With my stomach in knots, my vision dazed, and my knees struggling to hold my weight, I held a death grip onto the railing of the rollercoaster. I'd be lying if I said it was the worst I had felt, but it was definitely in the top five. I didn't understand why people got so excited about insane rides like this. Sure, I got the adrenaline rush of going up and down the hills, but when it came to the rickety cart flipping us upside down, I'd pass.

I didn't hate it though. The part going up the hill was alright, and I liked when we stopped. I knew Rose and Snake wouldn't rest until I did about three more "big rides", so I needed to pace myself in complaints. It looked like we had reached a stopping point for a second as Double and Snake took spots on a nearby picnic table. I went ahead and sat down next to Dani and across from Koto. I was surprised to learn that she liked roller coasters as much as the others did. She wasn't as crazy about them as Rose or Snake, but she still insisted I face my fears.

When we sat down, Koto looked at me and began to sign.

"How was it?" she asked.

I signed back, "Different...not bad though"

When my wrist flicked up involuntarily, I covered my hands with the sleeves of my sweater. The sun was getting dimmer, but that also meant the weather would be dropping soon. Thankfully though, that seemed to be my only problem. I managed to convince the family to stay home and care for the house, but with my Quirk, it would take a lot more than that to get rid of all the spirits.

I looked around, and for every living person I saw, I noticed a glowing ghost near them. It was nights like these at big events where my vision was clouded with the paranormal light of ghosts as they tried to make small talk with me.

An enderly man named Kyoko talked my ear off about Mahjong and how his grandkids never played anymore. A Russian figure skater that died on the rink called herself Svetlonna, but that's all I could understand from her. She still thought that I would get the point if she just talked louder in her native language, but that was far more irritating than helpful.

It was getting tough to drown them out, but I didn't have much of a choice. I tried to ignore the dozens of ghosts and focus back on my friends.

"Mind if we just chill here for a bit," Dani asked, making sure to pull his wraps down for me. "I'm starving."

Double shook his head at this. "Man, how-how can you even-you even think about food after that-that ride?" Dani shrugged, already taking his phone out and researching a menu online.

Rose was the only one of us to be standing, keeping her arms folded while she looked at the rest of us. "Well, if all we're gonna do is sit around, then I'm going back to my giraffe."

Since she spotted the thing, Rose has held a mild obsession with winning that stuffed giraffe at the ring toss game. I didn't know what she saw in the children's toy, but Rose took a single glance at it and told us she wouldn't be leaving without it.

I reached for my phone and quickly wrote on a blank note, "How much of your money do you plan on wasting on that game?"

Rose smirked at this as if she had a genius plan in mind. "I don't plan to waste any as long as I got my carnival buddy here." She slapped a hand on Double's back while he hesitantly glanced back up to her, almost afraid.

"What-what?"

Before we knew it, Double was being helped off his seat by Rose as she explained, "I definitely remember you mentioning that Quirk of yours being able to replicate money. And I knew that would be of use to me one of these days." Double didn't seem to have a choice in the matter with Rose already gently tugging his arm in the direction of the prized giraffe.

I grabbed a pen and quickly scribbled onto a napkin while the two of them were still in reach. I handed over my note reading, "Isn't that cheating?"

Double sighed and leaned his head back as Rose was working to drag him along. "It's-It's better than watching-than watching her sell her-her bionics to pay for the-for the thing."

We didn't see much of them after that. With Rose and Double off on their quest in the carnival games, I was left with Snake, Dani, and Koto. The four of us rested at the picnic table, Snake already leaning on the wooden surface and Dani facing Double and Rose as they left.

"Either one of them will go broke, or we're gonna have to help tote around that stupid toy all day," he mouthed, frowning at the idea of either option.

Snake's hair twitched while she nodded, sitting up and tilting her head in the opposite direction. "We might as well get s-something to eat while we wait on them." Dani looked at me then Koto for an agreement, and with that, we followed the scent of fried treats to the nearest food truck.

The sun was setting against the busy park, lessening the strain against my eyes. Koto couldn't seem to take hers off the painted sky as she followed along. I occasionally would turn around to make sure she was still on our trail, let her watch the sky for a minute, then hurry to catch up to Dani and Snake.

