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"Ooh, Number O-one?" Pelia's voice called through Una's communicator, "Are you awake?"
Una mumbled in her sleep and pretended not to notice. Not now. Not ever, in fact. Just no.
"Pelia to Lieutenant-Commander Una Chin Riley. Are you there?"
Una groaned and put a pillow over her head. Just five more minutes. Five more minutes without Space Hippy.
"Una, I know you're there. And don't think that covering your head with a pillow is going to help. I won't stop calling."
"Fine!" Una snapped, sitting bolt upright, "Fine…" She opened the communicator. "What is it, Pelia? Is it that important?"
"Oh, well, it depends on what you think is important , now doesn't it?"
Una rolled her eyes. "Alright, fine. But what is it? Why'd you wake me?" And why'd it have to be you? She added silently.
"Well," said Pelia, "The Captain says that we're going to Knobels and I don't want you to miss it!"
"Thanks," Una grumbled, "But honestly, I don't mind missing this one. Amusement parks were never really my thing…"
"Oh, but this one will be fun ! And Pike is taking everybody. And I don't think you want to be on the Enterprise all sad and all alone…" She made this last statement with exaggerated pity.
Una sighed. She had a point . "Alright," she said, "I guess that means I'm coming."
"Oh, how wonderful! Captain Pike says that we leave right after breakfast. Oh, and he says 'dress casual'."
"Is that a request, or an order?"
"He calls it a 'very strong suggestion', so if you're thinking of opting out on that one, I'd say to think again."
"Alright," said Una with a bad taste in her mouth, "I'll try to…dress casual."
"Oh, lovely!" Said Pelia, "Just lovely! I will see you at breakfast then, okay?"
"Alright. See you then."
So Una arrived at breakfast wearing a plain black shirt. When Pelia saw it, she frowned, but made no comment.
"Good morning, Number One," Pike greeted, "Ah," he added, "I see you took my advice to dress casual. I like it."
Uhura walked in alongside Erica. Uhura was, unlike the rest of them, still wearing a uniform. When she noticed the casual attire, she grew visibly agitated.
"Erica! You told me to dress formal! Again!"
Erica smirked. "Well, I mean, it can't hurt, right?"
Uhura glared. "Really?"
"Come on, Ensign," said Erica, nudging her in the shoulder, "I'm just toying with you."
Pike smiled at Uhura. "At ease, Ensign. And Ortegas, stop teasing her."
"Aye, sir," said Erica.
As the two sat down at the table, Una took notice of Erica's shirt. She raised an eyebrow.
"Rolling Stones?"
"Hey, no blame. I like their music."
La'an stared at her. "No blame? Have you been…" She shook her head, "Nevermind. Forget I said anything."
"Well, the cat's out of the bag now," said Erica, "What, are you a Rolling Stones fan, too?"
"What? No, that's not what I…" La'an sighed, "Forget it."
"Come on, Lieutenant," said Pike, taking a seat, "Let's hear it."
La'an took a deep breath. By now, her face was pink. "I…write music."
Pike raised an eyebrow.
"Music?" Asked Una.
"For Rolling Stones?" Asked Erica.
"No, Erica, this has nothing to do with The Rolling Stones. This music is more personal. I wasn't going to share it, but then I thought you'd been listening in."
"Oh, well now you bet I will."
"Erica," said Pike, "Leave her alone. La'an will share it with us when she wants to share it with us."
La'an nodded. "Thank you, Captain."
"But one question," Una added, "I thought you said you couldn't sing."
La'an hesitated. "It wasn't that I couldn't, it was that I wouldn't. If that makes any sense at all…"
"It does," said Una.
Pike served all of them pancakes and bacon, and once breakfast was over, they set out.
The first thing they saw when their shuttle pulled in was an enormous bright yellow and blue rollercoaster with a large, steep drop. Erica gazed up at it with awe and determination.
"I'm going on that…" she decided.
"Hold on, we have to get our tickets," said Pike, much to Erica's disappointment.
While Erica looked up at the coaster in awe, Uhura looked up at it in terror. "I don't think I'll be going on that one anytime soon. I'm not really one for roller coasters…"
"That's alright," said Hemmer, "I cannot see it, but I can sense that it's very large, and not to mention it's velocity is quite fast. However, my telepathic abilities are picking up on some more mild rides around the park." He turned to look behind them at the ferris wheel, "The ferris wheel, for example," he said, "It may be large, but it is much slower."
"I'm still not so sure…"
Hemmer turned to her. "Then I'll go on it with you."
Meanwhile Erica nudged Nurse Chapel in the shoulder. "Hey, Christine. If I dare you to go on a ride, will you go on it?"
"Depends on the ride," said Chapel.
"What if I said it was a surprise?"
Chapel stared. "And why is it a surprise?"
"Because I want to know your answer before I say anything."
"And why is that?"
Erica didn't answer that question."Come on, Doc. Be a sport."
Chapel sighed. "Fine. Let's say I accepted. What then?"
"Do you?"
This was getting old. "Alright, yes! Now I want to know your point!"
"Do you swear to go on it?"
"Yes."
"No matter what it is?"
"Sure."
Erica smiled, "Congratulations, contestant. You've just won yourself one ride on the Impulse with Erica Ortegas."
Chapel's eyes widened in horror. "Oh-h, no."
Erica grinned. "Oh, yes. "
"Alright, everybody," said Pike, "Ready for some fun?" He handed tickets to each of them. Erica turned to Chapel like an orchestra conductor who just impressed the big critic. A small, confident smile played on her face. "It's time…" she said.
Chapel gulped.
Pelia popped up behind them. "Ooh, are you going on the Impulse?"
"That we are," said Erica proudly.
"Mind if I come along?" Pelia asked.
"Sure! The more the merrier. Hey, Pike, want to come along? We're going on Impulse."
"No thanks, Erica," said Pike, "I think I'm going to go on the Carousel. We'll rendezvous at the Ferris wheel at 12:00, alright?"
