Nyx slipped into silence after a while, while we walked down the road towards our destination. I still believed that this was a bad idea to go see the cirque.

But I was already out here, might as well finish the rest of this trip.

"So...what do you think of Nyx?" Steve suddenly asked me in a low tone while we were walking. Low enough so the kid wouldn't hear us.

I raised a brow and looked at him. "Excuse me?"

"What do you think of her? Kinda cute for a kid sort of thing?"

That… was a randomly creepy question. I looked at him before looking ahead, seeing Nyx walking ahead of us. I tilted my head to the side curiously.

"Eh, I guess so…." I responded, mostly in hopes he would change subjects cause thinking Nyx as cute - though in a way she was in fact cute, it sets me the wrong way because she's a kid.

"Just wait a few years, this little cutie kid turns into a sexy woman." He didn't change subjects. And the tone of his unsettled me, a lot. The way he looked at Nyx…

Like a piece of meat. It actually sickened me.

"She's a fucking kid!" I hissed at him, hitting him on the arm.

"Ouch! Hey, what was that?" he snapped, rubbing where I hit him.

"You know what. I know that look Steve. Do you know how sick it is to look at a kid like that?!"

"Hey, hey, I can wait." Steve said, causing me to stop. He sighed, rubbing the back of his head. "Dude, honestly, This kid gets me more than anyone else. I'm not down to touching a kid, so...I'm gonna wait till she's...older."

"That is still sick." I gritted my teeth.

"Maybe this is what love feels like."

Something inside my mind cracked at that. Body trembling by that statement. He's talking about a twelve year old that could pass off was his own kid as if she's not even a child!

Now I don't generally care much for Nyx, but think of someone like the likes of Steve, who's a grade A bastard, want something like her? That had left a bile taste in my mouth, souring some if not most of my perspective of Steve.

For the sake of my sanity, for now, I'm just gonna ignore him.

I turned back ahead to Nyx and noticed she was way ahead of us. Just walking normally as we got up to the highway. She didn't stop when a noticeable semi came barreling down the road.

"Nyx!" I called out. She didn't respond. "Nyx! You're too close to the highway!"

She wasn't listening. She wasn't far enough to not hear me.

"What's she doing?! Nyx! Stop playing games and stop!" Steve too noticed the semi and Nyx stepping into the road…

And she just stood there. Not even moving as the truck's headlights illuminated her silhouette entirely!

Steve and I bolted across the field. Both of us shouting for Nyx to move. My heart pounded as we raced towards the road.

Ultimately, it was Steve, who had more stamina and endurance and was used to the chase gets to her first. He hops on the road, tucking his arms underneath her arms and yanked her back on this side of the road. The semi blared it's horn as they blurred past us.

There was a long moment of silence after that. All of us were trying to get a handle on what just happened.

Then…

"Are you fucking nuts!?" That came from me. Nyx shook Steve off of her and backed away from him.

She looked around us, her eye was widened, fear clear shown.

"Nyx, you almost got hit by a truck! Standing in the middle of the bloody road? You could have been hit!" I had no idea where this side of me came from. Inner paternal instincts? The thought of seeing this kid dead on the road? Or Steve and I having to face her father and we in turn, killed by him.

I didn't know if I should be scared, pissed, or relieved that she was still alive.

"I…" Nyx paused, taking the thing off of the top of her head and tossed it on the ground.

"What?"

"Dude, cut her some slack." Steve said, walking up to Nyx.

Putting a hand on her shoulder. Before I could tell him to shut up and to tell him to let go of the kid...

This happens.

Nyx gave Steve the most damning look a kid could give to anyone. She grabbed his wrist, gripping tightly, causing him to yelp. She sharply twisted his arm, kicked him in the shins with so much force that Steve collapsed to his knees.

"Don't...Ever...touch me again." She growled at him before throwing his hand back at him.

I don't think I ever seen or heard a kid be so threatening or seen one bring a grown man down to his knees so easily.

"Thanks for pulling me out of the road, but don't touch me." She grunted.

This kid here!

The look wasn't angry though, she was scared. And like all scared creatures in this world, they do one of two things: flight, or lash out.

She looked back at the road, muttering, "I don't remember walking up here…"

No snarky remark, no jokes, her body language, her face...she was telling the truth.

That softened the tension on my shoulders.

Letting her be for a moment, I walked up to Steve and helped him up. "Is it weird that that was hot?" He grunted in pain from the shattered shins.

I caused him to yelp when I kicked him in the shins. He cursed at me. I didn't care.

"You okay?" I asked Nyx, not Steve.

It was a moment but she nodded slightly. "Just a little disoriented… and hungry… I'll eat at the Cirque."

She looked at me, a soft smile formed on her lips. "Thanks, Darren."

Damnit, she had a genuine beautiful smile that made her appear older than she really should be.

I'm gonna kill Steve later for that talk earlier.

Eventually, we came to the old soccer stadium a couple of miles outside of town.

My body felt rigid all of the sudden. Cold sweat dropped from the side of my face just looking up at the building. I have never been here when it was up and running…

But why the hell I'm getting the sense of deja Vu? I know I've seen the Cirque when I was a kid, so the twinge of nostalgia was there...but the stadium?

I felt like I was here before… a life before this. I don't usually believe in coincidences…

But in my recurring nightmares, I remember seeing a glimpse of what looked to be a stadium on fire.

I almost turned to leave if it wasn't the fact I noticed a familiar face…

A tall one to that...