Chapter 3

The carnival

 

Finally, the weekend came and we went to go look for grandma. She had recovered by now and was healthy and strong.

Regardless, we still wanted to go see grandma and decided to kill two birds at the same time. Since she recovered, we decided when we went to visit, to go to the carnival instead that was in the area.

We used to always look forward to the carnival festival when we were younger and grandma used to take us. We had really good memories there. So we decided to check if it was still like we remembered so Sabrina decided that we should invite our boyfriends to come. So I called Dre. I came with Dre on his bike and Steven, who was Sabrina's boyfriend, drove both my sisters.

When we went in, Sabrina smelled some good food and grabbed Steven, and ran off with him. Poor guy, she is going to run his pockets dry. She asked him to get her ice cream and a hot dog. They went into the mirror house she was busy eating so she didn't notice when he was no longer beside her. She started to walk around looking for him. Trying to find him, when she reached this dead end she started to wonder ‘Was this room much smaller than I remembered?’ She thought as the room got quieter. She started to feel this unnerving, sinking feeling in her stomach, the one you feel when you realize you're isolated. Then the deafening sound of abandonment started to ring in her ears. She tried to brush it off, obviously, Steven was playing with her so she called out, “Steven, Steven, ah weh yuh deh?” She called out.

She kept walking backward until her elbow hit a door handle that startled her.

She turned to see that the mirror behind her was a door and she went through it.

This was actually a very long winding tunnel, with glitters and stars with dim blue lights. “Steve- Steven….Me cah believe…you left me….in here.” She says holding her chest.

Sabrina was feeling very claustrophobic. She started to breathe heavily.

When she finally reached the end she opened the door to the spooky haunted house. She walked out of a closet in a small bedroom where she saw a girl sitting in front of a mirror.

 

The first time that I found out that my sister was claustrophobic, I was around sixteen and we went on a field trip to the forest. We were escorted to our hotel rooms by our teacher and caretaker when we entered the elevator. I noticed that her breathing got heavy and beads of sweat were running down her face. She passed out. I had to fan her down with a book and asked for lime and sweet sugar water.

Apparently, the Carnival has upgraded since we last were here because we have no memory of a spooky house. The figure of the girl's back was turned to her so when she tried to step towards it she was frightened to see the head snapped around fully 360 at her and laughing. Sabrina screamed so loud at the top of her lungs, then her screams turned into a laugh as if she lost her mind realizing that it was just an animatronic.

“Alright, me swear after today me done wid Steven, yuh serious yuh know me nuh like dem things yah.” She went down the stairs to where she found a kitchen area.

She entered the kitchen and opened the fridge just to be curious, but curiosity killed the cat they say. She gasped when she saw a head on a plate in the fridge. She screamed and threw a flower vase at it and closed the door.

When she went towards the living area where she suddenly sees the t.v turned on and creepy images and cartoons flash on the screen. Then suddenly she feels someone touch her side she jumps up and screams out turning around swinging.

 

While Sabrina was busy and on the verge of wetting herself, Dre and I went to the games section where we were shooting at the targets to get a stuffed animal. The score was 2-5, which means Dre got most of them but gave me all the stuffed animals. I was definitely going to sell them, only keeping the cute pink kitty one of course. It was sooo cute. He laughed at me when he realized I liked cute things. I mean like whatever but my face got red nonetheless.

We then went over to the “dunk tank side”, We watched and criticized other people's aims and how poorly their efforts were to dunk the clown. Then Dre said, “No bada laugh euh cah yuh couldn't aim fi save yuh life just now.”

My cheeks puffed up, “Oh please of course I can, plus dem things deh rigged me see it all the time.”

“Alright den.” He said and took off his jacket, “Mek we see if yuh can dunk me.” He then went in and sat down.

I took the ball and threw it and I missed and he laughed, I swung again and missed. I tried a couple more times and his laugh got annoying by now and finally, his laugh drowned out with a loud thud and a splash. I jumped up and down laughing doing a goofy dance then stopped myself from being embarrassed. I told myself I wouldn't let him see my goofy side until we got married.