"Alright," said Erica. She saluted, "See ya!"
They approached the Impulse, which, Chapel realized, looked a lot more intimidating up close. She felt her heart hammering in her chest. "On second thought," she said, "I think I'm going to join the captain on the Carousel."
Pelia frowned. "Alright," she said, "Suit yourself."
But Erica shook her head. "Chapel," she said, "You swore."
Chapel gaped up at the enormous rollercoaster that towered above her. "I know…" she said, "But that was before I thought you'd take me on the Impulse."
"But that was the whole point! " Said Erica excitedly, "Come on. Let's go have some fun!"
Chapel nodded. "Fun," she repeated, “Roller Coasters. Yay.”
They got in line, and before long, they were strapped in. Chapel's heart hammered harder.
“I sure hope this wasn’t an impulsive decision,” joked Pelia.
“Pelia,” Chapel gasped as they started to move forward, “Not! Helping!”
“Up we go!” cheered Erica.
And up they went. They climbed all the way up, and Chapel’s heart raced even harder. She glanced behind her, as if considering going back, but quickly regretted doing so.
Don’t look down… she reminded herself, Right…
And then they dropped. Straight down.
And Chapel screamed. It was as if the scream was torn from her throat as they sped along the blue track. Then, in a twist of events, the car went upside down, causing Chapel’s stomach to do flips.
“ERICAAAAAAAAAAA!” she screamed.
“Wooooooooo!” was all Erica said.
Finally, the ride finished. Erica was grinning, Pelia looked satisfied with herself, and Chapel….
Was pale, and feeling incredibly ill.
“Well that was fun!” said Ortegas, “Anybody want another go?”
“Maybe another time,” said Pelia, “There are still plenty of other rides, and I want to try them all! ”
Chapel leaned back in her seat, closed her eyes in an attempt to calm her spinning head and frazzled nerves, and tried to catch her breath.
“Hey…” Erica asked, “Are you alright? You aren’t looking so good…”
Chapel opened her eyes. “I think…” she gasped, then gagged, “I’m gonna be sick…”
“Oh, you do look quite unwell, my dear,” observed Pelia, “Come…let’s get you out of this thing…”
As they left, Una approached them. She froze when she saw Chapel still reeling from the experience. “ What did you do to her? ”
“I was wondering the same thing…” Chapel groaned. She retched, then stumbled over to the nearest trash can and threw up.
Una glared at Pelia.
Pelia frowned and jerked her head at Erica.
Una glared at Erica.
Erica shrugged. “Wasn’t me.”
“It was her…” Chapel mumbled from the trash can.
La’an returned with two glasses of lemonade. “What’s happening?”
“I don’t actually know…” admitted Una.
“One thing I do know,” said Pelia, “Is that I went on the Impulse! ”
Una turned to Erica with a mixture of shock and horror. “You took her on the Impulse?”
Erica shrugged. “Well, I mean, Pelia wanted to come. It wasn’t like I could say no to that.”
“I meant Chapel! Erica, Nurse Chapel is prone to motion sickness! And she hates roller coasters!”
Chapel lifted her head from the trash can. “Not hate,” she corrected, “I just can’t handle certain ones.” She gagged, and lowered her head once again.
Una let out a breath in frustration, then put a hand to her forehead and took a deep breath. “Okay. Does anyone have some anti-nausea medica—oh, right,” she corrected herself, “That would be Chapel. Who is the one sick. ”
“What about M’benga?” asked Erica.
“He’s currently on the Ferris wheel with Uhura and Hemmer,” She turned to La’an, “We go on that one next,” she added.
La’an nodded.
“Point is,” said Una, returning to the subject, “We need someone who can administer the medication to Chapel.”
“I can,” said Chapel. She wiped her mouth with the back of her hand, then used the other one to administer the medication. She took a deep breath, then briefly shook herself as if shaking off the nausea. “I need to wash my hands,” she said simply, and headed off towards the bathrooms to do so.
Una cast one final glare at Erica. Never again… she seemed to command through gaze alone.
This time, Erica was slightly intimidated, and backed down.
With that settled, Una and La’an made their way towards the Ferris Wheel. They waved to M’benga, Uhura, and Hemmer as they got off.
“We’re headed to the boats next,” said M’benga.
Una chuckled. “Good luck.”
M’benga raised an eyebrow, but Una just kept walking forward.
“Why ‘Good luck’?” asked La’an.
“Courtesy,” said Una, “But in all seriousness, those boats can be a bit temperamental.”
They took a seat on the Ferris wheel, and went up, looking down on the world below.
“Isn’t it lovely?” asked Una.
La’an nodded. “It is. You can see the entire park from up here.”
Una smiled at her. “So…” she said, “Music, huh?”
“Please, no…”
“Come on, La’an. I’m your friend. Besides, you know my secret now,” she added.
“Alright,” said La’an, “What do you want to know?”
“Oh, I don’t want to know anything,” said Una, leaning back, “I want to hear it.”
La’an raised her eyebrows. “You want me to sing ? Up here? ”
“Yeah,” said Una, “Look,” she added, gesturing to the empty cars around them, “The Ferris wheel is nearly empty. No one will hear but me and the birds. And they sing all the time.”
La’an hesitated. “I’m not that good under pressure.”
“No pressure,” said Una, “I won’t judge.”
La’an nodded slowly. “Alright,” she agreed, “Which one? I have three.”
“ Three? ” said Una with a grin.
La’an nodded.
“Alright, then,” said Una, deciding, “Just sing me the one you thought Erica had overheard.”
“‘No Blame’?”
“Nope. I won’t blame you. Judgment free zone.”
“No,” said La’an with a laugh, “‘No Blame’ is the title of the song.”
“Oh,” Una realized. She raised an eyebrow inviting La’an to sing.
