Chapter Text
The very second that Blaire Acosta arrived at her aunt’s house in California was the moment that she began her much-belated teenage rebellion. Away from the ever-watchful eyes of the sisters that patrolled the halls of her strict high school, she had vigorously pulled out old towels, bottles of peroxide and a vibrant tube of something that called itself ‘Electric Bluenette’.
However, two weeks in the summer sun and salty surf had faded her statement look to a ghostly teal which she admired forlornly as she tugged at a crispy curl.
“I warned you; you’re going to go bald if you keep messing with that stuff,” her Aunt Rosa teased as she emerged from the kitchen, setting a tray of cupcakes on the counter. “Now stop slouching and help me with these.”
Blaire blew the curl away with a chuckle and smoothed her hands over her apron before transferring the bubble-gum-blue frosted sweets into the display cabinet next to the conchas and other tempting treats. She wondered what had her aunt baking extra when they’d only had a few customers. It was quiet in Coffee Cove, even for a weekday afternoon. Blaire hated shifts like this, they always dragged on and felt much longer. Grabbing a broom for the illusion of productivity, she moved over to the front window and began sweeping a spot she’d swept eight times that day.
Her Aunt Rosa’s coffee shop was in a perfect location, facing right out onto the best beach in Siren Bay. It was, usually, a real draw for thirsty customers and Blaire’s favourite thing about working for her aunt every summer. From this idyllic vantage point, Blaire could watch the sea.
She gazed out at the rippling ocean, mesmerised by the way the sunlight rode the gentle waves. It was a beautiful day, as it always was in Siren Bay in July, with its vast blue sky, hot golden sand and calm turquoise sea. However, this placid water was much too calm for Blaire’s liking. Blaire loved thrill-seeking as much as she loved the ocean. Her first time on a surfboard was her eighth birthday. Of course, she was terrible at it in the beginning, and fell open-mouthed into the salty water at the first push of the tide. But from then on, she was hooked. She loved everything about surfing, from the feel of the wind and the spray of the water to the thrill of one wrong move sending her tumbling off her board. She was addicted to it. Unfortunately, the only waves the sea offered today were a few ankle-slappers.
“You’re gonna sweep a hole in the floor if you don’t move away from that window!”
Blaire started, unaware that her aunt was standing right next to her.
“I’m off on an errand. I need to talk to Old Billy about tonight’s game. You can handle the register and the kitchen while it’s quiet, right?”
Ah, the game. That’s what had her aunt baking extra.
Blaire straightened up and performed a mock-salute.
“No problem! Wait, if you’re not here, does that make me a manager? Do I get a raise?”
Aunt Rosa guffawed and swatted her niece playfully with the back of her hand, leaving through the cafe entrance without even entertaining the suggestion.
Grinning, Blaire moved away from the window at last, and took up residence on the old wooden stool behind the counter. At a time of boredom such as this, a typical teenager might flick through social media, but Blaire had no access to such luxury. Her cell was closer in technology to a brick than a smartphone, and it looked like one too. She pulled the ancient hand-me-down from her apron pocket to check her texts, setting the collection of plastic charms rattling. No new messages. Locking the screen, she caught sight of her own reflection in the black mirror. Her ghostly curls framed her round face, the darkness of the phone screen making the difference between her two mismatched eyes more apparent. She’d never been one to fuss over her looks and overall was fairly happy with her appearance. When she was younger, she had hated her blind eye. The pale colour of it, the way it didn’t quite follow the same direction of her right eye, the slight drooping of her eyelid. But she didn’t dwell much on it these days. Blaire sometimes wondered if she’d ever have noticed she was different if the other kids hadn’t been so quick to point it out to her.
She sighed and considered texting her bestie, Randy, a polite 'wuu2' when the jangling of the bell above the door pulled her attention away from her phone.
“Good afternoon, welcome to Coffee - uh, welcome to Coffee Cove!”
Blaire’s rehearsed speech faltered as she caught full sight of the girl entering the cafe. She was stunning.
The girl flashed a smile that caused Blaire’s face to heat up. There was a warmth to her wide, golden-brown eyes that made Blaire feel like she was greeting a friend rather than a stranger. She didn’t move with any particular grace, slapping her bare feet on the tiles as she hurried up to the counter, her silky black hair fanning out behind her.
Blaire jumped from her stool and stood up very straight, inexplicably wanting to be an expert on customer service all of a sudden.
“Hi! Who are you?” The girl’s voice was sweetly high-pitched, and it took Blaire a moment to register the strange question.
“Uh, hello, I’m uh, I’m Blaire,” she tugged at the name badge on her apron lamely to illustrate the point.
Grinning still, the girl leant over the counter and peered at her name badge.
