It was a sunny day in Petropolis, and the carnival fair buzzed with activity during the last days of summer, as families rushed to spend the day surrounded by loud noises, games and all kinds of sugary food. Children ran between food vendors, rides, and rigged games promising the chance of toys as tired parents struggled to keep up, cups of watered down beer in hand.
A midsize SUV pulled up to a spot clearly labeled for offloading passengers, a trio of cats inside bickering among themselves, one of a pair of twins clearly upset she'd been given a babysitting job she didn't want.
"I don't want to hear any more about it, Kitty. Your sister hasn't been to a carnival in years, and she promised the judge she'd be good this time. Am I RIGHT, Katty?"
The twin with a stripe in her hair shook her head rapidly. "I will not do anything illegal mama. I promise."
Mrs. Katswell smiled happily as she turned her attention back to Kitty. "Plus, her medication should be working by now either way, and heaven knows you two need to spend time together. You barely even talk to her still."
"Mom, I talk to her enough at home, I even entertain her stupid TV shows, but this is..." Her mother cut her off with a huff.
"Enough, I'm going shopping, and you aren't going with me. You have the money I gave you, right?"
Kitty sighed. "Yeah."
"Good, now out. And have fun, please."
The twins paid for their tickets and walked onto the carnival grounds, the whole place buzzing with a large crowd. Katty hopped around excitedly, her pupils narrowing as she saw a cotton candy vendor.
"Ooo, ooo ooo! Yes, I want some of THAT."
Kitty clucked her tongue in annoyance, pulling her wallet out as she chastised her sister. "I don't think this is a good idea. Sugar set you off as a kid, even if they supposedly disproved that thing. I have no idea ho-KATTY NO!"
Katty stuck her hand into the cotton candy machine, taking a massive wad of the floss and stuffing it into her mouth as she bolted away at high speed, the small hamster protesting angrily. "That was $40 of floss, I'm gonna have to get a new bag and clean this thing now!"
Kitty apologized profusely as she handed the man $40, turning in frustration just in time to see Katty had already carved a path of destruction through the crowd, hitting several other food vendors down the row. Kitty went to ask how much she'd taken from each, $10 in cola, $15 on hot dogs, $5 on a burger. To Kitty's slight relief, she avoided the beer hut.
After searching up and down for more signs of her sister's rampage, she realized she'd lost her and decided to cross over to the next couple rows, seeing fuming game booth vendors and resigned to the fact it was Katty that was the cause. She walked up to a fishing pond game, the bear running it cussing her before clearing his throat. "I thought it was HER again. She cheated, I'm telling you. Took my best prize."
Kitty smiled nervously. "Uh, a girl, she looked like me, a stripe in her hair? Was she here?"
"Yeah, that's her. You know her? Looks like you're twins."
The cat rolled her eyes as she walked away. "Yyyyyeah don't remind me. Thanks."
She then stopped at a hoop game, a claw plushie machine, a shooting gallery, all the vendors giving the same story, a girl just like her but with a hair stripe screwed them out of their best prizes. "And there she goes now!" pointed out one gruff wolf, Kitty thanking him and chasing a comically large bundle of toys zigging and zagging between the crowds.
"Katty! Katty stop!" she yelled between the groups, the only reply a high pitched laugh on the wind, as she stopped to look at a few toys stuffed into places a child could easily get hurt in trying to grab them.
She exhaled slowly as she jumped up and grabbed a toy bear just out of reach of a boy trying to get it. "Here, you deserve this more than she does."
"Thanks, lady," the boy said happily before bolting off. Kitty looked around her before a quick tug of her tail made her jump and scream.
"Tag, you're it!" laughed Katty as she disappeared back into the crowd, Kitty clearly unwilling to leave the toys where they were placed. She climbed up a beer shack next and pulled down a large stuffed elephant, then handed it to a little girl who looked longingly at it.
"Here, this is yours."
The child looked at her with wide eyes. "Really? Thank you so much!" The girl ran off to show her mom, as Kitty looked for other toys put in places they didn't belong, pulling a stuffed alligator out of a hedge next as Katty reappeared behind her and tapped her shoulder.
"Gotcha again!" she laughed as she again disappeared into the crowd.
The game continued for a while, Kitty rescuing a toy and giving it to a child, Katty waiting until she wasn't looking and making light contact, then laughing and bolting off. As Kitty pulled down the last toy she could find, this one a plastic horn she handed to a young ferret, she turned around to see Katty wave at her as she ran into a mirrored fun-house.
"Oh great," the cat fumed as she walked in, immediately getting lost once she got to the mirrored maze. She spent a couple minutes navigating it, coming to what she thought was a dead end at first, frowning at herself before she noticed the image in front of her trying to mirror her movements had a hair stripe. "Wait, what-"
"GOTCHA!" Katty said with glee as she kissed Kitty on the cheek and bolted out of the exit, Kitty blushing in response.
"UGH!"
Once outside, she completely lost sight of her twin, wandering aimlessly among the crowd until she saw a small boy in front of an out-of-service ferris wheel, gleefully cuddling a gigantic stuffed tiger.
"Thanks again miss, I love it!"
Kitty blinked a few times. "Hey, uh that was my twin sister, did you see where she went?"
The boy shook his head and said, "No, she said she wanted to get a good view."
Kitty held her breath as she slowly looked up, her eyes centering on Katty high up the wheel. "Oh no. KATTY, GET DOWN HERE! MOM WILL KILL ME IF YOU GET HURT!"
Her twin looked down at her with a smug grin. "Nooooooo way, you gotta come get meeeee!" Her expression changed to tired anger as she began to climb herself.
"Katty please, come on, you've ruined my day enough," she whispered to herself, slowly scaling the wheel and taking what seemed to be forever, before reaching the highest bucket seat and exclaiming angrily, "Katty, I swear I'm going to skin you."
As her head peeked over the edge of the bucket, Katty grabbed her suddenly and pulled her into the seat, giving her an enveloping hug and kissing her on the cheek again.
"What is it with you and being this affectionate after making me so mad?" Kitty said, wiping her face off as Katty sat back down. "And why did you make me climb up here?"
Katty smiled at her with an innocence she didn't expect. "You were my last prize. I was okay with you giving the others away, but I want to keep you, so I put you up so high no one can take you."
Kitty blushed again, than recomposed herself. "You cost me a LOT today, mom didn't give me enough to cover this." Katty pouted slightly at this.
"Aw, I can pay you back, don't worry. I just wanted you to have fun, we never get to do that anymore."
Kitty pursed her lips at Katty, about to scold her for being such a pain, before seeing the golden sunset in front of them, lighting up the park.
"Wow... Katty, look at that..." Katty turned and looked at the sight, a smile forming as she took her sister's hand and laid her head on her shoulder.
"Forgive me?" Kitty rolled her eyes.
"Yeah, this kinda makes up for everything. Mostly."
"I'm glad. I love my sister, and I got to spend a fun day with you." The girls sat together in silence for a moment, before Kitty smiled.
"Brat. I love you too. Sometimes." She laid her head against her twin, as the familiar voice of their upset mother demanded they come down, carried on the wind.
The End. (Story for DBaru)
