Delusions of the Mind

Day 2- Playing with Knives

The time spent with Emilia yesterday had put my concerns to ease for now. Helping Ben sort out the knives for his practice later tonight. Stopping to admire two small silver blades, with light brown handles. Their weight perfectly balancing on each of my index fingers, fitting my hands as if made to be there. I had been curious about knife throwing since I had seen Ben’s last performance. The elegance of the silver sailing through the air towards his intended target, always narrowly missing his beautiful assistant.

“You could always join us tonight at practice.” Ben remarked.

“I have never thrown a knife before, what if I injure someone?” I ask, looking back to the silver blades.

“You can’t hurt anyone. We will make sure that each of our assistants are out of your way.” Ben replied, pulling out a Jian from the crate, setting it aside. The swords were a different kind of story for me, as I was even terrified of the sword-swallowers.

“As long as your positive about keeping the assistants out of my way I would love to join you for practice tonight.” I state, peeling my eyes from the blades finally.

“Good, I’ll ensure that those daggers are sharp.” Ben replied, grinning at me. Patting my back as he took the knives from my hands.

Leaving Ben with his knives, as I go in search of the blue juggling pins I was missing. How they went missing after only being here one day, I wouldn’t have been able to tell you. I had thought for sure I had packed the pins in question. Running into Maverick, coming from my small section of the warehouse. Maverick and I had never got along well. The sheer anxiety, that rose from the core of my stomach, made me stop to observe what he was doing. Simply coming from my corner was no crime, but the way he was looking around, being cautious, is what made my interest in him rise.

Waiting until he was gone from my line of sight, I slowly crept forward to check. Indeed, the coast was clear, Maverick had disappeared as quickly as he had appeared. Starring around at my items, noticing that nothing was missing, which meant I could avoid a fight with Maverick for now. Voices floated through the air, as steps grew louder coming in my direction. Who could be looking for me now?

“Evan!” An angry voice carried over the quick footsteps. My heart sinking as I knew that voice.

“Yes! I’m over here by my own items.” I reply quickly, hoping that my hunch was wrong. That ringmaster Ariella wasn’t coming my way.

Ringmaster Ariella had a reputation for being a b***h, not only that, but also because she clearly had favorite performers and I was not one of them. The short black-haired, olive-skinned woman suddenly appeared before me. f**k, I thought, only one word to sum up my current meeting with her. This wasn’t about to be good.

“I heard you are going around and stealing other performers items.” Ariella stated, not moving her eyes from mine, as she crossed her arms over her chest.

“What item has gone missing? Whose item, was it?” I inquired. If I was going to be accused, I might as well get answers.

“Maverick just came to me, and told me you stole a personal memento, given to him by his mother. Hand it over, and we can drop the whole accusation. Failure to do so will result in a suspension of your act.” Ariella replied, a wicked grin spreading across her face.

This woman knew how to abuse power and get away with it easily. “I don’t have anything of Mavericks, Ariella. I would appreciate it if you would leave me out of attempting to steal some meaningless piece of jewelry.” I reply, setting up my standard issued pins to practice.

Feeling the weight of each pin individually, before tossing them up into the air one at a time. Catching them in my left hand, passing to my right, and back into the air, forming a circle with the three pins I was using. Ariella still standing in front of me, a death glare that could have bore a hole right through me. I wasn’t about to let her stop me from my own practice. Keeping an eye on my rotating pins, as I watched Maverick walk over to a small trunk, that I usually kept all my pins in, pulling out a small white and silver locket.

“I told you he had it Ariella. If he didn’t have it then how does he explain this being in his trunk?” Maverick asked, trying to frame me for something he had obviously planted within my items.

“That item wasn’t there earlier today. I never had your item, you simply planted it while I helped Ben sort through the crate housing all of our sharp objects!” I retort, letting the pins fall to the ground with a light thump.

“I couldn’t have planted it, if I didn’t know you weren’t here!” Maverick yelled, feigning innocence. This bastard really knew how to get on someone’s nerves! The more time I spent around him, the more I wish he would just leave the circus, except now I was locked down with him!

“You knew I was out, because I caught you sneaking out of my area when I came back from helping Ben!” I shouted, hearing something small crack around me. It was a voice, a man’s voice I had never heard before, but sounded faint, as if far away, “He deserves what you do to him! He’s scum!”

Looking around ensuring that it was still only Ariella, Maverick, and myself within the area around us. No one else was here, so who’s voice was that? Shaking my head, turning my attention back to the matter at hand, I would have to figure out who’s voice that was later, right now Ariella would need to go talk to Ben to back up my story.

“Ariella, if you don’t believe me, you can go ask Ben yourself. I was over there with him, he even invited me to practice tonight.” I explain, pointing at the far corner, where Ben was still standing loading all the swords back into the wooden crate.

“Why so Ben can lie for you?” Maverick sneered.

“Ben wouldn’t lie for anyone, and we all know that!” I reminded Maverick, who was still sour over Ben not covering for him the last time he had asked him to.

“Just because Ben will not lie for me, doesn’t mean he won’t lie for someone he enjoys spending his time with.” Maverick retorted sourly.

Ben and I had come from similar backgrounds, we understood each other’s pain unlike our fellow performers. They had always thought that we had gotten tired of small-town life, when we had just gotten tired of having people control our every move. Yet, here stood Maverick, and Ariella, two power crazed maniacs attempting to make someone’s life hell again.