La’an took a deep breath. “And say,” she sang, a bit nervously, “Say. We’ve changed. No blame. No blame.” She stopped, “That was just the chorus,” she said, “But I’m not entirely comfortable with…”
But Una started clapping. “Bravo!” she said.
La’an’s face turned pink. Sometimes, her best friend flattered her. “On second thought, I think I can share a bit more.”
So for the rest of the ride, La’an shared everything with Una. And Una applauded every song.
Meanwhile, M'benga, Uhura, and Hemmer were embarking on a quest of their own.
“This line is incredibly long,” said M’benga.
“It is,” said Hemmer.
M’benga’s brow furrowed. “What do you think the Commander meant by ‘Good luck’?”
“I don’t know,” said Uhura with a shrug, “I mean, they’re just boats.”
“Perhaps it was just to be polite,” said Hemmer, “Try not to read into it too much.”
So they waited. Five minutes passed. Then ten. Fifteen. They started to grow bored, so they kept conversation going to pass the time.
“What color do you think we’ll get?” asked Uhura.
“Blue,” said M’benga.
“Mm,” said Uhura, looking at the boats, “I think red. What do you think, Hemmer?”
“We will get whatever color we get when we get it,” said Hemmer.
“Oh, right,” said Uhura, “You can’t see color, can you?”
“I cannot,” said Hemmer, “However, you can tell me what it is when we get it.”
But when they got closer, Uhura made a realization. “Nevermind, Hemmer. They’re all red.”
M’benga sighed, and shook his head, but a small smile played on his face. “I was hoping for a blue one…” he said.
Hemmer sat in the boat alongside Uhura, while M’benga took his own boat right ahead of them. Slowly, the boats crept forward. Uhura leaned back. “Ah,” she sighed, “Now this is my speed…”
Uhura relaxed as the boats cruised along. But little did they know that up ahead, M’benga was having some trouble. He wasn’t quite sure how it had happened, but he’d been enjoying the quiet, slow paced ride when suddenly, his boat jerked, and then stopped.
“Huh?”
Somehow, without him noticing, his boat had made a gradual turn until it hit the wall opposite him. And slowly, it began facing the other way.
“What?”
He turned the steering wheel, trying to get the boat to turn around, but it wasn’t working. He sighed.
So this was what Una had meant.
Uhura and Hemmer seemed to be doing fine. Uhura chuckled as they passed. “Ahoy there, Doctor,” she said, “Having some trouble?”
An employee had to come and right the boat so that he could continue.
While Uhura and Hemmer had smooth sailing at first, they eventually hit the same bumps that M’benga had. Uhura noticed their boat starting to bump against the wall.
“Left, Hemmer, turn it left!”
“I’m trying,” said Hemmer, “But it’s not working! Hold on…” He closed his eyes, and his antennae started to glow. Slowly, the boat started to turn in the right direction. Hemmer leaned back. Uhura’s mouth was agape. “How…”
Hemmer turned to her. “The wind and the current push against the boats,” he informed her, “Because there is no track, they are easily swayed and therefore, difficult to control.”
Uhura laughed. “I knew that, but I didn’t realize you could do that. ”
“On occasion,” said Hemmer, “But it uses a lot of energy, so I try not to very often.”
“Lucky you,” said M’benga from behind them.
-------------------------------------------------------
Nurse Chapel watched as the Captain hopped up onto yet another carousel horse. Right now, she wasn’t sure what to ride. Una and La’an had just gone on the skloosh, but she’d found herself intimidated by it. If she were being honest, she was still a bit shaken from her last experience.
Well, at least there was the carousel.
She handed her tickets to the employee in charge, then picked a horse. She selected a white one with a red, yellow, and blue saddle, right beside Pike’s horse, which was brown and coated in armor.
“Hey, Nurse Chapel,” he said, “Coming to join me?”
“Yep,” said Chapel, swinging her leg over the horse.
“Alright…”
The bell rang, and the horses started moving. Pike’s moved up and down, but Chapel’s, which was positioned on the outside, stayed still. Pike smiled. “She’s a beauty,” he said.
Chapel glanced down at her horse. “Thank you.”
“So, are you gonna try to catch the rings?”
“Rings?”
The bell rang a second time, and an employee stretched a long, metal machine out towards the carousel.
“Rings,” Pike repeated, “You see that machine there? There should be a ring sticking out of it. If you get the one made of brass, you win a free ride.”
Chapel reached out her arm, and grabbed a ring. Pike frowned.
“Nope, not brass,” he said, “Keep trying. You might get it.”
Chapel kept trying.
“So, where are you off to next?” Pike asked.
“Maybe to get some ice cream or something,” said Chapel, “Una and La’an are going on the skloosh, but I don’t think I’ll be going on anything else today…” she added solemnly.
“Why not?”
Chapel gazed at the world outside the carousel. “Let’s just say I had a bad experience this morning.”
Pike smirked. “Erica took you on Impulse.”
Chapel laughed slightly. “How’d you know?”
“Oh, well, Pelia isn’t really one for secrets.”
“Yeah, she was pretty proud of herself for going on that crazy thing…” Chapel reached out and grabbed another ring.
Pike gazed at her sympathetically. “Have I ever told you of the time I fell off Tango?”
Chapel’s brow furrowed. “No.”
Pike laughed. “Oh, it was awful,” he said, “I nearly broke my arm. For a good few weeks, I never wanted to ride again.”
“You?”
“Yes. Me,” affirmed Pike, “The horse-crazy Captain. And I almost didn’t ride again. But that lasted about a month.” He sighed, “Over time, Tango needed some real exercise. And I realized how much I missed it. So one day, I got back up on him again. And here I am, riding him now,” he added, gesturing to his carousel horse, “It’s a bit of artistic exaggeration, but it looks like him, don’t you think?”
Chapel shrugged. “A bit.”
“I’ll take it. The point is, you need to get back up on your horse. Here, why don’t you and I go on the Skloosh together. Or the giant flume. Your choice. Nothing crazy.”
Chapel nodded. “Alright.”