Blaire’s face turned one shade redder.
“C-can I get you something to drink?” She cringed at the strangled-sound her voice made as it cracked. “We have a fresh batch of mermaid tail cupcakes too if you, uh, like cakes!”
The girl’s eyes widened in shock before flicking over to the display of blue and green frosted cupcakes with little white chocolates in the shape of mermaid tails sticking out of them. She blew out a breath and giggled.
“You almost had me there! I’m really sorry, I don’t have any money! I actually just wanted to ask you some things about the area, if that’s alright?” Mid-sentence, she glanced over her shoulder at the door a couple of times. What was she looking for?
Blaire was boggled by the strangeness of this girl, but she still took a moment to be a little disappointed. During all the summers she had spent at her aunt’s, she never had the chance to make any long-lasting friends. Tourists came and went, dragging their kids along with them. They’d maybe hang out a couple of times during their one- or two-week vacation, only for Blaire to never see them again. She didn’t even know why she had assumed this girl was a local, perhaps she had just really hoped she was.
“No problem, we get tourists in here all the time,” she smiled and pulled an information leaflet out of the plastic rack next to the register. “This map has some great sight-seeing recommendations on it. If you like history, there are tours every day at noon from the Avery Bennet statue outside the town hall.”
The girl smiled back and took the leaflet, “This is great! Thank you.”
Blaire looked at the girl as she unfolded the leaflet and examined it intently. She certainly looked around Blaire’s age and seemed friendly too.
“So, um, do you mind if I ask your name?”
The girl glanced up with her eyes and froze, staring at Blaire without saying anything.
Panicked, Blaire wondered if that had been an inappropriate thing to ask.
“It’s just uh, ah, you know, haha, I don’t usually see a lot of people my age, a lot of little kids and their parents, you know how it is, haha,” she rambled, trailing off awkwardly. Flustered, Blaire glanced back to the girl to gauge her reaction.
She was stood with one hand stroking her chin, hips tilted as she looked around the cafe. Her eyes fell on the display on the left-side wall, an arrangement of old wooden signs and flotsam donated by Aunt Rosa’s fisherman friends and artfully arranged by the owner herself.
“Marina. I’m Marina,” the girl smiled.
No way, thought Blaire, did that girl just pick a random word off the display? She’s so weird!
Blaire couldn’t help but smile, despite the bizarre nature of this interaction. “It’s nice to meet you, Marina. Feel free to say no, but, if you want, I can give you my number–”
“Oh no! Sorry, I don’t have a phone,” Marina shrugged sheepishly, “But, I’d really like to see you again, Blaire.”
Her voice was sincere, and her smile was honest.
“Uh, that’s a shame about the phone but you know where to find me, I guess!” Blaire gestured to the cafe around them, feeling lamer and lamer by the second, and strongly considering dunking her head into the ice bucket the moment this interaction was over.
“How about we meet here tonight?” She still seemed genuine, but there was a hurriedness to her speech and Blaire couldn’t tell if that meant there was somewhere she needed to be or if she just wanted this interaction to end.
“Are you sure?” Blaire caught her sending a glance over her shoulder at the front entrance, “You seem kinda rushed, I don’t wanna hold you up.”
Marina smiled sheepishly, “Sorry! I don’t mean to be rude. I’m actually trying to avoid someone. I would really love to see you later!”
Blaire blinked. She didn’t think Marina was serious about seeing her after this cringy interaction, so this was fantastic.
“Sure!” Blaire beamed, “I finish closing up with my aunt at seven.”
“I can’t wait!” Marina dipped her glossy head to Blaire before casting another furtive glance over her shoulder, gripping the leaflet like it was a treasure map. “Weird question, but you have a back door, right?”
“Um, yeah. Through the kitchen, why?”
“Great, see ya later!” In an instant, Marina skittered past her, weaving her way between the counter and the kitchen door. Before Blaire could protest, she had dashed through the messy kitchen and located the back door. She hesitated a beat before leaving through it and called over her shoulder, “And by the way, I’m not a tourist!”
With a jangle of the latch and a swish of black hair, the strange girl was gone.
Blaire was left stunned, standing slack jawed in the waft of ocean breeze Marina had left behind. Before she could collect herself, the customer entrance jangled its usual tune of the brass bell and dolphin wind chime announcing the arrival of a very irritated-looking man. He was stocky and conspicuous in his blue jeans, aviator sunglasses and buzzcut.
Blaire closed her mouth quickly and straightened up.
“Good afternoon, welcome to Coffee Cove!” she started, hoping to sound normal. Her aunt had taught her well enough to recognise this kind of guy. There was a high chance that he was a cop out looking to find trouble where there wasn’t any and make some.
