Chapter 15:

Meeting Razputin

Before Allarick could get up Raz sent a powerful mind blast in his direction. It caught him in the chest and he spun back onto the ground, cursing through spittle. Raz levitated in front of him, touching the grass lightly before pointing his hand, palm forward at the man in a threatening manner.

Allarick sat up slowly and glared at Raz through badly scarred eyes.

"You…BRAT! How the hell did you become a Psychonaut?" He threw his hand forward and grabbed Raz telekinetically before he could block him or get out of the way. Raz was lifted off the ground, as he struggled against the invisible arms.

"Do you know what you cost me boy?" He asked venomously. "You cost me my life's work. A little twerp like you ruined me!" Raz broke Allarick's hold on him, and landed heavily on his feet in front of him. He jumped out of the way when the older man sent a swift mind blast in his direction and then went invisible.

Allarick, suddenly left to himself, turned in circles, searching the grounds with both his eyes and mind. He tightened his jaw. This wasn't how things were supposed to go. He wasn't supposed to lose to a twelve year old kid.

He yelled as Raz kicked him from behind and staggered forward before turning furiously in the boy's direction.

BURN! He thought and watched as everything around Raz burst into flames. He backed off, shielding his eyes against the blazing light. He only lowered it after the fire began to let up.

At the same time Raz let off his shield and, looking entirely serious punched forward just as the smoke was clearing. The air in front of him rushed forward, sending a dozen or so sparks flying outward along with a rush of smoke. Allarick wasn't there.

Damn Raz thought. He didn't turn around fast enough and received a stinging blow to his jaw as Allarick teleported behind him. Mentally, Raz reminded himself to start learning this trick as he hit the ground. He tasted blood.

Raz pulled himself up as Allarick stood over him; his eyes burning with malice as he prepared to do away with his young nemeses. He put his fingers to his temple.

"Say goodbye, Young Aquato." He said. Raz prepared to counter, but paused when he saw his father emerge from the trailer, ropes in hand. Raz smiled.

"See ya." He said quietly.

Allarick caught his expression and turned but was too late. He was bombarded with a confusion grenade. Through the haze he felt his arms and legs being bound quickly, then Raf said something and he experienced an immense and sudden blow to his skull.

After Allarick was bound and unconscious Raz and his father stood back.

"Ha!" Raf said with satisfaction. "You not the only one who can sneak up on someone and catch em off guard!"

"Damn fool." He said and turned towards Pasco just as he hurried back up to the trailer. Raz took a threatening stance as the man approached. The large Spanish man came to an abrupt halt and stared at both of them in wrathful confusion.

"What the hell you do?" He yelled as he stared down at Allarick in shocked incredulity. He looked up, took in the state of both Rafael and Razputin, and watched warily as shadows emerged in the background and other circus people began to assemble in the direction from which the ruckus came. He weighed his options, and looking slightly ill, held up his large hands in surrender.

XXX

Tessa rubbed her eyes in aggravation; after a few more minutes of bad radio music and impatience, she unlocked the back door and got out. Thoran turned in his seat to look at her.

"What are you doing?" He asked, as Lester followed her lead and kicked out his own door. Manny blinked and looked up from the book he had been reading.

"We don't have time for this, I'm going to go find someone who can help us." She said as she shut her door and stood up, sharing a look with Lester.

Thoran rolled his window down.

"You can't just leave! I'm sure someone will be by soon…the ticket man is probably just out on a break or something."

Tessa looked at her watch.

"It's been at least an hour." She said. "I don't feel like waiting anymore." Thoran was about to make further protests when he turned suddenly as Manny's door opened and then slammed shut. The small boy joined Lester and Tessa as they headed up towards the circus grounds.

XXX

Outside Rafael's trailer Raz and a variety of other circus performers were standing around the bound figures of Pasco, Allarick and Boris (from him they kept their distance…due to the smell) waiting while the man made a call to the police on an emergency radio he kept for certain occasions. Raz and Rafael decided to send at least Boris and Pasco there. Allarick, they would send to the Psychonauts as soon as Raz got in contact with them.

Finally Raf emerged from the trailer.

"They're on their way." He said. "The rest of you can go if you like. The show, unfortunately will be cancelled tomorrow…and for the next couple of weeks until I can find replacements for these idiots."

There was general murmuring from the colorful crowd as they departed, none of them cared much if they were performing or not.

Raf watched them go and then motioned for Raz to depart as well.

"You should change out of your uniform." Raz looked down to find he was still wearing his Psychonauts attire. He nodded and started to head towards his trailer, stopping only to kick the side of Boris's boot.

