| Chapter 03

I had to admit Chicago was a beautiful city. The skyline was crisp against the night sky, sitting beneath the stars like metal souls surrounded by fireflies.

As David led me back towards the fair, I took in the surroundings. The sidewalks were lined with trees, a lot more than the town I lived in. Many buildings, even with newly designed storefronts, aesthetically shadowed the old neighborhood streets.

Yet, the moment we hopped off the blue line and walked back out towards the lake, I was captivated by the liveliness David was accustomed to. It may have been late at night, but that didn't stop the city's adventures. People still hurried down the streets, laughing. Some may have been drunk, on love and drinks, but others were just calm, at peace.

I was somewhere in the middle.

When the fair's entrance came into view, a calming energy pinged off the fixtures and tents closed off to the public. Yet, despite seeing it, right in front of me glowing brightly under the moon's light, it didn't hit me as it should've. As soon as we stood directly in front of the main gates, my anxiety kicked in.

The fair was closed. Security circled the interior like hawks. With lasers on their waist and radar bands on their wrists, they were ready and waiting for someone to break the law.

Someone like David.

He shifted towards the side of the fair and motioned me to follow close behind him. "Hurry up," he said.

I watched him for a moment before I followed suit. I could tell David timed the security's movements; it also felt as though he'd done it before. Expertly knowing at this hour, the guards would have moved far left while we snuck along the walls on the right.

This wasn't a spontaneous, "I'm taking you to the fair because my dad told me to." This was more of a "I was already coming this way, so you're dead weight."

He even said it as we pushed in through a gap between two tall, metal gates. Just not in those exact words.

Pulling his jacket tight around his chest to zip it closed, he looked at me. "All right don't go too far," he said. "I'll be back."

I bit my lip as I stayed near the side gate we snuck in through. "Wait, what?"

David gave me one hard look before continuing ahead. Without me. "Whatever," he said.

My eyes followed him. The fair's lights were minimal, stalls were dead quiet. Even though David whispered when he spoke, it echoed. Or, perhaps, my worries made it echo because I heard him more than once.

Hurrying towards him, I grabbed his arm. "Wait, where are you going?" I hissed. "You can't just leave me here."

David's hazel eyes narrowed as he stood directly in front of me, nose to nose. "Actually, I couldn't leave you at home, like you're some fuckin' brat. So, you're here, like you wanted, right?"

My mouth opened and a quiet uhhhh left me. I wasn't sure how to respond. Yes, after a while, I did want to see the fair. But I wanted to see it alive, awake, and full of life. The sleeping, dormant giant of an event was more of a looming nightmare trying to creep up on my dreams.

"Well, you're here, country boy." David patted my shoulder as he shot me a fake smile. "Just like yo' mama-bird requested."

I pushed his hand off me. "Stop calling me country boy."

"Ooooo." Laughing, David stepped away from me as he held up his hands. "Bring you into the city and you grow a pair, huh?"

"Fuck you," I spat, digging my foot into the even cement.

With his brows lifted, David walked backward, further away. Once he put a few feet between us, he dropped his hands and said, "Whatever. Tough isn't a good look on you anyway, Gus Gus."

Don't call me Gus Gus, either. Squeezing one eye shut, I inhaled sharply. I wasn't trying to be tough. I just don't want to be alone.

"Like I said," David turned around as he spoke, "I'll be back. Don't do nothin' stupid."

"Oh yeah?" I growled my words and bared my teeth, even though he couldn't see. "Like sneaking into a closed-off event isn't stupid, right?"

Making his way around a corner stall, still not looking back at me, David lifted a hand. And a middle finger.

I flipped him off, too. "Yeah, yeah," I muttered because he couldn't hear. "Whatever. Fucker."

Letting out a hard, frustrated breath, I dug one of my hands into the pocket of my hoodie and the other pulled my phone out of my pocket. The thin glass displayed the hour, nearing midnight. The tiny icons above the time were the weather, partly cloudy with nice temperatures.

Smiling at the little moon, I told myself I could at least try to enjoy the outdoors. Just one night.

My only issue? Unlike David, I had no idea who was patrolling areas of the event and when or where they would show up. The safest bet would've been staying in one spot like a sitting duck. Waiting. Watching the shadows. Yet, I've played enough video games to know being a moving target was best.

With that strategy in mind, I pocketed my phone, took in a deep breath, and walked forward with no real destination.

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When I was a kid, my dad always told me it was impossible to get lost in Chicago. I would panic on each trip, clinging to his leg. The big city scared me, and I'd seen one too many documentaries at a young age, which made it worse.

My dad would hold me and remind me I couldn't get lost. And if I felt like I had, all I had to do was turn around and I would find the street I had started on.

I never knew if the strategy was true because he would never let me wander off on my own. But the smile he had when he said it made me feel better.

I need that right now.

Wandering through the fair, I quickly realized my dad's advice only worked for city streets, not large maze-like events. After a good half hour of walking, staring at the empty stalls and stands meant to be filled with people and Pylons alike, I thought I was lost. And confused.

If I knew history correctly, a World Fair should have displayed a lot of the world. But as I looked around the event built near Lake Michigan, I realized this event was only about the aliens.

It was no secret the Pylon's remaining ship was the main reason Chicago was able to get the event back in the city. I just thought there would be a different focus, some pizzazz. The secrets that were never disclosed to the public. The history geek in me wanted more out of it.

So, as I walked, I slowed down. And sulked. Not only had I not seen a single Pylon, but there was also nothing new to learn. To appreciate.

Guess I won't understand this stuff like mom and dad did...

Kicking a rock, I muttered under my breath, "I could've stayed home for this."

The rock rolled a few feet away from me. I listened as the stone hit the pavement and made its way near the closest stall. When it stopped, I sighed and looked for another to kick, but 'partly cloudy' turned into 'full-on clouds.' With the moonlight covered, I couldn't see much.

And here I thought the weather app could give me an accurate report.

Bipolar Chicago weather...

Turning my head up towards the clouds, I sighed. And listened. David said he wouldn't be long, and he couldn't have been too far. I thought if I could hear his footsteps coming back in my direction, I could get ready to go back to his house and rest up for the night.

But I didn't hear footsteps. I heard rocks. Two of them.

Looking back at the ground, I watched the two rocks I had kicked roll back in my direction. "What the..."

Each little stone hit my feet and bounced back a few inches before resting on their sides. I tilted my head. My confusion reached another level. There wasn't anyone else here; I looked ahead and made sure of it.

There was just me, some shadows, and too many clouds covering the skies.

"David?" I called out, even though a part of me told me I shouldn't have done that. If a guard had heard me, shit... being a moving target wouldn't have helped me. I would've got caught, arrested. They would probably send me back home.

Thinking about it, getting sent home wouldn't have been so bad. It had only been a day and Chicago was already too much for me.

Regardless, I couldn't go back without my cousin. My uncle would have been furious.

"David? Is that you?"

There wasn't a response. Or rocks. But there was movement. A figure darted out of the shadows, racing to meet the other end of another stall across the event space. For a second, I bounced on my feet, debating the option of following it. I knew it wasn't David; too small to be him. I just had this pinging sense of curiosity.

Especially when the figure turned back to look at me. Under its hood I saw the face of a young woman, about my age. It wasn't the fact that she too snuck into the fair after hours, that wasn't what intrigued me. It was her eyes. Bright, illuminating golden eyes. The moment she'd looked at me I saw stars. Constellations.

Oh my god...