the year of the beasts

8/2/2019 The Year of the Beasts

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This book was wr itten in part with a fellowship from the MacDowell Colony.

Text copyr ight 2012 by Cecil Castel lucci

Illustrations copyright 2012 by Nate Powell

Published by Roaring Brook Press

Roaring Brook Press is a division of Holtzbrinck Publishing Holdings Limited Partnership

175 Fifth Avenue, New York, New York 10010

macteenbooks.com

All rights reserved

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Castellucci, Cecil 1969

The year of the beasts / Cecil Castellucci ; illustrated by Nate Powell. 1st ed.

p. cm.

Summary: Fifteen-year-old Tessa tries to be happy when her crush, Charlie, falls for heryounger sister, Lulu, and it becomes easier after she begins a secret relationship w ith Jasper,

a social outcast who lives next door to Tessas best friend. Alternate chapters are in graphic

novel form.

ISBN 978-1-59643- 686-2

[1. Dating (Social customs)Fiction. 2. SistersFiction. 3. SecretsFiction.

4. Best friendsFiction. 5. FriendshipFiction.] I. Powell, Nate, ill. II. Title.

PZ7.C26865Ye 2012

[Fic]dc23

2011031727

Roaring Brook Press books are available for special promotions and premiums.For details contact: Director of Special Markets, Holtzbrinck Publishers.

First edition 2012

Book design by Colleen AF Venable

Printed in the United States of America

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1


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They rolled into town in the middle o the day:large covered wagons and atbed trucks hauling disassembled rides

that looked like uturistic dinosaur bones. Tey settled over by the

highway, by the river, near the empty muddy brown eld and planted

themselves. wo days later, sawdust, lights, and swinging rides that

screamed against the sky sprouted.

It didnt matter where you were when the carnival arrived, every-one heard it beckon. Te air lled with a music that lulled each per-

son to a dreamy calm and seemed to come rom a time when lie was

better. It was hard to believe that a time like that ever existedsaer,

quainter, quieter timesbut the music made everyone believe. People

hummed the tune that reached through the rows o houses and rolled

all the way back down to the river like a low og. It made a person

crave corn dogs and cotton candy.

chapter

one


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CE CI LCA S T E LLU CCI&NATEPOWELL

2

It came once a year or a weekend in June, announcing to all that

summer had offi cially begun. Tis year was no different than any

other. Te carnival would open on Friday night, and everyone in townhad plans to go.

essa and Lulu were no exception. Last year the two sisters had

worn matching sundresses and eggshell-colored sweatersand they

had gone with the burden o their parents hovering over them, mak-

ing them squirm with embarrassment each time they saw someone

rom school. Accompanied by their parents, they had elt like babies,

and, even worse, their moms sleeve tattoos and their dads long hair

and piercings could have been an attraction at such a place once upon

a time. Last year, essa and Lulu were not ree to try every single ride,

brave the curiosity sideshow tent, get lost in the crowds, or win a tiny

stuffed banana without help rom their ather.

But this year was different. Tis year, essa was old enough to go

alone. Te week the trucks arrived, the two sisters were sent into a

tizzy.

Did you see them rolling into town? essa asked, hoping to

one-up her sister.

No, Lulu said.

I did, essa said. Guess Im lucky!

Guess you are, Lulu said and tried to not sound too disap-

pointed. But essa could tell she was. She wore the sadness on herace all through dinner.

Everyone at her school agreed that essa was offi cially the girl who

saw the trucks rst that year. Everyone said that was a sign o luck. In

act, it waspure luck that shed seen them rst at all. She hadnt been

looking or them. She saw them while staring out the window, ignor-

ing the math lesson, and thinking o Charlie Evans. Her eyes ocused

on the vehicles, like tiny ants in the distance, jetting down the


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the year of the beast s

3

highway and then, as they crept closer, they morphed into something

delicious and exciting. She had been wishing so hard or summer to

start, and then, there they were, rumbling down Route 9.Other people likely saw them, too, but essa was the rst one who

said out loud that they were there.

Tat night, essa watched as Lulu pushed her ood around on her

plate. essa knew this meant that either Lulu was being dramatic or

that she didnt like the quail her ather was trying out on them that

evening.

What rides are you going on? Lulu asked.

Every one, essa said, and all the scary ones, or sure.

essa was betting on dramatic, because Lulu always liked her

athers cooking. He and Lulu had the same taste or the untried.

It will be better this year than last, Lulu said.

O course it will be, essa said.

On that they could agree.

essa watched Lulu eat three bites quietly and then listened as

Lulu asked the question she already knew the answer to.

Who are you going with?

Celina, o course.

Celina was essas best riend. Tey had been planning their rst

unchaperoned trip to the carnival all year long.

Can I come, too? Lulu asked.No, essa said. Denitely not. Tis could spoil everything.

Just the thought o Lulu going with them made essas curls

tighten.

I wont be any trouble, Lulu said.

