Lost Pup: The Fools' Circus, #1

by Dani Rei

  “I get what you mean,” says Allistair, “but it’s not something my father would do.”

  “Whatever, I didn’t expect you to listen anyway.” Inez storms to the nearest tree and plops herself onto the grass next to its roots. “Just get out of here. Pup, sit.”

  Blake and Allistair exchange glances before Allistair opens his mouth to argue. Inez shoots her glare into his eyes, forcing him to shut his mouth and walk away. Blake hurries to sit by Inez’s side before she can strike that red-hot stare at him as well.

  They sit in silence for what seems like an hour, and Blake has resorted to staring at the changing leaves as they shiver in the breeze.

  His mind travels to when they first met and how eagerly she wanted him to learn so she wouldn’t have to deal with him anymore. And now she has to teach him her craft. He searches through his brain for proper apologies, assurances that he never intended to make her feel more trapped than she already does. But no words come to mind that don’t sound like lame excuses.

  He shuffles his feet, keeping his gaze glued to the grass. “Look, you don’t have to teach me to use fire if you don’t want to. I was just trying to step out of my comfort zone in a way that—”

  “That’s not the problem,” she grumbles. “I’ll teach you whatever you want.”

  Blake sighs, trying to think of any way to ease the tension. “Allistair didn’t believe you?”

  “He believes his father agreed to the suggestion, but not that he’s doing it to spy on me.”

  “That wasn’t my intention, I swear.”

  “I know. Actually, I’m kind of proud of you.”

  Blake blinks hard, staring at her with wide eyes.

  “It’s true that to put on a great show, an element of surprise can only help you. I don’t mind teaching you what I know. I think you’ll do great. That said, with Rex breathing down my neck, don’t expect us to become friends for it. You still trapped me here, and I still don’t trust you as far as I can throw you.”

  “Right.” Blake focuses his attention back on the grass. “For what it’s worth, I am sorry. I should’ve asked you in private first.”

  “Why didn’t you?”

  “Because you’d throw me farther than you trust me. You already don’t like me, I’m not going to hand you a blade for my murder.”

  Inez snickers. “I wouldn’t have killed you, per se.”

  “Thanks, you’re so sweet.” Blake rolls his eyes.

  “Be honest, though,” she says, throwing him a smirk. “Are you scared? Of the fire, I mean.”

  “A little,” Blake mutters. “It’s beautiful when you do it, but I’m sure it’s harder than it looks.”

  “Not really. Dangerous, for sure, but the tricks are easy to learn. The most important part is following safety protocol and knowing the risks.”

  Blake’s eyes grow wide as Inez lists burns, health complications like fire-breather’s pneumonia and cancers from the fuel. She mentions hyperthermia, and a chance of burning the throat and lungs.

  His mind drifts back to the times he’s watched her, knowing that fire is risky, but never realizing the extent of it himself. She risks life with each burning breath and limb with every flaming dance. He shudders to think of these things happening to her now.

  “That’s terrifying.”

  “It’s not for the faint of heart,” Inez says. “Even my father tried to scare me out of it, but I guess at the time I just felt so immortal. But hey, I started at nine and I’m here now, so don’t freak out too much. Though I didn’t breathe or eat fire until I was fifteen. I found out Victor used to do it with my father, and I begged him to teach me.”

  Blake purses his lips to the side, wondering if her father was really a careless parent, or if his own parents’ perfectionism was making him feel that way. Would his late mother have allowed him to learn that skill if he had the opportunity? He never considered being a dad before, but if that ever became his life, would he let his own child do something so dangerous?

  “I won’t hold you to it,” Inez continues, her voice gentler and her eyes softer. “If you change your mind, you should let Rex know as soon as possible. I can’t promise he’ll be happy, but your safety comes first.”

  “You don’t think I should do it, do you?”

  “I think you should give it more thought. The idea popped into your head because your dream job is on the line. Performing with fire isn’t something you should be doing purely on impulse. Think about it. If you’re absolutely certain, I’ll teach you.”

