Gifted, A Donovan Circus Novel (28 page)

I didn’t expect a response.
Actually, no—I expected him to get mad. I wanted to push his buttons. I
was getting impatient and saw no reason to fear this guy. He seemed to be all
talk. Instead, he smiled.

“But I am one of you, Lucy,” he
responded. He took several steps towards me.

“You’re really not,” I responded
warily, holding my ground. He would get no satisfaction from threatening me.

“Sure I am. How do you think I
found you? I’m a Tracker.”

The flames faded from my palms
as my heart sank. He’d taken Knox. If he was a Tracker, that meant he probably
killed Knox for his gift. First my dad, now Marty, and Knox…Sheffield was the
only one left from his close circle.

“You stole that gift from Knox.”
My tone left no room for argument.

“I prefer the term borrowed. If
you don’t mind, I’m going to have a seat, so don’t get all twitchy and set me
on fire, got it?”

Felix walked towards me and my
body tensed up, but he merely brushed past me and went to a vehicle two spaces
from mine. He lowered the back door of the truck and sat on the bed. He
motioned to my car.

“Maybe you have a seat, too.
Calm your nerves so we can talk. I’m not here to attack you.”

I said nothing, but slowly
walked over and had a seat on the hood of my car. I got as comfortable as I
could while still keeping a very careful eye on Felix. He didn’t even flinch;
he waited patiently until I was finally still. I broke the silence first.

“Borrowed, huh? Does that mean
Knox is still alive?”

“I don’t have to kill the owner
to take their gift.”

“Where is Knox?”

He ignored my question. “You
can’t take what Sheffield says at face value, Lucy. Your father took you away
from the gifted world for a reason. Maybe he wasn’t worried about me. Sheffield
is no innocent bystander,” he said in a low voice.

“I don’t know what that means,
so spit it out. I don’t want to sit out in the parking lot all night,” I
replied.

“Of
course
Sheffield and his gang will tell you awful stories of how
I’m the scary mad scientist who steals gifts in the night. But he’s got plenty
of blood on his hands, as well as Marty and Knox. And I’m sorry to say, but
your dad, too.”

“What do you mean?”

“Your dad was part of
Sheffield’s little crew ‘til the day he died. You know how powerful he
was—he was protection against any potential threats. Lenny would stand up
and fight anyone who raised a commotion against Sheffield or their group. He
was fiercely loyal. No one dared messed with one of the most powerful
Firestarters in history.”

I was uncomfortable. He was
describing what I was sure Sheffield wanted me to be. I clenched my hands into
fists to prevent any accidental flames.

“Marty was also protection, but
he didn’t have his own mind like Lenny did. He did all of Sheffield’s bidding.
He ran errands, talked to the lower citizens, and bullied those who argued into
seeing it Sheffield’s way.”

“And you think Knox went after
those with especially good gifts?” I suggested, looking down at my lap.

“Oh, yes. Sheffield only
surrounds himself with those who are supremely gifted. I shouldn’t have to tell
you
that,” he added with a sly smile.
“He sent Knox out to find those who excelled and bring them back to the show to
work. Knox would seek them out and Marty would more or less encourage them to
join their troupe. The group with you now is young, but full of potential and
Sheffield wants you all to excel for his benefit.”

“You said they had blood on
their hands. No one here I’ve talked to has ever mentioned being forced into
coming here to perform.”

“You’re impatient. Can’t even
let me tell a good story correctly,” he remarked. I fell silent and he
continued.

“Not all other circuses think
Donovan Circus is a great idea. Some think it’s dangerous to put so many gifted
under one tent, so to speak. One mistake could put your people in the
spotlight. But Sheffield’s never been one to take criticism well. I can say
that from personal experience. One time I had to sew up a nasty arm wound and
he bit my head off when I questioned how he got it. I had to drop the topic he
got so defensive.”

“You’re talking around me. How
does Sheffield, or my father for that matter, have blood on their hands?”

“Just because no one you’ve met
complains about being here doesn’t mean they’re all happy or here of their own
free will. And I know some of the mutinous ones aren’t here anymore.”

