Illusions of the sunlight

Jane wasn't really sure why she had agreed to go to the fair with Evie and Liam. Though they had all been in class together, Evie was much closer to Liam than she was, so she tended to feel like a third wheel when it was just the three of them together. But, Evie had insisted that Jane get out of the house after she'd spent the past few weeks locked in her room and reading her books. The fair seemed fun enough to all the children, with them running from ride to ride with cotton candy covered mouths, but there wasn't much appeal to Jane. It seemed like everyone there that was her age was coupled up and sharing funnel cakes with their googly eyed lovers, while she was walking next to Evie and Liam, who always claimed only to be friends, even as close as they were.

---

Liam was excited to spend the day at the fair with Evie. They'd been the last three years in a row, and it was always a good time. There was the best frozen lemonade he'd ever tried and fried twinkles that were to die for. Aside from the fantastic food, they always had a few rides that Liam was slowly growing out of, but as long as he could get the seatbelt around him, he'd still make Evie ride with him.

He turned to Evie, almost forgetting that Jane was there until he saw her standing next to her sister. Every other time at the fair, it had just been him and Evie, though Jane was welcomed company. Sort of.

"So, what would you ladies like to do first?" Liam asked them with a smile.

Zayn had been roped into taking his two younger sisters to the fair again this year, though like previous years both his sisters had already run off to go see their friends while he was left spending time alone. Not that he minded because he was a sucker for all the delicious food the fair had to offer, he walked around the fair hearing the screams from people enjoying the rides and laughter from the smaller children who were running around wanting to try every single thing. Stopping off at the staff he brought himself a large frozen lemonade, handing over his money as he took his cold drink and continued walking. His dark eyes taking in the whole fair as he tried to decide on what food he wanted to eat first, being a werewolf he could pretty much eat anything he wanted and as much of it as he wanted and no weight would be put onto his body.

However as he walked a familiar scent passed him by and a wide smile formed on his lips, it was a scent of another werewolf that he knew and was quite close with. Turning his body he began walking in a different direction.

---

Evie would have preferred to get something to eat first, though she remembered the first time Liam brought her to the fair. She had a burger that night before going on a few rides with him, that was a big mistake as she felt horrible for the rest of the night. "I suppose we could get the rides out of the way first" She suggested as she wasn't one who liked rides, though every year Liam managed to drag her onto them. She liked having her feet firmly on the ground, she hated going upside down and flying through the air at speeds she didn't even want to think about.

"What do you think, Jane?" She asked her twin sister still surprised that she had come along, it was obvious she wasn't having any fun yet but Evie was going to hopefully change that shortly. She was glad that Jane wasn't locked away in her room again tonight, though she still needed to have fun.

There wasn't much at the fair that Jane did want to be a part of, though it seemed Evie and Liam were intent on at least trying to make her feel included. It wasn't much use though, because Jane would have preferred to just wonder around by herself and watch the other people around them. She had always been more of the observing type rather than the do it type, while Evie was just the opposite.

"Oh, whatever you guys have planned is fine. You are my tour guides, after all."

---

Liam took Jane's unexcited response as a go ahead and quickly looked at Evie with a smile. "Rides it is then."

He was just dying to get her on the ferris wheel, though he had to admit it looked the least safe of all the rides. He wasn't quite sure how well it would work for him since it was a two seater ride and Jane was with them, but he hoped that he wouldn't have to sit alone and could sit with Evie instead. He would never admit it, but he would do absolutely anything to have alone time with her, even if it meant biting a snake's head off or pissing on a donkey. He would do anything for Evie.

He decided to take the lead and guide both the girls to where the ferris wheel was located on the opposite side of the fair.

Evie wasn't blind and she knew her sister better than anyone, Jane wasn't a fan of rides either or being dragged around the whole fair. As they followed the direction that Liam was taking them, she looked at her sister. "If the rides don't interest you, there's plenty of food around" She suggested to Jane knowing she wasn't one who always liked to do things, there have been plenty of times when Evie would go off to do something while Jane stayed and just watch people going by their day. She didn't want to force Jane to do anything that she didn't want, Evie was just glad that she had gotten her sister to join her at the fair.

