Free Gifted, A Donovan Circus Novel by Liz Long Page B

novel cover
over there,” I said. They snapped out of it. I rolled my eyes. “We look
ridiculous.”
    “Even I think he’s hot and I
want nothing to do with penises,” Brooklyn said. She took another peek at him
before turning back to us. “Bet he’s popular with the ladies.”
    “Yeah, that’ll be fun to watch,”
Bianca said. “I can’t wait to see who goes for him. There are quite a few
ladies who wouldn’t mind seeing him out of costume.”
    “He probably knows how good
looking he is,” I pointed out. “Especially if he’s been in the circus!”
    “Who cares,” Bianca replied.
    “Where do you keep getting these
hot guys like Keegan and Gabriel?” I wondered aloud.
    We began our walk to the Big
Top, but to do so we had to pass that same booth where Gabriel stood. We got
closer and Gabriel turned to look at us. I could see his blue eyes from here. I
looked away and focused on not tripping over myself.
    Bianca looked directly at him
and beamed. “Hey there, how are ya?”
    He nodded at us. “Not bad and
you?”
    I gave a smile and continued my
walk. The other two, however, decided to slow down and actually continue the
casual conversation. I slowed, not wanting to be rude.
    “You’re Gabriel, right?”
Brooklyn asked.
    He nodded and looked at me. He
was just tall enough that I had to squint into the sun to look him. “Yes I am.
You’re Lucy, right?”
    “Yep,” I answered.
    He gave Bianca and Brooklyn a
brief smile then looked at me again. He actually gave me a once-over from head
to toe. “Nice uniform. What about your gift? I forget what Sheffield said last
night.”
    “Firestarter.”
    “How long you been performing?”
he asked.
    “Pretty much since the day I was
born,” I responded.
    “How do you like being new here?”
    “Twenty-four hours in, not so
bad. How do you like it?”
    “It’s improving.”
    Bianca and Brooklyn watched our
conversation like a ping-pong tournament. I felt like I was on the defense with
Gabriel’s interrogation.
    “Are you gifted?” I wanted to be
on offense.
    “I am,” he replied. I raised an
eyebrow, but he didn’t continue. An awkward pause settled over us and I cleared
my throat.
    “We need to get ready. Guess
we’ll see you later,” I said.
    “I’d like that. We should get
together.”
    “Well…I think there was talk of
going out later if you get bored,” I said after hesitation.
    “I’ll definitely consider it.
Thanks,” he replied with a smile. His steady gaze flustered me.
    “See you.” I had no idea how
people got a real conversation out of me. I turned and walked as fast as I
could to the Big Top. Bianca and Brooklyn followed.
    “You know how awkward you are,
right? What was that about?” Brooklyn asked.
    “That was a little weird,” Bianca said.
    I reached the Big Top entrance
and stepped inside. I stopped to turn around to face them.
    “What was with his
interrogation? And yes, Brooklyn, I am a walking tragedy of conversation,” I
said with a scowl on my face.
    “No idea what the deal was,”
Bianca said. She peered out of the tent in Gabriel’s direction. “He certainly
liked you.”
    “I don’t think that’s the case
at all,” I said. “The way he was being about it was rude. I think he might be a
jerk.”
    “A hot jerk,” Bianca said with a
big smile. “I bet it’s the suit. You look good, girl! He liked what he saw. You
should hook that up, Lucy. He’s just your type: action-adventure hero good
looks with a soft spot to find! It’s your own fairytale or I guess in your
case, comic book.”
    I cracked up. “On paper, that
sounds pretty good.”
    The microphone squealed behind
me. Sheffield was testing out the sound. It was almost time for the show. A
flurry of activity went around us as folks ran around for final adjustments.
    The rest of the night sped by. I
ventured out once to the grounds to find it swarmed with people playing games
or waiting in line for the Ferris wheel. Small children gaped at