by Dani Rei
Ian frowns, stepping over to Blake, who holds his ground as he saw Inez do before. Ian glares at him, pulling his switchblade from the wall. He storms off with a huff. “Practice is in twenty, Doll Face. Don’t be late.”
Celia’s eyes soften at Blake. “Are you okay?”
“I should ask you the same thing,” says Blake, trying to mask the pain lingering in his torso. “I heard about what happened at practice yesterday.”
Celia lowers her head and the two trudge off to sit in the lobby. Her perky energy has been replaced with an invisible chain that weighs her down, her eyes are lifeless, and seeing her like this breaks his heart. If she hadn’t emphasized her name when she confronted Ian, he might believe she was a different person entirely.
Her dark skin glows in the beam of sunlight shining through the window, her black eyes glued to the floor.
Tell no one where you are. Maybe that’s a rule he should’ve broken, at least to Judy, in case Ian’s threats come to fruition. But he shakes the thought away and asks about Ian’s history. Even with her somber tones, her Baton Rouge accent has an adorable charm that lifts his spirits.
“Rex saved Ian from a street gang when he was fourteen,” Celia explains. “Most of us are pretty sure he’s killed in the past, but Rex refuses to talk about it. With Ian’s temper being how it is, I think that speaks for itself.”
“What would he see in a kid like that?” Blake asks.
“Oh honey, Rex wasn’t looking for no good, well-spoken little brainiacs. Those kids have a bright future on their own. He wanted the rule benders, mold breakers, the ones society was ready to give up on. He had a vision, and those were the kids who would make it happen.”
“What about you? How did Rex get to adopt you?”
He’s grateful to see the chains lift from Celia’s heart as an unseen memory paints a tiny smile on her face.
“I’ve always loved climbing trees and walking along fences. Being high up made me feel free as a bird. Hence my stage title, ‘Eagle Eye.’ My daddy was the only family I had, till he was killed one day, and the police came looking for me. I was just ten at the time, I didn’t know what to do. So I ran away. And where do you think I was hiding the whole time?”
“Up in a tree?” He grins.
Celia laughs, a small sparkle returning to her eyes. “They ran right below me and everything! Never looking up! I came down when the coast was clear. Slept on the ground that night and went back to school in the morning. Teacher said she was calling someone to say she found me, and I ran away again, back up a tree. Everyone thought it was the strangest thing. Rex saw an article about it in the paper and came to find me. He said I could learn to climb as high as I want, fly across the stage, and even get paid to do it. What little kid would refuse that kind of offer?”
Blake chuckles through his nose as images of baby Celia climbing trees flood his mind. “Do you ever regret coming here?”
“Hell no! Rex gave me a chance I never would’ve had otherwise. I owe everything to him, and I know my daddy is proud of me.”
Celia’s eyes tear up, and Blake puts a gentle hand on her shoulder with a smile. “He absolutely is.”
Inez steps through the front door, her attention immediately going to the two of them.
“Celia!” She rushes to sit by her side. “Are you doing okay? I heard about yesterday’s practice.”
Celia wipes her eyes with a smile. “I’m fine, darling. Just need to find my happy place before I go back to meet Mister Scissorhands.”
“I’m worried, Celia,” says Inez. “This challenge is giving me a bad feeling. We have to stop the whole thing before it gets worse. We can tell everyone what Ian is doing to you and Mishkin, then convince Allistair’s team to refuse. Rex can’t punish that many people, and I highly doubt he’d punish his own son.”
“That crossed my mind,” says Celia. “But if that happens, Allistair wins by default, and rumors of unfairness spread. The entire troupe could fall apart. I hate this as much as everyone else, but it’s the only way Rex can prove he’s being fair.”
Inez pouts and lays her head on Celia’s shoulder. “You’re amazing, I hope you know that. You’re my sister, and I love you. I’d rather be homeless than let you get hurt.”
Celia runs her fingers through Inez’s hair. “I’ll be fine, sweetie. The challenge will be over before we know it, and we can celebrate with champagne and cupcakes.”
Inez chuckles. “You could always hold back so Ian loses.”
