Grey (The Romany Outcasts Series, Book 1)

by Christi J. Whitney

  ‘That’s Francis, Josephine’s twin brother,’ Katie said, following my gaze.

  ‘I didn’t know she was a twin.’ Granted, I didn’t really know much about Josephine at all, but I could see the sibling resemblance. ‘So, is this his party, too?’

  ‘Well, technically. But he’s not big into parties.’ She crossed her arms. ‘Sounds like someone else I know.’

  ‘I have no idea what you’re talking about,’ I replied in my most innocent voice.

  ‘Hey, guys,’ said Francis as he approached. He was friendly, and I got the feeling that, despite Katie’s words, he’d be perfectly at ease with any party thrown his way. ‘Thanks for coming. Glad it’s not gonna be just us carnies tonight.’

  ‘We won’t let you down,’ said Brandon.

  Francis led us through the opening, speaking over his shoulder as we walked. ‘Josephine wanted to have the party in the Big Tent.’ He gestured to the massive structure. ‘But we’re behind on setup, and it’s a mess inside. So we’re in the Holding Tent around back.’

  ‘What’s that?’ Emma asked, flitting out of Brandon’s grasp as he tried to lick her neck.

  ‘It’s the smaller tent where we dress and warm up for shows,’ Francis replied. He rolled his eyes as he saw Emma and Brandon exchange a slobbery kiss. I smiled to myself, liking him already.

  Avery jabbed my ribs every time he saw something interesting. I was in danger of being permanently bruised by my Neanderthal friend before we reached the party. Just as I started to give him a good shove into the nearby fence, a sharp pain in my wrist brought me up short. I pulled up my sleeve and rubbed at the tattoo. Why was it hurting again? Avery caught sight of the inked design, and his mouth dropped open.

  ‘Man, you’ve been holding back on me!’ He twisted my arm to see. ‘When did’ya get the new body art?’

  ‘A couple of days ago. My brother finally gave in.’ I yanked my arm back when I saw the look on his face. ‘Yeah, I know, it’s a flower. But it wasn’t my choice. Hugo did it.’

  ‘Wouldn’t have been my choice either,’ Avery said, sounding almost sympathetic. ‘But actually, it’s not that bad. I mean, that’s some serious detail work!’

  ‘It’s no big deal.’ I shoved my sleeve back down.

  ‘So it’s like a theme then, huh?’ Avery’s eyes darted to my hood. ‘The new hair, the tattoo. Gotta look the part, right?’

  ‘The part?’

  ‘Yeah, the whole tattoo artist apprentice thing. Didn’t you say your brother’s gonna start training you?’

  I half laughed. ‘Oh yeah. I’m not letting him out of it this time.’

  No matter what he throws at me, I thought.

  My wrist flared with pain again, and I pressed my fingers against it. Avery shot me a curious look, but didn’t say anything else. We hurried to catch up with the others. Francis took us around the Big Tent to another just behind it, half the size of the first.

  ‘Here we are,’ he announced, peeling back the canvas flap. ‘Come on in.’

  It was nearly dark outside, but the Holding Tent was illuminated with lights. They were everywhere: hanging from the tent supports, running along the walls, and lining the tables. Inside, it looked like a quarter of the senior class had turned up for the party.

  I scanned the crowd warily, suddenly feeling a bizarre need to memorize every person in the room. I zoned in on a couple of football players scratching their names into the canvas wall of the tent with a knife, their bodies hunched to hide their actions. I narrowed my eyes, feeling a strange burst of anger underneath my sternum.

  I breathed in through my nose and let it out through my mouth. The anger was still there. I closed my eyes, jostled by the fierce heat of emotion. Where was it coming from? The sensation was beginning to scare me, and I bit down on my lip, commanding my body to relax. Gradually, my muscles eased, and the emotion dissipated.

  ‘Sebastian,’ said Avery, punching my arm. ‘You coming or not?’

  I shook myself off and nodded, stepping through the opening.

  ‘Ah-ouch,’ I gasped suddenly.

  Avery stared at me. ‘What?’

  The tattoo was burning, worse than before, like slices of hot metal in my skin. I clenched my fist and shook out my arm. ‘Artwork’s still a little tender, I guess.’

  Avery studied me for a moment, then hoisted his present under his arm. ‘Well, time to schmooze with the birthday girl.’ He pointed and winked.

