by Sarah Noffke
He studied her. “What’s your other skill, besides telepathy?”
She tilted her head and batted her long eyelashes at him innocently. “Skills.”
“What?”
“I have two other skills beside telepathy.” She turned and made her way back into the center of the practice tent. This game was easier than she thought. And as Zuma suspected Finley teleported right in front of her again but this time only a foot away.
He leaned down. “What are your other skills?”
She looked up at him. “I think you’ll earn that information by showing me more respect going forward.”
Finley rolled his eyes. “That’s not how respect works. It’s something you earn by not treating me like a plague victim since the moment I took the job.”
“What are you talking about? You didn’t even acknowledge me when you came in here a little while ago,” Zuma said.
“Oh, and it would have killed you to be the first one to say something?”
Zuma blinked blankly at Finley. “No, you’re right. I could have. But I’m also not forgetting that you’ve insulted me multiple times during this conversation. Do you want to work with me or not?”
“I do,” Finley said.
“Then why are you going out of your way to make me dislike you?” Zuma said.
It was Finley’s turn to corral the emotion that tried to spring to his face. The last thing he wanted was Zuma to dislike him. Still, he had his reasons for treating her the way he had. But now looking at her disappointed eyes his reasons felt like fault lines underneath his feet. He stared at Zuma and she stared back, her unrelenting gaze twisting his doggedness into a fraying rope. “We’ve obviously started off on the wrong foot,” Finley admitted after a pause. “Why don’t we start over?”
She considered him and then nodded. “Fine. I’ll give you one more shot.”
“Thank you,” he said, looking pleased. He stuck out his hand. “I’m Finley. I’m notorious for being an asshole, but I make up for it in other ways.”
She couldn’t help but smile slightly. “Nice to meet you, Finley. I’m Zuma and I have no shortcomings.” And when she took his hand he pulled her in tight and leaned down and whispered close to ear.
“Nice to meet you, and I look forward to learning if that’s true, Zuma.” He parted with a satisfied smile when he spied the goose bumps surface on her neck. And just in time for Titus to enter the tent.
Chapter Twenty
Titus had spent the last two hours wisely before his meeting with Zuma and Finley. He didn’t have a few ideas for their act, but rather one exceptionally solid one. Titus wasn’t the excitable type. That was Dave’s role at Vagabond Circus. Titus kept things calm and running in spite of the many distractions Dave created. But after brainstorming alone in his shared office, Titus couldn’t wipe the eager grin off his face. Creating an act at this stage in the season was crazy, but based on the talent they now had, the possibilities were brilliant. Titus had to give Dave credit. This was a risk worth taking and would have people talking up and down the west coast.
“What we’re going to do is create a new story that the circus tells,” Titus said, sounding strangely breathless.
“Wait, we’re changing the story? That’s major,” Zuma said in disbelief.
“Yes, but it’s a great idea. It will be the most inspiring story the Vagabond Circus has ever told. And for you, Zuma, it’s the break you’ve been waiting for,” Titus said.
“Why does everyone think I want to be the star?” Zuma complained.
“Everyone wants to be the star,” Finley said dryly before focusing on Titus. “What’s this new story?”
“Well, the good news is that we don’t have to change much to tell it. The narrator will take care of most of the changes and the acts won’t be altered too much. But we will add a few acts with you, Finley, and of course, add your quadruple to the trapeze,” Titus said.
“He can do high wire too,” Zuma said, surprising herself with the sudden disclosure.
Titus arched an impressed eyebrow at Finley. “That will come in very handy.” He coughed to clear his throat. “All right, so the show starts with you, Zuma, being imprisoned in a room. You’re a girl whose father locks her up every night before dark, afraid of the creatures that prowl outside at night. However, you escape one night and meet the monsters, which will be our various existing acts. Zuma, you will be in the ring most of the time. As the story progresses, you approach one of the monsters and duel him. During the battle you end up taming the monster and you two fall in love.” Titus ends this with a triumphant smile. “What do you think?”
“The monsters I meet?” Zuma asked, looking skeptical.
“Well, they’re the triplets, the acrobats, Sunshine, and Oliver. The cast,” Titus said, like this should have been obvious.
“And the one I duel and fall in love with?” Zuma said, lowering her chin and giving him a measured glare.
“It’s Finley, naturally.”
“Naturally,” she said dryly.
“What, don’t you like it?” Titus asked. He was always sensitive when it came to his new ideas.
“No, I like it, it’s just…” Zuma’s face flushed although she couldn’t figure out why. It wasn’t like the story was really about her.
“I think,” Titus began, “that pairing your skills to create a beautiful fight scene will really be impressive. We can even do part of it on the high wire.” He stopped and smiled at the idea. “Yeah, two acrobats on a wire. It will be simply brilliant. Then the fight will morph into a dance and a series of flips and holds as you two fall in love.”
Zuma tried three times to swallow the lump in her throat. She sought to cover up her nervousness with a compliment. “Titus, that’s beautiful. You came up with all that over lunch?”
“Actually the whole idea popped into my head when I was in the john,” he said with a guilty shrug.
