MALLORY

Chapter Three

The new town we performed at was called Mesa. It was huge. Large walking strips and lots of shops- 'Catering For All Of Your Needs'- even a shop just for children's toys. The purpose of that, I wasn't sure. Little tin toys had the value of an orange pip to me.

Pip had been training a lot, and I don't think she realised how much she was going to have to practice before she was able to come and be a circus star like me. She didn't know that being in the circus is no easy job. Admittedly, she was very determined, and she nearly practised for whole days without breaks. If it wasn't for Ma telling her to stop, she would've gone through the night.

Also contrary to what I expected, she could eat and breathe fire, and she wasn't bad at it either. Old Ma had to fashion her some homemade fire sticks because Pip hadn't brought any with her, and as she explained it 'joining was a very last minute thing' and 'she hadn't time to go home and get them'. I think that Old Ma had had some experience making them before though, because they were sturdy but light and very very nice looking sticks. It wasn't some old rough job that just anyone would be able to do.

I had taken the liberty of giving my tent to Pip. Although it was something I had planned on using during the summer, I figured that I'd probably warm up to Pip a lot quicker if we weren't stuck in the same living space together. And my theory was kind of working. Over a week I hadn't gotten to know her any more than I did on her first night. Not to anyones fault, of course, it was just because we both were getting ready for the opening night, and I also was trying to avoid her. I think she was trying to avoid me too.

As the week had gone by, though, I learnt it wasn't only me who hadn't taken a liking to Pip. Jez, Honey and Jimmy and even O'Donovan weren't big fans of her. Jez said she was too floaty, and she pranced around like she was still rich. She said it in such spite that I was almost convinced Jez was jealous of Pip. Little did she know that Pip was still very rich, and that I'd seen her gold coins with my own two eyes. Jimmy said that he thought she was too boyish and too smart. She backchat and had too much wit for his liking. He liked his girls soft and giggly, like Honey and Jezebel, not hard and prickly, like Pip was. I was coming to terms with Pip's boyishness though. I mean, she wasn't even that boyish. She was just educated. Unlike Jezebel and Honey.

I was thinking about all of this as I was sharpening my knives. I knew Pip was across the tent from me. I could feel her looking at me. I ignored her. I focused harder on my knives, but my sharpening stone was nearly finished and I would have to walk over and get a new one, and coincidentally the rock box was right near where Pip was. Begrudgingly I stood up, the knives had to be done, and walked over stiffly. I don't know why I was so awkward around her.

"Hey, Jack?"I heard Pip's voice as I bent over and picked up a stone. I stood back up slowly and gave her my best fake smile.

"What?"

"Look, I don't want to seem forward, or nosy," She took a breath. "But, is there are reason that the twins and Jimmy don't like me? I don't know if I've done anything wrong or..." Pip trailed off. She had a small tinge of sadness in her eyes and my heart fell right out of my chest and started wriggling on the floor.

Not literally, but I did feel a bit bad. I never got the frosty looks Pip did, mostly because I came when I was little and no one would ever mistreat a seven year old -or they were afraid I'd knife them- but Pip was a feisty seventeen year old and the first person to join this circus in many years. It was probably hard for her, coming here all alone, I thought. Seventeen years of growing up in a town is harder to leave than eleven.

"No one doesn't like you." I lied. "Look, I know what its like. Coming here is hard, especially if you're really new. But trust me, the paranoia will leave you soon enough. I bet you after opening night everything will be fine!"