Circus Summer (Circus of Curiosities Book 1) (8 page)

            I don’t have much time to think about that though, because my lesson in fire eating immediately starts. Cecil Starr turns out to be a good teacher.

            “You can’t be afraid of the flame,” he says. “It can burn you, but if you understand it, you can easily control it.”

            He demonstrates, spraying out a stream of propellant that makes a gout of flame. He has us do the same. It’s easier than I think it will be, though swallowing the fire at the end is the hard part. Cecil demonstrates it, not keeping the torch in his mouth for long and being careful not to touch the sides of his mouth. He builds up to that with us slowly, working us through drills where we spin and twirl the flaming batons first. Eventually though, I manage it, and the feeling as that torch goes out is amazing. I did it. Sandy manages it too. She’s so excited that she actually hugs me.

            After a while, it’s time to switch trainers. Again, I find myself with a partner, and this time I’m paired with Banford the football player while we train with T. Bone Rhodes. Banford is polite, but there’s something else underneath that as T. Bone has us practice rolling and falling, making leaps and landings safely. Banford is competitive about everything. He wants to fall from higher than I do, to push harder. And he wants all of T. Bone’s attention, seeming to have questions for him every time the stunt performer tries to work on something with me. I get the feeling that, for all his studied politeness, Banford won’t hesitate to tear apart anyone who gets in his way. I’m kind of glad when Dr. Dex announces that it’s time to change again.

            This time I’m working with the Svenkos on the trapeze. It isn’t just me, because Zachary is my partner for this one. Mrs. Svenko takes me up high, to where the trapeze waits with a net below. She smiles when she sees that I’m not frightened by the height of it.

            “Good,” she says. “Some of the others… they weren’t so good. Now, we’ll start with something simple. My husband Albere will teach the boy how to hold onto the trapeze, and you will hold onto his hand while you swing. Then you will let go and land in the net. Easy, yes?”

            “I guess so,” I say. Suddenly, being up high is a little more intimidating. I have to rely on Zachary for this, rather than on myself. Still, I manage to hold on while he takes my hand, hanging upside down by his legs. He smiles, and something passes between us, a feeling of understanding, a camaraderie, like we’re in this together.

            “It’s going to be fine, Leela,” he promises. Then we swing out over the net. It’s scary for that first instant or two. Then I realize just how strong Zachary is. He could hold onto me all day easily if he wanted to. That brings thoughts to me of just what that would be like. Having Zachary hold onto me all day. I don’t think I’ve been this close to him before, having to rely on him like this. It’s about absolute trust, and amazingly, I find that I do trust Zachary. I trust him a lot, and I like looking up at his muscular body straining to hold me on the trapeze even more. When I dismount, dropping into the nets, I stare up at him a moment or two longer, thinking about how amazing he looks there…and how amazing he feels holding onto me.

            “Well,” Dr. Dex says. “That’s all we have time for this evening, but we’ll see you again tomorrow. I hope none of you found it too hard, because there’s a lot more work to do before you’re ready for the performances. Go home, get some rest, and get ready for tomorrow.”

            It’s only when he says it that I realize how tired I am. I want nothing more right then than to fall straight into bed and sleep. I say my goodbyes to the others and head out of the big top, only to find Thomas waiting for me.

            “Thomas? What are you doing here?”

            He looks like he’s been waiting a little while, leaning against one of the circus signs with a bag in one hand. He looks good there in the half light, and he looks even better as his face lights up at the sight of me. When did he start looking at me like that?

            He smiles. “Not quite the welcome I was hoping for, but I guess you’ve had a long evening. I came to walk you home.”

            “You came all this way to walk me home?” I say. “That’s really sweet, but you didn’t have to do that. I know how busy you must be.”

            “Even busier,” Thomas says, “since Frank has let me take over your shifts at the restaurant until you’re done at the circus so you can hold onto the job.”

            “He has? That’s…”

            “Everyone wants you to do well,” Thomas explains, cutting me off. He holds up a bag. “That’s why Frank gave me this to give to you. It’s food from the restaurant. He says that if you’re going to be taking part in the circus, then you need to keep your strength up.”

            “Thomas, you don’t have to take my shift.” That’s so kind of him. I lean in to kiss his cheek as a way of saying thank you, thinking of what a wonderful friend Thomas always is to me. He moves just slightly as I do it though, and I end up kissing him full on the lips. I start in shock, but Thomas catches hold of my arms and pulls me in close to him, kissing me thoroughly, deeply, and nothing like a friend. His lips taste amazing against mine, moving delicately, but still firmly enough to let me know that he’s in control.

            I kiss him back automatically at first, and then because I want to. I’m so swept up in the moment that I can’t want anything else. Finally though, I pull back, looking at him. I look around, trying to see if anyone has seen us, and that’s when I spot Zachary. He walks out of the big top in that moment, and he’s looking straight at us. The smile on his face disappears as he sees us, replaced by an expression that’s completely different, and a lot harder to look at. He looks almost… jealous.

            Thomas looks around, obviously spotting Zachary as well. He wraps an arm around me, and now it doesn’t just feel like the way a friend would do it. It feels almost like he’s claiming me, or sending a message to Zachary. I’m not sure if I like it, even though the kiss just a few seconds ago was amazing.

            “Come on,” Thomas says, and that seems to break through the tension. “We should get you home. I’m dying to hear what you did today in training, and I bet Mason is too. Plus, I want to get you back while this food is still warm.”

            I go along with it. After all, Thomas has been my friend forever, and the kiss was surprising, but nice. I put my arm through his and we head out together, walking away from where Zachary stands. I don’t want that kind of tension in my life, not when I still have to win at the circus.

