Circus of the Dead: Book 1

by Kimberly Loth

  I write another letter since I can’t use the phone. This time to Maddie, telling her everything that has happened so far but leaving out any mention that I’m going crazy. Maybe she’ll have better luck convincing Mom and Dad to let me come home.

  I address the envelope and hunt down anyone who might help me mail the letter. Not Luke. Or Samuel. I head over to the bigger boats, and I spot Ruth hobbling along the docks to her house. She wears a long black dress, and I’m afraid she’s going to trip over it.

  “Hey, Ruth. Do you know how I can mail a letter?”

  She stares at it. “You need a stamp.”

  “Sure. I can just buy it.”

  She cackles. “Where?” Then she pats my hand. “Hang on. I’ll get you one.”

  She goes into her house. It’s cuter than the boats around us, painted pale blue with purple accents. After several long minutes, she comes out again and gives me a few stamps.

  “I only need one.”

  “But you might want more.”

  “Where do I put this?” I hold out the letter.

  “There’s a post box down by the ferry dock.”

  The walk to the box is meandering and long, and I have to make my way through the dilapidated circus. I still find it odd that it changed so much the night of the show. These people are very good at illusions. The air is still, not a single breeze to be found. It would be a horrible day for surfing.

  I find the box easily and drop the letter in it. I know it’s possible it won’t get picked up for a couple weeks, but I feel better that I posted it, in case something happens and I don’t actually get off the island on the full moon.

  Over the next several days, I don’t try to escape again. The path of least resistance seems better, so I plan to wait until the full moon when the ferry runs and try not to get myself killed before then. Besides, now I can figure out more about how things work around here.

  I hang with Juliette and her family every day.

  Magic and the possible supernatural haunt me. One night, I swear I see a weird green light in the trees on the way home from Juliette’s, but I know it’s just my imagination.

  I’ve seen zero evidence since that morning I tried to escape, and I’ve been looking for it just in case Samuel is right. One part of me wants him to be right because otherwise I think I might be going mad. Either that, or there was more in that blue juice than just flavoring.

  Lorena teaches me more about the swamp and crawfishing. I want to ask her about the things I saw during my attempted escape, but it sounds so stupid the more I think about it even though she’s the one who tried to convince me there are ghosts on the island.

  One morning on my way to see Juliette, I run into Samuel on the docks. My face gets all hot, and I don’t know what to say. I still wonder if I should find a way to extract my first kiss from him so that I have a good story for Maddie when I get home, but the fact that I’ll never see him again after this makes me not want to give that up.

  “Good morning,” he says in that seductive voice of his. Seriously, the guy can make good morning sound like a turn on.

  “Morning,” I reply and force myself to look him in the eye.

  “Where are you off to?” he asks.

  “To see Juliette and Amy.”

  He cocks his head. “Would you like to go for a walk?”

  I swallow. He makes me nervous. Which is strange because most good looking guys don’t. But for some reason, he intimidates me.

  “Sure.”

  He points down the path toward the circus and falls into step with me. He’s quiet, but it’s a comfortable quiet. A few birds call out in the trees, and for the first time in a long time, I don’t have a foreboding anxiety that something is going to kill me.

  “How did you come to the island?” I ask. The path narrows, and he puts his hand on my back and allows me to go first. I take a few tentative steps under the trees that hang heavy with Spanish moss.

  “That is a story you won’t believe. I’d rather wait until you’re ready to hear it.”

  I roll my eyes. “Okay. Then fine. How old are you?”

  He laughs. “Why? Are you interested in me?”

  “Maybe.” I’m teasing, I think. But maybe not.

  We come out of the trees and into the clearing where the dilapidated tents are, and he slides his hand into mine, weaving our fingers together. I revel in the touch. So much about this place has been terrifying and horrible. This is nice.

  “You probably won’t believe me when I tell you this either, but I’m going to try. I have no idea how old I am. Time moves differently on the island. I came here at seventeen, and I haven’t aged a day. But I don’t know how long I’ve been here.”

