Tightrope [Lapidot]

The Show

Peridot's POV:

Excited roars escaped from the crowd as Mr. Smiley announced the new performer. "Now! For our one and only tightrope walker! Give it up for Lapis Lazuli!" With a sigh and nothing else to keep me entertained, I decided to peek sneakily from behind the tent's cloth.

The main light shone from above and onto the performer who stood on a single rope attached to two pillars. Naturally, seeing someone so high up on an unstable rope made my heart spike. But I knew that this performer was chosen for a reason; they must know what they're doing.

I took a closer look at the performer as they stretched their arms in the air, using their feet lightly as they tread the rope, one step after another. I adjusted my glasses as I squinted upward. A few seconds later, I pulled back in surprise. That must have been the person I saw from the corner of my eye. She seemed to have short, dark blue hair, a naturally slim figure, and beautifully tanned skin. "Lapis Lazuli, huh?" I told myself softly as I eyed her from below. Her posture seemed very elegant and flexible, which would make sense when it came to tightrope walking.

The performer did all kinds of tricks, jumping on the rope, doing splits in the air, and landing perfectly on the rope again. She balanced on her hands, curling her legs to her stomach and back. I must say, I'm impressed that anyone was able to do this; surely, with proper practice and determination, one would be able to accomplish such a stunt, but it still entranced me how this performer moved and danced on the rope like a leaf in the wind.

The act felt to be way shorter than the rest of the acts I've listened to. Perhaps it was because I was actually paying attention to this act. The audience cheered and went wild as the performer leaped down, being caught by two other trapeze flyers who soared through the air effortlessly. I couldn't help but feel disappointed that the only act I had been interested in had ended. I glanced over to where the tightrope performer had disappeared behind the central stage, trying to look past the benches to perhaps get one more look at the performer, but I was unsuccessful. I groaned softly as the other acts passed me by, hearing the crowd blabbering "ooh!" and "awh!" I found nothing that caught my attention like the tightrope walker; I just couldn't pinpoint why.

The last performance was by a fire breather, but I didn't bother to pay much attention to their act; instead, I scrolled on my phone and only wished I could go home soon. Not long after, the final cheers were heard from the crowd as all the performers came on stage and took their bows for everyone watching. I quickly glanced over the seats closest to the stage, trying to peer at the tightrope walker.

Unfortunately, I was too late to get a clear view of her, as she was standing at the back, facing the other way for the people on the other side of the tent. I frowned, giving up and taking out my phone to check the time: 20:41 PM. I hid my phone in my pocket, grabbed the cleaning equipment, and made my way to the decomposed, urine-smelling caravan, taking in one big breath and holding it until I was out of there, safe and sound.

I gasped as I reached for fresh air; it felt like my face was turning blue as I held my breath for that long. With my hands on my knees and breathing heavily, I decided to take out my phone once again, checking if Amethyst had said anything or if my parents had replied to any of my messages. I continued to saunter forward, my eyes glued to my screen. Being so focused on my phone, I hadn't noticed the huge bundle of people in front of me.

Suddenly, I felt someone's elbow slam against my nose, causing me to fall to the ground. I closed my eyes and held my nose, rubbing it aggressively to ease the pain. "Look where you're swinging that thing, you clod!" I accused angrily. As I turned my glare towards the person looming above me, I gasped softly at the sight. "Oh, I'm sorry. Here," The performer said as she lent me a hand to pull me up. I hesitated but accepted the offer to be pulled upward quickly.

I quickly adjusted my glasses and stared at the performer nervously. This was the same tightrope walker who had caught my interest. Wow, she's even more astonishing up close. Her skin was smooth, she had light freckles, and dark blue eyes. I snapped out of my trance when I realized that she was staring back at me with a confused expression. "I, uh..." I spoke softly under my breath, holding my phone close to my chest.

"You're not supposed to be back here, you know?" the performer said softly as she tilted her head sideways. "I'm one of the cleaners... I mean, for now, I'm just here for service community, I mean, community service." I stumbled over my words nervously. "Oh! My bad, I thought you were one of those people who always want to get a picture with their favorite performer. They're so annoying," I heard her say under her breath, not meeting my gaze. "I-I'm Peridot Green, by the way," I said quickly as I stuck out my hand to be shaken.

The performer turned her gaze to mine, eyeing my hand before taking it and shaking it. "I'm Lapi-" She couldn't finish her introduction as I jumped in between her words. "Lapis Lazuli, I know. I heard," I said quickly with a nervous chuckle, letting go of her hand. Lapis tilted her head once again, wearing a smug expression. "So you were watching?~" Lapis questioned teasingly as she placed her hand on her hip. Right then and there, I felt my throat close up, struggling to swallow, and I immediately became stiff. What was I doing?

"I, uh, I-I am done with my work, so I decided to, you know, just..." I struggled to speak, fumbling over my words just to come up with an excuse to be understood. I was interrupted by Lapis snorting and laughing lightly. I blinked, surprised at the sudden act that came from Lapis. Slowly but surely, I joined in her laughter with my own chuckles, fidgeting with my fingers timidly. "I'm kidding," Lapis said after her laughter died down. "Right, right, no, yeah, I knew that," I said nervously, trying to sound sure of myself.

Lapis smiled softly before inviting me. "You seem alright; you're not part of the circus, but you're welcome to hang with us at one of the nearby bars if you'd like," Lapis offered, her arms folded under her chest. I took a moment before answering. "Sure, why not?" I said, sounding doubtful.

Lapis immediately grabbed my hand after my self-conscious answer, dragging me closer to the group of performers huddled together. "Everyone, this is Peridot; she'll be joining us for a bit at the bar tonight," Lapis announced loudly, catching all the performers' attention. "Isn't this supposed to be performers only?" one contortionist from behind questioned. I felt so small at that moment, being placed in a situation with people I wasn't familiar with. "I invited her," Lapis snapped back calmly as she moved closer to me. Everyone looked at one another, confused, but didn't question it.

"Now hold on, since when do we bring normies into the group?" A deep, raspy voice came from behind, slowly emerging closer. It was one of the fire breathers. She seemed to have long, messy white hair, a large and tall body figure consisting of muscles, and an abnormally
looking patch of striped skin running across her face and shoulder that seemed to be more pale than average. "Come on, Jasper, she won't do any harm," Lapis said lowly as she eyed the large woman with a frown.

Jasper then continued to eye me menacingly, looking down on me. At that moment, I couldn't help but feel challenged by her presence, so I stared back up at Jasper, not daring to break contact. At last, Jasper let a devious grin appear on her face. "Very well, I guess this twerp can tag along." Flabbergasted at being called a twerp, I was ready to call her out and throw a bunch of name-calling at her, but I decided to hold it in when I looked back at Lapis. Her expression brightened slightly at the news of me being allowed to "tag along."

"Alright, everybody, let's move," Jasper called as she turned her back and started walking the other way toward the main entrance. Not long after, everyone started following Jasper, sticking close by to keep up. "Sheep people," I mumbled under my breath in disgust. Following anyone whenever they are commanded to-pathetic.

"Come on," Lapis said as she grabbed my hand once again, dragging me closer to the group to catch up. When my hand was grabbed, I couldn't help but feel... auspicious. Why was I feeling this way? Why was I acting this way?

What's going on?

(1560 Words)