  Josephine Romany sat in the middle of a group of people on a red, circular couch. Avery rushed forward, diving comically into the cushions and causing general bedlam. I forgot about my wrist as I looked at Josephine. She’d changed for the party, wearing an emerald dress that matched her eyes. Her hair was clipped back with a silver butterfly, and jewelry sparkled at her neck, ears, and wrists.

  Avery flirted with the female attendees, his long legs sprawled out in some girl’s lap. I felt a twinge of envy: Avery never had awkward moments. ‘Get over here,’ he called to me. ‘You’re missing all the fun.’

  I waved, but there was no way I was joining them. Talk about awkward. I retreated to a large table cluttered with expensively packaged gifts. I unzipped my jacket and retrieved the brown bag, trying to camouflage it in the pile, but it stood out against the colorful array. I reached out to swipe it back.

  ‘This is so freaking awesome,’ said Brandon, leaning over my shoulder to check out the gifts.

  I backed away, leaving mine. ‘There’s a lot of people here.’

  Brandon smirked. ‘Well, it is a party.’

  ‘So people keep telling me.’

  I scanned the crowd again, watching the movements and body language of everyone around me like I was working security. It felt weird, but I couldn’t seem to refocus my attention.

  Emma stopped playing with Brandon’s hair and frowned at me. ‘Whoa, you don’t look so good, Sebastian.’

  Sweat trickled down my neck. ‘It’s just hot in here,’ I replied, pushing my fingers against my stinging wrist. My skin was on fire.

  A man and a woman wafted through the entrance, flanked by a large group of people: the Circe de Romany troupe. Their eccentric clothing, hair, and make-up suddenly made the rest of the party seem dull. I leaned against the table and tried to focus on the new arrivals rather than the uncomfortably rising temperature.

  ‘Welcome, everyone,’ said the man. ‘I’m Nicolas Romany, and this is my wife Sabina. We want to thank you for coming to Josephine and Francis’s birthday party. Sixes has become one of our favorite touring locations, and we’re glad to be back.’

  Spontaneous applause erupted through the tent. Sabina Romany stepped forward. She looked like an older version of her daughter. ‘We’d like to invite you to enjoy some early carnival fun. We’ve set up a few rides and booths, just for tonight. Francis, why don’t you show our guests the way?’

  In a rush, kids were flooding out of the tent flap, with Francis in the lead and Avery on his heels.

  ‘Let’s go check out the games,’ said Brandon, slapping me on the back.

  ‘I’ll be there in a minute.’

  He shrugged and looped his arm over Emma’s shoulders, following the crowd outside. My eyes fixed on Josephine. She was sitting alone on the couch. At the sight of her, the jellified feeling returned. I was burning up, but I didn’t know if it was from the heat or my nerves.

  Okay, Sebastian. You can do this. Just walk over there and talk to her.

  I wiped my face, stepped forward, then instantly backpedaled. A man had broken away from the lingering Circe group and was approaching the couch. He was lean and tall, and probably in his early twenties, though it was difficult to tell; his deep set eyes and angular face made him seem older. His hair was like black ink, perfectly styled, and his clothes were the well-tailored kind. All in all, he looked like he’d just stepped off a red carpet. He leaned down and planted a kiss on Josephine’s glossy lips.

  I felt like I’d swallowed a bucket of ice water.

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nbsp; ‘Josie, I have something for you,’ he said in a voice out of a jewelry commercial.

  Her eyes lit up. ‘What is it?’

  Of course, she had a boyfriend. A girl like that couldn’t be single. The scorch of disappointment burned hotter than my feverish temperature. I knew I needed to turn away, but my body refused to move. I watched as the man – wearing a model-worthy smile – produced a small, rectangular box. My head swirled. Josephine opened it and took out something that resembled a necklace.

  I didn’t see anything else.

  The ice in my stomach exploded into nausea. I clutched my torso, stumbling for the door. I burst through the opening and hugged the support rope, trying to keep upright, though I couldn’t see straight. It was the worst I’d felt in days. I took frantic gulps of autumn air, trying not to puke or pass out, or whatever my body was desperate to do for relief. The cold burn of oxygen was like medicine. Gradually the queasiness subsided. I pressed my hands to my face until my vision cleared. My skin was hot, almost clammy.

  ‘Great timing,’ I said to no one in particular.

