Circus Summer (Circus of Curiosities Book 1) by Kailin Gow Read Free Book Online Page A

your place here, if you ask. Let me do this, and you can stay with your family.”
                It’s hard not to be shocked by that offer. Thomas would really do that for me? But no, I can’t accept. This is for me too. I want to be part of this. Something bigger than just life in Sea Cliff. I lean forward and kiss Thomas on the lips, quickly, impulsively. At least, that’s what I intend it to be, but when Thomas’ lips meet mine, it feels like more than that. His hands spring up to cup my face while he kisses me back. It’s sudden and unexpected, but he pulls back while I try to catch my breath.
                Dr. Dex is announcing the names of the people he’s selected now, calling them out from the center of the circus ring. I run down to join him, and find myself standing next to Zachary Niles, so close that we’re almost touching. Dr. Dex calls his name, and people applaud.
                “And our final performer, who has joined us because only the Center can provide the medical help her mother needs. I think you’ll all agree that’s a touching story, and she’s that pretty girl you’ve all seen at school, around town. Now she’s in the greatest show on Earth. I give you… Leela Sinclair!”
                There’s more applause. Zachary leans over to me during it, whispering. “You’re here because your mother’s ill? I was wondering why you’d do it. I’m sorry to hear that.”
                I nod. It’s still hard to talk to him, because I can feel the familiar blush starting around him. “Thank you.”
                I try to figure out why he’s here. It can’t be for the money. Yes, the daily rate is enough to feed a family for a week, but his parents run the biggest store in town. They have money. It must be something else. Whatever it is, I guess it doesn’t matter right now though. What matters is that I’m in. I’m a part of the Circus of Curiosities.
     
     
     

 
     
    Chapter 6
     
     
    Zachary
     
    I stand in the center of the Circus of Curiosities’ ring, staring up at the people in the crowd. There are so many of them there. People I know and people I don’t, so that it seems like almost everyone from Sea Cliff is here, looking at the few of us who have been chosen. They stare down and they clap, like we’re already heroes just for having signed up. Or maybe it’s for getting sent down into the ring when almost half of the people on the list don’t make it even that far.  I don’t know what I would have done if I hadn’t been one of them.
                It’s hard to believe just how mesmerized everyone is by the circus. I guess it’s because there isn’t much entertainment around Sea Cliff. Circuses, fun fairs and things like that pass through occasionally, but most of the time, we have to come up with our own entertainment. That means things like watching the school sports teams, or the town fairs that run every couple of months. Simple things like that. I’ve heard that in other places, there are more complex entertainments. TVs and radios, words half remembered from the past. My parents are some of the wealthiest in Sea Cliff thanks to their store, but even they don’t have anything like that.
                We have stories instead. We’ve always told each other stories. My grandfather used to tell stories about the Circus of Curiosities, and the time it came through the town years ago. He didn’t describe everything he saw there, but he described plenty. Maybe it’s because of Grandpa’s old stories that caused me to see this place in my dreams, and my nightmares. I see the ring. I see the performances…
                I see Dr. Dex. I recognized him the moment I first saw him. I’ve seen that figure in the top hat and long coat so many times. I’ve seen that face so many times. This is where I’m meant to be. Right here, in this ring. I knew it the moment I set foot