Chapter Two- The Gypsy:
Kay pushed her way down through the line, blindly trying to get away from everything; from Charity, from the Ferris Wheel, even from Miguel, but mostly from herself. She hated competing for the man that she loves, hated trying to get his attention away from her cousin. She fought back tears, trying to block everything out, but she just couldn't. "I hate her! Why can't she just leave him alone, let Miguel be with his daughter, and the mother of his baby?! If she wasn't around, Miguel would be with me right now, up on that Ferris Wheel..." Kay ranted as she pushed her way past the crowd.
Kay propelled herself through the masses, ignoring the annoyed citizens whom she forced out of the way. Finally the crowd ended, leaving Kay at the edge of the carnival. She rushed out into a clearing, speckled with merchant tents, carnival booths, and entertainers. Kay sighed as she slowly passed a dreary awning. She leaned against a small, abandoned table, and finally gave in to the swirling emotions in her head.
"Oh Miguel, why can't I be the girl you love? Why does it have to be... Charity?" Kay looked down at the ground and kicked aside an old lemonade cup, remembering her cousin. She turned back to face the gigantic ferris wheel, spinning majestically in the sky, and envied Charity, knowing that at this very moment, she was the one up there with Miguel. "Sometimes I wish she would just- just... disappear." Kay mumbled. "Well now, that's quite a request..." a voice answered from within the tent.
Kay turned, seeing a dark figure standing in the entrance to the marquee. They figure stood, arms crossed, mimicing Kay's stance, as she leaned up against a tent pole. The figure snickered silently. "But it doesn't seem too arduous a task, my friend..." Kay stepped forward, trying to see who had spoken to her, who had overheard her bewailment. The woman snickered again and stepped into the light, giving Kay a better view of the stranger. She was a tall, dark woman, clothed in gypsy garb with purple lace gloves. "Aren't you the- the Fortune Teller?" Kay stammered, still puzzled by the interloper's sudden arrival. The woman smirked and turned towards the entrance, slowly advancing inside. "For tonight, I am." she replied mysteriously, once more disappearing into the tent.
Kay followed, spellbound by the strange gypsy. Pulling the curtain door open, Kay glanced inside; the interior of the tent was lit with a soft, dull light, and decorated with various sortilege: numerous spell books, tarot cards, and so on. But the main focus in the room was a crystal ball, mounted on a small table in the center of the room. Kay slowly approached it, watching as it filled with blue smoke. Figures slowly began to dance amid the smoke. Kay leaned closer, hypnotized by the amazing spectacle. The hazy characters pranced around behind the glass, oblivious to the outside world. Suddenly, the blue began to fade into an ominous orange flame, slowly advancing upon the unsuspecting figures. The flames grew, twisting around the perimeter of the crystal ball, surrounding the dancing figures, progressing towards them, slowly, slowly, waiting to pounce and consume them. Instantly, the gypsy threw a dark cloth over the crystal ball, completely blocking out the spectacle that Kay had been observing. "Hey, I was-" The woman laughed, interrupting the girl. "You wouldn't want to ruin the ending, now would you?" the gypsy asked, mysteriously. A puzzled Kay glanced back towards the covered crystal, wondering if the poor people inside fell victim to the fire.
"Come, my dear, this way..." the woman called out, bringing Kay back to reality. She followed the gypsy, still wondering what she had meant by 'making Charity disappear wouldn't be too arduous a task...'. 'Ah, she probably misunderstood. That's it, Kay, she misunderstood, and this is all just some ploy to get tourists and customers...' Kay assured herself, still following the dark woman further into the depths of the tent. 'But still, there was the crystal ball; those images haunted Kay. They were too real, too human, to just be another carnival trick.' her mind argued once more. 'And just how big is this place anyways?!' Kay remembered the tent being rather small, but the had been travelling deeper and deeper into the interior. Finally, Kay decided to break the silence. "Um, ma'am? Where exactly are we going?" The woman continued to walk, silently.
Kay was about to repeat herself when a light suddenly appeared in front of them, nearly blinding Kay. She threw her arms up in front of her face to shield her eyes. When she lowered them, Kay found herself in an old room, huge, with stone walls and a large fire burning in the center of the room. There were tapestries hanging on the walls, all of them worn, and a shelf filled with bottles containing various liquids. "Wh- where am I?" Kay asked, still taking in her surroundings. The woman approached Kay from behind, tapping her on the shoulder. Kay whipped around and faced the woman, who had changed from her dreary gypsy garb into a long black dress and cloak, with a matching pair of black gloves. She smiled softly, but the look sent chills down Kay's spine. "Why, Kay, you are in my humble home."