  Blake nods, and his eyes drift to the performers on the rigs, trying to imagine himself using fire, but the image of the flames erupting over his skin ends every scenario.

  Maybe that’s a hint in itself.

  “One more thing,” says Inez. “Don’t go around spitting out the rules like that. They’re different for everyone based on what they’ve been through and what their habits are, so it doesn’t make sense to hold someone else to rules made for you. Besides, if you justify all of your decisions based on that, you’ll look like one of the King’s little pets. You’re expected to follow them, but there’s no reason for anyone to announce them like that.”

  “So, it’s like shouting ‘parkour’ when you’re doing parkour?”

  Inez laughs. “Pretty much.”

  “Can I ask what your three rules are?”

  Inez closes her eyes and looks away with a tiny smirk on her face.

  “Right,” Blake scoffs. You still don’t trust me.

  Chapter 7

  B

  lake sits in bed, reading through an article on the dreaded fire-breather’s pneumonia, and his stomach churns. He closes his laptop with a cringe and focuses on the black sky outside his window, where a few stars shine around the glare on the glass.

  He always told himself he would do anything to join The Fools’ Circus, and he meant it. But damn if it isn’t nerve wracking. He takes in a deep breath, forcing the whirlwind of anxieties to slow down. He’s still willing to do whatever it takes to secure a place on stage. He’ll just have to power through his worries until it becomes second nature, just like he did with juggling.

  If he never breathes the fire, the pneumonia will be harder to catch, right? Maybe he can just dance with it. There’s no reason the stage would need two breathers. Though it would be interesting to explore the possibilities of having two.

  The option can wait in his back pocket for now. Manipulating a fire prop is the first step. That’s how Inez learned, after all. That’s how everyone learns. Step by step. As long as he continues to learn and improve, his spot is secure.

  But thoughts of dangers and risks aren’t going to help him sleep. A quick walk should clear his mind. Heading for the door, he pats his leg to make sure his pants are still on.

  The hall is dark with silver beams of moonlight shining through the windows, making everything in its path some shade of blue. It isn’t very late, but everyone has already retreated to their bedrooms, and the stillness is unsettling.

  Thud.

  Blake freezes in his spot as the sound fills the air. Footsteps echo through the dark halls as the pounding in his chest fills his ears. He holds his breath as the footsteps get closer, eyes darting around, but seeing no one in the hall.

  No. This mansion can’t be...haunted?

  The footsteps center in on the stairs as Blake’s blood runs cold. He locks his eyes on the staircase, waiting. A shadowed face springs from the darkness, making Blake yelp and fall back, hitting his head on the door behind him. He clutches the sore spot, groaning as the features of the face come into his memory.

  “Pup?” Inez calls. “What’s going on?”

  “I thought you were a ghost,” Blake pants with a hand clutching his heart.

  Inez laughs, leaning at the top of the handrail. “Sorry. I went out again and just got back. Where are you going?”

  “I couldn’t sleep. Thought I’d wander the halls a bit, but now I think I’m scared of the dark for th
e night. Thanks for that.”

  Inez snickers and drops herself against the rail next to the staircase, patting the floor beside her. “Come sit. I need to talk to you, anyway.”

  Blake rubs his head again as he walks over, peering into the abyss that swallows the bottom of the staircase. He sits against the rail with Inez, hoping there isn’t some creature waiting to yank him down from behind. He does his best to appear calm, but he can’t help taking a quick peek at the darkness over his shoulder. Just in case.

  “I know I was rude before,” says Inez. “A few times. Rex gets under my skin, but everyone loves him so much, so it’s not like I can even rant about it. Honestly, I wanted to hate you for idolizing him too, but I can see you aren’t stupid. You don’t know anything about us yet. You’re bound to make a few mistakes, and I could probably stand to be more patient. I’m trying to work on my temper, too. So, I’m sorry.”

  “That’s okay,” says Blake. “Victor explained a little of the situation after you left. He said Rex wants you to be with Allistair.”

