~Rain makes me feel less alone. All rain is, is a cloud-falling apart, and pouring its shattered pieces down on top of you. It makes me feel good to know I'm not the only thing that falls apart. It makes me feel better to know other things in nature can shatter.~
-Lone Alaskan Gypsy-

Parks had always been a source of amusement for me. I was not a person who particularly loved rides but I surely enjoyed the feeling of being in the place and sensing a vibe of excitement all around myself. I had a firm belief that if someone wanted to return to his childhood then all he needed to do was to visit a theme park again. Therefore, when Cara insisted on the idea, I agreed to it without hesitation even though I had stayed up all night to read 'Looking for Alaska' and was proud of the fact that I could remember its name easily for once. The book had given me chills enough to never forget it again.

Asking Rob for a company got a calculated refusal in response. I deduced two reasons for it.

1) He had always been a solitude lover and he didn't want this golden week of solitude to get messed up.

2) He wanted me to have my maximum time alone with her. That's a bro thing when a girl comes around.

Conclusion: Both of us, by which I mean Cara and myself, fixed up the bicycles in our newly managed lounge and set out for a new adventure in the center of our universe.

Night air played with my hair as I cycled towards the nearest theme park. Occasionally, my sight deviated towards my right where she rode Rob's cycle, her silver frock swaying backwards by the cool breeze. Everything about her tonight was shouting out 'silver' and I wondered if she was made out of moonlight itself as I saw her dissolve into the glittering light of the moon.

Now and then, she whisteled a very nostalgic tone and I got drunk on the melody in her soft voice that was ringing the partial darkness around us. As the park came into view, her excitement increased and I could sense the pace of her pedaling increasing a slight notch as the silver frill on the border of her frock ruffled against her thighs now and then.

After ten more minutes, we were inside the confinements of the park and her bright blue eyes spanned every nook and corner of the place with swelling curiosity of an over-excited child. By now, I had grown accustomed to the occasional silence between us and I never dared to break it unless she chose to do it herself. I smiled as her sparkling eyes settled on the dance stage where loud speakers were booming with Justin Bieber's voice singing 'Somebody to Love'.

Instantly, her arm stretched out as her hand got hold of my wrist to pull me towards the object of her fascination. She dissolved into the crowd easily, making her way with extreme fluidity which made me resemble her with water; deep, sensual, easily making way through things and above all, silver in moonlight.

Stepping up onto the stage, she turned around and looked at me expectantly, her silver hair flowing around her face by the cool breeze. The midnight blue jewels in her eyes were sparkling impossibly. I smiled as I guessed what she wanted.

"May I have this dance, my lady?" I bowed and stretched a hand towards her with politeness painted all over my features.

"You can have all that you want as long as I'm alive, Aaron Troy." The right corner of her lip lifted a bit as she lost her delicate hand in mine. I always adored the moments when she first spoke after a long episode of silence. It gave me a feeling equal to what a sailor feels when his eyes take in the shore after a long tiring sail. It gave me a feeling of 'returning home'. Ignoring the sharp pang of her last words, I held on to her fragile hand tightly and we began our dance.

Within the next few moments, it dawned on me that it was more of 'her' dance than 'our' dance because I was merely accompanying her in the act. She was the one who was flying in whirling colours around us; an epitome of silver beauty and I was blinded by the sheerness of it. My hands barely touched her small waist as she swirled around adroitly. Swerving like a stray leaf in the night air, she created magic and sprinkled it all over our universe while I got enchanted by the scenario like a little kid watching a rainbow for the first time on a clouded sky.

I couldn't help but notice that flexibility was one of the gifts given to her by God. She turned back on my arm and stretched a leg upwards before straightening up, her soft hair brushing my arm and painting madness on it. I was going crazy all over the fragrance of her skin as she twirled around me and dissolved into the night air wonderfully. Dance adorned her wildness and insanity so well.

As the song came to an end, we were surrounded by a round of applause from the people gathered around the stage. Every eye that my sight met was mesmerised by the ethereal creature standing by my side. Shyly, she bowed down to them in courtesy as her sparkling hair fell smoothly over her forehead and took my hand before vanishing back into the crowd like silver colour mixing into a paint palette.

For the succeeding hour, we took almost all the rides around the park. Most of the time, I got afraid of the fast ones inwardly but put up a brave face beside her nonetheless. She, however, squealed with crazy delight, stretching out her arms high in the air and her messy hair glittering wildly. I longed to hold on to her out of fear but kept my hands to myself out of modesty. My heart sunk into the pits of my stomach with all the scary rides but I didn't dare to touch her.

