• The contagion of chatter throughout the gaudy carnival made her unwilling to even step past the balloon enveloped arch. People of all ages swathed and swarmed like a mass of droning bees, their laughter and talk blending into a monotonous harmony of human voices. She contemplated escape from this horrific place, but the stubborn friend next to her eyed her warily. He knew very easily about her heightening reluctance to engage in anything even remotely social. This, as he called it, was her "social rehab".
    Moon bounces swayed like lumbering giants as shrieking children floundered around inside their netted cages. Booths littered the area, selling a wide array of goods from Cotton Candy to kisses. Fearfully she weaved in between in the incessent crowd, keeping a vice-like grip on Carsons shirt. A formidable tent that held everything within the grounds under it's striped shadow rippled precariously in the soft breeze, announcing to all it's lack of stability. Dread trickled like numbing ice down her spine at the thought of having to actually stand inside such a flimsy structure.
    "You know," She began with a frightened squeak. "I used to like carnivals, when I was three."
    Carson gave her an incredulous look and sighed. "I'm doing this for your own good, Trinity."
    "I love that your looking out for me, but I don't need this." She hissed softly, as if speaking to loud might somehow collapse the massive edifice. Trinity had little time to protest as Carson noticed the hall of mirrors nearby and was already making a bee-line for it. She resigned in a silent protest, sulking as they walked through the corridor. The walls were lined with mirrors that distorted and twisted her body into many ridiculous facades and she found herself having a hard time fuelling her paranoid pessimism. Carson, on the other hand, was preoccupied with making faces in the mirror that bloated his lower body so it seemed as though he had eaten one to many Big Macs.
    The day started on the only course she felt it could, downhill. It took Carson nearly half an hour to convince her that they had putting up the giant tent down to a fine art, and that nothing harmful would befall them. Still she stayed livid all through the circus show, getting sidetracked only to become entranced with the performance for a few moment.
    "Surprise, surprise. We're the first ones out." Breathed Carson irritably as they finally abdicated the tent. Trinity turned to smile at him apologetically, she felt a rush of guilt as she realized he would have had more fun if he had been accompanied with somebody less paranoid then her. It wasn't so much the buildings that made wired but the enormous condensation of people. She used to enjoy the company of others, but after the incident she felt an obligation to stay away from others. Only Carson, who contained only the best mannerisms of a dog, stayed faithfully by her side. A place she much disliked him standing.
    Again so many people surrounded her like the pulsating blood that ran through the cities veins, so many futures to intrude upon and so many lives to see ending. She had withdrawn herself into seclusion after her abnormal flickerings of clairvoyance had intensified from only flickerings, to full out visions. So many futures rushing like irritated water through her head made Trinity want to throw up on the lush green grass beneath her.One of them had been enough to cause her to cripple and wilt into a coward.
    It was back when things were as relatively normal as she could have ever hoped. Trinity had heard the sickening sound of metal against flesh, the alarmed and shrill cry of a car trying to unsucessfully swerve to save a young life. She had watched from her bedroom window, huffing in indignant fury that her parents were treating her like a child, as it had all unfolded towards her. At first she could feel only shock as she watched their parents scrambling across the yard to their only real daughters aid. Her father punched the driver until he had lost consciousness and was splayed like a replica of her sister across the sidewalk. Then she felt a disgusting satisfaction at the fact that she was right, but after brewed a grief and guilt that had plagued her ever since. They had always loved their real daughter more than her, Trinity had been a source of income for them. Her previous family had given them their mansion and the emerald lawns that stretched seemingly for miles, all to get rid of her. They had swatted her playfully away when she had warned them. It was because of those unwanted premonitions that she had attempted to forwarn them of their daughters fate, telling them to go and stop her from crossing the cursed road. But they had chortled as if she were some cute little kitten attempting to steal a string that they dangled from between their fingers.
    Now she stayed away from people, and that was that. Carson was headed with a childish determination now towards the psychics tent. She wanted to tell him if he wanted his future foretold, he should just ask her.
    " Why are we going in there?" She queried.
    He turned to grin broadly at Trinity. "Cause it looks like fun."
    "You just like the sparkly stars inside." Trinity muttered.
    "And whats wrong with that?" He arched his eyebrows expectantly, Trinity was too lost for words to give any kind of sarcastic reply. So she just allowed him to steer her through the people and towards the silken tent of swirling yellow fabrics.
    Before them sat the table, the large pillows, the crystal ball, everything. She felt incredulous as a cheesy woman in a large turban ushered them in.
    "Welcome," The lady practically swooned."To Madame Luna's tent of fortune."
    "What a stupid accent." Trinity laughed loudly, Carson shot her a look of disapproval which she animatedly ignored. Madame Luna seemed untouched by the snide remark and continued simpering.
    "What, handsome boy and," Madame Luna eyeballed her with disdain for a moment." interesting young lady, can Madame Luna foretell for you?"
