Mark of the Bear (Hades' Carnival)

by N. J. Walters

  “Sit.” The man motioned to the chair across from him.

  She hesitated, chewing on her bottom lip. “I don’t have much time.” Truthfully, she didn’t have any to spare, but for some reason she felt compelled to slide onto the seat across from him.

  He smiled. “This will not take long.” He reached across the table and took her hand. His skin was dark, his fingers gnarled. They looked so strange and foreign wrapped around her smooth white flesh. The necklace still dangled in his other hand.

  “You have been tested by life and it has made you strong. You are a loner.”

  His words brought a gripping tightness to her chest and a lump to her throat. Somehow this stranger had summed up her entire life in two sentences. She wanted to look away from him but couldn’t break free from his penetrating gaze. There was a power of some sort emanating from him, something that drew her even as she wanted to run away from it.

  “That time is coming to an end. A new chapter of your life is beginning. You will be tested by the greatest darkness.”

  That was so not what she wanted to hear. And why was she even listening to this guy? She didn’t even know his name.

  He continued, his voice low and melodic, lulling her. “But you will not be alone. A warrior will come to you, one strong and pure of heart. You will heal one another or you will both perish.”

  That certainly didn’t sound promising. She wasn’t about to trust any man, especially not one she hadn’t even met yet. She gently disengaged her hand from the stranger. Even though she didn’t believe anything he was saying, she didn’t want to offend the old guy. “Thanks for the warning, but I have to go.”

  She pushed back the chair, her appetite gone. The road and her movie role beckoned.

  “Take this.” He thrust the necklace toward her. “The bear magic is strong and will help protect you.”

  She held out her hands. “I’m sorry. I really don’t have money to spare to buy it.” Better he think she was poor than for him to be offended or hurt by her refusal.

  Damn, you’d think all those years of living on her own, of working in a cutthroat industry would have made her hard. But underneath the tough exterior she was a marshmallow, wanting to believe the best in people even when they continually disappointed her. She’d worked hard to erect the shell of protection around her heart and had no intention of letting it drop for any reason.

  He shook his head, making his long hair sway. “A present.” His voice rang with a quiet dignity. He stood and pressed it into her hand. He turned and walked away, his shoulders unbent by age.

  He left the café behind, the door closing quietly behind him. Through the window, she watched him walk toward the woods.

  Stunned, Kellsie stared down at the necklace she held tight in her hand. “What the hell just happened?” She shook herself, feeling as though she’d momentarily drifted off into a dream. She had no idea what the heck the old guy meant and had no time to figure it out. She stuffed the necklace in her pocket and hurried back to the gift-shop area.

  The clerk was still there reading her magazine. Kellsie knew she should let it go, but couldn’t. “Excuse me, could you tell me who that old man was?”

  The woman shot her a quizzical look. “What man?”

  “The old guy who just left.”

  She put aside her magazine and leaned forward to look out the window. Kellsie glanced outside, but there was no trace of the man. He was gone, swallowed up by the surrounding forest. The clerk shrugged. “I didn’t see anyone come in but you.”

  A shiver raced down Kellsie’s spine and goose bumps rose on her forearms. Weird. The woman was probably just too caught up in her reading to notice him. That’s all it was.

  Settling the matter in her head, Kellsie put all thoughts of the man aside. It was nothing more than two strangers crossing paths in life. The woman was staring at her expectantly. Kellsie offered her a smile. “I need directions.”

  An hour later, she pulled off the side of the road to check her directions once again. She should be at the movie set in the next ten minutes. She shut off her car, killing the music that blared from her speakers. Silence surrounded her. The view was breathtaking with the sun setting behind majestic mountains surrounded by thick woods. She could see a lake off in the distance. It was the perfect setting for a horror movie.

  Kellsie unlocked her door and climbed out of Betsy. Wind whispered through the leaves of the trees. The air was much cooler here than it was back home. It was early April and would get much chillier as evening came on. For now it was pleasantly warm. The perfect spring day.

