Her laugh told me I’d won the battle. For now.
The afternoon sun was bright, even for autumn, and I yanked up my hood. I felt Katie’s disapproving stare. I’d be getting a lecture from her on the benefits of sun exposure before the day was through. She’d given me a few, usually when I’d back out of one of her trips to the lake. When it was sunny, Katie practically lived on her father’s boat, soaking in the rays. But the sun and I had never been friends. I resented the pounding migraines it inflicted, so I tended to hold a grudge.
We pushed through mingling students until we reached our table. Avery was sprawled across it, punching Brandon on the arm and congratulating him for snagging Emma, a cute girl with curly, sand-colored hair.
‘Hey, guys,’ said Brandon, scooting over to make room for us, ‘did everybody hear about the Circe coming to town?’
Anxiety jolted through me at the mention of the carnival. I pressed a hand to my stomach, not feeling as hungry as I had before.
‘Yeah, we were talking about it last period,’ Mitchell replied, holding up his slice of square-shaped pizza and examining it critically before taking a bite.
Katie pulled a bright green phone from her purse. ‘Yeah, and that reminds me, I’ve totally got to find out when they’re coming to school. I can’t believe it’s been two years!’
‘Let me know what she says,’ said Brandon as he polished off a strange concoction that I assumed was meant to be a burrito. ‘It’ll be cool to see them again. Maybe they’ll get us backstage passes or something to one of the shows.’
Emma laughed. ‘Yeah, like they’d let you back there, Brandon. You’d break something!’
He put a hand to his heart in mock hurt. ‘Hey, I’d be careful. I just like to look at stuff, you know?’
Avery pelted him with a hamburger bun, and everyone began talking about the Circe again. The louder their conversation got, the ickier I felt. I tugged my hood lower and studied the pile of soggy fries on my tray. The image of the Gypsy girl threatened the edges of my vision, but I stubbornly blinked her away. Freak class was not in session right now. I refused to provide Avery any more ammo to use on me today.
‘Check it out, guys!’
Mitchell pointed over the courtyard, and we followed his gesture passed the front of the school where the town’s main road ran parallel to the campus. A bright caravan of large tractor-trailers was passing by. Red paint spelled out the phrase Circe de Romany. The lettering was set against a background of orange and gold, with a design of swirling green vines and yellow flowers as the border.
Behind the trucks rolled several expensive-looking tour buses, branded with the same logo, and a cluster of smaller vehicles brought up the rear of the procession. The entire courtyard paused, watching the caravan amble down the road like a bright, twisting serpent.
The soft jingle of Katie’s phone caught my ears. ‘It’s her!’ she said. ‘They’re coming in tomorrow to register for classes!’
Avery leaned forward, rubbing his chin. ‘Well, I’ll make a point of being available to show her around.’
‘Yeah, I’m sure you will, Avery.’ Brandon huffed.
Lunch resumed, but I’d lost my appetite. I never skipped out on meals, but suddenly the three mustard-drenched corn dogs staring up at me were completely unappealing. Was I coming down with something? I pushed the tray aside and unscrewed the lid of my bottled water instead, wishing I had some aspirin. Beside me, Katie happily sipped a juice box. I cleared my throat, trying to appear casual, but feeling strangely unsettled.
‘So, who is the she you keep talking about?’ I asked.
‘Josephine Romany,’ she replied.
Hot chills ripped through my insides, like I’d plunged into a pool of lava and liquid nitrogen at the exact same instant. The shock was so strong that it sucked the air from my lungs. I pitched forward, clutching the edge of the table. Was it food poisoning? I stared at my plate. I hadn’t even eaten anything yet!
Katie grabbed my arm. ‘Sebastian?’
My airway opened again, and I could breathe. Was this an allergic reaction to something? I squinted up at the sky. Gradually the feeling passed.
‘Just a bad headache,’ I replied, pushing thoughts of various ailments from my brain.In a flash, Katie’s hand was in and out of her bag, this time, holding a bottle of Tylenol.I took it gratefully. ‘Thanks, mom.’
She poked me hard in the ribs.
The bell echoed through the courtyard, announcing that our brief stint of freedom was over. A collective sigh swept through the masses as students converged on trash cans and doors, disposing leftovers and shuffling to their next destinations. I parted ways with Katie, still feeling uneasy. Not to mention I’d barely touched my lunch.
The courtyard sloped downhill, ending at a covered breezeway. The shade felt good after being in the harsh sun, and I shoved my hood back, pushing hair out of my face. My stomach had settled, but my mind continued to swirl. The image of the dancing girl flashed in my head like the neon sign over the door of the tattoo parlor. But now, each time the image appeared, a name accompanied it:
Josephine Romany.
‘Sebastian, are you still there?’
I transferred my phone to my other hand as I buckled the seatbelt. ‘Yeah, I’m here.’
‘Weren’t you listening to me?’ Katie asked.
I paused, trying to remember what we’d been talking about. The two hours since lunch had been a blur, and my brain was mush. ‘Um…’
Katie sighed on the other end. ‘The project Ms Lucian talked about in class today,’ she continued impatiently. ‘When are we going to work on it?’
‘I’m sorry,’ I replied, starting the engine. ‘The pounding in my head’s making it difficult to think.’
‘Another headache?’
‘You know me and sunny days,’ I said dismissively. I stepped on the gas and coaxed my old van onto the road. ‘But about the project. I don’t know if I can do it this week. Can I get back to you?’
‘Yeah, just don’t wait too long. I know we’ve got almost a month to work on it, so Ms Lucian’s not going to cut us any slack, and the rest of our group is totally avoiding me about the whole thing.’
Katie hated procrastinating on anything related to schoolwork. This was probably killing her. ‘Look, don’t worry about it. I’ll talk to the guys, and we’ll come up with a day to work on it. I promise, we won’t let you down.’
‘Thanks, Sebastian,’ she replied, sounding relieved. ‘You’re not nearly as much of an idiot as the rest of your species.’
I chuckled. ‘I think you mean gender.’
She giggled. ‘No, I don’t.’
‘Talk to you later, Katie.’
‘Bye.’
I tossed the phone on the passenger seat and rubbed my temples. By the time I made it through town and steered my van into the parking lot of the Gypsy Ink, my headache had traveled, setting up residence between my shoulder blades. The last thing I felt like doing was homework.
I shuffled through the waiting room, giving a brief wave to Kris, who was busy behind the counter. I’d grab a quick snack and then lay out flat on the floor of the apartment for a while. Just until the aching eased. I paused in the hallway just outside the door of Hugo’s workspace. I didn’t have to say anything. My brother knew I was there.
‘Hey, Sebastian.’ He glanced up from his sketchbook. ‘What’s up?’
‘Do