by K. A Knight
“Er, hi, nice to see you again, Yavin,” I choke out, as he looks up and spots me. He blinks before smiling and rushing to Lils’ side.
“Alright there girly, what brings you to the middle of nowhere?” he grumbles in his signature deep voice.
“I could ask you the same thing, but I think I already know,” I tease with a pointed look at his inside out shirt, which is covered in leaves and dirt. I should be shocked at the two of them obviously having sex out in the open, but honestly, with Lils that doesn’t surprise me.
He blinks down at himself before letting out a gruff laugh. “Aye, guess you are right.”
Lils rolls her eyes and looks back at me. “Really, what are you doing here, Ree-Ree? You okay?”
Her face clouds in worry, and she looks around, scanning the road and land for threats.
“I’m okay, we are just on our way back to camp…” I trail off as an idea pops into my mind. Grinning, I have to stop myself from jumping up and down. “Why don’t you come with us? You can meet the rest of my men and family!”
“Rest of your men, eh?” Yavin teases, making my cheeks heat, even as Lils elbows him. “Hmmph, what, just seems your old friend has more in common with you than we thought, baby girl.” I smile shyly as my suspicions are confirmed about Lil and her men.
Rex wraps his arm around my waist, obviously feeling my embarrassment at my slip in calling them my men. Yavin winks at me, making Lils elbow him again.
“I would love to Ree, we have a lot of catching up to do!” Lils gushes, as we smile at each other.
Blain groans. “Great, girl talk.”
I elbow him much like Lils did to Yavin and we share a knowing look.
As we walk into the main meeting point in the campground, I see Nixon over by the training mats, lifting weights with his back to us. We are too far away for him to hear us, but as if he knew we were there he turns around, his eyes going straight to me. He puts down the weights and grabs a towel off a crate, wiping down his face and bare chest before walking towards us. His gaze is trained on me as he stalks over, that half smile I love so much playing across his lips as if he knows exactly what I am thinking. I stop walking and watch him watching me, my thoughts going to other places.
“Damn girl. You lucky bitch,” Lils says, nudging me as I drag my eyes away from him. I blush at having been caught, but grin as Yavin sighs.
“Don’t let the others hear you, or they will start stripping off and working out everywhere just to get your attention, baby girl.”
“They are just ballsacks,” Lils replies with a snort, and rolls her eyes as I blink at her in confusion. Even Nixon misses a step as Yavin starts laughing.
“What she means is he is a pussy. Our Lils here doesn’t say anything to do with women meaning weak, ‘cause women are the stronger gender. So, she is calling him weak, like a man and his ballsack. Ain’t that right, baby girl?”
“Fuck yes, women are hella stronger than men. Can men push a baby out of their dicks and still be okay? Do they bleed one week out of a month and still kick ass? Nope, women are even better fighters ‘cause they think with their head, not their dick,” she rants, and I can see that Yavin is used to her talking like this. The way she talks makes me nervous, the things she is saying are dangerous, and even Blain looks uncomfortable. Not that I don’t agree, but it is still dangerous.
Nixon reaches my side, and I look up at him with a smile as he gently wraps an arm around my waist and pulls me to his side. My giant of a man isn’t one for public displays of affection, so this little gesture warms my heart. I can tell that he wants to do more and his eyes promise a late night tonight as desire flares brightly. An amused cough has me looking up at a smirking Lils, and Yavin shares a knowing look with Nixon, who has only now registered that there are other people here with me.
“Nix, you remember Liliana and Yavin?” I ask.
He nods at them but doesn’t remove his arm. I try to discreetly snuggle into his side, but the smiles from the couple in front of me tells me I wasn’t hiding it very well.
