--------------------------------------

CHAPTER THREE

--------------------------------------

How long she had been there, she wasn't sure. It could have been days or weeks. The time had horribly seemed to stop for Caliko. She was still in the horrid, dingy room, but she wasn't hungry anymore and the room had improved a little in it's comfort. She had learned to 'play nicely' with Top Hat and in return he fed her well and had allowed a bed and vanity to be placed in the room. Along with his idea of clothing.

He had taken her clothes away shortly after she had given in to him and replaced them with a pale pink and black corset, silver and black stripped short shorts, fishnet hose, and a pair of black buckle boots. He had also insisted she bleach her hair a horrible bleach blonde. He had also been kind enough to leave her with a mirror, but after Caliko had looked into it and saw what he had turned her into, she smashed it. She had payed dearly for that and still wore the fading bruises.

She sat on the bed, thumbing through an old magazine she had been allowed and watching the sky outside her windows darken. She wondered if he would come to her tonight. She liked the nights he didn't. She slept better. But lately, he had been coming more and more and staying longer and longer. Staying to talk to her, force conversation from her. Sometimes he would fall asleep holding her. When he did, Caliko envinsioned smothering him to death, but she had been warned of the consequences if she harmed him. Of the others who would avenge him. So she would lay there, forcing back the vomit always in the back of her throat and wait until he awoke, dressed, and left.

That night, though, Top Hat came early. He was the one who brought her her supper. He walked through the door caring a tray of food and drink which he set on the vanity. "HaHa!" He turned and faced Caliko on the bed. "Do I ever have surprise for Trinkett tonight!" (He had insisted on calling her Trinkett, as if she was just a cheap novelty.) "Did you know," he walked over to her and sat, he kissed her neck and ran a hand through her hair. "that tonight was your wedding night?"

Caliko's head shot up. "My what?"

"I thought on it and I decided I am going to marry you. I always wanted a woman like you. So I am going to have one. We're going to have a little 'ceromony' and a big party, and then of course, we'll have our honeymoon. But not in this room, I want you by me all the time. You'll be moved to my room. And I'll always have you by my side. My Trinkett, my favorite plaything." He laid back on the bed. "So go eat, we have a VERY big night. A VERY big performance to put-on."

Caliko could only look at him, she knew he was crazy, but this seemed too much. Then it hit her, he was going to take her out of the room. She was going to have a chance to get away. She laid down beside him and ran her hand across his chest, leaning towards him. "You're so good to me."

He grabbed her head and kissed her. Caliko pushed him away. "No," she smiled. "We have to wait for the honeymoon."

Top Hat pushed her hand off his chest. "Well then, come on, get a move on! Don't make me wait all night!"

Caliko stood up and walked to the tray and picked up an apple. She bit into it and sat on the edge of the vanity. She needed to start working on an escape plan. "So what do you have planned exactly for us tonight?" She took another bite.

"No, no, it would ruin the surprise and then I wouldn't have any fun." Top Hat said lazily from the bed, spinning his cane around over him.

"Damn." She thought. She took another bite then set the apple down. "I just can't eat. I'm too excited." She grinned at him.

Top Hat rolled from the bed and stood up, crossed the room, and grabbed her around the waist. "One more kiss for luck." She allowed it. He pulled her from the dresser and into him, releasing her from his kiss when she landed. Tightly, he grabbed her arm and went to the door. He knocked once and it opened.

------

Top Hat hadn't let her go since they left the room. And they had been surrounded by others as they had walked the stairs to the casino below. Caliko never saw her chance to make an escape. They had been married, on a platform in the casino, surrounded by both patrons and members of Tribe Circus. A cermony that included a lot of liquor and a drunken "Kazoo" (Tribe circus member.).

Top Hat shooed the Kazoo from the platform and raised his arm "HAHA!"

"HAHA!" The crowd replied.

"The cermony is not over! My new wife isn't a member of Tribe Circus yet, and we want it 'official'." He snarled the word 'official' as if it were a curse.

The crowd cheered him on.

Top Hat raised his arm again, this time the one holding Caliko's, "Do you see what is missing from my beautiful wife's arm?"

The crowd went silent. As if her arm being naked of anything was a crime.

"Her arm is missing the mark to show that she belong's to me...belongs to Tribe Circus!" He wrenched her arm down, nearly causing her to fall to her knees. She corrected herself and noticed others coming onto the platform. Three, large, strong looking men. She pulled on her arm, trying to pull herself free, not knowing what was going to happen next, but she desperatly did not want to find out. Top Hat let go and shoved her in the direction of the men, who caught her as she started to fall again. Their fast movements soon had her held on each side and one with his arm around her neck.

Top Hat approached them as Caliko struggled to free herself.

"I want you to always know who you belong to." He held up a box of matches. "If you run from me and try to hide, I want you to be easy to identify." He lit a match. The man on her left side, held her arm out to his leader. Top Hat blew the match out then pressed the red end into Caliko's forearm. Caliko cried out in pain and tried harder to save herself. "Stop fighting Trinkett. You'll only make me mess up and we'll have to cut it out and try again." He lit another match and blew it out. Again, he pressed it into her skin. Over and over until the letters, TC, were branded into her flesh on the underside of her left arm, just above the wrist.

When it was over, the men let her go and she fell to the ground, nursing her burnt arm. Still she didn't cry. She still fought back the tears and knew to cry over this would be silly, not after everything else she hadn't cried for.