Page 81 of Grumpy Puck

“Dinner is ready!”calls Xanthe.

Calliope leads me to the circus cafeteria, where someone has pulled all the tables together into one giant, circular arrangement.

“Sit next to us,” Calliope’s parents say to her.“We want to get to know Michael, and we haven’t seen you in forever.”

So we sit near them, and they pepper me with questions about hockey and growing up in Russia until I steer the conversation back to their family and, by extension, the circus.

Turns out, it’s been a family business for generations.At one point in time, they were carnies, with all that it implied.For instance, a great-grandmother of Calliope’s was a bearded woman who was married to both halves of conjoined twins.Said husbands shared a torso and therefore a penis, but had separate heads and personalities.

My head spins just picturing that.

Eventually, the focus shifts from me to their regular family banter and bickering, giving me a chance to simply eat and observe the Klaunbut clan.As I do, I can’t help but feel an ache in my chest, alongside something uncomfortably like self-pity tinged with envy.I’m not sure if these people realize just how lucky they are.As an orphan who is pretty much alone in this world, this here is my idea of heaven, and I’d give anything to?—

Calliope grips my forearm.“I’m so sorry I dragged you here.I can tell you’re having a horrible time.”

Fuck.She’s misinterpreted my expression.“That’s not true,” I tell her.“All is well.”

She tightens her grip.“It’s Voldemort, isn’t it?”

“Who?”

She gestures at a woman with a snake around her neck.“That’s my aunt, Azalea, but some of us call her Voldemort on account of the snake she always walks around with.The snake’s name is Nancy, by the way, but should have been Nagini.”

I snort.“Should a person with a rat on her shoulder really throw stones?”

“Well, if you’re not bothered by Voldemort, then what’s wrong?Is it my youngest sister?”She gestures at a young woman who looks a lot like her—except for the fact that she’s eating while twisted into a pretzel-like shape that doesn’t look beneficial for digestion.“I keep telling her that contortionist shit is horror-movie creepy.”

I have no idea how I can explain the yearnings her big family makes me feel, so when my phone dings with an email, I’m grateful for a moment of reprieve.When I see what the email is about, though, my whole body goes on full alert.

The sender is the manager from the hotel—and she’s finally come through with the security video footage that I’ve been waiting for.The footage that will tell me who Calliope’s stalker is.

Now, I know I probably shouldn’t play this video here at the dinner table, but I can’t help myself.My finger clicks on it, and I watch intently, at first unable to process what I’m seeing.

Once I do, my hands ball into tight fists and a rage unlike any I’ve ever felt rushes through my blood.

I never for a second thought the stalker would be someone I knew.But it is—and the fucking bastard doesn’t know it yet, but he’s a dead man.

Chapter23

Calliope

The sweet potato in my mouth turns into packing peanuts as I watch Michael’s expression turn thunderous.And then he leaps to his feet.“I have to go.”

What the hell?I mean, I know he’s not having a good time—those weird facial expressions made that clear—but why is he so angry?

Because that’s what he seems to be.Angry.So much so, that as he stomps out of the cafeteria, his hands are balled into fists and his jaw ticks.If he punches a random Klaunbut on his way out, I won’t be surprised in the least.

“Is everything okay?”Mom asks with a worried expression when Michael is gone.

“Does it look like things are okay?”I retort.

Mom shrugs.“I don’t know him as well as you do.”

My chest aches, and a pressure is building behind my eyes.“I’m not sure I know him all that well myself.”Deep down, a part of me had been convinced that he’d like my family, and we’d live happily ever after.

How stupid.

I’m obviously cursed to lose boyfriends as soon as I introduce them to this literal circus.And I was also stupid to think that this would hurt less because I had him meet everyone at the very beginning of our relationship.I imagined it would be like ripping off a Band-Aid in the worst case, but this feels more like ripping off a finger.

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