CHAPTER SIXTEEN

Pumpkin Festival

Taryn walked along the new Main Street of the town. Though it was, in fact, still the same street as before, all the new construction that had gone up made it seem like an entirely different boulevard. Where once had been several small shops shoved tight against one another in tiny brick storefronts, more spacious, modern construction had been installed. They still had the brick façade to them, probably to keep the small-town charm that tourists demanded, but it no longer looked rundown and struggling.

On the contrary, if the size of the crowd that Taryn saw could be any guide, it seemed to be booming. Every store had merchandise that had a red maple leaf on the front and slogans that said "I hiked Red Leaf" and "I stayed at Red Leaf".

Taryn couldn't help but notice that many of those shirts looked untouched, or were offered at bargain price. The ones with her and Sylvie's picture on them, however, were nearly always empty, had a couple of shirts left, or the space had a sign promising that more stock would be available soon.

Turning left, she saw that Mrs. Cranston's pottery shop had a line of people trying to buy small figurines or statues of them, Josh and Megan and Cindy.

Everywhere she went, crowds of people would come up to ask if they could take their picture with her, or try and pet her.

Now I remember why we spent more time at home then walking around town, she thought after a particularly vile boy, who couldn't seem to take "no" for an answer, had bullied his parents into taking a picture with him on her back. They'd been one of the few to actually pay her for the privilege, perhaps sensing it would be the only way for them to get the boy his wish. She'd told him to get off when he demanded a ride, though.

Glad that she almost reached her destination, she came around the corner of Main Street and saw Sylvie hurrying the other direction, from a deserted side street.

Now why would she be coming from that direction? Taryn wondered, but forgot all about it as the two met up.

How's it going, Tar?" Sylvie asked as she fiddled with the hem of her shirt.

"Not bad." Taryn said, casting a glance at her nervous friend. She thought it had something to do with the crowds, and she guessed that was probably why Sylvie had appeared up a deserted side street.

"So, what do you think of our new plan now?" she asked dryly.

Sylvie threw her a look.

"All right, all right!" Taryn threw her hands up in mock surrender. "But I'm getting bloody tired of being petted." She warned.

"Yeah." Sylvie sighed. "Me too. I didn't…I mean, I'd hoped that it wouldn't be this bad. People have seen us before, but there's always another that wants to be sure we're what we say we are, not just some fakes. I'm getting awfully tired of having my word doubted."

"I get that." Josh said, appearing suddenly behind them, making both of them jump.

"Josh! How did you sneak up on us like that?" Taryn demanded, holding her heart. Sylvie shook her head.

Josh simply laughed, which always made her heart sing when he did; he had such an infectious laugh it seemed impossible not to be happy around him.

"I guess that's my super power." He grinned. "I could be the first ever ninja-centaur. Heeeyah!" he threw his arms up in a classic ninja pose. His feet, however, weren't made for the high kicks necessary for such a maneuver, and the most he accomplished was raising one leg up in a almost prance-like motion. The effect was so comical that Taryn and Sylvie broke into a fit of giggles that grew to a fit of laughing that had them doubled over clenching their sides.

The laughs attracted more attention from the crowd, and soon they were completely encircled with cameras and people pointing and staring at them.

Josh seemed to feed off the attention, Taryn noticed with annoyance, growing more flamboyant with each successive pose. The crowd laughed and cheered while Taryn and Sylvie watched with identical "we brought this on ourselves, we have no one else to blame" expressions on their faces.

Abruptly Josh grabbed Taryn and almost pulled her off her feet as he hauled her in close.

Her hearts beat faster as she looked at him goggle-eyed. His eyes, curse him, had a twinkle of mischief in them, as well as desire, she noticed breathlessly. He bent her backwards in a classic dancer motion and, to the excitement of the crowd, bent his head and mashed her lips beneath his.

His touch seemed electric, wiping her mind of all thought as he froze there for eternity and beyond, leaving just them in the entire universe. Taryn moaned into his mouth as she eagerly returned his kiss; never in her life had she felt the way she did when he kissed her. All the great bards she'd ever read in her lifetime, even the romance novelists she had liked, fell utterly short in their efforts. No words could describe how she felt at that moment; safe, cherished, loved, excited, hopeful, all words and none in the span of one kiss from him.

When he came up for air, they didn't notice the wolf whistles that had broken out from some of the crowd.

"Jeez, you two." Sylvie scolded around a grin. "Let's get out of the limelight if you guys want to kiss again!"

Taryn looked bemusedly around, wondering where all the people had shown up from. Memory crashed in like a freight train, and she blushed scarlet. Her cheeks very hot, she pushed away from Josh.

She spent a few moments fixing her hair, not catching the eyes of anyone in the crowd, while Josh told several lame jokes that turned the cheers to groans and made her own eyes want to roll up in her head.

