Broken People (Serial)

Thirty-One

Nicholas pushed his trunk out of the way and, removing his top hat, wiped his forehead. He'd done it. He'd performed his entire act, used a small amount of power to make it believable, and no one had noticed. He had always told himself he was taking too many risks with the shows he did alone in the towns they stopped in, but these shows were the only thing that made him stand apart from the circus people, helping him to not lose his identity.

Who was he really? He wasn't the son of a rich financier anymore, he did not have a life of his own, did not have any accomplishments. He didn't belong to the circus, and his identity—le Fleuriste—was a sham since he was clearly no magician. But he felt at home tonight, in his medium, on top of things, not hiding for a change. He'd tremendously enjoyed that.

To calm his excitement, he reminded himself he didn't really own the circus. Big Dino would not give up on it anytime soon, and when he did, he wouldn't leave Nicholas in charge. Shaking his head, he locked the trunk and signaled for a member of the staff to take it to his dressing room while he hung around and kept an eye on things. The crew knew their job, and he wanted to hold onto that satisfaction a little longer.

Nicholas's smile faltered when, turning the corner, he found Anya bent over a waste bucket. Her mask was off, and her face had an unhealthy green tinge. Bracing himself against the bitter feeling he was partially responsible for her discomfort, Nicholas slid an arm around her waist. "Let's get you out of here ..."

"I'll be fine," Anya said, allowing him to lead her to her dressing room. "I get sick every time. It's nothing new."

"I know." The acknowledgement didn't remove any of the guilt. He supported her all the way to the door and, once inside, pulled a chair out for her.

Anya sat down with a tired sigh and dropped her head in her hands. "It's a good thing I don't have to go out again until the end. I don't know how I would make it."

She would have made it the same way she survived every curveball life threw at her. She performed each night despite the sickness because she was a brave girl. If she hadn't wanted to do it, Big Dino wouldn't have forced her. He wasn't that cruel.

Anya raised her dark eyes at him and lowered her hands. The color had returned to her face. "Don't feel sorry for me. With all my whining, I do know I need a circus act to be part of the cast. This is the only thing that I can do without endangering my legs." The legs were everything for a ballerina. She never let him forget that.

"Well, then ..." Nicholas kneeled in front of her and rested his palm on her ribcage.

Anya arched a delicate eyebrow. "Are you trying to cop a feel? My breasts are higher than that."

"I was thinking that maybe you should lock the panel next time. Then let them try to open it. It would still be a comedic number."

Anya's grin met his. "Maybe I should ... Ooh, get out of here and stop tempting me." She waved both hands at him, shooing him away. "I need to make myself presentable for the final bow. I can't face the public with this face."

"Sure you can." It was a lovely face when not hidden by the mask. "But do prepare for the reception. A lot of people will be eager to see you." Nicholas caught her hand and placed a kiss on the back of it before getting up.

"Charmer." Anya pursed her lips but was unable to hide a smile of enjoyment.

"Nicholas!" The door slammed against the wall, and Spinner burst in.

"Is it the electrical system?" Nicholas asked, not overly concerned because there were only a few minutes of the show left.

"No, but there are signs of increasing tension in the ceiling beams," Spinner said between panted breaths. "They're old, and Serioja and Misha swear they heard them crack when they were flying on the trapeze."

Nicholas stifled a frustrated sigh. So much for everything working according to plan. "All right. Prepare to stabilize the ceiling until the audience leaves the building. After that, it's none of our concern."

"It might not hold that long," Spinner said, shaking his head. "We didn't do a full rehearsal run because of this exact reason. Now it looks like it will collapse anyway. The strain is too great ..."

"Hmm ... Inform the crew we might be forced to skip the last act. We won't have it collapse on us."

"People will be furious. They worked so hard, and it's the highlight of the show."

"Better furious than dead," Anya said.

Nicholas glanced at her, used to her practical side. Things would have been different if she were the one closing the show, but since she wasn't, reason won. "Get everything ready," he told Spinner. "I'll go to prepare the closing."