Chapter 1
Eve
Age 18 – 2 Months Before Graduation
“Evangeline Nova Smith! Get the fu –”
I hear a faint growl from beneath me – about twenty feet beneath me at this point – before he continues, sans curse word. “Get down from there! You’re going to get yourself killed!”
I let out a howl, using my grip on the metal bars in front of me to hold my body as my head tilts up to the crescent moon above us. I laugh as Kor’s muttering follows my movement, his discomfort with tonight’s adventure loud in my ears.
“Come on, Kor. The view is amazing! And it wouldn’t kill you to say a cuss word every now and then.” I look down at where he stands at the bottom of the ferris wheel with his arms crossed. I can’t see the expression on his face from way up here but if I had to guess, it’s a mixture of exasperation and amusement – his normal expression when he looks at me. “It’s pronounced fuck, Kor. F-U-C-K. Fuck.”
I see the subtle shake of his head at my words, but I don’t wait for a vocal response before turning back to the worn-out ladder and going up another rung.
“Dios mío.” I feel the ladder vibrate as Kortez climbs on, his weight making the old carnival ride groan under pressure.
“That’s closer! Add afuckingin the middle of that and you’d be a normal near twenty-year-old.”
I continue to climb, my chosen seat just barely out of reach. I feel Kortez’s eyes on me as I shimmy over the final railing and sit on it like a horse with one leg on either side as I look out over the deserted lake. Stars shine down like rare jewels as Kortez finds his way next to me, his breath labored as his knuckles turn white from their death grip on the bars.
“I thought you were scared of heights.”
I shrug, smiling to myself, “I am.”
His disbelieving laughter makes my smile grow wider. “Then why are we on top of an abandoned ferris wheel?”
I take a deep breath and close my eyes. The cold air whips my blonde curls into tangles around my face and there’s a faint hint of smoke in the air. The world is silent except for Kortez’s deep breathing beside me and the overeager beating of my heart. “I’m facing my fears, Kortez.”
His soft chuckle feeds my bravery. I can do anything as long as my best friend is by my side. I can stand up to the bitch at Saint Mary’s who kept stealing my mascara. I can submit my application to art school. I can climb to the top of the abandoned ferris wheel at the old fairgrounds.
All with Kortez.
Allbecause ofKortez.
Growing up as an orphan in Saint Mary’s Home forLost Children wasn’t all peaches and cream. In fact, it was downrightfuckingmiserable. The girls were meaner than the boys and the boys all wanted to push you down or pull your pigtails. Despite Mother Laney’s insistence that they liked me, I knew they only did it because they were grade A asshats.
Then Kortez came along.
A shy, little seven-year-old who immediately became my best friend even though he was two years older than me. I showed him around Mary’s, including whom he could freely punch in the nose, and we bonded over apple slices and graham crackers.
Almost thirteen years later, our friendship is stronger than ever. Kortez graduated from our local high school last year but took advantage of the extra year Saint Mary’s gives us to ‘get our life in order’ so he could wait for me to graduate. So, now, in two short months, Kortez and I are headed across the state to our shared apartment just down the road from our new college. I’ll be majoring in visual arts and Kortez will be majoring in computer programming.
Honestly, he doesn’t need the degree. He knows computers like the back of his hand and could easily get a job anywhere he wanted with his resume of side jobs he’s done this past year. He wants the experience, though, and I can’t blame him.
We’ve lived a sheltered life at Saint Mary’s. Only being able to sneak out and act like teenagers when Mother June is working – which is usually twice a month.
Hence, tonight’s outing and the reason we should probably move on to the next stop before it gets too late.
I lean over and smack Kortez’s thigh, giggling when he jumps at the contact. “Come on, Kor, we have one more stop before June does her morning rounds - and it’s across town.”
He sighs, looking around him for a good place to hold on to begin his descent. “I assume I’m paying for the ride?”
I shrug, grabbing the bar directly under me and dropping down to the next one. I hear his gasp of worry but disregard it. He’s a mother hen on his best day. “I don’t think the Uber driver would appreciate it if I tried to pay him with the sketch in my back pocket, but I’ll know you’ll hang it on the wall right next to all your others.”
Laughing, he slowly follows me down the rusted carnival ride, his breath hitching every time the old metal creaks beneath our weight. “What’s this one of?”
I take his hand when he meets me at the bottom, a faint hint of sweat lining his brow that’s no doubt stemmed from the pure adrenaline racing through his veins. I know because I’m feeling the same way. Sweaty, excited, and a little bit scared. “I’ll show you later.”