Pike smiled. “That’s my cowgirl.”
Chapel rolled her eyes, reached for the machine, and pulled out another ring. This time, an employee came up to her. "Ma'am, what's your name?"
"Uh, Christine. Christine Chapel."
"Well, Congratulations, Christine! You got the brass ring! You've earned a free ride."
Chapel thanked her, and handed her the ring. A few moments later, her name came over the speakers.
"Congratulations to Christine Chapel for finding the brass ring. She will get a free ride. Again, congratulations to Christine Chapel."
Chapel cheered, and stretched her arm outside the ride as she felt the joy in her heart overflow.
This day just got a whole lot better already.
So after she used her free ride, Pike took Chapel to the Skloosh. Una and La’an were just exiting. La'an appeared to have been drenched in water, while Una was just slightly wet.
“Are you guys going on?” asked Una.
“Sure are,” said Pike, “Right nurse Chapel?”
Chapel nodded, but said nothing.
"Sit in the front," said Una, "You get splashed more," She nudged La'an. "Come on, La'an. Let's go to the splash zone. Get a bit wet."
"Una," said La'an, "I'm already soaked."
"Come on! It's a hot day. A little more water can't hurt."
"Alright," said La'an, "But then we go on the Phoenix."
Soon, Hemmer joined them in line, followed by a quite nervous Uhura. Chapel glanced over at her. “Scared?”
“A bit.”
Chapel smiled. “Come on,” she encouraged, “We got this.”
Seated in the front, Chapel and Pike sat next to Hemmer and Uhura in the boat, and up they went. Remembering the last time, Chapel glanced nervously at Pike. The Captain gave her a reassuring smile.
It's okay, he mouthed.
Chapel nodded, and faced forward with new confidence.
Suddenly, they were up, and cruising along a small canal. Then, they approached the drop. Chapel felt a flash of horror as the boat tipped, and she saw the descent that lay before them. Her eyes widened and she screamed as they went down. The wind blew through her hair.
Beside her, Pike cheered, and suddenly, she heard a splash and a wave of water rose up, spraying all of them until they were soaked. After a split second of shock, Chapel chuckled softly, then started laughing . Beside her, Uhura joined in, and so did Pike. Suddenly, Chapel heard a cheer.
"Woo!" Said Una from above them, "Alright!"
Beside her, La'an stood, dripping, like a grumpy, soaked cat, and Chapel howled harder.
"It's not funny…" said La'an. She reached back for her ponytail, and rang out her hair, then the end of her shirt.
Una smirked at her, and chuckled slightly.
"What?" Asked La'an.
"You look like a wet rat," said Una, "Come on. A ride on the Phoenix should cheer you up."
"Finally."
They got in line.
"Ready for this?" Una asked.
La'an stared up at the coaster, determined. "Born ready."
They handed in their tickets, and boarded the coaster. It started forward, and they made their way into the tunnel. They could feel the cart bounce slightly beneath them, and everything went pitch black. A moment later, they saw the sunlight, and were climbing up the first hill.
And they zoomed down it, Una screamed and gripped the bar, but La'an cheered. Eventually, Una started laughing. "We're flying!" She cheered, then screamed again as they cleared another drop. Halfway through, and hair-flying, she looked over at La'an.
Her friend was having the time of her life.
By the time they got off, they were both laughing.
"That," said La'an, "Was epic! Want to go again?"
Una shook her head. "No thanks. I think I'm good on thrill for right now."
"Did somebody say thrill?" Asked Erica, coming to approach them. Not surprisingly, Pelia was behind her. "We just rode the stratus fear," said Erica dramatically.
"Of course you did," said Una.
"Are the two of you riding the Phoenix?" La'an asked.
"Sure are," said Erica.
"I've already checked off half of the rides," said Pelia, "The Phoenix is the next on the list."
"Mind if I come along?"
"My friend," said Erica, putting a hand on La'an's shoulder, "The more the merrier."
Una later learned that La'an had ridden the Phoenix a total of five times.
Soon, it was time for lunch, so as Pike had mentioned, they all met at the Ferris wheel, then made their way to the pavilion. To their delight, Pike had brought homemade hoagies for all of them, so they ate under the pavilion and talked about their adventures.
"I got stuck going backwards on one of the boats," said M'benga, "An employee had to fish me out."
They all started laughing.
"We almost got stuck, too," said Uhura.
"But you cheated," said M'benga, "You had Hemmer."
"Telekinesis is not cheating," said Hemmer, "The weather was not playing fair." And he went into a brief explanation about how the boats were trackless, so when the wind moved the current, the boats moved with it.
"Erica took me on a bit of an adventure," said Chapel, "She tricked me into going on the Impulse."
Erica shook her head and swallowed. "Not tricked," she said, holding up a pointer finger, "You promised to go on it."
"Yeah. Before I knew it was the Impulse!"
"She did that to me, too," said Pike, "After that little jaunt we had on the carousel."
Erica smirked. "Stratus fear…" she said.
Pike looked around. "Hey, where's Pelia?"
"She went on the haunted mansion," said Erica, and Una could see a brief shudder course through her.
Hm, thought Una, Curious… . "And why didn't you go on with her?"
Brief horror flashed through Erica's eyes. "Because I had to be here?" She said, meeting Una’s eyes for only brief periods of time, "Obviously."
"And why isn't Pelia here?" Pike added.
"I don't know," said Erica, "Pelia's Pelia. She said she could fit in one more ride before lunch, but apparently, the line was longer than she was expecting."
"That doesn't answer my question,” said Una, “ Why aren't you with her? "
Erica stared at her. "Is this a 'no man left behind' situation?"
"No," said Una, "Just curious about why a thrill seeker isn't seeking thrill."
"Pfft," said Erica, waving her hand aside, "Please. The haunted mansion does not constitute 'thrill'. It's just a freaky–n," she added quickly, her eyes widening, "haunted mansion." She leaned back, "I just don't want to ride it. That's all."