    Trinity snorted at the soft insult and received an equally soft kick from under the low table.
    She gasped."Well, we're leaving. C'mon Carson, odviously Madame Luna doesn't want us here since she just kicked me from under the table!" Trinity did her best to look aghast, Madame Luna grimaced. Trinity stood to leave but Carson gripped onto her arm firmly, she tugged and his hold nullified no less.
    "Fine. We'll leave.." Growled Carson angrily, Trinity obliged with a sniff and a dramatic sweep of her hair.
    " No, no!" Madame Luna protested, beckoning them back hopefully with a wave of her palm. "Come now. Let me read the bitter little ladies future."
    Her piercing hazel eyes made her sit almost unconciously onto the soft cushion.
    The crazy fortune teller held out her hand, awaiting patiently for Trinity to follow suit.
    "Sorry." She apologized drily."I'm not like that but hey, who am I to know your sexual orientation?"
    Carson snatched her hand and shoved it into the frail womans palm, Trinity yelped at the gruff handling of her fingers. Around them the purple overwhelmed her brain, soft trails of prisitine white fabric interrupted the purple infrequently and the whole place smelled like a pot house with its thick incense and smog. The womans hand held her own daintily, and her eyes closed. There was a quick second of motionless silence, even the outside seemed feint as the woman drew them both in. Carson was leaning nearly to the point of toppling over when finally the old lady gasped back into life like an old car.
    "Well?" Whispered Carson, who was finally regaining his breath after several minutes of frivolous anticipation. Trinity, to, was slightly interested in what Madame Luna had to predict and she revelled in the teasing possibilities if her predictions proved false.
    "You are perceptive, but not nearly enough." Relayed Madame Luna, her eyes milky and clouded. "Clairvoyance is a gift, my dear, and not one to be taken lightly. But you seem to feel as though it is a demons burden. The ability to see can only be found through the moons blood and the suns blood that swirl like this tent in matrimony."
    "So... I have to get the sun and the moon to get married, and then I can see?" Trinity repeated shortly. A rush of fear came over her as she realized that her darkest secret had just been revealed to the one person she didn't want thinking she was a freak of nature.
    "How unfortunately narrow-minded you are." Sighed Madame Luna remorsefully.
    "Well, you're not giving me many things to stretch with." She finished in disappointment and lifted herself off the ground, taking a dazed Carson with her. Once they were engulfed again into the tumult of the outside world, Trinity slowed and resumed her former reluctance.
    "That was a waste of time and money." She fumed quietly in her friends ear.
    "We didn't even pay her." He argued.
    "Good thing to. What a stupid joke," She rambled, enraged at the womans ordacity." I'm not narrow-minded!"
    "Well..." Carson hedged lightly.
    She put up her hand to cut off whatever he was about to say. "Don't even.".
    The sun was already fighting feebly agains the horizon as it dipped lower into the unfathomable line of nothing. As though fleeing from the impending darkness, the clouds took flight behind the sun in hopes of disappearing with it and escaping nights vindication.
    Families were gathering up their sleepy children and hauling them out of the grounds. Meanwhile they were being replaced with inebriated teens and adults that whooped raucously and pushed over the cotton candy carts.Something in her peripherals panged against her instincts and she whirled swiftly in hopes of identifying it. Just a normal boy was walking by but behind him fluttered a bony frame with skin that stretched along with them, the veins protruding conspiciously from the thin film of flesh. Wings.
    "Hey!" She called and the boy turned to look at her imperiously. "Where did you win those?"
    An intermingled look of annoyance and confusion splayed across the boys tanned features. "What the hell are you talking about?"
    Trinity pointed towards the unnatural appendiges. "Those wings, where did you win them?"
    His deep-set brown eyes and thin lips tightened and he turned to walk stiffly away from her.
    "What an a*****e!" Growled Trinity as she walked back towards Carson. "I was just curious!" Carson was somewhat concerned about her strange outburst but felt it best not to question.
    "Do you wanna go home?" Carson asked after she had raged about the petulant man.
    "Not yet. I'm gonna find that man and kick him so hard his-"
    "No." Carson interjected sternly. "No kicking random people. He was probably just drunk."
    "Drunk people don't just sproud wings, Carson." She told him bluntly.
    "Yes but, drunk people can see others sprout wings."
    Trinity felt insulted. "I'm not drunk!"
    "You sure?" Carson questioned lightly, he was teasing her.
    His brown eyes danced mischieviously and his black hair fell in jagged layers against his cheeks. She had once found him slightly attractive. But her feelings had been permanently silenced when she watched him down ten pizza slices in two minutes.
    A small girl with taut willowy curls and large blue eyes approached them and asked them meekly for directions to the nearest exit.Trinity was about to help out the little child when a fleeting glimpse of the girl made her throat dry. It was the same girl looking up at them with those wide and frightened eyes, but those eyes wore a crimson tinge that made Trinity gasp in horror. Perplexed, the girl apologized for the trouble and sauntered over to the next group of people.
