Chapter Seven:

Two Treacherous Men in the Night.

The first stars were starting to come out in the darkness, which was beginning to expand over the sky. Closer to the horizon the world was still on fire as the sun was in its final stage of setting. Much of the Circus had already turned in due to pounding headaches from having far too much fun the night before…or pounding headaches from having to listen to Beth screaming from inside her trailer.

The only light was that of the campfire. In front of it was a lone figure, sitting on a faded fold up chair, which had seen better days.

Raz approached his father, grateful that he was finally alone.

"Hey dad." He said casually as he pulled up an equally battered lawn chair.

"Razputin, I was beginning to think you'd run off again. Haven't seen you since this morning." He smiled a little awkwardly to show he was only half kidding.

"Nah, I was just…you know…around." He said, waving his explanation away as though it were not in the least bit important. (In truth he had spent much of the day being invisible and spying on people of whom he was slightly suspicious of…which…in this circus was nearly everyone.)

"Oh?" His father said, eyeing his son skeptically. Although he accepted Raz' psychic abilities and his responsibility of being a Psychonaut, he was aware that his son was quit prone to getting himself into trouble. He couldn't help but be concerned about the way in which Raz used his powers sometimes.

"Listen, I need to talk to you about Miss Fermi." Raz said after a moment of silence. Rafael raised his brow.

"Hmm?" He said after poking the fire and giving his son his full attention.

"Remember that scratch she said was left on the wall after she was attacked?"

"Yes…the one that wasn't there."

"Well…after you left…I…decided to get a better look at it and…"

"And getting a better look would involve…?" Rafael gave his son a stern look.

"I used clairvoyance…" The look on his fathers face told him he'd better come up with a very fast explanation as to why he used his powers in front of someone who didn't know about them. "I know it's risky! But listen, I SAW the scratch on the wall…and I could feel it…even when I wasn't looking through Miss Fermi's eyes."

Rafael sighed and threw the stick he had used to poke the fire into the dying flames.

"I don't know how many times I've told you…" He said below his breath. "I understand that you're a Psychonaut Razputin. But you have to be careful around people who do not understand. As I have said before…we have MANY enemies."

"I know dad, but…"

"As for Beth…" Rafael raised his hand to silence his son. "I'm sure she saw something on the wall…but that scratch could have came from anywhere. Just because she believes it came from a ten foot man with glowing eyes who was trying to kill her doesn't make it true." Raz crossed his arms.

"I'm not saying it DID come from that…she's obviously suffering from some delusions…but…maybe someone WAS in her trailer last night."

"Well…for the moment I'd prefer to believe that no one in my circus is trying to kill anyone." Rafael said as he stood. "Why don't you get some rest son? We'll be moving out tomorrow." He started towards his own trailer.

Raz sighed and rested his chin in his palm.

XXX

Boris lobbed a knife towards a wood cutout of a man. The violence behind the effort caused the wood to splinter as the blade stuck vibrating in the timber man's chest. He grinned. If only he could perform a trick like that on a real human being. THAT would be a feat worth watching. He stepped forward and yanked the knife from the solid surface.

Behind him the shadows moved abnormally as Pasco, the ticket man stepped forward and handed the gangly knife thrower a battered cigar.

"Lo tomé de Godric. Estaba con su varita phony." (I took it from Godric, it was with his phony wand.)

Boris nodded and lit the cigar, pressed it to his lips and breathed in as though the horrible smoke was an absolute ecstasy.

"Stop with your Spanish, Pasco. It's giving me a headache." He said, his voice muffled by the cigar.

"Very well, Boris. I trust you kept eye on everyone.' He said in a thick Spanish accent, though, he was still perfectly capable of being heard. (Everyone in the Aquato circus would have been amazed to hear that he could speak English at all, heavy accent or not.)

"Yeah. For the most part, anyway. Unfortunately I haven't known the whereabouts of Raf's brat all bloody day." He took another heavy suck of the cigar.

"He's by the fire now. I saw him while I come here." Pasco said as he sat heavily on a large rock beside Boris' trailer.

Boris sneered and threw the knife at the wooden man again. It struck the head this time.

"I swear I'm going to kill that kid one of these days." He said softly.

"You keep speak like that and you go to jail my friend. He is muchacho pequeño. He can do nothing." Pasco said while pulling a cigarette out of his striped overcoat. It was tiny and smashed and looked as though he had either picked it off of the road (Which was possible.) Or had used it several times before. (It was hard to find time to buy new cigarettes on the road.)

"Yeah…well sometimes I wonder what goes on in that little monster's mind." Boris said softly. "Sometimes he acts too…clever…I hate that. Raf should lock that kid up somewhere."

"This is prison to him. You see how he escapes all the time. He es putrefacto (Rotten.) Children like that no can be locked up. Always find way out." Pasco smashed the stub, which had gotten too small to smoke and turned towards Boris.

"We deal with him in time. For now, do not trouble yourself." Boris sighed and put out the cigar, sticking it in his pocket for future use.

"I know. He's just a stupid kid. Still…it makes me uneasy…the way he looks at you…you know?"

For a moment Pasco looked amused.

"How he look at you, friend?"