Snake stopped at the first food truck with a short line and ordered her meal with Dani, Koto, and myself going after. Snake bought herself a veggie burger, Dani found an order of churros, and Koto grabbed a plate of fish tacos. Snake asked if I was sure after I didn't order anything other than a hot chocolate, but it was freezing outside. I also knew that if I was going to be dragged on any more rides, I might want to stick with something light.

We all took a seat in the clearest area. While the table we ate at seemed open to my friends, I couldn't rid myself of the visions and voices of the ghosts crowding around us. Before I could even sit down, the ghosts began their attempts to start a conversation with me. These new faces clearly didn't understand that even though they're dead, I still need my personal space from them. I tried scooting away from the voices and their pestering questions, but I didn't want to crowd Koto, and I kept my distance.

I needed to tune out these ghosts. They were starting to bug me so much that I felt the tics tingling the back of my head. I faced my friends as they talked and focused on their conversation to keep my mind busy on reading lips.

"So, you're in the Hero Course, huh?" Snake hissed.

Sitting across from her, Koto put her plastic fork down and nodded, holding one hand out while she signed along. "That's right."

"What's that like?"

Koto shrugged, "I want to say it's not much different other than our afternoon classes. I still have Professor Q for science and Mr. Ape-X for history, but I'm struggling a bit there."

"Don't get me started on Ape-X's classes," Dani groaned.

I pulled up my hands to sign, hoping it was simple enough for him to catch on or banking on Koto translating. "I like his classes. They're a lot less crazy than Q's shop class."

"You can s-say that again," Snake agreed. We all loved Q, but some of his lesson plans could get a bit extreme. I wasn't sure how Rose handled living with him.

Koto began to join in, signing, "Finals are coming up. What are his exams like?"

Snake and Dani quickly locked a stare then glanced at me. Neither of us had to take a final exam with Q before. With that man, it was hard to prepare.

Koto looked at the three of us. "That bad?"

"If we survive, we'll let you know how it went," Dani told her. Snake hissed with a laugh, but I knew Dani was more serious than that.

It wasn't long until my friends finished eating. I held my cup of hot chocolate close and let the insulated warmth keep my hands relaxed. Eventually, Snake texted Rose and Double where to meet us. Minutes later, the two of them were walking over, Double looking exhausted and Rose holding a giant stuffed giraffe under her arm with a victorious smile.

I turned around in my chair and signed to Rose, "Tell me you didn't-"

She stopped me, "I did!" Rose laughed at triumph while she held up in her arms the derpiest looking stuffed giraffe. Rose hugged her new giraffe close with a big smile as Double took a seat and leaned his head down. Koto applauded the two of them then signed, "Are you going to name him?"

"Of course, I have to," Rose said. She picked up her giant giraffe and looked at it in it's wide, uneven eyes. "It has to be perfect. This giraffe needs a sophisticated name. One that can reflect such a delicate and graceful creature."

Koto quickly snapped her fingers to signal an idea. She eagerly signed the name, "Gerald."

Rose gasped, pointing to Koto, "Yes! That's perfect."

Dani stood up from the table and stood next to Gerald. He put his hand on its head as if he was looking to measure how tall the giraffe was. It was definitely one of the big prizes as it came up to Dani's waist and a little above Rose's when flat on the ground.

"That thing is huge," Dani commented, "Where are you even gonna take it?"

Rose pulled her prize back, eyeing Dani offendedly. "Everywhere. He won't need to leave my side."

Dani rolled his eyes, and I signed, "It won't be staying in the lab."

Rose argued, "Yes, he will! Where else do you expect him to stay?"

"There's no room for it."

"We'll make room."

"It's just a silly giraffe toy."

Rose once again deeply gasped with her hand over her heart. She pulled Gerald away from me and shot a hurt glare my way. "You're over the line, Rockefeller."

Now, I knew she was serious. In our year of knowing one another, I think Rose used my real name once and it was likely by accident. I let her win this round, but we would probably be discussing her giant giraffe another day.

With Rose being stubborn about keeping Gerald, she pulled it over to hold on her back. Snake stood up, stretching her arm back behind her head. "Since you're back, can we go on another ride?"

Rose smiled, and we already knew her answer. Double stayed seated with his head on the table, looking less on board. I remembered him mentioning to me that a drawback to his Quirk was rapid fatigueness, and spending a while using it to help Rose out couldn't have been great for his energy.

