Trapeze (Wattpad Books Edition)

Chapter 2

The big top stood tall by the time I returned, secured by a myriad of ropes, its highest flag sailing among the clouds. I wasn't technically late, but as I ducked under the entrance flap, it became clear that I'd kept Silver waiting—and that was a crime in itself.

"Corey!"

She was pacing back and forth in the center of the ring, with the trapeze equipment in place and dangling above her. When I caught her eye, her expression relaxed and contorted all at once, leaving me wondering what exactly to brace myself for.

"You're here!" she exclaimed as I came closer. Her cheeks were flushed and her dark pixie cut was mussed, like she'd been running her hands through it all morning. It still managed to look good, though; Silver always carried off her signature style with a sense of edgy elegance that nobody else could nail. "Jesus, I was wondering if you were even going to show this afternoon."

"Sorry. I, uh . . ." I paused, choosing my words carefully. "I got caught up."

"Well. You're here now, and I guess that's what matters. We're down for first practice, and Rhona's been giving me filthy looks for the last half hour. I've wanted to scream at her. I can't make you appear out of thin air, can I? I'm a trapeze artist, not a magician."

I looked up at the stalls, following the direction of Silver's subtle nod at the mention of Rhona's name. Sure enough, she was in one of the middle rows, surrounded by her permanent entourage of her four co-performers. The aerial silk girls were the only group who tended to stick within their private gaggle, separating themselves from the rest of the crew. Rhona, the lead, was the worst of them all. Petite, blond, and three years younger than Silver, she was only capable of conversation that ended with bickering.

"Anyway, whatever. We've got fifteen minutes until their slot, and I'm not about to waste it."

Silver gestured toward the center trapeze, hanging empty above the ring. "I want you to get on center and show me the lead routine." I froze. This wasn't what I'd been expecting—at least, not today. Our group was a trio, composed of a lead and two backups. I formed one half of the latter, alongside the third member, Kendra. There had always been three. Not just since my trapeze skills were deemed performance ready—even in my earliest memories, when I'd been nothing more than an awestruck little girl content to stand at the side of the ring for hours so I could watch the trapeze artists, there had been three performers. Over the last three years, I'd grown used to the dazzling spotlights and sweaty palms of performance, but never as the lead.

It had always been there: the unspoken agreement that I'd one day take over, stepping into Silver's shoes. But it had never been more than a distant thought, a speck on the horizon. Now that it was happening, it seemed much too soon.

"What about Kendra?" I asked, scanning the ring for the familiar bottle-blond curls of my partner. "Aren't we going to wait for her, or . . . ?"

"Kendra rehearsed earlier." Silver's dismissal was quick, emphasized by a wave of her hand. "I need to know that you can do the routine. Which you can, obviously. I just want to see how it's looking."

I took a deep breath. "Uh, okay."

It was strange that after a three-year alternating cycle of rehearsal and performance I chose now to be nervous. Sure, there was the common case of jitters that swept through the entire cast before an opening night, but that was easily remedied by the glare of a spotlight and a round of applause. The audience I now faced, though a fraction of the usual crowd, was still intimidating in its own right. Perhaps it was Rhona and her cronies, looking on with disdain, or merely the fact that Silver seemed to be on the brink of a decision, and the performance I was about to give would tip her one way or the other.