Circus of the Dead: Book 2

by Kimberly Loth

  “What’s up with the birds?” She gives me a nervous smile.

  I tell her about last night even though my voice trembles a bit as I talk.

  She leans forward and puts a hand on my shoulder. “Are you okay?”

  “I think so.”

  She searches my face and must have found what she was looking for. She sits up tall, her face red. “Samuel should be castrated. What are we going to do?”

  “Nothing. At least not yet. I’m working on learning magic, and when I’ve mastered it, I’ll take him on.” I don’t tell her about the fire. For some reason, I want to keep that close to me for now. I’m afraid if I share it, I’ll jinx it or something.

  She shrugs. “Well, looks like you have a new pet.”

  More like a guard dog. Though, he’s not very vicious. “I don’t even know what to do with this thing.”

  “You have to name him.”

  “He looks like a dinosaur.”

  Juliette laughs and claps her hands. “I love dinosaurs. You should name him Raptor.”

  “That works.” I don’t have anything better, and besides, even if I come up with my own name, Juliette will always assume her name is the right one.

  “I gotta run. Thanks for the help naming him. Now, I just gotta figure out what to do with him.”

  She points behind him. “And all the other birds.”

  Sure enough, the trees behind me are filled with all kinds of birds. Do I need to feed them? I shouldn’t have to. They’re birds after all.

  I shrug. “I’ll figure it out.”

  “Mom wants me to invite you for dinner tonight.”

  “Of course. I’ll see you at six.”

  I head for Lorena’s because she’ll be able to help me with the magic, but I freeze behind a tree as the birds make a racket. I try to shush them.

  Samuel and Lorena are arguing on her porch. I can’t hear the words, but Samuel’s face is contorted. And Lorena’s hands are waving in all kinds of directions. I should try to get closer, but seeing Samuel makes me want to puke. Plus, the birds would give me away. I watch Samuel and Lorena gesticulate wildly to one another, and I’m surprised they haven’t come to blows.

  After several moments, Samuel storms away. I wait until he’s out of sight before I march to Lorena’s porch. She’s still standing there looking after Samuel.

  “Oh, no, child, I’m not in the mood to deal with you today. We’ll work on magic tomorrow.” She turns around, steps on a frog, and squeals. I try not to laugh, but I’m not successful, and she glares at me.

  “I just want to show you something.” I can’t wait for her to see what I can do.

  She rubs her forehead. “Okay, but make it fast. I really need some time by myself.”

  I hold out my hand and concentrate. A small orange flame pops up. Something like triumph appears behind Lorena’s eyes, but it’s quickly extinguished and replaced by fear.

  “Put that away,” she snaps.

  “Why?”

  “There are two kinds of magic in the world. It appears you are adept at the active kind. The one that is used on people and not in reaction to others. It is the dark to the light. I rarely use it. You shouldn’t either.”

  I clench my fists. I finally figure out a way to protect myself, and she’s acting like it’s not okay. “Will you stop me?”

  She shakes her head. “I would say yes, but you wouldn’t listen. Hang on.”

  She goes back into her boat and comes out with her arms full of books. “Here. Read these. If you are going to practice black magic, you might as well know exactly what you are getting into.”

  I take the books from her. “Thank you.” I know the magic will change me, but I’d rather be changed a bit and protected than raped in the middle of the night.

  “You’ll regret this.” She looks down on me like a disapproving teacher.

  Maybe I will, and maybe I won’t. But at least, I won’t be subject to Samuel’s assaults.

  “Do you still want me to leave?”

  She waves to the chair. “No, you might as well sit. You’ll have questions.”

  I collapse into a porch chair and start to read.

  Over the next two weeks, I spend most of my time reading and practicing magic. By Saturday, not only can I conjure fire, but I can also conjure water and wind. I can also silence the birds, which is the most useful spell I’ve learned so far.

  I collapse onto the couch on Lorena’s boat, exhausted. My cheek is red because I still can’t produce a decent protection spell, and Lorena insists on slapping me to test them out. Which, I guess, makes sense. It’s better than a punch to the nose.