At last, with a flourishing bow, he bid the crowd farewell, saying he hoped to see each and every one of them at the festival.

"I didn't know that you were going to the festival too, Josh." Sylvie said as they walked away together.

"Yeah, my mom always puts on a booth at the Jorgenson festival, but now that Red Leaf is doing one, she's decided to do it here."

Taryn didn't trust herself to speak, but remained close by Josh, taking comfort in the feel of her hand in his, and the occasional bump of his body as he walked close to her.

"How about you guys? You going to be there?" Josh asked.

"Yeah. We're going to do a booth ourselves." Sylvie said, saving Taryn who'd remained silent.

"Cool!" Josh managed, after he recovered from his surprise. "What kind?"

"Wild West Pictures." Sylvie told him. "Taryn's mother went out to her old farm today to see if her great grandfather's camera is still there and usable. We've been looking for some of the silver nitrate or whatever it is they use in the old flash powder, because this camera may take that."

Josh looked thoughtful. "I don't think there's anyone here that would sell anything like that." He said at last. "You're going to have to order online, if even that. I doubt anyone actually carries the glass plates you'll need, plus there's the difficulty in getting them prepared beforehand to take the picture, the picture itself, and then having it ready for your customer without waiting several hours."

Taryn and Sylvie looked at him strangely. "How do you know so much about cameras?" Taryn asked, surprised.

"Oh, well my cousin is an amateur photographer, and historian. He likes the older cameras, the ones that take actual film, and develop them himself. I learned a little the last time I was over at his place." Josh shrugged.

"So, what do you think we should do?" Taryn asked curiously.

Josh thought for a while as they turned a corner and started to walk towards his house.

"Well," he said at last, "I think that we should wait to see what kind of camera your mom comes back with. If it is a glass plate, then we should see what is available in some of the specialty shops in the next town over. It's too late to go online and order a camera now; it wouldn't arrive in four days, at least not unless you pay extra for it."

Taryn nodded, realizing he was right.

"If we can't use my mom's camera," she told Sylvie, "then we'll just use a modern camera from the store. I'm sure people will still be happy to get a picture with us in our costumes."

"You're show costumes?" Josh asked in surprise.

"Yeah." Sylvie said defensively. "They're really comfortable for us, and expensive. Plus, I'm not giving up my hat!"

Josh looked at Taryn uncertainly, but all she could offer him was a nod to show she agreed with Sylvie; clothes were clothes, and these ones were extremely comfortable to wear, more so than the modern cotton fabrics she was currently wearing. It was a real struggle not to wear her costume every day, she thought ruefully.

"Well, then." He said at long last. "Perhaps I can join you guys for a bit. I might be able to put together a costume myself. What do you guys think of a riverboat gambler?"

Sylvie wrinkled her nose and shook her head. "All right, then I'll go as an outlaw." He said with a broad grin.

Sylvie bowed her head, hiding a grin on her face. Taryn smiled. "That would be fine." She said.

#

The trio walked down the street, ignoring the curious looks from the crowd, talking about how they would work the festival together.

Further up the street, Sara watched them, feeling her heart beat faster as the centaurs turned a corner and disappeared. She wished she knew what they were talking about, while at the same time loathing herself for it.

What am I going to do? She wondered as she turned back to her work. The signs piled at her feet advertised the upcoming Pumpkin Festival, but she barely noticed them. Around her people talked excitedly about the first ever town Halloween fest, forgetting the annual school dance and costume judging that had taken place since the time of the oldest grandfather.

Sara remembered the defeat she'd suffered last year at the dance, and the anger that boiled in her heart when she realized why she'd been beaten. Then Nightshade had come along, offering his promise to get rid of Sylvie and restore her to her rightful place as queen of this little town.

Then she'd heard about the Gardner's, and she realized sickeningly, how deep she'd been netted. As she waited for the chief to hear about her duplicity, the days passed achingly long. And then the Riot started. Sara had escaped being in it, but some of her friends hadn't, and Beth had her back broken by a stray bullet in the fighting, trying to flee from the hordes that had taken to the street. She still lingered in the hospital, not talking to anyone, despite Sara's painful attempts to see her.

When Sylvie and Taryn's story broke on the news, a part of her had felt relief; Nightshade had been put in jail and her secret would be safe. She'd been shocked to hear about Sylvie and Taryn's mistreatment, feeling guilty about the pain they'd suffered, but hadn't said a word. Now they were walking and talking like heroes, their names on everyone's lips.

Sara gave the nail in front of her a last hit and looked at her handiwork, making sure the poster wouldn't fly off the pole, before gathering the rest of the signs wearily and setting off for another post ahead. When she finished with this task, she'd offered to help string the lights on the lamps.

As she worked, she felt her mind drift back to her call then shied away from it. She trembled, whether with terror or hatred she didn't know, as the cold voice forced itself onto her thoughts.

What am I going to do? She wondered.