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THE COOL BREEZE SWIRLS AROUND ht sky Blonde strands from my once-perfect Dutch braids lash at ht, white, button-down linen dress flutters against —, but I’hts I’ve been walking toward belong to a Ferris wheel in the distance I see big rig trucks and trailers in a dirt lot and big top tents behind them Har sweet and cinnamony fills my nostrils

A carnival Or maybe a circus What’s the difference between the two? I’ve never been to anything of the sort, except for h school’s annual fair for charity It’s not like

I slow as I approach the hip-heightto draw attention fro around, but no one seeuy in a black leather jacket catches rass in front of me He scratches at the stubble on his sculpted jaw and flicks his cigarette to the ground before he disappears behind a black and white striped tent

So flutters to my feet, and I look down to see a piece of yellow paper pressed against my once-white leather tennis shoes that are now coated with dirt Bending over, I peel it offthe words:

Jessup Brothers Carnival Presents the Sons of Eastlake

Freak ShowGamesRidesFoodFun

This weekend only!

Noon-10:00 PM

Eastlake Why does that name sound familiar?

I shouldn’t be here I left after an arguot particularly nasty Insults were slung, and feelings were hurt on both sides Ignoring the nagging guilt inside my head, lance around,over the gate I scurry toward the tent, looking over uilty When I’m finally inside, I’m shocked to see how many people can fit in here There are rows upon rows of excited spectators of all ages with an aisle in the e of some sort

“There he is, ladies and gentlerace us with his presence!” The announcer’s sardonic voice echoes throughout the tent, and the crowd starts to go wild All eyes swivel to look past me, and when I turn to see what the fuss is about, I find Leather Jacket Man prowling inonly a black tank top with open sides, allowing for a perfect view of his sculpted storeen eyes roll at the nicknahtens under his gaze, and he lifts an eyebrow atthe connection

“Watch the Sons of Eastlake defy gravity in one of the oldest and erous stunts in history!”

He—the one called Sebastian—uys on e his fanfare One of the riders wears a ribbed white undershirt—the kind my dad wears under his button-up shirts—and the other one has on a flannel with the sleeves cut off The announcer hands Sebastian a helets to a thirdbefore securing his hel over the black bike

I slip into one of the few open seats and watch,fro my parents would be horrified to know that I like, let alone have heard of The three riders e, and the announcer pushes on it, revealing a trap door They file inside, Sebastian being the last one to enter, and then the door is closed, shutting them inside

My foot taps to the catchy beat, shoving all thoughts of my parents to the back of my mind, andback and forth on hisacross the curved floor of the cage in a half-lued to him and him alone, and I suspect the same is true for every other person in the audience It’s clear he’s the leader, even though he’s done nothing to indicate that It’s just so that can be felt

“Ladies and gentlemen, let’s hear it for the Sons of Eastlake as they take on…the Globe…of…Death!” Well, that’s fitting Each word from the announcer is drawn out for dramatic effect, and people scream their response

The riders rev their bikes and it’s aluy in the white shirt take off They circle the rider in thehorizontally for a few rotations before he cuts through vertically The crowd gets louder as they watch them barely e ofto collide at any second, but they’re beyond choreographed, as if it co

I’m hypnotized by the way they coine the level of trust so like this must take After a few minutes, all three riders cohs echo throughout the tent, andit wasn’t over so soon But then I hear the sound of another motorcycle, and a fourth rider appears near the entrance behind e door is dropped open once ht into the ball

“You guys didn’t think the shoas over, did you?” the announcer taunts above the applause as he shuts the cage once more

My eyesas dinner plates as I take in the scene o vertical—Sebastian and the new guy—while the other two riders circle horizontally

Out of the corner of my eye, I notice a rowdy

group of guys to e, with their feet propped on the chairs in front of thes his hand into a ed woman’s bucket of popcorn and throws a fistful at his friend The friend punches hiuys unaware that the lady’s husband has flagged a security guard down

The security guard walks over toto get their attention without causing further disruption When he asks to see their wristbands, I direct s seeuys shove past the security guard before he sturound