  Birds chirped and sang, calling to one another in the distance. Trees rustled off to her right. Was it a fox or rabbit or something much bigger? She froze, not moving away from the open door of her vehicle.

  Had she ever been this alone in her life?

  She frowned when she realized the answer was yes. She usually felt alone, just not this isolated. A car could come around the corner at any moment or there could be no one around for miles. It was slightly unnerving for a city gal.

  But there was also something that drew her and called to her soul. A sense of peace, of contentment, that was lacking in the city. “Thank you, Maury,” she whispered, suddenly fiercely glad he’d gotten her this role. She had a feeling it was going to change her life.

  The next few weeks would be filled with hard work, but she didn’t mind that. She was looking forward to it, in fact. But now she was anticipating her downtime as well. She really hoped to have some time to wander around the woods a bit. Not too far from the movie set, of course. The last thing she wanted to do was get lost.

  She slid back into her seat and shut the door. Something dug into her thigh and she reached into her jeans pocket and drew out the necklace. The claw was about three inches long. Deadly. She could well imagine a massive bear with huge paws tipped in these lethal weapons.

  She shivered and started to put it back in her pocket. Something stopped her, some impulse and she shrugged. Why not? It was a present. It represented the start of this journey and she knew she’d always associate it with this movie. Plus, it was truly a thing of beauty.

  Kellsie slipped the leather thong over her neck and straightened the cord until the claw sat between her breasts. She tucked it under her shirt and smiled as she started the car and began the last leg of her trip.

  The drive went faster than she anticipated. Some thoughtful soul had put up a temporary sign on the highway with an arrow, indicating the movie set was off on a dirt road to the left. She was glad for the unexpected directions as darkness had fully fallen and she might have otherwise missed the turnoff. Kellsie maneuvered Betsy down the less-than-perfect road, wincing and apologizing whenever the bottom of the car hit the uneven dirt.

  She made a final turn and the lights of the movie set came into view. She stopped and stared out the windshield. It really was like an old-time carnival. The set designer and all his crew had done a remarkable job. It reminded her of something out of the fifties, except maybe a bit seedier. It was perfect.

  A knock on her window startled her. She swung around and found a young woman grinning at her and motioning her to lower her window. Kellsie did so and the woman’s smile widened. “Kellsie Morris.” She thrust out her hand. “I’m Brittany and I’m a huge fan. If you park your car over in the employee lot, I’ll show you to your trailer.” The young woman indicated a makeshift parking lot off to the right.

  “Thanks, Brittany. I appreciate it.” She shook the other woman’s hand. Time to get to work. By the time Kellsie had parked Betsy and killed the headlights, Brittany was waiting beside the car. Kellsie climbed out and grabbed her purse and map from the front seat before getting her luggage out of the trunk.

  “I can carry that for you.” Brittany reached for Kellsie’s bag, but she declined help.

  “I got it, but thanks,” she said to soften her refusal. Brittany was extraordinarily pretty with long, blonde hair and golden-brown eyes. Kellsie w
ondered if she also had a small acting role in the movie. Sometimes actors worked both sides of the camera when they were starting out. Anything to be involved in a movie.

  Brittany pouted, but only for a moment and her smile was back. “You’re over this way.” She led Kellsie off to the left.

  “That’s quite the set up.” Kellsie inclined her head toward the carnival set.

  “It really is, isn’t it? It’s wonderful.” Brittany waved at the man running the Ferris wheel, which was going round and round. “You can try out the rides later if you want. We don’t start actual shooting with the actors for another two days. The director wasn’t quite sure when you’d get here so he took a crew into the woods to get some panoramic nature shots.”

  The girl barely took a breath, but she was certainly a fount of information. “That will give me time to read through the script. I just came off my last job.”

  Brittany nodded and waved to another man who was staring at them. “Hey, Rob.” To Kellsie she added, “That’s Rob. He’s a cameraman, but he has fast hands, if you know what I mean.”

