Beautiful Disaster

Chapter Nine

Nine

 “Where do you want to start?” Evra asked, slowly strolling down a path.

“Where’s your tent?” Kat replied quickly.

Kat wanted to know where Evra’s tent was the most, because she thought this would be the most important place she’d ever need while at the Cirque. She wanted to be able to find Evra as quick as possible should she ever need him. She concentrated very hard on everything she passed as Evra led her towards his tent.

“Here we are.”

Evra motioned to the green tent that was in the shape of a snake’s head. Kat looked up at it in awe. It was very cool, and suited Evra perfectly. Not just because he was a snake boy, but he also had a very cool personality.

“Do you wanna go inside?” Evra asked hesitantly.

Kat nodded enthusiastically, wanting to know what the inside looked like, so Evra led her in.

“Oh crap,” Evra exclaimed, releasing Kat’s hand and running to pick up things off the floor. “Sorry, it’s a bit messy, I wasn’t expecting company.”

Kat just smiled at him, and walked slowly around the room, looking at everything. It was quite big, there was a bed and a wardrobe and a big glass cabinet. Kat walked up to the glass cabinet and looked inside where there were branches and leaves. And then Kat noticed the long snake, the same one Evra had around his shoulders on Friday night.

“That’s Bippo,” Evra said, coming to stand by Kat, quickly snatching up a sock that was hanging on Bippo’s house and throwing it aside.

Kat pressed her hand to the glass and Bippo came over and licked at it.

“She likes you,” Evra observed.

Kat looked up at Evra and smiled. He was very tall and she was very short. Kat noticed that the top of her head only just reached to Evra’s shoulders.

Kat walked away from Bippo and Evra and kept wandering around. She noticed a few things in the other corner and walked over to them. She had no idea what they were, so she reached out and touched them hesitantly. She had touched a flat metal looking disc and it had given off a tinging sound when Kat had tapped it with her nail. Kat looked up at Evra, startled.

“What? You’ve never seen drums before?” Evra asked sarcastically, banging on the drums as he walked over.

Kat subtly angled herself behind Evra, using him as a shield from the drums, but if Evra wasn’t scared then she shouldn’t be either. She stared wide eyed between Evra and the drums and shook her head ‘no’ to his question.

Evra sat down on a little stool that was behind the drums and picked up two sticks that looked like oversized toothpicks. He began hitting each piece of the drums one at a time with one of the sticks to show Kat the different sounds they all made. Once he was sure Kat wasn’t going to have a panic attack, Evra played a little drum solo for her. Kat wasn’t sure if she liked the drums or not. When Evra played it all together, it sounded fun, but her hearing was so sensitive and the drums were very loud.

The next thing Kat’s eyes landed on was a guitar. Kat knew what this was as she’d seen a man playing one on TV once. She knelt down in front of it and touched the strings, but nothing happened, so she knocked her knuckles on the wood. It sounded hollow, so Kat peeked in the hole that was under the strings and saw that it was.

“Here,” Evra said, coming to sit beside Kat. “Like this.”

Evra took Kat’s hand in his and dragged her thumb across the strings, causing the sound Kat had been hoping for to occur. Kat ran her fingers over the strings a couple of times by herself, enjoying the feeling and the sound that she created. Evra pulled the guitar off its stand and propped it on his lap.

“Each different pitched sound,” Evra plucked at the strings, “is called a note. And three notes,” he explained, “make up a chord.” He played a chord. “And eventually you put it all together, and you have a song.”

Evra started playing a variety of notes and Kat noticed how beautiful and soft they sounded. She leant her head against Evra’s shoulder and smiled, but Evra stopped playing.

“I should show you around some more, so you know where you’re going.”

Evra put the guitar back onto its stand and stood up, taking Kat’s elbow and helping her up too. He showed her around the entire Cirque, not touching her this time, much to Kat’s disappointment. He pointed out the different people, where certain people lived, where she could find something to eat or drink, showers and bathrooms, though she knew where they were. Evra explained that she was allowed to go outside the Cirque if she wanted, but no one was allowed to come in, and a couple of other rules.

“And here is Mr Tall’s place.” Evra motioned to the big tent. “Let’s go in, shall we?”

Evra moved to the entrance and called out to Mr Tall, who called out in reply that they could enter.

“Evra, Kat!” Mr Tall greeted them and offered them seats. “You look like you’re feeling much better now, Kat.”

Kat gave Mr Tall a small nod and smile as a response.

“Well, since you’re feeling better I think we should get you settled in to a permanent space and out of the hospital tent. You’ll have to bunk in with someone, but I’m sure you’ll be happy.”

Kat’s demeanour brightened. Evra didn’t have anyone bunking in with him, maybe she’d get to move into his tent.

“Rebecca has plenty of extra space, and is willing for you to share with her. Plus she’s around your age. I think it would work out well.”

Kat’s face faltered for a second before she smiled again and nodded.

“Excellent. Evra could you please escort Kat there, and stop by to get some blankets and pillows for her.”

“No problemo Mr T,” Evra said, standing and heading out.

Kat followed behind silently.

“What’s wrong?” Evra asked, slowing down to fall into step beside Kat.

Kat shook her head.

“You gotta start talking, this whole one sided conversation thing is driving me mental,” Evra sighed.

“Did I do something to make you mad at me?” Kat spat out, before she had time to think it through.

“What? No, why?” Evra stopped walking and stared at Kat.

“Why can’t I stay in your tent? I don’t want to stay in with Rebecca, I don’t really know her.”

“You don’t really know me either.”

Kat sucked in a breath, her chest hurt really badly. She didn’t know why.

“I get scared when I’m around the others, and I know that I don’t get scared around you. I feel safe,” Kat whispered.

“I didn’t mean it like that,” Evra backtracked, “It’s just that what Mr Tall says goes, and I’m not going to argue with him. And besides you need to get to know other people around here, not just spend all your time with me.”

“Are you going to stop spending time with me?” Kat asked, sounding scared.

“No, of course not. Why would you think that?” Evra stared into Kat’s eyes, looking for the answer.

“Things feel different between us already, from what they were before. Like you don’t want to be around me,” Kat tried to explain how she felt, but it was hard. “You don’t want to hold my hand anymore.”

Evra sighed, bringing his hands to his eyes.

“It’s just,” Evra stopped. “I don’t think you really understand things the way I do. You didn’t know what a drum kit was. Things have certain meanings, and if you don’t understand those meanings but someone else does it makes things complicated.” Evra groaned. “This doesn’t make any sense.”

Kat pouted. “No, it doesn’t.”

“We can still be friends,” Evra concluded. “But you need to learn about life, about living, from everyone else too.”

Evra led Kat to the laundry room and then to Rebecca’s tent in silence. He didn’t hold her hand.