  “Okay, mystery man, keep your secrets and continue to spin your tales.” At some point, I’ll figure him out. I shake my hand out of his, no longer interested in whatever he’s offering. The breeze is cool on my hand.

  He raises his eyebrows. “That makes you mad?”

  “What, that you’re lying to me? Of course.”

  He moves in front of me and stands way too close. I study his jaw line that doesn’t have a breath of stubble and his lips, which move because he’s talking, but I’m not processing a word. My body desires to close the distance, but all kinds of warning signals go off in my brain. He wraps his arm around my back and pulls me into him. I don’t know how to react, but my hands betray me, and I run them up onto his shoulders and weave my fingers through his hair.

  This will definitely make a good story.

  He drops his head and whispers low into my ear.

  “Love, I’m not lying. This island will show you its magic, more wonders and horrors than your wildest dreams. And I hope that I’ll be a part of those wonders.”

  My breath catches in my throat. I want to believe him and discover all those wonders, but I can’t. There is no such thing as magic.

  He pulls back and looks at me with pleading eyes. “Say you believe me.”

  “Callie! What are you doing?”

  Samuel jumps away. Luke stands there, his face looking as murderous as it did the first night I arrived.

  So much for a good story.

  Ten days after I sent the letter to Maddie, I’m reading in a chair on Amy’s porch, Jeremy playing with Legos next to me. Luke drops an envelope in my lap.

  I jerk my head up. “Where did this come from?”

  “The mail.”

  “But you said nothing comes and goes on this island except on the new and full moon.”

  “Post comes every day.”

  I’m going to escape on that boat instead. No need to wait for the full moon. People seem to think it is so hard to get off the island, but if the mail comes every day, then I can leave.

  I rip open the letter and read.

  To my sister who is trapped in a horror movie,

  Oh, my gosh, I can’t believe Mom sent you to that circus. I read your letter out loud to all the peeps down at the beach, and everyone agrees that you need to come home stat.

  But Mom and Dad are no help. They think you’re totally exaggerating. I tried to explain to them that this is you, not me. But they aren’t buying it. They are glad you told us about the phones, though. They were starting to worry.

  Also, how cool is this? I’m writing you an actual letter. It’s like we are living in the old days. Not much going on here. The waves have been sweet. Everyone misses you.

  I know it’s a gross, creepy circus. But maybe try to find the bright side. Get some action and tell me more about Samuel and Benny. I know you said Benny trapped you in a cage with a tiger, but you must be mistaken. People don’t do that stuff.

  Hugs, kisses, and some sand.

  Love and miss you.

  Maddie

  I squeeze my eyes shut to hold back the tears. I miss her so much. But I can at least keep in touch with her. But I want to know how the post is getting off the island.

  I write her another letter and drop it in the box the nex
t day. Then, I sit and wait. It starts to rain, and I zip up my too-small jacket that Juliette gave me. My wardrobe is sadly lacking, but I have a few of her castoffs. I’d give anything to find a Dillards and buy out their swampwear collection. Not that they’d have one, but the mosquitoes are bad, and all I have is shorts and tank tops.

  After what feels like hours, Juliette plops down next to me and the box.

  “Whatcha doing?”

  I stretch out my legs. “Waiting for the mail.”

  She looks at me funny. “You’re going to be waiting for a long time.”

  “Why?”

  “Cause it already came today. I was coming down to get it.”

  “No, it didn’t.”

  She opens the box and lifts out a stack of letters.

  What the hell?

  My stomach tightens. “I’ve been here all day, and I haven’t seen anyone.”

  She just shrugs like nothing is abnormal.

  I’m going mad.

  Chapter Thirteen

  The day of the full moon comes, and I’m prepared. Everyone says I can’t escape, but I’m going to try anyway. I refuse to let Samuel distract me, so I’ve been avoiding him since that day Luke interrupted me and him. I have to get out of here, and I’ll risk whatever freaky things are in the water and take the ferry.