Seeing the ferris wheel come into sight she knew if the three of them went on, somebody was going to be riding alone and that wasn't fun for anyone.

---

Following his mates scent it wasn't long before he caught sight of the brunette werewolf, "Liam, hey man. Didn't know that you were going to be here" Zayn smiled noticing the two beautiful young women that Liam was with, though one had really taken his fancy and suddenly all he wanted to do was talk with her and get to know her. "What are you doing with these two beauties? How much did he pay you?" He grinned at his friend as he felt his heart beat increase in his chest, her long dark hair matched her eyes perfectly and her skin tone was flawless.

"It's fine, Ev," Jane said, nodding her head as she looked at her sister. She knew Evie wasn't trying to get rid of her, but she could already feel herself putting a damper on her and Liam's day. "I'll just walk with you guys and see if there's anything that catches my eye." Being a third wheel on a date was miserable, but it was even more miserable when one of the parties didn't realize that it was supposed to be a date. Evie had never realized how Liam felt about her, but Jane had.

---

Liam was shocked to see Zayn when he came up, and a smile fell to his face. It wasn't a rare occurrence to see other werewolves out and about, but he hadn't seen Zayn in ages. "Hey man," he said, as he nodded his head in Zayn's direction. "This is Jane," he said first, pointing to the girl farthest from him, then he placed his hand on Evie's back just a little in an attempt to show Zayn that Evie was off limits. "And this is Evie."

Liam couldn't believe how long it had been since he had seen Zayn, and though he was really looking forward to spending time with Evie, he wanted to catch up with Zayn too.

Evie nodded her head lightly, she knew that Jane was more than welcome to go off on her own if something caught her attention. Just as long as Jane had fun, that's all Evie wanted and cared about. She smiled when a handsome tanned man walked over and apparently knew Liam, she listened to when Zayn introduced himself and she suddenly wished she could get inside Jane's head to see what she thought of Zayn.

"It's nice to meet you, Zayn" She smiled feeling Liam's larger hand rest on her back, "You should come on the ferris wheel with us and than we can all hang out" She suggested not minding if she shared a cart with Jane instead of Liam, she had wanted to suggest Zayn sharing a cart with Jane but she didn't want to make her sister uncomfortable with being that close to some stranger.

---

Zayn instantly picked up on Evie being off limits, which was good because she wasn't the one who had captured his attention. Jane. The name suited her beauty perfectly and he wanted to be there for her and make her happy at all times, he introduced himself to the girls before nodding his head in agreement with what Evie offered. "Yeah I can do the ferris wheel" He chuckled softly really hoping that Liam would make sure he went with Evie, so Jane would be stuck going on the ride with him.

"Though I don't want to ruin your day by tagging along either" He said not wanting to push himself into the little group of three, though at the same time he did because he wasn't going to be leaving Jane without getting to know her.

Jane wasn't sure if adding this stranger to the group was a good idea or a bad one. Now she wouldn't be a third date on Liam's imagined date with Evie, but now she would have to make small talk with a stranger, which she'd never been good at. Jane had to admit that he was handsome, though, with his tanned skin and dark hair. He was exactly the type Jane would have gone for back when she was dating freely.

---

"You're not intruding on anything, I promise," Liam said, smiling at his friend as he slowly moved his hand off of Evie's back before she could ask him to. When Evie invited Zayn, Liam got an instant idea that Zayn could ride the ferris wheel with Jane while he got to ride with Evie. This was just the opportunity he was looking for. "You're coming with us. I won't take no for an answer."

Liam didn't care if he was being pushy - he was dying for his alone time with Evie, and it looked like he was finally going to get his chance to. Before anyone could object, Liam put his hand on Evie's back again, slowly guiding her forward while he hoped Zayn and Jane would follow.

