“Uggghhh, this is making me dizzy!” cried Charisse as her body slammed up against Jake’s, and her braid flew out like a streamer behind her.
Jake and Maddock were laughing hysterically and throwing their arms in the air while Zeph was clenching the lap bar, white-knuckled, his face twisted in a bizarre grimace. Besides a tiny bit of nausea, Eve was enjoying every minute of it, but she tried to tone down her pleasure out of respect for Zeph’s misery.
The ride operator called out, “Who wants to go faster?”, and half the passengers screamed, “Yes!” while the other half looked at him in horror.
“Oh, thank God, that’s over!” Risse tried to push up the lap bar as the ride slowed, but her exit was interrupted as the carnie hollered, “How about backwards!?”
When the ride finally ended, the group staggered off the platform and out into the midway, laughing and groaning.
“That was great!” Jake said.
“That was terrible!” Risse whimpered.
“What do you want to ride next?” asked Maddock.
“How about the Tilt-a-Whirl? It’s right there,” Zeph pointed to the spinning, red, white, and blue cups whirling around in a circle.
Eve clapped her hands and jumped up and down like a little kid. “Oh, yes! Can we? That one’s my favorite!”
“I don’t know about this.” Risse made a face and clutched her stomach.
Jake wrapped his arm around her shoulder and pulled her closer. “It’s just like the tea cup ride at Disney. You can handle that, can’t you?”
Risse looked at the ride with skepticism. There were a lot of small children on it. “Okay, I’ll try it.”
The group divided into pairs again for the two-person seats — Zeph with Eve, Jake with Risse, and Cheydan with Maddock.
“Man, these rides would be a lot more fun if there was a girl pressed up against me instead of my brother,” Maddock complained as the car spun around in circles, back and forth and round and round, causing the boys to slide into one another.
“Tell me about it!” Cheydan agreed.
They only caught glimpses of the other couples, but it looked like they were all taking advantage of the close proximity the ride obliged. When the ride stopped and the cups slowed their swinging, the pairs climbed out and made their way towards the exit, the two couples holding hands and bumping shoulders.
Maddock watched them with a touch of jealousy, wishing he had his own soulmate already. Thoughts of girls brought back thoughts of Madison. “I talked to that girl today,” he told Cheydan, “the one I told you about yesterday.”
“Oh, yeah? What happened?”
“Wait a minute,” Risse interrupted, their conversation arousing her curiosity. “What girl? Did you meet someone, Maddock?”
She stopped and turned to look at him, causing Zeph and Eve to halt as well. Everyone converged around Maddock, eager to hear the story.
Maddock rolled his eyes and smirked at them — they looked like vultures descending on a juicy, ripe carcass. “It’s just this girl I saw at the grocery store several days in a row. I think she’s a runaway, and I wanted to help her. I got a chance to talk to her today and I gave her a $20, but I didn’t get to tell her about the shelter.”
“So, how did you approach her? Did you scare her off or something?” Cheydan asked.
Maddock dropped his head and stared at his ratty tennis shoes. “Um well, I don’t think I scared her off, but I probably could’ve handled it a little better.” He looked up to see five pairs of eyes staring at him in expectation.
“I caught her stealing, and I got kinda mad about it. I guess I looked pretty scary when I approached her, because she fessed up immediately.” Maddock shrugged, a regretful look on his face.
“Anyway, I gave her some money to buy what she was trying to steal, but then I got called to my register. I told her I wanted to help her and asked her to come back later, but she never showed. I’m kinda worried about her. I don’t think she knows about the shelter.”
“Do you think she’s sleeping on the street?” Eve asked, concern melting her features.
“I hope not, but probably. Where else could she stay? She had the same clothes on every day and she looked pretty rumpled; that’s what made me think she was a runaway. I really hope I see her again. I mean, so I can tell her about Grace & Mercy.”
“Is she cute?” Jake asked, and Risse and Eve gasped and glared at him. “What? It’s obvious he’s into her!”
“Are you? — Into her?” Cheydan raised an eyebrow as he stared at his brother.
