Chapter 31

Soft folk music filled the air as children rushed to get in line for certain rides. People mingled with each other and ate food that was greasy and sugary. Cat held tight to Spencer’s arm, Aislinn on their other side, holding onto Derek’s arm. The night was young and filled with old magic only brought upon by the timeless thrills of a carnival.

“Did you know in the United States, its estimated some 500 million guests visit carnivals, fairs and festivals each year and it’s believed that more than half of them participate on mobile amusement rides?” Spencer spat out statistics as they walked the fair-grounds, taking in the bright lights and cheesy game. Cat merely shook her head and shrugged, catching Derek smiling out of the corner of her eye. Aislinn stayed silent, looking uncomfortable. Cat frowned and let go of Spencer’s arms, grabbing her best friend’s hand instead and leading her away in a laughing fit to the line of a ride called The Tornado!

“Cat! I don’t want to go on this. I’ll fly out! I don’t like rides like this.” Aislinn laughed trying to hide her smile as she spoke and Cat merely shook her head.

“Too bad. We’re going on it! You’ll be fine! You boys want to join us?” Cat asked, her eyebrows arching and her hands on her hips, dominating the scene.

“Actually Aislinn this ride uses the physics and science of centripetal force. See the way it works is-“ Spencer looked up, catching a very confused Cat, Aislinn and Derek staring at him. He stopped mid-sentence and said “I think Derek and I will wait over here at that bench. Have fun!” He waved them off as him and Morgan walked over and sat down, the kids behind them taking their spot in line with glee.

“Dude, you got to lay off of the statistics, just chill and have a good time!” Derek lounged back on the bench as he spoke, giving Aislinn a wink as their eyes met. She smiled and turned back to Catherine, their conversation drowned out by the crowd.

“I know I know, but it’s just who I am. Sometimes I can’t help it.” Reid huffed, becoming the exact opposite of the lounging Morgan, and sitting up straight on the bench, tense.

The ride stopped and the people exited the ramp as the new group entered. Cat and Aislinn strapped in and then waved excitedly at Spencer and Derek who waved back. Aislinn looked nervous but smiled nonetheless. The ride began to slowly move in a circle and the two screamed in excitement and Cat grabbed Aislinn’s hand. Soon the girls were lost in a blur as the ride picked up speed and their screams were drowned out by other ride-goers.

“We should get the girls some candy and drinks for when they get off. I don’t know about you but I’ve been dying to grab a candy apple.” Derek stood up, making his way over to the short concession line. Spencer followed him, his eyes watching the ride with an intense gaze. For a brief moment his mind flickered back to his nightmare of JJ and the thought of “too late” came to mind. He watched as the ride shook, going faster and faster. His heart rate picked up as a cold fear settled over him that something might malfunction.

“Hi, can I get 4 candy apples, 2 cokes and a funnel cake please?” Derek asked the concession worker, seemingly unaware of Spencer’s increasing fear. Spencer turned to the concession worker, his eyes a blaze as Morgan handed him the food without as much as a glance.

“Derek I think that ride is-“

“Oh my gosh that was SO fun.” Cat jumped on Spencer, smiles galore and Aislinn laughed, latching onto Derek. Spencer jumped, startled, not realizing that they had gotten off the ride. Spencer smiled a weak smile, his adrenalin dropping as he handed Cat her candy apple.

“For you, dear Cat.” He handed her the apple and she laughed.

“Why thank you, dear Spencer.” She bowed in mock appreciation, laughing at the silliness of the night. It was so much better than a stuffy dinner and tight fitting clothing. Derek also bowed down to Aislinn, handing her a candy apple and the coke. She laughed, blushing widely, her cheeks matching the color of her flaming red hair.

“What should we do next? We have about an hour left before the fireworks go off.” Cat looked at her watch, checking to make sure she was correct in their time frame. Aislinn looked around, her icy blue eyes landing on The House of Mirrors.

“Oh let’s go in there. It looks spooky but fun at the same time!” She pointed with her free hand, the other one holding the candy apple up near her mouth.

Derek bowed again “Anything your heart desires my fire queen.” This time Aislinn blushed even harder, turning the shade of an apple, a small giggle escaping her throat. Derek flashed a handsome smile to his date and then a wink over at Spencer who couldn’t help but roll his eyes. Cat laughed, grapping his hand and leading him over to the line for The House of Mirrors. A warm breeze flitted through the crowd and wrapped itself around the people standing in line. Cat breathed in, the smells of grass and cotton candy apparent in the air. It was almost intoxicating, such a beautiful night like this. The sky was a dark black, no stars to be seen against the harsh lights of the amusement rides. A few clouds drifted by slowly, sometimes overshadowing the crescent moon that was in the sky tonight.  

The line move forward and soon they found themselves the next to go inside.

“Please be wary of yourself and others while in the House of Mirrors. Please do not run while inside the House of Mirrors. Please remember to respect park property and do not break any of the mirrors. Thank you.” The ride attendant finished their speech, having said it many times before that night. The pulled back the rope and let the group enter. Eerie carnival music could be heard inside, the same that was usually played at a circus or a fun house. It was dark except for a few lights that led a confused pathway. Mirrors of all shapes and sizes and colors lined the walls. Catherine stuck her face close to the glass, her appearance distorted and swirly. She couldn’t help but laugh at the absurdity of it. Derek led Aislinn ahead of Cat and Spencer, taking her to the next room, laughing and discussing the ride. Lights swirled reflecting off the glass and creating a dizzying effect. Spencer walked with Cat slowly, trying not to lose their way or trip on anything. A few times they would bang into the wall of glass instead of the right pathway. Derek and Aislinn were long far ahead and their voices could no longer be heard over the music.