Una raised an eyebrow.
Erica gaped at her in disbelief. "You think I'm scared!"
"Are you?"
"Who, me? Never…"
Like a mountain lion ready to pounce, Una leaned forward and slammed her hand against the wooden table. “Then prove it. You and me. On the haunted mansion. Next.”
“It’s a deal,” said Erica, but Una could see the fear in her eyes.
After lunch, Una led Erica to the back of the park to the haunted mansion. Despite all her bravado, Erica was shaking in her boots, and Una noticed it.
“Sure you’re not scared?”
“Nah,” said Erica, “Not one bit. Nothing scares this Lieutenant.”
“Oh, really?” Una looked up at the ride, “Not even that skeleton horse?”
Erica stared up at it, wide eyed. “Nope. N-not at all.” She turned to Una with a smile, “Hey, you wanna go on the Twister? I’ve heard it’s a wild time.”
“Oh, no,” said Una, leading her forward, “You’re not getting out of this one.”
Underneath her hand, she felt Erica trembling, and Una suddenly realized how scared she was. “Hey,” she encouraged, “It’ll be alright.”
“I’m not scared,” said Erica.
“Sure…”
They boarded the carts, crept along the porch, entered the house, and made their way into the darkness.
As they entered through the second set of doors, Una noticed Erica suddenly tense. Beside them, they heard a scream as a light flashed onto a terrifying person looking around the door.
Beside Una, Erica yelped.
They zoomed around a library, weaving throughout the bookshelves. Then, everything went dark again.
To their right, a skeleton was playing an organ. On their other side, lights flashed, revealing two others. Una gasped, then started laughing as their cart swiveled this way, and that.
Suddenly, they heard a loud, high pitched voice. “You never know,” it called through the dark, “You never know what’s going to hap-pen! ” It sing-songed, and then it cackled.
Beside Una, Erica trembled.
Suddenly, they were going through a tunnel, and came up beside a jail cell with zombies. By now, Erica was clinging to Una, mumbling “Save me, save me…”
Suddenly, a train horn blared, and lights flashed up ahead. Una jumped, and Erica tightened her grip.
They swerved through the woods, and then, they exited the doors, and they were out.
Erica was shaking like a leaf and mumbling incoherently, her brave facade now torn down. Her eyes were wide with terror. Her mouth was agape. And she looked like she’d seen a, well…
She looked like she’d seen a ghost. Which, in a way, she had.
Una sighed. “Come on,” she said, helping her out of the cart, “Let’s get you out of here.”
Una steadied her as she stumbled towards a nearby bench, and for a moment, Una was afraid that she was going to pass out. She was so pale.
Goodness. She hadn’t thought it would scare her that much.
Pelia rushed up from behind them. “You went on the haunted mansion!” she said excitedly, “Wasn’t it fun?”
“H-h-h-haunted mansion…”
“I think I traumatized her,” said Una.
“Ooh, no…” said Pelia. She approached Erica’s other side, “Come on, dear. Let’s go see the eagles, shall we?”
“Eagles?” asked Una.
“Yes,” said Pelia, “Eagles. They were rescued, and couldn’t be released into the wild, so they were brought here.”
With Pelia leading the way, they made their way to the eagles and sat down on the benches. Erica was still wide eyed and shaking. With a small sigh, Una pulled a water bottle out of her backpack and handed it to Erica’s shaking hands. “Here,” said Una, “Drink.”
Erica took it shakily, then took a drink. She blinked, and her frightened eyes refocused. “Thanks,” she said.
Una sat beside her. “Erica, I am so, so sorry.”
Erica shook her head and gave Una a weak smile. “Don’t be,” she said, “You just scared the scare master. You deserve my congratulations.” But her voice lacked its mirth.
Una smiled sadly. “Then why do I feel so awful…”
Erica didn’t reply.
They sat there for a while, watching the eagles.
“You didn’t traumatize me.”
“What?” asked Una.
“I said you didn’t traumatize me,” repeated Erica, “I was already traumatized.” She sighed. “When I was a child, I went here with my family. My brother wanted to go on the haunted mansion. We had fun, until one guy jumped out and scared me. I wriggled through the bars and ran off.” She stared at the eagles as one of them flapped her wings, “I got lost in the dark. It only took the employees ten, maybe fifteen minutes to find me. But as a child? In a freaky house?” She shook her head, “Those fifteen minutes felt like an eternity.”
Una’s heart sank. “Erica, I’m so sorry. If I’d known...”
Erica shook her head. “No, it’s alright. You didn’t know.”
Una said nothing, instead opting to just put a hand on Erica’s shoulder.
She had found something that scared the scare master.
But never again would she try to use it against her.
---------------------------------------------------------------
"What flavor would you like?" Asked Hemmer.
Uhura looked up at the board. "Um…I think I'll have chocolate. What about you?" She asked him.
Hemmer studied the menu, as well. "I think I'm in the mood for mint chocolate chip."
They ordered their ice cream and took a seat facing the water wheel.
"It's beautiful here," said Uhura, taking a lick of her ice cream, "I mean, look at that water wheel!"
"I can tell that it's very beautiful," said Hemmer, "And well structured. I can sense the water moving through it, see the path that it takes, even detect its velocity."
"Wow," said Uhura in awe, "That's…pretty amazing, actually." She stared at the wheel, "Is it even more beautiful in your eyes?"
"That is a question I cannot answer," said Hemmer, "I cannot see it through yours."
"Well, I mean…all that I see is the wheel. I don't see the velocity, or the way the water moves, or its energy. I just see the wheel. And the water."
"Then in that case, we see its beauty differently," said Hemmer, "You can see its colors, the way the light reflects off the water. While I can see things about it that you cannot. But we both agree," he added, "That it is indeed, beautiful."
Suddenly, Hemmer lifted his head as if detecting something. "Una, Pelia, and Erica are coming," he said, "Erica seems very upset."