[Oh my gosh I just realized their names rhyme ]

(Oh my gosh I only realised then because you told me, it's kind of cute though)

Evie smiled warmly as she felt Liam start to guide her forward which he usually always had to do, she'd get too busy talking or focused on something else and he'd have to keep her moving. Zayn was Jane's type but Evie had learnt before not to push her sister to date or meet people, Jane did whatever she wanted and when she wanted. She'd only do the opposite if she was pressured, but hopefully all of this would work out however Evie was more able to talk with people than Jane so this could be a disaster.

Glancing back over her shoulder she noticed Jane and Zayn were following them, it wasn't long before the four of them had joined the line of people waiting to get onto the ferris wheel. "Today is going to be so much fun" She smiled as she looked at Liam.

---

"Alright than" Zayn chuckled softly and started to follow his friend, glancing beside him at Jane he admired her beauty. "Did you get dragged along here today? My little sisters did that to me before they ran off to see their friends" He smiled knowing they'd have to make small talk, he wasn't the most outgoing guy around unlike Liam but Jane was different. He actually did want to talk with her and listen to her smooth voice, he wasn't completely positive about what he was feeling but he was pretty sure he had imprinted on Jane.

Of course he would never come out and tell her that, unless she knew about what Liam was but he had a feeling that neither of the girls did so he'd wait. He'd wait until they grew closer and he'd only tell her if he was sure she was ready, if she wasn't ready than he'd risk losing her and that was a risk he wouldn't be taking.

[ I didn't do it on purpose I swear ]

Liam knew that today was going to be a dream for him, especially since now it looked like he was actually going to get at least a little bit of alone time with Evie now that Zayn was around. "It's going to be perfect," Liam said, smiling at Evie as he leaned back against the rope that formed the line. "What do you wanna do next?"

In the time leading up to the fair, Liam often daydreamed about taking Evie on the ferris wheel and confessing his feelings for her in the most romantic way possible, but deep down he knew he didn't have the balls to do it. He cared about Evie too much to jeopardize their friendship, knowing there was a good chance she didn't feel the same about him.

---

"My sister thought I needed to see the sun," Jane said jokingly, if she had to make small talk she could at least try to make it interesting for herself. "It won't help though because I can never tan."

Both Jane and Evie had problems with the sun, but Jane more so than her sister. She'd always been the one that was a little more problematic or average, depending on the situation. Evie was easily the prettiest girl at their school and consistently had guys asking her out, which Jane had noted made Liam incredibly jealous, but unfortunately she and Evie weren't identical, and though she was pretty, her beauty paled in comparison to Evie's. Jane had always prided herself on being the funnier of the two, though.

(Sure you didn't, I'm onto you now missy )

Zayn chuckled softly before shaking his head, "You don't need a tan. Trust me when I say this, you're beautiful exactly the way you are" He told her not wanting to come across us creepy because he had just met her and was now calling her beautiful, but she was extremely beautiful and he wanted to make sure that she knew that. So he gave her a small smile in hopes she wouldn't hit him before telling Liam about the creep he knew, "I thought you two looked similar. Let me guess, twins?" He asked as he had noticed many similarities between the two girls, if he had known that Liam knew this two than he would have come around sooner.

He did admit that Evie was pretty but to him Jane was beautiful and he'd be surprised if she didn't have a boyfriend already, though he'd fight for her heart even if she did have someone special in her life. He wasn't going to let Jane just walk out of his life, he'd be miserable if that happened though he'd most likely follow her without her knowing and suddenly turn up.

---

Evie smiled at Liam as they waited in line, "We could get the rides over and done with, then we can go eat food and you can win me cute little stuffed toys" She looked into his stunning warm brown eyes, sure she dated a few guys from school and one here and there but none of them had been special to her. None came close to comparing to Liam, she knew she shouldn't compare but she couldn't help it. What she didn't know was that only made Liam jealous, she tended to be blind when guys would flirt with her unless they were down right hitting on her. She was blind to most things Liam did.

