Another Year Another Smile

Chapter IV: I Hate This Job

Chapter IV: I Hate This Job

"Another three," I tell the man behind the counter, slapping two dollars down. The employee seems a little annoyed, but he takes the money and gives me three balls. I've already tried this a few times, but I am sure I can win a prize this time. I've had plenty of experience throwing stuff on the farm. This should be easy, but the targets are pretty small. I close one eye to focus on the target, aiming the ball.

"Pretty difficult, huh?" I jump slightly as soon as I let go of the ball. Turning my gaze, I see Twilight standing beside me, looking at the targets.

"Jesus, Twi. Ya don't have to sneak up on me like that. I'm trying to win a prize right now." Holding the second ball, I try my best to focus on the target again.

"It's a loud amusement park. I wasn't exactly trying to sneak around," Twilight tells me with a laugh. "Anyway, I figured I would come see how it is going since the lovebirds are busy distracting themselves at the maze." Throwing the second ball, it hits the rim of the target, but the buzzer doesn't activate. Not good enough for a prize after all...

"It's going alright so far. I almost made Adagio aware of your plans when she said y'all were going to the amusement park first. You could have told me," I tell her with a shrug. Twilight nods at my statement.

"You're right. It wasn't my change of plans. It was Sunset's. Considering that we're preparing for Adagio's birthday, Sunset seems like she wants to play with her a bit. I'll try to warn you if anything else changes." Twilight leans on the counter, watching me aim the ball. I ain't the kind of person who hates being watched or such, but her eyes in my peripheral vision kinda make it hard to focus. "I was a little afraid that Adagio was going to follow me instead."

"Don't doubt her love for Sunset," I say with a quiet tone, one eye closed. Finally, the ball flies from my hand, hitting the stupid target. The alarm rings, making the guy behind the counter shrug. He hands me a pink bear plush. It's honestly cute and seems familiar in a way. "Adagio doesn't know that being here is a red herring. But since the aquarium isn't, it will be more difficult to distract her. What do you suggest I do?" Twilight looks like she's thinking of something to say. All the while, I just hug the plush. It's soft and seems pretty durable. It makes me think about what I will do with it once I get home...

"We still have to get the seashells from the aquarium... Try to get her distracted on some of the exhibits. When we get close to the shop, we will try to lose you two. Then it is really up to you to keep her from seeing our transaction." Twilight tries to give me a reassuring smile. Clearly, she doesn't know the kind of stress playing a double agent can put on me. I mean, I ain't a stranger to lying, but it's still difficult to make a convincing lie when I have to constantly distract an intelligent siren. She's not dumb in the slightest, so every lie I tell her needs to have some reason behind it.

"You know how hard it is to lose Adagio, right? She's like a dang detective. Probably stuff I taught her," I say with a prideful smile. "But in all seriousness, that isn't an easy task. Especially since Sunset is right beside you for the whole day." Twilight motions for me to follow her away from the prize counter. As soon as we are away from a lot of the people around the entrance of the park, she hands me a small packet of some red liquid. How is sauce supposed to help? Am I going somewhere to eat?

"If you absolutely need to, you can bite down on this packet to make it look like you're bleeding from the mouth. It's fake blood, so don't ingest too much of it. I'm sure that if you look injured, Adagio's attention will be focused on you." The way she suggests that so casually is insane. Given, I'd probably come up with something equally as crazy, so it isn't too weird. The thought of making myself appear injured still sucks though. I guess I could pretend to fall on my face and lure her to the bathroom for a bit. I should still find another way to distract her if it is possible.