Getting off the roller coaster, she held onto my arm and laughed carelessly as she stumbled and pulled me along with her. I reveled in the jingle of her melodious laugh and all my fears evaporated in an instant. Walking towards a less populated patch of park, she looked up at me and squinted her eyes with happiness as a huge goofy grin made its way to her lips.

"I love wild heartbeats. This feeling of adrenaline rushing through my veins and mixing into my blood costs millions of dollars. I love to touch insanity and then cross the extremes of it. I love being crazy!" She shot a punch into open air and let out a careless laugh once again as the blue in her deep eyes shone brightly under the vast sky adorned with sparkling stars.

I bent down and bringing my lips closer to her ear, I whispered, "I love the crazy you, Cara Evelyn."

She ducked her head and chuckled cutely. Then she looked at me and nodded like a little child before pulling me towards a peaceful bench by a little lake at the backside of the park. A middle-aged woman sat on its edge, looking out towards the moonlit water with a small violin in her hand. Cara slipped towards her and sat in the middle of the bench while I took my seat at the other edge.

"You play violin?" She bent over and asked the woman eagerly. The woman turned her face towards her. She was slightly chubby and cute but her eyes were shaded with an unknown sadness.

"It's been eleven years..." Slowly, she nodded.

"Wow..I'd love to hear you play it!" Cara bubbled up immediately, clapping her hands in excitement. I smiled. The woman sighed heavily.

"I wish someone could play it for me." Sadly, she looked down at the violin in her lap.

Instantly, her silver hair ruffled as she turned around to look at me with concern lighting her eyes. I pursed my lips. I didn't know how to play any instrument, let alone violin. She looked back at the woman and I could sense hesitation in her movements as she slowly leaned forward to pick up the instrument and set it on her lap.

"I..uh..don't like to brag but I can play it pretty well, if that's what makes you happy." Placing a hand on the woman's shoulder, she smiled politely. A smile lit up the woman's face as she nodded in response. I was more than surprised by this sudden revelation so I couldn't speak anything at all.

Taking the bow in her hand, Cara dragged it over the violin and started playing 'My Heart Will Go On' by Celine Dion. The first few notes came out wonderfully and I had just started losing myself to the melody that was painting the silence when she began pouring the liquid music out of her lips to quench the thirst of my soul. Amazingly, her singing was a pure contrast to her personality. Where she was totally wild and raw, her voice came out smooth and fluent as ever. It reminded me of soft pillows and light feathers. Hearing Cara Evelyn sing under the moonlight in front of a glittering lake was the best feeling ever!

When she was done, I felt breathless. Taking a deep breath, I turned around and she was looking right in my eyes. Her eyes reflected the water of the lake like melting diamonds. I felt as if my breath had stuck somewhere deep inside as she leaned closer and whispered, "Singing is a substitute to crying, only it's more melodious."

A thousand questions rose up in my heart. I wanted to ask her the reason of her pains and I desired to relieve her of all the hurt that rolled off her tongue now and then. I craved to get answers to all my queries but I knew one thing, she'd only open up if I stayed patient. So that's what I did. I just smiled back in response and nodded. In reality, I just got lost on all the words that I wanted to speak because she was perfection, but deep inside I knew that this perfection had a lot of imperfections hidden beneath it..just waiting to be explored.

Turning around, she hugged the woman who was smiling warmly by now. Hugging her back, she picked up her violin from Cara's lap and stood up. She shook her hand with me and nodded towards Cara in acknowledgement. Then she bent a little towards her and said, "You have a dreamy edge to your music, young girl. I'll never forget this night. Farewell." Her eyes twinkled slightly as she patted Cara's head lovingly and walked away, getting lost in the crowd.

I turned to look at the silver pixie sitting by my side who was staring out into the distance with a deep longing in her glittering eyes. I could hear the faded noise of the crowd back at the rides but still, I felt peaceful under the night sky with her. I wondered how she was capable of turning chaos into tranquility and vice versa so easily..just like her deep eyes. Her hands were folded neatly in her lap and for a second, I wanted to ask her the magic behind all her talents but I ended up asking something very different.

"Why 'Cara Evelyn'?" I looked towards her intriguingly.

"What 'why'? She tilted her head a bit and met my gaze quizzically. I felt as if the ocean in her deep eyes had come to life because her eyes felt like rolling waters.

"Why this name?" I explained quietly.

