Echo of a Bird's Cry

THE SURVIVOR EMILY OCTOBER 20

Abel stands by me as I straddle the horse. The carousel starts and circus music blares from everywhere. The platform spins, blowing cool autumn wind through my hair, and the bright lights blur, creating streaks of color that stain the sky. For the first time in my life, I'm free. I'm free to be who I am. I'm free to live my life.

My head is still spinning when the carousel stops. Abel grabs my hand and I hold on tight. We rode all the roller coasters and the brightly lit Ferris wheel already.

"Let's get in line for face painting," I say.

Abel smiles at me and nods. "Let's go."

We're the oldest people getting our faces painted. We are elderly compared to the children in line with us, but no one says anything. Abel gets a yellow sun on his cheek and I get a pink butterfly on mine. What I have with Abel is sweet and solid. He's been courting me and I've been loving it. I've never been on a date in my life. I've never received flowers from a guy I liked before. I never held hands in a movie theater before. This is new to me. It feels like I'm gaining what I missed during my adolescence. I'm healing the lost seventeen year old girl within myself. She's glowing from all the affection and care and attention Abel and I are giving her.

He leads the way to target shooting game booths. Abel pops balloons with darts. His precision is incredible. He wins me a clownfish stuffed animal. I'm victorious at the bottle ring toss game and win him a large stuffed animal. It's a yellow bird. The prize I won him is bigger than mine. I tease him about it.

"Do you want to get some food?" Abel asks.

"Yes."

We get in line at a vendor to buy funnel cakes and other fried delights. I inhale the sweet aroma of fried dough and sugar. Children run around, laughing and squealing with ice cream cones and bags of popcorn and cotton candy in their sticky hands. Couples stroll around the park, linked by their arms. Everyone mind's their business and no one notices me here, even if they did it's discreet. This is a place of fun and amusement and no one seems to want to take the joy away from themselves to hassle me.

Abel orders us a funnel cake, two corn dogs, and a large soda. We sit on a bench under a gigantic oak tree. Our laps are covered in fragrant and greasy food.

"Are you having fun?" Abel asks, passing me a plastic fork.

"I'm having the time of my life."

He eats a piece of funnel cake. Powdered sugar falls on his bottom lip. "The Hollywood superstar likes small town amusement parks."

"The Hollywood superstar loves anything the small-town boy shows her," I correct.

Abel grins.

I eat fried dough, licking the fudge off my lips. "Thank you."

He stares at me with blue eyes that glow in the moonlight. "You're welcome." He eats another piece of funnel cake. "You're not anything like I imagined."

"How did you imagine me?"

"I thought you had a lot more ego than personality. I thought you'd be a diva. But I was wrong." He smiles and I lose my breath. "Thank God."

"I'm not egotistic," I say. "I actually need to gain a little more confidence."

He nods. "You're not arrogant enough to be an actress." He bumps my shoulder with his, making me laugh. "Being here must be a big change for you. No paparazzi. No ecstatic fans—"

"No creepy stalkers," I say. "I love Ravenwood. I love the privacy. I love the wilderness. I love the fresh air. And I love spending time with my family. It's sort of exciting to know people here are annoyed by my presence. I can just hear the gossip and rumors about me. Emily Willmore is the Hollywood scarlet that brings ruin and misfortune to our quiet beloved small town. Be sure to lock your windows and doors. The Hollywood monster is in town, stealing the sanctity and virtue of our people. We must keep Ravenwood protected." I sigh and shake my head. "But I like it here. It's different from California but only in the best way."