Cirque De Soleil, woooooooooooo [romance book recommendations .TXT] 📗

The Gresley Twins were able to dodge more efficiently and make snowballs faster. Gareth would make the balls and then hand them over to Liam to throw. It was like being pitted against a snowball machine. It was clear they had won the moment they lined up their first five balls – we allowed each other to make five balls to start out with. But I didn’t back down until Alec came and took me away.
“Lamia, you’ll freeze to death at this rate” he gently scolded me. Right now, he seemed like a mix of an attentive big brother and a annoyingly worried dad. I couldn’t decided which he seemed like to me. I knew he was my best friend, not even Amelia could beat him there. But, I always saw him as more than just the best friend.
I remembered to bring a spare pair of clothes, so while I slipped into them Alec made me a cup of hot chocolate. As I sat down – in my clean warm clothes – Alec handed it over. He sat down next to me and sighed.
“What is it?” I asked not taking my eyes of the steaming cup of chocolate.
“It’s nothing for you to worry about Lamia. Just the squabbles of an old man” he replied.
“Well maybe it takes a young girl to fix an old man’s squabbles” I replied.
He laughed, but it wasn’t his usual laugh. It was a forced laugh, filled with strain.
I looked up at him to see if I could distinguish the overpowering emotion of his face. I had never seen such emotion on one person’s face. I could see on his face that he was going to tell me, but when he looked into my eyes he, for some strange reason, changed his mind.
“It is nothing to worry about” he said with another sigh.
I shrugged, pretending like it wouldn’t bug me that he wouldn’t tell. In truth, it hurt. I could understand why he wouldn’t tell me what was wrong with him. I always told him what I was thinking. I often thought I bored him to death with my lengthy moans and squabbles, but he always listened.
“So, anything happening at school?” he asked.
“You asked that question when I first got here” I replied slightly shocked. This was the first time he’d ever repeated himself.
“Have I?” he asked. He really can’t remember?
“Yes, I told you about the school’s teacher panto that is supposed to be next week” I replied.
“Ah, yes” Something told me he still couldn’t remember that conversation. “Well, I’m sure you and Amelia will enjoy the show”
Hadn’t he listened to anything I’d said today.
“Alec, are you feeling alright?” I asked.
“Of course, why would you ask that?”
“Because you just said me and Amelia will enjoy that. I told you earlier that Amelia was moving schools on Thursday,” I replied. “Have you not been listening to a word I’ve said today?”
“I’m sorry” he apologised. “I’ve had quite a bit on my mind”
“That’s alright” I replied as gently as I could. I could tell he wasn’t in the right mood to have his wrists slapped.
He looked at his watch and sighed.
“Lamia, I should get you back”
He stood. I looked at my watch. It was only ten past five. I don’t have to leave for another half an hour at the least.
“But it’s only ten past five” I moaned standing.
He took the cup of hot chocolate from me and placed it on the counter. I hadn’t even finished it yet. It was still half full.
“I’m sorry Lamia, but I need to you go. I have a few thing I need to attend to” he said.
“Can’t I stay? I’ll look after Choppy, or I’ll go and spend some time with Gareth and Liam or Bradley.”
“I’m sorry Lamia, but Liam, Gareth, and Bradley are busy as well, and Choppy needs to stay here on his own. I really am sorry Lamia”
We were both silent on the way back. It seemed odd. Every day we would talk on the way back, trying to make up for the evening of silence – my evening of silence. But today, he wouldn’t say a word. He just kept his head bowed and watched as he dragged his feet in the deepening snow.
As we reached the orphanage, he turned to me and pulled me into a hug.
“Good night Lamia” he whispered.
I couldn’t understand why he seemed so upset, so depressed. It didn’t make any sense at all. “Good night Alec” I whispered back.
When he pulled back, he gave me a weak smile, turned and walked away without another word. I watched as he turned the corner and vanished. I wished I could have felt certain that I would see him tomorrow.
I couldn’t sleep that night. I tossed and turned in my bed, trying to fall into my usual Cirque dream, but it never happened. I had a feeling I had lost everything for a second time in my life. But I couldn’t understand this new feeling. Didn’t I have everything? Didn’t I have someone who was like family to me? Didn’t I have a collection of people who cared for me? Didn’t I have the Cirque?
I knew I would soon loose Amelia as a school friend, but she is still going to be living in the same house as before and has promised to stay in touch. She had promised to let me sleep over and visit as much as I want, so she couldn’t be the reason for this feeling.
