"Relax," I told myself. "You practiced all day and managed to perfect it, this won't be any different." I looked away from the opening between the drapes to my hands, calloused and still a bit raw from the training. "Have to do this."
"Pines," one of the minor demons approached me. "You're on in ten seconds, be ready." He walked away with only that said and I stepped closer to the drapes. Across the arena and a level below, Norman stood waiting for his cue.
"Five!" the demon called.
I don't want to do this.
"Four!"
But I have to.
"Three!"
For Marmibelle and Beufo.
"Two!"
Stan and Ford.
"Go!"
For Mabel's memory.
I ran out and leaped, summoning the baton from my left armlet and using it's mainly decorative hooks to hang glide on the metal chord to Norman's level. A strong swing to my right and I was ready to launch off the wall above the trainer.
We latched on to each other's forearms and locked grips at the wrists, I push off the wall and send us falling to our performance.
Norman grinned encouragingly at me. "Let's do this, shall we?" he asked.
"Never thought you'd ask." I replied with my own grin.
Together we maneuvered ourselves so we were free falling on our backs. Next thing there was a lurch and a painful yank on both of my arms, but I knew that Norman was swinging on a trapeze. This is going to hurt tomorrow. I saw the next trapeze bar about to me at the center of our midair arena.
"Remember, go easy on your own." Norman warned as we swung toward the empty bar.
"I got this." I assured readying myself to let go.
We reached the point and I released my grip, launching myself forward. I heard Norman curse and quickly realized the mistake, the calculations were off and chances of a normal grab was a mile off. I summoned both batons and hooked on to the bar. Applause rang out causing me to sigh in relief as I swung forward, pulling myself up feet first then losing the batons when I was a full height upside down. The look on the trainer's face was almost laughable, he looked so relieved and so shocked at the same time, it put a grin on my face.
The trapeze began swinging back so I eased myself down with the motions and forced myself back up backwards. Unfortunately I couldn't make it all the way and started slipping forward again. Abruptly my slipping stopped I looked and saw the spiked hair of the trainer.
"Easy does it, Pines." he lectured with a strained tone. "Let's finish this already."
I snickered quietly. "Finally."
He let go of my ankles and I readied to land on the thinner than trustworthy stand. Once I landed I rubbed my aching hands together and turned back to my partner that was coming in with arms open. I ran back out with a lunge, gripping his wrists again and swinging with our combined weight to the next target. Norman unhooked his legs from the bar sending us into another free fall. I adjusted myself and let go of his right hand, reaching out for the streamer. I grabbed on swinging the both of us around while fixing myself upside down with my leg tangled in the fabric and letting us slide down slowly.
There's been a last minute change, Bill's voice invaded my mind, Marco is your partner in the finale, be ready.
Perfect, I thought bitterly, just what I need right now. Improvisation on the spot.
I looked down at Norman. "You'll need to disappear after this." I said.
"I got the message." he replied curtly. "Improvising is never a fun thing so just follow my lead."
I nodded in response but nonetheless curious what his idea was.
His feet met the ground and he helped me down. "Open up your arms." he commanded quietly in my ear. Norman traced the back of his hands along the back of my arms, I slowly spread my arms to his touch. He finger pads pressed into my palms gently, somehow in the process my cloak fell from my shoulders in to a heap on the ground. "Right foot forward on one then glide it to right on two." Norman instructed.
I followed the directions without objection. One. My foot skidded forward, his concealed toes touched my heel. Two. I slid my foot to the right with his as he lightly forced us both to pivot on our left feet. After that it all was just fluid movements, no instruction and no direction. We just moved in sync. One beat, two beats; left foot, right foot. We were dancing underneath a cold blue spotlight.
I looked to the other side of the circle and saw Marco making his entrance with Jonathan. He looked back at me and smiled before returning his attention to his partner, I turned my attention back to mine. We were almost to the center, the spotlights were so close to touching, the finale was so close.
Norman twirled me around to face him. He smiled kindly, "You're on your own now." he murmured before dipping me low. I tipped my head back with the action and closed my eyes, then I was lifted back to my feet again. When I opened my eyes the spotlights had engulfed each other, me and Marco in their center, and Norman was on one knee holding my right hand. I felt my face heat up, no doubt of a blush dusting my cheeks, as he kissed my fingertips. "Turn around." he said, his eyes already looking past me but I had a sneaky suspicion he wasn't looking at Marco but into the stands. That small kiss will cause an uproar in the Fearamid.
But I turned around to face Marco, I couldn't help but look past him and up at an angry gold glowing demon and instantly knew looking up was a bad idea.
Marco drew hooked batons from his armlets and I followed his actions. We clashed our right batons together, sparks flew from the contact, and did the same with our left batons. The clashing repeated until Marco locked hooks with me and pulled me toward him. "Let's spin." he suggested.
"Whatever you say."
We parted keeping the batons locked together and spun. I unhooked my left baton and skid it on the ground causing sparks to fly, Marco followed my lead. Then someone poured a flammable something somewhere cause the sparking ignited a circle of fire around us. There was applause but I could barely hear it over the roar of the fire. Me and Marco unhooked batons, panic of the fire was rising in my chest. I couldn't smell the smoke and it didn't suffocate my lungs but it felt and seemed real.
"It's real alright." Marco clarified my incorrect thoughts as he pressed his back against mine. "We're protected remember that." In sync we turned together, both of us facing the flames.
"I don't know about you but my protector is a bit enraged at the moment." I grumbled in response. "He may 'punish' me in this performance." A... A thing of fire lunged at me from the ring of flame. I didn't have enough time to find out before I instinctively lashed out at the attack with my left baton. The thing, whatever it was, disappeared back into flying ashes.
"He can't do that." Marco said in a matter-of-factly tone. "It's in the rules, no display of punishment in view of public eyes." He sounded so sure, so promising, it was almost a relief until I realized how high the wall of flame was.
"Well, I'm not entirely in public view." I whimpered in literal fear of the flame.
I heard Marco give a hmph and hooked our arms together. "Your contract protects you from the worst damage unless punishment is with in the fit boundary, so why is he angry?"
I gave another whimper. "A fingertip kiss by the instructor."
"He's starting trouble again?" Marco exclaimed then groaned. "Of course he'd choose you to stir up trouble. Bill is the highest ranking demon right now." Just how much trouble did Norman stir up last time? Times? "We're going through the wall."
I glanced of my shoulder at him is shock. "What! Are you crazy?" I demanded. "I'm in trouble with a demon that can manipulate fire and you expect me to go through a wall of flame?"
He yanked on my arm at our locked elbows. "Yes since I'm protected by the next blood ruler of hell, literally the king of fire and hot tempers, trust me."
I looked to the wall of fire, it's monsters lurking inside it waiting to be commanded to attack, to the stands where my angry demon stared intensely, then to Marco again. I swallowed the remnants of my sanity and nodded. He pulled me to one part of the wall. "Tuck and roll!" Together we both jumped . . . . .