A warm breeze circled the tents, weaving in and out of caravans and through the bars of cages sending sawdust into the air. The scent mixed with the pungent aroma of the wolf man's food bowl and caused several freaks walking by to cover their noses in disgust as the overpowering smell hit them. Erva groaned as he unhooked the bolt on the front of the cage and let the door swing wide. The wolf man was currently elsewhere, probably still asleep and so Erva took the opportunity to carry out one of his least favourite chores undisturbed by the beast. His boots sunk up to ankle in the slimy mess of sawdust, newspapers and old, rotting pieces of food. Grumbling to himself, Erva wade in deeper and began picking up and disposing bits of rubbish in a plastic bag he had brought. The gust of wind blew to carrier bag around in his hands so that the rubbish flew all over the place. The snake boy let out an exasperated sigh as he bent down to re-dispose of the rubbish. Suddenly there was a clang of metal from behind him. He spun around a noticed that the gust of wind had been enough to knock over the stump of wood he had been using as a doorstop and the cage had slowly swung on its hinges till it had closed. Erva rolled his eyes and went back to work. At least it wasn't locked. As soon as the thought entered his head, he heard the click of a padlock being replaced through the bars.
"Dammit," cursed Erva as he looked over his shoulder to see who his capture was. One of the Little People was hanging by his hands off the padlock, his green eyes watching Erva mischievously. He found a foothold and balanced himself against the rails before wiggling his hooded head through the cage bars and poking out a grey slimy tongue through the jagged cut that was his mouth. It made a wheezy sound as though laughing before jumping to the floor and running off. In desperation, Erva wade back through the smelly pulp and called after the creature. His pleas soon turned to curses as he realized the creature wasn't coming back.
"Need a hand?" came a drawl from behind him. Erva turned to see a girl lounging against the opposite bars. Her back was facing him but Erva could tell it was the Vampaneze. He sighed, admitting defeat.
"That would be helpful," he said. Rose turned to face him and grinned at his predicament.
"Yes, and I know I'm usually not, but I'll give it a go." Erva watched apprehensively as the girl walked around the cage to the padlock. Sticking a long nail into the key's slot, she turned her finger clockwise and smiled as it clicked. Rose unhooked the padlock, throwing it to the ground and opened the cage.
"There you go," she said. Erva climbed out, cautiously and pocketed the lock, making sure there was no way he could be tricked again. He nodded in thanks and hopped back into the cage to continue cleaning it. Rose watched him from the cage's steps. His back arched as he bent low to scoop up the waste and shovel it into his plastic bag with a spade. Erva's shoulders tensed as he came across fresh mess mixed with the dusty sawdust. In a rare and spontaneous action of generosity, Rose also took a step over the threshold and strode over to the boy. He turned around in surprise.
"Here," she offered, "let me." She took the bag out of his hands, careful not to snatch it and peered inside. A greyish brown mess filled half of it.
"You, um, scoop. I'll hold the bag." Erva, unsure of how to react, merely shrugged and continued to work. He had no idea what had come over the girl but if she wanted to take over half his chores, that was all right by him. The two worked tirelessly together until the cage was clean and moderately tidy. Fresh sawdust and papers were laid down and the food and water bowls were refilled. Rose stepped back through the bars to survey their good work.
"Very nice. I hope wolf man appreciates this!"
"Don't be daft," laughed Erva bitterly, "no one appreciates the work we stage hands do. Never get a thank you or anything." Rose frowned.
"Well that's not fair. You should get credit." Erva simply shrugged. He was used to being undervalued and hardly ever thought about it however Rose was appalled. In her opinion, the boy needed a chance to shine at the Cirque, a place where everyone was supposed to be equal, instead of being kept to one side and made to do the nastier jobs that were unpleasant yet necessary. Rose thought Erva should have a chance to express his talent and vision and she told him so.
"I have plenty of talent and vision. I just don't give a damn," shrugged Erva placidly.
"But your music," said Rose hurriedly. At this the boy looked up.