"Oh that!" She let out a broken chuckle. "Well..I don't really know. I guess I would never know even. So I don't have the 'exact' information that you need." She smiled but it didn't reach her eyes and her voice sounded hollow. Something was not right.

"I bet you have an interesting story about it, though." I hid my doubts and winked at her.

"How do you know?" She gasped, her lips forming a little O and her eyes widening in response. She looked really cute with her hands clasped in her lap.

"Because you never cease to surprise me." I let out the words slowly, letting them sink in her heart.

"For now, Aaron Troy, because you never know what tomorrow brings." She averted her deep gaze towards the moonlit water and I thought I'd never get over the beauty of her messy silver hair ruffling so smoothly around her pretty face.

"But I do have an interesting thing to tell you about my name." Her gaze returned back to my face and I could sense mischief in her eyes.

"Go on." I settled my elbows on my lap and put my face in my hands to look at her.

"I am an unknown soul who'd never know the source of her identity but as time passed by, a deep urge took hold of my heart to atleast know what my name meant. So, I searched it out and here's what I learned about myself." Running her fingers through her soft hair, she rested her back against the bench and looked me directly in the eyes. Once again, I felt as if she was beginning the narration of a fairy tale as her soft voice melted in my ears.

"In Gaelic, Cara means 'friend' but I like to assume that my name has been derived from Latin origin and you can add Italian to it in which Cara means 'beloved'. You know why?" She paused slightly before whispering, "Because no one ever loved me." I could sense a deep longing in her voice for a long lost possession that meant everything to her. Her gaze had settled on the lake now and I couldn't imagine how someone could not love her.

"Evelyn has an interesting history too. In Hebrew, it means 'life' but this meaning just mocks me because that's the most important thing that I've missed so I like to believe in the Latin origin which translates it as 'bird'. I simply love this one. You know why?" This time she looked towards me with a shade of excitement in her impossibly bright eyes. I raised my eyebrows at her questioningly. I didn't want to break the magical trance she had created by interrupting her.

"Because I love to fly." She whispered excitedly and I let out a light laugh.

"You really are a freedom freak, aren't you?" Smiling brightly at her, I shook my head.

"Till death." She nodded and laughed carelessly. "Because you can't escape it, no matter how much you adore freedom." Adding these words casually at the end of those two horrible syllables, she laughed once again and suddenly I felt fearful by the hollowness of her laugh. I felt worried for her shattered smile which she carried on so well for the world. Cara Evelyn, my 'Beloved Bird', was flying off into the distance and I couldn't do anything except look at it longingly.

"I thought you were a masterpiece of perfection when I first saw you, but now I see the imperfections behind this beautiful exterior, Cara Evelyn." My voice was barely audible over the noise from the crowd and suddenly I didn't feel so much at peace. She stopped laughing and wiped off the water from the edges of her eyes which had teared up but from the laugh or from crying, I'd never know.

"You hate me now? I won't be surprised." She let out a light chuckle as if she was talking about strawberries.

"Then let me surprise you because I love you with all your imperfections." I sighed heavily and looked away because I couldn't hold her penetrating gaze anymore. A light breeze sweeped over the water and caressed my bare skin.

"Then let's buy lanterns and sail a boat, Aaron Troy." She leaned forward and pressed my hand softly. I looked towards her and she looked like she had walked a thousand miles in a single night.

"Are you sure?" I confirmed.

"'Lanterns and boats' is all I want for now." She nodded contentedly, a beautiful smile playing at the corner of her lips. I returned the smile happily as I tugged her along to buy our lanterns and take a boat to row in the lake.

Once in the middle of the lake, she held up her lantern and I noticed how wonderfully the golden light adorned her features. The silver in her hair melted before dissolving into golden shades and her blue eyes sparkled brightly as her lips parted to reveal a perfect set of teeth glittering in the shaded light as hidden pearls. Mesmerised by the magical painting in front of me, I lifted up my lantern in a lost trance.

"Together." She whispered softly from across me. I nodded and stood up as she did.

"You see all the stars above there?" She stretched out her free hand and pointed at the black canvas over our heads with sparkling stars studded on it. I smiled as my eyes followed her gaze.

"We're gonna send these lanterns to the stars. I would love to send them to a beloved but since that's impossible so the stars will be it. Because..no matter where my beloved is, he'll always remain under these stars." She smiled brightly and looked towards me.

