Dafne had let Alice stay at her house, giving her the guest room to sleep in. Alice had politely declined but the dryad insisted relentlessly until Alice finally gave in.
"This is v-very generous of you Miss Dafne, I-I don't deserve any of this," Alice said softly, wringing her hands together.
Dafne smiled brightly and patted Alice on the cheek, "Of course you deserve this, doll! Where did you think you were going to sleep? Outside?! Oh I will NOT have that! You are always welcome here sweetie!"
Alice smiled shyly, "Th-thank you...so much."
* * *
Now Alice lay in her new bed with her new silky nightgown Dafne had given her. She was laying on her back, staring at the ceiling with sleepy eyes, thinking about her day in this strange new place.
Everyone I met...they were all so...so nice to me, well except for Ezra. But, he did save my life. Should that count as being nice? Maybe?
Thoughts of the boy firebreather swirled around in her head, Why did he saved me? Why would he care to save me? And what was he doing at the circus in the first place?
As she continued to ponder this her eyes slowly drifted shut...
* * *
A warm, late summer's breeze fluttered through Alice's dark hair as she and Pickle strolled through the small garden next to their master's trailer. Mr. Valco was away on a trip to promote the circus, leaving his wife Tabitha in charge of everything. That day was one of the best and most peaceful times for all of the circus performers, and the last. Tabitha had let the caged fey and other creatures roam free around the circus grounds, provided they wear a metal ankle bracelet with a tracker so they couldn't run away. But aside from that, everyone, including the security guards, were at ease.
As Alice and Pickle walked and talked jovially, the winged girl stopped suddenly with wonder sparkling in her big emerald eyes. A large orange and gold butterfly was gracefully perched on a vibrant scarlet rose.
"Oh wow!" she gasped, slowly walking up to the magnificent insect, "It's so beautiful!"
She knelt down to get a better look at the butterfly, noticing for the first time that it wasn't just orange and gold, but a few hues of deep red and violet were splashed along the slightly transparent wings.
Pickle had bent down beside her and smiled softly, in awe by the sight of the little creature. But he was also very wary too. He had never seen a butterfly this close before and he was cautious about getting too close. He also wondered if they bite, which he prayed they didn't.
Suddenly, a strong gust of wind blew over them and shook the butterfly off of the rose. The insect fluttered around the two for a moment before deciding to land on Pickle's face as a last resort. Pickle instantly tensed up and dared not move an inch for fear of what the butterfly might do next.
Alice covered her mouth a bit to stifle her light laughter, "Look Pickle! He likes you!"
"A-are they d-dangerous?!" Pickle squeaked as the bright orange butterfly crawled onto his nose.
Alice giggled slightly, "No silly, they're not dangerous. They're beautiful and extremely delicate creatures," she replied, putting her finger close enough to where the butterfly could crawl onto her hand.