The man didn’t respond right away. He stood between the empty chairs and tables, no doubt scanning the room though his eyes were hidden by his shades. After a moment, he merely grunted in Blaire’s direction before stomping out the way he came.
Blaire raised her eyebrows after him and blew air through her nose. She’d love to say something to a rude guy like that, just like her aunt would have, but she typically preferred to stay out of any kind of conflict. As weird as those last two interactions were, there was no denying Blaire’s excitement as it came flooding back in. A cute girl actually wanted to hang out with her!
Don’t go thinking this is a date or anything.
She felt her flame of excitement flicker and fail as a sick, sticky feeling replaced it, sinking like mud into the pit of her stomach.
“I never said I thought it was a date,” Blaire muttered to the dark voice inside her head.
Good. What would she see in you anyway?
Blaire sighed and returned solemnly to tidying the counter, anything to distract her from these negative feelings that always seemed to find her, no matter how hopeful life seemed.
Blaire’s break couldn’t come around soon enough, and she relished the blast of hot air that met her as she slipped out the back entrance from the air-conditioned kitchen into the heavy late-afternoon sun.
She tapped away excitedly at her phone, carefully considering what phrasing would irritate Randy the most.
She settled on a suitably childish Guess what ;).
The reply was instantaneous.
What.
Go on, guess!
Don’t make me drive down there. Aren’t you at work right now?
Blaire pouted at him resisting the bait, but knowing her friend like she did, she knew he’d secretly be desperate to know.
On break. So, you don’t want to guess…?
A pause.
OMG JUST TELL ME
Blaire chuckled. Got ‘em.
I met a cute girl! And she wants to hang out tonight!!
Nice! You gonna take her out?
Crap. Blaire hadn’t really thought of what they were going to do together. Naturally extroverted, Blaire had no trouble relaxing and chatting with new people. But Marina had her so tongue-tied earlier! She didn’t want things to get awkward.
Um. I was gonna show her my surfboard and maybe just hang out on the beach?
Surfboard and chill ;)
OMG STOP. To be honest, I didn’t think about that…
Eh, maybe go with your first instinct. She may as well see the real, surfing-obsessed you as soon as possible ;)
Haha. You love me really.
Of course, I do! And so will she :)
Blaire felt that same flustered feeling creeping up on her again. Stupid, charming Randy.
Thanks Randy. Break’s over will keep you updated!
You better! And don’t forget about the summer homework, you’re not copying mine like last year!!
Blaire rolled her eyes as she slipped her phone back into her pocket. Classic Randy. Obsessed with academics past the point of standard nerdery and straight into the realm of lame-hood. Though they were best friends, the two couldn’t be more different. Blaire was extroverted and good at sports, while Randy liked nothing more than sitting alone with a book. In spite of that fact, Randy was more popular with their peers at Blessed Sacrament High. It went unsaid, but both secretly felt that might have something to do with their respective backgrounds. Randy lived in a beautifully spooky Victorian home in a nice neighbourhood. The kind of neighbourhood where you’d find pies cooling on windowsills, which Randy’s beautiful and gregarious mother often had. Blaire lived only a few blocks away, but it was like a different world. She shared a run-down, single-level house with her father, a man who had seemingly not been fully present for nearly twenty years. It was plain to see who the pampered kids of Blessed Sacrament would rather act buddy-buddy with.
In all the years they had been friends, Blaire had never envied Randy’s wealth, but as their final school year loomed over them, Blaire was starting to appreciate how far cash took people in this world. If she wanted to fulfil her dream of moving out of dreary, rainy Washington state and back to her true home in California, she was going to need a lot of it. Money she simply didn’t have.
Shaking away thoughts of school and a rapidly encroaching future that she could make neither head nor tail of, Blaire headed back inside to resume her work. Her summer was still only just beginning, after all.
Blaire swept and scrubbed furiously, earning a raised eyebrow from her aunt.
“Trying to finish early?”
“Yeah! I’m meeting up with a girl I met today,” said Blaire, jogging from one end of the cafe to the other with a mop.
“Oh! I assumed you were out surfing again.”
Blaire waved a dismissive hand.
“Nah, it’s way too still today.”
“Sure about that?”
Her aunt pointed out the front window.
Blaire looked up from the wet floor and was surprised to see large waves blooming in the ocean. She was usually good about spotting duds, but the weather must have changed its mind.
“Huh. Wasn’t like that earlier.” She bit her lip. “Maybe I could catch a couple of those waves.”
Aunt Rosa laughed.
“Well, whatever you do, you can finish up now. I need to get ready for the game, anyhow. Just don’t come back too late tonight, okay?”
Blaire pumped her fist in delight and gave her aunt a quick hug.