  A giggling Juliette shows up at my door mid-afternoon. She pulls me out the door without a word.

  “I love the full moon circus,” Juliette says.

  “Why?” I pull my door closed.

  “Because it’s fun and light.”

  We sit on my porch swing. The air is thick with gnats and mosquitoes.

  I swat at a few bugs. “No death by cobras or giant scorpions?”

  “Oh, sure there is, but it’s different somehow than the new moon. It’s less…I don’t know…tense. I can’t wait to see Victor.”

  “The vampire?” I ask. Maybe I’ll need to check out this guy’s act.

  Juliette nods and pulls a Snickers from her bag.

  “Does he even know your name?”

  She shakes her head and swallows her bite of the bar. “But tonight, that’s gonna change. I’m going to his show and introducing myself. You keep me accountable. If I don’t come over tomorrow to tell you about my night, you get to throat punch me.”

  I laugh. “Sure.”

  But I won’t be here tomorrow. I’ll miss Juliette, though. I’ll have to send her a letter once I get back to California and apologize for not saying goodbye. I can’t tell her what I’m planning in case she tries to stop me.

  About an hour before dusk, Juliette excuses herself to get ready. I retreat inside my boat. The musty smell is still there but is masked by the vanilla air freshener Lorena gave me. I’ll have to leave my duffle here. It will look too suspicious if I’m carrying it around.

  I wait until it gets dark, and then I go back outside and hurry down the boardwalk and the muddy trail, glad that I’ll never have to walk it again.

  I step out of the trees, and now it is a full-fledged circus. Bright lights hanging from wires and tents that didn’t exist during the day are everywhere.

  A hand slides across my back.

  “You’ve been avoiding me.” Samuel stands there decked out in his ringmaster gear. He looks dang sexy, and I have a hard time not falling into his arms.

  I take a step back even though I don’t want to. “You distract me from what I really should be doing.”

  “What’s that?”

  “Getting out of here.” I don’t know why I feel like I can tell him and not Juliette. But the words just fall out of my mouth around him.

  “And do you plan to do that tonight?” He gives me a pitying look.

  “Yes.”

  He tips his hat at me. “Come see me tomorrow for breakfast. I’m sure by then you’ll believe.”

  I cross my arms and smirk at him. “Do you have a piece of paper and a pen?”

  He creases his eyebrows and looks at me weird, but pulls out a small pad and a pen and hands it to me.

  I scrawl my number on it and hand it back to him. “If you’re ever in L.A., come see me. We’ll have much more fun out there.”

  He gives me a knowing smile and winks. “See you tomorrow at breakfast.”

  Then, he saunters away. I let out a breath and focus. I’m getting out of here, and nothing is going to stop me.

  The sounds of the circus envelop me—monkeys crying, elephants stomping, and the pop and sizzle of oil.

  I weave through the bright colors and eventually make my way to the docks where people, mostly teenagers, rush off the ferry. It smells like a bad date, Axe and boy sweat.

  The group of teens I saw the first night is here again, but I see a few new ones with them. I make sure to stay away from the lice girl. That is one souvenir I don’t want to bring home with me.

  It’s easy to slip through the excited crowd to the ferry bumping against the main docks. At the edge of the dock, I’m suddenly lightheaded, and I wobble a little. Crap.

  I take another step forward, and everything goes black.

  I open my eyes and find myself staring into those dark eyes of the one person I absolutely do not want to see. His arm is around my waist, and I’m pressed up against his chest.

  “You alright?” Benny asks. A raven perches on his shoulder and lets out a shriek.

  I shove against him, ignoring the taut muscles. “Let go of me.”

  He does, and I land lightly back on the dock. The boat seems farther away than it had seconds ago.

  My head goes fuzzy again, but I continue to step forward. I waver, and my vision blurs. Benny grabs my hand and pulls me back. My vision clears.

  “Don’t touch me.”

  He tried to kill me, and here he is acting like he wants to help me.