Eventually, the lack of sleep and the tossing and turning tired me out so much that I dropped into a dreamless sleep. Cirque dreams weren’t even an option, it was just nothing. Black.
I woke early. I knew better then to get up before the alarm went. You got in trouble if you did that – Don’t ask me why because I don’t get it either, we just do. Before the alarm went I fell into another deep and dreamless sleep.
I slept right through the alarm and didn’t wake until I was being shaken awake by Sarah.
“Get up. You’re ten minutes late to breakfast” she hissed.
“I’m up” I stammered getting out of bed.
She stormed out of the room, slamming the door behind her.
I quickly dashed around, grabbing my things, getting changed and having a wash. I shoved my breakfast down and headed out. I looked at my watch as I exited the orphanage doors. I had left at my ordinary time – the ordinary time that was before I visited Alec every morning. I didn’t have time to visit Alec. I would have to go to him later and explain. And so I found myself walking my old way to school.
It seemed strange how sad I felt just because I was walking this way again. I knew that it was only because I was late, and I was only late because I had overslept but it felt as though something was stopping me from going back to the field that the Cirque was in.
A long day passed. Amelia hadn’t said much since she had told me yesterday that she was moving schools on Thursday. Tomorrow was her last day. She had however twisted my arm into coming for a sleepover tomorrow night, as a goodbye and good luck sort of thing. I watched the clock carefully waiting for the day to be over so I could go and see Alec.
The minutes went painfully slow. They slowed as the day went on. The later in the day it was, the slower time went. Amelia misinterpreted my anxiety and quietness.
“Are you mad at me? For moving?” She asked.
“No. I just really need to talk to Alec. I overslept this morning so I couldn’t see him and he seemed so upset last night” I replied.
“You mean Alec from the cirque?” she asked, her face growing concerned.
“Yes, why?” Her concerned face worried me.
Did she know why he was acting so unusual? How could she know? But if she doesn’t, why does she looked so concerned? My breathing hitched when she hesitated. She studied my expression carefully before deciding to tell me.
“We pass them on the way back from the new house. We half passed them last night –”
“How can you half pass them?”
“We passed the vans but no big yellow and red tent” she replied.
“What you mean? How can you not pass that but pass the caravans?” I asked my nerves getting the better of me.
“They had taken it down”
“Why would they take it down?”
“Lamia, they’ve finished here”
“What do you mean ‘they’ve finished here’?”
“They have no more shows to do here so they’re moving on. Circus’s can’t stay in the same place forever. They would just run out of business, so they move around the country. They usually go from one side of the country to the other and then back again. Mom calls it the rocking dice motive. Going as far away as possible so then more of the audience are new and fresh to the show. They could go on for about six years before they go to the same place for a second time.” She explained.
I didn’t reply. There was nothing that I could think of to say. Was this true? Could they be leaving? Was that the reason for Alec’s strange behaviour yesterday? But why wouldn’t he tell me that? Why wouldn’t he tell me that he was leaving soon?
Perhaps he did. Perhaps he did in fact tell me but I – not wanting to hear it – unconsciously blocked it out. They couldn’t be leaving yet. They had only been here... what? A month?
They had came late September, that I can remember because it had been my birthday a week before I met Alec. It was around the 26th.
26th of September, 26th of October, 26th of November.
My breathing hitched. My pulse quickened.
It had been two months. Alec had said on our first meeting that the cirque was in town for a whole two months. It had been two months and now they planned to leave. I couldn’t believe it. How could they leave? Maybe he would take me with him. I wanted him to take me with him. Would he take me?
Maybe he was already planning too. Maybe his behaviour yesterday was a deterrent. Maybe he did that so then when he surprised me with the proposition of joining the Cirque I would be so stunned and dumbfounded I wouldn’t be able to stutter my thanks quick enough.
My colour started to return at that thought.
The thought of them leaving me behind wretched at my brain. I couldn’t concentrate at all on school or on the clock. My mind remained focussed on the Cirque. They wouldn’t leave me. Would they? Perhaps Alec’s old behaviour was his silent goodbye. Perhaps he didn’t want to leave me behind just as much as I didn’t want him to. Maybe that was his squabble. He was trying to decide whether to take me with him or to leave me behind. I had to convince him to take me with him. I just had to. That is what I would do. I wouldn’t let him leave without me.
I impatiently sat out the rest of the school day, and as soon as the final bell rang I made a quick stop at my locker, saying a quick bye to Amelia as I did, and rushed out of the school gate. I was practically running to the field the Cirque had been staying in. My heart was beating at twice