The Little Cheeseboy

Chapter 3

The rest of Isabel's week is filled with an uncomfortable feeling swelling in her chest. Every time she sees the circus tents her mind wonders to the cheese boy and how the ringmaster had treated him eating a piece of him as it were nothing. She wondered if he was actually real, it couldn't be but it all looked like it, especially his bright green eyes that looked to be in so much anguish. She tries forgetting about it but she can't especially when she notices the circus giving another local performance. Her mind races and finally she parks Cherry again to go and see what the circus has in store. Maybe they'll bring out the cheese boy. The ringmaster stands elegantly addressing the crowd in excitement to attract a larger audience, Isabel stands in the middle tipping her self up to see what will be shown today.

"Ladies and gentleman as a taste to our circus we will now bring out one our select acts!" This makes Isabel's chest swell, maybe he'd bring him out. Yet to her disappointment, it's only the strong man lifting a very heavy weight. Her eyes droop down to the floor, until she feels someone watching her making her lift her head up only to see the ringmaster's gray eyes piercing into her blue ones. Isabel feels his eyes as they travel from her torso up to her face examining her as if trying to figure out her placement there. It sends a cold trickling sensation up her skin and in an anxious sweat she turns her heels before walking away back to Cherry and riding home after another day of deliveries. She arrives home to greet her father warmly, telling him about her day but excluding the details about the ringmaster to avoid any concern on his part. It isn't until there is a knock on the door that her mind cuts off from all her clouding thoughts. Her father is the first to stand leaving her sitting down trying to figure out who could be here at this hour.

"Isabel could you come here," her father's voice rings out, making her walk out only to meet the infamous ringmaster of the Outlander's Circus. He stands elegantly upright in his signature maroon suit and top hat whilst looking at her father before his eyes land on her examining her frame as he'd done earlier. Isabel shivers at the feeling of his eyes eating her up until he smiles formally at the two of them and her father's voice cuts her attention.

"Mr. Smitchz here was offering us a tour to the circus personally," her father tells her causing to Isabel flinch. Why on Earth would the owner of an important circus suddenly take interest in them? It didn't sit right with her.

"It would be an honor to show you and your daughter around Mr. Jones, since we'd like an honest review," he smiles making Isabel's eyes widen more in bewilderment. He wanted to show them around? But why them? She was sure there were more people in the audience even the mayor had been there that night so it didn't seem congruent he had chosen them.

Except he had.

Suddenly she can't contain herself as she eyes the man in front of her skeptically something not sitting right with her.

"May I know why you chose us?" She asks a little too bluntly but he doesn't seem to notice or care making his smile widen as if enjoying her lack of trust.

"Why you specifically captivated me with your odd complexion of beauty and well let's just say I was inspired to show you around besides it'd be good publicity," he hums taking her back at his audacity and also making her dislike him more. Mr. Jones also seemed a bit taken aback by the man's random statement until he handed him a pair of tickets.

"Please do come, in return I'll give you life time passes to my circus so please do. Would tomorrow evening work for you two? After the performances?" He asks chirpily making Isabel look at her father with concern, something about all of this didn't sit right. Regardless, her father somehow nodded with a smile before shaking Mr. Smitchz's hand in agreement, making Isabel step back a bit to create distance between the situation occurring in front of her.