"Why would she be upset?" Asked Uhura.
"She seems to have been frightened," said Hemmer, "By the haunted mansion."
Uhura let out a small laugh. "Erica?" she asked, "Seriously?"
Hemmer turned to her seriously. “Ensign,” he said, “We are blind to her story, And she does seem quite distressed. I advise you not to laugh.”
"Sorry…"
Una, Pelia, and Erica ordered their ice cream (Una got strawberry, Pelia got vanilla, and Erica got cookies and cream) and they sat on the bench next to Hemmer and Uhura. Una was speaking quietly to Erica, who was nodding solemnly.
“What happened?” Uhura asked gently.
Una turned to Uhura. “She just had a bad experience in the past,” she said, “That’s all I’m going to say.”
Uhura nodded.
“You see?” said Hemmer, “There is more to people than meets the human eye.”
Meanwhile, Pelia was studying the map. “Ooh!” she exclaimed, “Bumper cars!”
Erica perked up. “Really?”
“Oh, no, no, no, no,” said Una, shaking her head, “I am not going on the bumper cars.”
Pelia looked at her with a mischievous twinkle in her eyes. “Alright,” she said, “Suit yourself. At least I’m not going to get bumped for giving somebody that C they deserved.”
Una’s gaze sharpened.
The bear had been poked.
“Oh, it’s on…” said Una.
Pelia just grinned.
Erica stared at the two of them. “Uh, why do I get the feeling this is going to become quite competitive?”
They made their way to the bumper cars, with Una giving Pelia sharp glances. They handed in their tickets and took their seats in the cars. Even Uhura, Hemmer, and La’an had decided to join in. Following, they took their own cars, as well.
The ride started, and Una, channeling all of her anger towards Pelia, drove her car and rammed it straight into the chief engineer. Meanwhile, Pelia was spinning around the room like she was crazy.
“What are you doing? ” asked Una.
“She’s the Enterprise crazy lady,” said Erica, ramming her cart into Una’s, “I ask myself that all the time.”
"Wheeee!" Said Pelia. She continued spinning until she finally rammed right into Erica.
"Hey!"
"Oops…" said Pelia, "Sorry."
Pelia straightened her car out, only to get rammed by Una.
"This," she said, bumping her so hard the car sparked, "Is for that C you gave me..."
"And this," said Pelia, bumping into her this time, "Is to prove that your sloppy paper deserved it."
"How does that prove anything ?" Asked Una.
Pelia shrugged, then turned her car away.
"Oh, no you don't," said Una, chasing her.
Meanwhile, Uhura was having some trouble. She couldn't seem to figure out how to control her car, and it didn't help that everybody was bumping into her.
"Sir," she called to a boy who bumped her, "Sir, if you would please …"
But the boy just laughed. "Please what?" He called.
La’an pulled her car up to Uhura’s. “Don’t worry about him, Ensign,” she said, “I’ve got him.”
And with that, she chased the boy around the ring.
After the ride, the feud between Una and Pelia was still fuming. The other crew members could say that Pelia hadn’t known what she’d gotten herself into, provoking Una like that, but then again, chances were, she did know what she was getting herself into.
Because she seemed to be enjoying every second of it.
“This isn’t over,” Una growled.
“Oh,” said Pelia, “Isn’t it, now? What are you going to challenge me to every game in the park? Because if you’d rather, we can just accept that C and call it a day…”
“Why are you doing this?”
“Because it’s fun! ” said Pelia with a grin, “And I want you to accept it.”
Una spun around. “Alright then. Let’s make a deal. We face off at all of the game booths. If I win the most, you change that grade to an A plus. If you win, I won’t bother you about it again.”
“Sounds like a deal to me.”
They made their way to the balloons. Standing shoulder to shoulder, they prepared for the first competition.
“Are you ready for me to win?” asked Pelia.
Una scoffed. “In your dreams, Space Hippy.”
And like lightning, they threw the darts, popping as many balloons as possible. After a minute, it was over. Una had popped over half of the balloons. She looked over at Pelia, then did a double take.
All but one balloon had been popped.
“Congratulations!” said the woman at the stand, “You’ve won a prize! You can pick from any we have here.”
“I think,” said Pelia, “I’ll take the blue sock monkey.”
The woman handed it to her. Pelia looked up at Una. “He’s quite cute, don’t you think?”
Una nodded slowly, unconvinced, but the monkey was the last thing on her mind. “How did you do that?” she asked.
Pelia grinned. “Talent,” she said, “Get ready to accept that C I gave you.”
“Oh, the day is far from over…” said Una.
Suddenly, they heard cheering from behind them and turned around. Erica, now as happy as a space clam, was on the Satellite, and spinning around as the ride spun on a single axis. Nurse Chapel was watching from below, and shaking her head.
“Well,” said Pelia, “It looks like someone recovered.”
Sure enough, Erica had indeed recovered, as had Chapel. She was glad that Pike had encouraged her to get back up, and even happier that she had the chance to encourage another.
Not that Erica had needed much encouragement to go back to her usual, adventure seeking self. She’d just needed some time. Time, and a shoulder to lean on.
And then she was back to riding the crazy rides like the satellite, or the looper, the latter of which made Chapel nauseous just looking at it. As Erica went on the power surge, M’benga, followed by Uhura and Hemmer, approached Chapel.
“We were wondering if you wanted to go on Old Smokey,” said M’benga with a smile.
Chapel looked up at the power surge (and Erica, who was cheering in pure delight).
“Can I really just…leave?” she asked, “I mean, is there a buddy system or something?”
“Not from what I was aware of,” said M’benga, following Chapel’s gaze, “However, that’s not a bad thought. Besides, she might be wondering where you are when she gets off. And if anything happens…” He turned to Chapel, “I’ll wait here for her,” he said, “You enjoy the train.”
“You’re sure?”
“Positive,” said M’benga. He smiled, “I’ll let her know where you went.”
