Spectacular! - ON HOLD

Chapter Three

The wardrobe container is nothing short of a treasure trove. Bolts of fabric spill out in a dazzling array of colors—pink taffeta, evergreen velvet, gold silk, cream chiffon, lavender satin, and black leather, all swirling together in an organized chaos of textures and shades. I stand at the threshold, wide-eyed, taking in the glittering wonder before me.

"Well?" Cyrus taps his foot impatiently, but there's a hint of pride in his voice. "What do you think?"

"I think..." I trail off as I take a step inside. "I think I've never seen anything so beautiful in all my life."

He chuckles, his amusement lighting up the room. "Wait until you see the glitter and sequins," he teases, wrinkling his nose as he dismisses a bin of polyester. "Jasira spends all day adding gems to our costumes. She's our official bedazzler."

I blink in disbelief. "You pay someone to bedazzle your outfits?"

Cyrus places his hands on his hips, his indigo shirt shimmering in the soft light. "Of course! I also pay someone to mend them, polish my boots, and press my coats. My job is 90% image and 10% magic. I've got a whole team devoted to making me look magnificent."

"It's all smoke and mirrors, isn't it?" I murmur, half to myself.

His expression softens, but there's a glint in his eyes as he steps closer, his presence suddenly more intense. "Smoke and mirrors are for cheap tricks and county fairs, Kenna," he says quietly. "The circus... the circus is where magic and mayhem collide."

A shiver runs down my spine as his words settle between us, and for a moment, I feel as though I'm teetering on the edge of something far greater than I can understand.

"Why the circus?" I ask despite the flutter in my chest.

Cyrus frowns, his brow furrowing. "What do you mean?"

"You could have performed anywhere," I say, my curiosity getting the better of me. "Why choose a traveling circus?"

He sighs, his gaze drifting toward the walls of fabric surrounding us. "I get restless," he says, his voice distant. "Staying in one place for too long... it suffocates me."

There's a pang in my chest, something that feels like a dull ache, and I press my hand over my heart, trying to understand why it hurts. "I feel like I'm forgetting something," I whisper, the sensation gnawing at the back of my mind.

Cyrus lets out a dramatic sigh, breaking the tension. "Your costume," he says with a wink. "That's why we're here, remember?"

"My costume?" I repeat, stunned. "Wait—am I performing tonight?"

"Alongside me," he replies, a mischievous glint in his eyes. "Yes."

"I-I don't think—"

"Then don't!" He waves a hand through the air, and the fabrics around us leap to life, swirling and twisting as if caught in a magical breeze. "I'm thinking... scarlet."

"For what?" I ask, my palms suddenly sweating.

"Your costume," he says, smirking as he taps the tip of my nose playfully. "Scarlet... with gold, I think. Yes, definitely gold. And perhaps some tassels on the shoulders, to match mine."

"Tassels?" I blink, trying to keep up with his enthusiasm.

He nods with exaggerated seriousness. "Only the finest tassels. Jasira will have you looking magnificent in no time."

Despite my nerves, I find myself laughing. Cyrus Hardgrove of Cyrus Hardgrove's Traveling Menagerie for the Magically Minded and Magnificently Curious is exactly how I pictured him—extravagant, dramatic, and utterly captivating.