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looking like that—” I didn’t blame them. “—but if you want to do it, you can have your family send them off overnight. It’ll cost extra, but whatever, right? Or you can do it yourself, if you’re handy with a needle and thread. But I wouldn’t let on that you didn’t send it off.”
    I was pretty handy with a needle and thread; being on the road a lot meant a lot of free time, not to mention… who else would do it? We didn’t have professional tailors following us around. When something ripped, we sewed it together ourselves.
    “Thanks,” I said to Lidia, taking my uniform off and placing it on the bed.
    “No problem.” She swung her long legs over the side of her bed and got to her feet, tightly wound curls bouncing around her face. “Hey, listen, I’m heading down to the theater room to hang out with some friends. You want to come along?”
    It was a life altering opportunity she was giving me, allowing me to join her group, but I couldn’t afford to make friends. I would be leaving soon and it would be that much harder when the time came.
    “Thanks, but I have things to do here.” I motioned towards my uniform.
    She shrugged her tiny shoulders, making her russet curls bounce again. “Okay, but you know here to find us if you change your mind.”
    I thanked her again, watching as she slipped into her shoes and left the room. I sat down on the bed, still clad in my underthings, and sighed.
    Being a gypsy was never easy.

     
    “He won’t stop!”
    The hand clutching the pen trembled. Tears splashed across the yellow pages.
    Outside, the storm screamed, throwing itself against the glass. The windows rattled, threatening to shatter beneath the blows. The candles flickered around the room, trembling as though fearing what was about to come.
    “He’s coming!” Amalie said suddenly, pen dropping from her fingers. “He’s coming! Get up!”

     
    “Fallon!” Someone was shaking me, hard. The muscles along my arm and neck screamed in protest under the assault. Something sharp hooked into the bare flesh of my bicep and tugged. “Fallon, get up!”
    My eyes snapped open, and for a full heartbeat, disorientation stole my breath. Everything around me was rattling. Objects rocked on their shelves and tumbled off, smashing to dust across the floor. Like a pendulum, the hanging light overhead swung wildly from its chain, creating spider webs in the plaster. Across the room, the window shattered. Someone screamed. I bolted upright just as something heavy toppled on top of me, pinning me down on the mattress. Flaring arms and legs beat against me as my companion fought for freedom. The fragrance of something exotic and expensive identified the mysterious bulk flailing and screaming in my ear.
    “Lidia?”
    Her shrieks continued as she struggled to untangle herself from me and my bed. I managed to shove her off and get to my feet just as the earth gave another violent shudder. The lamp on the nightstand tumbled over, crashing across the hardwood. Bits of glass and debris crunched beneath my bare feet as I rushed to the door and threw it open.
    People were running and screaming along the hallway. The fire alarm blared, muffling the thunder of feet. The emergency lights flashed at the end of the hall, painting the corridor a violent shade of crimson.
    “Lidia!” I turned back into the room and the girl still fighting with my bed sheets. “We have to get out of here!” I shouted over the deafening din.
    In two quick strides, I made it to her side and tore her free. I grabbed her arm and dragged her to her feet. Green eyes, wide with horror, rolled in their sockets. Madness gleamed in their depths, wild with panic.
    “No! Let me go!”
    I never saw the punch coming. Stars exploded even before the dull ache in my cheek settled. My grip fell away, my hand flying to cradle my throbbing face.
    “Ow!” I snapped, glaring at her with my good eye.
    Breathing so hard and loud I could hear her perfectly, Lidia