The first sign of the carnival wasn’t the music or the rides - it was the smell.

Maya caught it on the wind long before she saw anything. It was a mingling of buttered popcorn, fried dough, spun sugar, and something smoky from a food stall cooking hotdogs on a grill. It floated down the main street and wrapped around her like a promise.

“Leo! Do you smell that?” she called, her voice almost bouncing.

Her older brother was walking beside her, hands in his hoodie pockets, pretending not to be as excited. But Maya saw the corner of his mouth twitch into a smile.

“Yeah,” he said casually, “smells like… overpriced snacks.”

Maya rolled her eyes but grinned. “You’re just jealous you can’t eat as much as me.”

“I can eat more than you,” Leo said, nudging her shoulder. “Just watch.”