Circus of the Dead: Book 1

by Kimberly Loth

  Fiona growls, and I freeze. I didn’t know I was near the tigers. She paces, her eyes never leaving mine.

  “She’s quite the predator.”

  I tense up, but I don’t look over. I can feel Samuel’s presence next to me.

  “Yeah, she is,” I respond.

  He places a hand gently on my back, and I shiver.

  “How are you feeling?”

  “I’m okay. Scared.” I point to Fiona. “And wet.” I clutch at my wet shirt. I don’t want to go back into the rain, but I might to get away from Fiona.

  “You’ll have many more scares while you’re here.” He says it so matter-of-factly. I like that he’s not trying to hide reality from me.

  I keep my eyes on his so I don’t have to look at the tiger. “I’m not staying more than two weeks. I don’t care what my parents say.”

  He laughs a little, a beautiful, musical sound. “Oh, yes, you are.”

  He steps in front of me and places a finger on my chin, forcing me to look up at him. He licks his lips and leans in, his face mere inches from mine. My whole body goes hot, and suddenly I forget about the circus, the death, everything. Except that I’ve never been kissed, and I don’t want to give it away. Not like this.

  “No, I’m not,” I manage to stammer out.

  “I can offer you protection. This island is a dangerous place.” His voice is soft and seductive. Fiona jumps at the cage, and I jerk away, putting space between us. The look in Samuel’s eyes is the same as Fiona’s, predatory and fierce but full of desire, and I don’t know what to think. I break his gaze and run out into the rain. My flip-flops make massive splashes in the muddy puddles, and piercing cold drops hit my skin.

  I don’t watch where I’m going, the rain and the tears clouding my vision, but I manage to make it back to the path. The sky has darkened, and I trip. I fly through the air and land flat on my stomach in the mud. Sobs escape, and I prop myself up on all fours. I stand and look back to what I tripped over.

  I expect a dead body or something.

  But no.

  It’s worse.

  It’s a six-foot gator.

  Chapter Nine

  I scramble back, keeping my eyes on the gator. Its piercing eyes stare at me, and it slowly creeps toward me. I don’t hesitate. I turn and rush back to my boat, slam the door shut, and sit on the stinking black couch. I don’t understand Samuel’s offer of protection. The island is a dangerous place, but why would I need someone to watch over me? That seems absurd. Unless he’s just talking about the alligators. But I don’t know, it seemed like more than that. There is more going on here than I know, and that makes me scared. I can’t protect myself from what I don’t understand. It’s almost eerie like I’ve been trapped in a supernatural world of some kind. Not that I believe in that stuff.

  Why would my mom make me stay here? She’s never not believed me before.

  I let myself cry. My whole body shakes. I don’t know when I’m going to get out of here. Will I ever get home? Mom and Dad have always rescued me, no matter what. Like when I almost failed my English class. Dad went and talked to the teacher without me knowing, and they forced me to work with my teacher for weeks. I managed to pass it with a C.

  Or when I totally spilled spaghetti sauce on my prom dress during dinner. I rushed home, and Mom knew just how to get it out. They’ve never failed me before.

  Just goes to show that even when you think others can help you, they’ll still let you down. Mom and Dad don’t believe me. I’m literally fighting for my life, and they don’t care. This is not like them.

  I strip off my muddy clothes and turn on the shower. The hot water flows down my face, and my tears go with it, but an ache opens up in my chest. I’ve never shown Mom and Dad any reason to not believe me. I didn’t want to come, but that didn’t mean I’d lie to them. Why do they think I’m lying?

  I wonder how many hours I can sleep. Maybe if I sleep a lot, the time will go faster.

  But with no end game, I have no idea how long I’ll have to wait.

  Ugh, I hate this. I turn off the shower, dry off, and find clean clothes. I sink down onto the couch. I thought my tears were over, but they’re not.

  A knock sounds at the door. I force my sobs to stop, but I still sniffle.

  “I know you’re in there,” Lorena says.

  I wipe my face off as best I can and crack the door open. “I really don’t want to see anyone right now.”

