The Black Snow Circus

A Meeting So Unwanted

Me and Eric giggled as we snuck into Tara's tent. Everywhere there were computers, phones, anything electronic. We put our finger to our lips and shushed each other. I pulled out a small bottle from my pocket, and moved to the glass of water by Tara's bed. I knew she drank water every morning as soon as she woke up, I didn't know why though. I twisted the cap off of the small bottle, and put five drops into the water. It had no smell, so she wouldn't notice anything until she took a sip. I could barely hold back my laughter, and Eric put some secret cameras in the tent, and then we left. We then went to the dining area where we all ate, and put more camera. We then went to my tent, putting up more cameras, knowing she'd come to my tent first. We snickered like crazy. Then, we heard her slight scream, and we bursted into laughter, and we ran, laughing as we did. We headed for the town, far away from the camp already. We giggled and cackled, and arrived in the town. We dashed into an alleyway. The sun was barely able to be seen, so not a single soul was awake nor stirring. As we thought, there was a hole in a wall. It was a old town, so we expected there to be at least one. We dived in, laughing a lot. As soon as I thought we were done, we looked at each other and bursted into laughter again.
"Circe, you are a damn genius. I haven't laughed this hard since the last prank we pulled!" Said Eric, his face red with tears of laughter.
"Of course i'm a genius, how long have we been friends?" I giggle. Eric replies "3 years, right? You joined when you were 11, I joined around the same time as you. Fate would have it that we would become partners!" I nod
"Right on the ma-" I go quiet, and my smile widens. "Ooo...we have a "guest," isn't that fun?" I say. Eric's eyes widen slightly. I look out slowly, and there is the same exact man that I had met after I had been attacked. Eric's smile began to match mine. The man spoke "I know you are there, Circe and Eric, members of the Top Five of the Clear Water mafia. Come out"
My eyes widened, so this is who Carlene had been snitching on us to. I wondered what they wanted. I moved my hand to my knife, but Eric gave me a look. Maybe this would end...peacefully, which I hated. I peeked my head out of the wall, a crazed look in my eyes. I stepped out and gave a cheery "Hello again, long time no see!" And Eric followed out behind me. He was obviously more cautious than me. Then again, everyone was. The man was dressed like last time, covered up to everything but the eyes. Those cold eyes stared into us. The man began to speak "I am Fish of the Blood Clam Group, a group of criminals one of you in the Mafia is familiar with. I have been ordered to give you an...idea to put in your heads."
At the mention of the group, my smile didn't even falter, but I felt more of an urge to kill this man in front of me.
" And what "idea" is that?" Eric spoke suddenly. He'd noticed. Somehow, Eric always knew when my desire to kill was...larger. And he knew that if he didn't stop this soon, the entire town would become a town of bodies. It had happened more times than I could count, and I always had endless nightmares of Valia for months after, though Eric didn't know that. I could practically feel this "Fish" smile as he said "Why, for you to abandon the mafia and join us of course! If you did th-" he was cut off by a knife being thrown at him. My arm was still outstretched. My eyes were more crazed, and I had stopped smiling. I tilted my head "Don't" I said, my tone not cheery like before "Continue that sentence." The mans eyes widened. He wasn't expecting this, more than likely. I noticed Eric tap the watch four times. He knew what was coming, but it wouldn't do much. "Oh, I heard a rumour not long ago, you mind confirming it for me? That the men in this town all dominate the woman, able to kill them without punishment?" I said to "Fish" who narrowed his eyes and answered " Yes, that's true."
"And yet you, the group that controls this town from underneath, hasn't done anything to stop it?" Eric slowly started to back away, tapping his watch more frantically, muttering so only I could hear "Tara, Jack, Carlene, hurry up...you know what a quadruple tap means!" I also heard him mutter a prayer. And I slowly walked towards "Fish" who was beginning to back away as well. I couldn't hide my murderous intent. "So, you want me, a woman, to join a group that lets woman be treated like objects? Asking ME to abandon the Mafia, which I call home? The place that took me and my brother in?" Oh, no no no no you didn't try and invite me into the group," Eric tried to speak up and say "Circe...calm down..please" He was almost begging, but his voice was muffled to me, like a singer who's mic turned off. I heard the tapping of footsteps, and Jack and Tara were there, and following behind was Carlene, blood staining her everywhere, with a white patch that had blood coming through. She glared at me, but stopped once she saw I wasn't smiling. Tara called out
"Circe...breath." Even Jack was pale, even though we were naturally pale as twins, he'd become white as snow. He slowly stuttered
"C-Circe...sister, you have got to calm down. Do you want us to get punished?"
I couldn't hear them. But I managrd to hear Eric mutter "Well, whatever god I just prayed to, must hate my guts" Other than that, all I heard was the quick breathing of the man in front of me. His eyes were cold, but I saw the hidden fear in them. You see, there's an unspoken rule among all of the criminal underworld in our country. Do NOT, at any circumstance, piss off Circe of The Clear Water Mafia. I have a nickname that's known throughout every criminal organization. I am "Circe, The Blood-Stained Cat"
"Do you wish to know why they call me Circe, the Blood-Stained Cat?" Directing it at "Fish." Eric, Tara, Jack, and Carlene had already vanished. I could hear the breathing of him. "Well, you're about to find out, and regret making this meeting, and make it a meeting so unwanted.