“It is really beautiful,” Finley admitted, his eyes not on Zuma for once. Then his face fell with a worry he quickly covered up. This act would put him much closer to Zuma than he had thought. And although he craved the idea of working with her, he also knew he needed to keep a boundary. Two parts of Finley battled. His deal to work with Zuma was his indulgent side, and the one that pushed her away was his pragmatic side. And currently the two parts were even.
“Then it’s settled,” Titus said, rubbing his hands together eagerly. “We have a new show!”
“I just have one more question though.” Finley paused and then turned his pensive gaze on Zuma, putting her back under his spell. “What are these skills of Zuma’s that complement mine?”
Chapter Twenty-One
Titus blinked in surprise. “Wait, you don’t know?” He eyed his watch. “I realize I’m early, but what were you two doing before I arrived? You were supposed to be getting to know each other’s skills.”
“We didn’t get to that,” Finley said, his face turning dark. “Zuma was too busy going on about how much she didn’t want to work with me.”
Zuma shot Finley a startled look of fury. “I was not! He was the one acting like he didn’t want to work with me!”
“Oh, right,” Finley said with a huff. “By putting on a spectacular show for you,” he said, throwing his arm at the high wire.
She tied her arms across her chest. “That’s what you’re calling spectacular? Ha!”
He matched her pose and tapped his foot, irritation heavy in the movement. “I did ask her what her skills were and she refused to tell me,” he said to Titus, who looked confused. The creative director didn’t do well when it came to conflicts between performers. Thankfully it happened rarely. He didn’t have Dave’s way with the circus family.
“Zuma, is that true?” Titus asked, growing more uncomfortable by the second.
“What happened to starting over?” she said, glaring at Finley.
He gave her a cold smile. “We did start over and this is where we are now,” he said, hoping th
is was working, hoping she couldn’t see through his act.
Titus slid his hand over his graying blond hair. “Okay,” he said, drawing out the word. “You two obviously have some team-building opportunities here. I realize that you, Zuma, are used to being with Jasmine and Jack, but Dave is giving you an incredible chance.” He turned to Finley. “And I’m going to be bold here and tell you that antagonizing Zuma is probably not going to work in your favor.”
Finley smiled. “Oh, I don’t know, I like the way she looks when she’s angry. And she should be thanking me for provoking her,” he said, staring straight at Zuma.
“Thank you? For what? For being a bipolar jerk?” she said.
“Exactly,” Finley said, nodding. “Having strong emotions is great for performing.”
“He’s insane,” she said, pointing to Finley and staring at Titus.
The creative director shrugged, looking defeated, and backed away.
“Titus!” Zuma yelled. “You can’t just let him get away with disrespecting me.”
He shook his head. “As far as I’m concerned, this is something you two need to get through on your own. And lucky for you there will be an ample opportunity. I want you creating an act based on my ideas for the rest of the day. I will review what you have tonight and then you will rehearse while dream traveling for all of the night. So, I’d advise you both to change your attitudes toward each other since you’re spending the rest of the day and night together,” Titus said.
“But it’s my day off,” Zuma argued.
Titus almost laughed at this, but controlled himself. “We all know there’s no days off at Vagabond Circus. And besides I have high hopes for you two. I want to do a run-through tomorrow morning with the whole cast and then we will produce the new show tomorrow evening for Seattle before heading to Portland.”
“This is crazy, Titus,” Zuma said.
He nodded in agreement. “Yes, completely. But I think that it will boost sales and that means we all keep our jobs, so please do try your best to get along.” Titus then turned to Finley. “Now, to answer your question, besides being telepathic Zuma also has combat sense and—”
“Wait,” Finley said, swiveling his face to Zuma. “So…” He prepared to pivot on his back foot and before he did her eyes shot to his foot. He stopped. Smiled. “So if I go to kick you—”
“Then she will sense it seconds before you telegraph,” Titus answered for her.
Finley nodded in approval. “That will make a fight between us quite interesting.”
“Fight scene,” Titus corrected. “You two will be creating a fight scene, and I agree. Most wouldn’t be able to keep up with your super speed, Finley, but Zuma should have no trouble.” He turned and nodded at Zuma proudly. “I had my doubts but Dave encouraging me to pair you with Finley was genius. The old man still has it, I’ll admit.”
Zuma couldn’t help but nod with him in agreement, although her eyes were still narrowed with frustration.
“And what’s your third skill?” Finley said, breaking in.
Zuma sighed, resigning slightly. “I have an eidetic memory, meaning I can recall images after only a brief exposure with a high degree of detail.”
“Ahhh…” Finley said, piecing it all together. “So you can remember everyone in the crowd. And you know how many times they’ve been in the audience and where they sat. Is that right?”
“Yes,” she said plainly. All her secrets were out now.
“That’s a lot of information to catalogue,” Finley said, looking impressed. “How does it help you in the circus?”
She shrugged. “I don’t know, maybe it doesn’t. But I see everything and with the right intention I can go back to memories and study them to learn more information. Reasons behind why someone would stalk the circus,” she said, her tone filled with meaning.