Maddock opened and closed his mouth several times like a suffocating fish, but no words came out for several seconds. Finally he managed to stammer, “Uh, no, I mean, I don’t even know her, how could I be into her? I mean, she is cute and all, but…”
The other boys nodded their heads and exchanged knowing glances, and the girls looked between them in confusion.
“Apparently, it’s not possible to care about the welfare of a cute girl without being attracted to her,” Risse muttered, and Eve nodded.
“So did you find out anything about her?” Zeph asked.
“Just her name — Madison.” Maddock’s smile made it obvious he appreciated it.
“Adorable.” Jake groaned, and everyone chuckled.
“What about you, Cheydan? Any new females in your world?” Eve decided to take the pressure off Maddock.
“Well, there is one — she’s short, a little chubby, gray hair, I’d guess around 50.” He smirked as the others gaped at him.
“She works at The Greatest Gift Adoption Agency where I just took an internship; she’s training me.”
The group responded with sighs and nervous giggles.
“Today was my first day, and there actually was this girl that came into the office today. She was pretty young, I’d say about 17, and she was trying to find her birth parents. She said it was a medical emergency but didn’t elaborate. Sharon, the woman I was working with, wouldn’t help her, though, because it was a closed adoption. She told her she’d have to petition the courts for more information. I felt pretty bad for her.”
“Let me guess, was she cute, too?” Risse elbowed him.
Cheydan bit his lip, and his eyes twinkled. “Maybe a little.” The others laughed, and Maddock punched his brother on the shoulder.
“How’s come you didn’t tell me you were taking an internship? Seriously, this is the first I’ve heard of it!” Maddock complained. They always told each other everything.
“Well, I applied for it on a whim a few days ago, and I just found out I got the position yesterday. I was going to tell you, but you were too busy telling me about Madison.” Cheydan drew out her name with a suggestive wink.
Maddock rolled his eyes and punched his brother again. “Enough of this pillow talk; are we gonna ride some more rides tonight, or just stand around gabbing?”
“I want to ride the Scrambler; anybody up for that?” Eve asked. Risse looked a little iffy, but the rest of them were interested.
The long line snaked around a string of dividers, and the group chatted as they joined the end of it. “Aw, man, this line is ridiculous,” Jake complained, and the others murmured their agreement.
Eve was quiet as she stared at the warning sign discouraging those with high blood pressure, injuries, or pregnancy from riding. “Hey guys, can we go on the Ferris wheel instead? I like to see the view from the top,” she asked suddenly.
The group looked a little surprised at her sudden change of heart, glancing back and forth between each other and shrugging their shoulders, but eventually everyone consented. The line was always shorter for that, anyway.
“Ugh, thank you, Eve. That ride looked miserable.” Risse wrapped her arm around her sister-in-law’s waist and offered her a grateful smile. “I’m surprised you didn’t want to go on it, though. I thought you liked those kinds of rides.”
“Oh, I do. I love them! I just… didn’t want to wait in that long line.” Eve gave a
tight smile, and Risse looked at her curiously.
“Look, they’re boarding. If we hurry up maybe we can make it.” Jake’s comment distracted Risse, and the group dashed to join the line before the ride started.
The gondola was big enough to hold all six of them, so they climbed in together. It swayed a little, but otherwise the ride to the top was slow enough it felt almost motionless.
“This is nice,” Risse murmured, staring out at the scenery. “Isn’t it pretty?”
The carnival stretched out below them like a work of art, a flashing, neon masterpiece. The noise of the games and rides was silenced that high up in the sky, and the cool air encouraged the couples to cuddle. Except for Maddock and Cheydan, of course, who exchanged a look of frustration as the others lost themselves in a private moment.
“I think next time we should leave the girls at home and make this a guy’s night activity,” Maddock grumbled, and Cheydan scowled in agreement.
“So what do you want to ride next?” Cheydan asked, hoping to distract the young lovers.
“How about the Comet?” Jake suggested. “That looks pretty awesome.”
“That sounds cool.” Maddock and Cheydan nodded.
“Yeah, I’m up for that, how about you girls?” Zeph asked.
