Star smiled as the smells of food wafted towards her and her stomach growled loudly causing her to blush again as she looked around making sure no one heard her stomach, and took a deep breath to relax.
"It's too noisy in here, there is no way anyone heard that." She smiled and walked over to the line where the food was being served. She looked around her as she picked up a piece of bread watching a group of nearby musicians playing and drinking together.
"My family."
"Cough, cough."
The sound of the coughing brought her back and she looked at the cook who was holding the plate of meat and vegetables and a bowl of soup for her looking annoyed.
"Sorry," she mumbled quickly taking the plate and bowl from the cook and kept her red face down looking at the ground.
"Hey Star, come and sit with us tonight, instead of you eating alone, we need to celebrate."
She turned and smiled at the group and joined their small circle.
"That was a great show tonight Star, you have really become your own shining star."
She blushed and nodded her head replying, "not as good as Agnia yet, but she has taught me well."
The others looked at her and smiled. "Yes, she taught you well, but as you know we clowns are very good at listening and we heard Red calling you a master archer."
The female clown winked at her causing Star to blush again, smiling while eating a piece of roasted potato. An acrobat with short blond hair spoke loudly.
"Leave her alone, Sals, she gets it enough from the crowds, here she is our sister, and we should treat her as one." Star smiled and nodded at the acrobat.
The acrobat looked at Star, "Do you think Red will give you your own segment soon, as the rumors say that Agnia is going to stop performing and focus on the managing of the circus?"
Star shook her head. "Agnia would go insane if she stopped performing, she loves people staring and watching her."
She ate in silence listening to them talk among themselves and laughed at their jokes. She watched as another acrobat walked over to their group handing out a mulled wine and fruit filled pastry which made her eyes open wide. She quickly ate the small fruit pastry smiling at the others in the group who started to laugh at her.
"The amazing star of our show, yet still gets food on her face like a child." The others laughed as she quickly wiped her face and looked at the clown.
"You need to keep your clown makeup on, or someone might try and feed you a banana."
The others in the circle started laughing loudly while the clown looked at her in surprise and laughed so hard, they fell backwards off their chair, causing her to laugh as well.
The clown stood up and did a funny bow towards her, "we're in the presence of the queen of insults."
She laughed as the other clowns and acrobats did the same bow, and then they all sat back down making fun and teasing each other.
"Thank you for letting me join you, however it is time for bed."
She yawned loudly as she stood up, walked over to the cleaning section, washed her plate and glass and left the noisy mess hall walking towards the quiet section of the dorm rooms.
"I have been down this path so many times, that I can also walk this with a blindfold on." She smiled as she spoke to herself.
She yawned while looking up at the tunnel roof.
"What time is it?"
She yawned again as she turned another corner and arrived at the dormitory section of the circus. She walked to her room and opened the door turning on the light battery inside letting the room fill with gentle light.
She looked at the bed with a smiled and fell onto it instantly falling into a deep slumber.
"Boom! Boom! Creak!"
"What was that?" She woke up to a loud rumbling sound coming from outside, she quickly opened the door and quickly went to the edge of the dorm section to see a large transporter carrying fire batteries and fire rockets moving slowly towards the main arena.
"Moving rockets at this time?" She called out angrily.
The driver of the transporter looked at Star and chuckled calling out to her loudly, "hey, it is not a good idea walking around like that."
She looked down at what she was wearing he face turning red and quickly went back into her room closing the door behind her panting.
"I hope others didn't see me look like this as well, a bath will help I think."
She looked at herself in the bathroom mirror and laughed at what she saw.
"I would laugh too, if I saw this mess, Agnia would faint if I went out looking like this."
Her short brown hair was a mess, and the clothes she wore were not changed from the show and were all crinkled from sleeping in them. She turned on the battery to heat up the water and started to have a bath soaking in the warmth of the water letting her muscles relax.
After the bath she got dressed into some fresh normal clothes, looked at herself in the mirror smiled. "Now, that is a lot better, now off to see what Red and Agnia have for me."
She closed her dorm room door behind her and walked towards Red's office with a smile on her face.
"Life at the circus here is amazing, there are always people awake at all times doing something, it's never quiet not even for a moment."
As she stood at the large ornately decorated doors to Red's office, she smiled and knocked on one of the large doors waiting for it to open. After a moment the large door opened, and she walked into Red's office with a slight skip in her step. Red was sitting behind his large wooden desk and looked up smiling at her.
"So fast, it was thought you would come here tomorrow, but now is OK as well."
He stood up smiling and pointed at a small package that was sitting on the far corner of his's desk. Behind him was a large map that covered all Athlos, she looked at the large map behind his desk smiling.
"Your map always is fascinating, it is very beautiful and very detailed. It must of taken a very long time for it to be made."
He put his hands on his large stomach and smiled, "This circus has traveled all over Athlos, however the rainy city of Eternia is the one that wanted us to stay, hence we're here and here we'll stay."
