Broken People (Serial)

Twenty-Six

What Riella planned was not part of the original act; therefore, it hadn't received Nicholas's approval. Yet. Riella hadn't decided if she was going to ask for it. All she knew was she refused to let Anya steal the spotlight, which would be too easy to do on a real theater stage. With so few lead female roles available during the show, Riella constantly competed with the ballerina. The more gracefully Anya danced, the fewer clothes Riella wore. It usually worked, but not this time. Since no one could compete against the Nightingale, Riella was determined to beat Anya, who used to dance on the famous Moscow stage.

"Come," she said, and Serioja followed her into the store.

People turned their heads at the tall aerialist, and Riella couldn't help but feel proud to have him with her—another prize she had stolen from Anya. She wished he'd worn a vest that put his muscles on display, but it was too cold for that. Since they were visiting the city, they wore regular clothes, as close to the local fashion as possible. Still, her fiery curls attracted enough attention, and she was too proud to hide them. So people turned their heads to look at both of them.

While she talked with the vendor, arguing over the price, she made sure to keep an eye on Serioja, who roamed through the store, inspecting the merchandise. Wrapping paper in all possible colors loaded the shelves. Serioja's light gaze moved over them, not stopping. He didn't care for wrapping paper. He had only come along because she had asked him. In fact, he didn't care for much of anything, other than his trapeze flying. He'd lost all of his Russian accent, a sign he wasn't totally stupid, but some of his upstairs wiring had to be wrong. Riella had never been able to understand him or connect with him—not a strong enough reason to dump him, but enough to push her into Rake's arms. Rake didn't talk much, but she understood him.

When Serioja returned to her side with a bored expression on his face, Riella agreed on an exorbitant price and accepted the box filled with two kilos of wrapping paper cut in tiny pieces. Useless the way it was now, it would triple its value after it passed through Rake's hands, and then Riella's act would become the highlight of the show.

Bouncing on her feet with excitement, Riella thrust the box into Serioja's arms and pulled him out of the store. She had spotted a fabric shop across the street and wanted to see if she could find some new silk sheets. With a little luck, she might find what she wanted. She felt so good today, she wouldn't have been surprised if everything worked in her favor. It was time for the circus to get a new queen, and she was more than ready to receive the crown.