"Oh my god! I can't believe this!" Billy didn't get a good chance to look at her face before she shifted, but he thought saw tears dotting the tips of Annie's eyes.
"We're going to have to start calling you Annie Oakley!"
With shaking hands, she reached into her pocket and pulled out her phone before handing it to him. "I want to remember this forever!"
Quickly, she pushed her hair off her shoulders and her put a hand across the dull metal gun chained to the game booth's front. Billy stepped back, making sure that the picture showed what little was left of a piece of paper that now resembled a slice of Swiss cheese. It was hard to imagine that it had once had a bright red star in its center.
"Smile!" Billy took some pictures in quick succession from multiple angles.
"Let me see!" Annie said once he pulled her phone away from his face. Quickly, she scrolled through them. Billy leaned over her shoulder to get a look as well. "Nice! Just wait until I text Mom this."
Due to sudden storms in the Philadelphia area, as well as plane tickets constantly selling out, Annie's mother had decided it was best that she just leave on the twenty-third as originally planned. Though Aunt Adelaide had offered to pay for an extra hotel room, his father had agreed to cover the cost. By sheer luck, it was on the same floor as the one he and his father were staying in.
"Price is by no means an issue. It's the season of giving, after all," he'd said over the phone the night before.
"Excuse me, but there's a line." the carnie running the booth spoke. Billy turned, locking eyes with the tired-eyed twenty-something. He gestured towards the row of pillow-sized stuffed animals hanging above his head. "What'd you like, miss?"
Annie's eyes widened. She turned towards Billy and laughed. "I never thought this far ahead. Any ideas?"
Billy looked over the toys, taking in the unicorns, teddy bears, and dogs. It was only then that he noticed a large plush tiger tucked into a corner.
"Billy, you look like a good kid… But there's no place for me in your life, and there never has been."
If he hadn't decided to abstain on corn dogs and cotton candy until after riding some rollercoasters, he might have dumped some toxic waste. Shouldn't he have known something like this would happen? His father's one visible eye had about fallen out of its socket when he'd suggested heading to Chilladelphia for the day.
After all, there was always a chance that she could show up among the crowds.
Billy shook his head, forcing the thoughts away. What did it matter if he saw her? She probably wouldn't even recognize him. And even if she did, what would she do? All she'd have to do is recede back into the crowds to become a stranger again.
"You're right, I'm not feeling that cat either." Annie tapped her chin, then grinned and pointed towards a sparkly blue unicorn with a purple horn and hooves. "That one, please!"
Just as the two had walked about twenty feet away from the booth, they ran back into Billy's dad. His eye widened when he saw the plush that was larger than a small child.
"How much did that cost you?"
Annie was grinning from ear to ear. "Only five dollars on my first try!"
He gave her a small smile in return. "Should I believe that?"
Annie gave him a playful scowl. "Tell him, Billy!"
Billy quickly filled him in on the tale. "Hey, Dad, have you eaten yet?"
His father looked away from him to a nearby booth. "Oh, yes. What about you two?"
Billy turned to Annie. "I don't know about you, but I'm starving."
As three left the midway, swimming against a sea of people desperate to get on a ride or try their hand at a (very likely to be rigged) game, Billy continued to discuss the day's event thus far.
"You actually rode that thing?" His father pointed to the Supernova in the distance, which stood almost thirty feet in the air and spun riders over three-hundred-sixty degrees in circles.
Annie nodded. "But I can't say that I'm glad we did."
Twenty minutes later, the three (four?) of them sat down at a picnic table. Billy bit into a turkey leg, savoring the warm meat as it heated up his cheeks. Annie was eating a cheeseburger on a stick and strawberry ice cream because, quote, "It's best in the wintertime because you don't have to worry about it melting."
"So where have you been, Dad?" They'd taken an Uber to the carnival that morning, leaving his father at the hotel.
"In a lot of office calls, mostly. My coworkers must not have thought I was serious when I said to not email me for three weeks." He shrugged. "I suppose I can't complain. Anything's better than getting dragged onto one of those rusted metal death traps with you two!"
Billy snorted. "Just for that, we're dragging you on one before we leave!"
Once she had finished eating, Annie pulled her unicorn to her side. "Hey, did you seen anything you want? I think I can snag you a teddy bear or two."
"Hardly! Dad only let me pack carry-on luggage."
"I was just offering."
"So, what should we do tomorrow?" It was the day before Annie left and one of the busiest days in the American calendar.
"That means I'm one step closer to going back to school," she'd remarked dryly the night before when Billy had broached her leaving. "Whoopie!"
She shrugged. "I don't know."
"You two don't have to go anywhere, you know. The crowds this time of year are awful."
"Bah humbug to you too, Uncle Thaddeus!" Annie rubbed her chin. "I've still got nothing."
"If we don't finish all of the rides before we leave tonight, maybe we can come back here."
"I can see Dad's office from here!" Annabelle pointed to a building in the distance. Thaddeus turned his head away from it, locking his eyes on the rows of technicolor rides and ant-sized tourists wondering the fair. The whole place was lit up like a giant neon Christmas tree.
"I see Independence Hall!" William responded. The two leaned out of the gondola, taking in the sights.
"Sit back! The last thing I need is for one of you to fall out. They'd be cleaning up the concrete for months." Thaddeus reached out and pulled William back by his shoulder.
"What a sick way to go, though," William remarked.
"Sounds awful to me," Annabelle replied, clutching her plush unicorn tighter. "Can you imagine?"
William shrugged. "There are worse ways to go. It'd have to be pretty quick, right?"
"Oh, you never know," Thaddeus replied. He turned, taking in the Sivana Enterprises building in the distance. From this far out, he could only make out the first three glowing letters on its side.
When Annie exited the elevator, she adjusted her hold on her plush so that it was slightly covering the right side of her face. It was because of this that she bumped into the blue-clad police officer further down the hallway.
She froze, the two momentarily gazing confusedly at one another. Then the cop's partner, a short-haired black woman, cleared her throat. Her gaze moved from Annie to her uncle. It was only then that Annie noticed the door that the two had been standing in front of.
"Are you Mr. Thaddeus Sivana?"
"It's doctor Sivana."
"Then you are related to Bodog and Sidney Sivana?" The younger cop, the one Annie had bumped into, spoke this time. She was a red-headed white woman who looked fresh out of the academy, probably only two years older than Annie herself was at most.
Annie's throat suddenly went dry. Her voice shook when she spoke. "What happened to Dad?"
Not "Did something happen to my dad?" Why would the cops be here if something wasn't already the matter?
Neither of the policewomen even looked at her.
"Doctor Sivana," the older officer said, "something happened recently at your family's estate. I know it's late, but we need you to answer some questions for us."
"What happened?" Annie repeated. The toy slipped from between her fingers, but she hardly noticed its absence.
"I'm afraid that's classified information."