  “He’s right.”

  “Why can’t you tell him no?”

  “I want to, but Mishkin and Vladik keep warning me against it. Apparently, something bad happened. But it’s not like he’s violent or anything. Hell, I’m pretty sure he’d avoid fights just to keep his hair flowing perfectly. I’m not afraid of him. Besides, if I have to take a little torture to earn my freedom, so be it. I need my normal life back. I miss it.”

  “I understand. It must be tough being so closed off from everything.”

  “Don’t you think you’ll miss your old life?”

  “Not one bit,” Blake scoffs. “The process of being adopted seemed great, but when it became official and I was there for good, my parents set some ground rules. They seemed simple at the time. Chores, homework, curfew, and the like. My grades were their biggest concern. They made me take online classes after school. Things like business, Spanish, anything they believed would give me some kind of advantage.

  “They even gave me a strict bedtime while I was in high school. I started staying out after curfew to get a break, and the reins got even tighter. But after every lecture, after every time they grounded me, and every time they added more classes and more restraints, they always insisted they loved me. It’s not that I don’t believe them. I just...don’t think they know how to express parental love...the way my real mom did.”

  “That’s almost how it is here. Rex expects everyone to do what he tells them. Mostly, his commands are roles in the show or household tasks, so it’s hardly a problem. But I can’t marry Allistair. I’m not even sure if I ever want to get married. I’ve never even been in love before. And my uncle is a lot like your parents are. He expects me to do everything Rex says, and it’s not that he doesn’t care, but he isn’t great at the whole parenting thing.”

  “You’re right, though. Marriage should be with someone you care about.”

  “Do your parents expect you to marry someone?”

  “Nah, I think they’d be happier if I never did. Especially my mom. She had a rough divorce before she met my dad, and they decided they were too old to handle a baby, so they adopted me. They must’ve thought thirteen-year-olds were easier. You know, the angsty ones who are just dying to rebel.”

  Inez smirks as she pulls her knees into her chest and rests her head on them, eyes fixed on the marble floor. “So, you’ve felt it too. A cage. I’m sorry to say this, but our stage isn’t exactly a path to freedom.”

  “Well, right now, my options are a fancy mansion with new friends or a roach-infested apartment with a horny roommate and a girlfriend who never leaves. God, they’re so obnoxious, too. The walls shake and everything.”

  Inez snickers. “Okay, I see your point. So, what was your birth mom like?”

  “She was terrific, the best mom.” Blake darts his eyes around the painted animals across the ceiling. “She’s the one who brought me to the first performance of The Fools’ Circus. I think I remember you too. You had brown hair, and Rex called you ‘The Fire Goddess, Defender of the Earth!’”

  “Oh God, don’t remind me!” Inez hides her face in one hand. “I believed it too. I really felt like my nine-year-old self would be chosen to save an entire planet.”

  “That’s adorable!” Blake laughs. “Can I ask what your parents were like?”

  Inez hesitates, and she leans against the rail with her legs sprawled out. “My dad taught me to use fire, but I was close to my mom too. Just like you were. We loved to read, and we’d tell each other about our stories all the time. Every couple of weeks, we’d go to the library and pick out a cookbook. We usually adjusted the recipes based on what we liked. Most of them were delicious, but every once in a while, we’d mess up the whole dish and have to order pizza. Once the whole house filled up with smoke, and when we threw away the food, it melted through the garbage bag. Dad came home to the smell of burnt plastic, and I was so embarrassed my mom blamed the neighbor.”

  Blake chuckles at the image of the tiny, brown-haired Inez with huge oven mitts that reached tiny elbows, blushing because she messed up.

  “I’m sure you could’ve taught my adoptive mom a thing or two. She refuses to use seasonings because she thinks it’s all salt. Blandest dinners every night, and when I finally moved out, she’d bring me extras. Honestly though, I still consider myself lucky. A pampered pup, if you will.” He nudges Inez with his elbow, and she chuckles.

  “That’s good. They’re overbearing, but they aren’t evil.”