“So, this is where you live now, huh?” Lils comments, taking in the bustling camp. Stagehands run around getting ready for tonight’s show, and you can hear Tiny and Fluffy playing somewhere in the tents. Alcide stands in the middle, directing everyone like a puppeteer in the eye of a storm. He is wearing his ringmaster jacket, and looks striking with the bright red of the fabric and golden trim, setting off his dark hair and chiselled jaw. He turns to talk to a stagehand when he spots us. He smiles before carrying on, obviously stressing about our first show after everything that has happened. It’s not like Alcide to worry about something like this, the circus is his life, but since we were attacked and nearly lost Nixon, he has been more on edge. I look up at the man in question who is still holding me tightly to his side. He has scars from the attack, both physically and emotionally, but he is recovering. We all are.
“I guess we better help,” Rex says reluctantly, not moving from our little huddle.
“Yeah, I wonder if anyone knows about that magazine I found!” Jesse adds, with mischief sparkling in his eyes as he turns to us and his gaze lands on Lils. “Oh hey, maybe you know something about Christmas!” Jesse bounces up and down excitedly, and shoves the magazine at Lils.
She looks it over but doesn’t appear shocked at the relic or confused by the term.
“Huh, haven’t heard that in a while.” She looks at Yavin. “Miriam would know more, she goes around telling everyone stories from before the war. Pretty sure she told me about Christmas once.”
“Who’s Miriam?” Jesse and I inquire at the same time.
Yavin and Lils share a look, silently communicating, before turning back to us. Yavin doesn’t look too sure about something, but shrugs his shoulders, obviously leaving the decision up to Lils.
“Why don’t you come and see? We are meeting her tonight.” She looks at me, her bright eyes swirling with secrets. “You will love her Ree-Ree, she’s one hell of a powerful woman.”
“We’d be welcome… there?” I ask, unsure about the powerful woman statement. After all, how can any woman be powerful in this world? And where would the guys fit in?
“All women are, that’s what H.O.P.E. does, after all.” She spells out the word and grins at me, reminding me how much she has changed since we knew each other. We both grew up and have had hard lives, but it looks like she found something, or someone, to change for.
“Hope?” I drawl out the word, and she grins at me, a fire in her eyes burning so bright I fear it will swallow us all.
Chapter Three
“Are you sure it is okay to come with you?” I ask for the tenth time, as I look around at the wilderness surrounding us on all sides. Lils glances over her shoulder and grins at me—she fits in out here. I nearly lost her over a mile back, since she slips through the trees and grass silently, and seems to blend in as we go, whereas I feel like the wilderness is trying to swallow me up.
“Yes, Rhea! She would love to meet you.” She turns back around, the moon catching the scar on her chin as a thump sounds behind me, making me spin and arch my eyebrow at Jesse.
He grins sheepishly from the ground where he fell, before jumping up and gesturing for us to keep going. I bite my lip to hold in my laugh and turn around to follow Lils. I’m obviously not the only one struggling with the terrain.
“So, who is Miriam?” I inquire, squinting at the ground, trying to make out the rocks that litter the path with the moon the only thing lighting the way.
“She is one of the founding members of H.O.P.E. and an original Hellion. Though she tends to stick to leading nowadays, but in her prime, she was one badass motherfucker.” Lils looks at the moon and stars before veering left. I hurry my steps to follow her as Blain swears behind me, obviously having as much trouble as I am trying to keep up.
I was surprised when Lils left her men behind, with only a vague comment about generals before she and Alcide came head to head. She wanted me to g
o alone, but he had put his foot down and declared I was to go nowhere without at least two of my men. Jesse was the obvious choice as it was his magazine, and surprisingly enough Blain volunteered.
“A hellion is a… fighter?” I question, as I almost trip on a rock. I have to catch myself on her shoulder, and without even looking she reaches back and twines our hands, and leads me after her.
“Yes. Women and men who have passed H.O.P.E’s training and have seen at least five battles are awarded the Hellion name. Before that, they are recruits,” she answers distractedly.
“So, are you a Hellion?” I ask cautiously. The term ‘battles’ worries me, what does she mean by that? I had been thinking that the fights she was talking about were pub brawls, but battles sounds much more serious. She winks at me over her shoulder.
