“Bindi, these are the twins, Mariah and Maleah. They’re our trapeze artists.”
I offered a smile and a little wave, wanting to make a good first impression, but the twins crossed their arms as they stopped in front of us, curling their lips when they looked me up and down. Why? I wasn’t sure. Of course, I’d always heard circus-folk were a tight-knit group, so maybe they didn’t look kindly on newcomers?
Halfrieda certainly had offered me a warm welcome, though. Perhaps she was the exception to the rule?
Laurent drew me back from my wandering thoughts as he gently admonished the twins. “Whatever Rexsays is straight from my mouth, as you know. And safety is my number one—”
Both girls huffed loudly, cutting off his fatherly speech. “Really, Laurent, we’re so tired of hearing that,” Mariah complained. Or maybe it was Maleah. No, it was Mariah—she was the one standing to the left of her sister.
“Yes, it’s such a boring rule,” Maleah added. “How can we really amaze the crowd if there’s absolutely no risk to us?”
“Besides, you know we can’t get hurt,” Mariah continued. “So what does it really matter?”
Laurent cleared his throat and looked down at the ground, appearing instantly uncomfortable. It was a clear signal for her to stop talking and one that she didn’t seem to grasp. “Laurent?” Mariah repeated.
“I—yes, well, I never brought your talent into question, girls, but there’s no need to be so proud,” he answered quickly, cutting off any further comment.
The twins looked at each other, confusion evident in their delicate, furrowed brows.
“I’m sorry, Bindi, but I shall have to end this tour early,” Laurent apologized as he stepped toward the girls, wrapping his arms around their shoulders before hastily ushering them away. “It seems I’m needed elsewhere before disasterstrikes. Just keep following this path and you’ll reach the sleeping quarters, where you can choose any cot that’s free.”
I watched for a moment as they walked away, feeling a strange sense of displeasure as I took in Laurent’s arms around both of the women. Of course, that feeling didn’t make any sense, considering I didn’t know him from anyone. For all I knew, maybe he was courting them both. And yet… yet the way he’d looked at me, the way he couldn’t seem to keep his hands away from me, the warmth of his touch…
Bindi, get a grip on yourself! I thought.
Truth be known, I was pleased to finally have some time to myself. There was just so much to think about and absorb. It was hard to believe that just a few short hours earlier I was on a train, daydreaming of this exact moment, and now it was real. But I still couldn’t believe Amelia had just come and gone and I’d never even been able to give her a hug or tell her how much I’d missed her.
Whatever had happened must have been very serious.
I made a mental note to myself to send Amelia a telegram as soon as I could—to let her know I’d made it and Laurent had hired me. Hopefully she’d be able to meet up with me again soon—just as quickly as she dealt with whatever family matter was currently occupying her.
Laurent and the twins vanished around a corner, and I turned on my heel to follow the path toward the living quarters, doing my best to keep my nerves at bay.
***
I wandered along the footpath for a few minutes, lost in my thoughts.
When I looked up, I froze in place as I realized I was no closer to my destination. The peaked roofs of the smaller tents were still just as far off in the distance as they were when I’d started out. But how could that be?
It couldn’t be. It was impossible!
I picked up my pace and jogged toward the tents. And this time, in a mere blink, I reached them. More importantly, I overshot them.
What the…?
I turned around and saw the tents were still a good thirty feet from me. When I faced forward again, I found myself standing in front of a wagon, strewn with colorful, beaded shawls. I walked past it. As soon as I did, I was in front of the stalls again, at the exact place I’d been when I first entered the circus grounds!
I turned around and around again, my heart racing as my breath came faster. How was this possible? How was it that I seemed to blinking through distances and then thrown back again?
My heart started to race in earnest and panic welled within my gut as my brain sought for an explanation of what was happening and how. But I had no answers for myself. It literally felt as if time had stood still and then sped up. But that… that was… it wasn’t possible!
Tears filled my eyes as I stumbled, falling onto my knees in the dirt. My harsh breathing was deafening in my ears—roaring like wind through a cave. I glanced up, thinking maybe I needed help—a doctor, perhaps. But when I looked at the faces of those around me—those people walking here and there, tending to their business, I couldn’t perceive any details—no eyes, no mouths, no noses. I could see shadows where nostrils and mouths and eyes would be, but nothing beyond that.
And the people were surrounded by a thick fog that had seemingly popped up out of nowhere. I blinked rapidly, trying to clear my vision, trying to make my brain start working again. Turning my head to the side, I focused on the wagon with the intricate shawls, and that was when I realized it wasn’t blurry at all—I could see every detail of the intricate carving of the wood, every bright color of the shawls, I could see everything in exacting detail.
Standing up once again on quivering legs, I turned around and noticed the big top appeared farther away than before. As if it had been there and then some giant had picked it up and relocated it further away.
What in the world was going on? I raked my hands through my hair, taking a deep but shaky breath. How could the tent move so far away in the time it took for me to look away? I was sure it couldn’t, but now I began to question my ability to judge distances. Apparently, all the excitement of the day had gotten to me and now I was hallucinating.
“You’re afraid you’ve lost your mind.”
A confident voice came from behind me and I startled.