“Spence…”

Spencer looked up out of the corner of his eye, into the mirror closes to him. A brief image of blonde hair flitted across his peripheral vision. He gasped. Not here… not now.

Cat let go of his arm, saying something that he couldn’t hear above the music, and rushing forward without him. He saw her brown curly hair turn a corner and like that she was gone, and he was left alone, the droning music drowning out all thoughts he had. He stared at the mirror, brief images of himself flickering back and forth between his appearance and JJ.

“Leave me alone!” He called out, making his way forward but instead hitting another wall of glass. He suddenly felt panicky, his breathing hitching in his throat as he felt the walls were closing in on him. He ran forward now, calling out Cat’s name.

“Spencer, before it’s too late!” JJ’s image stood before him, her hands pasted on her hips in a dominating gesture. He rubbed his eyes and shook his head, pleading for the image to go away. His head pounded, voices of the night flooding his psyche, creating a horrible soundtrack with the music playing in the House of Mirrors. He closed his eyes, feeling dizzy, his knees feeling weak.

“Spencer! Spencer! Spencer!” The voices were doubled, Cat and JJ’s tones mixing.

“No JJ, NO! Stop JJ! He called out, thrashing his arms in front of him.

“JJ? No it’s Cat.” Spencer looked up, two figures standing above him. He blinked his eyes a few times, trying to get his sight to focus. When it finally adjusted he could see Cat standing above him a worried expression on her face. Next to her stood a paramedic, looking intently with his orange medical bag slung around his shoulder.

“Mamn, I’m going to need you to back up, so I can check him out.” Cat backed up at the orders of the paramedic as he knelt down in front of Spencer. “Sir did you have anything to drink tonight or did you consume any substances?” The paramedic began digging through his bags for gloves.

“N-no…. what happened?” Spencer’s voice was shaky, he looked over at Derek and Aislinn. Aislinn was also sitting on the ground, her head in her hands. Derek had his arm in a comforting position around her, rubbing her back softly.

“We’re not really sure, but we think you had a simple panic attack and passed out. Happens all the time in places like the House of Mirrors. This young lady here said she ran ahead to go talk to your friends and when she came back you were on the ground.” The paramedic began to take vitals, blood pressure and heart rate. Cat bit her lip, a nervous expression written all over her face. Spencer looked up, another paramedic now talking to Aislinn.

“What happened to Aislinn?” Spencer choked out, worry for her growing in his stomach.

Cat shook her head. “Same thing. Derek said she began to panic and breath to heavy. She didn’t pass out because he got her out in time, but she felt the same way you did.” Cat shook her head, feeling as if the whole night had been ruined. She felt bad for ever suggesting they go to the carnival in the first place.

“Everything looks normal. Are you feeling okay? Would you like to go to the hospital?” The paramedic began to pack away his things.

“No. I’m fine. I’m fine. Just a little shaky.” Spencer stood up, a crowd of people had gathered around where him and Aislinn lay in the grass with the paramedics.

“I have to consult you on the risk of what might happen if you refuse the hospital.” The paramedic began to list all the necessary procedures of what might happen. Spencer nodded, barely listening as he inched closer to Cat, holding her close. He felt bad for scaring her. He then signed the necessary forms and the paramedics left.

“Come on, let’s go sit at a bench. The fireworks should be going off any minute.” Derek gently led Aislinn over to a bench. She was still feeling shaky. He gave her some funnel cake and advised her to eat some sugar to feel a bit better. She chewed on it slowly. Cat went over to Aislinn and hugged her, trying to make her friend and her boyfriend feel better. She let go of Aislinn and sat next to Spencer holding him tightly. It was an awkward silence after what had just happened but suddenly the silence was filled with a loud BOOM as a firework erupted in the sky, sparks of blue and pink and purple cascading down to the ground. Cat sat closer to Spencer, holding him tightly.

“Spencer…. Are you okay? Have you been… hitting again?” Cat knew he would know what she meant. Was he touching the dilaudid again? Why had he thought she was JJ?

“No no Catherine, never! The… the lights just played tricks on my eyes, that’s all. I’m not used to places like that… I’m sorry for worrying you.” Spencer tried to play the situation down, as if it wasn’t a big deal, but inside he was freaking out. Why was he constantly seeing and hearing JJ’s voice? It wasn’t normal and he knew it wasn’t statistically good. He inhaled a shaky breath and threw in some funnel cake into his mouth. “Really Cat, this was a great idea. I had a splendid night minus that one hiccup.” He held her close, giving her a hug. Cat smiled, feeling a bit relieved after he had said that.

“Now if only I could get Aislinn to agree with you.” She laughed, pointing to her friend who was wrapped up in Derek’s arms, quietly watching the fireworks with a dreamy smile plastered on her face, her eyes glancing every so often at Derek’s masculine face.