“What do you think?” Turning back around, she stops and tilts her head, listening to something before veering right and around a patch of trees. A fire instantly lights up the small clearing. We stand between trees, their shadows reflecting eerily like they are reaching for the old woman who sits by herself in the middle of the clearing… cleaning what looks like a machete. I blink stupidly as Lils lets go of my hand. She doesn’t even move or make a noise, but the old woman calls out like she heard us coming.
“I know you are there, why don’t you bring your friends and take a seat?” She doesn’t even look up, and Lils laughs before striding across the clearing and dropping into a crossed-legged position at the edge of the fire. Her head tilted back to take in the sky.
“Well, talented one, are you in or out?” She lifts her head, and I gasp as her face is revealed. She’s beautiful but in a deadly way. A wicked looking scar runs diagonally down her face, like someone tried to cleave her in half. Her light blonde hair is speckled with grey and braided to the left side. What looks like a needle is speared through her ear and her eyes are two different colours. One bright blue, like the sky, and one green like a gem.
Lils tilts her head to me and smiles encouragingly. Swallowing, I step out of the trees and slowly make my way around the fire until I sit on her right, with space between us.
“How is the job going, General?” she asks, her eyes still looking at me as she runs a cloth across her weapon poised on her lap. Her voice is strong and sure, like that of a leader. I can almost see the resolve wafting off of her.
“Alright. We hit some troubles, but nothing I couldn’t take care of. I estimate another week undercover until I know who the leader is. Then we make our move,” Lils replies, her voice changing to something stronger and more controlled. Even her posture and expression changes, from the woman and friend I know, to a warrior. Her face hardens, the fire dancing off the angles as determination lights up her eyes. Her back straightens, and her eyes sharpen.
“Good. Cut off the head, and the rest will fall,” the old lady says.
“I don’t know, I prefer to slit their throat. Severing a head is more Yav’s style,” Lils jokes, and the old lady roars out a laugh before winking at me.
“Tell me about your friend, General.”
“This is Rhea, we met when we were younger. She was a slave, now she lives and works with the circus. These are her men.” Lils nods behind me, and I blink when I realise I didn’t even notice them stepping up behind me. Lils notices my wide-eyed look and throws me a sympathetic glance.
“Miriam has that effect on people… she is… different,” she finishes, as Miriam looks at me with an evil twinkle in her eye.
“I believe people would call me a freak in your world.”
“In my world?” I question.
“Yes, girl. In mine, they call it an advantage, and when you are the smaller faction, any advantage is necessary. But the general did not bring you here to talk business, I am guessing.”
Lils and her share a look as something unspoken passes between them. Miriam nods and turns back to me.
“What can H.O.P.E. do for you, my child?”
My head is exploding with questions, but I bite my lip to hold them in. From the look in her eyes, I don’t think she would answer them anyway. I find it strange she hasn’t addressed Blain or Jesse yet, but from the glimpses into their world, it seems like women are the leaders and the men are the muscle, so I guess it makes sense—although it’s still very strange to me.
“We found something. Lils, I mean, General Lils thought you might be able to tell us about it.” I hesitate, and Jesse drops down next to me and passes her the magazine.
A smile graces her face, stretching her scar as her eyes twinkle.
“Christmas, eh?” She flicks through the magazine before handing it back to Jesse, who holds it to his chest protectively.
“Yes! I want to know about Christmas and the family, and the tree and the big red jumpers, and what a sofa is and why they give it to each other!” he gushes, before snapping his mouth shut. She arches a brow at him as he turns red, then she looks at me pointedly then back to Jesse as if to say ‘really?’
Blain snorts, and before I know it, he is sitting behind me, his long legs stretched out on either side of me, and his chest pushed up against my spine. I lean back automatically and catch Lils smiling softly at me. I stick my tongue out at her and turn back to Miriam.
“We want to know what it is,” I tell her, as Blain’s breath hits my neck, causing me to shiver and goosebumps to break out across my skin.
She shrugs and goes back to cleaning her blade.
