Firebird

Chapter 9- When Things Go Wrong

Chapter 9- When Things Go Wrong

   I sat on the powdery dirt floor of the performance tent, resting my chin on my knees. The ribbons in front of me swayed as Ryo climbed up to Hyun. They bickered in Chinese. I couldn’t understand  but a few words. That surprised me though because I didn’t think I knew any Chinese. I guess I’ve caught on hearing Ryo so much.

   I didn’t feel like practicing. A lot of other were around me. Some ran on the Death Wheel (basically, a huge, wheel-like contraption that spins while people run inside and outside of it). Others practiced acrobatics and dancing. Somehow, there was enough room in the tent for all of us to practice with plenty of room.

   Hyun leapt beside me and Ryo sloppily unrolled from the silk. Hyun shook his head at her. “That was disgusting.”

   Her jaw clenched but she turned away to grab the rosin from her bag. He waited for her to stand. I suppose he just wanted to nag at her until she blew up on him. That’s what he always did. Then when she did get mad at him, he’d storm away like it was her who started it. I didn’t like anything about him. He didn’t like me either.

   He grimaced down at me. “Don’t you have better things to do than hang around us all day?”

   “Leave her alone, Hyun.” Ryo sighed. She held her sides and took a deep breath. It wasn’t like her to be so tired.

   Unfortunately, Hyun’s attitude was justified in a way. I had been around Ryo a lot the past couple days. I wanted to practice as much as possible to get my mind off… everything else. She didn’t seem to mind much besides she, like now, had been worn lately. Maybe it was me…

    “Try again, Ryo.”

   She flashed him a glare and climbed in a less graceful, more agitated manner. She wrapped her feet and wrists. I paid close attention  because I hadn’t ever done the move before.

   Her foot suddenly slipped and her leg twisted in an awkward angle. She yelped and untwisted herself before climbing down. Hyun had the decency to help her. He slipped an arm under hers and helped her limp over beside me.

   Her face was twisted with pain but she didn’t complain. I looked down at her ankle. It was slowly swelling and turning purple. Hyun ran to get ice.

   “You okay?” I asked, knowing she wasn’t exactly but I didn’t know what else to say.

   She nodded. “It’s not as bad as it looks. The pains already going away.”

   I wasn’t convinced but I didn’t argue. Something was wrong I just had no idea what it could be. I knew she wouldn’t tell me though. “Ryo?”

   “What?”

   “You never slip.”