Celia shakes her head. “Rex would notice and call foul. Besides, me hold back? I don’t think so! I plan on earning a lead role one of these days.”
Blake smiles. “You really are incredible, Celia.”
Celia’s face grows stern. “But listen, I’m not the one in the most danger here. We all know Mishkin can’t handle these intense rehearsals. I’ll take care of him during, but I need you to be on your toes. Both of you.”
Blake isn’t sure what Celia expects him to do, but he nods in agreement. He takes in a shaky breath as flashes of Ian and his threats flood through his mind. Should he tell Inez about all of it? She could beat his ass to the curb. Blake would stand proudly behind her. But what would happen after? What would the King do? What would the rest of the mansion think?
“We’ll do everything we can. Right, Blake?”
He nods again.
“Thank you, guys. If you don’t mind, I could use some alone time to breathe and recenter.”
Inez agrees, planting a small kiss on her cheek. Celia hugs her in response, and they exchange one last smile before Inez walks off with Blake. She takes a quick glance over her shoulder before yanking him a little closer.
“I know you were comforting her. Tell me, is Celia really okay?”
“Your guess is as good as mine. When you came in, she was telling me about her father.”
“Did she tell you how he died?”
“She said he was killed, but that’s it.”
Inez purses her lips, lost in thought, but not uttering another word. The question pops into his mind, and he swallows hard.
“If you don’t mind,” he says as they step into the backyard, “can I ask where you went, today? I’m asking out of my own curiosity this time. If you don’t want to tell me, you don’t have to.”
Inez’s eyes narrow toward the ground. “If I don’t have to answer, why would you ask?”
“Because we’re friends, and I want to understand you.”
The two plop onto the ground, and Inez’s gaze lifts to the clear sky. “I had a job interview this morning. I applied the day after you arrived. Most of my time away has been filled with applications, interviews, and phone calls. They called me in to say I got the job.”
Blake’s mouth falls open, eyes wide.
“Relax, I turned it down. But once I know how the challenge turns out, I’m done. I still plan on leaving this mansion.”
“Why?”
“Fire betrayed my father. It’s only a matter of time before it betrays me, but I can’t seem to stop. I learned to juggle and use the aerial rigs so I can find a new love to embrace on stage. I try, but I can’t put the fire down, no matter how much I want to or how sad it makes me. It’s not just because of Rex either. Something else keeps pulling me back to it. I think if I leave, I’ll be able to put it down for good.”
“Will that make you happy?”
Inez purses her lips to the side for a moment before she shrugs. “I guess I’ll find out.”
Chapter 17
T
he day of the challenge, Blake and Inez take their seats in one of the center rows. The theater is small, with roughly sixty or seventy seats. Even so, it’s much bigger than anything Blake could imagine in a home. Red fabric lines the walls between gold-painted columns. Cushioned chairs with red linen line the viewing area, so comfortable Blake could fall asleep.
A familiar chime goes off as he slouches in his seat, and he huffs as he pulls his phone from his pocket. Mom agai
n. He sends her to voicemail and glances at Inez, who tilts her head at what just happened.
“Is Vladik coming?” he asks, avoiding eye contact, praying that she takes the subject change.
“He’s watching from backstage,” says Inez. “He’s even more worried about Mishkin than we are.”
“Well, he made it through the week, right? Maybe we’re worried for nothing?”
“We can only hope,” Inez sighs, staring blankly at the stage. “Celia hasn’t looked so good either. I just want them both to make it out of this in one piece.”
“They will.” Blake places his hand over hers, but Inez yanks it back before he can grab it.
“Don’t,” she whispers, forcing her eyes to stay glued to the stage. Something in her eyes is hurting from this, almost apologetic.
A pang shoots into his chest, and he falls back into his chair with a sigh. That’s how she feels. That moment in the rain might have been coincidence, but this was deliberate. She’s not interested. He forces himself to applaud with the rest as Rex takes the stage to explain the purpose for this challenge, as if everyone didn’t already know.
Blake’s heart is tearing in his chest, begging him to run away, hide. He barely applauds when Allistair takes his father’s place on the stage with a long, silk cape. The main lights dim, and warm colors light up the stage.