"To the stars." I nodded and we let go off our lanterns together as we bent our necks to look above at the two of them struggling impossibly to light up the night, flying side by side. I didn't know about her, but my beloved was by my side, watching the lantern of her name flying away from her to the stars. For a long time, our gazes followed the fading lights until they completely disappeared into the blackness of the night.

"Candy time. Buy me cotton candy and then we'll take the best ride of all before we go home." She tugged at my sleeve innocently like a little child would do. I rowed back and bought her cotton candy which she devoured happily.

"What's the best ride of all?" I smiled mischievously at her while crossing my arms in front of me. She leaned closer as if she was going to tell a great secret. I liked the way how she did it everytime she talked about something that was special to her.

"The Ferris Wheel." She whispered and looked above at the large wheel lit up with lighting behind me. "I always save the special things for the end, like the Ferris Wheel." Her voice was lost somewhere back in her childhood.

That was it. We bought the tickets and took our seats in our cabin. Luckily, it had only two seats so we were kind of alone as she held my hand excitedly. Moments later, we were high up in the sky and all the lights of the city sparkled underneath us. Far off in the distance, the moonlit water of the sea sparkled enchantingly. I felt like we were trapped in a fairytale where everything was beautiful. The ride was the best ride of all and her excitement was priceless all along.

Finally, we stepped off the magical wheel and walked off to our bicycles when thunder roared loudly. She looked above at the sky as first drops of rain splattered on her cheeks.

"Rain..come Aaron, hurry up." Instead of sitting on her bicycle, she started walking down the street and tugged it along with her. I followed her hurriedly in the same way as hers to catch up on her.

"If you need to hurry, you have to ride it rather than tag it along." I pointed towards the bicycle as we walked parallel to each other and light raindrops darkened the ground beneath our feet. Instead of replying to me she walked over to the shelter outside a closed cafe. I scowled and hurried behind her.

"Are you afraid of rain?" I frowned as we placed our bicycles under the shelter. Slowly, she turned around and her bright gaze went right through my soul.

"Nineteen years ago, someone left me outside an orphanage in pouring rain on the first night of my life with a paper tied to my blue blanket which read 'Cara Evelyn'. I am the daughter of the rain and a rain child is never afraid of this water sprinkling from the sky, Aaron Troy." Extending out her hand, she let the water splash on her fair palm before she stepped out into the rain entirely.

My gaze followed her as I thought about how she had let me in, even for a brief moment but now I knew something of her past. My heart twisted in pain as I realised that she had been rejected by her own family on the first day of her life. How could someone be so savage? It was too much to absorb for a single night but I shook off the thought because I didn't want to ruin the precious moment that was slipping from my fingers.

I looked at her who appeared like melting glitter before my eyes. The rain poured down over her silver attire as she danced in the falling water, jumping into puddles with happiness while her laughter splashed around in rain water and created a beautiful symphony. Taking a deep breath, I stepped out into the rain too. She looked at me and smiled cheerfully, water pouring all over her face as her eyes melted into liquids.

"You don't mind the rain?" She laughed as she trotted off to me.

"No." I laughed as water dribbled down my wet hair and soaked my clothes.

"Why?" She elbowed me childishly and feigned a scowl. I looked deeply in her eyes where waters were rolling wildly as rain mixed into her silver hair which hugged all of her face before leaning down and whispering something to her about which I suddenly felt proud of tonight.

"Because I'm a rain child too, Cara Evelyn."

Author's Note

2-3 chapters more until the story picks up pace. Are you bored or are you enjoying all these moments? :)

Also guys, I have an IMPORTANT announcement. The Fiction Awards 2016 have started so kindly nominate my books under the 'Teen Fiction' category if you feel like my books deserve to be nominated. Just search the book "The Fiction Awards 2016", go to it's second chapter and comment inline under the 'Best Teen Fiction Story'. You have to write 'Cara Evelyn by Cutie25pie'. Just this one comment and your nomination is counted. I hope you choose to nominate me. :') If you have any queries about it, leave them in the comments section and I'll surely guide you guys. :) Also, the readers of my other books can nominate them too. You can nominate as much books as you want, just do it under the right category. :) Make sure you comment inline in front of the category and not on whole chapter. The last date of nomination is 29th July, 2016. Thankyou. ♥♡

Provide me an honest feedback for this chapter as I stayed up all night and burned my eyes to type it for you people because my exams are scheduled from 15th July to 21st July so I won't be able to update till 21st of July. Sorrie. :(

Wish me luck and pray for me. I need your prayers this time. :x

Much Love xX
Hazel ^-^