by Liz Long
“You must be Lucy,” she greeted me. “I’m Sasha, I obviously handle the costume and wardrobe needs.”
I shook her hand and looked around. Sheffield must have a talented Illusionist on staff; the trailer seemed much larger on the inside than I could’ve guessed. Sasha owned several sewing machines. Colored fabric hung everywhere; sequins and masks enveloped the room. Rows and rows of costumes lined the interior of the trailer. I could only see slivers of wall between all the clothing that hung everywhere.
“You do costumes for every person in the show?” I asked incredulously.
“I have some help now and again, but I’m pretty good at what I do.” She gave me a smile. “Delia, you can stick around. This won’t take long.”
Delia took a seat on a small stool by the door and flipped through a pattern magazine while Sasha gave me a once over.
“Sheffield put in his request late yesterday. I’ll need you to try it on to fit it properly, but it’s almost done,” Sasha told me.
“Wow, you work fast. I didn’t know he’d make anything for me.”
“It’s more of a suit than a costume. All the Firestarters have the same outfit, so it’s the same pattern, easy, really. Completely fireproofed material for you guys.” She walked to the opposite end of the trailer, rustled around her workstation for a minute, and returned with my new uniform.
“Are all your clothes fireproofed too?” she asked me.
I nodded; those of us with particular gifts had to be prepared at all times. Not all gifted were in circus shows; many of us, scattered amongst the human world with various ways of life, worked to help their kind. Years ago, a scientist had discovered a particular chemical that could be integrated with a soap detergent. Firestarters could wash their clothes in it and if they caught on fire, the material wouldn’t burn up and fall apart. Thank god—it got expensive buying tons of new clothes, never mind the embarrassing nakedness factor. It gave me another reason to be careful of where and how I used my firepower.
“Here,” Sasha said. She handed me the suit. “Try this on and I’ll make the necessary changes. I can finish it this evening.”
I took the fabric from her and looked around. There was no changing area and I looked at Sasha. She cocked an eyebrow at me. “We don’t have all day. No need to be shy.”
I hesitated but then quickly stripped down to my underwear. Sasha didn’t bat an eyelash; Delia didn’t even glance up. I pulled on the suit as fast as I could. A black one-piece jumpsuit, it was made with a thick yet lightweight material that felt a little like Kevlar body armor. I managed to slip in it without any awkwardness and I pulled up the zipper that ran from navel to neck. It felt funny though, too snug in the top and I couldn’t put my arms completely down at my sides.
“Shoot. The pattern is for men. I’ll have to adjust it for the bust and hips. I’ve never made one for a woman before. I’ll fix the neck too, no need to put it up to your chin like that,” Sasha said. She frowned and grabbed her measuring tape. I followed her directions, lifted my arms and turned as instructed. She finished in no time.
“All right, I think that’ll work. I’ll make you look good,” she said. “You can change and go back out. Pick this up in the morning before your errands start.”
I nodded and changed back into my clothes. After I handed Sasha the suit back, I turned to Delia. She hopped up from her stool and we said our goodbyes to Sasha.
We walked out of the wardrobe trailer and found ourselves back in the chaotic crowd of performers and animals. Used to being alone in the quiet, it would take me days to get over the noise aspect. I gasped as a girl appeared out of nowhere beside me, handed off an item to someone, and popped back out.
“Uh…what just happened?” I asked.
“Transporter running errands.”
I had a brief moment of lightheadedness. “There’s so much to learn. What if I don’t catch on fast enough?”
“I understand where you come from, but you are in the big leagues again. Sheffield does not joke when he says there are more gifted than human here.”
“No kidding.”
Delia turned to face me square in the eyes. We ignored the grumbles around our stop in the pathway as she spoke. “I know you would not be here if Sheffield did not think you were cut out for it. The others, they were not gifted. They were humans who thought they could keep up. You are as gifted as the rest of us.”