I looked around the park for a ride that would be simple enough for Double, sane enough for me, and one that would let Rose bring Gerald on. Past a couple rollercoasters and game stands, a giant wheel could be seen over the horizon as it rotated slowly. Instead of signing, I pointed my thumb over to the ride.

"A ferris wheel?" Rose asked, turning her head up while Snake had to lean on her toes.

Snake smiled to herself and looked back at us. "What are we waiting for?"

⊱ ────── {.⋅ ♫ ⋅.} ───── ⊰

The ferris wheel was a good distance away, but our group was determined to make it there. Koto, Rose, and Snake walked ahead of us while Dani took his time and Double dragged behind. When we made it there, Dani stopped before we could make it to the entrance. I looked back to him and signed an 'OK' symbol to him, asking if there was a problem.

Soon, Snake and Rose had stopped to wait on Dani, and the rest of us were facing him. Our tall friend turned his head down after watching the ferris wheel carefully. He rubbed the back of his neck while he quietly explained.

"You know I don't like heights."

Snake scoffed, reaching up to lightly punch his arm. "That's not true. We just went on a ton of rides."

She wasn't wrong, but Snake didn't seem to notice that Dani only went on the fast roller coasters. He only participated in the not-so-wild rides and even then, he didn't seem thrilled, not that he ever did. I could imagine that quick rides were alright, but some people didn't like the slow heights of ferris wheels.

"Come on, Dan, we'll go on it with you," Rose offered. Dani responded with a cold glare that reminded Rose she wouldn't be able to ride with anyone after making room for Gerald.

Snake crossed her arms, looking up at Dani and saying, "I don't let any of my friends miss-s out. We'll figure something out."

"I couldn't care less," Dani tried to fight, but Snake was ready with a plan. She looked at our group and silently thought to herself before giving a solution.

"First, Rose will take her giraffe on one cart. Me and Double will cram into either side of Dani; then, Rocket and Koto can ride below us. You won't be the one closest or farthest from the ground, and you'll have us on either side of you in case something happens."

Dani still didn't seem on board, but he knew better than fighting this any further. If Snake and Rose could drag me on my first roller coaster, then they could make him go on a ferris wheel.

Soon, we all took seats just as Snake advised. Rose rode with Gerald, and Double, Snake, and Dani squished into one cart. That left Koto and me on the cart below everyone else's. I would admit it could have been worse, but I wasn't sure if Koto would rather have rode with the other adrenaline junkies that would be rocking the cart the whole time.

That did matter though. I still had to take a seat in the rickety cart with Koto sliding in next to me. I made sure to stay as closest to the edge as I could and gave her plenty of space.

The ride began to move, sending us on the rotating wheel going clockwise. I noticed the ghosts that were once pestering me didn't bother floating up, and it looked like I would have a brief moment of peace while on this ride. I looked over and Koto still had her nose to the sky. This time, she was instead watching the night stars rather than the sunset. I let her do her thing for a moment, even glancing up once to see what the fuss was about.

When Koto looked back down and saw me watching the sky with her, she smiled and laughed. She then began to sign to me, taking off her mittens to pull her fingers up to her face and curve around her smile.

"Having fun?" She asked.

I'd be lying if I said this night was a total waste. It was nice to take a break from school and get out of the house, even if it meant freezing my fingers off. I nodded to Koto, signing back, "It was worth the trip."

Seeing this, she smiled back. I knew she was on edge about hanging out with us from the way she kept quiet and to herself for the first part of the evening. But after getting to know the others a bit, Koto fit in just fine.

"Do you plan to help Rose take Gerald through the bullet train?" Koto signed.

I turned my head back up to see Rose by herself on a cart and already using Gerald as a pillow. I looked back down to Koto and shook my head.

"Not a chance." This time, I got a laugh out of her even if I was being dead serious.

We rode in silence, or in our case, without signing, for a while. We let the ferris wheel spin us around slowly until we were near the top with our friends on either side. Signing back and forth, Koto and I talked about classes, our upcoming finals, and some things about her Hero costume. She explained more about what she knew about circuit boards, and it was interesting to learn she knew her way around a Support lab better than some of her classmates.

When the conversation hit a pause, Koto continued to sign to me. "Can I ask something?" I motioned for her to elaborate, and she went on with her question. "When Rose was talking about her giraffe, she called you 'Rockefeller.' Is that like a nickname for you?"

