“I’m gonna throw up,” I announced, feeling dizzy.

“Hold on,” he said quietly, extending a hand towards me and looking out the entrance. “Let’s just try going this way,”

“Okay.” I was desperate to try anything to get out of this carnival. The two of us edged forward until we were at the boundary. I turned to him and he nodded. We stepped though. I wish I could say I was surprised to see myself now facing inwards at the exit. This was no ordinary carnival, and it seemed to be proving that to us at every turn.

“I have an idea.” He began walking toward the entrance gate, “Stay there, okay, now put your arm through the exit.” I did as he said. “It’s not over here!” He exclaimed, “It’s out! Now, just… go with it!”

“Are you sure?” I asked, easing closer to the free, grassy fields beyond the fair’s territory.

“It’s worth a try at the very least,” he shrugged. I stepped through and found myself inches away from him. His mouth fell into a frown with disappointment.

“I’m sorry,” I whispered, stepping to the side. He said nothing. “I mean, what if this is really all my fault? Both of us had come in before, and earlier today I was able to leave, but, something… something had to have changed, right? I mean, what if it’s related to my grandparents, and I dragged you into this all?!” I held the locket as I began to breathe faster. “I mean, what if we’re stuck here forever, and I trapped some handsome stranger I met less than two hours ago to the same pathetic fate as myself?”

“Stop,” he said sharply. It was an order. “It’s best not to overreact when we don’t even know what we’re dealing with,”

Tears began to fill my green eyes. “What if…” I stuttered, “What if we’re stuck here forever?”

He plopped himself down on the side of the dirt path and sat down. “Then we better get to know each other,”

I sat adjacent to him. “You’re awfully calm. It’s pleasant, but if I’m being honest, a little suspicious.”

He burst into laughter. “Are you accusing me of having something to do with this?” he howled. I felt my cheeks go hot and I was embarrassed to even thought that he could have been related to what was happening to the both of us. “As interesting as it would be, I’m not some evil mastermind with all this as some scheme. I’m calm because I find frustration and panic are useless emotions. My father has taught me that from a young age,”

“Your father the detective?” I recalled something he had mentioned in an earlier conversation.

“Yes, detective Sullivanos,” he confirmed, “You may have heard of him?”

I sorted through my mind, and eventually shook my head, no. “I don’t get out much,” I admitted sheepishly. “My sister on the other hand, perhaps she has. Sometimes it seems like she knows everyone. I’ll ask her if we ever escape,”

“You have a sister?”

“Katheryn Swan,” I nodded. “She’s my best friend. She’s the one who convinced me to go out here and learn about our family,”

“She couldn’t do it herself?”

I shook my head. “She just married. Yesterday, actually. Ideally, we would’ve gone together, but our mother is very strict. She forbade me and my sister from coming here. This act of rebellion was kind of like a wedding present to my sister. If Mother ever finds out though, it will likely be the end of the small freedom I have.” I looked up and Arlen was staring at me, listening. “Sorry, I’m rambling,”

“Don’t apologize,”

“What about you?” He looked up at me. “I mean, any siblings?”

“Nope,” he looked to the side, “Just me,”

I laughed smally. “It’s not often, but there are times I’ve wished I was more like you,”

He looked down. “Same to you.” There was a long silence. “So tell me about your weirdo grandparents,”

“Here,” I said, standing, “come with me.” I led him back to the exit gate where the image that had started it all is peacefully posted. Both of my grandparents were sitting in the picture, reclined on a fuzzy couch. They were wearing casual clothes, and faced the camera with mysterious smiles. “All I know about them is that they are in my locket, and in this picture. I really can’t tell you much,”

“Wait,” Arlen said, stepping closer and squinting at the picture.

I leaned forward as well, my body nearly shaking. Had he found something? “What?! What is it?”

“Look,” he said, and traced his fingers in a small rectangle on the lower left half of the picture.

“What? It’s legs? The bottom of the couch? What am I looking at?”

He laughed, “There’s a crease. That could mean a lot of things, it could mean it was folded or it was flattened with something under it, or…”

“There’s something behind it!” I squealed, finally seeing the indent he was talking about. He nodded eagerly and grabbed the portrait off the wall, then fiddled with the frame. I looked around at the employees who were all looking off in different directions at the moment but could at any moment see their act of minor vandalism. “What are you doing? You can’t just take it out! What if someone sees”

He smirked, “What are they going to do? Kick us out?”

“You have a point.” He smiled at me then removed the frame and let it fall to the ground.

“Here,” He said, as he separated two papers. In one hand the portrait of my grandparents, in the other an old, folded piece of yellow paper. He handed me the portrait and I held it in shaky hands as he unfolded the hidden canvas. He read the contents of the paper then looked at me, a sparkle in his dark eyes. “Miss Swan,”

“Yes?”

“It appears we have a mystery on our hands.”