"What about my music?" he replied defensively. Rose sensed the self-protective tone in Erva's voice and decided to take a less direct approach.
"Nothing. I just heard you play the other day. I thought you were really good." Erva smiled and his gaze was unfocused. He was remembering how good it felt to hold the guitar in his hands and feel the strings between his fingers. One, small pluck of a single string sent noise and vibrations through his amplifiers, spreading the sound across the campsite. It felt good to make noise, to make music, to be heard.
"Yeah," he grinned, "I practise a lot. Actually I have some CDs if you're interested."
"Sure," said Rose politely. She wasn't really interested in what Erva was saying; she was busy watching how his features had changed when she had mentioned music. The crease at the top of his nose between his eyebrows had disappeared and a shine had suddenly appeared in his eyes. A smile still lingered on his lips as he talked about his different songs and what the lyrics were about. Rose nodded and made appropriate noises in the right places whilst watching his actions. His hands flailed around as he tried to explain himself and his eyebrows rose and fell dramatically. Finally he paused for breath and Rose jumped in.
"So why don't you play your music during the Cirque's performances?" She suggested but the boy's grin faded.
"Tried that," he explained, "but the audience don't want to see it. They want to be scared and freaked out and entertained. My music just doesn't fit with the atmosphere we create." His head hung sadly and he bit his lip in a manner that clearly meant, 'oh well' but Rose wasn't satisfied.
"Well Mr Tall can change the atmosphere then!" She said, raising two fingers and making quotation marks in the air around the word atmosphere. Erva smiled. The two had been walking back to the boy's tent, satisfied with the chores they had completed. Rose paused in his doorway but Erva beckoned her in.
"It's cool if you want to hang out for a while;" he half shrugged, "Darren should be back soon."
"Where's he gone?" asked Rose, making conversation. Erva opened his mouth to reply but closed it again on remembering his friend's warning earlier. Could Rose be trusted?
"Um, not sure. Somewhere with Mr Crepsley I think." He jumped back onto his bed and swung his legs up to join him. Rose waited politely to be asked to be sit but realizing the boy wasn't going to offer, she chose a brightly coloured beanbag.
"Oh, okay," said Rose who was only half listening. She looked around her, impressed by the tent's decor and interior design. Erva was certainly serious about his music. He had a variety of instruments littered about his place including a drum kit and several guitars.
"I like your place," complimented Rose. Erva smiled in appreciation.
"Thanks. After a while you get bored of a plain white tent. I just filled it with the stuff I like," he paused and surveyed his room before turning back to Rose who was admiring his drum kit from her seat.
"Are you going to customise your tent then?" Rose twisted her lip and frowned. So Erva wanted to know how long she was staying. She let the silence grow between them unsure how to fill it. Finally Rose decided to just be honest.
"I don't know," she sighed, "I haven't decided how long I'm staying. To be frank, I haven't really thought about it."
"So where would you go instead?" Asked Erva casually. He noticed a panicked expression cross the girl's face.
"I don't know," she said quietly. Rose reflected on the life she'd led before coming to the Cirque. It had been miserable and scary, a life which left a trail of bloodshed and murder behind. She'd had to move constantly, always with the sound of sirens following her as the humans discovered her prey but most of all it had been lonely. After leaving Steve and the Vampaneze, Rose had led a solitary lifestyle with no one to confide in but here at the Cirque, she was gradually beginning to change her old way of living and make friends - even if she wasn't that good at it.
"So stay," suggested Erva suddenly. Even this sentence surprised him! Twenty four hours ago he wouldn't have dreamed of offering to share his home with a Vampaneze but he unexpectedly felt he had something in common with Rose. She too was different, even if she wasn't categorically a freak and she was an outcast forced to live an alternative lifestyle. Even in the few short days Rose had been here, Erva could see a difference in her. She was more accepting and appeared to be trying harder to get on with the others. He supposed it might be possible for her to even make friends here if she tried! Erva was just considering the possibility of helping Rose re-decorate her tent when someone stepped over the threshold of his.
