Freeks(54)

After Roxie and I visited Seth, we came back to the carnival and got to work. It was a full crowd again, but relatively uneventful. When nightfall came, I sat posted at the window, watching and waiting for the creature to come back again.

But it never had. There had been no strange noises. No monsters. No bad dreams.

So, I got up and got ready and went about my day helping where I was needed. The camp felt strange and silent without the tigers. Zeke had picked up Mahilā, and he was taking her and Safēda to Houston to see an exotic animal specialist.

The Phoenixes had done their afternoon show in the tent. Despite Jackie’s growing concerns about Caudry, it seemed that for now they were staying.

The rain started in the afternoon, and though it showed no signs of letting up, the lines of people kept getting longer. So far, the showers were light enough that the rides could stay open, but people flocked to the shows to stay dry.

To help expedite the lines because of the weather, I stood outside of the main tent with Hutch and took tickets. It was a large red-and-white-striped tent that looked exactly like it came out of an ad for Barnum & Bailey’s Circus.

Usually, Zeke would do a show with his tigers in the big tent on Wednesdays, but with them gone, Gideon had stepped up to do another magic act. Posters on the side of the tent and around the carnival depicted him in a sharp tuxedo replete with a red bow tie and top hat, under the banner of Gideon Davorin—Master of Illusions and Dark Arts.

Once in costume, Gideon smiled and dazzled as he performed. Under his working-class exterior, a real showman lurked. Sometimes I’d sit in the back of the tent, watching his act, and the audience always sat in rapt attention.

The length of the lines to his shows was evidence of his talent. Even when the weather wasn’t bad, repeat viewings weren’t uncommon.

Fortunately, the tent had a large overhang, so Hutch and I were able to stay dry as we collected tickets. The line was getting near the end when I heard someone squeal, “Mara!”

I looked over to see Selena standing a few feet away under an umbrella held by Logan, and she waved wildly at me. Her hot pink rainboots matched her lipstick perfectly, and her black hair was perfectly styled.

“I think I can handle these last few folks if you wanna go say hi to your friend,” Hutch said, gesturing to where Selena continued to grin broadly at me.

“Thanks,” I said, but I didn’t really know how grateful I felt. So far, Selena had been nothing but nice to me, but Logan had proved himself to be quite the jerk.

But since she was standing there, waiting for me, I couldn’t exactly ignore her, so I jogged over to them. Though her umbrella was large, it wasn’t quite big enough for me to stand under without squishing against them, so I stayed just outside, letting the rain dampen my clothes and hair.

“I was hoping I would see you here tonight,” Selena said, then she seemed to notice the drops of water splashing on me. “Oh gosh, I don’t want you getting soaked. Let’s move over here where it’s a bit drier.”

Selena stepped a few paces over toward the midway, with Logan dutifully following to keep the umbrella over her. A blue tent reached out past a ring toss with goldfish as the prize, so we stopped just under it, leaving room for customers to play the game.

“That’s better,” Selena said, turning her doe eyes to me. “So, how are you doing?”

“Fine, I guess.” I ran my hand through my damp hair, trying to smooth it, since I felt decidedly unglamorous in my hand-me-down dress compared to her. “It’s been busy out here, so I’ve been working a lot.”

“At least it looks like the dog didn’t get you,” Logan muttered. He wasn’t looking at me when he spoke, instead preferring to sneer at a little girl who was crying because she failed to win a fish.

Selena’s cheery demeanor instantly fell, replaced by a worried frown and frantic eyes. “What dog? What are you talking about?”

“Didn’t you hear?” Logan chuckled and turned his attention back to his girlfriend. “They’re claiming that there was some kind of coyote attacking their tigers. Troy’s dad had to come and check it out.”

Her tawny skin paled, making the rouge on her cheeks stand out more. “There’s a coyote?”

“No,” Logan scoffed. “Troy’s dad thinks they’re just trying for insurance fraud.”

“It is not insurance fraud,” I snapped, and glared at Logan, not that it fazed him. Nothing seemed to faze him, except Gabe’s threats of violence. “Something really attacked the tigers.”

Logan held up his hands in a gesture of peace, but the arrogant smirk remained plastered on his face. “Whatever you say. You guys must be the only carnies out there not scheming or looking for a quick buck.”

“Logan!” Selena swatted him in the arm hard enough to make him actually flinch. “Be nice to her! She’s my brother’s girlfriend.”

My irritation with Logan momentarily disappeared when I heard the word girlfriend, and I felt my whole body flush. I’d kissed boys and gone out with them before, but I’d never hung around anywhere long enough for me to really be someone’s girlfriend.

Even now, seeing Gabe nearly every day since we’d gotten to town, I wouldn’t really consider myself his girlfriend. That was a title reserved for something more serious, something that lasted longer than a week.