Carnie Love

Willow didn’t actually remember her real last name. She had only vague recollections of her parents before they’d died and she’d ended up in an overcrowded orphanage. People knew her as Willow LaRoux because the man who owned the Carnival of Wonder had chosen the name when he decided to make her into a performer. Now she was the star attraction he’d hoped she would be, but Willow missed the days when she’d been in the background just helping with setting up and taking down the carnival.

Willow’s singing performances were an unusual choice for a carnival, but Nikolai alluded to her being something unearthly and not totally human to give a sideshow bent to her shows. Which was why she was always dressed in something elaborate like the silver dress she currently had on. It was bedecked in lace and little pearlescent beads so that it would shimmer slightly under the lights. Nikolai obsessed over getting the atmosphere of the large tent where she always sang just so.

“It must have taken you so long to sew this,” Willow said apologetically to her designated seamstress. Justine was the only carnie Willow still got to see regularly, because Nikolai had assigned her to tend to Willow’s outfits and hair full time and found someone else to handle the costumes of other carnival acts.

“It’s not so bad,” Justine shrugged, making sure the sleeves fell the way they were supposed to. “Nikolai lets me have assistants most of the time because he wants your dresses to always be perfect.”

“I still wish you weren’t stuck working so hard on my account,” Willow said. Justine gave her a small smile.

“Honestly Willow, I don’t really mind making these dresses for you. I just wish it was under different circumstances.”

Satisfied with the dress, Justine moved behind her to begin styling her hair; braiding jeweled ribbons through Willow’s dark red hair. The effect made her look like a princess but even after all this time it made Willow feel a little embarrassed. She still struggled with being in the spotlight so much, and she always felt a little guilty that she was showered with fancy things because Nikolai doted on his “little star” so blatantly. To anyone else it would appear she had a glamorous life and Nikolai’s devoted admiration. But Willow missed the days when she’d just been one of the carnies and Nikolai’s attentions always made her feel on edge. She did her best to be gracious and soft spoken around him to avoid invoking his wrath, but she dreaded every moment she had to spend in his company.

Justine finished with her hair and gently put some silver glitter on her eyelids to bring out the green of her eyes. Then she stepped back and appraised her work.

“How bad is it?” Willow asked, rolling her shoulders. They’d gotten a little stiff from holding still for so long.

“As usual, you look fantastic,” Justine replied. “Maybe Nikolai is right and you aren’t really human.”

“I look good because of the beautiful dress you made.”

Justine rolled her eyes. “The dress is just a bonus, though I must admit it is a work of genius on my part. But I could cinch you into a burlap sack and you’d still look fantastic.”

Willow felt her face flush. “Don’t exaggerate.”

“I’m not,” Justine smirked. “Your sincere humility is gross but endearing. Maybe I should make your next dress out of a burlap sack, just to prove my point.”

“Nikolai would have a heart attack,” Willow laughed.

“More incentive to do it, then,” Justine muttered. They heard footsteps approaching outside the tent where Willow always got ready for her shows, and the two of them stifled their snickering. The tent felt ten degrees colder as Nikolai Carver stepped inside. He was dressed all in black, like usual, and the gems that served as eyes in the snake head on his cane glittered in the lantern light.

“Is she ready?” he asked Justine gruffly. She forced a polite nod and stepped aside so he could see Willow in her finished outfit. Reflexively, Willow stood up ramrod straight and held her hands down at her sides while he circled her like a vulture.

“Quite satisfactory,” he said finally. “Not that it takes much to make our little Willow shine, does it, Justine?”

“No, Mr. Carver,” Justine agreed, though Willow knew the woman would be glaring daggers into Nikolai’s back. She wiped her expression clean when he turned to face her again.

“That will be all, Justine. Willow must be going now or she’ll be late for her own performance.”

Justine flashed Willow a quick smile and mouthed, “good luck” as Nikolai took Willow’s arm and escorted her out of the tent. It was situated slightly away from the rest of the carnival, so that she could be ushered into the performance tent without any carnival guests seeing her and spoiling her grand entrance on the stage. Willow enjoyed singing and loved the pretty dresses Justine made for her, but her stomach still knotted with nerves every time she approached the huge striped tent. She had never gotten used to having so many people looking at her. It didn’t help that Nikolai ran her ragged with rehearsals and vocal training, which frayed her nerves even more.

He led her into the tent and onto the raised platform that served as a stage. It was currently obscured by a layer of gauzy curtains that kept her concealed until the start of the show.

“This is our last night in this town,” Nikolai said. “It’s not one of my preferred stops. It’s practically a backwater really, but people in these kinds of places are always eager for a break from their sad lives so we get a good turnout. I trust you’ll make this last night worth their while.”

Willow grit her teeth and tried not to grimace at the way he talked about the people who lived here as she stepped past him to take her position on stage. She took a few deep breaths to calm her pounding heart as the first strains of music started. She squared her shoulders and tried to pretend that instead of a tent full of strangers, she was sitting in a cluster of the carnies who’d taken her in and her best friend, Damon. Nikolai did his best to make sure she didn’t have time to spend with the carnies anymore, especially Damon. But thinking about him at least helped her feel less likely to throw up from anxiety.

The curtains parted and soft lights shone on her in a way that intentionally made her look ethereal, especially with the glimmering dress and the glitter on her eyelids. Thankfully the lights made the audience a little harder to see, and Willow was able to relax enough to start singing. She’d practiced these songs so many times that she could sing them almost without even thinking about it. Nikolai even made her repeatedly practice exactly where and how to move around the stage until she was practicing even in her dreams.

She always did three songs per show, and it was a relief when the gauzy curtains closed around her again and she could step off the platform. She was followed by wild applause, and Nikolai looked pleased.

“I have a few new songs for you to learn,” he said, taking her arm again. Willow wanted to shudder and pull away but she held still.

“You’ve been drawing in a huge crowd for a while now,” Nikolai went on, leading her outside. “So I’ve made a change to our route. We’re going to Elgion. I know I’ve avoided taking the carnival there for a few years, since it’s a big city and so many acts travel there and the competition is undesirable. But now we have you. So we’ll be spending a couple of weeks there.”

“Do you really think I’m ready to perform for giant city crowds?” Willow asked, feeling a little lightheaded. Nikolai cut her a glance.

“If you’re not, you will be by the time we get there, won’t you?”

His tone made it clear that it was an order more than a question. Willow forced a smile.

“Of course,” she said softly and his cold look thawed slightly.

“That’s my little Willow.” He squeezed her bare shoulder and Willow carefully stepped away from him.

“I should get out of this dress and have some tea,” she said. “If I’m going to perform in Elgion, I’ll need to take care of my voice.”

“Yes, we want our star attraction in top form,” Nikolai agreed. Willow resisted the urge to roll her eyes and just mumbled a good night before making her escape.