Circus Galacticus Read Online Free Page A

take care of it! Don't worry. No one will find out," says a girl's voice. "I have to go. I'm on next, and they'll miss me if I'm not back soon." A buzz of static crackles, then winks out.
    I scope things out over the topmost hatbox. After Nyl, I'm not taking chances. Thankfully, this girl seems relatively normal, or as normal as a person can be wearing a skintight sparkling body suit. She doesn't look very menacing, slumped against the wall with her head in her hands. I think she's crying.
    I step out, clearing my throat. "Um. Hi. I'm sorry, but I'm sort of lost back here, and I was wondering—"
    The girl whips around, her long black braid lashing the air, trailing red sparks. "Intruder!"
    "Hey, I didn't mean to! I'm trying to get out."
    "Too late for that, spy. What did you hear? Who are you working for?"
    "Nobody!" I back up, closer to the hatboxes. "What, you think I'm some sort of Ringling Brothers secret agent? Look, if you don't want random people showing up backstage, you shouldn't put hidden doors in your Hall of Mirrors."
    The girl stares at me. She shakes her head, setting fire to the crimson fiber optics again. "That's impossible. You're an Earther."
    There's that word again. "Fine. I guess I'm not finding any answers here. I'll keep looking." I turn back the way I came.
    I've gone three steps when something whooshes overhead. The girl lands lightly in front of me, blocking the way. I stare. That was one amazing leap, even for an acrobat.
    Sparkles crosses her arms. "No, you're coming with me. You've got questions to answer, Earth Girl."
    "I don't know anything! That's why I'm here. You guys said you had answers!"
    The girl's eyes narrow. When she jumps this time, I'm ready for her. I scoop one of the hatboxes off the pile and hurl it at the figure flying toward me.
    Sparkles tries to twist out of the way, too late. The hatbox explodes on impact with her nose, filling the air with brilliant blue-green feathers. The girl crashes onto the floor. I spin around and hightail it down the corridor.
    Each footfall jabs my fury into the ground, propelling me forward. I can't believe I was such a moron! All I've learned about my true self is that I'm angry as a hornet's nest and probably going insane. Nyl was right. That poster was one big lie wrapped up in a pretty package.
    I check over my shoulder. Sparkles is chasing me. What's she going to do, turn me over to security? Send me back to Primwell? No way. I put on a burst of speed, skidding around a corner and right smack into someone.
    All I see is a pair of eyes that glitter like my memory of the desert sky. Then we collapse in a tangle of elbows and flashy clothing. I struggle to get free. My feet connect solidly with something.
    "Have a care—that's fine Denebian silk you're treading on." Even without the loudspeaker, his voice fills the hallway with liquid sound.
    I stare. I can't help it. That poster was
nothing
compared to the real thing. Della and her girls got one thing right: He could totally be a movie star. He'd melt a million hearts with that smile. It's not only good looks; it's something more, a spark so raw and powerful it shakes my core. I feel like my universe suddenly got a whole new dimension.
    "And who do we have here?" he asks, quirking a brow at me. Pounding feet announce Sparkles.
    "Ringmaster!"
    He looks away from me, finally, and I try to shake off the feeling that I've been standing there for hours rather than seconds. "Yes, Sirra? Is there a problem?"
    "This Earth girl was snooping around the back corridor!"
    "Snooping isn't necessarily a bad thing. I encourage a good snooping now and again. Keeps us on our toes." He doffs his electric-blue top hat, bowing low. "Welcome to the Big Top. I'm the Ringmaster. And you are...?"
    "Beatrix Ling," I manage to get out.
    "She's a spy," insists Sparkles—or Sirra, if that's her name. Her nose is red and starting to swell, and she's got blue-green feathers stuck in her hair. She looks like an