Kay pushed her way down through the line, blindly trying to get away from everything; from Charity, from the Ferris Wheel, even from Miguel, but mostly from herself. She hated competing for the man that she loves, hated trying to get his attention away from her cousin. She fought back tears, trying to block everything out, but she just couldn't. "I hate her! Why can't she just leave him alone, let Miguel be with his daughter, and the mother of his baby?! If she wasn't around, Miguel would be with me right now, up on that Ferris Wheel..." Kay ranted as she pushed her way past the crowd.
Kay propelled herself through the masses, ignoring the annoyed citizens whom she forced out of the way. Finally the crowd ended, leaving Kay at the edge of the carnival. She rushed out into a clearing, speckled with merchant tents, carnival booths, and entertainers. Kay sighed as she slowly passed a dreary awning. She leaned against a small, abandoned table, and finally gave in to the swirling emotions in her head.
"Oh Miguel, why can't I be the girl you love? Why does it have to be... Charity?" Kay looked down at the ground and kicked aside an old lemonade cup, remembering her cousin. She turned back to face the gigantic ferris wheel, spinning majestically in the sky, and envied Charity, knowing that at this very moment, she was the one up there with Miguel. "Sometimes I wish she would just- just... disappear." Kay mumbled. "Well now, that's quite a request..." a voice answered from within the tent.
Kay turned, seeing a dark figure standing in the entrance to the marquee. They figure stood, arms crossed, mimicing Kay's stance, as she leaned up against a tent pole. The figure snickered silently. "But it doesn't seem too arduous a task, my friend..." Kay stepped forward, trying to see who had spoken to her, who had overheard her bewailment. The woman snickered again and stepped into the light, giving Kay a better view of the stranger. She was a tall, dark woman, clothed in gypsy garb with purple lace gloves. "Aren't you the- the Fortune Teller?" Kay stammered, still puzzled by the interloper's sudden arrival. The woman smirked and turned towards the entrance, slowly advancing inside. "For tonight, I am." she replied mysteriously, once more disappearing into the tent.
Kay followed, spellbound by the strange gypsy. Pulling the curtain door open, Kay glanced inside; the interior of the tent was lit with a soft, dull light, and decorated with various sortilege: numerous spell books, tarot cards, and so on. But the main focus in the room was a crystal ball, mounted on a small table in the center of the room. Kay slowly approached it, watching as it filled with blue smoke. Figures slowly began to dance amid the smoke. Kay leaned closer, hypnotized by the amazing spectacle. The hazy characters pranced around behind the glass, oblivious to the outside world. Suddenly, the blue began to fade into an ominous orange flame, slowly advancing upon the unsuspecting figures. The flames grew, twisting around the perimeter of the crystal ball, surrounding the dancing figures, progressing towards them, slowly, slowly, waiting to pounce and consume them. Instantly, the gypsy threw a dark cloth over the crystal ball, completely blocking out the spectacle that Kay had been observing. "Hey, I was-" The woman laughed, interrupting the girl. "You wouldn't want to ruin the ending, now would you?" the gypsy asked, mysteriously. A puzzled Kay glanced back towards the covered crystal, wondering if the poor people inside fell victim to the fire.
"Come, my dear, this way..." the woman called out, bringing Kay back to reality. She followed the gypsy, still wondering what she had meant by 'making Charity disappear wouldn't be too arduous a task...'. 'Ah, she probably misunderstood. That's it, Kay, she misunderstood, and this is all just some ploy to get tourists and customers...' Kay assured herself, still following the dark woman further into the depths of the tent. 'But still, there was the crystal ball; those images haunted Kay. They were too real, too human, to just be another carnival trick.' her mind argued once more. 'And just how big is this place anyways?!' Kay remembered the tent being rather small, but the had been travelling deeper and deeper into the interior. Finally, Kay decided to break the silence. "Um, ma'am? Where exactly are we going?" The woman continued to walk, silently.
Kay was about to repeat herself when a light suddenly appeared in front of them, nearly blinding Kay. She threw her arms up in front of her face to shield her eyes. When she lowered them, Kay found herself in an old room, huge, with stone walls and a large fire burning in the center of the room. There were tapestries hanging on the walls, all of them worn, and a shelf filled with bottles containing various liquids. "Wh- where am I?" Kay asked, still taking in her surroundings. The woman approached Kay from behind, tapping her on the shoulder. Kay whipped around and faced the woman, who had changed from her dreary gypsy garb into a long black dress and cloak, with a matching pair of black gloves. She smiled softly, but the look sent chills down Kay's spine. "Why, Kay, you are in my humble home."