Boris ignored the slight comedic edge to Pasco's voice.

"Like he knows what your thinking…like he isn't a bit afraid. Most kids are afraid of me…hell…most adults are afraid of me. Why isn't he afraid Pasco?"

Pasco laughed.

"He is stupid youth, Boris. Trust me. When he at wrong end of knife, he will be muy asustado." (Very frightened.) Boris grinned and joined his friend in quiet laughter.

XXX

Side road, somewhere south of next destination.

Small stone, probably a part of a cheap mood ring.

It changed colors when I held it.

It won't change from black now…I don't

Know what that means.

Raz set aside the piece of paper and stared at the tiny stone, wondering, not for the first time if he'd ever get a chance to give Lili the hideous piece of jewelry. He had thought a couple times about running away…but every time this option occurred to him, reality would come back shortly after. It wasn't like Whispering Rock. He had no idea where Lili WAS at this time. What was he suppose to do? Search the whole world for her?

Raz touched the bracelet she made him absently…and wondered if she still had the one he had made her after the incident involving her father's kidnapping. More likely then not she had thrown it away…he wasn't particularly good at arts and crafts.

Raz grabbed his pen again and pulled out a new sheet of paper.

Dear Lili,

I know it's been a while…

But I want you to know that I have been thinking about you.

Every charm…or rock…or whatever on this necklace is from

A different place in the world I have visited.

And in each place you have constantly been on my mind.

Raz sighed and crumpled up the piece of paper. While clutched in his glove, the letter burst into flame and was reduced to ash in seconds. He then rested his head against his hand. (The one without the burnt cinders still within the fabric.)

"I don't know why I'm writing to her…It's not like there's anywhere to send it." He said bitterly into the silence.

XXX

Lili was poking at her dinner in a distracted manner, while, beside her, Manny chatted excitedly. She wasn't paying much attention, but was nodding in all the right places and occasionally threw out random comments where they seemed necessary. She had just gotten out of an hour-long detention…and apparently had at least ten more to go…plus her parent and/or legal guardian would be notified. (That is, if the school board could reach them…she didn't think they could.)

"Plus I got fifteen stitches over the summer. Seven under my eye, five on my lip and another three on my big toe, which got cut SO deep that they almost had to remove it…so I am NEVER going on one of those mechanical grocery store rides again."

"Yeh…" Lili muttered absently.

Angus, who had spotted them from across the room, shuffled over (With Tessa walking slowly behind him as he did.) He sat down across from Lili and gave her a bright smile.

"Hey, Lili."

Lili nodded inattentively.

"Hey."

Manny, who had been perfectly comfortably about chatting endlessly a moment before, fell silent. He watched Tessa warily as she sat across from him and smiled lightly.

"Hey Manny, how ya been?"

"Fine." He said shyly.

Lili started to reach for her unopened soda, when Angus, trying desperately to get some sort of attention from her grabbed it and gave her what he thought was a striking grin.

"Let me get that for you." Lili, looked up at him, mostly out of the shock and slight annoyance that came along when someone grabbed something practically out from under one's fingers. Tessa also gave him an odd look as he started to attempt to open the bottle. After a moment when it wasn't happening, Angus began to feel a little silly.

"Eh…hehe…really stuck on there isn't it?" Tessa rolled her eyes. Lili, who was growing slightly impatient, started to reach for the bottle herself.

"Angus, just let me…"

The cap came off; with it came about a quarter of the soda in the bottle. Lili jerked back instinctively, but not before half of the liquid splashed on her sweater and on the arm that was outstretched.

For a moment Angus stared at her in horror. In that time (Which seemed as though it were a bit longer then it actually was.) He wanted desperately to slip into a crack in the floor…

"I'm so sorry!" He said, grabbing a napkin and standing up. As he did he knocked Lili's soda bottle over and spilled the rest of its contents onto her and Manny's lunch. While he picked it up, he nearly knocked her tray over into her lap, and would have, if Tessa hadn't reached out quickly and grabbed it.

Lili jumped out of her seat all the same. There was a giant stain on the front of her sweater, but she didn't seem all that concerned about it. What she was concerned about, as she pulled up her sleeve, was the smaller, but still perfectly audible stain on the tiny green bracelet she wore on her wrist. It was now half covered in coca cola.

She looked up at Angus darkly before narrowing her eyes and heading towards her dormitory.

Tessa exchanged a brief look with Manny before he picked up his cola soaked meal and headed towards the trashcan, grabbing Lili's tray as he passed it.

Angus' face had turned an embarrassing shade of red and it looked as if he were about to burst into tears. Tessa looked away and shuffled her feet uncomfortably.

After a moment, when Angus seemed to get control of himself, he sighed.

"Maybe I should…you know…apologize." He said softly. Tessa smiled humorlessly as she picked up her tray.

"Maybe you should leave her alone." Tessa said as she tossed the remains of her dinner into the trash.

XXX

Yay! I updated!

Ne ways…You'll have to tell me how this was. I'm kind of sick and therefore sort of out of it right now.

I'll update soon. I just started Christmas Break today, I'm sick, and I have no money! Therefore, I have PLENTY of time for writing. Wee!