I dropped a piece of my bread into the shuddering lion tamer's cage, knowing he was hungry. That's how it went here, if you perform well you get fed, if you don't you go hungry. It was survival of the fittest. The boy's arm was sewed at the end, leaving a scarred nub. He grabbed the bread with his right hand, giving me a grateful nod before scurrying to the far corner of his cage. The wind grasped him between the bars, making him shudder. I nibbled on my snack before opening the flap to my circus tent, the musky smell greeting me. Older performers were blessed with the grace of a tent, but it didn't give you anymore freedom. The clowns always stood outside. I remember my first cage, the putrid smell and the mounds of dirt. My hands hurt from the act and my back from the earlier lickings. I didn't know which hurt worse, my back or my pride. The stricken match made shadows dance across the fabric of the tent before I lit the oil lamp. My mind traveled to LJ, the psychopath of a boss. God, how I want to..to kill him. I kept thinking of his sorrowful stare, making my heart beat. Oh, come on YN. You can't be falling for that sicko. I shook my rattled brain, my eyes swollen. "I just need some rest.." I told myself, slipping into the twin bed that lay on the stray ground.