  “Thanks for the heads-up.” A small trailer village came into view. People were rushing around, but Kellsie could sense their eyes on her. Hopefully, she’d meet them all tomorrow morning at breakfast. A movie always worked better when folks got along. She searched for a familiar face but saw only strangers. Weird. She’d been working in this business a long time and usually knew a few others on set.

  Brittany led her to a small, silver trailer just beyond all the others. “This is yours.” She opened the door and stepped inside. “It’s small, but you don’t have to share.” The younger woman chewed on her bottom lip, looking worried.

  Kellsie was no diva. She’d shared accommodations many times before. She smiled at Brittany, who was waiting expectantly. “It’s perfect.” It was tight, but it had a bathroom, kitchenette and bed. Everything Kellsie needed.

  Brittany opened the small refrigerator. “There’s bottled water and a few snacks in here.” She shut the door again. “The dining tent is back by the carnival rides. You can get something to eat there any time of the day. They shut down at around seven at night. Since we’re in a park, they don’t want to take the chance of attracting animals to the food during the night. That’s why there are snacks in all the trailers.”

  “Sounds good to me.” Kellsie dumped her duffle on the bed.

  “I’ll let you get settled. You must be exhausted after your long drive.”

  She yawned, suddenly overwhelmed by fatigue. “I am tired.”

  Brittany patted her arm. “Why don’t you take a nap or even call it a night. The director won’t be back until late, if at all. They took tents in case they wanted to get some early sunrise shots in the mountains. You can meet him tomorrow. There’s crackers and cheese and apples and stuff, or I can bring you something if you want.”

  “Thanks, Brittany. I really appreciate it. I think I’ll just get settled in. There’s more than enough to eat if I get hungry.” Kellsie just wanted to get horizontal.

  “Okay then. If I don’t see you later, I’ll come get you in the morning.”

  “Great. And thanks again.”

  “No problem. We’re all just happy you’re finally here.” With those parting words, Brittany was gone and Kellsie was alone in her trailer.

  She locked the door behind the other woman and surveyed her new home for the foreseeable future. It was compact but clean, and Kellsie appreciated having a place to herself.

  Calling Maury was the first item on her list of things to do. She dug her cellphone out of her purse and hit the first button on her speed dial. She didn’t have any family or close friends. Maury was it. The only other numbers on her speed dial were the Gino’s Italian Pizzeria two blocks from her house and Mr. Chang’s House of Food, which made the best sweet and sour spareribs she’d ever had.

  She put the phone to her ear and heard nothing. Pulling the phone away, she read no signal. “No surprise there, not with all the mountains surrounding us.” She flipped the phone shut and tossed it back into her bag. She’d have to ask Brittany about that. There had to be some way to communicate with the outside world.

  Exhaustion was creeping up faster by the minute. Kellsie bit back another yawn as she went to work unpacking her clothing. It didn’t take long to store her belongings in the miniscule closet beside the head of the bed. It had two built-in drawers and a twelve-inch rod for hanging stuff. Even with the little she’d brought, the closet was soon filled.

  She grabbed her toiletries bag and checked out the bathroom. Tiny, but that was to be expected. Thankfully, she had her shampoo and toiletries and stuff in a bag that hung easily from a hook on the back of the door.

  The tabloids, she shoved in one of the kitchen drawers and her new book went on the shelf by her bed, along with her netbook. She’d planned to do some online research but that wouldn’t be happening unless she could get a connection.

  Within five minutes she was unpacked and settled in. She really needed a shower. She felt grungy after being in the car all day. Tomorrow morning, she promised herself. She’d get up early.

  It only took her two minutes to drag off her clothes and pull on her sleep shirt. She took another minute to remove her watch and set the alarm. She didn’t want to oversleep. Tomorrow would be filled with meeting new people, including her fellow actors. She could read the script and maybe they could run some lines. She started to remove her necklace but stopped, deciding to keep it on.

