Chapter 6

Chapter Six

A lex

Chaos clings to the air of the circus like a low-lying fog. The once vibrant energy that crackled through the grounds now feels muted, heavy with suspicion. I’ve been around long enough to know what fear does to people, how it shifts their movements, warps their judgment. It’s happening now, all around me. Every glance, every whispered conversation, carries the weight of something unsaid, something broken.

I walk through the grounds, past performers and crew who once greeted me with a nod or a smile. Now, their eyes slide away, lips pressed tight, and it’s impossible to ignore the shift. Another animal disappeared last night—this time a panther, sleek and dangerous, the circus’s prized possession. And just like that, the already fraying seams of this circus family are ripping apart.

I know how this goes. People start looking for someone to blame. Fear makes them irrational, makes them paranoid. The rumors have been circulating for days, but now they’ve taken root, growing like a cancer in the minds of everyone here. Whispers of betrayal, accusations thrown in the dark. Someone has to be responsible, and when the pressure gets high enough, people will turn on each other just to feel a moment of control.

My thoughts keep drifting to Sophia. She’s at the center of this storm, whether she realizes it or not. She has always been fiercely protective of the animals, and that dedication is now making her a target. Some of the performers have started to look at her differently. The lion tamer, the one who has more access to the animals than anyone else—who better to suspect?

I hear it in their voices when they think she’s not around, the way they speculate, muttering about her unusual bond with the animals, how she could be behind the thefts. It’s absurd, but that doesn’t stop people from believing it. I’ve seen it before—people turning on someone they once trusted. It doesn’t matter that she’s spent years taking care of these creatures like they’re her family. Fear twists reality.

I glance toward the animal enclosures, wondering if she’s there. It’s where she always goes when things get too much, when the world starts closing in. I start walking, weaving through the crowd with purpose. I need to see her. To talk to her. To somehow make this right, even though I know I’ve done nothing but hurt her so far.