Chapter 2: The Cards We're Dealt
The rhythmic hum of whirring machines and the metallic clink of gears formed an eerie harmony with the distant, haunting strains of familiar melodies. Gales of laughter and shrill, joyous shrieks filled the air, carrying with them the rich aroma of sugar-dusted sweets and sizzling spices. Overhead, unlit luminaries in the shape of witches' hats, swooping bats, and ghoulish faces swung gently from booths and wooden structures. Every surface was festooned with streamers in bold shades of orange, black, and purple, while swarms of paper bats and mischievous black cats flitted in the breeze, almost as if they were alive. Skeletons, frozen in comical or unsettling poses, peeked out from behind booths or leaned casually against poles, their hollow eyes watching the festivities. Jack-O'-Lanterns of all sizes dotted the landscape, their crooked grins glowing from pedestals both high and low. People bustled from one corner to the next, some in vibrant costumes that shimmered with sequins and glitter, others in casual outfits in orange, purple, and black. Some strolled leisurely, savouring the moment, while others raced through the winding pathways, caught up in the whirlwind of energy that permeated the air.
In a large, open tent near the centre of all the merriment, facing a large fountain, crafted from stacked carved pumpkins of different sizes, three women wearing orange T-shirts with an outline of a pumpkin on the front and the world VOLUNTEER stamped across the back were setting up small untouched pumpkins on long tables and placing tools beside them. The blonde placed the last pumpkin at the edge of a table and handed the empty crate to another volunteer at the back of the tent before taking a look around. "That should do for Alyssa's little tykes."
The brunette nodded as she brought over an empty box of her own. "Yeah, we've got plenty of aprons, gloves and napkins. So that should keep the chaperones happy too." She looked over to the corner where the last of their trio was setting out water bottles and juice boxes. "Thanks for doing this Ashley, this probably wasn't the way you expected to spend your Friday."
Ashley smiled as she pulled out some more bottles from the box beside her. "Come on Jen, this was clearly the best offer I had. Believe me, this is so much better than sitting in on SPD meetings with Andros. Lately, they've just been going in circles. And I'm happy to help."
Jen laughed as picked up more empty boxes and handed them over to the volunteers at the back. "Oh, I know all about that. Wes won't stop grumbling about it. Though, I think he's finally on board with them using his suit design for their prototype. Time Force has been surprisingly supportive." She turned to the blonde who was walking along the tables. "It was nice of Alyssa to convince her school to let the kids come over for a field trip. I know Wes appreciates it, especially since this technically isn't educational."
The blonde shrugged and moved a few things around, "Alyssa can be very convincing when she wants to be. She'll probably throw in something about the origins of Halloween and how different people celebrate, but I doubt anyone would have put up a real fight. The kids would have had Halloween on the brain anyway, and this saves the school the trouble of doing an event of their own."
"Taylor has a point," said Ashley as she wrapped up her task. "But I'm sure the school thought the kids deserved some fun too."
The brunette smiled as she looked around the tent, hands on her waist. "Well, like I said Wes appreciates it and that she volunteered to read spooky stories tomorrow."
"Jen, it literally combines two things that girl loves. This is as much a treat for her as it is a favour for Wes," Taylor pointed out.
"And the real credit goes to Wes. This carnival was a great idea."
Jen and Taylor caught each other's eyes across the tent, their smiles faltering for just a moment before they turned back to their inspection.
"What am I missing here?"
Jen caught Taylor's eye again and the blonde nodded. "Uh… the boys had a tough case earlier this month. It… well it concerned an orphanage and I can't really get into details but it was pretty bad. The kids were pretty shaken up, so Wes wanted to do something to cheer them up."
"And with Wes being Wes, it turned into this circus, which he opened up to everyone," Taylor supplied, gesturing to the carnival around them as she made her way back to her friends. "I have to hand it to him though, he pulled this together pretty quickly. On the plus side for us, he was too busy to plan another party."
"Or a surprise wedding," Ashley suggested. "I was half expecting him to pull it off again when he invited us here for Halloween."
Jen fumbled with the box she was passing on and Taylor gave her shoulder a gentle squeeze. "Honestly, if the others could make it back this year, I wouldn't put it past him. Considering all the delays we've had. But thankfully Alex has them tracking down a mutant this year."
The smile on Ashley's face fell at the heaviness in her tone but she caught the gentle shake of Taylor's head and nodded. "Eric says it sounds like Alex is trying to put a plug on unnecessary time travel," the blonde offered to fill in the silence that befell them.
Jen nodded. "As much as I miss Katie, Lucas and Trip, they shouldn't make it a habit."
"I think it's a smart move on his part. Time periods are not the same as state lines, even if Halloween is a grey area."
"I'm not surprised you agree," Jen said as she turned back to face Taylor, a small smile playing on her lips. "The two of you would have definitely gotten along, or kil… no, you would have got along fairly well."
Taylor shrugged as she grabbed their jackets from a chair and handed them out. "The little monsters will be descending soon, we should head out."