            Except that there’s one obvious problem with that, which is that when we get home I’m supposed to be telling Thomas about what went on today, and of all the things I did in the circus training, the moment that stays with me most is the one where I was hanging by my hands from Zachary’s, trusting myself to him completely. I might be walking with Thomas, I might even have kissed him, but it isn’t his face that I’m imagining while we’re walking home together.

Chapter
9

S
chool is out for the weekend, but that just means more time training at the circus. I get up early so that I can tend to the vegetable garden out back of the house, and I swim down in the ocean the way I do most mornings. Then I head over there, wearing shorts and a tank top, because it will likely be a hard workout today.

I get there to find a large table laid out in the open air, with Dr. Dex sitting at the head of it, on a folding chair. He’s buttering a piece of toast as he looks up.

            “Looks like you’re the first one here, Leela,” he says, gesturing to a chair next to him. “Come sit down. Eat. Tell me how you enjoyed your training yesterday.”

            I take the seat he gestures to. “I’m a little sore,” I admit. “I don’t think I’ve used a lot of the muscles I used yesterday, but I liked the excitement of it. I liked being challenged like that.”

            “That’s good,” Dr. Dex says. “There are so many things it takes to succeed here, but attitude is a big one. If you manage to enjoy the challenges we set you, there’s less of a chance that you’ll fold under them.”

            He waves a hand at the table covered in food. “Help yourself. While you’re with us, you’ll eat with us. We can’t have our competitors going hungry, so every morning before school, you and the others will get this. There will be another meal in the evenings, and on weekends we will provide lunch too.”

            I can’t help looking a little surprised by that. These days, there aren’t that many people who have enough food to simply give it away on this scale. Food is expensive.  “That’s very generous.”

            Dr. Dex laughs. “It’s not generous, Leela. In fact, it’s very selfish. Starving performers are performers who don’t put on a good show for my audiences. You need to eat right to train and perform at the highest levels. By feeding you like this, I’m ensuring that you can entertain my customers.”

            He says that it’s selfish, but somehow I don’t believe him. There’s too much food here for that, and there’s too much enjoyment in Dr. Dex’s eyes when I finally start taking things to eat, piling them onto a plate. It’s far more than I would normally get.

            Dr. Dex and I are still alone, so I try to think of something to say. The only thing I can think of to talk about is the Circus of Curiosities, though.

            “You must have seen so many things, travelling around the United like this,” I say.

            “Yes,” Dr. Dex agrees, “I have. Some of those things have been wonderful; things I never thought I would see. Others have been… not so good.”

            “At least you’ve seen more than just Sea Cliff,” I say, sighing. That’s one of the reasons I wouldn’t let Thomas take my place. I love my family and everything else here, but at the same time, I know that there’s so much
more
to the world.

            “Trust me, Leela, there’s nothing wrong with living in a small town.”

            “Are you about to tell me that there are times when you wish you did?” I counter.

            Dr. Dex laughs. “Well… no.”

            I shake my head. “You know, I don’t think my mother wanted me to join the circus.”

“She doesn’t want you to be part of the greatest show in the United?” Dr. Dex asks, standing.

I join him. “She thinks it’s dangerous. Everybody thinks it’s dangerous. I’ve heard rumors that sometimes… people don’t come back from here.”

            “And yet they keep coming to watch,” he says, with a smile that’s slightly sad. “I think that says something about people, don’t you? Well, since you asked, and since I believe in giving everyone the chance to back out before each round, I’ll give you an answer.”

            He pauses as though trying to work out what to say. Somehow, I get the feeling that Dr. Dex is rarely truly stuck for words though, and he quickly keeps going.

            “The Circus of Curiosities is designed to push the limits of humanity. We do things that defy imagination, and have people perform feats that are right at the edge of what they can do. We push people to the edge, and provide entertainment by doing that, but pushing people to the very edge means that sometimes they can’t cope with it. Yes, Leela, people have died.”

            “You don’t sound very sorry about that,” I say.

            Dr. Dex shakes his head. “It’s necessary.”

            “
Why
is it necessary?”

            He smiles. “Because otherwise we wouldn’t be putting on much of a show, would we.” His expression becomes a little more serious. “We don’t make anyone do this, Leela. You signed up of your own free will. So did everyone else who has ever taken part in our performances. And as I said, I give them the chance to walk away. Before we move on to the next performance, I
always
give them the chance to walk away.”

            That sounds like it’s important to him, almost like an article of faith.

            “And what about if they get to the next town and don’t want to perform then?” I ask.

            “Ah,” Dr. Dex says. “Then we have a problem. We have a saying here in the Circus of Curiosities. The show must go on. If you agree to do something, then you do it, with no excuses. That’s the way things work, and if you aren’t prepared… well, yes, you could die.”

            He puts it that bluntly, looking at me all the while like he’s watching to see what my reaction will be. Maybe he is. Maybe all of this is just to see how the girl from Sea Cliff will react when he says that people die. Or maybe it’s something else. There’s a kind of glint in his eyes when he says it, something close to warmth.

            “You’ll be properly prepared, won’t you, Leela?” he asks.

            I nod. I want to say no. I want to run away. But I nod. “I will be. I have to succeed. My family’s counting on me for this.”

            Dr. Dex half closes his eyes as though he’s thinking about something else. When he speaks again, his voice is soft and filled with genuine concern. “How’s your mother doing?”

            “She seems a little better since I said I was part of the circus. Like she’s fighting whatever is wrong with her.”