Chapter 9

Alex admired the view out of the window, he wasn’t tired, too much had happened the night before. However, he did appear to be managing, Quinn may be freaky but, then again he could be worse.

The view wasn’t amazing, but it had certain charm, if you ignored the smell and other things bad about this place. He could learn to like it.

The gentle rocking of the building was almost hypnotic, he should have been terrified about the rocking, but it wasn’t frightening it was relaxing.

He yawned and watched as a military vessel sailed off for war. He knew no more than five men would return, then after a period of three weeks recovery, they’d be sent off again… to die.

Alex sighed in boredom, and looked around the decrepid warehouse. Quinn had all his spoils in one corner but the warehouse was vast. He decided to walk about the warehouse. It was an immense room, with rows of skylights, boarded or broken. Slivers of moonlight shining down from the ceiling, creating a dreamlike atmosphere.

He began to examine the shelves nearest him. He found a dusty crossbow and almost speared his hand with a bolt. He pulled his hand out quickly and laughed nervously. This time he took the box down. He found an old photo lying at the bottom. Alex drew up the picture and held it. It was a girl with beautiful blond locks of hair, tied up. The girl had bright-bright blue eyes, and was smiling shyly. She wore a beautiful violet skirt that reached to her knees. A white short sleeved top, but one Alex had never seen anywhere in the town. She was barefoot and her hands were by her side. Oh… this looked like Quinn… so maybe, it was his sister. Alex wondered.

He looked at the photo, she sure had been pretty and so like Quinn the resemblance was uncanny. He wondered maybe if the girl Quinn had told him about had been this girl.

Suddenly the warehouse seemed quiet, no noises, he hesitated and turned around suddenly feeling very alone. Quinn was somewhere he knew, but… It seemed a deadly silence… He looked down at his hand, clutched in tight vice-like grip was the photo. His whole arm was shaking. What was it about the dark that made him nervous and shaky? Was it the seemingly never-ending appearance of it? Was it some repressed memory? Alex couldn’t understand why he feared the dark so, the mutated everyday shadows, the stony silence of the night. He knew Tea’s fear. She had been very claustrophobic. It was part of the reason she had undid her hair and let it fly, she hated boundaries, physical and mental. She had once slept outside under the stars, because her caravan had been too small she had complained. Why now was he thinking of her now of all things, she was dead and as much as he wanted her to come back she wasn’t going too.

Alex sat staring at the stars, it was said that there were tens of thousands. So many dots creating beautiful night skies – outshined only by the iridescent moon.

He tried to remember a time he’d not been arrogant, where instead of himself his parents were admired by thousands. One memory stirred. Tea had just turned sixteen and he was fourteen. Alex remembered this clearly now. He closed his eyes and began.

He was sitting in the stands; Tea was sitting next to him smiling, wearing a blue dress, her hair was as per usual loose. He watched with child-like curiosity as clowns and animals filled the ring. Tea had made them quickly leave, but he could never understand why. Though they stayed -yes, it was only after an event that angered Tea they left. She smiled at how he kept asking when Mum and Dad were coming on? Alex remembered all the people who came; he couldn’t remember what he was wearing himself.

He sat enjoying the show, eagerly awaiting his parent’s performance. Tea had begun flirting with a tall teenager boy with exceedingly short light brown hair. Alexzander knew she was bored, and wasn’t at all serious, but for now the guy was loving this attention. He smiled at her and watched as a clown fired another out a cannon. Alex loved the circus, he lived there and he loved being with Tea, most people he was told by now would hate each other, but so far, they just watched their parents perform. She was his best friend, always looking out for him. If anyone ever criticized him for being best friends with her, he’d laugh and smile smugly.

A silence filled the tent. He saw his parents enter the ring and watched with fascination as they both scaled a different pillar with cat like grace the acrobat leotards dazzling brightly.

The ringmaster walked out to the ring and boomed, “Next tonight, we shall have The Flying Yeasa’s!”

Alex dad took a quick bow and balanced on the seat of the trapeze with his feet while it swung. He jumped and grabbed the ropes of the trapeze. The father used his arms to stay up and swung round. Alex watched his mother jump to same trapeze his father was on.The trapeze rocked like an unusual pendulum. Then they both swung and leapt forward landing on opposite sides. Alex watched with little shock; while he saw the boy Tea had been flirting with gaping at his parent, mouth wide open and eyes bewildered, Alex sniggered.

Tea grinned at Alex and asked, “Alex--- You want to congratulate them?”

Alex smiled back and nodded, she turned round and stood up helping him navigate out the stands and down the stairs. Alex hopped and stepped over legs trying not to trip and fall; as they got downstairs she was just leading them over to their parents when the ringmaster came out of nowhere.

She sighed and tried to move away from him, but he kept blocking the way. In the end, she muttered an oath and sighed loudly. The ringmaster stood and leered at her. Alex shivered and watched. As they talked he heard Tea saying, “you’re drunk, and I’m not a whore so get lost!”

The ringmaster winked and Alex heard in reply, “I know, but come on, wouldn’t you rather a real man?”

Tea muttered sarcastically, “Sure! Go find me one!”

Alex couldn’t believe what happened next, (it still angered him to this day, people had still been in stands and yet he still had done it). The ringmaster turned round, slapped her, and stuck his hand up her top. What Alex remembers was the angriest he ever saw her, if looks could kill... Alex could of swore timed stopped as she stared at him incredulously, before she yanked his arm out from under her shirt kicked, punched and slapped him, screaming, “Fuck off worm!”

The ringmaster fell with this assault but was up within a seconds, quickly grasping her neck tightly.

Alex had rushed up and shouted, “Don’t dare harm her you…”

The ringmaster had near crushed her windpipe when he stopped dead; and loosens the grip. He turned round to face Alex. Tea smiled at him and fell to the ground in a useless lump.

The ringmaster had turned to Alex and laughed, “Awwww how sweet, defending your sister, wouldn’t you rather be the favorite the oldest?”

Alex shook his head and begun to walk away, the ringmaster yelled back, "You always have to be the hero, the oldest, don't you?"

Alex turned round and looked at him, the ringmaster continued, “Wouldn’t you just like it if you were the favorite, the one who was admired by thousands?”

Alex walked back, the ringmaster smiled sinisterly and continued, “What would you say if I could promise you all this?”

Alex sure couldn’t help agreeing with this, but was it wrong? He was younger yet he had to protect her, where was the logic within that?

The ringmaster had then continued, “Of course we let your parents think both the children get glory.”

Part of Alex had been saying don’t listen, but as long as he didn’t let the power corrupt him he’d be okay, right?

He turned round and took one look at her gasping on the floor, at that point, he decided - Alex realized if he always have to save her, where would that leave him? He shook the ringmaster hand and agreed.

Tea had turned around, seeing this, and had wept.

Alex couldn’t understand why of all times he remembered this, she was dead. He wondered if when that he had let himself be corrupted, had he lost his love for her as a sister soon after. Nothing made sense, nothing.

He sighed and looked down at the hand gripping the photo crumpled and sweat drenched. Alex unclenched his fist and dropped the photo back in the box, he felt suddenly tired.

Alex turned and left going a bit when suddenly he heard someone. Turning around he saw a silhouette of Quinn lift the photo out of the box and stare. Then after five minutes drop it back in and return box to the shelve.

He gawped at where Quinn had been before and wondered if he was missing something. Alex sighed and went to his bed.