“I won’t! You’re the best!”
“I know. Just be careful out there!”
Aunt Rosa must have regretted wasting her breath on that last sentence, as Blaire had already flown out of the door.
After a thoroughly satisfying couple of waves, Blaire approached the coffee shop to see a dark-haired girl sat on the deck, legs dangling over the side as she drew circles in the sand with her bare feet. Marina had come to meet her, just as she’d promised.
“Hey!” Blaire called out to her.
Marina looked up, breaking out into a wide smile and jumping to her feet. She lost her balance for a second before catching herself and laughing.
“Hey, Blaire!” She beamed, taking in her appearance and tilting her head, “Why are you wet?”
“I just took a chance to catch some waves,” Blaire admitted sheepishly, “I hope you weren’t waiting too long.”
Marina shook her glossy head, “Not at all! I wish I could catch some waves,” she sighed wistfully, looking out to the ocean.
“You surf?”
“Ah, no, just swim. I don’t think I could hold myself upright on a board.”
Blaire nodded a little too eagerly in agreement before remembering that she was trying to ignore, out of politeness, that Marina almost fell over nothing just now.
“I like to get out before the sun sets. Big waves are harder to come by this time of year. So, I couldn’t resist. I’m just going to dry off and change my clothes, sorry for taking so long.”
“Not at all!”
Blaire tucked her board away in the cafe’s storage shed and peeled off her wetsuit. She’d remembered to bring clean clothes with her to work this morning, but it felt wrong pulling them on before washing away the saltwater residue from her surfing session. She was thankful that she’d brought along some of her nicer clothes, subconsciously admitting to herself that she was hoping to impress Marina. She pulled on the high waisted jeans and tee, which was an old band shirt that she’d fashioned into a crop top and finished off with her good sandals. Her hair was starting to dry out in the warm evening air and was a frizzy disaster waiting to happen, so she stuffed her white and black baseball cap back into its usual perch on her head. She checked her reflection over in the dusty old mirror hanging over the shed door and nodded her approval. Now she looked presentable but not like she was trying too hard.
When she emerged, Marina clapped her hands in delight.
“You look so cute! I wish I’d have changed my clothes too.”
“Don’t worry about it, your outfit is cute too!” Blaire blushed, fidgeting with her hat. “Is there anything you want to do tonight?” She asked, quickly changing the subject away from her appearance.
“I was actually hoping you’d recommend something; I haven’t had a chance to do anything fun around here yet!” said Marina, tapping her chin with her finger.
Blaire was glad for this opportunity to choose but didn’t want to suggest it first for fear of appearing too pushy. There was something she’d wanted to do for years but had always missed out either because she was working, or she had nobody to go with.
“Well, the state fair is in town,” she suggested, stuffing her hands into her pockets in an attempt to seem nonchalant, side eyeing Marina to gauge her reaction to the suggestion.
“Sounds like fun! What is the state fair?”
Blaire blinked at her, trying to guess if her new friend was pulling her leg.
“You know, a fair?”
Marina smiled blankly.
“Like, rides and junk food and stuff?”
“Sounds awesome!” Marina exclaimed, punching the air for emphasis.
Blaire laughed at her excitement, still not sure if she was being genuine or ironic. “Cool, let’s go! We’ll have to get the bus, though, if that’s alright?”
“On a bus too? Is that like the first fairground ride or something?”
Blaire snorted, “Oh yeah, and it’s the best one! That’s why it’s the most expensive.”
Marina giggled as she followed Blaire to the bus stop. Buses weren’t cheap but they were extremely regular from the seafront. All pros and cons of being in a tourist trap. Sure enough, as they arrived at the bus stop, one could be seen trundling towards them. The rusty old bus stuttered to a stop with a loud hiss and the two girls climbed aboard.
“State fair, please,” said Blaire before remembering what Marina had said earlier about money, “Uh, make that two.”
The driver grunted as Blaire counted out the correct change.
Blaire led Marina to the back seats, which were, thankfully, empty.
“Cool,” said Marina as the bus juddered back into life and began bouncing down the street, “So this is the inside of a bus.”
Blaire laughed, “Have you seriously never caught a bus before?”
Marina shook her head, “Seriously! This is my first time.”
“For real? Not that it’s that weird, it’s just hard to tell when you’re messing around.”
Marina chuckled mischievously, “Maybe that’s part of my plan, so I can back out if I accidentally say something too weird!”
“That’s not a half bad social strategy, I might use it some time.”
“Hey, that’s my copyrighted secret signature move!”
“I’ll pay royalties, I swear!”
“It’s fine, I’ll just play ten seconds of ads during each one of your social interactions.”
“Oh, that sounds reasonable.”
