“Hello, I’m Bindi.”
“Bindi,” he repeated as if my name left an odd taste in his mouth; and then he just stood there, glaring at me as if I’d set him off more than the twins, sans net.
“This is Rex,” Laurent filled in when it became clear the man wasn’t interested in introducing himself. “He’s the real manager of Cirque du Noir. Despite his brusque disposition, he’s quite proficient. I’d honestly be lost without him.”
I looked at Rex and offered him my hand. He hesitated before he took it and dropped it quickly after one small squeeze. His touch was warm, even if his eyes remained frozen. Angry.
“He takes care of all the boring things, you see,” Laurent continued. “I’m far more interested in the artistic side of our business.” As if to prove his point, a spark of light flickered between Laurent’s fingers.
I caught the glimmer from the corner of my eye and noticed something strange pass across Rex’s face when he looked at me and I wasn’t looking back at him.
“If you’re here to buy a ticket to the show, you should’ve come earlier,” Rex said to me. “We sold out yesterday.”
“Oh, nothing like that, Rex,” Laurent answered, waving him away with an unconcerned hand. “Young Bindi here is interested in auditioning for us!”
I nodded my concurrence.
The corners of Rex’s generous mouth drooped as he slowly stroked his smooth chin. “You picked the worst time to try out, then. We’ve got a full list of acts and no room for any others.”
“I’m sure we can find room,” Laurent reassured me as he gave Rex a pointed look. I squirmed slightly when I saw something unspoken pass between them. “As long as she’s got real talent, we can always make room for a new act!”
Rex breathed in deeply, as if he were inwardly trying to calm himself, and his nostrils heaved with the effort. Those bright blue eyes further narrowed, and he reminded me of a bomb about to go off.
“I’ll meet you in the main tent in ten minutes,” he said, though his eyes now rested on the door, so I wasn’t even sure if he was talking to me. “You’ll have five minutes to show me what you can do.”
“Hopefully Bindi can impress you quickly,” Laurent responded with a smile.
Rex looked at him. “I’m sick of this, Laurent,” he said, shaking his head. “I’m sick of this same damn thing time and time again.”
Rex stormed out of the room then, slamming the door and shaking the rickety shack once again as he left. But while his exit left something to be desired, my attention was fully focused on the fact that he was only giving me five minutes to show him what I could do.
It had been such a long trip for just a five-minute audition.
Laurent must have read my mind as he waved his hand and said, “Oh, don’t worry about Rex, my dear. His bark is worse than his bite.”
I could only imagine Rex’s bite was just as bad as his bark.
“Will you be there… for my audition?” I hoped Laurent’s answer would be ‘yes’.
“I wouldn’t miss it for the world.” He leaned back into his chair and regarded me with a charming smile. Then he gestured to the black rose tucked behind his ear. “I have a feeling you’ve come at just the right time, Bindi Bairam.”
I scrutinized his face, trying to determine the meaning of his statement. Not finding the answer, I reached for one of the flowers in the bouquet, a red spider lily, and pulled it out to tuck it behind my ear.