“It was a holiday before the bombs. A day where families gathered and celebrated Jesus’ birthday by giving each other presents, and there would be a feast, and then usually movies and games. A day family and friends spent together.”
“Who’s Jesus?” Jesse asks, but she silences him with a glare before looking back at me.
“It was all about coming together, for one day nothing else mattered. Not your job or bills, but simply existing. A time to celebrate, with good food, decorations, and each other.”
“Rhea! We should do Christmas! We could get Nixon to get a tree, and we could do presents and… everything.” His excitement is palpable, and I can’t help but smile back at him.
“Sure, if Alcide says yes,” I warn, and his face drops before he smiles sweetly back at me.
“You will have to convince him,” he says innocently.
“Me? Why?” I whine.
Blain laughs and moves my hair out of the way as he talks. “Because you hold all the power over us.”
Miriam laughs and points at Blain with her machete. “That one is smart, you should keep him.”
“I will think about it,” I joke, and Blain bites my neck, making me yelp and scramble out of his legs. I stand above him and glare as he leans back on his arms and smirks at me.
“Can I borrow that?” I inquire, pointing at her weapon. Miriam grins and looks at Lils.
“I like her. You sure I can’t recruit her?”
Lils’ face clears and she stares at the woman before Miriam sighs.
“Very well.”
I look between them awkwardly. “Well, I guess we better get back before tonight’s show.”
Lils nods and stands. “I will be in contact when the job is done, if I don’t, I’m dead.” Miriam nods and waves her hand like she knows that, while I gape at her.
“Come on Ree, let’s get you back to your other men before they come looking. That cat of yours looks vicious.”
I nod and turn to leave, following Lils. When I reach the edge of the clearing, Miriam’s voice stops me.
“Oh, and Rhea? H.O.P.E. is always looking for more warriors. If you ever get bored of the circus, you will always have a spot in my army. I guess you could even bring your men.”
Chapter Four
We walk back to the circus in thoughtful silence, our minds trying to comprehend what we just witnessed. It’s dangerous, what they are saying, but something that burned in the eyes of Lils and Miriam is something I haven’t seen for a long time. Hope. I know there is a lot more going on in
that group than just telling stories from before, but Miriam wasn’t going to tell us any more, especially with my men present. I worry for Lils though, and what she has gotten herself into. I’ve only just found her again, and the thought that I might lose her makes something inside me tighten.
Jesse gives my hand a gentle squeeze as we walk back towards camp. He grabbed my hand as soon as we were out of sight of the clearing, with Blain walking behind, but close enough that if I reached out, our hands would brush. We know what we do it is dangerous, and to flaunt our relationship in people’s faces is only going to end up in a fight, so while we are away from the safety of the circus we have to be careful.
If you had asked me when I first joined if I would have trusted Blain to guard my back, I would have laughed, but now? I trust him with my life. My surly, tattooed bad boy. I glance over my shoulder at him and give a small smile. At first, he doesn’t see me since he is looking around us for threats, always on alert. Although, when he does, he raises his eyebrow at me when he catches me watching him, a heated look entering his eyes as a small smile crosses his lips. He stays silent as we walk, gazing into the distance as we get closer to the circus.
As camp comes into view, I can see Alcide standing in front of one of the tents. With the sun now set and the bright lights of the circus flaring to life, I only see his silhouette, but I know it’s him. As we get closer, I see the tension radiating off him, but his eyes crinkle when he sees me, and I know he isn’t mad at us for going.
As our ringmaster, he likes to always be in control, his power to control people with his words only adding to this. So when he isn’t fully in control of a situation, he tends to feel out of his comfort zone. He hadn’t wanted us to go, thought it was too great a risk trusting these women, especially since they wouldn’t let all my men go. I want to lean forward and kiss the lines of tension from his face until he is back to his usual self, but I’m not quite confident enough in our relationship to do that yet. As if he knows what I am thinking, I see his brow rise in question, and a flirty smile starting to appear on his face.