Meanwhile, Pelia and Una were just wrapping up their time at the Shooting Waters game.
“Congratulations!” the woman said to Una, handing her a large, purple dolphin.
Una gave Pelia a sly smile.
“Oh, you think you’re so smart… ” Pelia said, “But next time I’M going to win.”
“Yeah, right…” said Una.
Chapel, Uhura, and Hemmer approached.
“Hey guys,” said Chapel, “Ooh, playing carnival games?” she said, her face lighting up, “I always loved those. I never won any, though…”
“We were just heading to the Dog Pounder,” said Una. She raised an eyebrow at Christine. “Want to give it a try?”
“Sure! If that’s okay…” she added to Uhura and Hemmer, “I know it’s a bit of a detour…”
“That’s alright,” said Uhura, “We can manage it. Besides, this day’s about having fun, isn’t it?”
So Chapel joined Pelia and Una at the dog pounder. Immediately, she spotted the giant husky hanging up at the front of the pavilion. He looked just like Milo, her childhood dog.
And she was determined to win him.
They took their stations.
"Ready," said the man running the game, "Set…"
They all stared, determined, at their targets.
"Pound!"
They all pounded furiously, especially nurse Chapel, who had Milo in mind.
"Go, Chapel!" Said Uhura, cheering her on.
Suddenly, they heard a buzzer. Una looked up. A light was flashing right over Chapel's target.
"Congratulations!" Said the man, "You can pick any of the prizes here."
Chapel pointed at the husky. "That one, please."
He handed it to her as Pelia and Una stood there, staring at her, their jaws hanging in shock.
"No fair!" Said Una.
"Totally fair," said Chapel, holding Milo under one arm, "Fair and square."
She turned towards Hemmer and Uhura–the latter of whom was clapping in delight–and they made their way to the train.
"Can I pet his fur?" Asked Uhura, reaching a hand towards Milo.
Chapel nodded. "Sure. He's quite soft. But Milo was even softer," she added, reminiscing, "He had the fluffiest fur. The shedding drove my mom crazy."
Uhura laughed. "Well, I could imagine."
They handed over their tickets and boarded the train, which took them around the forest. They saw some birds up above them in the leafy canopies of the trees above, and a few squirrels skittered along the forest path. Uhura was the first to point one of them out.
Meanwhile, Una and Pelia were still competing. Pelia won both flying frogs and dizzy darts, coming away with a spotted green frog and a giant tiger, but Una started to catch up by winning a giant llama at the football toss and a giant panda at the tic-tac toe.
But then Pelia won a Pikachu from a game called “Block Party” and an otter with a doughnut from the pong pool. And she continuously bragged about how Una would have to accept the grade.
The next game after that was the Fishin hole. It looked easy enough; all the player had to do was catch a plastic fish with a fishing pole, and Una was determined to win.
Unfortunately, the game didn’t have a designated “winner”.
“Congratulations!” said the man, handing Una a plush fish. She smiled at Pelia, only to see that she, too, had won a prize.
“Wait,” said Una, “Who won?”
The man shrugged. “You both did. At the fishin’ hole, everyone’s a winner.”
“Great…” Una sighed, and she and Pelia walked away, “Well, that was a bust…” she said to Pelia.
The next game, luckily, was a bit better: Kreeper’s pumpkin patch, a game which Una won. When she returned with the pumpkin pillow, she realized Pelia was struggling to hold all of her prizes. As the giant Pikachu dropped to the ground, she looked up at Una.
“I think we may have a bit of a problem, Number One…”
“I can see that,” said Una. She, too, was starting to struggle with all she was carrying, and she knew there would be more, “With all the games we’re playing, it’ll be impossible for us to carry all of these. We should probably take them back to the shuttle.”
“I think that would be wise…”
They were just making their way back when they saw a young girl wandering around, lost.
“Mommy?” she called, “Mommy?”
She couldn’t have been over four years old, and she looked overwhelmed and terrified. With a breaking heart, Una realized that she was lost. She handed the giant panda over to Pelia.
“Here. Hold this,” she said.
As she walked away, Pelia struggled with the pile of plushies. “I’ll try!” she called back.
Una knelt down in front of the girl. “Hey…” she whispered.
The girl took a step back, looking at her with frightened, wide eyes. Una smiled softly at her, then handed her the giant llama.
“Here,” she said, “Take this. She’ll keep you company while I find your family, okay?”
The little girl nodded. Una rose to her feet and waved down one of the workers nearby.
“I found her wandering around,” she explained to him, “I think she lost her mom.”
The employee nodded. “Alright. I’ll take care of her. Thank you.”
Una returned to Pelia, whose face was covered in a mountain of stuffed animals.
“Can you please take your panda?! ”
Una quickly took it. “Sorry…” she said, also taking the Pikachu, as well, “Let me help you with that.”
They dropped the prizes off at the shuttle, (save for the Pikachu, which Pelia decided to carry), then continued on their way.
As Una and Pelia were finishing up their last few games, Uhura and Hemmer were on the carousel. Hemmer was riding in the dragon cart, watching Uhura, who was having the time of her life.
"Whee!" She cheered as her horse rocked up and down, back and forth. It went up, then came down, and she cheered once again, "Whee! Now this…" she added, turning to Hemmer, "is my speed."
"I can see that," said Hemmer. Despite his stoicism, he was pleased to see she was enjoying it.
"Whee!"
But did she have to cheer every time?
Before any of them knew it, it was dark. Much to their amazement, the park came to life, with all the rides illuminated in colorful lights.
"Would you look at that! " Said Erica, gazing up at the paratrooper as it whipped red parachutes around in a circle. She nudged La'an. "Dare ya?"
"No."
"Suit yourself," said Erica, "More for me."
"Guys," Pike said through their communicators, "The park is closing soon. We meet at the front gate at 7:45."
"Got it," said Erica. She gazed back up at the paratrooper with determination shining in her eyes. "Time for one more ride."