“Sheffield’s made it clear if I
don’t want to be here, I’m free to go of my own accord.”

“Well, sure he wants you to
think that. You’re Lenny’s kid; he’s not going to burn you—pardon the
expression. But others who aren’t close family friends don’t get any special
treatment.”

“I do not get special
treatment,” I interjected.

“You’re here, aren’t you? After
all that time being away, Sheffield lets you waltz back in without any
complications, lets you show off despite others spending years of hard work to
get to that point? Sounds like favoritism to me.”

 
“Maybe I’m actually talented,” I muttered.

“Don’t tell me you’re another
arrogant Firestarter. Those gifted types are dreadful.”

“I’m not that person.”

“Perhaps. But I’ve been around a
bit longer than you. After all, you just got here. I know how Sheffield’s mind
works some days. It’s not only favoritism. He’s grooming you to take your dad’s
place.”

“It might not be something I’m
opposed to, if it means I’m keeping you out of camp and away from everyone
here,” I said.

“You should have all the facts.
He’s smart, he’s charismatic, and he’s very ambitious. He’ll go for whatever he
wants. After all, with a gift like his, he practically
can
have whatever he wants.”

I looked up from my clenched
hands at Felix, looked for the lies on his face. I saw none—did Felix
actually know Sheffield’s gift?

He observed me for a moment then
raised an eyebrow. “You really don’t know?”

“I just got here, remember? I’m
still catching up with everything I’ve missed.”

“Hm. I would’ve thought Lenny
told you.” He sounded more pleased than perplexed, as though he enjoyed being
the one to break the news.

“Well, he didn’t. What’s
Sheffield’s gift already?”

“Sheffield’s gift is unique,
extremely rare. He is what you would call a Collector.”

“A what?”

He gave a melodramatic sigh. “A
Collector
. It’s a very dangerous, very
powerful gift and extremely detrimental to the gifted community.”

“What does it entail?”

“A Collector can do two things
when properly trained. Firstly, Sheffield, a very charming man, has managed to
obtain gifted personalities from all over the world to be in his army. Should a
war ever come to his camp, he’ll be the most protected bastard out there. You
think anyone in that camp is going to let someone hurt Sheffield? There are
plenty willing to die for him. But that’s a bonus—the talent is how he
literally gathers and collects gifted. He surrounds himself with supremely
talented people who have potential for great things. He hones their gifts, helps
them focus and become that much better.”

“How does he do that?”

“He trains you as a mentor
would. He’s been around a long time, can wield any gift as his own if he
chooses. He shows you how to defend yourself physically and mentally. You’re
Lenny’s kid, you gotta get this reference—he’s like your Obi Wan.”

“Don’t blaspheme a classic with
this nonsensical story,” I responded. I tried not to sound as infuriated as I
felt when he mentioned my dad’s favorite movie character. No way had my father
ever been on a personal level with this psycho.

“The second and far more
dangerous skill for a Collector is they can take anyone’s gift at any given
point. It’s how Sheffield has so much knowledge and skill; he takes a person’s
gift, instructs them on the best way to get better, and gives it back. He
learns it as if it were his own gift. With one touch, he can leave you
powerless. Once they have your gift, you don’t get it back until he’s through
with it.”

“I’m confused. So does his touch
take away your gift entirely?”

“When Collectors first come into
their gift, it’s temporary. As they get stronger and grow experienced, like
him, they can hold on to it for longer periods of time until he can take it
away permanently. He can give their power back if he chooses. I’ve seen Sheffield
use his gift on those who disagreed with him. He uses it as leverage, a way to
get what he wants. He shows them how vulnerable they can be without him,
without their gift and his help. Once they’ve agreed with his demands, he gives
their gift back to them.”

Felix went silent and I stared
at my lap again as he watched my every move. I knew he was searching for a
reaction while I tried to process this information. If it were true, I had to
agree that it
was
a dangerous gift.
But Sheffield had never given the impression he’d use it the way Felix implied.
Both my parents had trusted him completely and he was nothing but generous to
me. I couldn’t base my opinions strictly on what Felix said anyway; last I
checked, he was the bad guy.

