The Circle Novel By Dave Eggers Novels & Stories

It hadn't been until six or seven years ago when I learned about the existence of The Circle, and I had dug into it for totally selfish reasons, so even my knowledge on them was very singular. Thomas and I take the lead, and we start in a slow jog around the now very wide pack perimeter. It was almost fifteen acres of trees with one giant clearing in the middle, and he wanted a shift of guards constantly checking the borders. Do you know anything about the people coming? Thomas asks from beside me. Some. Is all I reply. I knew about one man in The Circle. One Nassim Hale. He was who I thought to be my father.

“Daniel discovered something.” “What?” Margaret looked at Ethan. Then at Amelia. Then back at Ethan. The fear returned. Stronger than before. “They called themselves The Circle.” The name sent a visible reaction through Ethan. A reaction Amelia didn’t miss. “You know them.” It wasn’t a question. Ethan’s jaw tightened. “Yes.” The room grew colder. “What is The Circle?” Neither of them answered immediately. And that terrified Amelia more than any answer. Finally, Ethan looked directly at her. His expression was grim.

"Shit cakes and pole dancers, babe. That's a lot of power in a small group of people." I nodded as I counted the gathered crowd. Twelve people. Twelve people who, prior to this could barely make water into steam when they boiled it, were standing in a small circle in the middle of the street. A lone figure in the middle. From the pretentious bright white clothing that seemed to gleam in the moonlight, it could only be Patrick as the center of the circle.

Hunger, anticipation, recognition. “He’s connected to it,” she whispered miserably. “Connected to me.” Cain’s breath stuttered. “No. No, Avi. You’re not part of him. You’re not tied to whatever the Dawlya created.” Avi shook her head. “It’s more than that. The Circle is reacting like a missing piece just came into reach.” Cain’s eyes flashed. “Over my dead body.” The Circle pulsed again dismissing that idea entirely. Cain snarled. “I wasn’t asking you.”

"She sounds like your mother." "She is. Stubborn. Brave. Always asking questions I can't answer." I walked to the door. Eleanor followed. At the threshold, she stopped. "Eliza—" I turned. "There's something I need to tell you. Something I should have told you from the beginning." I waited. "The Circle—they're not going to stop. Not because of the money. Not because of the power. Because of you. Because you're her daughter. Because you're the one who got away."

Someone who had noticed their noticing. Ethan caught it too, his jaw clenching as the car pulled away. He didn’t speak for a long stretch of the drive. Finally, in a voice small but hard as flint, he said, “They’re watching the watchers.” Lola pressed her palm flat to the glass as the city unfurled behind them, headlights trailing like the last swell of a storm. Her resolve tasted fierce and new. The Circle was no longer myth. It was real, and it had a face. They had taken their first strike.

"Who?" Daniel's answer came quietly. "The same people who took me." Ariana's pulse raced. The same people. The same people who had taken her mother. The same people who had been watching her. The same people behind everything. "Who are they?" she asked. Daniel looked at her. Then at Nick. His expression became serious. "They call themselves The Circle." Nobody spoke. The name meant nothing to Ariana. Yet judging from everyone's reaction, it meant something to them. A lot. Victor looked pale. The silver-haired man looked uneasy. Claire slowly sat down on a nearby stone. Ariana frowned. "What is The Circle?"

He's not ready to choose, but he's listening. He asked me if I was a tyrant. I said no. I meant it. The Circle is not about power. It's about connection. Love is not weakness. It's the only thing that makes strength meaningful. Dax is holding me. Luna Rose asked if the fire wolf was still angry. I said he's confused. She said she hopes he gets unconfused. Micah sent word that he's helping a pack in the south. He's growing up. Tomorrow, we wait.