Risse’s face rumpled with a mix of worry and revulsion. “I think I’ll sit that one out.”
“I’ll stay with Risse, then.” Eve patted her arm and smiled kindly.
“No, Eve, I don’t want to ruin your fun. I’ll be fine. You go on ahead with the guys.”
“No, it’s no big deal. I really don’t mind. I don’t want to ride that one, anyway.”
“But I thought you said you loved those kinds of rides. Are you feeling okay?”
Risse’s question perked Zeph’s ears and he quickly turned to face her. “Is something the matter, sweetie?” He ran a hand down her long hair, rubbing her back through the silky, titian curtain.
Eve sighed as she looked around the gondola at the curious faces of her closest friends and family. She was going to tell them all soon anyway; now was as good a time as any.
“I don’t want to ride on the Comet, or the Scrambler, because I don’t think it’s safe… for the baby.” A silence as pregnant as Eve was muted the passengers as they stared at her, trying to process the information, then suddenly gave birth to a firestorm of questions. They peppered her like the machine gun barrage of a firing squad.
Eve ignored them all and looked at her husband, worried about his reaction. They hadn’t really talked about children yet; it just sort of happened. Eve was pretty sure that Zeph wanted to have them someday, she just wasn’t sure he was prepared for it at age 20.
An inscrutable expression masked Zeph’s thoughts, and Eve sucked in her lip as she stared at him. “Zeph?” She reached out her hand to take his. “Are you mad at me?”
Suddenly, Zeph’s stoicism dissolved, and his face melted into a look of pure rapture. “Oh God, Eve, no! How could I ever be mad at you for giving me the greatest gift ever?”
He grasped her cheeks in his hands and kissed her, oblivious to the world around them, including the attendant trying to get them to exit the attraction.
The others chattered animatedly between themselves as they climbed out of the ride, Zeph and Eve trailing behind them, still gazing at one another in adoration.
“How far along are you, Eve?” Risse asked, and Zeph looked at his sister in surprise. Why hadn’t he thought to ask that?
“Only about seven weeks, I think; it’s still really early. I just saw the warning sign in front of the Scrambler and got worried. I hadn’t even thought about the rides being a risk to the baby.”
“When did you find out?” Zeph finally thought of an important question.
Eve dropped her head and smiled, blushing. “Just this morning. When I went to the grocery store and saw the feminine aisle, I realized I was really late, so I bought a pregnancy test on impulse. It came out positive. I want to go to the doctor and have him confirm it, but there’s no doubt in my mind.”
“Eve, I’m so happy for you! And Zeph — my big brother is gonna be a daddy! This is so amazing.” Risse’s face lit up with her own form of pregnancy glow. “Oh my gosh, your kid is going to be like… three-quarters Divisa! No one’s ever seen that!”
Most Celestia Divisa fell in love with humans, but because the angel blood never diluted, their offspring were always Celestia Divisa — half human, half angel. Zeph and his sister, Risse, were rare in that both their parents were Celestia Divisa. They were still part human, but their gifts were magnified. The group pondered what might be the outcome of Zeph and Eve’s marriage since Eve was a Celestia Divisa and Zeph was a double Divisa.
“She’s going to be incredible,” Zeph whispered, staring at Eve in amazement.
Eve cocked an eyebrow at the feminine pronoun. “She? Are you hoping for a daughter? I thought most guys wanted a boy.”
Zeph shook his head and caressed Eve’s cheek as he gazed at her. “I want her to be just like her mother.”
“Okay, that’s about all the sappiness I can handle. Who wants to go with me on the Comet?” Maddock interrupted the precious moment.
“I’m in,” said Jake, breaking away from the love fest with relief and following Maddock. Cheydan joined them, and the three got in line for the most intimidating ride the fair had to offer.
“I’ve gotta get some food after this; I’m starving!” Maddock complained as he boarded the orange and purple, spaceship-shaped pod.
Cheydan sat down beside his brother. “Fine, but no rides after that. I don’t want to barf, and I don’t want you barfing on me.”
