by Liz Long
“Why me?”
“He’s obsessed with the control of fire. I’m not entirely clear on why.”
“His burns,” I said without thinking. I looked at Sheffield, who only raised an eyebrow. “A long relationship with a bully—it started with Felix being burned with a magnifying glass. I saw the scars.”
Sheffield lowered his eyes for a second. “That explains a lot.”
“How did he know where to find me?” I asked.
“Felix contacted me when he heard Lenny died. He asked me how you were and that’s when I came to offer you a job. I half expected to see him at the funeral.”
“That is totally creepy.”
“Agreed. He knows you didn’t come to us after that and I doubt he knew about your mother’s death.”
“But he knows I’m here now.”
“Everyone saw your gift your first night here, with that show in the field. Marty seemed to think the bar fight could have gotten out to his ears and obviously that was true. And of course, you had your moment during the show the other day with the clowns; I’m not entirely sure Felix didn’t have something to do with that. I think the rabbit’s out of the hat, Lucy.”
“Boy, I have not done a great job of being discreet,” I said to myself. Sheffield smiled wryly as he sipped his drink.
“You said that I was here for protection, “in every sense of the word.” What did you mean by that?” I asked.
“You already seem to suspect your father’s relationship to this show.”
“You mean do I think my father worked for you as a hit man? A little, yeah,” I replied. I couldn’t believe I said it; I picked up my drink and took another awful sip to distract myself. Or as punishment, I wasn’t sure which at this point.
“A hit man? No, Lucy. This show went from a small business opportunity to protection for the gifted community. People here are from all walks of life and that includes some less-than-ideal pasts. We protect each other.”
“Where does my dad come into this story?”
“Your dad, when he could, worked for me as protection. When I refused employment to Felix, he threatened the camp. Lenny urged others to join us for safety; he would stay here every so often in case of an attack.”
“Was there ever one?”
“Two; one was some time after Lenny got you out. Felix tried to get you out of hiding but your dad came here instead. Felix was naïve—he thought it would be simple to get your father’s blood for transference. Lenny was clearly no slouch and Felix’s stolen Transportation power couldn’t take him. He’s no weaker than a truly gifted individual, but he was far from full control with a newly acquired gift. He would’ve had to kill Lenny to get his blood and it wasn’t possible.”
“When was the second attack?”
“The night Marty died. Felix was here and it appears he found another Firestarter’s blood. That’s his gift, for now at least.”
“Then he wouldn’t need me. He’d want someone else, another gift,” I said.
“I believe he’d still want yours above anyone else’s. I think he would use your power to create his permanent gift. Felix knows your power is greater than most Firestarters in our world.”
A realization hit me and I felt a dull weight hit my chest. “Marty died because of me.”
“I wouldn’t dwell on that. Marty died because Felix is a cruel, uncontrollable human being.”
“I’m definitely a factor, though.”
Sheffield opened his mouth to protest and then shut it again. There was an uncomfortable silence.
“Please tell me my father died of an actual heart attack and not some weird science project Felix concocted,” I begged.
“Lenny Sullivan died of a heart attack. Felix had no hand in his death,” Sheffield confirmed. I breathed a deep sigh of relief. If that had been the case, I would’ve splintered into a million pieces.
“I don’t know how Felix would be able to simply come in here and take Marty. Everyone here knows one another. Strangers aren’t welcome,” I mused, changing the subject.
“It might be as simple as he paid for a ticket to get in. People aren’t on the lookout for him,” Sheffield said. He finished off his drink and smoothed out his mustache.
“It would be that easy for him to get near us, to ruin our equipment?”
“He could wear a disguise or even be a Shapeshifter, for all I know. I honestly can’t say.”
“What was Marty doing all the way out there in the parking lot, anyways?”
“Marty’s body was left there. I hadn’t seen him since the night before, after the show. I don’t know how an Unbreakable was kidnapped but I believe Felix took him, harnessed the Unbreakable power for himself, and brought Marty back to kill him on the grounds. Marty was defenseless without his gift, although I can’t say that a fireball wouldn’t have killed him either way. Felix is cruel enough that he would try to burn him from the inside out.”
I shuddered. “Why? Why risk bringing him back to the grounds and killing him?”
“It’s a statement,” Sheffield replied flatly.
“That no one is safe,” I said, more to myself than him. “When he takes gifts, is it permanent, like yours? Is that his idea of a cure?”
“No, I’m almost positive it doesn’t work that way. To my knowledge, it only weakens you for a period of time. You’re powerless until some time passes and your gift comes back. As a Collector, I choose to give your gift back. His isn’t natural.”
“So I can’t let him get near me or I’m shit outta luck if he takes my firepower.”
“As far as I know, it only takes a syringe.”
“That’s it? One syringe can take my entire gift?” I cocked an eyebrow.
“It’s Hardy’s own creation. The few he tested on said it was no regular syringe; it had a double chamber, with some sort of serum inside that he injects as he takes your blood. It prevented use of a gift, thus the idea he’s giving his victims humanity. I’m hoping it’s only that they didn’t survive long enough to get it back.”
