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Chapter Twenty-two
Oliver
It had been a quiet few days. We had a couple of shows at several stops, and thankfully there was no evidence of violence or any bodily harm. I was grateful for that. After seeing the blood in Philadelphia, it thrilled me to know it was back to regular business.
The day was going by quickly; we had done two main performances in the afternoon and one earlier in the evening. This show was the final one before we began to pack up. The stars were waking up, and the last rays of light were vanishing behind the tents.
The plan was to finish up and immediately pack up to leave tonight. We wanted to make it to a larger city before the weekend so the circus could make more of a profit.
I had only found three grifters trying to sneak a peek at Shirley’s performance. I
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Cirque du Lune Chapter Twenty-three
Elsie The evening had faded into deep velvet darkness with only flakes of light from the stars and moon. I sighed as I pulled the curtain down over my window and glanced over to the little bit of floor space between my bed and door. Oliver was passed out with drool dripping down his chin. This passed-out human was my babysitter. I rolled onto my stomach and buried my face in my quilt. I was trying to figure out what had happened tonight. When I checked my rig, it was safe. I never forget to check it even when we have back-to-back shows. There was no damage to the fabric; not even one thread had been frayed. My mind was wandering to the worst-case scenario. Did someone sabotage me? Who would do that, though? The only person who really disliked me that I was aware of was
Cirque du Lune Chapter Twenty-four
Oliver Elsie’s lips were so soft, smooth as silk as they caressed mine. I never expected her to kiss me, and I didn’t want it to stop when it happened. As our lips moved in time, it was incredible. The warmth of her skin, mouth on mine, lit my whole body on fire. Elsie tasted like honey and figs. So sweet and tender. It was a taste I wanted to savor for the rest of my life. I had only kissed one dame before Elsie. The dame was a soggy newspaper compared to Elsie. I couldn’t imagine ever locking lips with anyone else ever again at this point. “Oliver, get your head out of your ass,” August grumbled as we set up the main tent. I had gotten lost in the memories of the train roof. “Sorry.” I shoved the stake into the ground before August smashed his mallet on it. I hastily moved my hands out of the way. It wouldn’t surprise me if August were purposely trying to maim me. He was one of the troupe members who wasn’t thrilled with my existence. I couldn’t cou
Cirque du Lune Chapter Twenty-five
OliverA familiar sickening sensation hit me as a thick metallic odor consumed me. I cupped my nose and mouth with my hand, trying to block some of the foul stench as I slowly crept towards August’s body. I crouched down beside him and nudged his arm with the toe of my boot.“August? Are you still with me?” I asked; even though I knew the answer, he was as dead as a doorknob. Here I was talking to the corpse of a man who hated me.Of course, he didn’t answer me. I watched his chest in silence, searching for any trace of breathing. I blew out a ragged breath into my palm before reaching up to his face with my other hand and pushing his eyelids closed. I stayed there by his side for a few moments before I got back to my feet.I grabbed a burlap sack from the ground and was able to partially cover August’s body with it. It wasn’t much, but it would obscure the view if some poor, unsuspecting person were to stumble upon his
Cirque du Lune Chapter Twenty-six
Elsie I knew this day was eventually going to come, and I had dreaded the thought of it. Today was the day that I would have to shed an unfortunate light on Oliver’s life. “So, who is the killer?” Oliver’s eyes found mine, scouring my soul for answers. “Which one?” I dropped my gaze from his and looked at the damp grass underneath our feet. Many murderers were lingering in the shadows of the troupe. Look at Jules’s favorites; innocent blood was practically dripping off them with each step. Not everyone who had killed someone was a cold-blooded murderer; some had done it to save themselves or to survive. “What do you mean?” Oliver’s finger slipped underneath my chin and pried my face back up to his. I couldn’t blame him; he wanted answers. “I know of a few killers in the troupe.” “What? How is there more than one, and why are killers allowed to wander free around here?” A bead of sweat appeared at his temple and slowly dripped down to h
Cirque du Lune Chapter Twenty Seven
Elsie Jules never came back to my room; I had never been so relieved in my life. His presence had tainted my night; he always had that effect whenever he popped up. My brain wouldn’t stop reeling as the hours faded into the darkness, and it became a sleepless night. I had been staring at the ceiling for a few hours when I heard a faint knock on my door. A grin spread across my face; I knew who it was. I scrambled off of my bed and opened the door; there he was. His soft, innocent eyes were drawing me in like a magnet. I reached out and grabbed his shirt, yanking him into my compartment. Oliver barely caught the door behind him. Before he had a chance to say anything, I stamped my lips on top of his. At first
Cirque du Lune Chapter Twenty-eight
OliverI never knew waking up with someone in my arms could be so fantastic—the warmth of her skin, her hypnotic breathing, and her rose-scented hair. I never wanted to wake up any other way.Ever since Elsie and I made love in her compartment, I kept finding myself desperate to taste her again. It didn’t matter where we were, as long as no one was around. In a tent, behind the train, her compartment, in the woods, in the storage cart, our lips kept finding each other.Elsie was making me drunk off of her. I wanted to be with her constantly, but it was a dangerous addiction. I never let my eyes linger too long on Elsie. It was torture to know I couldn’t openly give her all of my time and affection.
Cirque du Lune 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
Cirque du Lune Chapter Thirty
Elsie I heard my name being screamed, but it didn’t matter. Whoever they were, it was too late. My body became trapped in the fabric and plummeted to the ground. Oliver wasn’t there to save me this time; no one was. When I stepped off the side of the cliff, I had adrenaline rushing through my veins, and I had fallen into a river. This time, nothing was there to numb the pain as my body smacked into the earth with a crunch—every fiber of my being screamed in pain. I had to have broken numerous bones. I heard voices, but they were a distorted mess. Smeared faces danced across my eyes as I tried to look around me. My eyesight started to darken. Was this it? Had I finally managed to kill myself? “Elsie!” a familiar voice called to me; their tone was dripping in fear. Who was that? “Elsie!” There it was again. Why did I feel so bad about hearing them like that? The faces were jumbling around. Who was all here? I finally found something to f
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