The Midnight Carnival by Erika McGann Read Free Book Online Page B

a dumbbell on her forearm, letting it roll back and forth before she bounced it to the other hand. She didn’t see the clowns enter the tent, creeping like spiders on a string of gossamer, silken suits in drab colours blending too easily in the dim light. One crept up behind her and pulled at a lock of her hair. She gasped and swung a fist, missing the painted face that moved too fast. He smiled and dropped a deep bow.
    ‘Is bold,’ she said, her breath fast. ‘No playing now, I have show.’
    The painted faces in silk suits didn’t move.
    ‘I do not vont you here. Understand? You leave now. Ihave show.’
    The silk suits filed into line and sat in the front row, crossing their legs in unison. There were more weights behind the small stage, but the woman seemed reluctant to turn her back to retrieve them. Instead she stood, her shoulders hunched, watching the front row as if it were filled with coiled vipers. Eventually, one silk suit raised his hands and clapped. Soon they were all applauding as the woman stood trembling. She didn’t budge from her spot on the floor until all of them had blown kisses, stood up from their seats, and filed out of the tent.
    Shaking, the woman wiped sweat from her brow and slowly bent to her work.

    ‘Feel that.’
    Jenny curled her arm in Grace’s face.
    ‘Why?’
    ‘Just feel it.’
    Grace pinched her bicep. ‘Okay.’
    ‘That’s muscle.’
    ‘Doesn’t feel like more muscle than I’ve got.’
    Jenny slumped into her chair.
    ‘That’s cos I’ve only just started. Wait a couple of weeks and I’ll have biceps the size of Agata’s.’
    ‘Might take a little more than two weeks, Jenny.’
    ‘Why would you want muscles like Agata’s?’ said Rachel. ‘You’ll get all bulky and won’t fit into your clothes.’
    ‘That’s the plan, Dan,’ said Jenny. She growled and pulled a body builder pose, making Rachel grimace.
    They’d just finished their first day of third year, and now they were waiting patiently for Miss Lemon in her empty classroom. The teachers had gone easy on them the first day back, but the mention of end-of-year exams already had Grace’s stomach in a knot. The whiny hum coming from the back of the room wasn’t helping her nerves.
    ‘Una, give it a rest, will you?’
    Una cupped her hand to her ear.
    ‘Hmm? You want more, you say? Sing it loud, you say?’
    ‘Oh, God,’ moaned Jenny as Una kneeled up on her chair. ‘She found some album of power ballads belonging to her dad, and fell in love with them. It’s been like this all day – “I can’t live without you, you are my everything,” blah blah blah.’
    ‘It’s Heart, baby!’ Una yelled. ‘They’re classic.’
    ‘You only heard of them yesterday.’
    ‘ You’re the voice and the something soomethi-ing, something else and some other stuuuuuuff. Woah-oo-woah-ooo-woah-oh-oh .’ Una wailed with her eyes squeezed shut.
    ‘Oh, my God.’ Rachel stuck her fingers in her ears. ‘At least learn the words if you’re gonna be screaming it at–’
    ‘ IIIIIII can’t learn the wor-or-ords, there’s waaaay to maaaany wor-or-or or-or-ords. ’
    ‘Good heavens, girls. It’s you making all that racket?’
    Miss Lemon shut the door behind her, straightening the bun of dark hair at the back of her head, and set a pile of books on her desk.
    ‘Sorry, miss,’ Grace said. ‘Una’s discovered music.’
    ‘Is that what that was.’
    ‘How are you, miss?’ Una was a little out of breath as she took her seat.
    ‘I’m very well, Una, thank you.’ The teacher fixed them with a steady look. ‘And I trust you girls are ready to work hard on your craft this year?’
    Miss Lemon, along with Delilah’s guardian, Vera Quinlan, had taken charge of the girls when they became interested in witchcraft, and she had now been teaching them secretly for two years.
    ‘But we kept up with our magic lessons during the summer,’ said Grace. ‘We’re not behind, are we?’
    ‘No, you’re not, but Vera