Chasing the Night

“It’s freezing. We can’t stay out here forever,” Arianna complained, as Travis continued to drag her up the street. “Shh,” he told her. “It’s not fair if you keep complaining! It’s supposed to be fun!” Arianna rolled her eyes and picked up the pace, breaking into a jog and getting in front of Travis. Now she was the one dragging him up the street.

“Hey!” Travis hollered. “I’m always the leader!”

“You’re not the only lead singer around here, buddy,” Arianna said with a cheeky smile, tugging on his wrist to make him move faster. Travis broke into a jog, too, and Arianna let go of his hand, breaking into a sprint up the street. “Hey!” Travis called after her. “Wait up!” He ran to catch up with her, legs moving fast, arms flailing. He’d always had a sort of awkward run. When he finally caught up with Arianna, she was waiting for him under a streetlight on the corner.

“It’s about time,” Arianna said sarcastically, an easy smile spreading across her face. Travis found himself smiling back up at her as he bent over his knees, gasping for air. “Are you alright?” Arianna asked him after a few moments. “I’m fine,” Travis heaved, contradicting his statement.

“Shit, you better sit down or something,” Arianna said, eyeing the ginger-haired boy in worry. He shook his head and straightened, leaning against one of the shop windows closest to them. He took in a few, long breaths of the cold night air before risking another glance at Arianna.

Arianna stared at Travis like he’s grown a third arm. His forehead was beaded with sweat, his chest was heaving, and every breath he took sounded as though it would be his last. She chewed on her bottom lip (a habit she always fell victim to when she was nervous) and folded her arms across her chest. Travis caught her looking at him and pushed off of the shop front, moving to stand beside the blonde.

“Let’s go,” he said quickly, eyeing the street that stretched out before them.

“Are you sure that you’re-“

“I’m fine,” Travis cut her off, walking out onto the road. Arianna had no choice but to follow behind the ginger-haired boy. She noticed with alarm just how small his ankles were as she observed his legs muscles move as he walked. He certainly didn’t look healthy. Travis could feel her eyes on him and suddenly stopped, turning to face her.

“What?” he asked, the right side of his mouth turning up into a half smile. “Nothing,” Arianna replied quickly, not wanting to broach the subject. She knew where things crossed the line. She hardly knew this boy. She figured she had no right to enquire about his health.

“Let’s go,” Travis said again, holding his hand out for Arianna. After a moment of hesitation, she took it, walking beside Travis up the cold, empty streets. “Where are we going?” She asked after a moment, looking around her. The city was large and unfamiliar, a place she’d never been before. She’d already forgotten the name. “I don’t know,” Travis replied honestly. “Let’s get lost.” Arianna smiled then, and Travis smiled back. A real smile. What was this girl doing to him?

They ended up walking along the beach. Arianna dropped Travis’ hand and headed down towards the water. She thought of Jase, and what he would say if he could see what she was doing. She felt guilty. Arianna decided that walking down a beach holding hands with a guy she hardly knew was not a good idea.

Travis felt slightly rejected. The moment she’d let go of his hand to go down the water, he’s stared down at his hand – now alone, and then over at the blonde girl, splashing her feet in the waves. And his mind just couldn’t understand. Why had she left? Why wasn’t she still holding his hand? Was it because of his long hair? His maybe too straight-forward demeanour, the sudden way he’d taken off into the night, dragging her along with him? Should he apologize? But, for what, exactly? Travis shook his head and walked down to the water to join her. He was over-thinking the situation. Just like he always did.

“The water is freezing!” Arianna called out, once Travis was only a few metres from her. He kicked off his worn Vans and ventured into the water, the salt water spraying up around his tiny ankles. “It’s nice.” He sighed, and watched the water swirl around his feet, lost in thought. The night was so hot, and the cool water felt so good against his bare skin. It reminded him of the time when she...

No. He mustn’t think of her. He wanted so badly to forget, and Arianna had made it so easy, if only for a little while. It hurt remembering, but when Travis was with Arianna, it was like it was all forgotten. He was forging a new path for himself and creating new memories. He kept telling himself that this was a good thing. He just didn’t know if he believed himself yet.

“Hey! What’s that?” Arianna said, pointing up the beach. Travis squinted in the direction that she indicated, and noticed a tall structure at the end of the beach. The night was fairly dark, the moon providing little light, and the structure was hard to make out, all dark and shadows. Travis walked up the beach a bit, struggling to make it out. “What is that?” he said, mostly to himself.

