Chapter Twelve: Life Isn't Fair

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"Remember, Sebastian. Don't say anything stupid. This is a family affair," I say while putting pressure on my heel, trying to put the super glue to its use.

We've been driving long enough to now reach an actual street, with other cars sharing it along side us. Sarah, for most of the car ride has been walking Sebastian through where he will be going and what he will be doing. Most of it consisted of walking through animal barns, volunteering at the face paint station, and even doing a meet and greet.

The meet and greet is what frightens me the most, however.

I slowly but surely release the pressure from my heel and tug on it lightly. The heel doesn't move from it's base, and I smile, relieved.

"Just ten minutes away from the destination," the driver announces. The big Ferris wheel in the distance, red and white tent and long line of people outside are all a clear dead give away.

"Alright, this is it," I take a deep breath. "Remember what we went over, Sebastian?"
"What did we go over?" He asks, unamused.

"Don't joke with me right now, Sebastian."

We make a sharp right at the light into the fairgrounds, but continue driving until we're behind the area. There are other cars, and two security guards waiting with still postures and stone-like expressions by the parking area. Even through the tinted window, the sweat is clearly visible on their bald heads.

The car stops, and Sebastian's door is immediately opened by one of the security guards who rapidly approached the SUV. Sebastian steps out and makes a disgusted look at the sun until he reaches the shade.

I step out of the car and walk into the shade as well after Sarah and Lucas do the same. My heels, although reconstructed, tread lightly on the dirt and grass in fear of them breaking yet again.

Suddenly, a tall, black man with broad shoulders, gray hair and a bright smile walks through the back door of the building we stand in front of. He smiles at Sarah before anyone else.

"You must be-"

"Sarah Gonzales. Sebastian's manager." She shakes his hand, her friendliness somehow making me feel odd, how unfamiliar it is to me.

He smiles wider, "Matthew Carter. Maryville mayor. How nice it is to meet you," his eyes shift to Sebastian. "Sebastian Harrison. What a pleasure to finally meet you in person!"

Sebastian's smile is small and uninterested, "Likewise."

I stare at him until he shows Matthew teeth in his grin. When he does, I look away.

They shake hands, "Everyone is very excited to meet you, son, we have been prepping the fair-grounds for your arrival. We have many activities set up that I know you will enjoy!"

Seeing Matthew in person just adds to the enthusiasm I remember from his voice when I spoke to him on the phone yesterday. The accent is general American, yet there are small moments where I can distinguish the Tennessean in his tone. Even so, he has the ability to heighten anyone's mood with just his mere presence and charisma.

He greets Lucas, until finally he sees me. His eyes enlarge when they meet mine.

"Leslie King!"

"Yes, Mr. Carter, we spoke on the phone," I extend my hand towards his, and he takes it in his grasp.

"Yes, yes! Forgive me, but I imagined you much...differently, I mean your voice!" He laughs. "My, you're just the cutest little thing!"

I laugh awkwardly, "Th-thank you?"

It's something I'm used to, really, but seeing everyone else witness to it adds on to the embarrassment. My voice, being louder and deeper than the average female voice, is anything but a good pair with my physical appearance.

I see Sebastian and Sarah share a secretive facial expression. I play with my hands self-consciously.

"Mr. Mayor. The press is waiting," says a man who suddenly peaks out of the door, gripping a clip-board in one hand and a cell phone in the other.

"Right, right, we must make haste!"

We all follow the mayor through the door. All we walk through is a long hallway, with a small box of light on the other end. People are crowded on the other side, waiting anxiously.

"We had expected them to come about twenty minutes ago," the unnamed man says, with a fixed look.

"Yes, well we had a little...set back," Sarah answers without looking at me. I sigh loudly and keep my eyes forward.

"We have you set for a few pictures," the man continues, "then after that we were hoping to start with the animal farm for Sebastian?"

"Perfect," Sarah says, and from there her and the man gradually begin talking about Sebastian's schedule, purposefully leaving me out of the conversation. I shouldn't feel too upset-- Sarah is his manager, and has more responsibility over him since she has to monitor everything. My main job is to ensure that he says the right things and takes pictures at the right places. But I guess it's Sarah's obvious dislike towards me that makes me a little saddened. Still, I cannot let that affect me; I'm here for a job, and my main priority is to make sure this fair goes well, and that we have the mayor of Maryville on our side.