Be nice to your sister, their mother said, and gave the girls a

look. Sometimes their mother could look as tough as her tattoos.

She knew how to settle things with her eyes. essa had tried to learn


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4

that trick, but things didnt always go the way she wanted when she

did it.

essa had to admit that, in truth, Lulu was not that troublesome.She had tagged along with essa and Celina or so many years that in

a way she was an unoffi cial third to their best riendship. essa knew

the rules o being the older sister meant that Lulu would either come

with them or theyd be condemned to going to the carnival with

parents. Despite essas annoyance that Lulu would slow down their

un, she couldnt deny her sister the reedom to roam with her and

Celina on the airgrounds without the burden o parents. But that

didnt stop essa rom doing everything she could to make it clear

that it was still unair.

Im not my sisters keeper, essa said to her mother, and then

slammed her st on the table so that her dinner plate jumped.

Her ury was useless. Lulu would tag along.

essa told Celina at lunch as they watched Charlie Evans throw a

ball around with Dylan and ony and wondered what kinds o plans

they were making.

Lulu wants to tag along with us, essa said.

Celinas ace dropped.

But shes in eighth grade, Celina said. Were practically sopho-

mores.

I know, I know, essa said.Not cool, essa, Celina said.

Shell behave, essa said. I made her swear.

Tey both knew that essa didnt have any choice. But essa

couldnt help blaming Lulu just a little.

S


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5

Teir ather dropped them off at the mouth o the carnival, and he

gave them each orty dollars or tickets and rides and hot dogs and

games and told them to be carefuland to have fun.He barely got the words out beore the girls shrugged him off and

ran straight into the night, disappearing into the noise and the lights.

Tere was so much to see, and although the girls had been to the

carnival every year since they were little, this time everything about

it seemed new.

Youd better act cool, essa said.

OK, Lulu said.

Youd better stay quiet, essa said.

OK, Lulu said.

Youd better do what I say, essa said.

You got it, Lulu said. And then she smiled bigthe smile o a

girl who could taste her rst bite o reedom.

What should we do rst? essa asked once they had met up with

Celina at the assigned spot.

Its like were grown-ups, Celina whispered. And the three girls

nodded in unison, then took a moment to savor being old enough to

go on their own to a place that had always seemed doomed to being

the territory o amily outings.

Look. essa grabbed Celinas arm.

She pointed to a ticket booth. Tere stood Charlie Evans withDylan, ony, and Lionel. essa stilled hersel and held her breath;

Charlies looks had that effect on her.

We should hook up with them, Celina said. She knew how to

seize the moment. essa loved that about her best riend.

Tats Charlie Evans, Lulu said. She had heard all about him and

his dreamy looks rom essa, but this was the rst time shed seen

him off the ootball eld without all that protective gear.


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6

Yeah, what do you think? essa asked.

Lulu shrugged. She seemed unimpressed.

Charlie will know how to have un, Celina said. I you knowwhat I mean.

What do you mean? Lulu asked.

I thought you didnt like him like that, essa said.

I dont like him like that, Celina said.

What do you mean? Lulu asked again.

essa liked him like that. She admired him rom aar, touched his

locker when she walked by, and said hello to him every morning as

they passed each other in the hallway. She even laughed at the jokes

he made at the table next to theirs at lunchtime. Celina was the one

who didnt like Charlie. She didnt like his dumb hair, his clef chin,

his anything.

What do you mean? Lulu asked a third time.

essa and Celina gave each other looks.

Boys! essa said.

A boy is a boy is a boy. And Charlies got enough boys with him

to go around. We should all go get one, Celina said.

Boys, Lulu said. She said it quietly, like she was saying something

orbidden. Ten she giggled, covering her mouth with her tiny white

hand. Sometimes she acted younger than 13. essa elt embarrassed

or Lulu. essa saw Celina roll her eyes. essa rolled her eyes back atCelina in agreement. And just like that, they were in sync again.

It was then that essa noticed that Lulu was wearing essas avor-

ite pair o skinny jeans. Lulu had not asked permission to go into her

room and borrow them. essa was peeved that they looked better on

Lulu. She should probably just let her sister have them but she knew

that she wouldnt. Whenever she went trolling through her sisters


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drawers, she never ound anything good to stealjust bangle brace-

lets, colorul scarves that no one knew how to wear, and unused vin-

tage buttons rom their grandmas collection.Sometimes essa wished that she was the prettier sister. When

essa looked at Lulu, she wondered why it was that Lulu got the better

nose. Te nicer legs. Te shinier, straighter hair. essa worried some-

times that people elt sorry or her because she was not round-aced,

but made o angles. She dreaded that the truth might be that the ar-

rangement o DNA hadnt worked quite right on her parents rst try

or a baby, and she imagined that the combination o sperm and egg

had worked better the second time around. Or worse, that maybe her

parents had loved each other more when they had made Lulu.

essa shook the thought off like a bug. As she twitched the notion

away, Celina and Lulu looked at her quizzically, imagined that they

saw the bug, too, and helped her to shoo it away.

essa tried to smooth her hair, but the curls sprang back.

