Chapter Eight
The Clown Who Jumped Through a Ring of Fire
(While the Audience Blinked)

"What do we do now?" Chris said. "What can we do?" They all had sat down near the terminal and they dug their faces between their hands. The prospect of going back was on their minds, and all the punishment they would encounter upon their return. They were willing to endure it. They were happy to endure it. If only for a chance to perform. But they couldn't. Not anymore. The chance was gone, and all their sacrifice had turned up nothing but a long and disappointing ride back home and a lifetime of grounding. "I guess we would have to go back sooner or later." he said. "I just wished it was later."

"Like hell I'm going home." Rachel said. She got up and walked off as the other two rushed to catch up.

"Where are you going?" Cat called. Rachel didn't bother turning around.

They ended up chasing her through a throng of people, between metal detectors, over baggage, along queue lines, finally to the front desk. The girl behind the desk stared at them puzzled, chewing gum melting in her mouth, as they walked up and parked in front of her. Rachel asked for the next flight, and the girl took her time deciphering her monitor. Rachel turned to the others.

"We're not going home yet," she said

They made their way to the sofas lining the wall. The next plane for Arizona would leave later that night. They took advantage of their time to plan. They gathered all the information they had, emptied their wallet and purses, and pulled out the band itinerary. When they pieced it together, the situation looked bleak. Chris and Cat had used up most of their money buying supplies at the mall. Rachel was the only one with money. Before she left, she cashed in the extra from her band account, all the money she had fundraised for the trip. At least now, I have a use for those damned oranges, she thought. But it wasn't enough. They didn't have enough money to buy three round trip tickets. Either someone had to stay behind, or no one was coming back. Their only hope, their only plan, was to board a plane in the middle of the night, arrive in a city they didn't know, with no chance of going back, and wonder the city in search of the Jordan high school marching band.

"The band performs tomorrow morning." Cat said. She had the itinerary in her hand. "When we get there, we won't have time to find them."

"We're gonna have to meet them at the stadium." Rachel said. "The plane is supposed to arrive around ten thirty. When is our performance?"

"Eleven forty five." Cat responded.

"That's too tight." Chris said. "We'll be driving in a city we don't know and there's no telling how far away the stadium is from the airport."

"But there's a chance." Rachel said. "It might work." She leaned back on the couch, eyeing them both, waiting for an answer.

"What if it doesn't?" Chris said. "What if we're left stranded in Phoenix?" Rachel just shrugged her shoulders.

"Let's do it." She said. She searched for approval in their eyes and put her hands on the table. Cat was the first to respond.

"I'm for it." She put her hands on top of Rachel's. They both stared at Chris.

"You're both crazy," he said. He looked at them both, there was no doubt about it, they were sisters, so equally impulsive and so equally bold. The mouse and the lion. They had changed. Either that or he had never truly known them until now. He had changed too, he realized. Either that or he had never truly known himself, either. He could see himself clearly now. For the first time the windshield was clean. He had driven his whole life in the rain, but now he could finally see. The wipers were finally working and he wanted more. We wanted to change more, to be like Cat and Rachel, to be as brash and brave. He wished he was as brave as that small little mouse he saw so long ago. He shoved all his doubts aside, put his hand on the pile, and smiled.

"It's the least I owe you," he said.

The noise of the airport bustled around them. People passed dressed in business suit, carrying bags and briefcases. Tourists passed with flowered shirts. A girl complained to her mother about going back home. The three looked at each other, under the orchestra of typing clerks, hurried footsteps, and nonsense conversation. They squeezed each other's hand.

"You ready for this, Rachel?" he said.

"Whenever you are."

"You ready, Cat?" His voice could barely be heard over the noise. In the distance, an airplane climbed its first steps into the sky, moaning along the way. Cat looked up following the airplane's trail, and then looked down at their interlocked hands. She took a second to respond.

"My name's Samantha Askins." she said, tightening her grip on Rachel's hand. She looked at them both, lingering on each pair of eyes. Another airplane started to complain, lumbering forward on the runway. "Yeah, I'm ready."

They got up, bought their tickets, three one-way fares to Phoenix, and went back to the truck. They decided it would be best to wait at the airport until it was time. Chris reached behind the seat to grab the collection of candy bars they had bought from the mall, pushing Rachel's piccolo and uniform aside. While he fished through the plastic bags, the truck suddenly began to move. He bumped his head trying to turn around.

Rachel pulled out of the parking lot, ignoring his objections. All she said was that she was taking them somewhere special. Cat seemed to know what she was talking about, but the entire thing just gave Chris a sick feeling in his stomach. They drove for a couple of minutes, navigating the maze of the airport, until finally Rachel pulled the truck off the road. After a few more minutes driving over grass, the truck lumbered to a stop, a few feet from a fence. Beyond the fence, the airstrip ran straight to the horizon. They all looked straight down the wide path of the runway. The sun was dipping low, and melting onto the ground, leaving nothing but charging silhouettes in place of planes.