For the first time that afternoon Finley’s cool features shifted with stress.
“Well, I think at this point you two have everything you need from me to get started,” Titus said, feeling the tension between the two and wanting to get away from it quickly. “No breaks until dinner and then I want to see what you’ve come up with.” Titus turned and stalked for the exit, but halted just before. “Oh, and Finley?” he called back.
“What?” he said.
“Really I think your best advantage with Zuma is to allow her in your thoughts. If you do then you two can work together more seamlessly, the way she works with Jack and Jasmine,” Titus said before leaving Zuma and Finley staring across the four feet separating them, a strange tension tethering them to each other.
Chapter Twenty-Two
Dave was almost skipping with a new exuberance as he crossed the grounds to his trailer. His meeting with Titus had been the best one in years. The creative director had a renewed energy. He was actually excited about the show. That hadn’t happened in a long time. And they both knew changing the narrator script would take some work before the new show tomorrow, but it could be done. Everyone would be rehearsing during dream travel tonight. That was more than enough time for his circus to reconfigure the show.
The most important part of the show rested on Zuma’s shoulders and there was no one he had more faith in. She was reliable, trustworthy, and she wanted the circus to be a success. Few loved the circus like he did, but Zuma was one of them. Sunshine had disclosed this to him one winter night when he questioned whether he had the support he needed to keep leading the circus. He knew Sunshine didn’t much care for Zuma but she respected her and had been nice enough to share that information. She had said that Zuma’s love for the circus was comparable to nothing else in her life.
Upon entering his trailer Dave’s spirits dropped a degree.
“Again?” he said to the empty trailer. The space looked as it had when he left it this morning, except for three specific things: The mat in front of the sink was flipped up at the corner like someone tripped on it and didn’t bother to fix it. Secondly, there were smudged fingerprints on the door handle. And lastly, the bottle of hand soap by the kitchen sink was turned at a thirty-degree angle. Dave would never leave a mat unfixed. Wore gloves and therefore made no smudges. And ensured everything was always facing forward, with the label showing.
This was the second time someone had broken into his trailer and he couldn’t understand their purpose. They didn’t take anything or seem to be looking for something. Actually it seemed to Dave that they touched everything like they were trying to give him a panic attack. Dave had been clinically diagnosed with obsessive compulsive disorder and couldn’t stand the idea of foreign germs in his personal space. Maybe this person knew this and was trying to play a prank. He didn’t think most people knew this about him though. Zuma and Sunshine knew due to their skill, and Titus, but no one else. Most people just thought that Dave wore his white ringmaster gloves most of the time out of habit. He had told the kids that they brought good luck when they asked one time.
Dave strode straight for the assorted chemicals he kept under the sink and went to cleaning his trailer. He didn’t really have the time for such a chore, but he wouldn’t be able to concentrate until it was thoroughly clean again. Dave was irritated that his disorder was making him lose time he could be devoting to the new show. But what he didn’t realize was his OCD would keep him alive for another day.
Chapter Twenty-Three
“What was that about?” Zuma asked, pinning her hands on her hips. “One minute you’re hot and the next you’re cold.”
Finley stroked his fingers through his brown hair, shrugged, then grabbed the pad of paper Titus left with his notes and tossed it at her. “You take notes,” he said. The truth was he didn’t know how to act around Zuma. She wasn’t like most girls he met. She had a beautiful confidence. She had grace. And now that he knew what all her skills were, he was even more drawn to her. Drawn to her like the tide to the earth, like the birds to the trees, and like the predator to the prey. Her powers complemented his perfectly and all this was a
bsolutely wrong. Finley couldn’t allow himself this distraction. He looked at Zuma a few feet away, studying him. When he really allowed himself to look at her he saw himself failing. He saw himself turning weak and making decisions based on the wrong motivator.
“I really don’t understand you,” Zuma said, shaking her head and daring to take the seat next to him. She still couldn’t get in his mind and there was no one’s thoughts she’d ever wanted to read more than Finley’s.
Chapter Twenty-Four
Jack knew the only way he could clear his head was to get away from the circus. It wasn’t something he did often as he preferred the company of his friends. But the recent events had triggered an old anxiety. He borrowed Titus’s car and drove to a park on the other side of town. He could have gone to one of the more interesting places in Seattle. The city was overflowing with places to dazzle the senses, but Jack’s senses were currently on overload.
Actually, if Jack really wanted to get away then he could close his eyes and go to Egypt or Alaska or anywhere his mind intended by dream traveling. But Jack preferred to get away physically when his stress grew to this level. It was something about being away from everything that gave him hope that when he returned things would be better.
He should have been pleased with the recent events, not stressed. Dave was happier than he’d ever seen him and he was a man prone to happiness. Jack had caught the quadruple for the first time ever. And even he admitted that Finley’s skills would add value to their show. Just advertising that they had a riskier trapeze act would earn them higher sales. And that’s what they’d wanted as a circus. But Zuma… The way that she’d looked at Finley. The girl had caught herself. Rearranged her face into a grimace, but Jack had seen it. There was a connection between her and Finley and it brought up so many of his old insecurities.