"I know you'll drag me along with you, the sooner you finish the rides the sooner I can eat" She could easily be a party pooper and refuse to go on the rides with him, he knew she didn't enjoy them but she went on them anyway because he loved them.

[ I can't even help it. They make such a great song now ]

Jane had never been complimented by a stranger before, so she didn't know quite how to take it. She certainly didn't think she was beautiful, but she tried her best not to wallow in self-pity around strangers. "Thank you. That's sweet of you to say," Jane said with a blushed smile, looking to the ground as she hoped neither Liam or Evie heard his compliment. It seemed like they were pretty caught up in each other, though.

"We are," Jane said as she nodded her head. "She's older by two minutes, but I swear I'm the smarter one," Jane joked, though that really wasn't true either. The two had been pretty evenly matched when it came to brains, though Jane was often too caught up in her books to study and Evie was too often lost with her friends.

---

"See, when you say 'win you little stuffed toys' you make me feel bad, because we both know I'm shit at those games." The truth was that Liam was phenomenal at them. His werewolf sense made anything with shooting, throwing or aiming a total breeze for him, but he always liked to play it a little tough, because Evie was always so much more happy with her prize when it looked like he'd actually had to work hard for it.

"I promise we don't have to go on too many," he said with a smile, "I've just got a couple more I want to take you on." Those mainly included any ride that could be found the least bit romantic with the ferris wheel and merry go round being top contenders.

(It's adorable though, Jane and Zayn! )

Zayn couldn't wipe the smile from his face, he wasn't sure if she was always like this or if this was how she coped with talking to strangers. Though he hoped she was always like this because he wanted her to be relaxed around him, "Probably smarter and funnier" He agreed which only caused them to receive a glare from Evie who had overheard what they said, he now knew that Jane wasn't used to getting compliments which only encouraged him to give her more compliments so she could get used to them. She deserved to have the world and Zayn was going to give her everything she could possibly want, if she was his imprint than she'd be treated like a Queen.

"I'm really glad that I found Liam, otherwise I never would have met you" He smiled at her knowing he was lucky to have his younger sisters drag him to the fair, he was thankful for them and for Liam also bringing Jane with him and Evie.

---

"Maybe so, but you still always win a few toys for me so I know that you can" Evie smiled at him as that was their deal, she'd go on rides with him and he'd win her something. She also just loved watching Liam play a game that she chose for him, he may struggle a little but he'd always come through for her and win her a present that she had her eyes on. "I know but you'll start of with the nice rides before taking me on one that goes upside down, I know you better than anyone mister" She looked at him as the line started moving and getting shorter as the group of people got off the ferris wheel, she smiled seeing that Jane was getting along with Zayn just fine.

Waiting a few moments until they reached the front of the line, when the next cart came around she felt Liam's hand again guiding her into the cart. She carefully stepped on and sat down with Liam, the man closed and locked the door as she looked at Jane. She hoped her sister was okay with riding with Zayn, it was too late to change now though.

"What?" Jane asked looking at Zayn with confusion in her eyes. She shook her head and laughed softly. "I promise I'm not that special. You have no reason to thank them," she said with a chuckle as it came time for them to get on their cart, since it looked like Evie and Liam were riding together, which was what Jane had expected.

She nervously stepped onto the rickety machine, which had been built by high school drop outs no less, and scooted in all the way so Zayn could get in easier. When she sat down, she realized it was pretty tight quarters and she and Zayn would most likely be touching the entire time.

---

"Just make sure it's nothing too big," Liam said with a smile, "the last time you wanted that 6ft gorilla and it took me an hour to win it for you." When the line lessened and it finally came their turn to get on, Liam knew that Evie might try to ride with Jane while he would have to ride with Zayn, so he quickly took her hand and guided her towards the kart before she had a chance to figure anything out.

The worker shut the door behind him with a grumpy look on his face, and Liam quickly turned to Evie and smiled. "Now, you won't get too scared, will you?"