  Lorena hands me a glass of iced tea and sits on the coffee table directly in front of me.

  “I’m worried about you.”

  The cool liquid feels good on my throat. “What do you mean?”

  “The only magic you seem to produce is the kind produced by dark witches. I’m afraid you’ll turn dark and evil even if you don’t want to.”

  I swallow. What if it does something to my soul, turning me evil somehow? Is that what happened to Samuel? No, I refuse to believe that he was once a good person. He had to have evil tendencies first. I’m a good person.

  Mostly.

  Using one kind of magic over another won’t change me.

  I stand abruptly.

  “I’ll be fine. I’ll come back tomorrow.”

  Lorena frowns but doesn’t say anything. She walks me to the door. The birds crowd all over the porch. All kinds—ravens, cranes, sparrows, ducks, and a bunch of others that I still don’t know the names of.

  “Can’t you make them leave?” Lorena asks with a scowl.

  “I don’t want to, though I’m sure I could figure out how. They sit all over my porch, but they move for me.”

  Raptor squawks and nudges my leg. He follows me around wherever I go, and he even sleeps with me.

  Lorena wrinkles her nose. “Eck. You must have gotten pooped on by now.”

  “Nope. Don’t jinx it.” I give her a grin, but she doesn’t look amused. “See you later.”

  The birds flutter around me as I make my way off her dock and onto the path. The noise of the feathers ruffling is almost deafening, but there is a comfort in it. Especially when I approach my dock and see Samuel standing a few boats down, watching me. I don’t acknowledge him and slip into my house, Raptor in tow. The boat groans a little as the birds settle on the roof and the porch.

  The night of the new moon arrives. I skip my show and stay in my boat surrounded by my birds. I want to see Benny, and yet I don’t. This is the night he can kill me, and I hope he has the good sense to stay away. Plus, my feelings are still all mixed up. He’s so sweet, and I know he’s done nothing but protect me, but I worry about getting entangled with a ghost. It’s bound to end badly.

  Ugh. Why couldn’t he just want to be my friend? That would make this so much easier.

  About four a.m., there’s a rap at my door, and I peek out. Benny stands there with a goofy grin on his face.

  In spite of my better judgment, I open the door, and the humidity hits me. It’s close to dawn, and this is the riskiest time, but I’ve missed him.

  “Doll, you’re hiding from me.” He stands there with a crooked grin on his face.

  “No, I’ve been hiding from the circus and Samuel. You know where I live. I can’t help that it took you all night to think to come here.”

  “I would’ve come sooner, but I had business to take care of.” He sinks down onto one of my chairs. I don’t know how to behave around him.

  “Thanks for the birds.”

  “You like them? They’ve always liked me. I wasn’t quite sure they’d listen, but they seem to take their job very seriously.”

  “What did you do exactly?”

  “That’s hard to say. I’m not even certain I understand what I’m doing.” He reaches out and takes my hand in his almost absentmindedly. He rubs my palm with his thumb, and my insides tingle. I move c
loser to him and brush my fingers through his hair. He closes his eyes for a moment, then reaches out and pulls me into his warm body. I rest my head on his shoulder, and he intertwines our fingers delicately. I want to resist but find myself powerless. I like this too much.

  “There is old and deep magic on this island, and so sometimes things behave very strangely. Before I died, there was a man who did a bird show with lots of random birds. He allowed them to peck his eyes out and devour him. It was one of the more gruesome acts. Anyway, he only lasted a month after I came around, but he had taken me under his wing, and after he croaked, the birds were lost without him. A couple sought me out the next full moon. I told them, in no uncertain terms, I would not let them peck away my flesh. They seemed to understand.” His hand is warm in mine, and his touch just feels right. “Until they came to protect you, I haven’t seen this many. But there are always a few that follow me around or seek me out. I talk to them a lot and give them treats.”

  I wonder what other wonderful and strange stories he has. Probably a lot.

  “Well, I’m grateful. Samuel seems terrified of them.”

