Chapter 8

Taemin looked into the empty circus tent in surprise. Even as he walked past the fence, he could make out no one, only the sounds of some animals.

When he stepped into the courtyard behind the tent, he actually wanted to go to Minho's wagon, because he could only imagine that the artists and staff were all sitting in their little homes and having a rest, even if the time of day usually promised great commotion in the square.

But from the opposite direction he heard a rumbling that he had never heard before in this place. The voices were the same ones that livened up the space to practice, laugh or tell stories, but their pitch was completely foreign to him.

He approached the noise warily, for with each step he took he could make out more and more sad sobs, crying children and the somber muttering of grown men offering words of comfort.

"Get out of the way!" he heard a devilish voice shout, and it was sadly familiar, so he had to pause for a moment. The words were different, but the gut wrenching tone was the same and still echoed in his ears.

"Please! Think it over!" Taemin fought his way through the crowd, who were spellbound, watching the terrible spectacle in fear and horror, when he recognized Minho.

He struggled through only to wish that this was a nightmare he could wake up from. Frozen by the gruesome sight, he slapped his hands over his mouth.

"You be quiet now!" the ringmaster hissed at Minho, the eyes of a snake could not have pierced through Minho more venomously. With everything Key had, he clung to Shiny, at whom the ringmaster had a gun pointed.

"I'm giving her some of my food!" said Key in a panic, his face was red and looking worn, for helplessness was depicted in its entire nature on it.

"Can someone get him out of there?" unfazed, taking aim at Shiny, the headmaster spoke in no particular direction, just waiting for someone to follow his instruction.

"Key is right, there is another solution." Minho interfered again, taking a step closer and wanting to continue talking at him.

However, that was too much for the boss, because he put his arm down, directed his gaze dangerously at Minho and immediately pointed his gun at him. An outrageous gasp went through the crowd, sobs became deep wails and some now turned away and tried with all their might to get the children away from here. The people who had gathered behind Minho to watch the commotion moved aside so that if the bullet entered Minho, they would not be hit.

"If you don't like it here boy, you are free to leave!" Bitingly and savagely he spat the words at Minho, but that ‘Boy’ exuded the deepest hatred.

Minho stood still and met his opponent's piercing gaze, if he was afraid, it did not show. The director snorted with laughter and put the gun down again. He clearly enjoyed demonstrating his power, and if he didn't even shy away from such a thing, Taemin wondered what else he was capable of.

"Does that apply to me too?" resounded boldly through the hushed crowd, that was too fearful to say anything. The scrum cleared a small path and out came Jinki, standing fearlessly in front of Key and Shiny.

"If that's the case, then I'll go too." Key looked incredulously at Jinki and sniffed heavily.

"Jinki, move aside or else..." but Jinki didn't let the sobbing Key continue.

"I've been here all my life. Seeing something new would certainly be exciting. Who knows, I might even get to coach Olympic contenders. You know, in athletics, dressage or trampolining. There are actually many things I can do. And I'm sure you'll train our little ones in high wire then, won't you?" He didn't get loud or yelled, on the contrary, his voice was firm and calm, radiating an authority that no one would have thought Jinki possessed, and that was the most frightening thing about this bizarre situation.

This had not escaped even the director's notice, and Jinkis icy stare made his own falter.

"You're bluffin