"I've watched you do that same trick for thirty minutes now," Rasputin sat on the fence and called out to Charlotte.

"And what do you think?" Charlotte turned her zebra around and headed towards the barn.

"I think she needs break; I think you need break."

"No," She dismounted the zebra and stroked its nose. "I meant what do you think of the trick? It has to be perfect as it will performed on an indoor stage."

"If you excuse me being forward, but you making a mistake expecting perfect show when animal involved."

"Excuse me but you do not know my zebras!" Charlotte sped up her pace as she walked the zebra to its stall. "I have been training them for years. They trust and love me, especially Belle here." She filled the trough full of water before locking the stall door.

"I might not know your zebras, Miss Charlotte but I know animals."

"I clearly remember the first time I met you, you said you hadn't seen such control of an animal since your mother. Now you're saying there is no controlling an animal?"

Rasputin laughed as he twirled his handlebar mustache, "I did say that didn't I?"

Charlotte placed her hands on her hips, "Did you mean that or were you just trying to flatter the owner's daughter?"

"It possible I meant many things. You want break? I have bottles of Coca-Cola," The man smiled at her.

"Let's take them to the boardwalk," Charlotte removed her hat and returned his smile.

"So why didn't you move to America with your cousin?" Charlotte asked after finishing the last sip of her Coca-Cola.

"Boris older than me; he move here with his family," Rasputin's large hand took the bottle from her and tucked it into his vest pocket. "I stay with mine, we work circus in Russia."

"But you moved to America now, were you not running the circus anymore?"

"My parents are ill. Boris sponsored me to come to America. I make money in America while sisters take care of them."

"That's very brave of you," Charlotte put her hand on his arm. "Dada moved here from France and built all of this."

"Yes he did. He told me his story." Rasputin stopped walking and looked down at Charlotte's hand still on his arm.

"Oh! Sorry!" Charlotte pulled her hand away. Blushing the girl laced her fingers together and put them behind her back.

He finished his Coca-Cola and stuffed the bottle in his other vest pocket.

"Your pockets are sure large if they can hold bottles."

"I am large man. I have large clothes."

"I bet I would look silly in your jacket."

"Good thing you not wear it because you would find my surprise."

"Surprise?"

"Another Coca-Cola for you!" The six figured hand reached into the linen jacket and pulled out another glass bottle. Using only brute strength he popped the lid off and handed it to the girl.

Charlotte squealed and smiled large. "How delightful! Thank you, Rasputin!"

"You got this, girl," Charlotte whispered into the Belle's ear as she caressed her mane.

The notes of the final song started; the automatons started moving, zebra and rider came out from the wings. Gracefully Belle moved around the automatons as Charlotte stood up and started her acrobatic act. The whole act was over in a few minutes but as Gustave watched his sister from the piano it felt like an hour. How would the zebra react? Would the automatons spook her? Would Charlotte fall? He breathed a sigh of relief as zebra and rider were off the stage and the automatons stopped moving. He turned as he heard clapping from the theatre.

"Bravo, bravo! Beautiful Charlotte and Belle!" Rasputin walked up the aisle. He leaped onto the stage in one movement.

"Excuse me, sir," Gustave jumped from the bench and walked over. "I can't have anyone on the stage with the…"

"He's with me, silly," Charlotte called from the wings. "Rasputin, come ride Belle with me back to the stables!"

"Like this," with steady hands, Charlotte wrapped Rasputin's large arms around her small frame. "One rider always has to hold onto the controlling the horse…or zebra."

"I know that, but you small I big. Should be other way."

Charlotte pushed back into the tall man and he squeezed her tighter. A shiver ran down her spine, "Belle is mine though. To the stables!"

The tall man, Mr. Y's daughter and the zebra made for a fun sight for the other employees as they trotted back to the stables. A few raised eyebrows were aimed at Rasputin; he tried to pull away from Charlotte. She wouldn't let him.

"So Mister Doubtful, what did you think of show?" Charlotte turned and spoke into his ear.

"Belle needs to try it with an actual audience."

"Do you really doubt her? She's had audiences before."

"Yes, outside."

Once back at the stables both riders unmounted. Charlotte poked at Rasputin's chest, "Well it's time to let Belle rest before the next rehearsal. Maybe you could gather an audience for her?"

"Why you ask me?"

"You're the one who thinks she needs it. I don't."

"Practice audience only make her and you more lovely."

Charlotte looked down at the ground and kicked at some dirt. "You think I'm lovely?" She looked back up at the man, her cheeks flushed.

"Tell you what, Lotte," He put his large hands over hers, taking the zebra's reins. "I put Belle away. You go gather audience."

"I know exactly where to go!" Charlotte ran towards the doors. "Meet us at the theatre at the next rehearsal time!"

The girl was barely out of the stable when The Russian Strong Man came out from behind one of the stables, "Rasputin, what are you doing?"

The zebra and man startled, "Boris, what are you doing here?"

"I've heard rumors of you spending time with Mr. Y's daughter," Boris straightened his back, making himself just as tall as his cousin.

"Charlotte spend time in stables. I spend time taking care of animals. We see each other a lot."

"She's the boss' daughter!"

"I'm being nice, she's a nice girl," Rasputin walked Belle into the stable. "She like my mother, has way with animals. She like me and deformed."

Boris adjusted his tight vest, "She's not like your mother, Rasputin. Your mother has a way with animals because she had to work hard with animals to survive. Charlotte only has a way with her zebras because she's a spoiled brat and got whatever she wanted from her father."

The six-fingered man closed the stable gate, "She's still nice."

"But socially retarded. Between her face and her father spoiling her she…"

"Oh so I socially retarded too? Just because I deformed?" Rasputin snapped heading towards the door.

"I didn't say that!" Boris ran after his cousin. He grabbed the man's shoulder and spun him around. "I just want you to think with your head. You were little when I left Russia; so I don't really know who you are as a young man. But don't fall for the first girl you meet, especially her."

"I said I just being nice because she nice!"

The Strong Man dug his fingers into The Animal Handler's shoulder, "Yes but to a socially retarded teenage girl, a man only five years older than her being nice might send a different message."

Rasputin closed his eyes and sighed, his shoulders sinking.