‘Hey, I tried to warn the stage crew. Putting an acrophobic artist on anything higher than a chair is just asking for trouble.’
‘I’d never seen somebody’s face actually turn green before.’
‘Well, it’s a gift.’ I made a mental note to request another crew assignment for this year’s production.
The bell rang, and Ms Lucian sauntered through the doors, toting a stack of colored papers. She seated herself on the edge of the stage. No one knew exactly how old Ms Lucian was, with her youthful face and red-tipped black hair, but she’d been teaching drama at Sixes for a long time.
‘Good morning, my darlings,’ she said in a pleasant voice. ‘How are we today?’ There was an eruption of less than favorable responses from the masses. Ms Lucian’s brow arched ‘Okay, forget I asked.’
She began to call the roll. I hugged my legs to my chest and rested my chin on my knees. The drone of student names seemed to go on forever.
A girl’s face, veiled in shadows…
Her hands stretching. Reaching. Pleading…
A sharp jab to my stomach knocked me back into reality.
‘You’re doing it again,’ Avery whispered harshly.
Ms Lucian glanced over her clipboard, her eyes fixing on me. For a moment, I thought I caught something in her gaze, but then it was gone. ‘Did we not get enough sleep last night, Sebastian?’ she asked.
‘My apologies.’ Avery kicked my chair. ‘I mean, I’m sorry. No, I didn’t, really. Get enough sleep, I mean.’
Behind me, Katie smothered a laugh.
‘Well, let’s try to work on that, all right?’ Ms Lucian looked disapprovingly at my posture. ‘And do take your feet down off the seat, please.’
‘Yes, ma’am.’
What was going on with me? After all the sleepless nights, I supposed dozing off in class was pretty much a given. But zoning out like this was unnerving. I rolled my shoulders and tried to concentrate.
Ms Lucian continued. ‘Class, your assignment today is a project, but before you all kill each other choosing groups, listen up.’ She presented the papers. ‘I received these fliers in my mailbox this morning. The Circe de Romany is coming back to town, and they will be here for an extended run. According to this advertisement, they’ve got a lot of stuff going on at the Fairgrounds over the next few months, so you might want to check it out. Who knows, there might be some extra credit involved if you attend some of their performances.’
Ms Lucian distributed the fliers, and everyone pored over them excitedly. I wasn’t sure why, but my stomach suddenly bottomed out.
‘Check this out,’ Mitchell said loudly in my ear. He held the paper in front of his freckled face and then shoved it at me. ‘Finally, something to do on the weekends besides movies and bowling.’
I took the paper, looking it over skeptically. ‘So this is a carnival, as in, cheap rides and overpriced cotton candy?’
‘Nah,’ said Avery. ‘It’s way better than that. They were here two years ago, don’t you remember?’
‘I wasn’t here two years ago, Avery.’ I glanced up with a wry smile. ‘Thanks for noticing.’
‘Oh, right.’
Katie rolled her eyes at him. ‘You’re an idiot.’
‘Well, I noticed you, buddy,’ said Mitchell. He raised his arm dramatically. ‘It was halfway through our sophomore year. You walked into class, looking all lost and confused. I said to Katie, “Hey, it’s the new kid! Let’s tell him they hold PE classes on the football field and see if he falls for it!”’
‘Ah yes, fond memories,’ I replied. ‘And so was the detention I got afterwards.’
‘That was freaking amazing,’ said Mitchell, puffing out his chest.
‘Remind me again,’ I said, crossing my arms. ‘Why are we friends? Oh yes. Because I have a soft spot for charity cases.’
Mitchell punched me in the shoulder. ‘Nice.’
‘So anyway,’ said Katie, pulling our attention back, ‘to answer your question, Sebastian, the Circe de Romany come through Sixes every couple of years. They have rides and games, all that carnival junk. And they put up this huge tent and have all kinds of special performances. It’s actually pretty awesome.’
I studied the list of shows on the flier. It was true that Sixes came up lacking in the field of recreational activities. It was easy to see how something like this could cause a stir.
Mitchell leaned over to Katie. ‘So the Romanys will be back in school?’
My stomach did that same weird elevator drop again, and the muscles in my neck went crazy tight. I watched Katie, suddenly interested in her answer, even though I didn’t have a clue who Mitchell was talking about.
‘Oh gosh, yeah, she’s totally coming back,’ Katie said, beaming happily. ‘We’ve been talking a lot lately online. She says the Circe has leased the Fairgrounds until next spring, so she gets to attend school here for her senior year.’
Avery folded the flier, stuffing it into his pocket. ‘Just her?’
‘No, her brother’s coming too,’ Katie replied. ‘He’s not big on the home-schooling thing. He’s bored.’
‘He’d better be going out for the football team,’ said Mitchell. ‘He was a starter, back during freshman year, before they left town.’
The conversation continued, but I gradually lost interest. Whoever the Romanys were, I’d arrived in Sixes long after they’d left. Still, I couldn’t ignore the feeling in the pit of my stomach like a case of nerves. But since I didn’t have anything to be nervous about, I chalked the sensation up to my hunger. When the bell rang for lunch, I was seriously relieved.
The school’s campus resembled a small college, with separate buildings devoted to particular areas of study. As we made our way up the hill to the Common Building, the potent smell of school cafeteria food hit me full in the face. The odor grew worse as we crammed our way through the doors.
The cafeteria was packed, and I was glad our group opted for the picnic tables in the courtyard. Avoidance of crowds ranked high on my quirks list. We fought through the food line and escaped into the great outdoors. Avery made a beeline for a couple sitting at one of the far tables, and I held the door open for Katie as we followed behind.
‘Bet he’s going to rag Brandon and Emma,’ she said as Avery sprinted away. She gave me one of her knowing looks and smiled. ‘You know they’re like an official couple, as of yesterday.’
‘That’s nice,’ I said politely.
Her smile turned sly. ‘So, now it’s your turn.’
‘Oh no,’ I said, using my lunch tray as a barricade. ‘I’m immune to your schemes. No more trying to set me up. You do remember the Becky Drummond fiasco, don’t you?’
‘What?’ Katie shrugged. ‘She was perfect for you.’
‘She said I smelled like moss. Who says that on a first date?’
‘Okay, maybe not perfect.’
‘I know you feel it’s your God-given duty to bring me up to acceptable social standards,’ I said, trying my best to look solemn, ‘but I assure you, I’m a pathetically lost cause. Use your oozy matchmaker charms on some other poor soul.’
‘Oh, come on, Sebastian.’ Katie nudged my shoulder. ‘You’re funny, you’re sweet…’