I could see where she might misunderstand that, and I realized that I never actually told her my name. When we met, I just used my nickname to sign to her as it was the easiest. I guessed that Koto was only then catching on that I had an actual name too.

I told her, "No, she was just using my full name to pick on me. I guess 'Rocket' is the nickname since that's what people call me instead of Rockefeller."

Rockefeller was a family name courtesy of my dad. He knew sign language when I was growing up, so the sign for my surname was already made. Much like the sign for 'rocket', Rockefeller was made by pulling one's pointer and middle finger away from a closed fist.

Koto tried out the sign herself and said, "I still think 'rocket' is more fun to sign."

She had a point as my surname was much more basic than the universal sign for a rocket. Since my nickname was already a word in the language, I used the symbol for a rocket for myself by holding my hand out and gesturing with my fingers, pulling out in a blast motion. It was a little similar to Koto's harp-like sign, but it wasn't anything I could've taken credit for.

I reminded Koto how to sign the word rocket and compared it to my name. She stopped me halfway through and made me look at her as she asked, "Hold on. Does that mean you have a sign for your first name?"

I was about to tell her my first name, but I was stopped with the realization that I didn't have one in sign language. I rarely met people who knew sign, and on the rare occasion I did, I only went by my nickname.

When it comes to signing names, people usually make their own. This meant I couldn't tell Koto my name until I made a sign. I guess I could have just told her it wasn't important, but I didn't like the idea of letting her down then. I tried to quickly pull something out of my hat that would stay with me for who knows how long.

My first name was three syllables and heavy on consonants. It was unique with where we lived, but it was something people used to have an easy time understanding. The ghosts would accent on the last syllable and leave the second softer. I tried to create a sign that conveyed this the way I used to hear it.

I turned around until the front of my was angled closet to Koto. My eyes watched my hands that were wrapped in warm mittens. I didn't want to pull my gloves off, so I left my fingers irrelevant in the sign. I started to slowly push the front of my knuckles together with my palms almost touching flat. After clicking my knuckles together, I pushed the bases of my palms together for the second syllable. Then, I ended the sign my clicking my right fist against my left palm. I tried the sign again to myself once more then held my hands up to show Koto.

"It's Mordecai." I signed her each letter and watched her study the movements carefully, her finger tapping along to the three clicks. After finishing the sign for the name, I then signed out the individual letters for Koto to translate what my name meant.

Koto looked down to her hands. She had taken her mittens off since we started talking, but she put them back on as if it was key to the sign. She tried out the sign to herself a couple times, and then showed it once to me.

"Mordecai?" She signed. I helped her adjust the way her fist connected to her palm, and let her give it a shot with more confidence.

"Mordecai." She looked back up at me as if to ask if she was closer that time. I gave her a nod and watched her smile grow as she continued to try out the name. I figured that she liked it as much as the other signs for my name because she continued to play around with the gestures, even making a sentence.

"Nice to meet you, Mordecai Rockefeller, or should I say Rocket?" Her sentence was dramatic and accented the new signs, but Koto's grin was enough to say she was only enjoying herself.

It was new to me to see someone using my name, much less in sign. I didn't mind it though, and I let Koto decide which name she felt like using for me.

We were back to comfortable silence. Koto's eyes once again started to glance up at the horizon now that we were towards the bottom of the wheel. I began to sign to her about what she was seeing when I instead caught a sight of something far more relevant falling down.

Crashing in from above and scaring the hell out of me was Rose's stupid giraffe from the cart up above us. I looked up to see Rose's head leaning over the cart, her hands gripping the safety bar and her curls falling down. She cried out, "GERRY NOOO!!"

I looked down and saw the stuffed giraffe gently fall onto the paved entrance below us. Rose continued to scream about Gerald with her hands clutching her hair and aching to get off this ride and go save her giraffe.

From below her and still above Koto and I, Dani looked up to Rose disappointedly. "You've had the thing for five minutes, and you drop it‽"

Rose and Dani argued, Double tried to stop them, Snake laughed, and Koto tried to save Gerald. I knew having a peaceful night out would be impossible with this group of people, but sometimes I had a good time with their craziness.

Thank you to riceygirl101for the banner!

Thank you FoxyPuff for the meme!!

Chapter five is dedicated to StupidHufflepuffuwu