The pair snorted at their own joke.
Marina leant closer to the window to get a look at the town moving past. “It looks so pretty in the evening.”
She was right. The sun was low on the horizon, casting half of the sky in a red and orange light that faded out to a deep purple. Blaire had never seen stars whilst in the town, but the pretty lights of the buildings and attractions were a wonder in themselves.
“Yeah, I love spending summer here. The nights are the best!”
Who am I kidding, Blaire thought, everything about this place is the best.
Marina tilted her head, “You’re not from around here?”
She might have imagined it, but she thought Marina sounded a little disappointed.
“Well, I was born here. My dad made us move to Washington state for his job. It sucks up there. It’s always cold, wet and raining and there’s nothing to do! I’m lucky I can stay with my aunt every summer, or I think I’d go crazy.”
Marina shuddered, “I hate crappy weather too. That’s why I love Siren Bay! Would you ever move back here?”
Blaire nodded enthusiastically, “It’s my dream! I’ve got one year left of school then I’m free to live wherever I want!” She paused and rubbed her neck sheepishly. “That’s if, well, let’s just say I’m going to have to work pretty damn hard to afford the rent around here.”
Marina gave a sympathetic look before her eyes grew wide, “Woah!”
Blaire turned to look over her shoulder out of the window and saw that the fair was fast approaching.
“This is our stop! Let’s go!”
Blaire grabbed Marina’s hand to steady her as they ran down to the front of the bus.
Marina gave her a brief look of gratitude as her feet found the ground before sliding her fingers out of her grasp, leaving Blaire to regret not asking to touch her before doing so. She was about to say as much when Marina’s eyes grew strangely hard as she fixated on something just over Blaire’s right shoulder.
Something about Marina’s expression caused the hairs on the back of her neck to prickle and she whipped around. Her good eye landed almost immediately on two men who stood out from the rest of the crowd who seemed to be staring back at the two girls. Before Blaire could take note of their appearance they melted away from her view and as a family passed between them, they had disappeared completely.
When she turned back to Marina, she was smiling warmly once again.
“Come on!” she said, quickly, “I thought you were going to show me the ropes!”
The warm evening air felt refreshing on their faces after the stuffy heat of the bus. All around them was the buzz of chatter and excitement as people piled into the fair entrance. There was a smell of fried food and sugar that coated the air thickly and made Blaire’s mouth water.
“Okay, answer me seriously again. Have you really never been to a fair?”
“I’m serious,” said Marina, staring at the entrance in wonderment, “I’m pretty sure I would remember going somewhere as cool as this.”
Blaire grinned and led her through the crowd and into the fair.
It was a dizzying display of candy colours and flashing lights, with rave music pounding over the speaker system.
“How do you even decide what to do first?” said Marina in awe, raising her voice to be heard above the commotion.
“There’s a knack to it!” Blaire yelled back, “You might be tempted to get food first, but let me tell you you’re going to want to do that after you’ve been on the rides. Trust me, greasy food and being flung around do not mix!”
For emphasis, she pointed to a nearby mother who was patting the back of her barfing child.
“Gross!” Marina laughed, “Okay, what ride is your favourite?”
“Aw man, that’s a good question!” said Blaire, looking around and thinking hard, “It’s a 50/50 split between the Headbanger and the Health Insurance Invalidator.”
“Wow. Those sound awful.”
“It’s okay!” Blaire laughed, “We can start you off on something more tame. Maybe the Ferris wheel would be more your speed?”
Marina looked over to the big wheel and rolled her eyes, “Even I can tell that thing is for old ladies! Come on, take me on one of your big boy rides!”
Blaire raised an eyebrow. Was it her imagination or was Marina trying a little too hard to act tough? Her pouty face and determined eyes were cute, really. But she didn’t want to traumatise her new friend for life, so she decided to find something more in the middle of the life-threatening to snooze-fest scale.
“How about, uh, the bumper cars?” she gestured over to the bright metallic-painted cars that people were gleefully ramming into each other, “It’s cool because you get to bump into people as hard as you want. We could even share a car!”
Marina rubbed her chin, “Hmm… no way! I want my own car so I can destroy you!”
Blaire laughed in the face of her challenge, “Oh yeah? I’d like to see you try! Bring it on!”
They charged over to the dodgem track and handed over the tickets, seating themselves into their respective chariots of doom. When the signal turned green, the two pressed on the accelerator at the exact same time, heading straight for the other. They collided spectacularly, bouncing off each other and into the other cars, causing chaos. The pair cackled as they bashed into each other over and over, each one trying to pin the other into a corner.
All too soon, the signal turned red again and the power was cut from the cars.
