Reality Check

Crystal Thieves

Ready For More (by Sea Girls)

"In the blink of an eye it just all slips away. 'Cause I heard you moved on and I'm in the same place . . ."

___

If possible, the carnival looked even more vibrant in the daytime.

From the music, the colors, the scenery— it all seemed to stand out more, as if the place itself had awakened. Although Owen's phone had horrible reception in the fictional world, and there really was no way to tell the time in Magisteria, he could tell they'd woken up early. It was the type of early that meant the sun had just barely risen, usually layered with expectations of school and hitting snooze on his alarm clock four or five times— until his mom threw the covers off of him, cruelly forcing him to get ready for his least favorite place in the world.

Ironically, this probably was his most favorite place in the world (well, one of them) and yet, the last thing he wanted to do was get up before the sun had even risen. Yet he had anyway, because Kiel insisted that for some awful reason, the carnival opened at sunrise. Whoever decided that was definitely receiving a few complaints from Owen, if he ever met the person in charge of this place. Probably the Magister. He shuddered. Yeah, maybe telling the Magister that his planet's carnival opened too early . . . probably wouldn't go over well.

Shortly after the sun had risen, Owen and his friends slipped out of their cots. Through bedraggled eyes, he managed to look over himself, making a lazy attempt to flatten out his hair and clothes. Somehow, no one had questioned his out-of-place clothes, which were very much not suitable for blending in. He couldn't help but be a little jealous that Bethany had gotten a disguise but not him, and here, she seemed to fit in perfectly.

Last night, after seeing the crystal ball live and in person, Kiel had taken them to the only clothing stands they could find, hoping to get both Owen and Moira capes of their own — at least to blend in until tomorrow. Moira's outfit was less of a problem, as she at least blended in a little better than Owen, who stood out like a beacon in his nonfictional shirt and light-colored jeans. Not enough to be accused of being Quanterium, luckily, but enough to get a few odd looks as Owen walked by.

Every time, he felt a little embarrassed. He only wanted that kind of attention if he looked cool, not if he was seen as a potential threat! If only he hadn't tripped into that stupid puddle. Then maybe he could've gotten a cape, too. And not just for the blending-in part. He had to admit that there'd always be a part of him that just wanted to walk around in a cape for fun. Even if this wasn't for fun, what other chance would he get to wear one? Sure, he'd worn some for Halloween, but those had been store-bought, dispensable capes. Obviously not comparable to the real thing.

In the end, the most they'd found were some scarves, jewelry, and hats, though surprisingly, no capes. It was completely by luck that they had found a woman giving out ponchos. Owen would've thought they'd need to trade something for it, but everything in the carnival was apparently free. He couldn't help but feel disappointment that it wasn't a cape, but it didn't really matter. Not being very tall, the poncho was so long that it nearly reached Owen's ankles.

It's one size fits all! the lady had promised.

Apparently not everyone, Owen thought as he pulled the poncho over his head, covering the logo splayed along the front of his shirt, which read The Lightning Thief: The Percy Jackson Musical! He fought to pull his arms through the sleeves, which seemed far too heavy than wool had any right to be. He sighed, then for the finishing touch, pulled the hood up over his head. The poncho was way too big for him. Maybe by one size fits all, it meant one size fits all adults.