It is now the next week, and we have resumed our performances. I am currently in my tent applying some subtle makeup in preparation for tonight's event.
Everything, including the relationship between Claude and me, has, for the most part, returned to its previous state.
When it comes to my opportunity with him, will we take another step forward or another step back?
I really hope that thing moves forward. I'm expecting tonight's show to be one of the most successful ones it's ever had, so my emotions have been all over the place.
Melissa, as well as The Circus Examiner, Is coming, and I'm worried that Claude will have to engage in sexual activity with her once more. It's not that he can't have sexual encounters with other women; I'm just secretly hoping that it will be me.
After applying powder to my face, I get up from my seat and proceed to put on my clothes.
Claude walks over to my tent as it opens and invites himself inside. I'm just wearing my underwear, which is white across the board.
He takes my clothes without my permission. "Melissa is in this room, and she is... If you're interested in striking a contract with me, he says, "I want you to answer that question."
He assists me in donning my garments.
"What precisely is it?" Once he's finished fixing up my clothes, I ask him to turn around.
"She inspects the Circus once a week when it is active in performing, and that once a week, she'll let us keep performing if I have sex with her those once a week that she checks the Circus."
"Why do you want me to make the decision?" "What do you want me to do?" I ask. "It's not like we are together or anything," she said. "It's not like that." I give a shrug as if I were in no discomfort at all.
It could be that the corset is breaking my heart, but I'm not sure which it is. My ribs are killing me.
"Do what you think is best for The Circus," I repeat to myself as I am currently doing my hair.
He says, "I don't exactly wanna fuck that slag once a week, but I don't wanna lose The Circus, it's all I possess." "I don't exactly wanna fuck that slag once a week."
I speak to you in a timid tone and say, "I can't come up with any reasonable solutions other than the only ones we have, so you should get Rose to make this decision."
He looks angry. "Fine."
He leaves the room. I let out a sigh as I follow behind him, but we run into each other just outside the tent. A slight trembling in the back.
I go behind him and move around him to be in front of him, where I put my hands on both of his arms.
"You Could Just Go To Where She Works And Say That She Is Bribing You With Sex So That You Can Keep Your Circus?" he said. I say.
He tells her, "Thanks, Doll, but her work is just as crazy, they wouldn't care that she's doing this so I can keep the Circus, and I don't really wanna do the other choice either," adding that he doesn't want to do the other option either.
"Is there no other option?" I ask. "She said that it's either have sex with her once a week or trade you off to another Circus, and that if she did the latter, she'd be getting rid of the star of the parade."
I tell her, "You are more like the star of the show, and I'm sure no one would even notice if I'd gone," and she laughs.
I squeal in pain as he raises his palm to my face and delivers a swift smack across it.
"Stop talking nonsense, Doll. You are the center of The Circus, and if you left, not only would everyone else leave, but no one would care about the Circus in the first place if you were gone. Is that the sole reason you've decided to keep me around then? Since I am the one who brings the customers and the money?"
"No Doll, you are precious to all of us, and our family isn't whole without you," he tells her.
I reply, "Just tell her that you will be handing me over to another Circus," and she nods her head.
He tells me, "No, you aren't fucking leaving," and I don't believe him.
"If I don't go, you have to sleep with her or we'll lose the Circus," I tell him. "If having all of you here to perform depends on me fucking that whore every day, then I will do whatever it takes," he said.
He gets up and leaves.
I go in his footsteps since the direction he is heading is the same one I should take. I overhear him start a conversation with Melissa, and while they are chatting, she hands him some documents...
When Claude tells me that "tonight we will be saying goodbye to one of our lovely performers," my stomach collapses into my chest.
Is it true that he exchanged me for anything else? I have to stand. It's giving my heart a workout. I didn't want to actually leave because I consider this location to be the one place I can truly call home because of how comfortable I am here.
My eyes start to water, and I walk out of the backstage area of the tent and depart by the rear door.
I can see Rose following close behind me. "Doll, it's going to be me going," she says as she grabs hold of my hand.
"What?" I can literally feel my eyes becoming bigger. She announces, "I'm going," and leaves. "No. Why?" "I offered to leave the Circus so that you wouldn't have to," she continues. "But you didn't take me up on my offer."
You're going to a different circus, aren't you? I ask. She responds with, "No, I am staying here; I just won't be performing, ever again."
I enquire, "Why?" "Melissa is unaware that I will not be participating in any of the performances, but... "The reason I took your place was because I am unable to perform at this point in time," she explains.
I enquire, "Why?" She cradles her abdomen in her hands. "Oh, my god!" they exclaimed. I put my hand over my mouth in an effort to suppress a squeal.
"I don't mean to offend you or anything, but who is the father of the child?"Surprisingly, surprisingly... It's Daggers, and he was trying to convince me that I'm not who I say I am, so that's why he went off at you and everything else like that. She continues, "More importantly, he didn't want to be mean to you or anything, and he wanted to apologize to you about that whole situation."
"I told him that was the shittiest thing a person can do, and that he should apologize to you, but he feels like every time he goes near you, he's going to get in trouble for it," she said. Even Claude is upset by what he has to say, so Claude nearly tears off his head because of what he has to say.
I respond by saying that "I was kind of expecting you to say Fernando was the father."
"No, we had drunk sex about four months ago," she adds. "It was with him." Dagger is only twenty years old while she is twenty-four years old, therefore she is a few years older than Dagger.
"But please don't tell anyone yet I haven't even told Dagger yet," she continues. "But please don't tell anyone else yet."
I say, "I didn't even know half of the Circus has fucked around with each other until last week," and I mean it. I didn't know it until last week. "Claude has not been touched by anyone... It's possible that you'll be the first," she teases.
She responds, "Well, no one in the Circus," to his question.
I tell him, "I'm going to miss performing with you," and he nods his head. I'm going to miss it just as much as you are, but as soon as this thing is released, I'm going to perform again.
I inquire as to "when are you going to tell Dagger?" "When he asks why i'm leaving," she adds. "When he asks why i'm leaving."