RULE 28: MISS NYMPHADORA RESERVES THE RIGHT TO REACT IN ANY WAY SHE SEES FIT IF YOU DO ANYTHING—EVEN IF TECHNICALLY DOES NOT BREAK THE RULES—TO UPSET HER.
✷ C H A P T E R S E V E N ✷
There was nothing greater the cast and crew of Miss Nymphadora's Three-Ring Circus liked more than gossip. Perhaps, only being able to artfully exit from Miss Nymphadora's ironclad contract could outweigh the spoils of juicy gossip.
My suspicions were confirmed as soon as I emerged from the forest.
Many eyes, mainly those of my fellow circus crew, lingered on me. Before I could saunter off to my trailer in hopes of escaping an interrogation for the night, Bones, with hasty steps, came barreling in my direction. His black nose pointed to the ground, successful in his hunt to track me down.
He sat in front of me, glaring with his frosty, black eyes, and barked. I gulped, and he barked again, almost as if to mock me this time like he knew I was about to be in for a punishment of a lifetime.
When Bones was satisfied that I would follow him, he guided me through the tents. I knew he was leading me to Miss Nymphadora's trailer. His brown and black tail wagged while he bounced with each step. I kept my eyes on the dirt pathways, not ready to face my fellow circus members. I needed all the strength I could get to handle Miss Nymphadora.
Miss Nymphadora's trailer was extravagant. It was a top-of-the-line motorhome with all of the perks built in. When on the road, the motorhome compacted into a smaller size to accommodate the roads and highways traveled, but once docked, the motorhome expanded to almost double its original size.
The circus' logo had been fastened to the side of the motorhome with a matching profile picture of Miss Nymphadora herself to go along with it. Miss Nymphadora's motorhome was unmistakable, and it had many stories to accompany its grand presence. Many different rumors floated about the happenings of the humble abode.
Some believed she kept a stockpile of men at her disposal in case she ever needed a quick release of tension. Others believed she had fashioned half the motorhome to produce a steady stream of drugs. This rumor spread because some members of the circus could not fathom how Miss Nymphadora could run a circus as profitable as hers. But they often paid no attention to all the gauged prices at every corner.
Miss Nymphadora was stern. She said her circus was no charity. Children's admittance—even for a baby—was not free. There were no special discounts based on your age. On the contrary, Miss Nymphadora had the tendency to increase the price of any attraction that would ensnare the mind of a child. Regardless of her questionable business tactics, the customers kept flowing.
She had no reason to keep her prices reasonable, not when her circus was so unique. Many different circuses around the world did enlist a supernatural being here or there, but Miss Nymphadora took it a step further; she exploited her crew in ways many other conductors would not dare to.
Simply because she had something they did not: her contracts.
Most circus owners who employed supernaturals were weary of the wrath a disgruntled employee might reign down on them. With the contracts bound between Miss Nymphadora and each of her crew members, she did not share such a fear.
She didn't have to.
While I knew Miss Nymphadora's outlandish practices should not have provided comfort, I had at least been eased by the fact I had been Miss Nymphadora's only werewolf staff member. She could punish me as she liked, but there was always an unspoken limit because I was not easily replaceable.
Finally reaching the front steps of the motorhome, I closed my eyes, steadying myself before planting a wide smile on my face as I entered the home. Bones was one step behind me, and as soon as we entered the landing zone, he galloped to Miss Nymphadora's side.
The interior of her home had been customized to her liking. Fine tapestries hung on every available surface. All her cushions were dyed a deep plum, while her wooden fixtures were a mod-podge of varying wood types.
Since the motorhome was in park, all of the extensions were fully utilized, making her motorhome feel more like an actual home than a home base on wheels. Her kitchen alone was around the size of all the livable space in the motorhome Julia and I shared.
"In here," Miss Nymphadora's voice traveled from the back of the house, where her office was located.
The landing zone was positioned near the center, which opened up to the kitchen, dining, and living area. Since her motorhome was so large, there was additional room on both sides of the main living space. To the left was the office while the right side—a part of the motorhome I'd never been granted access to—led to her more intimate living quarters.
Following her voice, I observed my surroundings as Miss Nymphadora scanned through a few documents on her desk. Her desk had once been a vanity, the mirror disassembled and hung behind her. There were two small windows on either side of the mirror, and the rest of the walls were covered in newspaper clippings harrowing the circus' accomplishments.
"Take a seat," she said, her eyes still glued to the paperwork.
She had a velvet chair pushed to the far corner of the office. I pulled up the chair, took a seat, and began to drum my fingers on my thighs.
