The Girl Who Joined the Circus

“Now you’ve made Mr. Shultz mad,” Mariah sneered.

Gesso stomped the ground again, shaking his head furiously. He pointed his foot at both twins and then toward the sliding door before one eyebrow creased into a furious arch. It was clear what he wanted—both of them to leave. The pair stared at him, their mouths slightly agape, but the firm arch of his brow said it all: he refused to be trifled with. In a huff, the twins stood and marched toward the door. I didn’t realize I was holding my breath until they walked out and the door shut behind them. Apparently, they were intimidated by Gesso. No whining or complaining—they’d just left the room when he’d ordered them to and I was beyond grateful.

“Thank you,” I said.

Gesso scribbled something on the pad before turning it my way and I read. “I’ve drawn them before so I can draw them again, but your face is new.”

I hadn’t realized Gesso was mute and couldn’t remember anyone mentioning as much. Although I wondered what had happened to him or if he was born the way he now was, I was too polite to ask. “Well, this ‘new face’ is still very grateful to you. Those two are more of an irritation than I expected.”

Gesso let out a wheezy cackle, turning the pad toward him and continuing his sketch.

***

“Hey, there ya are.” Halfrieda waved me into one of the nearby train rooms. “Where’d ya wander off to?”

I came through the door and flopped onto the lower bunk. This room included four bunks but luckily, it was just Halfrieda, Valida and me. “Laurent wants my portrait on the newest poster to promote the circus, and Gesso was sketching me. Unfortunately, the twins aren’t too happy about having to share the limelight.”

“Ooh, eetz wonderful zat Laurent chose you for zee poster!” Balthazar’s head dangled from Valida’s neck as she let out a delighted squeal. “Eet eez quite zee honor to have your portrait done by Gesso.”

“Yeah, an’ so soon after ya joined our little troupe,” Halfrieda added. “I ain’t never been featured on any poster. ‘Course, a woman with a beard…”

“If you want to be on this one, I’ll happily step down and let you replace me,” I moaned. “Apparently, I’m taking up precious space from the twins.”

Halfrieda inhaled sharply between her teeth. “Oooh, no thank ya.”

“I vould zooner pack zee tent all by myself zan be forced to pose with zose two princesses.”

Balthazar slinked down the top bunk of the train car, his tongue flickering curiously in the air. I held out my arm, and my skin tingled when he wrapped his cold body around it. “Is it… is it true that Laurent has… relations with all the female members of the circus?” I asked, feeling sheepish.

Halfrieda snorted, taking a seat on the opposite bed as she untied her work boots. “Nah, I ain’t never seen Laurent be anythin’ but professional. Don’t you listen to a word them girls say, Miss Bindi, they’re jist a pair o’ petty prisses, those two. An’ they ain’t gonna put lyin’ past them if it means they get under yer skin.”

I nodded and couldn’t help the relief that soared through me at her words. I just didn’t want to imagine that the only reason Laurent was showing me such kindness was because he wanted to get me into his bed, just like every other woman. It was a relief to know he wasn’t like that. Or, at least, I hoped Halfrieda knew what she was talking about.

“When did they join Cirque du Noir?” I asked.

“Zey arrived a few days after I did. Nozzing but a sniveling pair of pampered princesses, zey are.”

“Well, I’m takin’ me a nap afore dinner.” Halfrieda yawned, pulling the covers over her body before rolling over.

I carefully rolled over and felt Balthazar slither over to me as he settled on the nape of my neck. A nap couldn’t hurt. Especially after what little sleep I’d gotten the night before. With a yawn, I let my eyes flutter shut. Lulled by the vibration and rhythm of the train’s motion on the tracks, I soon drifted off.

A quiet rapping on the door of the train car stirred me from a deep sleep.

Maybe my instincts were heightened after all the strange things I’d seen over the last few days because I was instantly alert, albeit a little dazed, from the sudden interruption. Brief confusion overtook me as I felt something smooth and solid pressing against my neck.

“Balthazar.” I gently cradled the snake in my arms as I stood up. “Go back to your dancing partner.”

I watched his tongue flicker in the moonlight as he grumpily slithered up to Valida’s body in the top bunk. She barely moved in response.

Again, someone knocked gently on the door.

Blinking the sleep from my eyes, I stumbled forward, catching the handle as I yawned. Opening the door, surprise registered within me when my mysterious guest revealed himself. “Laurent!?”

His gaze was listless, but he kept glancing up and down the walkway until I fully opened the door. Snapping to attention as if he hadn’t expected anyone to answer, his face lit up into a large grin, “Ah, Bindi! I hope I didn’t wake you. I just wanted to see how the sketching session went.”

“Oh, no, you didn’t wake me,” I lied. “And the session was great.”

He didn’t say anything for a few seconds and we both just stood there, looking at each other, until I broke the silence. “I, uh, took advantage of the opportunity to get to know Gesso. He’s really a very talented artist. I can’t sketch people by hand, let alone, by foot. It’s amazing he’s so adept at doing just that.”