M.J. approached Brenna and pointed to the haunted house. She rolled her eyes but agreed. M.J. glanced back at Winter and winked. Brenna's eyes lit up when Sam walked by and she grabbed his arm, pulling him along towards the haunted house. Winter sighed loudly and turned to her friends who were all making requests for different animals. The clown looked at them flabbergasted and tried to jot it all down. Winter shouted, "Let's all meet at the pie stand later. I have something to do first." Layla called, "Do you want a balloon animal?" Winter nodded, "Surprise me." She turned to the haunted house and her eyes locked on M.J.'s. In that moment he placed his illusion over her so she began to move freely among the crowd. Winter knew that M.J.'s powers were strong enough to keep her from detection without even trying. Winter followed behind, watching Brenna give all her attention to Sam, while keeping M.J. at arms length.
When they approached the entrance of the haunted house, M.J. attempted to subtly narrow the distance. When they got inside, Brenna feigned terror as a pretense to cling closer to Sam. Winter glanced at M.J. to see how he was taking it, but he only had on a blank expression, apparently unfazed. Winter tilted her head. Sam coolly detached himself from Brenna and walked ahead. She began huffing indignantly and went to catch up to him but before she could, a hand reached out from the shadows and grabbed her. She jumped slightly and instinctually shot her hand back to grab M.J. Winter understood then why M.J. was so unbothered. The soulmate bond created something that could not be destroyed no matter what obstacles stood in between. No matter how hard Brenna chased after Sam, M.J. was her soulmate. Winter smiled to herself. M.J. knew that he would get her in the end. The only hindrances were Brenna's opinion of M.J. and the fact that Sam was available. Winter nodded, making a mental note of how to proceed. They kept walking and in the blackness Winter could see that every time Brenna jumped, she reached out for M.J. and when she realized what she had done, she pulled away. Winter leaned against the wall, she was resisting the pull of the bond.
When they made it out at the end, Brenna glared at M.J. and stormed off to try and find Sam. Winter glanced back at the haunted house and noticed that she hadn't seen any signs of the creature from before. "So?" M.J. rescinded the illusion that was cast over her, "What do you think?" Winter side eyed him, "It's painfully obvious how badly you want her." M.J. rolled his eyes, "I'm talking about your observations on Brenna." Winter smiled, "I'm sure the same things you noticed." M.J. nodded, "She's resisting the bond." Winter scratched her head, "Right. So we have to get rid of the things that are causing that resistance." She narrowed her eyes at him, "I know you cast that illusion that makes you seem weak and feeble in order to be overlooked by others, but it's counterproductive towards your desire to get Brenna." Winter ruffled his dirty blonde hair, "You need to be slightly more attention grabbing for her to want you. She thinks you're a loser, we're gonna change that." Something like trust gleamed in his beige eyes, "We have to do it without attracting too many eyes though. I don't like attention." Winter chuckled, "Bear with it." She scanned the area, "Do you think they're waiting for us at the pie stand yet?" M.J. grinned, pointing in the distance to where their friends were rambunctiously carrying on, "Does that answer your question?"
Winter and M.J. made their way to the pie stand. Jax crossed his arms, "Where have you two been?" M.J. and Winter looked at each other and Winter put a finger to her lips, "It's a secret." Layla handed Winter a pink balloon turtle, "Surprise." Winter examined it, "This is weirdly detailed for a balloon animal." Mandy displayed the balloon animals she had stored in her bag, "That's the clown's power. He can create anything out of balloons." Winter laughed, "How entertaining." Lucas came over and handed Winter a small cherry pie. Winter looked at him, slightly surprised. Cherry pie had always been her favorite. He couldn't have known that, it had to be coincidence. But she knew there were no coincidences. "Thank you." She shoveled some in her mouth, "Is there anything else you guys want to do before the sun sets?" Leo motioned his head, "The Ferris wheel." Mandy squeaked in agreement. Lucas eloped his pinky with Jax's, "It's basically tradition. You can't leave the festival without going on the Ferris wheel." Winter threw up her hands, "Okay okay. No need to convince me I'm going." She scarfed down the rest of the cherry pie, standing up.
Winter craned her head to get a glimpse of it. The Ferris wheel towered above everything else. Soulmates and friends were coming on and off the attraction in a steady flow. Winter took a breath. Layla, Jax, Mandy and Lucas went in the first car. Winter, M.J., and Leo were in the next. As their car slowly made its way to the top, Winter stared at everything on the ground becoming increasingly minuscule. The sun was setting on the horizon. They sat in silence, appreciating the scenery. The sky was painted in beautiful shades of pink and orange. Winter watched as it morphed from the warm shades of the sun into the cool hues of night. Dark purples and blues overtook the clouds. Winter twisted the ring on her finger. It was the most beautiful thing she had ever seen. When they were brought back to the ground she remained silent. They regrouped, "Well?" Mandy nudged her, "Pretty right?" Winter nodded, "Very." Mandy yawned and Layla eyeballed her. "We should head back now, it's getting dark." Mandy whined, "But there's still more to do." Layla grabbed her hand, pulling her away, "We can do it at the next festival." Mandy glanced back at them pleading. Winter waved. Lucas peered at Jax, "We should go too." Jax nodded and bent down to be eye level with Winter, "You'd better fill me in on that 'secret' tomorrow." Winter snickered and Jax glared at her, "I'm serious." Winter gestured her hand, "Yeah yeah. Lucas take him away."
When it was just Leo and M.J. standing in front of her Winter said, "Tomorrow meet me in the library." They nodded resolutely before dispersing. Winter sighed, deciding that she would swing by the fortune teller tent before she went back to her dorm.