Broken People (Serial)

Fourteen

"Who bought this piece of shit?" Spinner yelled, balancing on the edge of the balcony. The large theater hall opened wide below him, but he didn't worry about falling. He'd anchored himself to a ceiling beam wrapped in metal. The lights flickered in his hands, and Spinner was tempted to throw them to relieve his frustration.

"You did," Rake answered from near the stage. "The electrical system is ancient. I'm having problems down here, too." He moved along the orchestra seats, checking the cables that wired the smaller lights from the front row, and shook his head, grumbling to himself.

"Well, where are the maintenance people?" Spinner asked. "We don't have time for this! We've got more important work to do."

Rake raised his eyes at him and shrugged without saying a word.

The heavily decorated, round hall was crowded with people rehearsing. Gymnasts and dancers filled the stage while clowns cavorted in the aisles. The contortionists wrapped themselves around the gilded support columns along the walls. Weaving between all of them, roadies hauled trunks of equipment and costumes.

Focused on fixing the lights, Rake paid no attention to the commotion surrounding him.

Spinner shook his head. Sometimes he envied Rake's ability to detach himself from everything.

He was still fiddling with the lights when Nicholas made his appearance, coming in through the main doors. Aurore accompanied him, her royal presence imposing enough for people to open a wide path in front of her, despite her prosthetics not showing. Grimacing, Spinner let go of the lights and slid down a pole to the ground floor.

"So, this is how it looks," Aurore said as they approached the stage.

Nicholas stepped carefully around a box left in the way. "It's going to look much better once we finish the décor. Isn't it, boys?"

Rake snorted, and even Spinner winced a little at being called "boy" by someone younger than him. Nicholas was taking his part too seriously.

"It's going to look great," Spinner said.

"If we can get the lights to work," Rake added helpfully.

"You have problems with the lights?" Nicholas asked. "Tell the manager to put you in contact with the father and son electricians. They helped me once, too."

"Okay, will do. 'Bye now!" Spinner said. "We were just leaving."

"Did you finish rehearsing already?" Nicholas checked his watch. "We're not that late."

Spinner let a knife slip from his sleeve into his hand and threw it in the direction of the stage. If Rake's hand hadn't shot out to catch it, it would have hit one of the gymnasts and there would have been no human pyramid for the show. Not only had Rake caught it outside his field of vision, but he threw it right back. With his magnetic fields ready, Spinner had no problem catching it.

"See? Done now," Spinner said. "'Bye-bye!"

"Not so fast," Nicholas said. "We have some things to discuss with Miss Aurore—"

The loud screech of a trumpet pierced the air, making them shudder. The musicians had taken over the orchestra seats and were tuning their instruments while getting a feel for the acoustics.

"Let's go backstage," Nicholas said. "There's no way we can talk here."

He gallantly offered Aurore his arm when they climbed on the stage, though she didn't need any help. Spinner shuddered behind them. At least she was wearing gloves.

They couldn't talk in the crowded corridor, either, so Nicholas took them to his dressing room. Other than the mirrors, lights, and chairs, the room was empty. A scratched rectangular area in the corner showed where his trunk of tricks would be stored when brought to the theater. So far, it hadn't been since Nicholas's act didn't require any rehearsal, either.