Cirque Periculum

Chapter 17

           

Connor woke up to Sean hovering over him, hand over his mouth.

"Everyone's asleep. Time to go," he said, moving his hand off Connor's mouth.

Connor jumped down from the top bunk and got dressed quickly into a black Camp Caute shirt he stole from one of the other kids and khaki shorts. Sean knelt over a backpack, quietly gathering supplies before handing it to Connor. He slipped it on his back and slipped out the door.

The island was cold and dark. There was no light anywhere. Connor fumbled for the flashlight Sean gave him and flipped it on. He walked confidently past buildings to Captain Summertin's office. The first light he saw other than his own flickered through the window closest to him. He cracked open the door. The front room was empty, a candle flickering on the bearded lady's desk, illuminating neatly stacked papers.

Scanning the room to ensure it was actually safe, Connor hurried inside and shut the door with a soft click. The door to Captain Summertin's office stood gloomily across the room. Connor turned the knob. Locked.

Crap. Where would he keep the key?

He moved to the receptionist's desk and began to search through the drawers, finding four keys. He grabbed them all and returned to the door when the front door flew open. He jumped. The bearded lady, in a tightly fit nightgown that was uncomfortably short and her hair in curlers, filled the doorway. And she didn't look happy.

"What do you think you're doing?" She bellowed, her voice an octave deeper than Connor's. She took a step towards him, her hands outstretched as if her intent was to hug him to death.

Connor smiled before lighting his hand on fire. "Perfect timing ma'am. You wouldn't happen to know which of these keys open Wesley's office, do you?"

The woman snarled and raised her hands higher. Connor was lifted off his feet and slammed into the back wall, papers flying around him. He was held there by some invisible source. His fire extinguished.

"And what is it do you want from sweetie's office?"

"'Sweetie?' Ew, gross!" Connor exclaimed, seeing that she had more facial hair and a deeper voice than Captain Summertin did. "I just left my book in there! I can't sleep without it."

The lie came naturally, and the bearded lady lowered her hands a little. The weight on Connor's chest still remained. Luckily, the weight on his arms did not. Still, he didn't dare to move them. Not yet.

She sighed. "You got me up for some stupid book? Next time you should ask your team leader instead of sneaking around like some little thief. I'll get it for you."

The woman walked to her desk, and Connor's mind raced. What power held him there? Was it the same that made Adam float above the hotel?

"Excuse me, if you don't mind me asking, what is your ability?"

The woman grunted and glanced at him with a smile. "I'm a telepath, though I'm more gifted than most. I've mastered not only seeing into people's minds but influencing the world around me merely with my mind. Telekinesis is what most people call it, though I think the word is just drab."

Did you kill Adam?

"Dear, you don't need to think at me. And no, I don't know anyone named Adam. Regardless, I don't kill. That's a dirty job and I leave it to other people. To be honest, I haven't left this godforsaken island in a decade. Wes- excuse me, I mean Captain Summertin, doesn't want me getting hurt."

The woman continued to ramble as she searched through her desk for the key. Meanwhile, Connor had lit his hand on fire again, grateful for this woman's love to babble.