I look towards Sebastian and see him pretending to look interested as the mayor continuously talks about how excited he is about the fair. I'm about to silently scold him to brighten up, but think twice on it. We're already near the doors, and people have spotted us.

"Let's do this," Matthew says happily as the security guard opens the door.

**

"Alright, one more over here, Mr. Mayor! One more!"

Matthew and Sebastian both look to their left and smile at the camera, trying their best to hide their growing irritation due to the heat. There are many fair-goers who are behind the press taking photos on their phones. I smile slightly.

We have been taking photos for about ten minutes. I promise one more shot before we have to go to the barn, where the animals are. Sarah is talking to the "unnamed man" who is actually Matthew Carter's assistant, and I also spot Lucas running back with a water bottle in his hand for Sebastian.

"Alright, that's enough for now, Sebastian is going to go see the animals now," I announce. Swiftly, everyone follows as the security guide him and the mayor to the barn yard through the grass. The screams of gleeful children on rides and the carnival music which is accompanied by a blue's band in the distance gives off a "country fair" feel, but even so Sebastian isn't enjoying one moment.

"There are a group of kids waiting for him in there," a female voice says, that I soon find out belongs to Sarah. "I already told him that he's gonna pet some animals, pick some kids up to do the same. Good publicity."

"Okay, okay good," I fan myself with my hands. "What did the mayor's assistant say to you?"

"Nothing much, we just went over the schedule."

I nod in agreement and jog quickly to catch up to Sebastian.

"I presume Sarah already told you about what is expected?" I whisper to him.

"Yes," he rolls his eyes, but quickly smiles again when he sees someone taking a picture of him. "Say hi to some kids, pet some animals. Pointless shit."

"Keep that mentality up and we'll get nowhere," I say through a forced smile at the cameras.

We walk into a dark barn, where animals in pens are lined up on each side, and hay is scattered in the middle. A putrid smell combined with the heat hits us hard, and Sebastian gags before covering his mouth and pushing it down before anyone can notice. I pucker to my top lip covers my nostrils and turn the other direction.

Disgusting.

The press all stand behind a few security guards who create a barrier with their bodies as the mayor and Sebastian walk further into the barn, approaching a group of children. Sarah and I stand on the side with the mayor's assistant, and Lucas does the same once he runs by and gives Sebastian his bottle of water.

"Kids, this is Sebastian and Mr. Carter," a woman, who looks to be in her thirties says from behind the group of children. She wears khaki capri pants, a purple collared shirt that has a logo with a few animals inside of it, and tennis shoes. A hat is also over her head, but her blonde hair flows down her back in a long ponytail.

"Hi Sebastian and Mr. Carter!" They exclaim. Sebastian smiles uncomfortably at the sight of children while the mayor does the opposite, high-fiving and smiling proudly.

"Do. It." Sarah mouths harshly towards him. Sebastian notices her threat and kneels down to greet the kids.

"You're tall," a little girl with thick, black curls and dark skin tells him.

"Um...thanks?"

"Were you born tall?" She asks.

"Uh, no I just...genetics. Tall family members."

"My mama say that you have to drink all type a juice to grow real tall!" Another little girl says, flashing her smile at him to reveal a missing front tooth.

"Well, kids, that would be an effective way to grow tall like me if corporations didn't pump your fruit juice with growth-damaging hormones and pounds of sugar that eventually lead to diabetes and heart disease!" He says enthusiastically.

The kids become silent.

I clap my hands, "Okay! Well, if you all could file this way, here are some better photo angles!" I yell at the press, who immediately follow my directions while snapping a few photos. I try to keep my cool, but Sarah looks like she is going to explode.

I walk up to him as everyone is shuffling around, "Those are children! Be compassionate!"

"I'm trying, but they should know the truth-"

"I don't...care," I snap quietly. "People are watching, Sebastian, don't screw this up!"

I decide to stand closer to him. Easier monitoring access.

The woman who is standing behind the group of children addresses everyone in the barn.

"Hello, everyone! My name is Holly, and I work with the Tennessean Animal Research Center."