Raf grinned after him, then, his face grew tired and he leaned against the side of the colorful circus wagon. He would keep watch on the prisoners until the police came and then he would sort out what he would do about the circus. He laid back on the wagon with a sigh waiting for the familiar sound of sirens to shake him from his thoughts.

What he heard instead was the sound of a branch snapping and whispering from the other side of the fence. Raf straightened and opened his eyes. He looked down at the prisoners, who were still bound (And in Allarick's case, still unconscious…anyways, Raf had placed the ugly hat on the man just in case.) When he saw that it was not any of them, he walked slowly around the trailer in time to see what appeared to be three kids, around his son's age, sneaking in through a hole in the fence. He felt the peculiar urge to laugh. In normal circumstances he would have probably have been more angry, but it had been an unusual day and these kids offered no threat compared to the three men tied up behind him.

He cleared his throat loudly, and watched contentedly as the three of them, one by one, slowly looked up and caught his eye. A muscular boy with dark hair shoved a much scrawnier boy out of his way in attempt to get back through the fence. The only girl of the group, however, stood carefully, ignoring both of them. Raf watched her as she approached him nervously.

"You need tickets to be in here…" He thought for a moment. "Which you can't get because my ticket man is going to jail in a few minutes…in any case the circus is closed for the rest of the week."

"Uh…actually…" The girls said slowly. "We're uh…looking for someone."

Raf raised his brow…no one ever came to the circus looking for someone…unless they were parents…looking for kids who, for some reason thought joining the circus would b a good idea. (But didn't count on the fact that they would probably wind up shoveling Elephant crap due to a lack of useful talent.)

"Who are you looking for?" He asked kindly.

"Um…a boy named Raz…er…I think he's here." She sounded uncertain. Rafael examined her curiously. Behind her, the small boy had squeezed through the fence and was brushing himself off. The larger boy appeared to be stuck.

"How do you know Razputin?" He asked after a moment's pause. Raz almost never left the circus, aside from a few occasions where he had wondered off for a few hours (Or the occasions when eh had run away to go to Whispering Rock) and therefore, didn't meet many kids his age.

"We're friends with someone who knows him." She replied. "So he is here? Can we talk to him?" Her eyes lit up eagerly. Raf sighed and peered quickly around the wagon to make sure the captives were still there. After, he eyed the girl again and then finally nodded.

"Alright." He said and motioned for her to follow. She smiled and did so, with the younger boy close at her heals and the larger one yelling after them as he squeezed himself out of the fence.

XXX

As they walked across the circus grounds Tessa caught sight of the various people drifting about the area and examined them awkwardly. The typical Circus Freaks were present. One middle-aged man with a long, sleek black mustache was brushing the hair of a tiny pony. A woman appeared to be clothed in snakes. Another man with a forked tongue and scales was smoking cigarettes (several of them) and playing cards with a man in brightly colored tights.

"So…" The tall red headed man in the shabby tights asked as they continued through the parade of freaks. "Who is this friend of yours who knows Raz?"

"Umm…her name is Lili." She answered. Some recollection formed on the man's face as he thought about the name.

"This wouldn't be…Lili Zanotto would it?" He said, seemingly satisfied as he recalled the last name. (After all, he had recently been accused of stopping a maniac from killing the girl's father) Tessa looked up at him, surprised…and pleased. It almost seemed impossible that she had actually found the right place.

"Yeah." She said, perhaps too eagerly.

"Ah…I see." He said. A thin smile appeared on his face.

They stopped in front of another wagon, slightly smaller then the first, brandished with a worn out looking greenish door, mostly shed of it's paint, and a small window with curtains that appeared to be made from the remains of a demolished tent.

The tall man ascended the three tiny steps and knocked carefully.

"Son, someone here to see you." He said, and got a muffled response from inside. Tessa blinked.

Son?

The older man stood back a little and waited. Tessa felt a peculiar onslaught of butterflies and willed it away as the door opened.

A boy about her age appeared in the doorway. He jumped the three stairs and eyed her curiously as he pulled a faded green jacket over his shoulders. Tessa couldn't help but smile, and she imagined that she looked like a complete idiot.

His façade was considerably different from the people one might meet at Demure, for starters, his clothes were a mess, and would probably be considered atrocious in the halls of their prim academy. He also had a wild mysterious air about him, a thing that probably came from living in the circus. He was tall and thin and had messy hair almost exactly the color of Lili's. His eyes were a brilliant emerald color and burned out over flushed cheeks. She had ever seen anyone more perfect for Lili in her entire life.

"Um…do I know you?" He asked, not unkindly. Out of the corner of her eye Tessa saw Manny and Lester approach.

"No…" She said. "We're friends of Lili's."

XXX

Sorry for the long wait. I'll try to update sooner next time. I hope this chapter turned out all right. Thanx for the reviews!