Nancy K. Duplechain - Dark Trilogy 02 - Dark Carnival by Nancy K. Duplechain Page B

sure about his feelings.
    “I think Carrie wants to
come too,” I said, straining to hear even the slightest bit of uncomfortable
noises from him; difference in breathing pattern, shuffling around, or sounding
distracted.  Nothing was different.
    “Yeah, she had said that
when we went to the movies.”
    He acted like it was no
big deal.  I frowned slightly.
    “Look at that one, Aunt
Leigh!” said, Lyla, grinning and pointing at a giant manta ray gliding along
the bottom of the tank.
    “Oh, yeah, that’s a big
one!” I said, trying to match her excitement.
    “So, how’s the training
going?” Lucas asked.           
    “Good.  I’m getting a
little better,” I said.
    “Great!”  He sounded
genuinely happy for me.  It seemed he was getting better with this whole
situation of the people around him having abilities.  “You been meeting a lot
of interesting people here?”
    “No,” I muttered,
immediately starting to regret how frustrated I sounded.
    “What’s wrong?”
    I sighed and decided to tell
him about Ruby.  It kind of helped to get it out to someone.
    “She sounds like a real
you-know-what,” he said, after I finished telling him about my interesting
excursion with her.
    “She must have been
adopted or something.  There’s no way she and Cee Cee are in the same family
tree.”
    I had expected Lucas to
agree with me or laugh, but there was silence.  “That was kind of a joke.  Well,
sort of,” I said.  I pulled my gaze away from the tank of rays and looked at
Lucas.  He was staring off into the distance.  I glanced over my shoulder to
see what he was looking at.
    “What?” I said.
    “That guy over there in
the black jacket, leaning up against the wall.  The one playing with his phone.
 I think he’s following us.”
    I looked again and saw
Noah in the spot where Lucas was staring.  I looked back at the rays.  “That’s
just Noah.”
    “Who?”
    “Noah Dallion,” I said,
starting to continue down to the next exhibit where Lyla and Jon were headed.
    Lucas began to follow us.
 “Who’s Noah Dallion?”
    “He’s sort of Miles’ …
cohort, if that’s the word for it.”
    He turned back to look at
Noah.  “He’s gone,” he said, looking perplexed.
    “Yeah, he does that.”
    “Well, what else does he
do?”  Lucas was starting to have a slight edge to his voice.
    “He’s a pally, too.”
    “Pally?  Oh, one of you?”
    I nodded.
    So, what’s his ability ?”
 By the way he said that last word, I guessed he wasn’t as good with the whole
special power situation as I had expected.
    I explained it to him the
way Noah had explained it to me, about his animal-like abilities, but I left
out the part where I made a failed attempt at a joke with Noah’s mother’s
choice of moniker for her son.  When I finished, there was a thoughtful silence
coming from Lucas.
    “Hello?”         
    “Well, be careful?”
    I rolled my eyes.  “Don’t
worry about me, okay?”
    “Okay,” he agreed.  But I
knew that was a lie.

9
A Dark Night in City Park
     
    After the Aquarium, the kids wanted to visit Cee
Cee.  Before we got to her place, they had spotted a line of horse-drawn
carriages.  We took a ride through the Quarter—laughing at Jon’s and Lyla’s
expressions when the horse pulling us had an attack of flatulence—and continued
on to Cee Cee’s for an excellent, early dinner.  They left by seven o’clock.  I
was upset with myself for forgetting to give Lyla the music box I had bought
her.
    Late the next morning, I
met Miles at the convent to do some more training.  Noah and Nadia were there,
sitting outside in the visitor’s area with Miles who motioned me over to sit
with them.
    “I suppose we can start,”
said Miles.  “Ruby, it seems, has better things to do.”  He sounded very
displeased with her.
    “What do you think is the
next step?” asked Nadia.
    “That depends on Noah.”  Miles
looked at him.  “Are you up for a