“Aw, I almost had you!” Blaire complained, exiting her tiny vehicle.
“Dream on! That match was mine!” Marina declared triumphantly.
“Beginner’s luck!” she scoffed. “Okay, now that you’re warmed up, it’s time for some real rides,” she smirked deviously.
“I’m ready,” Marina replied, throwing her arms out dramatically as if she were sacrificing herself to the god of the fairground.
“If you’re sure. Let’s start with the headbanger.”
After several dizzying, spine-destroying rides that should probably have been closed down by safety inspectors, Blaire figured that it was time to quit while they were ahead. Marina teetered next to her, her usually immaculately neat black hair blown back into a wind-swept mess.
“How’d you like those?”
“I think… I’m gonna hurl. Or maybe I’m just really hungry.”
Blaire laughed, “I guess we’ll have to find out which one it is! Personally, I always get hungry once the adrenaline wears off. Luckily for you, I have just the cure! Only one question remains – savoury or sweet?”
Marina’s eyes grew wide, “Is both an option? Or, wait, no, sweet!”
Blaire led her to the nearest food truck. The smell of sugar and cooking oil was overpowering.
“I know what I want. You can try some of mine, and if you like it I’ll get you one. If not, there are plenty of other delights,” she turned to the guy in the food truck, “Hey, can I get a funnel cake, please?”
The food truck guy prepared the horrific treat, topping off the deep-fried mess was a generous puff of powdered sugar.
Blaire took a bite out of one side, as neatly as she could, which was not very, leaving herself with a white moustache from the sugar. The taste was divine, the sweetness paired with the texture of the dough was heavenly. Having to restrain herself from gobbling the whole delicious thing, she offered the golden nest to Marina.
“Mmmm, you gotta try this,” she said thickly.
Marina managed to nibble a piece more daintily than Blaire had, but her face did not escape a light dusting of sugar.
As she chewed, her eyes grew wider and wider.
“This is not like any cake I’ve ever seen… but it’s incredible!”
Blaire grinned triumphantly before turning back to the food truck.
“Hey, can I get one more of these?”
Suitably stuffed with fairground treats, the pair looked for somewhere to rest for a moment.
“That thing was so heavy, I feel like I need a nap!” said Marina, patting her stomach.
“You’re telling me,” Blaire sighed contentedly.
“Now I really understand what you meant when you said to eat after the rides. I don’t think I’d have been able to keep one of those bad boys down on the Headbanger.”
Blaire snorted, “Bad boys.”
Marina suddenly bristled mid-grin, her eyes hardening as she stared somewhere over Blaire’s shoulder. Blaire turned suddenly on instinct, eye searching the crowd for what had caught Marina’s attention. Among the fairground revellers, one person stood completely still, a stocky man in blue jeans with his tinted sunglasses aimed straight at them. So, she hadn’t imagined it earlier. These guys were following them.
Blaire felt the hairs on her arms stand on end. It was a similar feeling to when one of the Sisters at school caught her doing something she shouldn’t.
A group of teenagers shoving their way noisily through the crowd obscured the man for a second, and by the time they had moved on he had vanished.
Blaire turned back to Marina, frowning, “Was that guy staring at us?”
Marina’s face was pale, and she swallowed hard before speaking, “Is there somewhere we can sit down?”
“Are you alright?”
“I’m fine.” Marina snapped.
Blaire cringed, unable to shake the bad feeling and looked around the crowded fairground again. There were picnic tables and wooden benches near the food trucks, but they were full of families and groups of teens. At least there was no one stood staring at them.
“Ehh, maybe we should go on a gentle ride to sit down. Get away from this crowd for a minute.”
Marina smiled, looking remorseful for snapping, but didn’t say anything else.
They walked a little further, with Blaire casting her eyes towards the Ferris wheel hopefully.
“Ooo!” Marina cried, her good spirit returning as she grasped Blaire’s arm and pointing over to the ghost train, “What’s that? Can we sit down in there?”
Blaire groaned, “That cheese fest? Sure, I guess you’re right. And there’s no line.”
“Oh wow, there’s not. I bet it really sucks. Let’s go!”
The pair giggled over to the ghost train and approached the bored looking teen in the booth, who was dressed half-heartedly in a vampire costume and looking like he wished he could be literally anywhere else.
“Two, please!” said Blaire, handing him the tickets.
“Bleh. I am Count Dracula. I hope you are ready for a spooktacular experience,” said the teen flatly, leaving the booth and leading them onto the train, “Keep your hands and feet inside the train at all times and no touching the actors.”
“Ooo, there’s gonna be actors,” Blaire giggled.
“Don’t worry, Blaire. If you get too scared, you can always hold my hand,” Marina teased, feigning concern.
