The Demon's Angel

Chapter 14

Elizabeth
       I was just as excited to go to Florence as Kurt. On the way there, we fantasized about what the other circuses would be like, and what we would do when we got there. "I've always wanted to try gelato," I said. "I just want to walk around without hiding under my stupid coat!" he exclaimed. I made a face. "Yeah, it's spring! I don't want to wear my sweater..." We continued in this way until we reached Florence. It was a busy place. People were walking, talking, driving. The hum of human life was wonderful, as well as nerve racking. I was terrified but also wonderfully happy.

  We didn't need to set up any of our own tents; the people in charge provided a practice tent that the different circuses shared and a huge tent for performances. Everyone was bustling around. Kurt and I were delighted to see that there were even a few other mutants.

   Each circus had its own t-shirt with their symbol on the front, the circus's colors, and the performer's name on the back. Our's was the same, and in my opinion, it was the coolest. I admired the one that Margali had given me, with 'Falcon' embroidered in large letters on the back. She had even thought to cut slits in it for my wings. Kurt seemed to like his too, as he slipped it on right after getting it.

   We met several mutants. One could breath underwater, one had hair and eyes that changed colors with his mood, and there was even a girl with the tail, ears, eyes, fangs, and claws of a cat. She and Kurt got along quite well. They compared their fangs and tails for awhile (her tail was a lot fluffier, but Kurt had longer fangs). She was slightly jealous of Kurt's teleporting ability, but she could speak to cats, which was impressive. One specific cat always seemed to enjoy sitting on her shoulder and conversing with her. We all quickly became friends. "I can just hide my ears with a beanie and my tail in  some loose pants! It probably stinks to never be able to go anywhere!" she had exclaimed when she heard that Kurt almost never went into public areas.

    When she left for her performance, he sighed. "I'm strange, even among mutants!" he said sadly. I hugged him and lead him to the food tent to eat dinner. "Hey, at least you're accepted here!" I pointed out brightly as we ate. The younger kids especially loved Kurt. They followed him around in large groups, asking him to tell them jokes and stories. He smiled as one ran up and hugged him before getting in line to eat. "I guess you're right there," he said.

  Performing was great, too. It was exhausting, as we were supposed to go twice a day every day, but it was also amazingly fun. When we weren't performing, we watched our friends perform, or we traded tricks. I learned some really creative ways to use the silks, and Kurt was learning a complicated trapeze trick that some teens from a Swedish circus were teaching him. Both of us were having an amazing time. However, the fun didn't last long.