Page 5 of The Carnival

The gold lettering catches the carnival’s lights, winking at me as if daring me. No, begging me to join The Big Top’s show. Tobias’s warning echoes in my mind because, for the first time during the whole time I was with him, he seemed genuine. Listen to your gut. Everything about this place feels like an elaborate illusion.

Seven years I’ve searched for this place, for Evelyn. And now he thinks I’ll just turn away because a gorgeous man with a painted mask told me to? He was gorgeous … but I don’t trust him.

“Screw that,” I mumble to myself, shoving the blue ticket back into my pocket. It could be nothing more than a way to try to keep me from finding the truth, because if Evelyn was here — I know she would have gone to the show. Tobias’s whole point was to confuse me, to throw me off my guard. Nice try, Illusionist.

Around me, The Carnival lights thump with the music that surrounds the grounds. People stream past me, laughing and pointing, completely oblivious to the wrongness of everything here as I make my way to the large tent in the center, the pointed peak reaching much higher than anything else here.

As I approach, the music grows louder, and the blue ticket feels warm in my pocket. A small voice in the back of my mind starts to wonder if I should have listened to Tobias, but I shut it up. I don’t have time to be timid; I can’t wait another seven years for this chance.

The entrance to the Big Top looms like a mouth waiting to devour any who dares to enter. Crimson and black fabrics drape down and sweep across the ground, creating a one way in and one way out door. I walk to the ticket booth, ignoring the shaking of my hands.

A girl, probably around 22, smiles at me. Her makeup depicts that of a harlequin clown, her dyed pink hair is teased into two buns on either side of her head.

“Ticket,” she says simply, popping her gum, not even looking at me.

I reach into my pocket, find the blue ticket, and slide it towards her.

She looks up at me, her green eyes catching my gaze as a smile takes over her features. She files the blue ticket along with other ones I notice are green. She grabs my arm quickly and picks up her stamp and pushes it into my wrist hard before she releases it.

“Beautiful,” she says, as she pulls a string and the curtains before me part.

I rub my arm before looking down at the stamp. A wand and a dagger cross over the vein there. I look back at her, she pops another gum bubble and smiles as I step inside.

“Enjoy the show, Ems,” I hear her say before the giant canvas flaps close behind me.

I’m letting this place get to me.

I shake my head, continuing down the hall. The air is thick with incense and tiered seating encircles a central ring bathed in purple light. I look around and, since apparently there isn’t assigned seating, I find a spot near the back and climb towards it. As I slide onto the bench, the lights dim.

A drum begins to beat, slow and steady, and my heart beats with it. A figure emerges from the shadows. He’s wearing a mask with a white face with black hollow linings around it, his hair tied low at the back of his neck. He wears the traditional ring master garb — purple and black.

“Welcome ladies and gentleman to The Carnival’s Big Top! Prepare to be dazzled, amazed, and ...” He stops speaking as women, bare chested, come walking onto the stage. “Perhaps even a bit turned on. Don’t worry, we keep most of our clothes on, but as they say, the mind is a powerful weapon regardless. So sit back and enjoy ... who knows, you might even beg to stay.”

He leaves the stage as the lights are cut off.

The darkness lingers for just a moment until a single spotlight cuts to a pair of acrobats — a man and woman — moving together like liquid, one flowing into the other. He catches her midair, and their bodies press together so tightly it makes me blush, her legs wrapping around his waist before they separate into another leap.

“Woah,” I whisper to myself, trying to ignore the heat coiling around me.

The lights shift to blue, and another woman steps forward. Her skin is covered in oil as she tilts her head back — a plume of fire escapes from her mouth. I watch as the fire, impossibly, shifts into shapes - birds, serpents, and even faces appear and vanish with the flames. The heat kisses the top of the tent as she lets the fire take form. When she begins to dance with the flame, a hush seems to take over the room as we watch.

Once she takes a bow, the audience erupts in applause. The lights change to a deep red, and a woman with alabaster skin comes to the stage. Her costume is nothing more than strategically placed silver chains that catch the light. When she grabs a giant python, my skin shivers. The creature slides across her body, its white scales glinting in the light as she arches backward. The audience gasps when the snake’s head dips between her breasts, its tongue flickering across her skin.

“Look,” I hear a man behind me whisper to someone.

I look at her closer, barely visible strings attach to her chains. And as I follow the strings — a man manipulates them from the shadows. I watch as he controls them, tightening and releasing them as if he’s controlling her, but his features remain hidden.

When the act ends, my palms are sweating and my breath is shallow. I squirm in my seat, which I hate, because it’s just a show. Right?

Suddenly music blares through the speakers, changing it from the sensual playlist to something darker. Harder. The lights start blinking at a pace that makes everything appear as if it’s in slow motion. A man in tight black leather pants, bare-chested and decorated in black tattoos that seem to mark every inch of visible skin, moves to the center of the ring. His face is obscured by a half skull mask, with only the double piercing in his eyebrow reflecting the stage lights.

“Ladies and gentlemen,” the Ring Master’s voice comes across the speakers. Has he been speaking the whole time? “Pain and pleasure ... life and death ... what a thin line it is between them both. Put your hands together for Kenan.”

Chapter 5

I put my hands against my knees as I watch Kenan walk across the stage as the music begins again. His dark hair, olive skin, and his body, built like a weapon, is every girl’s wet dream. I can’t help but stare at him. Maybe if he isn’t a complete psycho, I’ll shoot my shot after the show. I curse myself for the thought. I’m only here to find Evelyn.

As the music changes, a woman in a black corset and black leather shorts saunters onto the stage. Her high heels click against the stage as she approaches Kenan, her hips swaying hypnotically. She smiles at him before turning to the audience, licking her red lips. The crowd whistles and cheers, and I can’t help but shuffle in my seat, my gaze remaining on him.