    "What the heck is happening?" She gasped.
    "Why did you do that? She was just a little kid!" Protested Carson.
    "That was like, a demon child or something. I swear! She had red eyes and the guy before had wings." Trinity nattered like a daft woman and shot sideways glances at any nearing people, they remained normal humans. This was something so much different then what she had felt before, she was seeing satanic visions that neither incorporated the future or anything normal. People were morphing before her very eyes but nobody else seemed to happen a glance close enough to see.
    The sun had disappeared and had taken with it any sense of security she had left. Scrambling for a logical explanation, Trinity paced like a caged lion while Carson watched with germinating concern. She knew she was insane, but not to the point of hallucinations.
    Something clicked.
    "Madame Luna!" She cried angrily and began to charge towards the famliar yellow tent.
    "I'm lost! Do you mind filling me in?" Carson asked as he trotted to keep up with her.
    "She did something and now I'm seeing demonic things."
    He stopped abruptly and let her move into a widening lead. "Wow."
    Trinity threw aside the frail curtain that seperated the tent from the outside. Madame Luna was hunched over her table and yawning.
    "You!" Trinity pointed an accusing finger. "You did something to me to make me see underworld, ghosty crap!" The woman looked alarmed at the sudden suspicion and ushered them inside as she had done before.
    "Sit." Madame Luna commanded shortly.
    Trinity sat and glared with every menacing fiber in her body at the woman.
    Through gritting teeth she asked. "What. Did. You. Do?"
    "I made you more aware." She explained simply.
    "Of what? The living dead? Thanks a heap!"
    "I didn't actually do anything, you were already able to see them. I just sharpened it a little."
    The guiltless explanation knocked the wind out of Trinity. "How?"
    Madame Luna shrugged. "By telling you to sharpen it."
    "That makes no sense."
    "People." Madame Luna began. "Do not notice things clearly unless they are forewarned about it. I'm sure anybody could see it, you have just been allowed to know they exist."
    "Who are 'they'?" Asked Trinity. "A cult? Some kind of demon?"
    "The Moon Children."
    "I'm not getting any of this." Chimed in Carson, having been completely ignored. They continued without noticing his complaintive addition to their conversation.
    "Thats all lovely and dramatic, but it didn't answer my question." Breathed Trinity in exasperation.
    "You'll just have to look it up."
    Trinity snorted. "You sound like my teacher."
    "I am trying to teach you something, Trinity Witmoore." Madame Luna stood and hobbled as fast as wizened fortune-teller could under her heavy turban.
    She blinked. "My names not Trinity Witmoore. It's Trinity Greene."
    "Ah." Madame Luna paused and began to muse. "Right. It was changed wasn't it?"
    "Yeah, right. Just tell me how to get rid of it and we'll be on our way." Madame Luna chuckled at Trinity's blatant naivete.
    "It's like a good song, Trinity. It will be stuck in your head no matter what you do."
    "Mythical." Grunted Trinity drily. "Just fabulous, so I'll be seeing Moon Children for the rest of my life? Are they going to try and destroy the world? Am I the only one who can stop them? Are they like from Narnia?"
    "No. None of that. But you will definitely be very busy in the next few days." The woman grinned a slightly toothless grin.
    "How so?"
    "You are curious, I can tell. That flicker of light in your eyes tells me you want to know more. So you will thirst for it, and try to learn. Which, in turn, will make you busy."
    With a ghostly twinge to her voice, she echoed. "Eerie."
    Carson felt obligated to announce his presence once more."Still not getting it."
    "And." Madame Luna continued, completely disregarding Carsons hopes at becoming noticed. "You are not as horrible a person as to act. When they want you to help them, you will answer with a yes."
    "No way, I tear the wings off of small animals, pillage villages and never tip. So I sure as heck am not helping some otherworldly beings that just feel like popping in for some tea." She rejected the very notion of helping these weird people the moment it occured. "Anyways, how do you know so much."
    "Because. I am a moon child." Confessed the woman.Madame Luna looked amused as Trinity's face became one of pure, unbridled terror and she tore out of the tent without hesitation. Now plowing Carson behind her as he had done so many hours before, they exited the grounds and she was heading up her dark street within the lapse of a few seconds. The mooned taunted her all the while as the stars glittered their eternal frost dance in the sky.
    Sprinklers spluttered as they nourished the expansive lawns and the soft glow of televisions emenated from within the pristine mansions. People were watching TV nonchalantly while she was sweeping through her house like a stirred whirlwind, upturning everything in hopes of finding anything for protection. These aliens had wings and red eyes and most probably fangs, she felt with withering hope that a butcher knife wouldn't harm them.
    Self-pity sent her heart in uneven palpitations as she huddled in her bedroom corner and contemplated emo poetry to herself. Why? She wondered in agonizing angst. Did everything always have to happen to her?