She points to the logo proudly with a smile.

"I'm real excited to be here today to, to spread awareness on the importance of knowing about our beautiful wild animals that share the land with us here in Tennessee. These great kids are also excited to learn about these animals here, right kids!?"

The kids cheer in front of the cameras.

Holly looks at Sebastian and the mayor, "If y'all wanna start here, with the American Yorkshire Pig."

"Certainly!" Matthew beams.

Sebastian and the mayor approach the pig, who sits up in the pigsty oinking once or twice. The kids look at the pig in wonder behind Sebastian and the mayor's long legs.

"This here, is Trixie. Trixie, as well as most Pigs, are very intelligent animals, who are curious and very smart," Holly says slowly for the children. "They love to be around other pigs and even people, too!"

The kids gasp, as five piglets appear from a pile of hay around the corner. Holly smiles, as if she knew this was going to happen. The cameras snap relentlessly behind us.

"These are Trixie's babies," she points to each piglet, "Buster, Dash, Mini, Blackie and Bonnie!"

"You remember all those names?" Sebastian asks. Everyone starts laughing, even though Sebastian is dead serious-- his face is as hard as stone as his eyebrows arch at Holly, who is laughing too.

"Well yeah, see, Mini is the smallest piglet, Blackie's gotta black mark right on his side, Dash is the fastest one-"

Dash starts running around while his siblings walk or even stand by their mother.

"-Buster's gotta mean little look, like he's got somethin' to say," she continues, the children giggling. "And finally there's Bonnie, who's just her ole piglet self."

"Who the hell came up with these names?" Sebastian mumbles. Luckily, only I heard him.

Suddenly, Holly leans over the gate and picks up a piglet in her hand, grabbing the back legs first before picking up the front legs and eventually holding the piglet in her hands. A volunteer wearing the same outfit as her runs over and does the same. The kids jump around excitedly at the piglets that are now held in front of them.

"Y'all gotta be careful pettin' these here piglets," the volunteer says, holding out Blackie in front of him. "They real sensitive."

The kids widen their eyes and gently take turns running their small hands over their pink coat. The piglets are small enough to hold, yet big enough to be held with two hands.

Holly, who seems to have "Dash" in her hand, kneels down in order for a little boy to pet him, but somehow Dash wiggles out of her grasp and falls onto the hay. The kids jump back in alarm and scream as Dash attempts to make a run for it. He squeals as Holly and the other volunteer reach to get him. Instead of trying to run to his mother, however, Dash runs the opposite direction and makes a beeline past the children.

Straight towards Sebastian.

When Dash is at Sebastian's feet, he squeals and runs around his shoe frantically, like he feels Sebastian is the only one who won't maul him to death.

I stand perfectly still as Dash continues to practically beg for Sebastian to show him some type of affection.

And Holly is shocked.

"Woah, woah, alright, alright," Sebastian says, looking at the pig and then back up and the mayor and I like he doesn't know what to do.

"P-pick him up! Pick 'em up!" Holly yells happily.

Sebastian obeys Holly and bends down to pick the piglet up, back legs first. When Dash is in his arms, he doesn't move. Instead he just sits contently in Sebastian's hold, occasionally moving around and quivering a bit.

And I can't believe it.

The press begins snapping endless photos, calling Sebastian's name left and right. Sebastian starts to look annoyed for some reason and doesn't even look their direction. Instead, he rolls his eyes, adjusts the piglet in his arms higher against his chest, and walks to the pigpen. The kids part like the red sea when he walks by. Holly extends her arms to him, but he pretends like she doesn't' have her hands out for the piglet.

"I think the piglets want to be with their mother," Sebastian tells Holly, taking Blackie out of the other Volunteer's arms and setting them both in the pigsty, where they run to their mother before she lays down and allows them all to feed.

What the hell did you just do, I whine mentally when I realize the press didn't get any good shots.

"I-I don't understand," Holly says to Sebastian with a polite smile, "the piglets were fine."

"If the piglets were fine, babe, they wouldn't be dying to get out of your arms and run to someone who wasn't passing them around like trinkets. They're babies, Heather."

Holly scrunches up her nose, "It's...Holly. And I think I would know what the piglets would want, Sir. I am a professional."