I grimaced at the thought; Sheffield’s finger traced the rim of his glass longingly and I caught him glance at his desk drawer.
“I haven’t the faintest idea how he developed any of it,” Sheffield finished.
I sat back in disbelief. I knew immediately I never wanted to see that needle. The image of it made me pop my knuckles before I could stop myself.
“Do you think Felix framed me on purpose?” I asked.
“I’ve wondered if he wasn’t trying to draw you out. That if he did frame you, you’d go looking for answers or somehow end up at his doorstep.”
“If that’s true, he was right about the answers part. I should know what’s happening around me. Like you said, I’ve been gone from this world for a while, so I have lots of questions. I can understand why you wouldn’t tell me all of this my first day here, but I need to know,” I said.
“Lenny wanted to tell you, but I know he didn’t want to put that kind of stress on you. You were a kid and he didn’t want to spoil that. His death was unexpected, to say the least. Your mother told me she would explain everything to you after that.”
“She was a wreck. There’s no way she could’ve handled that. Besides, she probably didn’t think I’d come back to show business. I guess she thought I’d figure out another plan and not have to worry about him,” I defended her. She had so loved our “normal” life; I couldn’t bear to fault her. Now our nightly movie dates and hopes for fun teenage experiences made sense. She wanted me to have another life so I could avoid getting hurt in this one.
“Miranda is not at fault. I just wish you were hearing it from both parents instead of me. This is not going to be an easy road.”
“Is there ever one?” My voice sounded dull and emotionless.
Sheffield cleared his throat. “I think we should call it a night. Sorry to throw so much at you.”
“I’d rather know and be prepared,” I responded. “Is there more to the story
?”
“There usually is,” he said, “but we’ve got a show to do. I’ll think strategy later.”
“So there will be a strategy?”
“Gotta be, right? That’s another thing about you and that protection thing. You are part of the protection here.”
My eyebrows shot up into my scalp. “What’s that now?”
“You’ve got an aggressively powerful gift. You should use it to our advantage.”
“You have such a confidence in my abilities. I’m worried you’re overestimating me. I’m not my father.”
“You’re better than him. You can handle it.” He held his head high as I looked down at my hands.
“I couldn’t really handle it the other week at the bar,” I mumbled. My ears burned in shame; I had never experienced anything like that. I hoped never to do so again.
“Everyone has their moments of weakness. I’m guessing you’ve never been in that position, so you weren’t sure how to react. You were in a state of shock. It’s only natural and not the first time it’s happened to anyone. You’ve had to lock down your emotions for so long that when they bubble to the surface, your gift overwhelms you in ways.”
“I don’t want it to happen again, though.”
“Lucy, if something were to take place, I would want you up there with the strongest of us.”
“You’re not going to use your gift to…er, collect?”
“I will not take others’ gifts without their permission. Felix knows who I am; I doubt he’ll let me get close enough to take whatever he’s given himself. He might even want my blood to mimic my gift for his own, something we must absolutely prevent.”
“He wants to create that multi-gifted person, though. I’m willing to bet he thinks he could do it even better if he had your gift.”
Sheffield shrugged. “You’re probably right.”
“So that it’s then? I go back to working like nothing’s changed?”
“You said you didn’t want to leave. Time to earn your keep.”
“What do I do about everyone else?”
“They’ll come around.”
I didn’t know if Sheffield said these things out of faith or experience. It didn’t make me feel much better, but there wasn’t much else I could do. I was, however, concerned about a bigger problem.
“Sheffield, what do we do now?”
He finished off his drink and slammed the glass down. “I don’t know, kid.”
Sheffield fell quiet again, smoking his cigarette while I got up and left. I went to bed more confused than ever. I didn’t recall falling asleep, but I dreamt of shadows whispering to me while fire consumed the circus grounds.
Chapter 27
They found Knox’s body the next morning.
Whoever had murdered him (meaning Felix) had deposited Knox in our parking lot, in the same state as Marty: burned to a crisp. Keegan said Knox had been Native American, with dark, silver-streaked hair, and a broad nose; now he resembled nothing more than a piece of charcoal. I didn’t try to see the body, nor did I hover around the edges of groups, hoping to hear something that didn’t include my being the killer. I’d given up on that game at least a week ago. The show continued, but fervent whispers and angry looks were the only things to be found backstage. I didn’t go looking for Sheffield that night or the next, but I heard he didn’t leave his camper for hours.
Two nights after Knox’s body turned up, Keegan informed me he was off with the boys to play poker. I knew I had to suck it up and take that time to talk to Gabriel. He knew more about the situation than anyone and I felt he could give me decent advice on my next move. He’d done a swell job of avoiding me for the last two days. I was glad, because I would have either set him on fire or fallen apart; neither was high on my list of things to do.
I went to my camper to change into street clothes and went out to find him. Luckily, or perhaps he’d planned it that way, I bumped into him around the animal area. He was walking away from the tiger cages and when he saw me walk to him, he met me halfway. We met and stood there for a moment in uncomfortable silence.
