Author's Note: A while ago, this story was reported. I fear it was because of my lack of attention to the ratings. This story should be rated T, not K+. I reviewed all the rules again and made sure my story stuck to the guidelines. I apologise for the inconvenience, and for any young children who read my story and were frightened by it.
Warning: Character death
It was all the rain's fault. I know it. If Constance had been wrong about the day's weather, if it had been sunny instead, it might not have happened.
. . .
It was a normal rainy day. That meant the house was creaking, Constance was complaining, and Kate was pacing back and forth. The active girl loathed rainy days with all her heart. In the snow, the adults would let them go out. In the sunshine, the adults would let them go out. Not in the rain. They said it was too dirty, too wet, too anything to keep the kids indoors. Kate hated to be cooped up inside. Whenever she felt trapped and longed to feel the cool rain run down her arms and face, she grabbed someone and had some sort of adventure. Most of the time, Kate took Reynie with her. He always said yes to her adventures. The last time she went out on her own, all of the kids got captured. The time before that, she wound up having to take a swim in freezing water. Reynie obviously didn't want something like that to happen to anyone ever again, especially since he gave Kate permission both times she ran off. The entire house knew Kate went out every time clouds threatened to spill, and no one did anything to stop it. They all knew who would win if it came to a battle of either words or limbs.
That was why, at precisely 1:46 p.m. on May 17th, they were sneaking out of the house through the air vents.
"Where are we going?" Reynie asked, his voice no louder than a whisper. He typically did not find out the answer until Kate pushed him through a random door and announced, 'We're here!'
"The circus," replied Kate.
"Any old circus?" inquired the boy. Reynie had a feeling about what the answer might be.
"Not just any old circus! If I wanted to go to any old circus, I could! This is the circus I used to belong to. Obviously. This is the last day the circus is in town, and I would not miss it for the world! Reynard Muldoon, if you couldn't figure that out, then you are a bit less brilliant than you were yesterday!" Kate voice had acquired a teasing tone halfway into her lecture, and her lips twitched upwards in a smile. Reynie, too, broke out in a grin. It was nice to see his friend smiling on a rainy day.
The two crawled through the vents. Reynie noticed creaky panels every three feet and was glad Kate was in front of him. If it weren't for her, he would probably be left wandering the vents until he found the one leading outside. Or until he fell through where a screw was loose and broke his neck. He and Kate finally got out into the rain that was pounding relentlessly against the walls and roof of Mr. Benedict's house.
Kate put her finger to her lips as the pair turned the corner. She pulled back a grate and motioned for Reynie to follow her. The two friends slipped out of the duct, which happened to be at ground level. They hurried through the lawn and over the fence. When Reynie and Kate were a fair distance away, Reynie stated with a hard glance at his companion, "We could have just used the front door."
"Are you kidding me?" the girl in question exclaimed as rain plastered her blonde hair to her forehead. "What's the fun in that?"
Kate took the lead through the streets of Stonetown. Soon, both she and Reynie were soaked through to the bone, and still, the rain didn't let up. It seemed to take them forever to get to the white and red striped tent, but that didn't seem to bother Kate. She strode right toward the ticket seller and flung her arms around the teenage girl.
"Kate!" the worker cried, "You've grown so much!"
"So have you!" the beaming spy called in return. "Molly, this is Reynie. Reynie, Molly. We've come to see the circus for old times' sake."
Molly replied with a cheerful, "Then you won't pay a thing!"
She left her post briefly to talk to another teenager, who Kate must not have known, for she didn't envelop him in a bear hug. Molly then let the guy take her spot in the ticket booth and led the two members of the Mysterious Benedict Society to the main entrance of the tent.
"The show's starting, guys. Better get in quick! See you later!" Molly pushed Kate and Reynie in and waved goodbye. The pair hurried up the rickety wooden steps to the highest seats just as the ringmaster stepped out.
"Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls of all ages, I present to you the Roundabout Circus!" he cried out in a booming voice. With an ostentatious bow, the man welcomed his coworkers.
All of the performers came out: acrobats executing perfect gymnastics, animal trainers with tigers following them like puppies, clowns, the master falconer that Reynie knew had taught Kate his trade, some other entertainers who couldn't show their acts while walking around, and finally two fire breathers. One was a little boy who couldn't have been more than seven. Reynie marveled at the fact that a child so young was as comfortable with fire as he was with air. Then he remembered Kate had done the same sort of things when she was the boy's age.