Charlie! Celina said. Charlie!

Charlie and his riends looked up at the exact same moment and

all smiled their young man smiles, the ones that made the three girls

uttery. Te girls collapsed toward each other, linking hands made

uncomortable with the wearing o new chunky rings purchased just

or tonight.

Charlie waved them over and the girls moved toward him and hisriends, clutching each other as though they had scored a victory.

And in a way they had. Tey had won attention. And or the moment

that was just as good as any o Celinas swim-meet medals or essas

certicates o merit in science. Maybe even better. Tey sashayed

over to the boys, swinging their hips in a way that they had never

done beore.


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8

When they got to the ticket booth, Jasper Kleine bumped into essa

hard. He wasnt with Charlie and his boys. In act, he wasnt with any-

one because he was a loner. I he did hang out, he hung out with otherlost boys. Te ones who cut class and got high. Te ones who rode

their speedboats too ast on the river. Te ones who had guitars and

mountain bikes. Te ones who wore pieces o leather tied around

their wrists as i they had made a secret promise to themselves. Tese

boys were the ones that everyone steered clear o because secretly

everyone worried that strangeness was catching.

Jasper had bumped into essa because he wasnt looking where he

was going. He didnt stop. He didnt apologize. He just kept walking.

He was too busy counting his tickets. It seemed like he had enough

tickets to do every single thing at the carnivaltwice.

o essa he smelled like a mixture o a latte, pot, pond scum, and

sweat. But it was pleasant, the way that a skunk was pleasant, or gar-

lic, or patchouli, even though her mother said that patchouli smelled

like eet. essa liked the smell o eet. essas eyes ollowed him as he

walked down the midway. He was so sure o himsel. She noticed

how happy he was to be on the outside o everything. She was a little

jealous that he was glad to be alone.

essa wondered what Jasper would do rst. Would he go on a

ride? Would he enter one o the tents? Would he play a game and try

to win a prize? I he did win, who would he give the prize to? essahad never seen him with anyone specically.

essa always had someone to hang around with, like her sister or

Celina. She never would go anywhere alone. She always ran in a pack.

Everyone did that. But not Jasper. She wondered what that would

be like, to go somewhere alone. But then she stopped wondering be-

cause Charlie was standing in ront o her, looking at her rom under

his impossibly long brown eyelashes. And then essa was too busy


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9

blushing, and trying to look as pretty as she could despite her imag-

ined genetic deciencies. She couldnt spare the energy to think about

Jasper anymore.Lets go, Charlie said.

Te whole group o them lurched into motion.

Te promise o the carnival washed away all o essas musings

about Jasper. Her insecurities aded, and she was overwhelmed by

the big and the bright and the antastic possibilities o the night that

stretched in ront o them. In that light surely she was pretty. Every-

one was.

essa thought they were a happy bunch. Tey looked like they all

belonged together. She elt theyd all be best riends orever. essa

tried to ignore the booths that looked like teeth, and made the carni-

val eel like a mouth. She concentrated on the other things the air

had to offer: the games with stuffed animals and t-shirts as prizes,

the Ferris wheel, the teacup ride, the un house, the haunted house

and the curiosity sideshow tent.

Tey started with the games. Gathering and jostling each other

by the beanbag throw. When no one won anything, they blamed their

loss on the games being rigged, which they most likely were.

Tis blows, well never win.

Its not air.

Lies not air.Well what should we do?

We should ride every single ride till we get sick.

Tey look so rickety.

I dont do rides.

Statistics say that the rides are sae.

I you say so.

How about the curiosity sideshow tent? essa said.


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1 0

Everyone stopped talking, and essa elt as though she had a stain

on her shirt. Or something was stuck in her teeth. Or she had blood on

her pants. Whatever it was, one thing was or sureshe had said some-thing wrong.

I dont want to go in there, its just going to be things in ormalde-

hyde, Celina said, putting a hand on her hip. Sometimes Celina

could be stubborn because she always wanted to be the girl with the

plan.

Everyone looked at Celina waiting or her to come up with an

alternative. essa looked toward the curiosity sideshow tent. Lulu

looked, too.

But it will be dark, Lulu said.

What? Celinas eyes widened.

Lulu looked at the boys.

Dark, essa repeated what her sister had said.

essa loved her sister something erce at that moment. Maybe it

was worth having her around because she was handy as backup.

Oooh, everyone said.

Tey were all on the same side again. Darkness meant the possi-

bility o hand holding or kissing. Darkness was good when it was

mixed with boys.

Good idea, Charlie said, staring right down into essaright

down to the parts o her that were secret.essa and her heart sighed. She would do anything to be alone

inside a dark tent with Charlie. She could just picture how the whole

thing was going to go down. It would be perect. She would pretend

to be scared and maybe grab his hand or support. She would clutch

him tightly and not let go. And he would keep holding her hand

because everyone knew that holding hands elt so good.

the year of the beasts

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