  Lorena gives me a sympathetic smile. Behind her stands another girl. She’s got a massive grin on her face and bouncy red curls.

  “We thought you could use a few friends. Luke told us what happened, and you’re stuck with us now. Would you like some help redecorating?” Lorena waves me out.

  I hesitate. I don’t want to get to know anyone. I don’t want a friend or any reason to like this place. But I cannot sleep in this devil room. I should be curious about the people who live here, but I don’t really care. Beyond Lorena, Elias lurks on the deck of his boat, whistling his strange tune. I’m about to do whatever Lorena and this girl want because the alternative is waiting for Elias to come pounding on my door.

  I force a grin. “Sure.”

  The girl claps her hands. “Yay. Girl day.” She is tall and willowy with wild and crazy hair. “I’m Juliette. I’m a clown.”

  It is the scariest movie I’ve ever seen, and I’m not sure I want to become buddy-buddy with Juliette. Besides, the other clowns looked like they wanted me for lunch.

  Lorena pulls me out onto my poor excuse of a porch. Heavy clouds still hang in the air, but the rain has let up. The water laps against the dock.

  Juliette holds out a plate with an oozing cinnamon roll. “Here. Mama made these this morning. You can eat and walk, right?”

  I devour the cinnamon roll as I follow them through the trees and out into the circus clearing. I don’t know what her mom uses, but it’s the best one I’ve ever had. Sweet and bitter all at the same time.

  We stop in front of the only permanent structure I’ve seen on the island. The outside is decorated with faded balloons and a castle. Once upon a time, it might have been cheerful, but now it looks like everything else here, tired and run-down.

  “You two wait. I’ll be right back,” Lorena says.

  I stand awkwardly while Juliette chatters at me. “Aside from my siblings and a few of the acrobats, we’re the only people under thirty here full time.”

  “How’d you end up here?” I ask. Why would anyone want to live here?

  “I was born here. I’m the oldest. I’ve got seven brothers and sisters. Lizette, Collette, Annette, Jeremy, Jeffrey, Joshua, and Babette.”

  “Holy cow.” I can’t imagine fighting over a bathroom with seven siblings. Maddie is enough. Plus, how do they fit in a tiny houseboat? Mine was cramped, and it was just me.

  “Mama doesn’t know the meaning of birth control, and she and Dad are always going at it.”

  I wrinkle my nose. “Ew.”

  “We live in a tiny houseboat. Well, we used to. I have my own boat now. Still tiny, but I don’t have to hear Mama’s moans or my baby brother screaming. There are kids everywhere all the time.”

  “Why don’t you leave?” I ask.

  She shrugs. “I can’t. But that’s okay. I like it here.”

  “Seriously?” A couple of surly men walk past us. They nod to Juliette, and she smiles and waves.

  “It’s fun. I mean, I might want to visit a few other places, but this is home. Though the lack of boys is sad.” She taps her fingers on her thigh.

  “What about Benny?” I ask, more out of curiosity than anything else. Because it just occurred to me that her statement of being the only young ones here “full time” doesn’t make sense.

  She gets a dreamy look in her eyes. “You met Benny? I’ve had my eye on him for a long time, but he’s sadly immune to my advances.”

  “He tried to kill me.”

  She giggles. “No way. Benny’s a good guy. Though, he is a
mystery. Only here when the circus is. But I also have my eye on a vampire.” She waves a hand in front of her face. “So hot.”

  “Let me guess. He’s also only here during the circus.”

  “Yeah.”

  “And Samuel?”

  Juliette drops her eyes. “You might want to stay away from Samuel. He’s not what he seems.”

  “But he’s young, too.”

  “But he’s not a good guy. Trust me.”

  Sounds like there is a history there. I guess when there are only a handful of young guys on the island, there’s bound to be trouble. Samuel looks very young, but with the way he acts like he’s in charge, maybe he isn’t.

  She looks down at my shoes. “So where are you from?”

  “California.”

  “Oooh, I want to go there. Did you have good beaches?”