Zayn knew that Jane was special and one day he'd make her see that, it was just a matter of time. Stepping forward as the line moved along, it wasn't long before he let Jane climb into the cart before he joined her. Sitting down he tried not to take up all the room, though the side of his body was still pressed against Jane's body. "Sorry about this, I know you probably would have preferred to ride with your sister" And he would have left that happen if it hadn't been for Liam who had made sure it was him who sat with Evie. This could very well become awkward because they still didn't know each other, but Zayn wasn't going to let that happen.

"So tell me about yourself, Jane" He said smiling softly as he looked at her, he wanted to take this slowly as to not freak her out but he also really wanted to know more about her. She seemed interesting at least she did to him, however he still felt his stomach get tied in knots because of how close they were sitting together.

---

"But I really wanted that gorilla and I was so happy when you won it for me" Evie smiled as she still had that 6ft gorilla in her bedroom because she honestly loved it, mostly because Liam won it for her. "I promise that I'll look for smaller prizes" She sat down in the cart and felt him sit beside her, their bodies touched but Evie didn't mind because Liam was always nice and warm. "I'll be fine, a ferris wheel isn't scary" She looked at him as she could handle the ferris wheel, as long as the cart didn't swing than she'd be completely fine.

"I hope Jane is okay with your friend, if he does anything to her than I won't be holding back" She had always been protective of her younger sister and she always will be.

She couldn't believe how small the cart was until she decided that this ride was probably made for children, thus why the seats were so small. There was probably a weight limit on the thing and they were going to break it.

"It's okay," Jane said softly, "Liam would have been pissed if he had to ride with you." She realized that Zayn probably didn't know about Liam's crush on Evie, and he hoped that he didn't catch onto what she had said. "I've done an awful lot of talking about myself. Why don't you tell me something about you? You know, besides the fact that you've got younger sisters who force you to the fair and you're somehow friends with Liam for whatever reason.

---

"I just wanted to be sure," Liam said with a laugh, realizing as Evie sat down just how small their quarters were. Their sides were completely touching and Liam's shoulders were so scrunched up that the only comfortable place he could put his arm would be behind Evie, though he didn't feel confident enough to do that. "You freaked out when I took you on that roller coaster, so I didn't know if this would scare you too."

Liam laughed at her. She clearly didn't know Zayn the way that he did, and there would be hell to pay from Liam if he did anything too. "Trust me, Jane is fine. The ride is barely a few minutes long."

Zayn chuckled softly as she turned the question around onto him, "I don't really know what to tell you. Honestly I'm not that exciting, I work in a music store and I first met Liam a few years ago. I enjoy art, painting and drawing mostly and that's what I usually always do in my free time" He said not really having anything else to tell her, he was more of a homebody which made him seem a little boring but that's what he enjoyed the most. "I also love food, but so do most people however I can't cook to save my life. I tend to burn pretty much everything" He told her remembering how he always gets distracted which is why food burns when he's trying to cook.

"I am sort of boring, I don't like parties or going to clubs. I tend to become shy when I'm in a large crowd of people, I prefer to be on the outside and just watch" He knew he couldn't possibly be making Jane want to spend more time with him, he wasn't selling himself as this amazing fun guy like he should though he wasn't going to lie to her either.

---

"That roller coaster went fast and upside down, a ferris wheel is nice and slow" Evie told him as the wheel took them higher, she looked over the edge as the view of the fair slowly became wider the higher they were taken up. "I know but she's not really good when it comes to meeting new people, I'm sure Zayn is fine as long as he keeps a conversation going" She looked over at Liam and gave him a smile, "Maybe he'll sweep her off her feet" She just wanted Jane to be happy and have someone who could give her all the love in the world.

The ride was soothing as it traveled slowly and would have been romantic if Evie let it be, but she was scared of letting her feelings show. Liam meant the world to her and she couldn't risk losing him.