Jake laughed as he climbed into the pod in front of them. “What kind of wussies are you two? Only little kids throw up on carnival rides! It’s not like it’s a giant roller coaster.”
“The only ride that’s ever made me nauseous is the pirate ship. I felt like my stomach was going to come up out of my esophagus.” Maddock grimaced at the memory.
“Are you kidding?” Jake mocked him. “It’s just like a big swing set.”
“I think it was the jalapeño nachos you ate right beforehand that were nausea-inducing, not the ride.” Cheydan smirked.
Eventually, the ride jerked to life, and the pods lurched forward, silencing the conversation. The large, metal arms lifted the pods into the air and began to spin them, the pods swaying back and forth on their axles as they whirled around the circle.
The cries of excitement grew louder as the ride spun faster, the pods waving erratically as the arms undulated. All of a sudden, a loud retching sound came from Jake’s pod, and a spray of vomit erupted from it, splattering all over Maddock and Cheydan in the pod behind him. Their screams of disgust drowned out the other riders’ squeals of pleasure and were punctuated by more retching noises coming from Jake’s now-empty stomach.
The normally too-short ride couldn’t end fast enough for the Engel twins, who jumped from the pod as soon as it slowed, not waiting for the operator to tell them it was safe to exit. The made their own gagging sounds as they looked at the puke splashed across each other, their bodies bending at the waist as they held their hands over their mouths, trying not to toss their cookies.
They both pulled off their shirts and wiped their faces. Fortunately, their pants were mostly unaffected.
“Dudes, you can’t go shirtless here. Carnival policy.” The young, heartless ride operator didn’t seem concerned about their dilemma. Cheydan and Maddock looked at him with incredulity. He just smirked at them. “They don’t call it The Vomit Comet for nothing.”
Jake stumbled up to them, hand on his belly, and glanced at their shirtless chests with unspoken inquiry. Suddenly, his eyes lit up as he realized what had happened and he let loose a giant guffaw, holding his aching stomach as he tried to control his laughter.
“Oh man, I’m sorry, guys! But that is so funny! I wish you could see your faces right now!”
With Jake’s commen
ts, their faces were starting to look like Bruce Banner right before he turned into the Incredible Hulk, and their fists were clenching as they stomped towards him.
“Whoa whoa whoa, dudes.” The carnie held up his hands between them. “Take it outside the gates if you’re going to rumble. I got a line of peeps waiting to ride.”
The boys turned their scowled towards him but tromped away, meeting the others at the exit. “I’m going to the bathroom to clean up,” Maddock said, pushing past them. Cheydan followed him.
Jake turned towards the girls and Zeph. “I need something to drink to rinse my mouth out.” They nodded sympathetically, and they all headed towards the food vendors.
“Guys, we’ll meet you at the picnic tables, okay?” Zeph shouted after the twins, who turned and nodded but kept walking.
A few minutes later, the twins returned wearing shirts washed clean of visible chunks but still stained yellow with stomach acid. Jake was nursing a 7 Up, but the others were waiting.
“I’m so sorry, guys; I really am.” Jake’s apology was a lot more sincere than the first one.
“Who invited you, anyway?” Cheydan growled, and Risse put her hand on his arm to settle him.
“Be nice, Cheydan.”
Cheydan turned his glare towards Risse, but her sweet countenance immediately softened it. He wrapped his arms around her and lifted her up, planting a kiss on her cheek just to tick off Jake.
“You know, as perfect as you are, you really could’ve found a better boyfriend.” Their relationship had always straddled a fine line between attraction and friendship.
“I don’t know about you guys, but I’m ready for some grub.” Maddock interrupted the moment of tension. He didn’t have the same objections about Jake that plagued his brother.
“Do you really feel like eating after being showered with vomit?” Zeph raised his eyebrows.
“Zeph, I’m offended!” Maddock put his hand to his chest. “After all these years, you really don’t know me?”
Zeph chuckled and rose from his seat to follow his friend to the nearest food truck. “You’re right, I should know better. Nothing keeps Maddock from dinner. Not even a puke bath.”
Date with Destiny Collection: Angel Romance Series: Books 1 - 4 Page 30
