I stare at it for a second while I pass, a hum of music coming from the circus tent, filling the chilly, morning air, but I keep moving until I’m slipping into what I can only guess is the back entrance.
Trailing down a short, dark corridor draped in red-and-white striped material, I slow my steps as something strange settles over me like a cold shroud.
Then I stop, my eyes darting around, narrowed and scanning.
Where the fuck is he? He’s watching me already, I know he is. I can feel him swarming over my body like invisible hands. But where?
I snap my head over my shoulder and see nothing but the dull glow of daylight spilling in from where I came.
My thoughts return to when he came to my trailer again as I look forward. The way I tried so hard to keep my composure around him, holding myself together like it meant something—only for him to shatter that defiance in an instant just to see how far he could push us both.
I’ve met dangerous men before. Men who think they’re wolves and raise their voices to feel dominant. But Wrath doesn’t even have to fucking try.
His presence alone unsettles something deep inside me. It’s hard to remain confident when he does the things he does, when his red gaze cuts right through everything you're trying to be.
Just one look from him shoots a shiver of fear through me, but it’s not just fear. It’s something else too. Something I haven’t figured out yet.
Intrigue maybe—because he’s not like anyone I’ve ever met before. He's different in everything he does, he looks different, and that difference is exactly what keeps dragging my thoughts back to him.
“Ara!” Noir’s voice rips through my thoughts, echoing down the corridor, almost making me jump.
My head tilts up and she stands ahead, her hand lifting as she makes a gesture for me to come to her. “Through here.”
After a short distance, I step into a brightly lit dressing room. The striped fabric still stretches across the walls, but here, the space is bursting with colour.
Bold costumes hang along the left side, wild and dramatic, while props are scattered in messy, chaotic stacks in corners. To my right, vintage vanities line the wall, their mirrors framed by glowing bulbs that cast a hazy, dreamlike light.
I move further in, my eyes sweeping over everything, drawn to the hypnotic energy of the room. It’s like stepping into another realm. A place stitched together by fantasy and craziness, hidden away from the world outside. A place no one else could ever understand or would even believeexists until you’ve seen it yourself.
Suddenly, the sharp click of fingers cuts through the buzzing atmosphere, freezing everyone mid-motion. Hands are half-raised, brushes suspended, corsets half-laced and a hush falls over the room.
I glance behind me just as Madame glides past, moving with that same effortless grace, like she owns every space she steps into. All eyes are on her, including mine, as she moves toward the costumes, her gaze sweeping carefully over them. Her fingers graze the fabric’s like she’s searching for something specific.
Then she stops and plucks a piece from the rack. She lifts it, inspecting it, before turning to me with knowing eyes.
When she steps closer, I don’t move and as soon as she’s standing in front of me, her gaze traces my face, lingering and assessing.
“You will wear black and gold. With gold eye contacts.”Her voice is smooth, final."Fitting, considering your extremely dark yet fascinating...”Her words trails off as her gaze drags down my frame.“...aura.” She finishes.
She presses the clothing into my hands, and as I take them, she shifts her attention over her shoulder, looking at Noir and Blush standing behind her, watching.
“Here, at Oddity, she will be called Aurelia.”
Noir and Blush exchange excited smiles, but I barely register it with my eyes locked on the outfit. A black corset with a little tutu to match. Intricated gold trim, exquisite, almost royal in detail.
Aurelia.
I turn the name over in my mind, unfamiliar but strangely heavy.
“Test her talents and see where her strengths are within the cirque,”Madame continues, her voice measured and strict. “But if she has none...”She trails off, her dark gaze pinning me in place.“...she can just be a ticket girl.”
I lift a brow, keeping my face blank and unreadable. I can still feel her cold, unspoken judgment pressing against me, that weird and unwanted dislike settling in her tone like venom.
Not wanting to watch me be transformed into this new character I’m about to become, she passes me, leaving the dressing room without another word.
Blush suddenly reaches out, grasping my wrist and yanking me toward a vanity with a burst of energy.
“You’re gonna look fucking amazing!!” She screeches with eagerness.