Rachel and Cat jumped out of the truck and leaped onto the hood. Chris followed, trying to get them to understand how ridiculous this all was. Before he could get a word in, a shadow swoop over his head and the roar of jet engines drowned his senses. The wind hit him like an unsuspecting wave. He couldn't help ducking in order to balance himself. Once on the ground, he didn't want to get up. He was certain that a single inch higher would leave him with tire marks on the top of his skull, not to mention one hell of a headache.

He crawled up onto the truck's hood, and lay down next to the girls. They seemed to be enjoying themselves. A cheer greeted each plane that rushed overhead, as they raised their arms above their heads, closed their eyes, and screamed in anticipation. They brought out the food from the back, and began to pour though the candy bars. Then began the difficult task of eating on their backs and screaming with their mouth full. Somehow, they managed to accomplish it. Whenever one would begin to cough for air, the other would pat their back, and then both would lie down again until the next emergency. So it was that every plane that they greeted each passing plane with a mouthful of chocolate, and a symphony of coughing.

Once the sun disappeared, the silhouettes faded into little pins of light. More than one plane caught them by surprise then, leaving them squealing in a combination of fright, excitement and joy. When the moon came out, they stared at it as the planes skimmed its surface. They could almost reach out and touch it, cup it in their hands, and put it in their pocket.

"Sam," Rachel said in between planes. "I'm sorry." She looked at the stars. "I'm sorry I was never there for you. For every time you felt like I abandoned you. I never wanted you to feel alone." Chocolate smeared her mouth, and the moon smeared her eyes.

"No." Cat said. "It all my fault. I finally understand." She turned on her side to face her sister. "It's just…when I hurt other people, it hurts me more. I wanted to hurt myself, Rachel. Oh God, I hated myself. I needed to punish myself. It's the only way I could live with myself. I had to suffer for what I did, you see?"

"Sam -." Rachel started.

"I needed you to hate me. You had to hate me for what I did. I tried to make you. But you made it so hard. I pushed harder and harder, but you…" Cat propped herself on one elbow, looking down at Rachel. The moon shined through her hair. "You never budged."

Rachel pointed to the night sky. "You see that, Sam?" Cat followed her finger, and nodded. "She's right there." Rachel said. "Don't blame yourself for what happened, she said. That's what she told me, and now I'm telling you. She's right up there, Sam, and she forgives you." Rachel reached over and brushed the hair hanging over Cat's face. "Don't blame yourself, Sam." She ran a finger down Cat's face. "If it's anybody's fault, it's the wagon's, and it's broken now." A smile blossomed on Cat's lips.

"Thanks to you." Cat said.

"No, thanks to the oranges. The same damn oranges that bought our tickets." Rachel saw a plane approaching in the distance, nothing but a collection of tiny specks, each time blinking closer and closer.

"Rachel." Cat said. "I -" Her voice was drowned out as the plane charged forward and took to the air, but the meaning of the words weren't. She grabbed her sister as the plane cut another scar into the sky, and hugged her. Chris jerked up, startled with the sound. He had fallen asleep from the chocolate. He smiled when he saw them both embracing.

"Should I leave you two alone?" he said. They turned around, still interlocked. They both inched toward him with a devious smile.

"Of course not." Cat said. "You're my brother now." Chris scooted backwards as they both showed no sign of stopping. They crawled closer and closer. Before he knew it, he was teetering at the edge of the truck's hood. One more inch and he would fall.

"And this is what we do to brothers." Rachel said. "Welcome to the family."

They grabbed him, pushed him off, and nearly died of laughter.

It started to rain, and they spent the rest of their time inside the truck, watching the rain beat down the windshield. When the time had finally come for their scheduled flight, Chris drove them back to the parking lot, following Rachel's directions. They quickly dragged Rachel's uniform and piccolo into the terminal. She had no other bags. She had no reason to pack that morning. When she noticed, Cat generously offered to share her clothes.

They walked to the gate with out a problem, and with out the rush they had earlier that morning. They passed the gate, walked the bridge and entered the plane. As they took their seats, they let out a sigh of relief. They had finally made it. They sat sandwiched among each other, their minds on one thing: they had a little more than an hour to get from the airport at Phoenix to the stadium, in a foreign city, with no private transportation.

"The real hell is gonna start when we land," Rachel said. "We're gonna need a miracle."

"Hey, we got this far, didn't we?" Cat said. She smiled. "Mother's put in a good word for us."

"We can only hope." Chris said. "Let's hope your mother doesn't run out of miracles."

On the plane, they talked during the entire trip. They talked about the band, about the performance tomorrow morning, and about their plans. They talked about looking back when they were old and worn, remembering the struggles that had brought them so close together. As the talked, time seemed to pass unnoticed, and before they knew it, they heard the sound of wheels screeching on pavement.