Chapter One- Eavesdropping

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“The Carnaval de la Gatins,” Jason called to his friends, Amber and Travis, as he read from a poster in the filthy street.

Jason brushed his short black hair out of his dark blue eyes. He was a regular thirteen year old boy; average height and weight, nothing too extraordinary he thought about himself.

“It’s back,” Travis cried jumping to see the Carnaval’s poster over Jason’s shoulder; he was very short for his age, the shortest child of his class. He had a good reason too, he had skipped five grade on account of his high intelligence. “Why does it insist on returning to this town every year?”

Unlike Jason, Travis was an unusual boy. Besides the fact that he was much smaller and skinnier than his classmates, he had rather short spiky blonde hair and shocking great green eyes magnified by glasses too big for his face.

“What do you mean,” Amber asked. “I’ve always loved going to it before, with my mother.”

Amber was different, better than ordinary; she was beautiful. Her long snow white hair swam through the mystical aura that hung around her essence. Her eyes were a sweet and desirable misty gray. She easily had you around a trance as she stared into you.

“Well, that’s because you’ve gone before,” Travis explained his train of thought. “You and three other families, that’s all who go. So, why do they come here of all places, we’re not a big town at all.”

And Travis was correct; their town, Pebbleton, a tiny town with about seventy citizens within it. The Carnaval de la Gatins was fantastic spectacle that originated in France and began touring America five years previous. It was known to travel to big, rich cities like New York, Chicago, San Francisco, or Orlando, but never to a place like Pebbleton.

In this Carnaval people had heard rumors of four women more beautiful than anything else on the earth. These women ran a favorite, fortune-teller’s booth. Many wealthy men have been said to have entered their tent and yet they had left without a penny to their name. No one ever found out what these gorgeous women did to the rich men, on account of the men insisting they had not had any interaction with the accused women what so ever.

“Gypsies,” Emily Headington, Jason’s mother had shouted back at him one night when he asked about the Carnaval.

“They’re evil, horrid gypsies,” she cried. “Nothing but town hopping, man stealing enchantresses who will rob you blind as soon as look at you. That’s why no respectable person of high society will ever set foot in the appalling place.”

And it was true, there were the a few amount of people in town, like Amber’s family, that really go to the Carnaval, but hardly anyone ever thought of going to it. Was it because of the gypsies, as Jason’s mother was, or was there another reason.

Jason never really thought much of the Carnaval, he had no desire to go. It was a great and famous event most people in the country dream about coming to their town, but Jason had always gotten a negative feeling deep within himself when it ever passed through his mind.

“So, do you guys want to go this year,” Amber asked as they walked back towards their homes. “I mean with my mother and me. Would either of you like to go with us?”

Jason and Travis were always incessantly asked this around particular time of year, and both of their responses were eternally the same.

“Uh… No, no thanks,” Jason sighed. “I’ve thought the Carnaval to be too… childish.”

“That’s is what you always,” Amber pointed out. “‘the Carnaval is too childish.’”

“Very amusing,” Jason smirked and her mocking.

Through her laughing, she managed to sputter, “And you Travis, how about coming this year?”

“Um, well- me neither,” Travis studied the pavement avoiding Amber gaze. “Like Jason said… too childish.”

Both Amber and Jason knew that this wasn’t the reason Travis wasn’t going to the Carnaval. The real reason made Travis feel embarrassed, his parents actually didn’t have much money to spend on entertainment, much less the necessities.

They walked on in a moment of uncomfortable silence until they came up on the Resin house, Amber’s house. Amber lived with her mother, Vivian Resin alone in a giant house on a hill. Her father, Xavier Resin, was head of company out of town, Jason had never actually seen him in all the years of being a friend of Amber’s.

After school they usually all went to the Resin house just to enjoy themselves. They entered her family room to find her mother, a nice and caring women. She had a face tilted upwards held back with a messy bun of light orange hair. You could make out the few wrinkles of her appearance, but they did not reflect her one bit; she was usually young spirited, helpful, and a joy to be around, but today she looked frightened and rather flustered.

“Oh. Hello kids, you’re home…I…I’m just tidying up,” Mrs. Resin stood in a spotless living room. “Oh, well… there’s this blanket, it doesn’t belong here. I’ll be along.”

As she sped out of the room, a paper fell from within the blanket to Jason’s feet. Drawing the paper from the floor, he examined it. It was a letter, the front read To My Dearest Amber.

“Is your mother alright,” Travis asked. “She seemed jumpy and nervous.”

“I don’t know,” Amber stared after her mother.

“Who is this from,” declared Jason in romantic. “To My Dearest-”

The letter was quickly snatched from his hands.

“Sorry, it’s just a letter… a letter from my aunt,” Amber slid the letter into her bag. “Let’s watch some television.” She sank slowly into the chair under her. Both Jason and Travis followed suit.

After a minute or two of an uncomfortable pause, Amber sprang to her feet, and seized her bag from her chair.

“I’ve forgotten… I need to finish something in my room,” said and Amber as she hurriedly flew from the room.

“What do you think is up,” Travis asked.

“I don’t know,” said Jason he rose from his seat as well. “There’s something going on. Let’s go find out.”

Travis got up almost instantly and together they crept silently through the hallway and found only one door ajar, Amber’s door.

Jason nodded Travis towards the door. Voices could be heard behind it.

“We shouldn’t be eavesdropping on them,” Travis declared.

“I know, we-”

They could now clearly hear what the voices were saying.

“-yet again, another letter,” Amber voice came.

“Maybe it’s time to accept it,” a voice came that could only have been Vivian Resin.

“Accept? Never will I ever voluntarily help with what he is doing.”

“But, dear. He does need your help with the rebirth.”

“I don’t care. I’m not doing it.”

Jason and Travis gave each other a glance. Neither of them were excited when hearing Amber being pressured to carry out something she’d rather not.

“-Honey, without you it won’t work.”

“You didn’t think I knew that,” Amber spat at her. “Mother, what he’s doing isn’t morally right or safe.”

“Your father knows what he’s doing.”

Jason gasped, it was her father who was forcing her to do something terrible.

“No, mom. He doesn’t know what he’s doing. He believes he is greater than your people. Revising the army just so he can gain control over them is just…horrible. Just because humans are physically less powerful than us doesn’t mean they are inferior.”

“I know it doesn’t, but it’s your father. He won’t listen to you, or me even.”

“You have, that is, you’ve tried to persuade him to stop?” Amber cried.

“Yes,” Mrs. Resin said shamefully.

“Oh mother, thank you,” said Amber. There was movement behind the door; they were getting closer to them as Jason and Travis both returned to the living room.

“Is everything alright,” Amber said after they remained silent with wonderment. They were still trying to process what they had both just overheard about their closest friend.