voice
asked. I looked up, fully ready to say no to the perverted old men, but was
surprised to see Gabriel standing above us. He motioned to Delia’s seat next to
me.
“Well, Delia went to get—”
I started, but he cut me off by sitting down in her chair anyways,
“—beers for everyone. But sure, you can have her seat. I’m sure she won’t
mind,” I finished.
My sarcasm either went over
Gabriel’s head or he chose to ignore it. He set a half-full beer and a pack of
smokes on the table.
“How’s everybody tonight?” he
asked in a southern drawl. I tried to ignore his blue eyes staring at me over
his cupped hands as he took a cigarette out of its box and lit it.
“Fine, man. Enjoying your first
days with us?” Keegan responded.
“Definitely. Still re-learning
the ropes and all.”
Nikolas and Brooklyn sat back in
their seats and lit their own cigarettes. Finley sat in an unusual silence,
observing the dressed up girls by the music.
Though Gabriel appeared
oblivious, there was clear animosity towards him. I wasn’t sure why they felt
that way. Maybe because he had inserted himself into the situation without
warning? While annoyed he grabbed Delia’s seat, I didn’t want him to feel
unwelcome. After all, he and I were new together and I had been lucky enough to
have a nice roommate with welcoming friends. Maybe he wanted the same thing.
“What’s your role around the
grounds?” I asked.
“Right now, I’ve got the same
responsibilities as you—helping everyone with props, cages, that sort of
stuff. Sheffield wants us to get acclimated, so I’m for whoever needs the extra
hand. I helped my Uncle Rick with some of the machinery today.”
“I barely remember you from
before,” Brooklyn admitted. “Weren’t you a teenager when your family left?”
“Yeah. My mom didn’t want to
travel with circuses anymore. So we left, had a normal life for two or three
years. When I turned 18, I went back to a nomad. Here I am,” Gabriel replied.
There was a brief silence. I
snuck a peek at Brooklyn; she looked as though she was trying to read Gabriel.
Finley eyed him. “Are you
gifted?”
“I don’t really use it,” Gabriel
stated flatly. It was unmistakable that was the end of the discussion.
I gave a curious look to
Brooklyn, hoping she got a read from him, but she gave a half shrug. Clearly,
he did not want to risk any chance of revelation. If he knew about Brooklyn’s
gift, he knew how to ward her curiosity off.
Delia and Bianca came back with
our beverages. They both looked quite surprised to see Gabriel at our table,
but Delia slid into Renata’s empty seat without a beat. Bianca gave me a “told
you” look that was clearly directed at Gabriel’s sitting next to me.
“Here you are, friends,” Bianca
said, passing the drinks around to us. “Hi, Gabriel. I’m Bianca, we met
earlier.”
“I remember. You’ve got Henry,
right?”
She smiled, obviously pleased he
knew. “Yes.”
“So what brings you to our show,
Gabriel?” Keegan asked.
He shrugged. “I’ve kind of been
floating from one place to the next. A different job in lots of cities and
lately money’s been tight. Called my uncle up, asked if Sheffield had a gig for
me. Lucky enough, he did.”
“That is lucky,” Bianca said.
“Have you been in other shows?”
“No, just this one years ago.
Between then and now, I did odd jobs. Manual labor, waiting tables, bartending,
that sort of thing,” he responded.
“Actual real world experience,”
Finley drawled. He took a long gulp of beer, his eyes everywhere but at the
table.
“What about you, Lucy?” Gabriel
gave me a sideways look. “Heard you were a family friend of Sheffield’s.”
“That’s true,” I answered. I
wouldn’t lie; it would only make me look like I had something to hide. I paused
there and Gabriel raised an eyebrow as though waiting for me to continue. I
sighed.
“My father and Sheffield
are—were—very good friends. We were in the
asked. I looked up, fully ready to say no to the perverted old men, but was
surprised to see Gabriel standing above us. He motioned to Delia’s seat next to
me.
“Well, Delia went to get—”
I started, but he cut me off by sitting down in her chair anyways,
“—beers for everyone. But sure, you can have her seat. I’m sure she won’t
mind,” I finished.
My sarcasm either went over
Gabriel’s head or he chose to ignore it. He set a half-full beer and a pack of
smokes on the table.
“How’s everybody tonight?” he
asked in a southern drawl. I tried to ignore his blue eyes staring at me over
his cupped hands as he took a cigarette out of its box and lit it.
“Fine, man. Enjoying your first
days with us?” Keegan responded.
“Definitely. Still re-learning
the ropes and all.”
Nikolas and Brooklyn sat back in
their seats and lit their own cigarettes. Finley sat in an unusual silence,
observing the dressed up girls by the music.
Though Gabriel appeared
oblivious, there was clear animosity towards him. I wasn’t sure why they felt
that way. Maybe because he had inserted himself into the situation without
warning? While annoyed he grabbed Delia’s seat, I didn’t want him to feel
unwelcome. After all, he and I were new together and I had been lucky enough to
have a nice roommate with welcoming friends. Maybe he wanted the same thing.
“What’s your role around the
grounds?” I asked.
“Right now, I’ve got the same
responsibilities as you—helping everyone with props, cages, that sort of
stuff. Sheffield wants us to get acclimated, so I’m for whoever needs the extra
hand. I helped my Uncle Rick with some of the machinery today.”
“I barely remember you from
before,” Brooklyn admitted. “Weren’t you a teenager when your family left?”
“Yeah. My mom didn’t want to
travel with circuses anymore. So we left, had a normal life for two or three
years. When I turned 18, I went back to a nomad. Here I am,” Gabriel replied.
There was a brief silence. I
snuck a peek at Brooklyn; she looked as though she was trying to read Gabriel.
Finley eyed him. “Are you
gifted?”
“I don’t really use it,” Gabriel
stated flatly. It was unmistakable that was the end of the discussion.
I gave a curious look to
Brooklyn, hoping she got a read from him, but she gave a half shrug. Clearly,
he did not want to risk any chance of revelation. If he knew about Brooklyn’s
gift, he knew how to ward her curiosity off.
Delia and Bianca came back with
our beverages. They both looked quite surprised to see Gabriel at our table,
but Delia slid into Renata’s empty seat without a beat. Bianca gave me a “told
you” look that was clearly directed at Gabriel’s sitting next to me.
“Here you are, friends,” Bianca
said, passing the drinks around to us. “Hi, Gabriel. I’m Bianca, we met
earlier.”
“I remember. You’ve got Henry,
right?”
She smiled, obviously pleased he
knew. “Yes.”
“So what brings you to our show,
Gabriel?” Keegan asked.
He shrugged. “I’ve kind of been
floating from one place to the next. A different job in lots of cities and
lately money’s been tight. Called my uncle up, asked if Sheffield had a gig for
me. Lucky enough, he did.”
“That is lucky,” Bianca said.
“Have you been in other shows?”
“No, just this one years ago.
Between then and now, I did odd jobs. Manual labor, waiting tables, bartending,
that sort of thing,” he responded.
“Actual real world experience,”
Finley drawled. He took a long gulp of beer, his eyes everywhere but at the
table.
“What about you, Lucy?” Gabriel
gave me a sideways look. “Heard you were a family friend of Sheffield’s.”
“That’s true,” I answered. I
wouldn’t lie; it would only make me look like I had something to hide. I paused
there and Gabriel raised an eyebrow as though waiting for me to continue. I
sighed.
“My father and Sheffield
are—were—very good friends. We were in the
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