“Oh.” I tried not to sound disappointed and failed. “Well, if you have time later, do you want to get dinner?”
“Possibly.” He flashed me a smile that didn’t quite meet his eyes. “I’ll come find you later.”
“Promise?” I asked.
He nodded. “Promise.”
Then he was gone again.
Trying not to feel like one of Bobbitt’s deflating animal balloons, I headed back to the clown bus, yet again, and watched movies until Syxx’s tablet died. Then, I waited around like a lost puppy for Daze to come find me or dinner—whichever came first.
It was dinner.
By then, my optimism was shot.
I tried not to feel too let down; Daze had more important things to do than babysit me, no matter how badly I wanted to hang out with him. But I thought he would at least keep his promise.
He didn’t.
I waited until the sun set, turning the sky into a stunning blend of reds and oranges, and even sat outside the clown bus until stars were twinkling overhead. Finally, when my eyelids began to droop, and I found myself yawning every other minute, I headed back to my bunk and cocooned myself in my blanket.
Clutching Zero’s shirt to my chest, I fell asleep before the bus lights were even dimmed for the night.
A whisper dragged me out of my dream, and as I blinked myself awake, I realized it was saying my name.
I nearly screamed when I saw a face hovering over mine in the darkness, but a hand quickly clapped over my mouth. I shook my head and grabbed the hand, trying to free myself, but when I blinked again, I realized it was Daze.
The fear burning through me was instantly replaced by relief.
“What are you doing?” I whispered when he removed his hand again.
The tour bus was dimmed, meaning everyone was probably asleep. It had to be the middle of the night.
When he’d promised to find me later… this wasn’t what I expected. It was actually a little creepy, and the more I thought about it, the more my insides twisted with nerves.
Did something happen? Was there an emergency?
“Come with me,” he urged, keeping his voice low.
I didn’t understand. Why would he be dragging me out of bed in the middle of the night?
Is thisanothertwisted dream?
To double check, I bit the inside of my cheek until I winced. The pain was sharp and clear.
Definitely not a dream.
“Where are we going?” I asked.
He shushed me by pressing a finger to his lips and jerked his head, signaling for me to follow.
I probably should have been more reluctant, and if he were anyone else, I would have been. But I trusted Daze; he’d never given me a reason not to.
Quietly, I rolled out of bed and joined him in the aisle. I gestured to the tiny shorts and T-shirt I’d worn to bed, wondering if it was suitable for whatever we were doing, and he nodded. Not entirely convinced, but also not wanting to stop and change, I slipped on my combat boots and laced them quickly.
Then I hurried after the aerialist.
The night air was warm and still, the city almost silent. A black, star-flecked sky stretched overhead, and moonlight fell from a fat crescent moon to illuminate the parking lot in a ghostly glow.
