Page 75 of The Bleak Beginning

I raise an eyebrow. “All of them?”

He nods vigorously, his red curls bouncing. “Absolutely! It’s a circus thing, you know. Building anticipation and all that.”

“Uh-huh,” I say, unconvinced. “And how long have you been waiting for them?”

He scratches the back of his neck, his freckled face scrunching up in thought. “You know, just a couple of…years.”

Years.“That’s it, I’m leaving,” I say, tossing my hands up in defeat. Chancellor Maxwell would just have to pick a club for me, because I am officially throwing in the towel.

“Wait, wait, wait!” Alfie says, keeping pace with my retreating steps. “There is one other person.”

My feet stall, “One other person?” I repeat skeptically, turning back to face him. “And where exactly is this mysterious other member?”

Alfie’s eyes dart around the room nervously, brushing at his cape anxiously.

“Is this person real?” I ask through gritted teeth.

He flinches. “Can you elaborate on what you define as real?”

I let out an exasperated sigh, pinching the bridge of my nose. “Alfie, I swear if you’re about to tell me your imaginary friend is the other member…”

“No, no, nothing like that!” he says quickly, waving his hands. “She’s very real. It’s just…well…”

“Well, what?” I demand.

My patience is thinner than the tightrope above us.

“Alfie,” I say, my tone dangerously low.

“She did exist… I mean, people could see her, it’s just…” He gulps audibly, tugging at his collar.

“Spit it out!” I bark.

He jumps, taken aback, but I was well and truly over his shenanigans. Why I was still humoring him was beyond me.

“She was a member, honest.” He takes a deep breath, then blurts out, “She told me she had to take a break for a couple of semesters but would be back after that…but she never came back. I think she turned herself invisible.”

I blink at him, stunned into silence for a moment. “Invisible,” I repeat flatly.

Alfie nods enthusiastically. “Yes. I believe she was practicing a trick gone wrong. Or maybe right? Depending on how you look at it.”

I cross my arms, staring him down. “So you’re telling me there’s an invisible girl in this room right now?”

“Well, it’s been more than nine months since I last saw her, so I can’t be entirely sure,” Alfie says, his eyes darting around the room as if searching for any sign of the invisible girl. “But it’s possible.”

I take a deep breath, trying to calm the frustration brewing inside me. “Alfie, this is ridiculous. There’s no such thing as invisibility. Your partner most likely left because…well, I don’t know the specifics, but she’s not here now.”

Alfie’s face falls, his enthusiasm deflating like I’d kicked his stuffed rabbit.

For a moment, I feel a twinge of sympathy for him. “Your friend probably found out she was…” I hesitate.

Alfie’s eyes widen. “She was what?”

I shake my head. “Never mind. The point is, she’s likely not coming back.”

He ponders that a moment before his eyes snap over in my direction. “Well, what about you?” he asks, sounding hopeful.

“What about me?”