The Night Circus- Part One (Primordium): Chapter Six (False Pretenses) - Seances and Premonition

This chapter begins with Prospero the Enchanter retiring from his performances to pursue a 'different' career, or rather one for sixteen-year old Celia: using her as a fake spiritual medium, which is actually pretty clever on his part.

(Right now, the timeline is blessedly linear, which means Celia is three years younger than Marco, something I wasn't aware of before.)

Celia hates the work, of course, because she's not terrible like her father. She finds it strange how her clients are so desperate to communicate with the dead, and why they are so reassured when tables "levitate" and ghost hands "knock" on walls.
Purely because it infuriates her, he often forces her to take on the pseudonym 'Miranda" while they travel, and he "barely lets her eat" to make her look close to death. Yup. Time to add to the Terrible Father checklist.

1. Condescension 

2. Ridiculous Levels of Authority

3. Purposeful Neglect

4. Physical Violence

5. Malnourishment

I've made too many Social Service jokes in too few chapters, but seriously?

Moving on, while resting in New York because Celia's malnourishment became so severe that she fainted while performing, they argue over the upcoming challenge, her mother, and Celia busying herself in preparation.
Expectedly, Hector acts like a dick.

"He lifts a heavy glass paperweight and brings it down on her hand, hard enough to break her wrist with a sharp crack."

His reasoning: "You need the practice."

And we leave the two of them as Hector yells "And for Christ's sake, stop crying," after the weeping and injured Celia.

Gladly the focus switches now to Marco and Isobel.

In a sort of bored mind game, Marco uncovers that Isobel was previously engaged in Barcelona, and in her flight arrived in London.
Despite the significance, Isobel laughs it off and they are interrupted by the man in the grey suit, who comes to cryptically set up the plot, telling Marco he will be going to work for Chandresh Lefevre, who, as was previously stated, will organize the setting for the competition, Le Cirque De Reves, which doesn't yet exist. That might have been the worst run-on sentence I have ever written, so I'm going to leave it in. Enjoy.

Then (sigh), we come back to Hector and Celia, who are remaining in New York.

Hector has mostly stopped caring about Celia's practice schedule, choosing instead to remain upstairs and ignore her, so she reads to pass the time, as well as purposefully breaking and repairing household objects to pass the time.
She becomes very adept at tailoring fabric to suit her, while Marco is still resigned to a monotonous and colorless wardrobe.

One day, she has to kick open the door to the upstairs parlor, as he has charmed the locks, and finds him using magic to make his hand transparent, something he will later find to have consequences.

This chapter ends with Hector snapping at her and slamming the door shut in her face.

Chapter Seven should be up by Monday.