The Faire (Harrow Faire #5) - Kathryn Ann Kingsley Page 0,49

the Family.

But was she supposed to hate the storm for robbing the water droplets of their uniqueness? She sighed and pulled on a thin raincoat. Leaving as quietly as she could, she stopped on the steps of her boxcar. She couldn’t see anyone wandering around, but the midway was in full swing. Lights filled the darkness, shimmering in the light. She could hear the rush of the rides and the laughter and shrieks of the patrons.

It was six in the evening, then. Pulling her hood up, she walked into the park, drawn by the sounds of the circus. She wanted to see people enjoying themselves. Having fun. Living. Would she ever be able to do that again? She honestly didn’t know.

“Now you’re just being melodramatic.”

The voice at her side made her smile. She glanced over at Lazarus, who strolled alongside her with his hands tucked into the pockets of a thick oilskin coat. It looked like something sailors would have worn in the 18th century.

“How am I being melodramatic?”

“Wondering if you’re still human enough to have fun.” He rolled his eyes. “Come on. I know this whole situation is a bit of a doozy, but it’s not that bad. Yes, you can still have fun, you silly creature.” He shoved her, and she staggered a step or two before she resumed walking.

“What did that look like to everyone else?” She shot him a raised eyebrow. “Do I look drunk?”

“No, no. The patrons can see me.” He smiled and waved at a little girl waiting in line for food with her parents, holding a translucent pink umbrella over her head. The little girl smiled back and waved. Laz turned to her. “See? You give me the strength to manifest.”

“Great. At least I don’t look like a complete lunatic. Just half of one.”

He chuckled. “So…where’re we going?”

“Don’t know. Just wanted to clear my head.” She shrugged. “Does it really matter?”

“I suppose not.” Lazarus looked up at the observation tower through the rain. “I covered the doors. Can’t have the public wandering in there and falling into a hole.”

Cora rubbed the spot on her collarbone where the metal had pierced her body. She could still feel it, like a phantom pain. She wondered if it would ever stop haunting her. Probably not. “Was I wrong in holding a vote?”

“No. I think you’re doing the right thing. Turk is going to work against you, however. You have to try to convince everyone that you have their best interests at heart. That you’re the right choice.” He shook his head. “It’ll be difficult. But nothing worthwhile is ever easy.”

“I’ll try. I might fail.”

“So be it. This is the last chance we have.”

Cora walked up to a tree on a little grassy section between several of the rides. The rain had slowed to a drizzle, and underneath the leaves it was still fairly dry. Pushing her hood off her head, she sat down with her back against the tree.

It was the same one where she had met Clown.

Lordy, that felt like a century ago.

Lazarus sat next to her, putting his back against the bark as well, and looked out at the midway. “I hope we win. Not just because I want to live—I do—but because I want to travel. I want to be able to see the world again. I want you all to be able to leave here and explore. Eat at a restaurant. Go see a movie. Anything. You’d all be so much happier.”

“We would be.” She imagined taking the Family to a shopping mall and began to giggle at the mental image. Aaron would be a disaster. Anastasia would demand all the cash to go buy new clothing. Simon would probably get lost in an Apple store. Rudy would insist on letting all the animals in the pet store free. Or he might try to eat them. Fifty-fifty shot. Her giggle turned into a laugh. It was cathartic. It was sad. But it was a laugh all the same.

“What?”

“Just trying to imagine these weirdos being set loose on the world. Things have changed a lot since any of them have been let out. Hell, it’s been, what, five years since I came here? Who knows what’s changed?” It was a terrifying thing to consider. Even though she knew everyone in the Family had suffered the same realization, it was the first time it really hit her.

Everyone around her was from “the future” to her. She had missed out on only a few years