  “No, they’re evil. Killing every bit of fun the second it enters the door,” he says with a smirk.

  Evil. The word rings in his mind as Ronan’s terrified face flashes into his vision. No one has said it yet, but could Rex really be evil? Sneaky and self-centered for sure, but evil? Now would be the time to ask Inez, but she’s already standing and giggling at his last remark. Besides, another thought has flittered its way into his mind.

  “I should get to bed,” she smiles. “I’ll see you at breakfast tomorrow?”

  Blake follows her lead, his leg tingling as he rises. He wiggles his foot to regain circulation. “Sure, but I need to ask you something.”

  Inez tilts her head to listen as Blake searches for a way to word his nagging question without making it sound like an accusation. “I don’t know if you heard, but there are rumors floating around about this circus. Stuff about pedophiles and missing children. That’s not true, is it?”

  Inez tightens her lips and drops her eyes to the floor. After a moment of silence, she shakes her head.

  “We weren’t kidnapped,” she says. “This isn’t one of those pedophile rings, or anything like that. Rex adopted everyone legally. Well, except me. Some people here do come from dangerous backgrounds that include pedophiles and murderers and stuff like that. I bet that's where the rumors came from. But they were saved from all of that, not led into it.”

  Her eyes flick to the darkness down the hall before she steps closer and lowers her voice.

  “I probably shouldn’t tell you this, but Mishkin’s father almost killed him when he was younger. If he ever found him, Mishkin would have to run away and change his name all over again. Imagine what would happen if we opened our doors and let strangers in.”

  Blake shudders and his eyes follow her previous glance down the hall, as if Mishkin would suddenly appear. When he doesn’t, he turns his attention back to Inez. “That must terrify him. So, how do you think it got so mixed up? I’d expect Rex to hold a higher image of himself than that.”

  Inez shrugs. “The truth has always been a long game of telephone. I think it’s natural that people would mix up their facts and draw their own conclusions. Rex can only fix so much. It doesn’t help that we don’t have any information about ourselves available to the public. But what matters is that those rumors aren’t true. That said, our King isn’t the heavenly saint he thinks he is. And Hartman...”

  Blake raises a brow when Inez hesitates. “Har
tman?”

  Inez shakes her head. “I’ve said enough. You still have some thinking to do on the fire stuff, so get your rest. Good night, Pup.”

  Inez moseys to her room with her head hung low and looks back at him over her shoulder, mouth open, before forcing it closed and giving him one last brief smile before retreating for the night. His mind is whirling with questions, but he returns the smile and trudges back to his own room.

  Closing the door behind him, he shuts off his light and takes off his pants and shirt. With a heavy yawn, he wobbles to his bed and crawls under the covers. The cold fabric chills his skin, but it’s his spinning thoughts that are making him shudder. The people he’s admired for so long, in such terrible situations. The things that must haunt them at night. Even Mishkin, who lights up any room he walks into.

  He shakes his head to push out those thoughts and focus on Inez. What happened to lead her here? How did her parents die? Despite their chat tonight, he’s still in no position to ask. Then again, she knows he isn’t messing up on purpose. Her apology echoes in his ears. His heart is slowly calming itself as images of their practice sessions take over his mind.

  Is this what her good side feels like? Her smile is soothing, bright, and beautiful. Now he just has to avoid invoking her wrath again.

  

  HE’S WEIGHED THE PROS AND CONS ALL DAY, but after another warm and delicious dinner, Blake’s mind is made up, and he has to let Inez know now.

  He’s heading upstairs when he sees Inez at the top with the bald man he recognizes as the Blades Master, the one who couldn’t be bothered to waste his time on a lost pup. Ian.

  Inez’s back is to the wall as Ian leans in with his arm over her head. She’s giving him an even worse glare than she’s ever given Blake, but Ian seems unfazed as he slides a hand up her thigh. She grabs the hand before it reaches up her skirt, and slaps Ian with her free hand. He winces in response but ends up chuckling.