The other two nodded and waved to the other volunteers as they left the tent. Their ears were immediately assailed by the chimes of games, shouts of joy and groans of disappointment. "Looks like they're having fun," Ashley mumbled as they walked down a path lined with classic carnival games, with a spooky twist of course.
"Hey Tay, feel like whacking a ghoul?"
Taylor rolled her eyes as they passed by a little boy holding a mallet, swinging wildly as ghostly shapes bobbed in and out of holes in the machine in front of him.
"Remind me to whack Max," she grumbled as she walked on.
"Is there a story to go with that?" asked Ashley.
Jen smiled at the blonde who kept her eyes forward. "Let's just say Taylor is very good at hitting things."
They let her pull ahead and Ashley looked over at Jen who was smiling at the kids around them. "You know, when you two told me you were volunteering here and that it was Taylor's idea, I was surprised. But I'm sensing this is not just a distraction for Wes."
Jen dropped her eyes to the ground and stuffed her hands into the pockets of her jacket. "She's being a good friend," she said softly. "Things got a little weird after the second time we had to postpone the wedding, and if I'm honest they're still a little off. And I might have been overthinking a bit. Taylor thought this might help me focus on one thing for the moment. She doesn't like to show it, but she worries. She doesn't need to, she has more pressing things to worry about, but it is what she does."
"Do I need to be worried about both of you?"
Jen chuckled at looked ahead to where Taylor had stopped and was waiting for them to catch up. "Ask me on Monday?... No seriously, we'll be fine, it's just good to have a distraction for the moment."
"Well, then let's have a little fun, shall we?"
Ashley grabbed her hand and Taylor's as they passed by her, pulling them into the section set up for vendors selling toys, trinkets and other spooky wares. There weren't too many people around and a few vendors were still setting up their stalls in preparation for the evening crowd.
Ashley's eyes were drawn to a kiosk selling charms and bracelets. Jen hung around the corner absentmindedly looking at a crystal ball while Ashley circled it examining the different necklaces on display
"Can I help you ladies with something?"
An elder woman startled Jen as she appeared behind the display she was staring at. Light hair with scattered stands of pink, blue and purple spilled out of a deep blue headscarf and dark blue eyes blinked out at the brunette before pulling back, showing off her gypsy-style attire in shades of blue and white.
"Perhaps a look into the future?" she prompted, waving her hand over the crystal ball.
"Uh…no thanks, I know far too much about it already."
She leaned forward, extending a hand, practically covered with colourful bracelets, and placed it over Jen's as she looked into her eyes, "Do you really? I'm sure there is something you would like to know."
"I know enough," she bit out.
Taylor stepped up beside her and gave the woman a pointed look as she looped her arm through Jen's. "Thank you. We're just looking around. We're more of the live-in-the-moment type." She waved Ashely over and gently tugged on Jen's hand, pulling her away.
"One moment girls," the woman called out, as she reached below one of the displays and pulled out a basket filled with long, sleek, wine-coloured envelopes, and held it out to them. "Take one, please."
"Oh, thank you… but…"
"I promise they have nothing to do with the future. And there's no charge. I'm handing them out to everyone who comes this way. Just something fun," she said, shrugging her shoulders and offering them a wide, whimsy smile.
The three women shared a look and looked back at her but she just thrust the basket toward them. "Don't be shy. Go on, take one."
Ashley shrugged and gently pulled one of the envelopes from the basket, with the other two following, albeit hesitantly. The covers were soft, almost like velvet, and had an intricate pattern of overlapping circles and a singular vine with blooming flowers curling through them. Jen stared at hers, eyes fixed on the pattern before gently opening the flap and sliding out a card.
The same intricate pattern was etched into the back, but when she turned it around it bore the image of a pair of bright green eyes with no iris, against the backdrop of soft pink and purple clouds. At the bottom in a curling script was the word Sight.
"Ahh, you have drawn the Sight card," the woman spoke as she tucked the basket away and leaned forward on the counter.
"What does it mean?"
"It means that in the face of doubt, you can trust that clarity will come. When the world around you is at its cloudiest, you will be able to see what's most important."
"Well there's nothing clear about this, so I don't think it works."
The woman chuckled. "In the spirit of the season, I'm going to let the mystery remain. Though I think you'll know what it means when the time comes."
Excited, Ashley quickly pulled out her card and flipped it over, revealing the image of a hammer and an anvil, with the word Tool scrawled at the bottom.
"The Tool card," the woman declared. "What you need to move forward is well within your grasp."
"I don't suppose I could convince you to explain that."
The woman smiled and shrugged, offering Ashley a wink before turning to Taylor. The blonde, however, slipped her card into a pocket.
"It's a cool gimmick, people are going to love it. But we should be heading back to work. Thank you."
The woman simply smiled and nodded, "It was my pleasure dears, you three enjoy the carnival and have a haunting Halloween."
Thanks for reading. I hope you enjoyed this chapter. More to come really soon.
Till next time...