  “I have no idea why. He’s never had a problem with them before. But thinking back, I never saw him talking to the birdman at all. But it was all so disorienting at first, and I wasn’t really paying attention to my surroundings.”

  I’m not sure how to handle my feelings. I’ve really only dealt with high school boys before. Benny is worldly and experienced. He is smooth and yet soft and gentle.

  Oh yeah, and he would probably try to kill me again. I hate the elephant in the room.

  “Isn’t it dangerous for you to be here right now? You’re compelled to kill me.”

  His eyes sparkle, and he stands and draws me up with him. He hovers over me and strokes my cheek. “I do feel compelled to kill you, but I also feel compelled to kiss you. Which one do you think will win?” His lips twitch, and his eyes dance.

  My heart thumps in my chest. “So far, you’ve tried to kill me twice, and you’ve never once tried to kiss me.”

  He chuckles deeply again. “This is true, but the desire to kiss you is a rather new one.”

  “Not for me.” I can’t believe I’m being so bold because suddenly I do want him to kiss me. I also can’t believe my stupidity. It must be something with the island and surrealness of it all. Nothing feels dangerous, and yet everything feels dangerous. This is some wonderful nightmare that I’m going to wake up from and still miss it. Benny is the real deal, and then again, he’s not. I’m so confused.

  “Well, perhaps we ought to do something about that.” His breath is hot on my ear.

  He draws closer to me, and my stomach buzzes. His hand rests firmly on my back, and his lips are inches from mine. I wait.

  And he disappears.

  Dammit.

  I sink onto my couch. Wind blows my hair, and I know he’s still there. “Yeah, I’m disappointed, too.”

  Chapter Seven

  Callie,

  I’m jealous.

  I know. I know. I shouldn’t be, but your adventure sounds way exciting. I want to come visit. I’ll see if I can get Mom and Dad to let me come.

  Anyway, not much is going on here. I miss you so much my chest hurts. For real. I feel the pain all the time. I’m also distracted. I nearly missed a big wave last week. And I caught my marshmallow on fire at the bonfire last night. That’s how much I love you.

  I miss you.

  Love,

  Maddie

  Maddie,

  Your letters make me cry. But I love them. I miss you so much. But you don’t really want to come. There are bugs everywhere, and the snakes are creepy. Not to mention the alligators. Also, there’s been an outbreak of lice. So far, I’ve been lucky because I haven’t gotten it, but your hair is so thick and long, you’d get it for sure.

  For real. Don’t come. I know you miss me, but it’s really gross here. I’ll be home before you know it.

  I need some more advice, though.

  Benny almost kissed me.

  And I wanted it.

  But now, I don’t know what I want. Because, if I start having real feelings for him, then maybe I won’t want to leave. And duh, I’m coming home at the end of the summer.

  He got me a bird. Well, lots of birds actually, but I have a pet now. It’s an ibis. I’m giving you one of his feathers. He sleeps with me and nearly pokes my eye out, but I love him. Especially when he looks at me with his sad eyes.

  You know what. I really wanted that kiss. (I’m hopeless.)

  No.

  But I can be friends with him, right? That’s what I’ll do. Just be his friend.

  Tell me this is the right thing to do.

  Love,

  Callie

  Chapter Eight

  “Your birds are freaking me out,” Juliette says as we sit on her mother’s porch peeling potatoes. It’s nice because the skins just go right into the swamp, and the ducks and the egrets chase after them.

  “I couldn’t make them go away if I wanted to. And I don’t want to.” I probably could, though, if I really wanted. I can already make them quiet using magic.

  “Yeah, yeah. I know, they protect you from Samuel, but still. Look at them all.”

  They fill the trees and cover the roof. They crowd in the swamp for about twenty feet all around the porch.

  “That’s Benny.” I blush, but I don’t say anything more. We’re just friends. At least, that’s what I keep telling myself.

  She wiggles her eyebrows. “Did you see him last night?”

  I sigh. “Yeah.”

  “And?”

  “And nothing.” I don’t meet her eyes.

