Under The Tent Top (COMPLETED)

Thirteen

THE next morning the crew began to ship the equipment away for the next audience. I stood on the hood of an 18 wheeler, watching the hustle and bustle.

Samil and Odin were standing by the road discussing what assumed was business agreement. The ring leader spotted me and waved me down.

"Darling," He bluntly stated. "Mister Odin here would hope to make a proposition."

I shuffled on my toes.

"In order to maintain the business deal, we'll need to make visits back here. However, since were beginning to find scarcity in payment ..."

As I stood listening to Samil, Odin hooked his hands into the waist of his pants, adjusting it with a lip under his teeth.

"For extra supplies, he only asks to have you as a guest during our stay back here."

My heart fell. Samil smirked as Odin patted his back in appreciation. I stared into Samil's eyes, his face still slightly coated in his white powder makeup, his black lips smeared. My face begged for him to tell me it was a joke. I searched to find any hint of empathy.

I received nothing but the sound of Odin's heavy breathing.

"Yes, Sir..." I whispered letting my head drop.

"Perfect. Well, why don't you go with him for the remainder of the morning before we leave?" Samil stated.

Odin's eyes glazed in lust, as I reluctantly followed him.

~*~

When we reached Odin's house, the place was filled with soldiers, locals and his employees. They danced in their mendacium haze, their bodies mingled and their attention untouched.

Before I could blink, Odin had led me into a large room, with a bed larger than I had ever seen. Double doors closed behind him. His eyes never left me. "Sit, Nightingale." He commanded.

I sat.

He liked his lips as he rummaged into his night stand, finding a small flask. With a flip of the lid he took the spout to my nose. The pungent scent of nuclear waste filled me.

"Go on Nightingale. Sniff."

Anxiously, I looked up at him. His face stern and demanding. So I took the flask and I inhaled the fumes. 

My mind went into a fogged mix soon after. The limbs on my body felt numb, my eyes dry and my judgement had been lost in the transfer. Odin watched, and seemed to be helpless to my condition. He placed his large face against the nape of my neck. The entirety of my insides shivered with disgust, but my body was helpless. The man lay his weight against me, his hands travelling up and down my legs. His mouth leaving trails of slobbered spots around me. 

I wanted to move. 

I couldn't. 

So I shut my eyes, focusing on white noise. He groaned against my drowsy breathing, he moaned despite the loud thuds outside. 

Thuds?

A knock came at the door, heavy urgent knock. 

My mouth yearned to call out for help. Nothing came out. 

More knocks. They grew lowered this time. 

Help! 

Odin refused to acknowledge who was outside. He continued to feed off of the limp body under him. He seemed intoxicated by it. 

Help...

Suddenly, the door burst opened. I stiffly turned my head. My eyes rolled back from the movement. My mind became harder to control. 

"Odin, sir!" A familiar voice called out. "Marius and I have come to say goodbye before The White Top leaves..."

Odin growled in frustration as he climbed off of me. "Leaving already?"

"Yes," Marius mumbled. "Samil has also asked us to bring her back."

"Did he?"

"Yes."

The figures blurred into the background. From then on I felt myself sway in and out of consciousness. My body felt light, and it had seemed the bed from under me had disappeared. There was soft footsteps heard in the distance. 

The steps lasted a few more minutes, and soon I felt a soft cushioning underneath me. Then, everything went dark. 

~*~

A loud jerk woke me up. I jolted off the bunk I lay in. 

People around me yelled out for Mirna. In an instant she was at my side. "Hey, how are you doing?" She whispered, the eyes around us looked on. 

I grasped the top of my head. "I'm okay, I think?"

Behind her Rene and Marius stood back. 

"What happened?" 

"Darna and Artin noticed you were missing. Mirna had an odd inkling about Samil." Rene explained. 

I dropped my head into my hands and the entire trailer burst in empathy and comfort. 

"I'm okay. Why is everyone here? Do you all know?"

Dandra laughed, climbing up on to the bunk's ladder beside mine. "One of the trailers ran out of gas. There wasn't enough from Odin's supply to us to get that going. So the crew got crammed in with us."

I took a sharp breath, hoping that the ride wouldn't be too long. 

~*~

When we had reached the next destination, the crew and performers began to unpack. My head however did not understand the importance of clearing itself up for the show. 

I sat at the top of the trailer, my knees to my chin, my bare toes dangling off the edge. Suddenly, a pair of white oxford shoe appeared beside me.

"Rene said you look like a size 6? The girls at Odin's house only had these. 6.5." Marius explained taking a seat beside me. 

My hands grazed the slight dusted laces. "I shouldn't..."

He sighed. "You can and you should."

"Samil would be so upset. He was disappointed when..."

"You met that guy at Odin's house?"

I sat silently. "Yes. I suppose he didn't mean to touch me. I should have been more careful. I shouldn't have been sniffing mendecium. If I didn't, maybe he wouldn't have been so tempted to grab me and- "

"Wait," He turned to me in confusion. "No, nothing happened..."

I sat up. "What?"

"Nothing happened, he was trying to kiss you but you were shoving him away. And Samil hit him across the head when he tried to unbuckle his belt."

"I don't understand..."

"Nothing happened."