Blaire felt her face heat up and turned away slightly to try to hide it. So, hand-holding was possibly still on the table. Maybe she shouldn’t have been so bummed not to ride the Ferris wheel with Marina, when this was already shaping up to be much more interesting.
The train juddered and squeaked as it rolled them through a cheap black curtain and into the haunted house. The house was lit strategically with red and purple bulbs, set to light the cheap decorations and avoid the parts of the ride that were just plain black paint on wood board.
A fake crow on a wire spun above them with the sound of a thunder crack.
“Caw! Who dares enter ye haunted house?! Beware! Beware!”
“Wow, this really does suck,” said Marina, setting Blaire off giggling again.
A few cheap scares later and the train rattled toward the exit.
An actor in a wolf mask jumped out at them at the last second and a flash went off, before he disappeared back through the curtain.
“Hey, I’m pretty sure that actor was just the kid from the booth with a mask on.”
“You’re right! He still had the Dracula get-up on underneath!”
“Wanna go see the photo?”
“It takes a photo?”
Blaire offered Marina a chivalrous hand out of the train, which she took graciously, and led her over to the shack at the end of the ride. The same teen from the ticket booth was there already, pulling off his werewolf mask.
“Pictures are $5,” he said, flatly.
They looked up at the board.
“There we are!” said Marina, pointing excitedly.
Neither of the two girls looked particularly spooked, Blaire was mid blink, so she just looked tired and Marina had her mouth half open and a bored expression on her face.
“It’s perfect!” Blaire declared, “I’ll take a keychain.”
The teen prepared the flimsy plastic keychain and handed it over. Blaire held it up to the neon lights to admire it as they walked away.
“Precious memories!” she sighed wistfully.
“And at least my stomach feels a lot better after that,” Marina offered.
Blaire smiled. Marina must have just felt a little sick earlier. She needed to stop being so paranoid. “Hey, mine too. Nothing like a good ol’ boring ghost train to settle the stomach after a heavy meal.”
“What next?”
“My dear Marina,” said Blaire, placing a hand on her shoulder, “Now is when the real competition begins. It is time for overpriced fairground games with crappy prizes!”
Marina slapped her hands on her face in mock-amazement, “Teach me, oh master!”
The games section of the fairground was immense, a buzz of chatter and laughter. The stall holders performed at their best, calling out to passers-by to trick them into playing whatever rigged game they were in charge of that day with the promise of brightly coloured stuffed bears and goldfish.
“What’s your poison? Shooting? Throwing?”
“I’ve never tried anything like that before,” Marina admitted, looking around the various stalls, “Hey, I have an idea! Why don’t you choose a prize, and no matter what the game is, I’ll win it for you?”
Blaire felt a little flushed all of a sudden, “You want to win a prize for me?”
Marina placed a hand on her hip, “Yeah, is that strange or something? I have to do something to thank you for bringing me out here!”
“Oh, well it’s been nice, so don’t worry about it, really!” Blaire grimaced as an all-too familiar voice whispered inside her mind, a sticky feeling building up in the pit of her stomach.
Get a hold of yourself, the voice spoke with irritation, don’t assume she’s interested just because she’s nice to you.
“Earth to Blaire!” Marina joked, nudging her, “Go on, pick one already so I can prove I’m naturally awesome at fairground games as well as coasters!”
Blaire shook the slimy feeling away and the voice dissipated along with it. “Yeah, I bet you are!” She tried with great effort to pull back to her light-hearted self, taking her time to look at all the brightly coloured toys and treats strung up across the stalls like Christmas decorations. A fluffy stuffed dog caught her eye. It was a less flashy prize, so she figured it would be a little easier to win, too.
“Hey, that stuffed animal is cute,” she said, pointing to it.
Marina frowned, eyeing it sceptically, “I dunno, isn’t it a little boring?”
“Hey, leave the little guy alone! And besides, I’ve always wanted a dog.”
Marina smiled, “Aw, that’s sweet. Okay, one little dog coming right up!”
She strode over to the stall confidently.
“What’ve we got here?” she said, examining the game.
“Oh, cool, it’s archery!” said Blaire, pointing to the bow hanging up next to the brightly coloured targets.
“Hey there!” Marina called to the stall holder, “What do I have to hit to win that little dog for my lady friend?”
Blaire felt her face heat back up again and hid behind her hand. She really did just yell that in front of everybody.
She’s making fun of you, the voice sneered. Blaire clenched her teeth and ignored it.
“Three in the blue,” the stall holder grunted, accepting the tickets and passing a bow and three arrows over the counter to Marina.
“No problem-o,” she said with great confidence, before proceeding to do literally everything wrong.
