Page 1 of Endurance

Prologue

Kallie

Bright neon lights lit up the starless night and excited chatter echoed across the extensive field covered with carnival tents, rides, and games. The smell of popcorn and fried dough filled the air as eager kids dragged their parents from one location to the next. The Arlington County Fair had always been one of the most extraordinary weeks of the year for me, where I’d made countless memories with my mother. But this year, things were different. It was no longer just the two of us parading in and out of funhouses and craft tents, sampling fried Oreos and gorging on kettle corn. Our family of two was now a family of four—and soon to be five.

I glanced at my semi-blended family as we waited in line for funnel cakes loaded with powdered sugar and cinnamon. My father was staring adoringly down at my mother as if she were the only person in the world. He was smiling with his hand resting on the slight curve of her belly. As tiny as she was, my mother couldn’t disguise the baby bump swelling at her middle for much longer. She thought I didn’t notice, but I did. I wondered how much longer they would wait to tell Austin and me.

My gaze traveled to my half-brother. Austin, completely oblivious to the new sibling on the way, was being a typical eighteen-year-old male. His eyes were glued to the ass of a brunette who’d just passed by us. I could almost see the wheels spinning in his head, wondering if he’d be able to sneak away from the family to chat it up with her. I shook my head and snorted a laugh.

“You’re a little too obvious, Austin.”

He glanced at me and grinned sheepishly.

“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” he denied.

“Kallie, leave him alone,” my mother chimed in. “It’s only normal—especially when they’re that pretty.” She chuckled and winked at Austin. It didn’t surprise me that she’d noticed his wandering eye. She rarely missed a trick with me while I was growing up. Austin, even though she was still getting to know him, was no different.

After we got our funnel cakes, the four of us aimlessly roamed across the fairgrounds, taking in the sounds and sights of the night. Eventually, we ended up in front of a giant purple tent with gold lettering boasting gypsy psychic readings. Smoke machines had been strategically placed around the temporary structure to give it a creepy yet mysterious aura, seeming deliberately over-the-top by hitting all the classic stereotypes. It was Madame Lavinia’s tent—my least favorite place at the county fair.

“This is new,” my father observed.

“Nah, it was here last year,” Austin said. “Don’t you remember Kallie freaking out about Gabby’s broken arm?”

I gasped upon recalling with happened to my friend.

“Freaking out? That gypsy predicted Gabby would have a tragic accident. The next day, she broke her arm. I was right to freak out!”

“Oh, yeah. I kind of remember that happening,” my mother mused. “Fell off a diving board, right?”

“Yes,” I confirmed. “I warned Gabby not to go into that tent, but she didn’t listen, and look what happened.”

“Don’t forget about Charlie-Charlie,” Austin reminded me.

“There was that too! The Charlie-Charlie game said Gabby would injure herself in 2013, and the gypsy predicted the same!”

I gulped, thinking about the game my Aunt Joy taught me. Gabby and I used to play the paranormal game all the time, spending many of our nights calling on a Mexican demon named Charlie to answer all of our questions. It was a simple game consisting of two pencils crisscrossed perpendicularly to form four sections on a piece of paper labeled with words like yes and no, or years and months. We’d then press the ends of the pencils until they started moving without our control—something Austin regularly mocked us for believing. He insisted that someone was always controlling the game by pushing a pencil one way or another to get the desired answer to the questions asked.

“Charlie also predicted that the guy who kisses Kallie during a sunset would be her soulmate,” Austin added with a smirk. I huffed out an impatient breath and slapped his arm.

“I’m serious about this.”

My pragmatic mother shook her head and rolled her eyes. She could think I was acting silly all she wanted. It wasn’t just about the Charlie-Charlie game. My mother hadn’t been there to see the ominous eyes of Madam Lavinia when she whispered the warning to Gabby.

“Kallie, I’m sure it was just a coincidence. Games and psychic gypsies can’t tell your future any more than the origami fortunetellers I used to make when I was younger could.”

“I don’t know about that,” my father said. “The origami you made for me once upon a time was pretty accurate.”

“Oh, don’t give Kallie any more reasons to believe in this nonsense, Fitz. Besides, I was the one who made the origami and asked all the questions. Therefore, I controlled the outcome.” She paused then, giving in to a yawn, before looking at my father. “I’m getting tired. Ready to call it a night?”

“I’m ready if you are,” he replied.

“But we still need to ride on the Zipper,” Austin complained.

My gaze traveled to the opposite end of the carnival, where the Zipper’s oval frame rotated like a Ferris wheel with free-spinning cars suspended from the sides of the boom. It was one of my favorite rides.

“Why don’t you two head home?” I suggested to my parents. “Austin and I can catch an Uber.”

“What’s an Uber?” my mother asked.

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