Hey guys! So this is the story I mentioned in A Twist in Time. Thank you to all who encouraged me to post it. I hope you like it :)

Chapter 1

"Get out there! We don't have all day!" the master demanded. He wasn't in a good mood.

I hurried and tried to make myself at least halfway presentable, knowing it was impossible to do being dressed in rags. The other girls had quit caring long ago, hoping that if they looked more like a prostitute than a performer that they would be bought and saved from this hellhole of a gypsy show. But, unlike them, I had some dignity and modesty left.

"What did I say?" the master shouted as he burst into the dressing tent. "Come on!"

We ran out and began our performance: a sensual, seductive gypsy dance. The master thought that these dances would make us sell quickly. They did, much to my disappointment. I would have thought that Parisian men had more class. Apparently, I was wrong.

We were at the part of the dance where I was supposed to sing. The master had just recently discovered my hidden talent of singing when he snuck up on me as I was singing while washing clothes to pass the time. He saw this as a new way to gain profit, so he made me sing.

The thing was I didn't want to sing for anyone. My singing was something I did with my dearest friend years ago. Someone who inspired me to sing.

His name was Erik.

He and I would sing to each other to scare each other's nightmares away. He was my best friend – my only friend. I had no idea what happened to him after he got away from this dreaded place, but it broke my heart when I had heard that he was gone.

When it came time for me to sing, I looked at the spectators around me. I saw faces I had seen here before and new faces to this scene. But one face stuck out to me. A face, half-covered by a hat. A face I never thought I would see again.

It was him.

I froze as our gazes met. But as soon as that happened, the master brought the whip he always carried down upon my back for not starting on time. I flinched pain, but went on.

"Look down, look down,

Don't look him in the eye,

Look down, look down,

You're here until you die…"

A few of the girls joined in with me, making the master growl with anger. This was not the song he wanted me to sing.

"When I get free,

You won't see me,

Here for dust…"

The girl who sang that was whipped. I whirled around on the master and lunged after him. He stopped me with a bruising smack to the face. It nearly knocked me to the ground, but I stood strong.

"Look down, look down,

You'll always be a slave,

Look down, look down,

You're standing in your grave…"

We finished the performance without another incident. As we filed back into the dressing tent, the other girl who was whipped approached me.

"Thank you for what you did. Not many people would stand up to a man like him."

I was taken aback. No one had ever thanked me before besides…

No, I will not think of him right now. I have bigger fish to fry…

"Um…you're welcome. You're new here, aren't you?" I asked. I couldn't remember seeing her face before.

"Yes, I am. It's that obvious, huh?" she chuckled as she held out her hand. "I'm Tessa."

I took her hand. "Amirah, but my name for him is Five. He gives us numbers for names so he can keep us straight."

"Well, he sounds like-"

"I sound like what?" interrupted a deep, growling voice.

Tessa stiffened and paled. "Nothing, sir. Absolutely nothing."

The master growled in annoyance, but let her go. "Five, come with me. You've been bought."

It was my turn to go pale. "What?"

He grabbed my wrist and yanked me after him roughly. "You heard me."

As he drug me to his personal tent, I had time to imagine how horrible my new 'owner' would be. I didn't like the image my brain conjured up. But as we entered his tent, nothing could have prepared me to look upon the man in the hat.

Erik had bought me.

The song is bits and pieces from the Prologue from Les Miserables. I do not own the song, nor Erik (although I sorely wish I could...), but I do own my character, Amirah, as she is the product of my overactive imagination. Again, I hope you enjoy this story.