AllFreeNovel
Share Us
It was then that I felt something heavy—some strange energy that seemed to be coming from my right side. When I glanced over quickly, I noticed Rex standing just off the stage, behind the curtains that hid the back stage from the audience. He was staring at me and, as usual, he didn’t look happy. Yet, there was something else in his gaze—something almost predatory. It was in the way his eyes traveled up and down my body, settling on the areas where they shouldn’t settle. He made me feel as if I were standing here, completely naked.
I swallowed hard and felt Laurent pull on my hand, clearly wanting me to pay attention to my routine and the audience. I forced thoughts of Rex from my mind and tried to calm my beating heart.
I watched as Laurent placed the gold cage on the ground as, out from the ceiling, lowered a much larger version of the birdcage. This larger cage was still only half as tall as I was and just as narrow. The spotlights circled the interior of the big top, before landing on the cage where it hung in the air.
Inhaling, I waited for the cage to drift down toward me and then I moved forward, effortlessly slipping my arm and leg through the compact gate, bending to fit within the short and narrow interior. The excited crowd took in a few hushed breaths of surprise as I bent my body to fit within the confines of the cage. Then, while I was inside the cage, I shifted myself this way and that, twisting and turning, and earning my title of ‘the human pretzel’. To the common observer, fitting inside the small cage should have been impossible. However, being a natural contortionist, my body could bend in ways that most people couldn’t believe… until they saw it with their own eyes.
“She’s far more interested in flying free!” The chorus of Laurent’s laughter and the generous applause filled my chest with tingling pride. I threw my hands up dramatically, pointing my foot outward when the clapping subsided.
“Of course, every bird needs to stop for a drink of water.”
He pushed the cage out of the spotlight and into the shadows, stretching out his hands in expectation. Everyone watched with bated breath, a vocal collection of ‘oohs and aahs’ erupting when a large replica of a birdbath rolled out underneath me. Laurent caught the birdbath with ease, slowly spinning it around.
“What do you think, little bird? Doesn’t this look like the perfect spot to wet your whistle?”
I grinned, bending my arm out of the cage as I lowered the rest of my body out of the gate and into the birdbath. Then I arched my back and my legs and fit perfectly within the space, outlining the circular shape of the mouth of the bath with my body as I closed my eyes and pretended to sleep. The crowd laughed, then cheered and clapped.
“No, you silly bird!” Laurent said on a deep chuckle. “It’s not for sleeping!”
He offered his hand to me and I gracefully slid out of the mouth of the birdbath, flourishing my legs a bit to showcase how flexible I was. That’s when the smoke rings appeared, billowing across the floor as Laurent pulled me forward. It was the start of an intricate dance that featured me twisting and tumbling through the smoke hoops in increasingly complex positions. Briefly, I caught sight of Halfrieda’s face in the shadows, grinning from ear to ear as I wove my body in and out of the rings that appeared.
When I glanced to the spot where Rex had been watching me, I noticed it was now vacant. Strangely, I deflated at the realization. I didn’t know why but I wanted him to watch me and there was even something within me that had thrilled a bit at the clearly lascivious expression on his face.
“Watch out, little bird,” Laurent warned. “Don’t let the snake catch you!”
A flash of green entered the tent when Valida appeared, taking a real hoop and spinning it gracefully around her waist as she then released it and it floated alongside her, tethered to the top of the tent. She twisted the hoop up onto her arm, while Balthazar crept up the side and circled round and round, going in and out of the moving target. The crowd was enamored, cheering and clapping as the routine proceeded smoothly.
I approached Valida and her hoop and bending this way and that, stretching, I fit inside the hoop and wrapped my body in a perfect circle within it, allowing Valida to continue to move the hoop, with me in it, as she glided across the fog-covered surface of the stage.
Finally, the lights flashed once more before turning off, plunging the room into darkness. I felt Valida’s arms slide across mine as she whispered, “Great job!” before slipping away.
The lights flickered back to life, dancing around me like hordes of tiny fireflies. I took a deep breath, counting to three before turning delicately on my toes. Behind me stood the gilded birdcage with only one way in and one way out. Slipping one leg through first, my upper body followed, and I carefully compacted myself neatly within the limited space once more. The audience was struck silent, and the soft music became light and airy as I ever so slowly slipped my other foot inside the birdcage.
“Good night, little bird,” Laurent sang as the lights dimmed over me. “Good night and slumber with sweet dreams of the blue morning sky.”
I was subsequently plunged into darkness, and the crowd reacted with a rousing applause. Laurent stood alone in the center ring, bowing low as he gave an embellished sweep with his top hat. My birdcage shook when it was elevated back into the air and hastily pulled to the rear of the tent. The stagehands set it down gently, giving me plenty of space to climb back out again. Halfrieda ran up and pulled me into a tight embrace.
“Oooh, that was great, love!” She squealed, flinching when the other performers shushed her curtly. “Really, though,” she continued softly. “Ya really was somethin’ ta behold out there.”
“Ano, I agree,” Valida crooned, Balthazar’s head settled in her arm. “I must zay, zat is one of my favorite dances to perform.”
There wasn’t any time to thank them. A pair of scoffs drew my attention farther back, and I saw Mariah and Maleah, both of them with their arms crossed, glaring at me. Accustomed to being the act most beloved by the audiences, I was fairly sure they couldn’t stand to see and hear the crowd’s response to me. A response which was decidedly uproarious.
Halfrieda squeezed my arm. “Don’t worry ‘bout them. They’re just jealous ‘cause you got so much o’ Laurent’s attention an’ that audience jist loved you!”
Before I could reply, Laurent’s voice carried through the tent, drawing a number of performers and I raised a curious brow at my friends. They nudged me forward, and I slipped through the huddle of actors as I peered into the darkness once more.
Much to my surprise, Rex had taken the center ring spotlight. He towered over Laurent and, unlike Laurent, he wore his everyday clothes—dark trousers and a linen shirt. On his face, though, he wore a mottled-brown feather mask. The crowd murmured, eager to see what magic awaited them. And I had to admit, I was just as eager.
“Ladies and gentlemen.” Laurent’s voice rumbled in a low and menacing tone. “Have you ever seen a man who was invincible against pain?”
A collective gasp could be heard through the tent as Rex unbuttoned his shirt and revealed himself, turning around in a full circle. Scars stretched across his back and chest, in all shapes and sizes. He flexed his muscles (which were bulging and plentiful, no doubt owing to all the hard physical labor he did) and held his arms out, turning in a slow circle for everyone to see how grotesque his scars were.
And, yet, they weren’t grotesque to me. They were shocking, yes, but also hauntingly beautiful. His body was perfectly muscled, and the unperturbed confidence that shone on his face despite the myriad scars marring his flesh made it even more so. Blood rushed through my veins as I stared helplessly, unable to take my eyes off him.
“Please, may we have a big round of applause for The Incredible, Indestructible Man!” Laurent paused to let the audience roar once again before lowering his voice and introducing the next feat. “This man is the key to your salvation, ladies and gentlemen.” He pulled on the head of his cane, revealing the sheathed blade underneath. “A host for all the evil you hold in your heart!”
I didn’t understand what Laurent was going on about, and I had the feeling no one in the audience did either. But I couldn’t think on that topic long because, without warning, Laurent thrust the blade straight into Rex’s side! The crowd gasped in horror as I stumbled backward and covered my face with my hands.