  “Yep. I surfed all the time. Maybe you can visit me sometime, and I’ll show you.”

  “You still live with your parents? What do they do?”

  “Mom stays home, and Dad is a fashion designer.”

  “That explains your sense of style.” I can’t tell if she’s being ironic or not. Yeah, I dress like a beach bum because I am one.

  “Juliette, come in here for a sec,” Lorena calls.

  “Be right back,” she says and bounces inside the building.

  There are a handful of people milling about, but they all look worn down. A couple stands not too far from me, talking in a low whisper. A few tears flow down her cheeks, and he puffs on a cigarette. The man shifts, and I swear for a second he goes transparent.

  No way.

  I look around so if they look up they don’t see me staring. We’re near the monkey cages, and they squawk and shake the bars. I check out the man and woman again, but now only the woman stands there. Thunder rumbles in the distance.

  Juliette comes back out of the building, carrying a basket full of paints and brushes. She holds out a can with excitement written all over her face.

  “You miss the beach, right? I found ocean blue.”

  There is absolutely no way she could know, but every year, someone tried to give me a gift, all excited because “it’s blue like the ocean.” I’m not easily triggered, but ocean colored anything always does it.

  “I can guarantee you that will not be the color of the ocean.”

  She pops her elbow out. “Okay, smarty pants. Tell me what color the ocean is, and we’ll see.”

  I close my eyes, trying to rein in my frustration. “The ocean has no color. Not really. But sometimes, it can appear stormy gray or dull brown. At times, it looks a deep dark blue, and other times, it’s more of a greenish-blue. I’ve even seen it look purple. When certain algae surfaces, it’s orange or pink.”

  Juliette cocks her head. “That’s a lot of colors. You sure this won’t be one of them?”

  “Positive.”

  She sets the can down and sticks a screwdriver under the lid, popping it open. Sure enough, it’s a pale, sick looking blue.

  I suck in a breath, inhaling the sharp scent of the paint. “The ocean has never been that color.”

  She sighs and stamps the lid back on. “I can believe that.” She peruses the other paints in the basket.

  “How about mint green? That bother you at all?”

  I snort. “Mint green is fine.”

  “Good. Lorena said we can go on ahead. She’s going to see if she can find some linens and things for you.”

  Juliette loops her arm through mine as we make our way back across the island. A mouse runs across the path, and I shriek. Juliette laughs at me. “Mice aren’t scary, silly.”

  “Right. But everything else is.”

  “Tell me more about your run-in with Benny.”

  “He showed me around the circus, and then I swear he tried to kill me.” I’m still not sure if it was on purpose or not. I don’t think it was, but maybe not. No one seems to think he really did it.

  Juliette gives me a strange look. I can’t tell if it’s a look of knowing or a look of uh-oh this girl is crazy. I stare up into the trees. I can’t find any snakes or birds. I don’t know why I think that every time I look up I’m going to see critters, but I do.

  Finally, she speaks. “What do you mean?”

  “He told me he was taking me to feed the tigers, and then he locked me in the cage with Fiona.”

  “That sounds weird. Are you sure it wasn’t a mistake?”

  Nobody flipping believes me. “He gave me a steak and had me crawl up in the cage with her.” The wind whistles through the trees.

  “That’s dumb. Why did you go?”

  “Because Benny said she wouldn’t hurt me.”

  Juliette lets out a breath. “Oh. Well then, he made a mistake. He probably meant the bobcat, Bob. He doesn’t hurt anyone. But I’m surprised you’re still alive. Getting locked in a cage with Fiona is basically a death sentence.”

  “You mean this has happened before?”

  Juliette gives me a cheeky grin. “Only twice. But never because of Benny. You’re the first survivor.”

  I can’t tell if she’s joking or serious.

  And that makes me question her sanity.

  Chapter Ten

  I push open my door, and Juliette follows. “Man, Shelley was a weird chick.” She picks up a black candle. “One time she was mad because I stepped on a dead chicken she was going to use in some ritual. That bitch put a curse on me, and I broke my arm the very next day.”

