The magical circus | Newt x OC story

II

Two long days of travelling later, the train arrived at a small city hidden away in the mountains. It still had a large enough population for the circus to bother travelling to. The people in those places where usually so glad to have any form of entertainment that they would pay double the price. In the following day everyone prepared the tents and set up the areas for the beasts. Irina had a small tent near the back of the camp. One she shared with her mother.

That evening her mother prepared for the show. She was a cord dancer and one of the highlights of the human acts.

'There is such a thing as too much mascara, you know,' Irina wisecracked. Her mother looked in the reflection of the mirror towards her daughter, who was busy lacing her boots up. A smile played on her lips as she continued with yet another layer of mascara.

'There is also a thing as too much complaining,' she replied. Irina rolled her eyes. 'Ouch mom. You hurt my feelings.'

Both women laughed. They enjoyed their little moments like that. It was one of the little moments in which Irina would forget her sorrows. Her mother sighed after a long moment. She put down her make-up and turned in her seat.

'Irina, you should know...you are not the only one who wants to leave this place. I never pictured bringing my daughter up in an environment like this. It's just...ever since your father left us-,' she stopped for a moment to look at her daughters reaction. Irina sat perfectly still with her lips pressed in a thin line. 'Ever since he disappeared, I didn't know what to do. I wanted to protect you, but I need money, and therefore a job. When the circus arrived I had no clue I was signing up for a livelong contract. I thought I could leave whenever I wanted. Whenever you were old enough to make a living for yourself and we could buy a house together.'

Another deep sigh followed. Irina had stared at her hands clasped in her lap, but when her mother stopped she looked up. The older woman looked so tired. Despite all of the make-up in the vibrant colours, all Irina could see in her face was sadness. 'I know I have failed you.'

Irina was in the middle of opening her mouth when someone entered their tent. 'Showtime ladies!' A man in his fifties, with a withdrawn hairline and a round posture, walked in with a big grin on his face. His eyebrows were thick like caterpillars and his tiny eyes where roaming over the elder woman in the tent. Irina scowled. Petro Ergan, the ringmaster. She hated the man to his guts.

'For the millionth time, you can't just burst in like that,' Irina said through clenched teeth as she raised from the bench. Petro turned his head to face her with a startled expression, like he had forgotten in those ten seconds that she was there.

'Now now, that is no way to talk to me,' he said with a fake pleasant smile. Irina knew the hatred she felt for this man was mutual. 'You should learn to keep your mouth shut unless you are spoken to,' he said.

Irina inched him up in her high-heel boots. She stared slightly down at him. 'And you should muster enough manners to announce yourself before bursting into a changing room.'

She could see his head turning red and his eyes nearly popping from their sockets. The two were staring each other down with glares like daggers. Their conversations usually went like this. Only to stop when-

'Okay, that is enough. Irina, let's go. You should see to Fiara,' her mother said. She grabbed the arm of her daughter and started to pull her from the tent. Irina waited as long as she could to hold her stare. Then Petro turned his face to her mother and that creepy smile was back on his face.

'You always know what is best, darling,' he said in a so-called seductive voice. Before they could leave the tent he smacked her mother on the bum. 'Can't wait to see you in the spotlights.'

Irina was boiling. Her mother was holding her back with two hands now as Petro continued his round to get people to hurry up. 'Irina, stop it!' her mother hissed.

She rounded on her mother. 'How am I supposed to stand that? How do you?!' she said angrily. The older women only sighed and slowly released her grip. 'Because we have to. You are going to make your life a living hell if you continue like this,' she said, hoping to penetrate her daughters stubborn mind-set. However, Irina gave a mirthless laugh. 'Funny. Last time I checked, we were both already living in hell.' She pushed past her mom to see Fiara.