Chapter 5
CHAPTER FIVE
Lila
“You know what, it’s a lot for me to take in today.
Let’s just avoid talking about that elephant in the room and move on to the business side of things,” I say to my grandfathers.
I’m not sure how I feel about this. I’m pretty sure I’ll drink the water; I mean, who doesn’t want powers?
But it’s all a bit much at once, and the part of your brain that tells you to be wary is screaming at me.
I don't want to make a decision when I have all these conflicting emotions running through my head. A girl’s gotta take even five minutes for herself before making a life-changing decision about magical power-giving water.
Getting up from the chair, I walk to the big picture window that looks out over the arena.
“Tell me about the circus. What other rumors are true?” I ask as I turn to face the men again, eager to hear the history of the family business.
“We originally started out as just a circus, traveling throughout the galaxy, entertaining the masses with a rotating troupe of performers. We would take on any act that seemed interesting, so our show was always evolving. Eventually, we had visited so many different places that we were becoming well known, and that put a lot of eyes on us. Some of the galaxies that we frequented reached out, their governments seeing us as an opportunity for a source of unbiased negotiation and safe passage. We did this too, and it became quite popular,” John explains, pausing to take a sip of his coffee.
“Many races still use us to get from one planet to another, though there are other ways to get to most of those locations. Earth is the most difficult; it’s very inaccessible and technologically behind most other planets.
They mostly don’t acknowledge aliens. Even though there are some government agencies who are aware, they are of the belief that the masses would revolt if they found out, so they’ve chosen to keep the general population of humans in the dark.
In order to preserve that ignorance, travel to and from Earth must be as regulated as possible, and that’s left Galaxy Circus as one of the only approved forms of transportation. ”
Walking over to the table, I grab myself a pastry to go with my coffee then head back to where I was sitting. I get comfortable on the sofa, waiting for more information.
“Earth also really doesn’t have much to offer other planets, so most aliens use it as a holiday destination.
Some use it to escape to a new life. In return, Earth governments get options for technology that their countries are well away from creating on their own.
They don’t realize that they’re not even scraping the surface of what our galaxies have been able to achieve.
” William has continued with the story, smoothly picking up where John left off.
I could easily see them doing that stereotypical multiple thing where they would finish each other’s sentences.
“Governments get to bid on technology, and sometimes even private contractors make a play for what’s available.
For example, Jobs got the technology for the iPhone from the Telazions. ”
With another wave of his hand, over floats the coffee pot, filling up his cup again.
“Have you seen the movie Men in Black?" asks Eric. I nod in response, I mean, hello, Will Smith. Need I say more? “It’s a bit like that… Aliens who want to spend time on Earth have to learn to blend in, and they are policed by that agency.”
“I knew it was real!” I interrupt triumphantly. “There are just too many weird and unexplained things that happen.”
Eric rolls his eyes goodnaturedly. “If they break the laws or get seen, they’re incarcerated until we come back.
Then they get shipped home the minute we return, and since many of those offenders are just going to be punished once they return to their own home planets, it’s in the best interest of the alien nations to keep their citizens in line.
It’s one of the reasons we’re on Earth quite regularly, while most planets only get a visit once or twice a year.
We play somewhere on Earth every couple of months. ”
“So now, we get to the circus.” John rubs his hands together in glee, stealing back control of the conversation.
“Our greatest pleasure. The dome is part of a bigger spacecraft. It detaches and lands wherever we are going to perform. Anything we need during the show, the mermaid tank for example, gets transported between the mothership and the dome. It appears in what looks like a flash of light and smoke, but in reality, it’s beamed down by a teleporter, ‘Scotty’ style.
Another flash of light, and it’s returned to its place on the mothership when it’s done. ”
My mouth drops open in shock, and my nose wrinkles. Huh, that was not how I thought it would happen. Oh well, it’s still freaking exciting.
Feeling restless and overwhelmed by all the information, I get up and wander to the window.
“From the outside, the dome looks like a fabric tent, but when I tried to touch the side, it was like there was a force field stopping me from making contact until I pushed hard enough to make it through. And what’s going on with the inside?
It’s quite obvious it’s not a normal circus tent.
It’s more like an arena. How is it that people think it just appears overnight?
I mean, it has a freaking elevator! That certainly doesn’t happen overnight. ”
“Ah yes, the dome would have read your DNA before it allowed you through,” says John.
“The dome has the capacity to appear however we want it to. An illusion, you may say, or a mirage. As for when they come inside, the smoke we use throughout the performance is created to make them forget about those sorts of questions. They only walk out remembering how good the show was. Earth is the only place we actually have to use that smoke.” Holy shit, I didn’t really think there were drugs in the air.
I turn back around to face them, and the surprise on my face must be evident.
“Yes,” says William, “you have so much to learn over the coming year. But I think it’s time for a break. It’s a lot to take in, and I can see you rubbing your temples. Do you have a headache?”
The pounding in my head has returned full force, and I realize he’s right.
I’m rubbing my temples, and the lingering echo of pressure at my fingertips tells me that I must’ve been doing it quite hard.
I guess the emotions and the revelations have just been too much for me.
“Yes, I’ve gotten them all my life, but they’ve been getting more and more frequent. ”
William, Eric, and John frown at each other, eyeing one another like they’re having some kind of mental communication. Honestly, they very well could be. Who knows what other tricks they have up their sleeves?
“It is possible your physiology needs you to drink the water from Skar. Your mother drank it all through her pregnancy and regularly had supplies delivered when you were first born. It’s possible that you’ve been in withdrawal since her passing, and that could be why you’ve shown no signs of powers,” John muses.
“You will need to make a decision soon. Eventually, the headaches will become too much. Your brain could swell, causing you to fall into a coma. In fact I’m surprised it hasn't happened sooner. You’ve been incredibly lucky.
” Well, fuck me, Gramps, way to terrify a girl.
“For now, let’s get you settled in a room.
You can freshen up, have a rest, and then join us for dinner in the dining room.
Most of our performers and support staff stay on the ground while the show does, so we have bedrooms set up and a communal dining and living area in the dome.
The mothership is much larger, with separate suites for everyone as well as various communal areas, so you’ll have more privacy once this leg of our tour is done.
We spend a lot of time on the ship, and it’s large enough that people usually have no problems. As expected, with so many people living together, tensions can get a bit high, but we try to keep the drama at a minimum. ”
They all stand up, so I follow their lead and walk over to my luggage, grateful for the emotional break.
Just as I go to grab the handle, it starts to hover in the air.
I turn around to look at my grandfathers, receiving a wink from Eric.
“Why work harder when we can work smarter?” he laughs.
John opens the door, and we walk out into the corridor with my luggage floating behind us until we reach the elevators I’d used to get up to the executive suite.
Stepping in, William takes out a card, swipes it, and hits the button for the first floor.
“All living areas are on the first floor, only accessible with a card. This is a private elevator for staff, but sometimes people get nosy and try to figure out how we do things, so they snoop around. This is to stop them from accessing the first floor and ground floor where all the equipment and tech is kept. If they get on this elevator, it will only take them to the second floor. The public have their own bank of elevators near the entrance to the dome.”
The elevator dings right before the doors slide open.
Stepping out, we turn left, heading down a corridor with a few people milling about, all of whom seem to pause.
My grandpas don’t even pay attention, quickly striding off down the corridor.
I hurry after them, but my heart is pounding, and I can feel my cheeks heating up with all the extra attention.
Holding my head high, I follow them and my floating luggage.