“I guess. I’m overwhelmed. I haven’t been in a show since I was a kid.” I tried to keep the bitterness out of my voice.
“It is your first day. It will be fine. You are allowed to ask questions and feel confused. Besides, I see you are smart. You will catch on fast; you already know much and most important, have talent, so you will not need to be hugged.”
“What?”
She pretended to cradle her arms as she held an invisible baby.
“Oh. You think I’m going to be coddled.”
“Yes. How you treat a child.”
I plowed through the verbal confusion. “I don’t want to be babied, but I don’t know the drill yet. I’m worried people will think I’m only here because Sheffield is a family friend. Or worse, that I’m only here because of my father’s reputation.”
“Of course you have to prove you belong here. We all do! Be smarter, work harder than ever before. You will have to show off a little bit.”
“Ugh, that’s what I was afraid of; I’m a little shy about what I can do. I don’t really like being the center of attention. I’ve spent most of my life hiding.”
“Then why, may I ask, are you in a circus?” She rolled her eyes and her hands went to her hips.
“I loved watching my dad entertain. I wanted—want—to be like him. He taught and challenged me and I know I can do a lot, but I haven’t showed off any tricks in front of others for a really long time. I don’t want to overestimate myself.”
“Everyone, no matter what gift, has different levels of skill and now you can really push yourself. You need to earn your place before you are accepted. Once people see you can hold your own and they do not have to support you, it will be fine. You have to understand that,” Delia said.
She affectionately yanked my ponytail. “Look, I will help, and Sheffield is always great with us. That is a start, no? I will introduce you to my friends and you will love it here, I think. You are being far too angry on yourself. Stay calm.”
I was my own worst enemy. I took a deep breath in and tried to shake the nerves. “Okay, who’s next on the need to know list?”
“I thought it might be good for you to try and meet up with other Firestarters, make sure they know you are here and ready to learn the ropes. I happen to be good friends with two of them.”
“I’m under Sheffield’s request to train with them, so I better do that soon. I guess you should introduce me,” I said.
“He requested you train?” she asked, brow furrowed. “He wants you in the actual show, then.”
“Does that make a difference?”
“Well, people will want to know what your place is here. It makes them re-evaluate their own worth, take their own talents into account. If you get a piece of the show, that is great, but I would not crow about it to anyone yet,” she advised.
“Got it. Well, keep that between us then, if you don’t mind. I don’t want to upset anyone. Besides, it’ll be a good while before that happens.”
We continued on our path but I had no idea to where. I tried not to stare at everyone as we passed by their tents: an extremely obese woman deflated into a skinny, lithe figure, startling me. Our eyes met.
“I have to pin back the skin now,” she said as she disappeared into her tent. I tried not to wrinkle my nose in case she still watched me.
A tattooed, bearded man swallowed swords, including the handle; others were examining costumes, juggling bowling pins, and fixing their props. I tore my gaze away back to Delia.
“Let’s talk about the actual circus,” I said. “All Sheffield told me
was that it was a lot bigger than anyone around plus the typical schedule.”
“Well, there are what, eighty of us or so? There are fewer humans than gifted. My parents helped with the behind the scene jobs; they ran ticket sales, games and food, helped with the animals, that sort of thing. There is less chance of someone getting hurt if gifted are the ones in the show instead of humans. Performances can be a danger. But a few are artists as well, like clowns. It is obvious to tell the difference, even though most of us look human anyways.”
“Wait, are you implying that some of you…well, don’t look human?”
“Some of us have physical differences. It is funny that people pay to see these things and yet they still think somehow it’s fake or glued on. Or like when they see Jade move objects; they search for the trick. You know, though—did they not all think your father was some sort of illusionist?”
“True. It’s easy to fool them when they are so eager to ignore what they don’t know. What about the lot setup? Who goes in which tents?”