Allistair weaves a familiar tale about a doll so realistic that her maker falls in love with her. He believes she’s coming to life at night. Allistair swirls his cape around his body, and it falls, revealing Axel in his place. Knox walks onto the stage with a toolbox and an apron.
Axel is beautiful, her face made up like porcelain, twisting her body in ways only a doll could. Knox stands behind, moving his arms to make it look like he is the one moving her. Every move matches the music perfectly, and the synchronization between the performers is flawless. The yellow light fades into blue as Knox makes the move of a man falling asleep.
Axel moves on her own, and Knox’s surprise sends a light chuckle through the audience. His expression turns from shock to wonder, and the two begin a beautiful dance, with Axel continuing to bend in unnatural ways. The deliberate fumbling is stunning, and their chemistry is incredible. She climbs onto his limbs, and he holds her up in beautiful poses.
The tone of the music shifts from dreamy to threatening, and the light turns red as a giant metal ring lowers from the ceiling. Maya storms onto the stage, eagerly dancing over until she stands face to face with Knox in sheer jealousy as Axel becomes still again. He tries to explain to her with exaggerated arm motions and awkward dance movements.
Unconvinced, Maya moves Axel into odd poses like Knox had done before. Just a doll. Knox and Maya burst into a scene of fast-paced acrobatics. They climb and hang on each other in moves and poses that resemble fighting. They flail about in chaotic poetry until their arms form a grid. Axel leaps back, using their locked arms as a boost to reach the bottom of the aerial hoop, pulling herself up to balance on her stomach. The audience cheers as she twists, twirls, and maneuvers her way to the top of the hoop, spinning as it lowers a bit more.
Maya and Knox grasp at the spinning hoop, slowing it down and struggling to reach Axel, who hangs from the rope rig at the top. Knox reaches with lust, Maya reaches with envy, and Axel’s resulting wrath causes her to jump off the hoop. The lights go out. The audience screams until the lights come back on a second later. They scream again to find life-size doll parts scattered on the stage floor.
Allistair appears in a puff of smoke to finish with a speech about being blinded by lust and jealousy, and how one’s actions can invoke another’s emotions.
The audience erupts into applause as Allistair’s team lines up to take a bow. His performers and crew members are all holding hands, enjoying the applause together. The aerial hoop rises as Rex steps on stage to praise Allistair. They leave the stage with waves and air kisses.
Rex’s introduction of Ian is quick and simple, almost careless, but it carries a tone of importance. Blake blinks hard and furrows his brow at the apathy, darting his eyes to Inez, to the other members, and finally back toward the stage. He can’t be the only one to have noticed.
Ian takes the stage and begins telling a story of how a person’s soul is in a constant battle between light and dark. Good versus evil. The worst of it isn’t the battle, but the inability to tell one from the other.
A long rope lowers from one side of the stage, and smooth, pink fabric fall from the other.
“The line is blurred into a landscape of gray areas,” Ian announces as ominous music plays.
Xavier and Celia each step onto the stage, mirroring each other in a dazzling floor routine. They flip themselves into the air. Xavier grabs onto the rope, and Celia grabs the cloth. They twist and turn themselves into their rigs. Xavier’s movements are lively, bold, like a violent storm. Celia’s movements are elegant, smooth, like a river drifting under fallen petals. Two different styles to complement the same song.
Ian steps to the front of the stage, reaching a hand down, grabbing onto a familiar shape by the hand. “We all find ourselves in those vast, gray areas far too often!”
The music turns violent, and in one swift motion, Ian throws Mishkin onto the stage with one hand. Mishkin somersaults in the air, reaching out to the side, and he’s caught by Celia, who pulls him gracefully into her silk. The two perform a stunning romantic routine. Their performance sends fiery crackles through the air, with a chemistry that sends chills across Blake’s skin.
“We can never be sure whether our actions are good,” Ian continues as Mishkin pushes himself from Celia’s arms to fly across the stage.