The circus people walked off to the roar of the crowd as the ringmaster came back out to announce the first act: trapeze. Reynie watched most of the circus in a blur of amazement. He knew Kate had learned her miraculous skills from somewhere, but this was a new kind of unbelievable. Reynie couldn't even tell when one spectacular act changed and left another in its place. He could feel the crowd around him watching with wide-eyed wonder at the daring stunts. All except for Kate, that is. Reynie knew that the reason she was grinning had to do with the fact that she got to see her old friends in action. The only performance that really stood out to either of them was the fire breathers. From the moment they put their fuel containers on the ground and out of the way, the performers captivated the audience.
The man was astounding, but the little boy surpassed him by far. The kid controlled the fire as if it were a part of him, an extension of his limbs and soul. His movements were fluid and practiced, and he seemed to be genuinely having fun. A look of pure joy was etched into his face, magnified by the flickering light of the flames. He seem utterly alive. The whole audience looked on with rapture. Even Kate was enthralled.
As usual in the circus, vendors were going around selling cotton candy, popcorn, and balloons. One happened to pass in front of a man just as he was turning to get up. The two collided and the vendor tumbled to the grass floor of the stage and kept rolling, spilling the fuel and interrupting the boy's act.
He also interrupted the boy's concentration.
"No…" Reynie could see the panic on his friend's face as Kate whispered the agonized word. Kate knew at once what was going to happen. After all, she had lived in a circus for most of her life. Concentration was very important.
The boy jumped and dropped his flaming baton. Immediately, the thin puddle of oil around the stick burst to life. Flames danced all around, spreading like wildfire. The transportable wooden stage caught on fire, and the amount of danger only escalated. The emotion of the crowd changed from excitement to terror in a heartbeat. Families started pouring to the exits, screaming and shouting. Everyone seemed somewhat safe – except the little fire breather.
Kate and Reynie leaped up in unison and headed in the opposite direction from the rest of the people: toward the fire. The small boy stood terrified and stock still in the middle of a ring of orange tongues.
"I'll watch your back!" cried Reynie over the roar of the flames. Kate only nodded in return. It was almost planned. Reynie knew straight away to look for an escape route while he followed Kate through the fire. Of course, they would do everything they could to save the little boy. Kate got to the kid in no time. She swung him over a band of fire and, once in a clear spot, nudged him toward the exit.
"Go ahead," she tried to call gently.
The fire breather looked back at her and replied, ever so softly, "Thank you." Then he sprinted away.
"Is there anyone else in here?" Kate asked, snapping back to attention.
Reynie, starting to panic a bit, looked around, even though the searing heat was growing. No one was in sight. "All clear," he hollered and pointed toward the route he had marked out earlier as the safest.
The fire, now closing in on the 'safest route,' roared around Kate while she whirled around and ran like a gazelle, turning and changing direction with cat-like reflexes. Reynie was doing all he could to keep up with her. The flames seemed to lick towards his feet and Reynie could feel them reaching out to grab him with boiling fingers. His clothes were blackened in some places and completely burned through in others. He and Kate had only been in this tornado for about a minute or two, and already he could feel himself slowing, horrendous coughs racking his body when he breathed too much smoke. The tent looked like one big ball of fire, no square inch unlit.
For a moment, Kate looked back. She saw the pain and effort glistening in Reynie's eyes and sprinted back in horror. "Reynie!"
To Reynie, Kate's eyes seemed to reflect the glimmering flames around them. He could still feel each burn as the fire kissed him, but he instantly felt bad for Kate. She was being held back, tied, torn between safety and her friend. Reynie knew she could bolt quicker than lightning if need be.
"Go ahead, Kate I'll be fine. I know you can run faster than that." Reynie coughed the line, attempting a bit of humor. His mind told him to be quiet, that Kate could help him escape. But his heart told him that at least one of them had to make it. Kate shook her head, eyes wild. She seemed to be in more of a panic than Reynie.
"I can't…" She thought of the time that Reynie had convinced Constance and Sticky to go back for her, even though he knew they might get kidnapped themselves. It was the last time Reynie had given permission for her to run away, the time he didn't want repeated. She had to do the same for him.
"Go ahead, Kate. You're wasting time. I'll be fine." He knew it was a lie. She hoped it wasn't. Kate had stumbled to a halt. Reynie walked over and put a hand on her shoulder, giving her a slight nudge. "Go ahead." He smiled.
Kate shook her head. No matter what, she could not leave her friend. Reynie nodded hard and coughed. They were losing precious time. The flames had begun to close in. The little red beasts had started to snap at their heels. Reynie gave Kate a harder push that made her stagger toward a more open area. Kate still shook her head while Reynie nodded with enthusiasm.