“Let’s check it out,” Arianna said, picking up her shoes and dashing up the beach. “I don’t think we should...” Travis trailed off, but he was already pulling on his shoes. “You were the one that said you wanted an adventure! Let’s make one!” Arianna jeered, running towards the structure now. Travis ran after her, stumbling a few times in the sand, before finally catching up.

The large, dark structure they’d seen from a distance was an abandoned amusement park, just beyond the pier. Large barricades blocked it off from the public, with signs adorning them, warning that trespassers would be prosecuted. Travis eyed the signs warily, but Arianna was already tossing her shoes over the other side of the barricade and grabbing the top. “What the hell are you doing?” Travis whispered fiercely. Like anybody could hear him, anyway. “This is our adventure!” Arianna said, hoisting one leg over the barricade. “Are you coming or not?”

Travis didn’t have time to decide. Arianna had disappeared over the other side and Travis quickly scrambled after her, awkwardly hoisting himself over the barricade. He landed on his backside on the other side, and Arianna couldn’t help but laugh. He raised his eyebrows at her as he picked himself up, only causing Arianna to laugh harder.

He rolled his eyes and made his way over to the large carousel to their left, hopping onto one of the horses. The carousel was old and rusty, the paint peeling off the wooden horses. Some of the lights were busted (not like they were turned on) and graffiti covered almost every inch of it. Arianna climbed onto the horse beside Travis. They both sat in silence for a while, until Travis couldn’t take it any longer.

“Cool place,” he said, his voice shaking. Why was he so nervous? He was glad it was so dark so that Arianna wouldn’t be able to see him blush. “Yeah, but this ride sucks,” Arianna said, jutting out her bottom lip. Travis laughed and slid off his horse, Arianna following suit. “Where to now, madam?” he asked in an oh-so-polite fashion, bowing slightly, and holding out his arm to her.

“Why, thank you, kind sir,” Arianna said with an oh-so-fake British accent, looping her arm through Travis’. “The Ferris Wheel, at once!” She exclaimed, and Travis led the way. When they reached their destination, they stopped at the foot of the large ride, staring up at it. Arianna looked at it in awe, taking in the intricate wooden structure, the peeling red and green paint, and the small carriages, obviously meant for two. Travis looked at the machine in worry. The wood was crumbling in places, and looked anything but safe.

“Don’t sneeze, will you,” he said, still gazing at the structure. “Why?” Arianna asked him, confused. “This thing’s likely to fall over if you do.” Arianna laughed and pulled a worried-looking Travis towards it. “I’m not sure about this...” Travis said worriedly, as Arianna let go of him and climbed atop the roof of one of the carriages. The wood creaked beneath her feet and Travis cringed. Arianna grabbed the bottom of the carriage directly above and pulled herself up and into it, before climbing onto the roof of it and repeating the process all over again.

“What are you doing?” Travis called up after her.

“Teaching sheep how to juggle toasters,” she shot back at him.

“What?” Travis said in confusion.

“I read it in a book once. It’s what you say when someone asks a question with an obvious answer,” Arianna said easily.

“What? Give them a ridiculous answer?” Travis questioned her.

“Better than an obvious one,” Arianna hollered, pulling herself up into yet another carriage. When Travis just stood there at the bottom and didn’t have anything more to say, she felt compelled to fill the silence. She always did.

“I’ve got to get to the top!” She called down to him.

“Why?” Travis yelled up at her.

“Ever heard of a bucket list?”

And just like that, Travis understood. He wanted to be a part of it, too. So without thinking about the consequences, or the poorly built and obviously aging structure, he pulled himself up after her, concentrating carefully on where his hands and feet were placed and when. She was sitting in the very top carriage already by the time he reached her. He plopped down next to her and pulled the bar down over them. Arianna looked over at him and raised an eyebrow. “Better safe than sorry,” Travis said with a shrug. “It’s a bit late for that, don’t you think?” Arianna said with a laugh, leaning back into her seat and taking in the view.

The view was stunning. They had the perfect position. The top of the Ferris Wheel revealed the entire city before them, the lights seemingly stretching on forever. It was beautiful and amazing and even though they were still practically strangers, Arianna and Travis were both completely relaxed, despite the fact that they were precariously sitting on top of what looked to be the oldest Ferris Wheel in the world.

And just like that, the moment felt completely and perfectly right. They were two strangers who’d met by chance and ended up climbing a Ferris Wheel in an abandoned amusement park in a strange city. They’d gotten lost together, and neither one of them regretted it in the slightest.