  I shudder. Juliette seems genuine, but she speaks of curses like they are normal. Though, between the jars on the table that emit sulfur smells and the voodoo symbols everywhere, she might have a point.

  “We need music,” I say.

  Juliette pulls out an old iPod. I haven’t seen one of those in years. She pushes play, and the opening from The Little Mermaid comes out.

  “Really?”

  She shrugs. “I like movies.”

  It takes the better part of the afternoon to clean and paint. Juliette chatters about the circus and boys, and I find myself almost enjoying it. She isn’t Maddie, but she will be good company while I’m here. Just as we finish with the paint, Lorena shows up with a box of bedding and curtains along with dinner.

  After we eat, we make up the bed. The house is now mint green with adorable pastel colored lanterns hanging from the ceiling. I have no idea where Lorena found those.

  The couch feels downright comfy with a white cover and light green throw pillows, and the small table has a pretty little vase with a couple fake pink flowers.

  The bed is covered with a white eyelet blanket and a massive stuffed monkey.

  “The monkey seems like overkill,” I say. Though, it reminds me of a man who comes to the beach sometimes and brings his pet monkey. He lets me hold it. It likes to sit on my head.

  “Aw, no, you need that to cuddle because Benny’s only here a couple times a month.” Juliette makes kissing noises at me.

  I snort. If she can give me crap about a hot boy who tried to kill me, we are going to get along fabulously.

  A bird sings right outside my window, and the sunlight peeks in.

  “Sure. Whatever. Thanks for the help. Maybe I can sleep now.” I’m overwhelmed with gratitude for them and almost choke up. I squeeze my eyes shut for a second. I cannot get emotional.

  Juliette collapses on my bed. “Okay. We’re BFFs now. Time to share our deepest, darkest secrets.”

  Lorena chuckles, and I roll my eyes. “Fine, but you start.”

  Juliette bounces in her seat. “Okay. I’ve totally killed a guy before.”

  No way. She’s got to be joking. I look at Lorena, and she shrugs. “It’s true.”

  “You have to clarify that. I mean, did you just scare a guy with a clown costume and give him a heart attack or something?”

  “Nope. He thought I’d be an easy target. This was before I decided to be a clown. I was an acrobat. Two years ago, I think. Anyway, he cornered me and thought he’d be able to h
ave his way with me. But what he didn’t know is that Mama taught me the defensive arts. I sent him flying, and he got impaled by a metal bar. I was horrified. But Mama said he deserved it for what he was about to do to me.”

  No wonder she became a clown. She wanted to be the scariest chick on the block, and she achieved it.

  I wonder what other horrible things they’ve done or seen. This place is awful.

  “Does it still bother you?”

  Juliette shrugs.

  A stiff rap comes on the door, and I freeze. It could be Luke or Elias or maybe another man I don’t want to see. Juliette flings the door open.

  “Mama,” she shouts. Her mom, a tall, imposing woman with jet black hair, doesn’t look all that pleased, but she comes in. Juliette looks down at her watch. “Oh surgarjets, I was supposed to help you with the laundry this afternoon.”

  “So, why am I hunting you down?” She props her hands on her hips and glares at Juliette.

  “Because I was helping Callie.” She points at me, and I give a weak wave. This woman looks like she’s about to have her daughter for lunch. But then, her whole face softens, and she wraps me in a hug.

  “It’s so nice to meet you. I’m Amy.” She’s very pregnant, and her hug is warm and squishy. She steps back. “I hope my girl has been polite.”

  Lorena snorts. “Sure she has. Juliette was just telling her about when she killed a guy.”

  Amy gives Juliette a stink eye that I hope I’m never on the other side of, but she doesn’t comment. “Laundry calls.” She opens the door and waits for her daughter.

  “I’ll see you tomorrow,” Juliette says.

  “No, we’ll see you tonight. Dinner at our boat. No arguments,” Amy says. “I’ll send Juliette to come get you after she’s done with laundry. But we’ll make sure Jeremy’s done slaughtering the chicken before you come over.”