"Oh, hello Rose," said Darren. He narrowed his eyes at Erva and jerked his head at the door wanting the boy to follow him. Erva reluctantly hopped off the bed and followed his friend out the door. Not usually one to be polite, Rose swiftly crept over to the door and pressed her ear to the slit in the canvas.
"Weren't you listening last night? I thought I told you-"
"Yeah I know," interrupted Erva, "But she's all right. She helped me do my chores this morning and where were you?" Rose heard someone sigh in frustration.
"With Mr Crepsley, I told you I was sorry. It was Vampire stuff,"
"Yeah well Rose didn't have any Vampaneze stuff to do. Plus, she's really cool, asking me about my music and that..." There was a pause and Rose struggled to look through the gap to see what was happening but the boys were standing just out of view.
"What?" cried Erva in an exasperated tone, "What?"
"You like her," said Darren accusingly.
"I - what? No I don't!"
"Yes you do!" Shouted his friend.
"Keep your voice down!" Said Erva hurriedly, "I don't!"
"Well why are you defending her?"
"Because she's -" Erva broke off, presumably because he couldn't find any words to explain. Inside, Rose rolled her eyes at the boys' conversation. She was flattered that Erva was prepared to defend her but slightly wounded that Darren still didn't trust her. Upon hearing footsteps, Rose returned to her beanbag and tried to look inconspicuous whilst thinking over a way to befriend the sceptical Darren. The boys entered followed by Rebecca. Rose smiled, content that she'd found the reason why Erva had faltered in his speech.
"Hey guys," she said cheerfully. All three looked surprised by her greeting but only two of them looked pleased by it. Darren watched her warily, his eyebrows furrowed. Rose supposed Mr Crepsley's words had persuaded him against her.
"Hi Rose," replied Rebecca equally as cheery. She sat opposite Rose on the low chairs and began unpacking her bag. She had brought lunch.
The four sat for the next half hour eating sandwiches and swapping stories. Outside the sun was at its highest point in the sky shining down on the Cirque. The freaks beneath it that were exposed began to sweat and grow thirsty but Rose and her companions were sheltered in the cool shade of the boys' tent. Unbeknownst to Rose and the others, Harkat Mulds leaned against one of the long dark poles supporting the canvas and listened to the ongoing conversation intently. Most of the dialogue was irrelevant and so Harkat allowed himself to doze quietly in the warm shade however a snippet of their discussion which fell upon his ears caused him to wake with a start.
"The Vampaneze?"
"Yes, but only for a little while. Then I lived... on my own before I was taken here." Harkat recognized the last speaker as Rose. He shuffled nearer the entrance to catch the rest of their conversation.
"Taken here? Why did they want to bring you here? No offence... its, um, we like having you here..."
"Thanks Darren, that sounded really heartfelt. I don't really know why they took me here. Keep your enemies closer I guess." At this, Harkat moved closer until he could almost see into the room.
"You're not an enemy Rose," said another voice and another murmured in agreement.
"I am a Vampaneze and the Vampaneze are enemies of the Vampires, some of which live within the Cirque.
"The Cirque is neutral," came another.
"Yes, but is Mr Crepsley?" At this there was a pause.
"But then that doesn't make sense. Mr Crepsley is letting you have access to his blood vials isn't he? Why would he keep an enemy alive?"
"I'm only half-Vampaneze though," protested Rose.
"That doesn't make you half an enemy," said the one Harkat had identified as Darren. Inside, Rose made an irritated sound. Harkat was surprised that she hadn't lunged at him yet with her teeth bared.
"Think what you want Darren, I'm not your enemy." There was the sound of a beanbag being pushed roughly out the way before the entrance to the tent flew open and Rose stormed out. Harkat flung himself out the way and hid in the shade until she had passed. He watched her run down the path and through the throng of freaks in the court yard before jogging after her, his cloak hitched up to his short knees to prevent him tripping over it. His Vampaneze master would be very interested to hear about Rose's past conversation.