Wrestling the Kraken

Bridgett

Bridgett

Bridgett stepped out of the cover of shadow and watched as Dante walked away. That look. The face he had, watching the theater... he would miss it. His mother was taking one of the most important parts of his life.

She had to decide. Was his own mother an obstacle? These favors kept getting more and more difficult. Resting her head back on the building, she turned her head up to the sky, noticing the slow drift of the clouds, growing ever dim. She gave a heavy sigh, then straightened up.

The ocean, the sky, all vast freedoms. Unobstructed, unhindered, and unattainable, far beyond her reach. Here, down on land, she was destined by gravity to live and play the cut-throat way.

Waiting for the next break in traffic, Bridgett grabbed her shopping bag from her purchase of Lanz's present. The last car drove by. She was clear. Taking out a bolt cutter from the bag, she got to work, breaking the lock free. It took some muscle, but she was able to get the lock cut open. Replacing the bolt cutter in her bag, she slipped through the gate, shutting it softly behind her. There was no one in the immediate area. Stopping at the edge of the building, she saw the equipment on the far side of the lawn.

"What do you think? Should I keep the mustache?" A voice said. It was close by.

She ducked, using the edge of the building as cover.

"Yeah, sure, why not?" Another voice replied.

She took her compact mirror out and angled it over the edge to see. Two guards were standing by the back door, talking casually.

" Is it shift change yet?" The guard with a mustache said.

"Not for another hour." The guard with no mustache replied.

"I'm going to need coffee to make it through that hour." Mustache said.

"Yeah, I could do with one too." No mustache agreed.

Bridgett watched them head inside, then put her compact away. As soon as they shut the door behind them, she rushed to the far side of the lawn. One tent was still up and when she walked inside, she could see that it was being used to store the luggages and trunks. Heading down rows upon rows of boxes, she ran a finger along them, stopping when a chill came over her. Her memory took her back eight years, facing a similar sight. Her heart beat faster as the image of a younger her, crouched behind a stack of boxes, trying to be as still as possible, listening to the voice, the footsteps approaching.

Snapping herself out of it, she shook the memory off. That was a long time ago. 'That was the beginning of your shackles.' The voices spoke up.

No, I had shackles long before that. And in any case, I don't need to complain about my role with Dante. He's done much more for me than I can ever repay. Bridgett argued with the haunting voices. She came to refer to them as the henchmen. Smaller obstacles she had to face, until the next meeting with the big boss. The Kraken. There was never any rest. Even when she was alone and had nothing to do, there was a battle to fight inside. Never any rest. Never any freedom.

Looking around, she needed a quick distraction and she opened up one of the trunks. Inside were some costumes, though none she had seen Vivanne wear. She held it up-- a pink beaded bodysuit, with a detachable tulle skirt, which only covered the back. Underneath, there was a red wig. She lifted it up, smoothing out the strands of hair.

Now she remembered where this outfit was from. A few years back, they had done a show with a fairyland backdrop for Valentine's day. It lasted through the whole month of February and only a few select cities were chosen for the show. I wonder if they were planning on doing that act again?

Then she remembered that soon, they would not be doing any acts thanks to Mrs. Rossini. The photos of the affair were meant as a stab at Vivanne and her increasingly slippery ways of getting what she wanted. Lately, it seemed like she wanted the whole thing and that just couldn't happen. This circus was Dante's and he would be the one to decide its fate.

Bridgett made up her mind. Another obstacle would have to go. She sighed, then what of Vivanne? Everytime she was supposed to be next, another obstacle would pop up. There was still that matter of figuring out who killed the first girl in Fox Hollow. Vito said it wasn't him and though she didn't offer her trust freely, she was inclined to believe him.

Rubbing her forehead, the thought of the aerial rig that Lanz showed her today crossed her mind. She had taken it for a test run. It was amazing to be up in the air. It was... freeing. As close to the sky as she could get- without angering gravity.

She looked back down at the costume and wig, biting her lip. Making up her mind, she placed both into her shopping bag and closed the trunk. Time to head back.