“Uh, Marina, I don’t think you’re supposed to hold the bow like that,” Blaire warned.
“Nonsense! Look at me, I’m a natural!”
She loosed one arrow, which missed the target and sunk straight into the hay, right up to the fletchings.
“Okay, that was a practice shot! Sir, I will need another arrow after these two!”
She fired the next one, in the complete opposite direction, just missing the stall holder by an inch and clanging loudly off the metal container. Blaire cringed.
“Second practice arrow! Now, I’ll just—”
“Stop! Stop!”
The stall holder hurried over and snatched the bow out of Marina’s hands, sweating profusely.
“You’re lethal with that thing, lady! Just take the dog already!”
He snatched the little brown dog out of the clips overhead and thrust it towards her roughly.
Marina’s face lit up as she clutched the dog. “I did it!”
“Did you?”
Marina pouted. “Do you want the dog, or not?”
Blaire laughed, “Okay, Robin Hood. You did it.”
Marina grinned and presented the stuffed animal to her with a flourish.
“A trophy for you, m’lady.”
Blaire curtseyed back, “Thank you kind sir, I will cherish it!”
As they walked away from the games, Blaire stroked the cheap synthetic fur of the dog. There was no way this thing was worth the cost of the tickets to win it, but it was still pretty cute.
“What’re you going to call your dog?”
“Hmmm,” Blaire pondered, “He looks like a Waffleston to me.”
“Waffleston!” Marina exclaimed, “A fine name for a fine pedigree champion. You know you have to walk him every day, right?”
“I’ll walk him twice a day, I promise!”
She tucked Waffleston into the crook of her arm and fished in her jean pocket for the remaining tickets.
“Darn. We’re down to our last two tickets.”
“Really? That’s a shame. What non-lame thing can we get with two tickets?”
Blaire considered this for a moment.
“I don’t think there’s anything non-lame. But we could go full lame and go on the kiddie teacup ride?”
Marina laughed, “Sounds humiliating. Let’s do it!”
The pair climbed into a powder blue teacup and got themselves buckled in. There weren’t many families out this late, and the crowd had thinned down to mushy couples and sketchy-looking teenagers. As such, the teacup ride was fairly quiet. The gentle fairground music started up as the ride began to spin gently. Blaire showed Marina that she could spin the centre wheel to make them go faster.
“Oh, this truly is thrilling.”
“Are you kidding again, or do you really think this is fun?”
Marina laughed, “Well, it’s a nice change of pace from the other rides. It’s relaxing actually.” Her black hair blew around her as the ride spun, and the pastel lights in pink and blue caught the highlights in her eyes.
“Yeah, it is kinda nice,” Blaire agreed.
It was late when the pair caught the bus back to the seafront. The quiet, dimly lit bus was a welcome refuge to the sensory overload of the fair, and the two girls had fallen into a comfortable silence as they took up their perch at the back of the bus. It was clear that neither one wanted to say anything, for fear of acknowledging that the evening was coming to an end.
Blaire hugged her legs in the seat and rested her chin on her knees. She’d never usually put her feet up on the seat like this, but she was just too damn tired to hold herself up.
Marina was in a similar state, her shoulders low and her eyelids drooping in time with the soothing rumble of the bus as it lumbered along its course.
“Thanks for taking me out,” said Marina unexpectedly, her voice small and sleepy.
“Hey, no problem. I had a lot of fun,” Blaire’s voice was similarly affected, raspy from yelling over the fairground noise.
“Not just that, I mean. You know, paying for everything and stuff,” she was looking at the sticky floor of the bus now, as if it were the most interesting thing in the world.
Blaire didn’t really know how to respond. She remembered what Marina had said about having no money. The strange way she worded things and avoided questions. The guy in the sunglasses who was watching them in the crowd. She didn’t know if it was right to acknowledge all that right now. If it would make things awkward.
“Like I said, no problem. I chose this place for us to hang out, so I didn’t mind paying,” she said, smiling kindly.
“I owe you one.”
“Hey, you can pick what we do next time. So, we’re even, right?”
Marina perked up at that.
“You bet! Next time, I’ll spoil you!”
“I’ll look forward to that!” Blaire grinned.
“Does tomorrow work for you?”
Blaire was taken aback. She hadn’t expected her to want to spend time together again so soon. But she was more than pleased about it.
“That would be great! I’m on the same shift at the cafe tomorrow, want to meet me in the same place?”
“It’s a date!” she said with a wink, causing Blaire’s face to heat up again.
The negative voice that had taunted her all evening had nothing to say to that, she was pleased to realise. She tried to control her face and play it cool, but Blaire was more than ecstatic. Marina wanted to hang out with her again! She was getting the feeling that this was quickly becoming the best summer ever.