I looked up at him. “I’m not
sure what you expect me to do with this information, but I’m not gonna wig out
or anything.”

“I would hope not. That would be
very prejudiced of you. I felt certain you’d want to check your facts before
jumping to any conclusions, regardless of where your information came from,” he
replied with that sly smile again.

“No offense, but I think I’m
gonna head out now,” I said. I hopped off my car and took a couple steps back
towards the campgrounds.

“Did you ever think that you are
who
you
are because your father
wanted it that way?” Felix called out to me. I turned around, annoyed.

“What the hell are you going on
about now?”

“Perhaps your father raised you
how he did, took you away from the show, in hopes you wouldn’t follow his
footsteps.”

“I think he lost that vote when
we found out I was a Firestarter.”

“I don’t mean it that way. Lucy,
your father was a great friend to Sheffield, but that meant he was a bully to a
lot of other people. If you ask me, he got you out of the circus to get you
away from Sheffield. I think he wanted to prevent you from becoming like him.”

“For all I know you could be
making this entire thing up for whatever twisted little reason,” I replied. “My
father was a good man.”

“Yes, he was, when he wasn’t
around Sheffield. When he wasn’t doing Sheffield’s bidding, he was enjoyable.
He always talked about you and your mother. But when it turned to business, he
was a hard-shelled man who became angry, violent, and unforgiving. It was all
about money for the show and power for gifted who felt they were better than
others.”

“I don’t believe you,” I said
calmly.

“Don’t you wonder why he
traveled so often? Why he lied about taking business trips? He was here or out
convincing other gifted to join his group. Even I saw the age in his face when
I last saw him years ago.”

“You’re lying to me and I will
tell Sheffield you’ve been here.”

“I expect as much. You’ll find
out the truth soon enough; it always comes out in the end. You’re smart and I’m
willing to bet pretty self-reliant.”

“At least you’ve figured out
that much. Now Felix, I have a question for you.”

He stood up and opened his arms
in a welcoming manner. “By all means.”

“What are you doing here? Surely
you didn’t track me down to tell me some story about past differences between
you and my dad.”

“I’ve wanted to see you again
for a long time, Lucy. I knew you as a child, before you could really
comprehend your own power. I was sorry to hear about your parents’ passing and
wondered if you’d come back to your roots. You’re special. I know you’re
talented, not just because of your father, but I’ve heard about your fire shows
since you’ve returned. I think you’re the key to taking Sheffield Donovan down
once and for all.”

Chapter
23

I couldn’t help it—my
eyebrows shot up into my hairline in surprise. He caught my reaction and took a
few cautious steps towards me, palms up so I wouldn’t get defensive.

“Things need to change. You’re
powerful and skilled in a way your father never was—he got caught up with
Sheffield and his plans. You’re smart enough to avoid the traps early. He used
to talk about how honest and direct you were, how clever and candid you were
even as a child. You’re about right and wrong and what Sheffield is doing is
wrong. Once you see that, maybe you’ll rethink your situation.”

“Even if what you were saying is
true—and I’m not agreeing with you at all, by the way—what makes
you think I could do that? What do you get out of all of this?”

Felix shrugged. “I’ve been
watching all of this happen for the last twenty-five years. It was wrong then
and it’s wrong now.”

A bark of laughter escaped me.
“You’re telling me the difference? You’re a human taking gifts that aren’t
yours!”

I saw a fleeting moment of anger
on his face but it disappeared so quick I wondered if I imagined it. His right
hand flew up, tapped the side of his glasses and went back down to his side
again. When he spoke again, his voice sounded strained, as though he was holding
back his rage.

“I’ve been fighting with
Sheffield a long time. The way he treats other gifted…and he’s worse with my
kind. He thinks humans are beneath you all. I tried to prove to him that we
aren’t disposable playthings. Some of us are brilliant individuals who want to
help integrate you into society because we believe in equality. I thought maybe
I could take those first steps when I accidentally borrowed a Levitator gift.
However, that means equality on both sides, not just ours.”