 

I couldn't help but laugh when handing him his jacket, “Yuh see that's why yuh nuh fi underestimate the strength of a woman.” I said.

“Yeah but it still tek yuh 10 million tries fi drop me.” He said.

“Oh please of course me strong.” I ran over to a vendor and bought a canned juice. Turned it to my head quickly then gulped it down then held it out like a magician about to show his first act. “And now this is just an ordinary canned bottle right. Now you see it now you don't!” I exclaimed. With that, I crushed the can with my hands just like that.

He laughed and gave me a one-finger clap.

“Oh whatever, laugh all you want but black women ah the strongest of God's creation.” I said and crossed my arms and started pouting.

“Alright mek me stop, yuh strong, me just did a mess wid yuh.” He says and lifts me in the air.

While I was in the air enjoying the breeze. Heard my sister shouting “How yuh fi lef mi in deh suh, yuh know mi nuh like dem ting deh!” while she slapped him over and over.

Then Selena came to the scene looking disappointed at the sight of a drenched Dre, and an upset Sabrina trying to attempt murder and shook her head then said, “Cah carry uno go nuh weh.”

 

Later on that day we all drove to the hillside overlooking the town. While Selena sat in the back seat of Steven's car lighting a spliff to drown out Sabrina and her boyfriend with the stereo music, Steven gave Sabrina an octopus looking stuffed animal while me and Dre sat on his bike and took pictures.

I looked over and noticed that Sabrina wasn’t that excited to be given a stuffed animal. Steven then leans in saying, “Love when yuh wear dem short skirt round me enuh. Well sexy mek sure you only wear it round me.” Then slaps her butt.

“Excuse you, me wear anything me feel like. '' She said condescendingly then rolled her eyes.

 

Sabrina was one of those y2k babies, your typical fashionista. She grew up reading fashion magazines when she was a toddler while mom did her hair, she didn’t stop her cause it kept her still.

While I mostly enjoyed anime and comics, she was a game head. Once when we were all younger mom took us shopping, and Sabrina really wanted the fluffy dress but mom said no. Mom was busy getting summer outfits for us and had already bought what she needed and was leaving and told us to stay close. We didn't notice at the time cause I was occasionally pulling Selena’s hair. By then Sabrina had gone into the dressing room and tried on the dress.

Then a loud sound was heard. A person who was levitating and using some form of dark shadow power was trying to steal items from the store looking around frantically then trying to fly away. Then another person in a uniform with a badge crashed into the store and hit the criminal, flinging him into some clothes racks that got toppled over onto Sabrina's dressing room door, basically barricading it.

Sabrina was so scared, how was she to understand that a person with powers was robbing the store and The Special Leagues Forces sent in a rank S fighter. In this universe, some people are born with power and abilities. The stronger you are if you are from a family bloodline with powers and only two children are given powers. There are myths and facts about where the powers came from and sometimes some people activate their abilities later on in life.

Sometimes people who have powers and magic were shunned for different reasons and most of it is because of their arrogance people have, they think very highly of themselves.

While Sabrina banged on the door she wasn’t able to get out, the Special Leagues police fighter had knocked the thief out cold. Same time my mom ran into the store and stopped at the sight, then started to panic and shout at the top of her lungs Sabrina's name. When mom found her she was shaking and tears were running down her cheeks. I think that's the reason for her claustrophobia.

My mom always told my sisters not to let people know about their abilities because she didn't want them to be shunned or made fun of especially with the fact that it was mandatory for children with powers and magic to attend magical schools and the school decides who they wanted to be in the special league forces or monster hunters but my mother couldn't afford to enroll them and let them switch schools.

I often wondered if they make it so that you are given this opportunity to learn about your powers and their history of it. Why is the school fee so high? If for some magical reason I grew wings tomorrow I would probably be still enrolled in my current school plus I wouldn't switch schools now, I have three or two years leave depending on if I go to 5th form.