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Chapter Twenty-nine
Elsie
“Don’t you think you are getting a little reckless?” Shirley brushed through her long locks as she looked up at me.
“What do you mean?” I hopped up on Shirley’s vanity as she continued to primp herself.
Shirley let out a sigh when her brush clacked as she set it down on the vanity. “You know what I mean. I can smell him all over you. You need to be more careful.” Shirley rummaged through a few vials of perfume and handed me one. “Here, this one is the strongest one I have.”
“Thanks.” I slipped off the counter and spritzed the perfume over my body. “I guess I slipped up this time.”
“This time?” Shirey raised her eyebrow at me as she took the glass bottle back from my hands. “Honey, I mean this with love, but you two only have blinkers for each other. I swear you two are acting like horny kids.”
Shirley picked up her powder puff and patted her cheeks. She was right. I had been getting way too comfortable throwing myself at Oliver a
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Cirque du Lune Chapter Thirty-two
Oliver Over the years, I had felt all sorts of pain and loneliness, but right now, I felt like I had fallen into a dark pit with not even a beam of light to give me comfort. Everywhere I went, I was reminded of Elsie, or worse, I saw her. Before, she enchanted me, enthralled me, and gave me something to rely on, something to reach for. Now sadness crashed over me like a tidal wave every time I caught a glimpse of her. She seemed so unaffected by the distance, and I guess that was the difference between us. I was always going to be the weak one who couldn't hold a candle to her. She would be strong and beautiful, always out of my reach. I found myself hanging around the humans more because I didn't feel as inferior, at least next to them. I saw the pity that lingered in Carl and Shirley's eyes that repelled me from them. That look wasn't helping me; if anything, it made me spiral deeper and deeper. "Come on, Oliver. Have another drink." John slurred as
Cirque du Lune Chapter Thirty-three
Elsie As soon as I heard the knock on my door, I knew it would not end well. I could smell the cheap booze and cigarettes permeating from outside my door. I silently pleaded for Oliver to go away. I knew he was plastered, but I also knew who was lingering nearby. Stupid Jules had already visited me earlier, trying to convince me to fool around with him, but of course, that would never happen. If only Oliver hadn’t shown up tonight of all nights. “Jules, leave him alone. You know he’s drunk.” I clambered out of bed and rushed to the door. I didn’t trust what Jules would do to him. “Even drunk people need to be taught a lesson, Elsie.” I knew the dangers that lurked in those words. Unfortunately, over the years, I had witnessed Jules’s “necessary” evils, and none of them were necessary, in my opinion. Most of his actions were cruel and twisted. “What are you going to do?” I asked as my heart hammered in my chest. “Nothing that concerns y
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Elsie The spotlight didn’t feel the same anymore after Jules tried to red light Oliver. It was as if the world part had lost its luster and sparkle. My heart wasn’t in life like it used to be. I swear the colors grew dimmer, and things I enjoyed seemed to fizzle. I found myself sinking deeper into myself and spending more and more time alone in my compartment. One of the few things that I liked to do was sleep. Sleeping let time run through my fingers like sand. I didn’t have to think or focus. It was just me and a darkness that didn’t want anything from me. I hadn’t felt this way in a long time. My body felt heavy, and I was so tired all the time. When I looked in the mirror, I saw dark puffy bags and gaunt skin. “You know you are looking worse every day.” Shirley sat in front of me, stirring a cup of steaming tea. Her face was twisting as she painstakingly scrutinized my face. “Thanks,” I mumbled as I fell backward onto Shirley’s bed. Her sh
Cirque du Lune Chapter Thirty-seven
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