  Now I could add stomach bugs to my record of ill-timed incidents, like having your hair dyed gray right before getting a part in the school play. Or attempting to talk to a girl at the exact moment her boyfriend arrives.

  I took a deep breath, and then a scent I recognized with startling clarity flooded my nostrils. I spun so quickly that I nearly lost my balance. Josephine Romany stood at the entrance of the Holding Tent. Any attempt to act casual seemed impossible.

  Josephine approached. ‘Sebastian?’

  I blinked at her, numb for words. My chance at the second first-impression was diving faster than a stalled-out plane. My tongue finally dislodged itself from the roof of my mouth. ‘Hi, Josephine.’

  I was surprised at how good it felt to say her name, as if it was meant to roll off my lips the way it did.

  ‘Are you okay?’ she asked, searching my face. ‘I saw you run out.’

  I wasn’t sure what startled me more: the fact that she’d noticed me or the fact that she cared enough to enquire. ‘Oh, sure, totally fine. I just needed some air. It was really…hot…in there.’

  Josephine didn’t seem convinced. Her head tilted as she studied me. I tried to smile but ended up squinting at my shoes instead. There was a long pause.

  Mayday. Plane down.

  ‘Hey, would you like a tour of the Ferris wheel?’ she asked suddenly.

  My head snapped up. ‘A tour?’

  Her smile melted my insides. ‘Well, sure. We haven’t gotten much chance to talk since I arrived, and now it looks like we’re going to be in the school play together…’ She trailed off, looking at me with a sort of friendly pity.

  We have a survivor.

  I felt a little confidence return. I hadn’t totally self-destructed. At least, not yet.

  ‘That sounds great,’ I replied.

  ‘That is, if you’re sure you’re feeling all right,’ she added quickly.

  ‘No, I’m good. Everything’s good now.’

  ‘Awesome,’ she said, sounding happy. ‘No one around here ever wants to ride it with me.’

  Ride it?

  The thought hadn’t occurred to me.

  ‘Oh.’

  ‘Oh?’ she repeated in a light tone.

  ‘I have a problem with heights,’ I confessed.

  ‘Well, we don’t have to, then.’

  ‘No,’ I said, hastily. ‘I’d love to ride with you.’

  What was I doing? I hated being in the air. And with my stomach already doing somersaults, the chances of embarrassing myself beyond repair were pretty good. But I couldn’t refuse. Josephine could have asked me to ride a unicycle down a telephone wire, and I would have done it. I didn’t know whether to be happy or horrified. As she looked up at me, I decided on the first.

  Josephine led us away from the crowded game booths to a less populated section of the Fairgrounds. We turned a sharp corner and then the Ferris wheel loomed into view. Its large form consumed the night sky. It was an impressive size for a carnival ride, and I counted twenty green and yellow cars on the circular frame.

  ‘Well, there she is,’ Josephine said. ‘We call her Bessie.’

  ‘Bessie?’

  ‘Yeah,’ she replied, darting through a short, roped-off line. ‘Francis and the other riggers hate her because she’s such a beast to put up.’

  A gray-headed man leaned out of the small booth at the gate as we approached. He gave Josephine a short wave. ‘Two for the wheel?’

  ‘Yes, Karl. I found a willing victim at last.’

  My body threatened a cardiac rebellion, but I had to admit, the thought of being Josephine’s victim was thrilling.

  ‘Well, climb in and I’ll send you up,’ Karl chuckled, ducking back into the booth. ‘You’re the first customers I’ve had all night.’

  ‘Poor Bessie,’ said Josephine, winking at me.

  Our car was bright yellow. Josephine climbed in first. There was a single safety bar, which did nothing to help my acrophobia. Being this close to Josephine was nerve-shattering enough, but now, I was about to be hoisted dozens of feet off the ground. The engine chugged to life. Metal squeaked and groaned, and our car began its circular journey.

  ‘Sebastian, are you sure this is okay with you?’

  Josephine was settled comfortably on her side of the car. The breeze had wrestled a few strands of her hair free from the clip, and they fluttered like angel wings around her face.

  ‘It’s not that bad.’

  Behind her, the roofs of the pavilions sank from view. It was that bad. But I wasn’t about to let her know. I gripped the bar fiercely. My entire life I’d hardly given a girl more than a second glance. Now, suddenly, I couldn’t take my eyes off one.