  Kellsie yanked back the covers, crawled in and pulled the sheet and blankets over her. God, she was tired. Not even a strange bed with a hard mattress was going to keep her awake tonight.

  She reached over her head and turned off the lamp. The only light in the trailer was coming from the bathroom. She’d left it on in case she woke in the middle of the night and had no idea where she was. She’d slept in so many different places this past week she expected to be disoriented if she woke.

  Her stomach growled, but she ignored it. Sleep was more important.

  Snuggling down, she sighed. Her left hand found the claw dangling between her breasts. She wrapped her fingers around it, holding it tight. She closed her eyes and slept.

  Chapter Four

  A loud banging woke Kellsie. She wondered if Lonny from 3C was fixing the front door for the folks in the apartment next to her. It was slightly warped and tended to stick. The banging continued and she rolled over, pulling her pillow over her head.

  “Kellsie.”

  Kellsie frowned and opened her eyes as the female voice penetrated her brain. She pried her eyes open and groaned. She was in a trailer on a movie set, not at home. A quick glance at her watch made her swear. It was almost noon. She’d slept through the entire night and her alarm. She must have been even more exhausted than she thought to sleep that long and heavy.

  Stumbling to the door, she unlocked and opened it. Brittany stood outside, a worried look on her face. “Did I wake you?”

  Kellsie dragged a hand through her hair and tried to get her mind firing on all cylinders. “I’m really sorry. I meant to be up and around early this morning.” She did not want to get the reputation with the crew of being a diva before filming even started.

  “No problem,” Brittany assured her. “The director isn’t back yet and we all knew you were just coming off a shoot and turned around and came straight here.”

  Kellsie silently blessed Maury. He must have alerted the director and his staff that she was going to be tired when she finally arrived. “I just need a few minutes to catch a quick shower.”

  “Sure.” Brittany motioned to the dining tent off in the distance. “You should stop by and have something to eat and meet some of the others.”

  “I’m looking forward to it.” And she was. The familiar tingles began to vibrate in her stomach. God, she loved working on movies. There couldn’t possibly be a better job in the world. She got to play make-believe and create something that hundreds of thousands,
maybe even millions of people would view and enjoy.

  Some people might call her profession frivolous, but Kellsie had long ago come to grips with their arguments. Life was hard enough. If one of her movies took a stressed-out, overworked person out of their everyday life for a few hours and gave them some pleasure, then that could only be a good thing. She was proud of what she did for a living.

  “I’ll be waiting for you,” Brittany called over her shoulder as she hurried over to the dining hall.

  Kellsie shook her head at the younger woman’s perkiness. But it worked for her, friendly without being vapid. “Don’t stereotype,” she warned herself. “Others do that to you.” As if being blonde meant you didn’t have the same amount of brain cells that brunettes did. Brittany was a friendly, beautiful young woman, who just happened to fill out her short shorts and tiny top in all the right places, and Kellsie was grateful she’d taken the time to stop by and wake her. There’s no telling how much longer she might have slept otherwise.

  Closing the door, she marshaled her thoughts. Shower first.

  Within seconds, she stripped out of her sleepwear and stepped beneath the spray of the shower. Not that it could technically be called a spray. It was more of a trickle really.

  Ignoring the slight chill to the water, she squeezed bodywash onto her cleaning puff and went to work scrubbing her arms. She did well, managing to bang her elbow only twice. It got trickier when she washed her hair, but she managed to contort her body to work around the tight quarters.

  Years of experience of working on low-budget movies helped. She’d showered in more than her fair share of trailer bathrooms. She hurried, not knowing yet how quickly the water would turn icy. She turned the taps off and reached for a towel.

  The mirror was a little foggy but not bad. The water had been too cool to really steam it. Kellsie stared at her reflection and nodded. She looked and felt better than she had in several days. All that sleep had helped.

  Her stomach growled, making her laugh. “I promise I’ll feed you.”