She pointed at the Big Top, motioning her hands as she spoke. “Well, there is the main tent, of course, where we all group for the big show at night. But we will run around in the morning for prep—getting costumes and props, some practice, all that stuff. Since you are new, you will probably help others with stunts and performances, small things. We are not really “assigned” to a tent, though we do have a few designated tents for things like fortune telling, animals, and clowns. Of course the games and food vendors are out in the open.
“You will not be with any of the animals or their handlers; that is a very specific group and without training, you cannot do it. They are particular and probably will not even let you near the animals at first for safety reasons.”
I nodded and ducked beneath a man who carried large parrots on both extended arms. He didn’t even notice as I twisted my body to avoid ruffling any feathers. My mouth dropped as the parrot gave me a dirty look.
“You will be fine with it after time. At first, you will probably see things as extremely chaotic, but we do have a good rhythm of where to be at certain times and what needs to get done. You can pick it up fast,” Delia said.
I hadn’t realized where we were headed until we were in an empty section of field next to the lot. I heard laughter and turned to see five or six people headed to the same area. Delia had brought me to meet other Firestarters.
Chapter 3
“Stop looking like you are on the way to the executioner, silly. I will help with the introductions,” Delia said.
She winked at me and took off in a blur. She ran circles around the group that now stood in the field. Tall grass surrounded an extremely large dirt plot with weeds and cigarette butts. I took my time walking over and listened to them laugh as Delia, a dark haze, created a small dust storm around them.
“She keeps this up and I’m gonna clothesline her. My hair looks good today,” a girl commented.
“Sorry, Bianca,” Delia shouted. I heard her skid to a stop before I saw her, thanks to all the now-settling dust. There were five people, three guys and two girls, and they all gave me curious looks. Each of them looked around my age.
“Everyone, this is Lucy. I wanted her to come and meet you before the meeting,” Delia said.
I wondered why this group came out here to practice when they could do it as easily in the tents. The thought had only briefly crossed my mind before one of the girls looked my way. She had blue streaks in her long black hair, very muscular arms covered in tattoos, and a couple of facial piercings.
“We come here to let loose, new girl,” she answered. When I quirked an eyebrow, she sighed and rolled her eyes. “There’s not always enough room in the tents to really use our gifts. This isn’t really rehearsal; it’s more like…blowing off steam. And I can hone in on thoughts, so be careful what you think around here.”
Great. On top of being the new girl, now I would be the moron. This was already not going well. Delia cut in.
“Lucy is a bit overwhelmed right now, but give her more than a day and you will see why she belongs here. Right?” she asked, giving me a sharp glance.
“Oh. Um, right. I’ll work on that,” I said.
“You’re obviously not human or you’d look a lot more terrified to be here,” one of the guys said. He gave me a warm smile. “What’s your gift?”
“I’m a Firestarter.”
“Hey, me too. Never met a lady Firestarter,” he replied. He walked over to me and offered his hand. “I’m Keegan.”
Keegan had short dark hair and bright green eyes that I could see even from a few feet away. He left the “r” out of his words with a strong New England accent; a few inches taller than me and broad-shouldered, he was really cute. I immediately wondered if my hair was doing that weird Jan Brady cowlick thing. Resisting the urge to flatten my long bangs against the side of my head, I shook his hand.
“Nice to meet you. How many Firestarters are there, anyways?”
“Counting you now, five of us,” he replied.
A short, stocky guy with several tattoos and an abnormally red, short Mohawk stepped up beside Keegan. “I’m Nikolas, also a Firestarter. Creator or carrier?”
“I’m a creator,” I said, shaking his hand.
“I’m a carrier,” he said. He stood very tall and took a lighter out of his pocket. That meant he could control fire, even be immersed in it, but not produce it without a flame present. It did not mean he was any less dangerous. “Nice to have another redhead in the group.”
“I think mine’s a little more natural than yours,” I said with a laugh.
“True. But redheads together nonetheless,” he responded in a low tone. His lips turned upward so slightly I might have imagined it.