  And I was going to be sick all over her.

  Josephine smiled. ‘You know, for an actor, you’re not that great a liar.’

  ‘Really? I thought I was masking my feelings of abject terror pretty well, under the circumstances. I haven’t curled up into fetal position. Yet.’

  ‘Ah, something to look forward to, then.’

  ‘Maybe. But I should warn you, my acting skills are about as subpar as my lying. I don’t know how convincing a fetus I’ll make.’ Brilliant, Sebastian. I groaned. ‘Pretend I didn’t just say that.’

  Josephine laughed. ‘Delete button pressed.’

  I returned the laugh, feeling relieved. ‘Thanks.’

  Josephine turned her face into the breeze. ‘So, if you don’t think you’re a good actor, why did you audition for the play?’

  ‘It was a dare from Mitchell. But believe me I came really close to backing out.’

  ‘Why didn’t you?’ she asked, her brows furrowed with curiosity.

  I studied the safety bar and tried to keep my mind off the arcing circle we were making in midair. ‘Just changed my mind, I guess.’ I remembered the way I’d felt when Josephine had appeared behind me at the call-board, how easily her small persuasion had altered my plans. ‘I don’t really like to act.’

  ‘Well, you should rethink,’ she replied. ‘You had a really good audition.’

  I glanced at her. ‘You have to be thinking of somebody else. I was the guy stumbling over his lines and sweating profusely. Not my finest hour.’

  Her musical laugh filled the Ferris wheel car. The more I heard it, the crazier I was about it. ‘No, I was referring to you, Sebastian. You have a nice voice; soft and quiet, but strong. You don’t give yourself enough credit.’

  She was looking at me with that same curious expression, and I felt my cheeks flush. I needed to change the subject, and fast. My gaze drifted from her eyes – which wasn’t an easy task – and I caught sight of something glinting against her neck.

  ‘So, is that a birthday gift?’

  Josephine touched her throat. ‘Yeah. He wanted me to open it before everything got too busy with the party.’

  ‘The guy you were talking to in the tent?’
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br />   ‘Quentin Marks,’ she explained. ‘He works with me.’

  My shoulders cramped at the name, but I didn’t know why. No more than I’d understood why hearing Josephine’s name that first time had sent me reeling. I stretched my back, wondering why she didn’t say he was her boyfriend. I made a wish that they were related, cousins, maybe. Weren’t circus families supposed to be really close?

  Our yellow car was slowing down as it neared the top, and I concentrated harder on Josephine; watching as she wrapped her fingers around the length of black silk. Attached to the ribbon was a sparkling object, cylindrical in shape and liquid black.

  ‘So what is it?’ I asked, switching topics.

  ‘It’s a pendant. Actually, it’s a family heirloom.’

  Maybe the relation thing wasn’t as far-fetched as I thought. Josephine turned the face of the pendant into the light so I could see it better. Inside the casing was a shimmering, multi-layered patterned. I leaned forward, my nerves forgotten as I grew mesmerized by the bright shape within. It was a yellow dandelion, surrounded by swirling leaves.

  A dandelion?

  I jolted in surprise. My tattoo burned underneath the sleeve of my jacket. I opened my mouth, but before I could say anything, Josephine slid closer. I couldn’t remember what I was going to ask.

  ‘It’s made from cut glass,’ she said, untying the ribbon and holding the pendant out to me. ‘Feel how smooth it is.’

  I was startled to feel my hand move of its own accord. My fingers closed the distance, and then I was touching the unblemished surface of the pendant.

  ‘It’s very bea…’

  Suddenly, everything was spinning, and a blinding pain shot through my wrist and up my arm. I clutched the safety bar, crying out as my body convulsed. The movement jostled the car, and Josephine gasped as the pendant slipped from her hand. She dove for the falling necklace.

  The next moments happened so fast. I saw Josephine’s body teetering over the edge of the safety bar. Her momentum had carried her too far, and she was going over. I lunged frantically, grabbing Josephine’s arm. I flung her back into the safety of the car, but my own momentum became my doom.

  Everything was in sharp focus as I fell.

  The car’s yellow paint was blinding against the night sky. Every individual light on the spokes of the wheel burned brightly. Josephine’s face was as enrapturing as an angel’s; her mouth opened in a scream. The breeze was cool against my face.