"You paint?" Jane asked, ignoring everything he said after that simply because she couldn't believe what he said. "I paint. I draw, too, but painting is mostly my thing." She couldn't believe she'd found another person her age that actually enjoyed art. It seemed like even her own sister didn't understand Jane's fascination with it, but even as a little girl she loved to express her feelings with a paintbrush. She found it very soothing. "Did Evie tell you to say that to try to make me like you?" She questioned, giving Zayn a quick look over. Evie always wanted what was best for Jane and she knew that, but she had a tendency to care too much, which often led to her sticking her nose in places it didn't belong, mostly when it came to Jane's life.

---

"Excuses, excuses," Liam said with a half smile, looking over at Evie as she watched the edge. He couldn't help but admire how much more her eyes sparkled the closer they got to the sun. "Jane will be fine. You don't need to worry, Ev. I'm sure Zayn has this under control."

Liam agreed that it would be nice to see Jane putting herself out there. He'd been friends with Jane just as long as he'd been friends with Evie, even if they weren't as close, and he always hope that she'd find the right guy. He hadn't seen her date anyone in a very long time, though, so he didn't know how high of hopes that was.

Zayn chuckled as he shook his head, "No. No one told me to say that, I wouldn't dare lie to you Jane. Besides even if Evie had, I'd be screwed if you asked to see my work" He smiled quickly figuring out that Evie must try to get Jane to date more or to at least meet more people, "I'd love to see your painting. Not many young people appreciate art anymore, it's hard to even find people who love art as much as I do. Some say they do but really they don't" He looked at her knowing right that instant that Jane Carter was his imprint, even if he wasn't a werewolf and didn't imprint.

She'd still be someone who he wanted to spend more time with and possibly date, though imprinting was handy because now he knew who he wanted to be with. "What do you usually paint? I tend to be more into cartoon stuff but I've just gotten into painting landscapes" He explained as the ferris wheel slowly moved higher up, though his attention was fully focused on Jane.

---

Evie giggled softly as she reached up and tucked some hair behind her ear, "I know she'll be fine. But I can't help it" She turned to look at Liam again, she wanted all her friends to be happy. She had even tried to set Liam up with a few girls but stopped when he never took interest in any of the girls, she also wanted him all to herself as well. He had been her best friend for so long now and she wasn't going to let anyone come between that, even if she wanted to be more than just friends with him. She was terrified he'd reject her and than not want to be friends anymore.

"I don't just worry about Jane either, I worry about you too Liam" Looking at him she tried to give him her usual bright smile, though she couldn't because he deserved to be with her. There had been so many times when she had almost told Jane about her feelings, though she always chickened out.

"I'm sure you could have whipped something up real fast. Maybe bought a Van Gogh and tried to pass it off as your own." Though Jane definitely would have noticed if he had done something as desperate as that. She looked away from him and down at the slowly shrinking ground at the mention of her paintings. She rarely let people see her work, especially to people she wasn't blood-related to, but she thought about making an exception for Zayn.

She looked back at Zayn with her teeth nibbling nervously at her bottom lip. "I'm more of an abstract person myself, but I'd love to see your stuff." Jane wouldn't have normally implied making future plans with a stranger, but it was rare that she found anyone she had things in common with, even if he was some gorgeous guy who probably had better things to be doing.

---

"You don't need to worry about me," Liam said with a small chuckle as he looked over at her. He didn't have any idea what she could possibly be worrying about, but he knew in Evie's little mind that she could come up with something, no matter how small it was.

When the ferris wheel began lifting them up, it jerked just a bit, and Liam thought about using the opportunity to wrap his arm around Evie's shoulder, but decided it against it. As much as he wanted to, he imagined it would just make her uncomfortable and he had probably already touched her more than he should that day with Zayn showing up and all.

"So, did you hear anything else from that guy?" Liam asked, remembering the guy who had been hitting on Evie for the better part of two weeks. Actually, he hadn't really been able to forget about it. The guys Evie talked to was something that was always on his mind, as much as he hated it.