Carnival

The group entered the carnival section of the festival purchasing wrist bands so they could ride as many rides as they wanted and skip the lines. They were immediately in the game zone and walked from game to game. Megan and Angelina tried a couple games. They threw darts at balloons and did the camel races with the water gun.

This prompted several of the guys to attempt some of the games and just like Megan had predicted the men were soon in an all-out competition to win the biggest prize at each game. It became clear to Megan quickly that Gabriel and Afton had unfair advantages at the games. They could not lose. It never took them more than a few tries to figure out how to beat the games.

Throwing the rings on the bottles was the game they had the hardest time at but eventually they both one the giant stuffed animals. The group won so many prizes that the men had to make an extra trip to the cars to drop off their loot. The girls had stood around eating cotton candy while the guys proved their mastery over the universe.

Finally, the men seemed gamed out and Megan had Gabriel try cotton candy. He declared that it was pure sugar making her laugh and explained to him that it was in fact, pure sugar. She took him to the stand so he could watch it being made and he was enthralled especially when Megan showed him that it disintegrated to nothing if it got even the tiniest bit wet. He ate about half of his spool of cotton candy and handed the rest off to Afton who hadn't tried it yet. Afton was not a fan but shared it with Chloe who he had been walking next to.

Megan thought that Afton looked happy. He had spent all night so far near her mother who seemed to enjoy the attention. Megan knew that her parents had not been close in a long time so maybe her mother needed some attention from a person like Afton who seemed completely devoted to her. She was sure her mother didn't understand it, Megan sure hadn't. However, it was hard to turn away when that kind of attention was freely offered.

They hit the ride section next and Megan was excited. The carnival seemed to have all the good rides that you could get outside of an actual theme park. Megan dragged Gabriel onto the octopus spinning ride and Angelina got in the car with them. Chloe stayed behind but insisted that Afton ride with Nicole and Tyler. Caden and Elijah snagged their own car.

Once the cars were full the ride started, and Gabriel gripped her tightly after their first spin looking alarmed. Then he relaxed as he watched his wife and Angelina laughing as they were spun through the air. When the ride stopped and they disembarked, Gabriel looked a little unsteady. Megan shook her head then grabbed his hand and drug him to the next ride.

Nicole and Tyler joined her, they were determined to go with Megan on the teacups. It was tradition. The three women were just small enough and soon the four of them were spinning the center wheel until they were whipping in circles. Gabriel relaxed after a minute and started enjoying the ride. When it was over they were all a little dizzy and sat down on the grass to let it wear off.

"My children are all crazy." Chloe was telling Afton as they stood nearby. "They will spin until they are too dizzy to walk and have been doing that since they could walk."

"Sounds like maybe they need a more interesting reality." Afton laughed.

"Sign me up for that," Tyler exclaimed to the two adults.

"Ahhh, I'm sorry precious that you have to be an earthling." Chloe laughed at her child.

"She's so mean…" Tyler whined to his sisters. They laughed at his plight.

"C'mon, let's get the zipper done before we get too tired." Angelina urged. "I'm not missing it again this year because you all turn lame." Megan laughed rising. They had made the mistake of saving it for last the year before and ran out of energy before they got to it. It seemed dizziness compounded after a while and none of them had felt up to it last year.

"Let's do it. I've got two newbies that must be broken in to all the screaming." Megan said eyeing Afton and Gabriel.

"Screaming, what are you talking about?" Gabriel asked but then he hears it coming from the end of the walkway. People were screaming in terror but with laughter mixed in. Was this normal and on purpose?

"Every year…" Chloe muttered.

"You're not a fan?" Afton asked Chloe.

"Why anyone would do this to themselves is completely beyond me. If humans had been meant to do cartwheels in the air, we would have been born with wings and wearing leotards." Chloe vented as she frowned at her children.

Nicole grinned at her mother. "You give the same argument every year mom." Nicole blew her mother a kiss.

"Every year you all do it anyway." Chloe laughed. "Fine, I will stand down here and listen to you all scream like jackasses."

"Don't even try it, Afton. You are coming with us." Megan told the man sensing his immediate offer to sit it out with Chloe.

Afton looked at Megan who had her arms crossed over her chest. "Fine." He said gruffly.

"Sucker." Chloe winked at him.

Soon the group came to the Zipper which was currently running. Gabriel and Afton watched with looks of shock on their faces.

Megan nudged her husband. "Scared?"

Gabriel wiped the shocked expression from his face. "I'm scared of nothing. Though this is concerning. This is fun for you?"

Megan laughed, "this is a right of passage. It must be endured. Remember that you're scared of nothing when we get in there. I would hate for your screams to give you away."

Megan walked over to Afton. "You don't have to do this if you don't want. No one will hold it against you."

"He will." Afton pointed at Gabriel. "Is it bad?"

"Can you fly?" Megan smirked.

"Ummm" Afton was confused. "Not currently." He figured that was a reasonably vague honest answer for Megan.

Megan gave him a shrewd look. "This might be worse if you can because of the being trapped in a steel cage thing. I think you might just have to go through it and decide what you think." Afton gave her a serious look and nodded in understanding.

"Why do you do it?" Afton asked Megan when she to walk back to Gabriel.

"I am the leader of this crew of misfits. I must set an example. Fear is for sissies!" Megan grinned cheekily at him and strolled off.

"It appears that you have become quite close to my Megan." Chloe said leaning against the metal divider next to Afton.

"It is natural since I am her and Gabriel's protector that I would spend a lot of time with them. Megan is a wonderful woman and easy to like." Afton said softly.

"What about Gabriel? What sort of man is he and did he murder those women?" Chloe asked concerned.

"Gabriel is loyal, protective, careful, and caring. He is a good man. There is some truth to every rumor, but Gabriel didn't murder any women." Afton told Chloe.

"Then where are they? Why haven't their families heard from them?" Chloe asked not trusting Gabriel with her child.

"I couldn't speak to their location. Perhaps ask the families why they sold their daughters in the first place, and you will understand why they have chosen not to return." Afton said before he walked over to join the line that was forming for the ride. Chloe watched him go wondering if she could trust Afton's words.

Soon they were all loaded into their cars on the Zipper with their harnesses buckled securely. When the car with Megan and Gabriel in it got to the top it flipped upside down and Megan heard a deep gasp from beside her. With a smirk Megan considered reminding her husband not to scream but figured she should give him a break. When they went over the top and spun several times they both ended up screaming and Megan started laughing. Three minutes later the ride was over and Gabriel was a little shaky coming off the ride.

Afton got off the ride and put his hands on his knees sucking in air. He looked at Megan. "Never again…" He told her.

"Fair enough." Megan laughed a little dizzy. Chloe came up to Afton and helped him over to a place to sit down in the grass.

"I think I agree with Afton." Gabriel told her and he and Megan stumbled their way to the grass beside Chloe and Afton. Eventually the rest of the group joined them, and they took a bit of a break before continuing. That was the last big ride and now it was gravity rides and fun houses for the group.