  “Oh, come on. You didn’t leave your house last night, and that means if you saw Benny, you were cozied up inside.”

  “How did you know I didn’t leave my house?”

  “The birds. And no way are you getting away with that. I want to know what you did cozied up with Benny.”

  “Why?” I ask, blushing. I’m not going to convince her that we’re just friends. I’m hoping I’ll do a better job convincing him.

  “Because it’s not like we get TV out here, and books take too long to read. We are all stuck here. Yours is the only love story I’ve got to entertain me right now besides my own. So, entertain me.”

  “Nothing happened. We’re just friends. He didn’t show up until like four.”

  Juliette pauses in her potato peeling. “Um. That’s the wrong time. You know he still might kill you. Midnight is one thing, but then you were supposed to kick him out at two.”

  “Yeah, but I let him in anyway.”

  “You have a death wish.”

  “No. I don’t know. It might be stupid to trust Benny, but I do. Especially after Samuel attacked me.”

  She continues her peeling, rather slowly this time. “I guess I get if he showed up early and just didn’t leave until late, that would make sense. But he showed up right before the kill. Even I know to hole up in my house at that point, and I’m protected from them. I’m not taking any chances.”

  “He didn’t try to kill me.”

  “But he could’ve.”

  I shrug. She’s right. It was dumb.

  We work in silence for several moments. The ducks flash in the water, diving for the peels. I worry that alligators or some other monsters from the depths are going to eat them.

  I don’t like the tension that has wedged its way between us. Time to sacrifice myself on the altar of dignity.

  “He did try to kiss me.”

  Juliette drops her potato and slaps me on the arm excitedly. “Tell. Me. Everything.” She bounces in her seat, and the springs squeak.

  “I didn’t say he kissed me. I said he tried. We were sitting at my table, just talking, and he pulled me close.”

  She nods eagerly, hanging on every word. “Wait. Where were his hands?”

  I close my eyes, remembering. “On my back, holding me tight.”

  “Oh,” she s
queals. The porch sways, and I look up. Amy waves.

  Juliette pats the seat next to her. “Come here. Callie was just about to tell me about her steamy night with Benny.”

  I roll my eyes. “It’s not that exciting.”

  “Let me put away a few things.” Amy holds up a bag.

  She comes back with two cherry popsicles, sinks down next to Juliette, and picks up a potato. She’s been cleaning and smells like a swimming pool. “Bet it’s way more exciting than my night. Do tell.” She peels away at a potato, but instead of throwing the peel in the water, she eats it.

  Juliette launches into her own version of my tale. “Well, Benny tried all night to stay away from her, but in the end, he just couldn’t do it. He approached her boat no less than three times, and every time he left because he knew it wouldn’t be safe.”

  “Juliette. That’s not how the story goes.” I look up at the clouds and see a hint of blue. I feel like I haven’t seen blue in weeks.

  “Oh, you shush and let me have my fun. How do you know he didn’t do that? I saw him heading to your place around midnight.”

  I wonder how many times Benny tried to come. My feelings for him are so conflicted. Maybe his are, too.

  “Get on with the story,” Amy says, eating another gross potato peel.

  “Anyway, after stopping himself three times, he finally knocked on her door around four, hoping she wouldn’t answer. He knew that if she let him in, he might attack her and suck her blood.”

  “Juliette, this isn’t Twilight,” Amy says, and I’m impressed she knows it.

  Juliette squeals. “My word. I never thought about it, but Benny is totally like Edward. Oh swoon. I want one. I guess I do have a vampire, but he’s not as dreamy as Benny.”

  “You want someone who has to resist the urge to kill you?” I ask.

  “Well, no, but you have to admit it is romantic. Anyway, I got a little carried away. Maybe he won’t suck her blood—I don’t know how the ghosts kill people. I’ve never seen it, and it’s rarely a circus member. I mean, does he have to stab her in the stomach?”

  “You forget he’s tried to kill me twice already. Once by locking me in the cage with the demented tiger and once by nearly slicing my neck open.”