Xavier catches him, holding the rope while Mishkin performs off his body, only grabbing the rope on occasion. Mishkin drops so that Xavier is holding him up by the waist. Their faces come heart-throbbingly close before Mishkin kicks himself off Xavier’s legs, and Celia catches him again.
“Why is Mishkin the one switching?” Inez whispers as the audience cheers. “This can’t be good for him. Someone else should be doing that part.”
Blake hears her but isn’t sure what to say. Mishkin looks so lively, so in control as he bounds back and forth, creating beautiful poses and stories with each performer. Even in their stage shows, Mishkin has never shone this brightly. He doesn’t look as exhausted as he must be feeling. Has The Fools’ Circus always hidden these kinds of secrets?
“In the end,” Ian exclaims as Mishkin stops in the middle, a performer grasping at each arm, the aerial rigs slanted to reach him. “We all live and die in the cold, gray areas of right and wrong.”
Mishkin’s chest is heaving, his eyelids drooping, sweat dripping, and color draining from his face. The lights go out just as Mishkin’s body goes limp. The audience lifts into a standing ovation, except Inez and Blake, who stand in silence.
It takes a while for the lights to come back on. Rex stands with Ian and Allistair on either side of him, encouraging the audience to vote for the best performance.
“Ian!” Vladik storms onto the stage at a surprising pace.
Ian lets out a high-pitched yelp and scrambles to climb the rope that hasn’t been raised yet. Vladik grabs it from below to whip it in violent circles, shouting angrily in Russian. Ian is gripping for dear life, screaming for help as his body becomes a whirling blur.
Allistair throws himself onto Vladik’s beefy arm, calming him just enough to let the rope go, but not enough to stop him from shouting in Allistair’s face.
Ian climbs a few feet down, letting himself fall once he’s close enough to the ground. Everyone stands in stunned silence, watching as Vladik furiously pulls Allistair and Rex backstage, leaving Ian to pull himself away from the commotion, arms trembling, legs dragging behind him. He drops at the front of the stage, losing his lunch over the edge. The audience groans.
Inez and Blake shoot an understanding glance at each other, as if reading each other’s minds, and rush to get backstage.
Beh
ind the curtain, Allistair is performing CPR on an unconscious Mishkin, while Vladik continues to stomp and curse in red-faced fury. Ronan is putting on his jacket when he notices Blake and Inez.
“We’re taking him to the hospital,” he tells them. “Allistair, keep that CPR going in the car. Vladik. Vladik! There’s no time; get Mishkin into my car!”
Vladik grunts in obedience and lifts his husband into his trembling arms, allowing the tears to pour down his cheeks. Allistair follows close behind, rushing out with Ronan.
Blake’s eyes fall to Mishkin’s arm, hanging from Vladik’s grip. Dangling, lifeless, not even a twitch in response to the surrounding commotion. His fists clench, and he grits his teeth, each heavy breath making his blood boil hotter and hotter. He runs to Rex and grabs him by the shirt.
“You let this happen!” Blake screams, shaking Rex with every sentence. “You let Ian do this to him! And for what? What did anyone gain from this? You fucking pompous bastard!”
Blake raises a fist. Inez grabs his arm. Her mouth is moving, but he hears nothing beyond his own voice, continuing to spit curse words and threats to Rex’s unwavering indifference. Celia pries his fingers open to free the apathetic Rex from his grasp. Xavier and Knox each grab an arm to drag him out of the theater. Inez follows, her mouth continuing to move, forming soundless words.
Outside the theater, Blake breaks free and runs back. He grabs the door handle when something collides with his face, stars filling his vision until everything disappears.
RINGING FILLS BLAKE’S EARS, splitting his skull. It fades as his sight comes back into focus. The sky outside his window is dark, and the ceiling light sends another jolt of pain through his head. At his side is a beautiful girl with short, strawberry-red hair.
“Blake,” says Inez, “are you okay?”
“I’m great,” Blake growls. “I love being punched in the face after seeing my friend unconscious.” He turns on his side facing away from Inez, resisting the urge to add rejection to his list of grievances.
“Believe me, we’re all pissed off at Ian. But you can’t go after Rex like that.”