She picked up the package and smiled at him as he stepped towards her, "this gift may not be very big, but it is from our hearts."
She opened the package smiling and looked at the folded piece of parchment. She unfolded it and gasped in surprise and hugged him who chuckled and hugged her back.
"It's only a small copy, but it's yours."
She looked at the parchment and smiled, "this map is a perfect gift, it will be treasured greatly."
She folded it up and placed it into one of her pockets and hugged him again."What is the gift for exactly?"
He stood back from her and smiled.
"You could say it is a gift for no longer being an apprentice archer, but now a master."
He then raised a finger smiling.
"Also, it's a gift for being here in the Eternia circus for five years."
She smiled, "wow, has been that long already, time sure passes so fast."
He nodded and went back to sit at his desk, "You are like a sister to Agnia, you have helped her a lot over these few years."
He pointed at the posters and photos of Agnia posted around the office advertising the circus. He turned and looked at her chuckling.
"Before you arrived, she had one very short temper, and she also has the strength that can kill a man with a blow." He looked at her smiling, "yet with you here, you have helped her calm down a lot and control her anger a little better, but she still shows her claws from time to time."
She smiled, "if it wasn't for her coming and teaching me the ropes, then my life would not know all of these people that I can call my family."
Tears were starting to well up in her eyes.
"You should go get some rest, there are a few meetings that have to be done before I am finished for the day." Red said with a giant smile on his large face.
She nodded and bowed her head towards him who was already focused on his paperwork, she stepped out of the office, as the large wooden doors closed behind her with a quiet thud.
"My own map, even though it's small it's a start for me to plan my future travels." Her eyes shining with determination and happiness. She wiped the tears that were forming and looked around.
"What should I do, I'm not tired…..." She smiled, "I know, I want to go to my spot and listen to the rain fall."
She started to walk towards the tunnel that would lead to the arena floor.
As she arrived at the arena, she stood with her hand on the tunnel exit just staring at the arena floor for a moment smiling.
"My family works here I am happy and home here. Now to start climbing up to my spot."
She started to walk up the stone steps in the tunnel, with a hop and a jump. "I'm home, I really am home." She wiped a tear from her eyes and kept walking up the stone stairs until she reached the top.
She stepped out on the stone platform and smiled as she looked at the high wires and acrobat rings sitting there ready for the next show. She walked to the edge of the platform, laid on it and looked over the edge staring at the arena floor smiling.
"Now time to listen to the rain," she rolled onto her back and stared at the roof of the dome raising her hands to the roof imaging the rain falling on her fingers and hands, she closed her eyes.
"Tap, tap, tap, tap"
"Who's in the arena, there shouldn't be anyone here yet," she whispered as she felt her concentration broken, and her curiosity building.
"I can't see anyone down there, what has happened, just a moment ago I could… It's like a giant storm cloud has formed in the arena, and I can't see anything..."
"Tap, tap"
A person appeared on the platform looking at her with his finger over his mouth. She nodded and watched as he peered over the edge and watched what was happening below.
"Hey, you're from the fire rocket team," she whispered.
He ignored her and kept looking into the darkness below.
"What nerve," She looked at him for a moment, "you can see what is happening down there?"
He didn't stop looking at the arena floor, "keep quiet, we've been watching them for years waiting for them to make a move, and I don't want you to ruin this for us. If you want to see, then open your eyes and look for yourself."
He turned and looked at her, which caused her to let out a surprise gasp, "your eyes are the same as mine, who are you?" He looked back at the ground, "another time we'll talk, now there is no time."
She turned and looked back at the main stage, and tried to look through the darkness. Looking frustrated that she couldn't see into the darkness, but she smiled when she was able to hear something come from the darkness.
"Here finally........give back......…he wants us...…...got mission......"
"AAAAAAARRRRRRRGHHHHHHHH!"
A sudden large flash of red shot out through the darkness followed by a large ball of heat which shook the balcony where they were laying. She felt the air forced from her lungs as she was pushed back and landed with a thud against the wall of the stone steps.
"What…..... was...…that? What… happened?"
She slowly stood back up recovering her breath and looked at the stranger who just calmly dusted themselves off and walked down the stone staircase.
"Wait...what is going on?"
He stopped halfway turned and faced her who was still looking dazed and leaning against the railing of the staircase recovering her breath.
"There is more happening here then what meets the eye, when you leave here go to the Stormy mountain, you'll find answers there."
He turned and ran down the stairs disappearing into the darkness below.
"Why... You..." She cursed under her breath staring at the stranger angrily.
After she recovered her breath she stood up and dusted herself off cursing at the same time. She looked at the platform.
"What happened down there?" She walked out on the platform and laid on the platform looking through the dust that was starting to settle down. The color drained from her face.
"AAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRGHHHHHHH!"