Miss Nymphadora smiled to herself and finished reading her document, purple reading glasses slipping down the bridge of her crooked nose. She took her eyes off her papers and leaned back in her chair. Choosing her words carefully, she began, "You're not in trouble."
Without processing what she said, I responded, "Miss Nymphadora, I am so sorry. I never meant to—wait, what?"
Her hefty laughter filled the room. "You're not in trouble, Olive."
Apprehensive, I wondered if Miss Nymphadora was all right. In all the time I had known her, she had never even had so much as a cold plague her immune system, but as she advanced in age, maybe it was about time she fell victim to a virus or two.
I asked, "Are you alright, Miss Nymphadora?"
Again, she laughed, her chair creaking underneath her. She soothed her ponytail and said, "Of course, I'm alright, Olive. No need to worry."
But the calculated look on her face said otherwise.
"I don't understand."
She sighed, moving her chair closer to her desk, so she could prop her head on her hand while her elbow used the desk for support. "You're not in trouble."
"Miss Nymphadora," I swallowed, almost choking on my own saliva in the process. "But I broke—"
"You, quite frankly," Miss Nymphadora gave me a look of mischief. "Break the rules all the time."
"I—" I didn't know what to say.
She waved me off. "Olive, if my presumptions are correct, then your mate is Alpha Rowan of Moontera?" She asked, and my breathing halted. His name was Rowan. I knew Miss Nymphadora had said as much earlier, but his name had slipped my mind. Caught up in my own thoughts, I could only offer Miss Nymphadora a subtle nod of the head as a reply.
"Just as I thought," she concluded, folding her hands together. "Olive, please, stop with the dramatic looks. You're not in any trouble."
"But—" I bit my lip and scooted my chair closer. "But, I ruined the night."
Miss Nymphadora's face crinkled with delight as she laughed once more. "Quite the contrary, my dear."
"What?"
"You," she pointed her index finger at me. "Are quite the talk of the circus."
Blowing a breath of frustration, I straightened my posture and asked, "I'm sorry, Miss Nymphadora, but I still don't understand."
"It's alright, dear." She leaned back. "With word circulating that Alpha Rowan found his mate at my circus, word's traveling fast. We're already sold out for the next two weeks."
"Why would that—"
"You've been with the circus your entire life, Olive," she said, crossing her hands over her chest. "You must know by now the novelty of the circus is what drives people here, not the performances themselves."
"I mean, yeah, but I—"
"Child." She shook her head. "People want to come to the circus to see the novelty of an Alpha's mate perform."
"Oh."
"Good for business," she mused. "But it does bring its own set of complications."
Folding my hands together, I squeezed my hands and asked, "Miss Nymphadora, if you need to punish me—"
"Olive, dear," she sighed and shook her head. "For the last time, child, I am not going to punish you, but if you keep insisting, I might have no choice but to punish you."
"I'm sorry," I expressed, looking down at my lap as I grew conscious of the fact I was only wearing a silk cloak.
"As I was saying before you practically begged me to punish you, the recent development with Alpha Rowan poses some complications for the entire circus," she stated while I watched her lean back in her chair.
"I'm not going anywhere with him," I clarified with a stern voice. "I'm staying with the circus."
She nodded her head. "Your contract would prevent you from any other choice, Olive. But he's an Alpha."
"None of that matters to me," I said, slumping into my chair. I was determined not to have my life uprooted because of a boy—or more accurately—a man, a very gorgeous-looking man, at that.
"And that will only make it more complicated," she pondered, her lips twisted in thought. "I appreciate your loyalty, Olive. I have a lot to think about."
Clearing my throat, I scooted to the edge of the chair and asked, "Miss Nymphadora, what do—"
She stopped me before I could finish my question. She placed her hand up in warning. "Bones will fetch you when I've had more time to think. For now, Olive, please, go on as if nothing has changed."
"Nothing has changed," I stated, getting up from my chair. From the pitying smile Miss Nymphadora shot at me, I knew she was not as steadfast in my belief that nothing would change as I was.
Why would she think anything would change just because I had a mate? I didn't quite understand, but I did not want to test Miss Nymphadora's patience further. Instead, I quickly navigated back to my own motorhome.
For the next few days, I was on edge, both in anticipation of the Alpha's return and for Miss Nymphadora's next summons. However, neither of these things occurred, and for that, I was grateful. I went about my performance as usual, but after the third day of silence from both Miss Nymphadora and the Alpha, I began to grow anxious.
What was happening? Why hadn't Miss Nymphadora made a decision? Why hadn't the Alpha of Moontera come back to the circus?
After venting to Julia about my worries, instead of offering much comfort, she ordered, "Get changed. We're going bowling."