so glad you are safe.'' he said. Sharrkan blushed, before putting his arm on Ja'far's back, rubbing it softly. ''We were fine, really. I'm sorry that we scared you. If it helps, we had fun playing truth or dare. You don't want to hear that maybe, but Sinbad really, really loves you. He didn't say your name, neccessarily, but it was clear how he felt for you. And the wuss never once picked dare, continuing to do truth questions. So it was easy to ask things for you. And he asked about what happened when your ceiling collapsed, so he's really concerned. Tell him about that after you start going out with him.'' Sharrkan whispered.
''Oh, I see. Good to know, but for now, I'm glad that the two people I like made it out. That's all I can care about for now.'' Ja'far said. ''You are probably the harshest boyfriend ever.'' Sharrkan retorted. And before Ja'far could even voice any concerns regarding that matter, Sharrkan added, ''That's good, because god knows what happens if you don't keep Sinbad in control, and now you are just his best friend. That's going to improve so much when you two start going out already.''
''Sin keeps me in check as well.'' Ja'far said. ''Fortunately, or we'd be doomed. Let's get going, the others are probably waiting for us, and wondering where we are.'' Sharrkan said. ''Sure thing. Did you do your dares already, or should I be worried for more?'' Ja'far asked, as they headed towards the rest. ''I've some to finish, but nothing too troublesome, not like I mind doing dares.'' Sharrkan said, and Ja'far nodded softly, as they reached the others.
'Actually, I don't want to do all of them..' Sharrkan thought as he thought back to a few more dares he had taken to refrain from telling Sinbad what had occured that one day. Tickling Masrur and hugging Pisti had been the start, and he wasn't exaggerating. Sinbad just knew what dares to give to humiliate him, or, at least, get him embarrased. Feeding Masrur a fish, getting a piggy back ride from Hinahoho, wearing Yunan's sweater, all of that was fine. He looked over at Ja'far, who was chatting with Sinbad.
'All the other dares are fine, I just don't want to do that one.' he thought. ''Let's get moving, we can do some more rides before we have to meet up.'' Hinahoho said, making the group nod. They were here for fun, and fun they'd get. The rest of the day went quite well, the weather remained sunny, they made their appointments with miss Pisti and Principal Ugo each and every time, without too much trouble.
''Good, last ride, what should we do?'' Sinbad asked the group as they had time for one more thing before they headed back to the bus. Ja'far wasn't sure why, but Sin carried a rather mischievous grin on his face. ''Ooh, I know. Sharrkan still needs to do his last dare. Why not head there.'' he emphasized the there and Ja'far could only wonder what he meant. ''He performed the other dares already, shouldn't you cut him some slack and just skip this one, so we can do one last thing that we all enjoy?'' Hinahoho asked him, seeing the grim expression on Sharrkan's face.
''Or, we trade. Sinbad, you do the dare and I answer the truth that you really want to know when we're back at the inn.'' Sharrkan said. 'Is it really that bad?' the others wondered, also slightly wondering how to prepare for the insanity only the school king could cause. ''Sure.'' Sinbad said, way too eager, more then happy to comply. He took Ja'far's arm as he said, ''To the love tunnel!'' and then proceeded to drag his confused friend along.
''Do I even want to know?'' Hinahoho asked, as the rest gave him a look. ''Maybe you do, maybe you don't. You should have been there, when we made the dare.'' Sharrkan replied. ''I wasn't allowed to go in the rollercoaster.'' Hinahoho reminded him, before shrugging, ''You should tag along too.'' Before Sharrkan could protest, Hinahoho and Masrur had shared a look and the red-headed fanalis dragged Sharrkan along. ''Seeing how the entire group is going, why not us as well?'' Yunan asked Judal, who gave him a stern look. ''Oh well, wait for me.'' Yunan shouted before running after the others. ''This...This is going to be a disaster, isn't it?'' Spartos asked nervously. ''I'm sure one can't do much harm in the love boat. Right?'' Hinahoho wondered.
''Sin, what the hell?'' Ja'far asked as Sinbad nearly threw him in the love boat before hopping in himself. For some odd reason, the boat had four seats, probably used a lot for double dates. ''I dared Sharrkan to go in here with you, so you could have an easy ride. I know you favour those over wild attractions, but he's too chicken, so now you are here with me. Not that I mind, I actually prefer to go with you.'' Sinbad said with a faint blush on his cheeks.
''Really?'' Ja'far asked, silently thanking Sharrkan for swapping places with Sinbad. Not for too long, for Masrur randomly threw Sharrkan in the boat, and Yunan hopped in himself, and then the ride took off. Sinbad twitched a few times, as his eyes were widened with both amusement and surprise. ''You aren't here to take back what you said, are you? I'm doing the dare, so you tell the truth, that was the deal.'' Sinbad said.
''Believe me, I'm not here because I wanted to.'' ''I am.'' Yunan said. ''Well, we don't want you here.'' both Sharrkan and Sinbad told him. Ja'far sighed, so much for a romantic ride, though he didn't mind, as he found out he liked listening to Sinbad and Sharrkan as they teased Yunan about his presence. 'I don't mind this at all. Having Sharrkan around somehow feels nice. Today was a good day.' Ja'far thought. The boat ride was a bit over the top, with the romantic music playing in the background, and the pink/red hearts everywhere.
'This... is kinda romantic. Too bad the others are here. Wait, no, too bad Sinbad and Ja'far can't be alone.' Sharrkan thought. They enjoyed the ride, making some jokes, just talking, and somehow, Ja'far couldn't hold back a smile. 'A week from now, I'll be dating Sin.' He was sure of it. And he wasn't alone, as Sharrkan looked at the smiling Ja'far. In a week from now, he'll be with Sinbad. I need to take my distance.'
After the ride was over, they met with the others again, before returning to the bus. The drive back was a calm one, as most of them were tired from the entire day. Pisti was gently snoring, as she rested her head against the window. Sharrkan smiled to himself as his group was dozing off as well. Ja'far's head rested against Sinbad's shoulder, and Sharrkan sighed to himself. Ja'far was so sure of it, in a week he would lose his friend to the school king. And it stung, but it was for the best.