“Hey,” I said.
“Hey yourself. I guess you’re not here to yell at me or you’d have done it already.”
“Maybe at a later date. No time for that now.” I cleared my throat and dove right in. “I met a guy the other night by the name of Felix.”
His demeanor instantly changed; his eyes grew dark and his back straightened as he cast a look around the area. “Felix Hardy?”
“So you’ve heard of him.”
“He’s known in certain circles.”
“What do you know about him?”
“He’s not someone you party with; most gifted don’t leave his nerdy little grasp. What did he say to you?”
“Lots, actually. And Sheffield told me some fun stuff after the show last night when I confronted him. I know his gift, by the way.”
Gabriel’s eyebrows shot up. “You’re kidding. He just told you?”
“Felix told me, actually. Sheffield’s made it clear to keep quiet.” I glanced around to make sure we were alone but stayed silent on the matter.
“You’re not going to tell me, are you?” he accused.
“I don’t want to be overheard.”
A cacophony of yells came from the camping grounds. I twisted around and only briefly heard shouts of “Knox” and “murdered.” Three guesses as to the popular topic of conversation this evening. Gabriel grimaced, put a hand to his head and massaged his temples for a second.
“Are you all right?”
“I’ve got a killer headache. Fending off emotions after both Marty and now this Knox guy has been a little intense,” Gabriel said. He had bags under his eyes and looked unusually tired.
An idea struck me. “C’mon, I want to take you somewhere.”
“Is it to bed?” he joked halfheartedly.
I threw him a dirty look, but grabbed his elbow and led the way all the same. We maneuvered through the tents until we came up on the Ferris wheel. A worker let it run without anyone on, presumably to make sure it was ready for the next day.
“Is the Ferris wheel running okay?” I asked the worker. I made sure my voice was extra syrupy.
“Yeah, no problems. Just had to oil it down.”
“Do you think maybe we could hop on for a few minutes? I’d love to see this place at night from way up there.”
“I can arrange that,” he said. He gave me a once over and gave Gabriel a wink. I held back a shudder but kept my bright smile glued on.
“Also, can you stop at the top for a while? My head’s about to explode with the noise around here.”
“Sure thing, sweetheart,” he replied. He motioned for us to hop on and we took the steps up to a passenger car.
Gabriel and I sat close, his long legs scrunched up next to mine. Shoulder to shoulder, our arms touched. He looked at me with a quizzical expression.
“Don’t get any ideas. We’ll be too high up for you to get help if you say something stupid and I burn you,” I warned him. He smiled a little.
As the ride moved upwards, neither of us spoke. I looked around at the circus grounds. Portions still lit up with bright neon lights, but people were slowly shutting everything down. I smelled fresh air that wasn’t full of popcorn, hay, or animal scents. I’d grown so used to it that clean air was unusual to me now. When did that happen?
Our car finally squeaked to a stop at the very top. I didn’t dare look down at the worker in thanks; I wasn’t necessarily afraid, but I wasn’t about to shake the car, either. Instead, I sat back and took in the quiet view. We could see miles of shadowed land from up here. Lights from homes were scattered throughout the dark and when I looked up, I was almost positive I could reach out and brush my hand through a cloud.
“What are we doing up here?” he finally said.
“My friend, the Empath, she used to go up on the Ferris wheel when she needed a break. I’ve seen Brooklyn do the same thing on occasion
. It’s so far up that no one’s thoughts or feelings can reach you. I thought maybe you’d like a break trying so hard to fight off everyone’s crazy emotions.”
“All these years and I never thought to do this. That’s pretty clever.”
“What do you do when you need to shut out the world?”
“It’s usually not too bad, but lately, you can imagine. I hide in my camper, blare music or the television, and concentrate on that. I used to go for long walks, but I’ve been finding I don’t like to go too far from camp as of late.” His voice trailed off and I pretended not to notice his glance at me.
“Why don’t you just leave? You talk so much trash about it, maybe you should go.” The anger in my voice was obvious.
“I don’t hate it here. It’s a job, I know the people, and now it’s gotten interesting.”
“Well, this is a good place to know about for the future. You’re still on the lot and can escape reality for a minute, without missing anything down there.”
“Lucy, I’m sorry—,” he tried, but I cut him off.
“I already said I was fine, Gabriel. Just take my word for it and let’s move on.” I glared at the stars and tried to keep my heart from sinking into my stomach.
“No, dammit, I want to apologize. That was a really stupid thing I did. You’re not made of stone. I know I hurt you. I wish I could take it back.”
“Which part?” I shot back. “Telling me how you feel or doing some two bit town floozie?”
He sighed and continued as though I hadn’t snapped. “I wasn’t patient enough and my ego was wounded. I’m not big on apologies, but this time I really am sorry. I should’ve remembered I was talking to you and kept my patience to give you time to think.”
“What do you mean, talking to me?” I asked. I folded my arms and looked at him. It was the first time I had met his eyes without total humiliation.
“You’re way too uptight to not want to think things over a hundred times. I shouldn’t have tried to put pressure on you.”