Meanwhile, Spock and Chapel were high above the park as they rode on the Ferris wheel, which was now illuminated in lights.
"It's beautiful…" said Chapel gazing down at the park that now shone like stars, "Isn't it?"
"It is," said Spock, "But logic would dictate that it is not nearly as beautiful as you."
Chapel turned to him. "Mr. Spock…" she said, "Are you… flirting? "
"Indeed I am."
Chapel let out a small laugh. "Well at least you're honest."
And she leaned in for a kiss.
"Hey," she said afterwards, "Is that Una and Pelia?"
Spock followed her gaze. The two women were making their way through the park with armfuls of stuffed animals. Spock turned to Chapel.
"Must I ask?"
"Do you want to know?" Said Chapel with a smirk.
"I do not."
Chapel let out a snort of laughter.
Back on the ground, Una shook her head in dismay. "I can't believe it was a tie."
"I cannot either," She paused. "If you would like, we can go back to the Dog Pounder to try it again."
"No, it's already closed. Besides, I don't think either of us can carry another prize." She sighed, "What now? Things just…stay the same?"
"I suppose they do."
For a short while, both of them walked in silence.
"You know, this is the most fun I've ever had with you," said Una, "In fact it's the most fun I've had in…a long time.
"Let's make it a deal, then…" said Pelia, "I won't tease you anymore, or make you admit to the C, but you try not to hold a grudge against me. We'll be acquaintances. Deal?"
"It's a deal."
They made their way towards La’an, who was waiting for them. She eyed the stuffed animals in their arms disdainfully, then looked up at Una.
“Seriously?”
“They’re just prizes,” Una defended, “We were competing.”
“Who won?”
“Nobody,” said Pelia. She nodded at the Pikachu, “But he’s cute, don’t you think.”
La’an rolled her eyes.
“Now if you’ll excuse me,” said Pelia, tossing the Pikachu over to La’an, “I’m going to get a lemonade before we leave.”
Una watched with a slight laugh as Pelia left to get her lemonade. “ We rendezvous at 7:45. Don’t be late!” she called out to her.
Pelia gave her a thumbs up.
Not much to her surprise, Pelia was late.
“Where’s Pelia?” Pike asked as Una and La’an approached the front gate.
“Getting a lemonade,” said Una, “I told her not to be late.”
Pike sighed. “Well, if she doesn’t come in the next two minutes, I’m going after her. Everybody else, into the shuttle. I’ll be waiting here.”
Everybody climbed into the shuttle. Una brushed her prizes off her seat, but picked up a dolphin and placed it in her lap. Meanwhile, La’an was holding on to Pelia’s Pikachu, its bright joyful face a stark contrast to her solemn expression. She caught sight of Una watching her.
“I’m giving it right back,” she defended.
“Of course, of course….”
Spock and Chapel climbed into the back, as Erica collapsed into her seat, her expression matching the exhaustion they all felt. Out the window, Captain Pike waited for Pelia. He checked his watch, shook his head, and made his way towards the lemonade stand.
“Oh, Pelia….” Una whispered with a slight shake of her head.
Fortunately, Pelia arrived, thanks to the kindness of Captain Pike. She collapsed into her seat, sulking.
“I never got my lemonade!”
"Forget about the lemonade, Pelia," said Una, "Be grateful you're even here."
"How can I be grateful when I don't have my lemonade?"
"Pelia…." Una groaned.
Pelia waggled a finger. "Uh-uh! No grudges, remember?"
"It's not a grudge. I'm just annoyed. Annoyed and exhausted."
"Alright, guys," said Pike, getting into the pilot's seat, followed by M'benga, who sat beside him, "Let's head out."
The ride home was peaceful. Half of the crew members fell asleep along the way. Chapel's head rested against Spock's shoulder as she slept peacefully, and even the Vulcan's eyes were closed; Erica had zonked out not long after entering the shuttle; La'an’s jaw clenched as she fought against an inevitable yawn, which eventually broke through, and Una could see that she was struggling to keep her eyes open; even Una herself felt exhaustion weighing her down, and had decided to rest her head against the purple dolphin she’d won that afternoon.
It wasn't until halfway through the trip that Pelia broke the peace.
"Where is my Pikachu?"
Una lifted her head. "Hm?"
"My Pikachu," Pelia repeated, "He's missing!"
"He was with La'an, last I saw. She said she was going to give it back." Her brow furrowed. "I wonder why she didn't. La'an?"
But La'an didn't reply. Her eyes were closed, dead to the world, and soft snores emanated from her. Her arms were wrapped tightly around the Pikachu's large, yellow body, and her head was nestled against it like a pillow.
Pelia craned her head around the seat to look at La’an. "I'm going to need him back."
Una turned to her incredulously. "Why?"
"Because he's mine."
"But why do you need that one, Pelia?"
"Because he's my favorite,” said Pelia with a shrug, “I want him back."
Una rolled her eyes. Gently, she tried to pry La'an arms off of the Pikachu. She almost had it, when La'an stirred, let out a soft whimper, and wrapped her arms around the plush even tighter, pressing her face against the soft fabric with a sigh. Una's heart melted. She didn't want to take it away from her.
“I don’t think she’s going to give it back, Pelia.”
Pelia pouted. “Can’t you just switch it out for your panda?”
Una shrugged. “I can try.”
But the moment she tried to pull the Pikachu out of La’an’s arms, La’an sensed it, and once again, held on tighter, shaking her head. Afraid that any more interference might wake her (and, frankly, not wanting to take away her newfound comfort object), Una leaned back. She gave Pelia a pointed look.
“Not going to happen,” she said, “She is not letting it go. You’ll have to wait until morning. When she’s awake.” La’an would definitely give it back then. Una could only imagine her bewilderment when she woke up to find she’d been cuddling a giant Pikachu. She chuckled softly. Yes, Pelia would definitely be getting it back in the morning.
But for now, she’d let her friend remain in the innocence.