  A strange look crosses his face, but he obliges. “You looked like you were about to tip over.”

  “I’m fine. It’s just the rocking of the dock.”

  “The dock isn’t moving.”

  I clench my fists and turn, ready to step onto the ferry, but the dock has now extended a good ten feet. This is absurd. I rush for the boat this time, not allowing anything to stop me. At the end of the dock, my head is spinning, but I’m getting on that damn boat. I step up, but suddenly the boat is gone, and I’m hovering over open water. A creepy face smiles at me, and a green hand reaches through the water. I fall forward, but strong arms catch me, dragging me back onto the dock.

  “What are you doing? There are gators in the water,” he practically shouts in my ear.

  Zombies, too. Did I forget that? No, that is just my overactive imagination. The island and its creepy trees spooking me.

  “I was going to get on the boat and off this hellish island.”

  “What boat?” Benny asks.

  I scan up and down the docks. The ferry is gone.

  “But,” I splutter. They can’t move that quickly. This doesn’t make sense. Nothing makes sense.

  Eventually, the boats have to come back. I sink down onto the dock and cross my legs. I can do this, and I don’t need the help of obnoxious guys like Benny.

  He stands next to me and can’t seem to take a hint.

  “I still don’t want to talk to you,” I tell him.

  “Why not?”

  He can’t be that stupid.

  “You tried to kill me.”

  Those wretched birds hang behind him. There are more this time, not just the black ones. Pelicans, ducks, and other water birds settle around us. He takes some seeds out of his pocket and scatters them on the dock. The birds go bananas.

  “You want to feed them?” He offers me a handful of seeds. I just stare at him, and he shrugs, flings the seeds at the birds, and takes out a knife. He tosses it in the air. On the one hand, I’m terrified he’ll catch it the wrong way and slice open his hand. Maybe then, he’ll leave me alone. On the other hand, I’m afraid he’s going to try to stab me.

  He gives me a grin. “What makes you
think I tried to pop you?”

  I throw my hands up in the air and huff. “You don’t remember locking me in a cage with Fiona?”

  “I was about to come in there with you, but one of the boys from the acrobat tent came running and needed my help. I left the door open.”

  “No. You didn’t. And she was not docile and friendly.”

  He creases his eyebrows. “Sure, she is.”

  “No. She wasn’t. She totally attacked me.” I can still feel those claws in my back.

  He rubs his chin. “Huh. That’s weird. I’ll have to talk to Luke about her. I’ve been in her cage loads of times with no issues. Maybe she just doesn’t like girls. But that’s beside the point. You’re alive and here, so I didn’t succeed in allegedly attempting to kill you.”

  “Only because Samuel rescued me.”

  Luke walks past us and gives me a look. He mutters something under his breath that I can’t hear. I ignore him.

  I’m not sure if I believe Benny or not, but I definitely know he’s not a ghost. He’s too real to be a ghost. I don’t know why Lorena would spin that story…maybe she’s just got a sick sense of humor or something. Ultimately, it doesn’t matter. I’m leaving the island soon, and everything I can’t explain will be behind me. I’ll go back to my normal life with my normal beaches, normal school, and normal friends.

  A vulture lands next to him, and he nudges me with his shoulder. “I’m getting some food. Do you want some?”

  “No.”

  He hesitates for a moment and then gets up. I don’t move from my spot. I lay back on the wet wood and close my eyes. It’s going to be a long night.

  A shoe kicks my thigh. I blink my eyes open. The sky is starting to lighten. I must’ve fallen asleep. I look up, and Benny smiles back at me.

  “Almost dawn. I brought you a lemonade.”

  I stand and take it from him. I sip the cool and sweet drink. “Thank you.”

  The ferryboat is pushing through the water, getting closer to the dock. I bounce on the balls of my feet. Less than ten minutes until I get out of here.

  “Thanks for the lemonade.” I hand it back to him. “If you’re ever in California, come see me.”

  He lets out a long breath. “You’re not leaving.”