there was no other way."
"Actually, you should have killed him,"Mr. Tall said. "That way he could do us no harm whatsoever."
"I'm not a murderer,"I told him.
"I know."He sighed. "Nor am I. It's a pity one of the Little People wasn't with you. They'd have chopped his head off without a second's hesitation."
"What do you think we should do?"I asked.
"I don't think he can cause many problems,"Mr. Tall said. "He'll probably be too scared to go to the police right away. Even if he does, there's no evidence against you. It would be an unwanted complication, but we've had plenty of dealings with officers of the law in the past. We could cope."
"The health authorities worry me more. We could hit the road and lose them, but people in the health department tend to trail you around like hound dogs once they've got your scent.
"We'll leave tomorrow,"he decided. "There's a show scheduled for tonight, and I hate canceling on short notice. Dawn is the earliest any health inspector could be here, so we'll make sure we're gone before then."
"You're not angry with me?"I asked.
"No,"he said. "This isn't the first time we've clashed with the public. You're not to blame."
I helped Mr. Tall spread the word of our departure. Everybody took it in stride. Most seemed happy to be getting this much notice; a lot of times they had to move on with only an hour or two of warning.
It was another busy day for me. As well as preparing for the show, I had to help people get ready for leaving. I offered to help Truska pack her stuff, but her tent was already bare when I got there. She only winked when I asked how she'd packed so quickly.
When Mr. Crepsley awoke I told him about our plan to leave. He didn't seem surprised.
"We have been here long enough,"he said.
I asked to be left out of that night's show, because I wasn't feeling very well.
"I'll get to bed early,"I said, "and get a good night's sleep."
"It will not do any good,"Mr. Crepsley warned. "There is only one thing that will make you feel better, and you know what it is."
Night rolled on, and soon it was time for the show to begin. There was another big crowd. The roads were blocked with cars in both directions. Everybody in the Cirque was busy, either preparing to go onstage or getting people seated or selling stuff.
The only two who seemed to have nothing to do were me and Evra, who wasn't performing because of his sick snake. He left her for a few minutes to watch the start of the show. We stood on one side of the stage as Mr. Tall got the ball rolling and introduced the wolf-man.
We stuck around until the first break, then walked outside and studied the stars.
"I'll miss this place when we go,"Evra said. "I like the country. You can't see stars as well in the city."
"I didn't know you were interested in astronomy,"I said.
"I'm not,"he replied. "But I like looking up at the stars."
I got dizzy after a while and had to sit down.
"You're not feeling too good, are you?"Evra asked.
I smiled weakly. "I've been better."
"Still not drinking human blood?"I shook my head. He sat beside me. "You've never told me exactly why you won't drink it,"he said. "It can't be so different from animal blood, can it?"
"I don't know,"I said. "And I don't want to find out."I paused. "I'm afraid that if I drink human blood, I'll be evil. Mr. Crepsley says vampires aren't evil, but I think they are. I think anyone who looks at humans as if they're animals must be evil."
"But if it keeps you alive..."Evra said.
"That's how it would start,"I said. "I'd tell myself I was doing it to keep going. I'd swear never to drink more than I needed. But what if I couldn't stop myself? I'll need more as I grow older. What if I couldn't control my thirst? What if I killed someone?"
"I don't think you could,"Evra said. "You're not evil, Darren. I don't think a good person can do evil things. As long as you treat human blood like medicine, you'll be all right."
"Maybe,"I said, although I didn't believe it. "Anyway, I'm okay for now. I don't have to make a final decision for a couple more days."
"Would you really let yourself die rather than drink?"Evra asked.
"I don't know,"I answered honestly.
"I'd miss you if you died,"Evra said sadly.
"Well,"I said uncomfortably, "maybe it won't come to that.