Freeks(35)

“Now, I know some of you probably think we should pack up and cut our losses,” Gideon said.

Only a few murmured their agreement, with Jackie Phoenix being the loudest.

“Our contract stipulates that we don’t get paid until Sunday the twenty-second, the last day of our show.” Gideon spoke loudly so his words would drown out the protests. “The midway has made some money, but we’ve only had one night of shows. We haven’t even made enough to cover the cost of getting out of here.

“I won’t force anyone to stay,” Gideon said. “Everyone is always free to go, whenever they choose. But I am staying.” He paused. “Would any of you like to leave now, before you’ve gotten paid?”

Someone coughed, and a few chairs creaked as people shifted their weight. But no one raised their hand or stood up. Everyone was staying.

“We do need to take extra precautions, beyond the ones I mentioned with the tigers,” Gideon went on. “You cannot count on your extra senses, since they’ve been going out. For those of you that perform, you need to do things the old-school way—no tricks to save you or help you.

“I’m also instituting a buddy system,” Gideon said, and this was met with groans and eye rolling. “At least when it’s dark out. Don’t go anywhere alone. There’s no reason to risk it.

“All right. Any questions?” Gideon asked, and when there didn’t appear to be any, he said, “Let’s go to work, then. Everybody try to have a good time, and stay safe.”

We all had jobs to do, but everyone seemed slow to clear out. Gideon had given us a lot to take in, even if I already knew some of it.

Roxie muttered as she stood up, “This sucks.” Then she raised her arms over her head, stretching, and the short pink top she wore rose high, revealing her taut belly.

“It sure does,” Hutch agreed, letting his gaze linger on her exposed skin. Roxie noticed, so she swatted him on the arm. “Sorry.”

“At least it explains what happened with me the other night. Sorta.” Her brow furrowed, and she pursed her lips for a moment, then turned to me. “What about you? Have you felt anything?”

Gideon had asked me the same question after we left Leonid’s, and I told him I hadn’t. At least not at Leonid’s. Since we’d gotten to Caudry, I’d had these weird flashes of cold, especially in my chest, but that was all. There I was, mere feet away from this super-powerful water, and everyone else’s senses were going wacko.

That was all the proof I needed that I didn’t have the same “gift” as my mother. The chill I felt wasn’t anything more than nerves or a cold draft.

“No,” I answered Roxie. “But I never do.”





18. lust

“You’re gonna be late if you don’t head out soon,” Roxie told the mirror, but the reflection of her blue eyes was locked on me. The red sequins on her slinky two-piece outfit glinted under the light from the globed bulbs of her vanity, and her bleached-blond hair was teased out as large as it could go.

Tacked up on top of the mirror were a few photo-booth snaps of her and Carrie, along with another one of me, Roxie, and Blossom. Next to the pictures was a flier for Roxie’s solo show, which featured a drawing of scantily clad Roxie standing in a ring of fire with the words Foxy Roxie Plays with Fire written in flames across the top.

“What if you need my help?” I asked, but I glanced at the clock and saw that it was already 7:56.

I sat on the tattered fold-out sofa in the back of Roxie’s Airstream, watching her get ready under the guise of helping. I’d already done my gathering for the night, and for the moment, nobody needed my help.

“The show doesn’t start for a half hour, and I’m already practically ready.” Roxie gestured to her attire and heavy makeup. “I’ll be fine.”

“I know … but Carrie isn’t here,” I said.

Usually, Roxie and Carrie performed together in a sort of burlesque show. They danced provocatively in skimpy outfits, but never took their clothes off, and they usually incorporated some element of magic. Roxie played with fire, and Carrie did tricks with hoops and made flowers appear and disappear.

But with Seth still in the hospital—recuperating very slowly, according to the doctors—Carrie remained posted at his bedside, meaning Roxie was doing the act by herself.

“I’ll be fine,” Roxie repeated, and turned to face me. “Why don’t you want to go meet Gabe?”

“It’s not that I don’t want to see him.”

In fact, my heart skipped a beat every time I thought of him, and I wanted nothing more than to see him and talk to him and feel his lips against mine.

“Then what is it?” Roxie pressed.

“With everything going on, I feel bad,” I explained lamely. “Like I shouldn’t be out having fun.”

Roxie folded her arms over her chest. “So, you think if you weren’t out having fun with a cute guy for a couple hours, Seth would magically be all better? And all the weird vibes going on here would disappear? And the carnival suddenly wouldn’t be going broke?”

I lowered my eyes. “Well, no.”

“If you didn’t go meet Gabe, what would you be doing?” Roxie asked. “Hanging out in your trailer, reading a book and waiting around to see if someone needed a hand—even though you know that nobody will, not until it’s time to close up for the night.”