Layla sat on her bed, staring at the space where Esmeralda should've been. She hated being away from her, as it made her anxious and afraid.
Although she felt safe with the other gypsies in the Court of Miracles, she never felt complete, unless Esmeralda was there too.
When she heard the bleating of a goat, she sighed in relief and ran towards Djali, who was trotting towards her. Layla scratched his head affectionetly and looked up at Esmeralda, who was standing behind him.
"I was worried that you'd been caught" admitted Layla.
"I can outsmart those guards easily" replied Esmeralda, as she sat down on her own bed.
"I know you can. But I was still worried"
"I'm fine Layla. Besides, I had help, one of the men watching, helped to distract the guards. I managed to get away easily, and I was able to get all the money back, that we had earned"
"That'll please Clopin"
"Yes, it will".
Layla picked up Djali and sat him down on her bed. She then sat beside him, and stroked his fur.
"We've got to get back out there soon, Layla" said Esmeralda, a few minutes later.
"Already?" Questioned Layla.
Esmeralda nodded and clicked her fingers, causing Djali to jump down onto the floor.
"There are still a lot of hours in the day. Me and Djali need to make more money, but you need to stay inside" she replied.
Layla threw her head back down onto her pillow and groaned. "Lucky me".
"There is still a lot to do before the festival tomorrow. Clopin has told you to help make banners and posters" explained Esmeralda.
"Yippie" mocked Layla.
"You normally enjoy helping out. I thought you liked the Feast of Fools"
"I used to. Back when I thought we were celebrating ugliness, not mocking it. When I was younger I didn't understand the real purpose of the festival... but now I do".
"The purpose of the festival is to have fun. But the main reason we have the festival, is to raise money" insisted Esmeralda.
"Yeah, maybe" muttered Layla.
"The Festival of Fools, celebrates uniqueness, and being different"
"Maybe for you. You have it easy, you're not different. You are beautiful, and everyone loves to look at you".
Esmeralda sat beside Layla and pushed her hair behind her ear, revealing Layla's scars.
"You are beautiful" she promised.
"You always say that" replied Layla.
"Well it's true... Just forget about the festival tomorrow, and treat it as any other day. Sing your song, and collect money. That's all you have to do. And in a couple of days, everyone will have moved on"
"Alright"
"Good. Now, you stay and have fun, and I'll see you later"
"O.K. Bye Esme"
"Goodbye Layla".