Delia spoke up. “Can someone explain the whole carrier and creator thing? I never really understand it.”
Nikolas looked at me and motioned his hand as though to tell me the floor was mine.
“Oh, okay,” I said. “It’s kinda like Marty says there are other Unbreakables who have different skills. So with Firestarters, you uh, have creators, meaning those guys can create fire by will, as well as be engulfed in and control their flames. A carrier means that you need a jumpstart—”
“Like a lighter,” Nikolas said, waving his own lighter around for effect.
I was waving my hands around more than necessary. Putting my arms down at my sides, I continued, “But they can still touch fire and control it. Then there’s the last group. They can’t control any fire, only be immersed in it.”
“That’s Bobby,” Keegan said to Delia, who nodded in understanding.
“Hey, when did you get your power?” Keegan asked me. “I was fifteen or sixteen.”
“Yeah, I was twelve,” Nikolas added.
They looked at me expectantly. My voice came out very high-pitched when I answered. “Um…two?”
Even Delia gave me a shocked look.
“It still took me a few years to get the hang of fireballs,” I said meekly.
“It takes everyone a few years to get those. You had the hang of them years before us,” Nikolas said.
Delia spoke up again. “But you guys can’t set each other on fire?”
“It’s not so much that we can’t,” Nikolas said, finally breaking his gaze on me to look at her. “It’s more like we probably shouldn’t. Firepower is different for each of us so sometimes our flames can be dangerous even for each other. That’s kinda what makes it more fun though.”
He gave me a broad grin that I didn’t return. Raised under an extremely careful eye (and unfortunately for Nikolas), I was a play-by-the-rules girl. Our gift was dangerous, could easily kill anyone in close proximity.
“And you are a creator?” Delia asked me. I nodded and her face grew thoughtful. “You are sure my things are safe living with you?”
It didn’t surprise me that people feared Firestarters. They could take down an entire neighborhood with one bad day. I hesitated, slightly t
aken aback, then realized she was grinning at me, teasing me.
Nikolas turned back to me and wagged his lighter in front of my face. “You ready to show us your stuff?”
The girl with blue-streaked hair spoke up. “Yeah, let’s see what you got, new girl.”
“How about you guys go about your typical afternoon. I’ll watch,” I suggested. “I probably need to get a feel for it first.”
The blue-haired girl rolled her eyes again and I heard Delia give an exasperated sigh. I knew it was a coward move, but I was too anxious to show my gift so soon and in front of such a skeptical audience. Watching them first would give me an idea of how confident I should feel.
“It’s all right if you’re a little shy right now,” Keegan said. “But you’re showing off before we leave this field.”
I nodded, defeated. It was probably the best deal I’d get. Another girl walked over to me and introduced herself.
“I’m Bianca. The oh-so-friendly blue haired chick, that’s my girlfriend Brooklyn,” she said in a husky, sexy voice.
Bianca, like Brooklyn, had a nose stud, but her black hair was in a cute pixie cut and she wore thick black eyeliner. I already envied her buttery brown skin and a lithe figure. I guessed the couple that dressed alike stayed together, because they both had on ripped jeans, black tank tops, and matching cigarette packs in their back pocket.
Brooklyn snorted. “Are we your first lesbian couple?”
I forgot she was a Telepath. That would get annoying pretty fast. Before I could respond, the third guy spoke up.
“I’m Finley, but everyone calls me Fin.” He walked over and threw an arm over my shoulder; blonde and freckly, he seemed the friendliest of the bunch. He had a small gap between his front teeth and reminded me of a golden retriever. “Welcome to the group.”
“Thanks. What are your gifts?” I said, addressing Finley and Bianca. Keegan and Nikolas appeared bored with the conversation and walked to the center of the field to wrestle. Delia darted off to run more circles around them. I heard Brooklyn mutter something about children before she wandered off to the side to smoke a cigarette.