The kids all start to laugh loudly. The only ones frowning are Holly and I, who look at Sebastian like daggers are shooting out of our eyes.

Sebastian, for once, looks serious, "How would you feel if someone took your babies away from you and showed them around like an expedition? How do you think your kids would feel? I mean, I'm not completely on board with exploiting animals like this but babies, man. Really? Little infants who don't know anything or anyone but their mother. That's like...kidnapping in a sense. The mom can't do anything but watch you show her children around like that? And the fact that you know the piglets aren't comfortable, but you're just doing it for these cameras here? Not cool. C'mon, don't mess up the bond between a mother and baby like that. If you're a professional, you would know that."

Holly doesn't reply. The children stare up at Sebastian and absorb his words like they're scripture.

"Smart man," the mayor says next to me. "I didn't know he cared about baby animals like that."

"Yeah...me neither," I reply slowly and unsure.

One boy, the boy who was petting Dash before he ran off, walks up to Sebastian and hugs his leg.

"I'm sorry," he tells him with a lisp.

"aww's" erupt from all around us, and as the press starts to take more pictures of the small child hugging Sebastian's leg, I smile deviously, like an insane villain who has gained the upper hand. And in that moment, Sebastian looks up and gives Sarah, Lucas and I a discrete wink at his victory.

Jackpot.

**

Holly guides the rest of the group to a pen a ways away from the pigpen. By now, I'm feeling relived and even happy at the fact it's going well so far. Even Sarah lets a smile tug at her lips when she sees how the children seem to love Sebastian.

Sebastian pulls the unopened water bottle out of his front pocket and drinks as Holly introduces the next animal.

"This here is Bubba, our Alpine Goat," she says.

Bubba stares at the children from behind the wooden gate as they stare back at him with curiosity in their youthful eyes. The goat's eyes look mean, uninterested, and even one child notices his unfriendly glare and huddles closer to Holly.

"Goats are very social animals, and are very friendly towards humans."

Sebastian starts laughing, "He doesn't look too friendly."

"It's just hot, maybe when it cools down a bit Bubba will lighten up."

Sebastian, who finds humor in this goats irritability, leans against the pen and holds out his water bottle.

"Ah, ah, ah, AH!" He yells, tipping the bottle forward, then tipping it back quickly, toying with the goat.

"Um, I wouldn't recommend doing that, Sebastian," Holly advises, wide-eyed.

Before Sebastian can respond, Bubba lunges forward in one quick movement and shrieks lowly yet loudly enough for everyone to become frightened. Sebastian flinches until he realizes the goat is unfortunately confined behind his hay-covered prison.

"Feisty," he growls at Bubba, making everyone except Holly laugh.

Bubba huffs this time before screeching again and keeping his mouth wide so his tongue is visible. The kids, though scared at first, begin to laugh gradually.

"It's like he's speaking to you," the mayor teases, even though he looks suspicious of the goats behavior. And frankly, I'm growing suspicious as well.

Sebastian props his leg up on a wooden bar of the gate. Resting his hand on his knee, he seems to dismiss the loud moaning sound of the wood until the bar falls, and creates a chain effect that causes the two other bars to fall, too.

Suddenly, Bubba quickly spins around and kicks the damaged gate apart with his back legs before turning around and running out of the pen.

Charging straight towards Sebastian.

Screams and wails of fear echo through the barn as the children run for their lives. Sebastian drops his water bottle and sprints past the press who are scrambling as well to get away from the rogue goat, who, despite the potential victims, has his eyes set on Sebastian.

Bubba continues to chase Sebastian out of the barn, wailing and screeching as he moves his front and back legs faster and faster in pursuit. The camera men record the whole spectacle as the barn workers chase after the goat, and fair-goers scream and move out of the way. I can't move, nor can I even process what is going on.

Sebastian is really being chased by a goat.

"Zig-Zag, Zig-Zag!" Lucas yells while his face is pale and pasty with fear. Sebastian isn't listening, but instead jumps on top of a table that Bubba tries to jump on top of, too, until the barn workers finally restrain Bubba, after him and Sebastian ran around in circles for a good minute. Despite the men holding Bubba down and dragging him back from the

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