Reynie was smiling just like the fire breather, his face lit up in the same way. Reynie's average brown eyes seemed as if they had flames within them instead of just the usual spark, and his average brown hair really was partially on fire. The inferno danced all around him to some unheard rhythm. Reynie's arms, hands, and legs were spotted with burns, but his eyes still held only joy. He looked like a spirit from a novel. Not a hint of sorrow or regret clouded his vision, almost the polar opposite of Kate. He nodded once more and told Kate, "Go ahead. I'll be fine."
Tears started to cloud her vision. Kate realized this was the first time she had cried in a while. Reynie saw how upset she was and told her firmly once more, "Kate, I promise, I'll be fine."
Kate took a long look at her friend and still shook her head, but whispered, "If that's what you want."
Reynie could clearly hear her over the bellow of the raging fire. "I'll be right behind you, Kate. Go ahead. I'll be fine."
With that, Kate turned and bolted through the rest of the tent. She could barely see through the blur of emotion in her blue eyes, but that didn't make a difference. She knew this tent inside out, whatever ground it was on. She could walk it in her sleep, and she was lucky she could. Kate was practically dead to the world. She had left her friend behind.
Kate swiped at her tears. He's right behind me, she thought. Reynie's fine. Kate put on an extra spurt of speed and mowed her way through the horrid flames. She could feel herself slipping farther and farther from her friend, Reynie Muldoon, and with each passing second, her brain numbed a little more, her prick of hope grew dimmer, and her heart iced over, despite the fire rampaging around. The fire had disintegrated her longest home and was steadily working towards her friend. No, she told herself. Reynie's fine. He's right behind me.
Kate couldn't even feel the heat of the inferno anymore. She couldn't feel anything. The girl turned and twisted through the labyrinth of flame, knowing that she should be only feet from a tent wall. Where is it? Where is it?! Kate began to feel hysterical. She was starting to feel lightheaded from all the smoke her lungs had processed.
"Help!" she croaked weakly, hoping against hope that somebody could hear her.
A faint voice shouted in reply, "Someone's in there!"
Kate continued to cry out and zigzag into clear spots. Suddenly, a clear shaft of sunlight hit her square in the face as an outlet came into view. What? she wondered. It's raining out! It shouldn't be sunny! That's not right!
With her ponytail streaming behind her, Kate headed toward the exit. Her strength was depleting, but Kate knew she wouldn't need it much longer. The girl pushed through a bit of flaming material into bright sunshine. Why does the world choose now to be shining? Why not earlier? It was all the rain's fault. I know it. If Constance had been wrong about the day's weather, if it had been sunny instead, it might not have happened.
"My friend! Reynie Muldoon! He's still in there! Somebody! Anybody! Please!" Kate tried to shout, but her throat was too sore. Only a rasping cough came out. Paramedics and firefighters rushed all around her.
"Is the building clear?"
"No one, sir." Random voices were ringing out loudly, making Kate's ears buzz. Kate thought she heard Milligan, Moocho, and Mr. Benedict at some point.
"It'll be fine, Katie-Cat."
She didn't want to hear those words. She never wanted to hear them for the rest of her life. I'll be fine.
Kate could feel herself being lifted into strong arms, and she knew she was being carried home to heal. Her voice not working, Kate the Great Weather Machine lifted an arm and pointed back toward the tent. Back toward Reynie. Please.
No one paid any attention to the girl's twitching fingertips. No one thought there could have been another soul in the ruins that had once been a glorious circus. No one could read Kate's mind.
Please. I don't think he's fine.
. . .
Reynie knew it was useless to go after Kate, but he tried anyway. He still tried. He had promised Kate, and, in his mind, Sticky and Constance, that he would make it. He at least had to try. The flames seemed to drag and pull him back when he tried to run. The hollering monster wanted Reynie, and what the fire wanted, the fire got. Taking steps, even the smallest, had become harder and harder and harder until he stopped. The heat had slowly gotten worse and worse and worse until it stopped. Maybe I can take a quick rest, as long as it's not hurting anyone, Reynie thought. His smile grew smaller and smaller and smaller until it stopped. Reynie fell to his knees and put his head down on the blackened ground. Reynard Muldoon was a clever boy, but his thoughts just seemed to get more confusing and more confusing and more confusing until they stopped. His breathing grew fainter and fainter and fainter until it stopped. His heartbeat grew slower and slower and slower until it, too, stopped. Everything had stopped.
Everything except for the fire.
. . .
It was all the rain's fault. I know it. If Constance had been wrong about the day's weather, if it had been sunny instead, it might not have happened.