The Circus Part 8
I woke up the next morning and untangled myself from his tight grasp. As usual he opened his eyes and smiled at me, in morning greeting, then rolled over on his side and slipped back off to sleep. I had to get up early for work and Quatre usually slept in, taking his place at the table a few hours after I woke up.
Dressing in my waiter's uniform I knelt down to kiss him on the forehead, receiving a small smile though his eyes were shut, then left the room. I shut the door safely behind me and headed out for my normal day of work. In the simplest terms it could be said I worked from sunrise to sunset, a very long day with breaks only when the flow of customers allowed. Still it was a job that quickly became habit and didn't take much thought, so the days passed quickly, as did the mindless work.
That day would have been the same, were it not that I noticed that soon after the opening of the restaurant a young woman immediately took a seat at the table Quatre normally occupied. This had happened many times before, and the general consensus of how to deal with it was to give her the best and quickest service of the restaurant, which resulted in her leaving faster than a normal customer simply because she finished quicker. That in mind I grabbed my pad and pen and walked over to her table.
I gave the required greeting, not even consciously thinking of the words, they just came out on auto pilot now. My eyes were on the pad, ready to scribble down her order so I didn't see who it was. I wouldn't have looked up had it not been for her voice.
"Trowa?"
I glanced up in surprise at the sound of my name and her voice. My eyes met with a familiar pair of watery blue orbs, looking at me in awe. I took an involuntary step back as I realized who it was.
"Catherine," I murmured softly. Immediately my mind flashed with the images of the circus manager and what had taken place at the circus. I whirled around and did a quick survey of the restaurant, looking for his familiar face or figure. All I could think about was that Quatre could be in danger, and I'd promised to protect him. I couldn't let-
A hand touched my wrist and I was jerked out of my slight panic. I glanced back at Catherine as she flashed a light smile.
"Trowa, he's not here. I came alone."
My eyes narrowed slightly. "Why are you here?" I asked in a calm voice, still watching the people around me.
"This is a restaurant isn't it? I was hungry so I decided to stop in." She smiled. "I hear your French silk pie is to die for."
I couldn't help but smile softly at that. I remembered the small boxes of chocolate I had found once or twice in her trailer when we'd shared. They would be full one minute and empty the second and still she managed to keep her perfect figure for knife throwing and the occasional trip on the tight rope. Her good humor was contagious and I couldn't help but admit that I was probably jumping to conclusions.
"How are you?" She asked seriously.
"Well enough," I responded, slipping my pad away.
"The troupe still talks about the night you and that boy disappeared. No one knows what happened but there's a lot of wild stories. Some people think the manager killed both of you and fed you to the lions." She laughed softly. "Others think that you two ran away to make hot and passionate sex in the woods."
I responded with a light smile, knowing exactly who would have said such things. It amazing how much you can miss such a rag-tag family when you are reminded of them. It was the truth, I missed working with the lions and cleaning the tents after the large crowds. I missed the fatman telling me I should eat more and I missed the joking passes the bearded lady had made at me. I even missed Catherine's mother-hen attitude. The only thing I didn't miss was the manager, especially since I knew what hid under that jolly mask he always wore when addressing the crowd for the next act.
"What did happen Trowa? How… how is he?"
I shrugged non-candidly. "I haven't seen him since that night. We parted ways after leaving."
Catherine picked up a sugar packet and played with it in her hands. "That's so sad. I always wondered about him, he always looked so sad and yet so happy at the same time, you know what I mean? Like someone I could never understand, almost more of a ghost then a human."
I nodded, not sure whether she believed my lie yet. I had to make sure she did, just in case she returned to the manager and spoke to him. I didn't like to think of Catherine as the enemy but I didn't have much choice. I couldn't risk it.
She set down the sugar packet. "Well, where ever he is I hope he's happier. So, Trowa, how about some of that pie?"
I nodded and stood, scribbling down her order for good measure just in case.
Walking toward the back my mind began to wander back to the circus, going over all the time I'd spent there. I remembered the bright shows, the cheering crowd, the cool porcelain mask on my own face and the baggy clown clothing. How the lions would act like tame little kittens around me, how Catherine and the others had looked the first time I volunteered to be the one she threw the knives at. And I remembered that young looking blond boy with the tight curls in his hair, and that sad look on his face.
I was smiling as I walked back to Catherine's table with her pie. The circus had been great while it lasted, but it was worth the loss because I now had Quatre with me. I had someone important to me, someone I knew I would die to protect, and that was worth the world.
I placed her pie on the table and her eyes lit up. She smiled brightly. "Oh it looks delicious! Share it with me, Trowa, I don't think I can eat this much chocolate at once."
I smirked. "That's never stopped you before."
She quickly took a bite and pointed the fork at me. "It's all your fault if I become fat and no longer able to walk the tightrope."
"You're the one who ordered it." I countered playfully.
Catherine set down her fork and her expression became more serious. "Seriously though Trowa, the circus isn't the same without you there. I miss you, we all do. You weren't just a clown I threw my knives at nor just the person who waited on the trapeze to catch me if I slipped off the tightrope." She swallowed another bite and diverted her eyes, almost as if she were struggling to admit something. "You were like family. To all of us… and to me." Her eyes slid up off the table to look at me, almost pleading.
I couldn't help but feel guilty. I had left without giving any explanation to any of them, and even if I didn't like the manager, the rest of them had become my family. I owed them that apology, or at least an explanation, I at least owed them that much. That in mind I slid into the seat across from Catherine.
"Catherine… I can't go back there."
She nodded and pushed her pie away, not willing to eat at the moment. "I know that. I mean I don't know what happened but whatever it was it was big. The manager won't even talk about it. It's become a non-subject around him, just like the boy was. But… we were a family I thought."
"We were. I can't explain it, but I had to leave that night and I can't return. Even if I did the manager wouldn't want me back, I'm sure of that. I'm sorry Catherine."
She swallowed and nodded. Taking a deep breath she pulled her pie back and picked up her fork, shaving off a small piece. "Well, in any case it's nice to see you again. Even if you don't come back it's nice to know you're getting along without us. And I can come and visit right?"
I nodded, yes. Though I already knew that tonight I'd be leaving with Quatre and finding another job somewhere else. As much as I enjoyed Catherine's company again it was too risky to let her know where he and I were staying. It would unnecessarily put him in danger. We would have to leave tonight and find another place to live.
I glanced to the clock to see the time and froze for a second. I didn't realize how late in the day it was, practically noon. I'd been talking with Catherine longer then I realized. Standing up I glanced around the restaurant, wondering where he was. It was long past the time he would have come out and sat at his table. I didn't see him anywhere but that didn't mean anything, he'd probably seen Catherine at his table and stayed in the back. Still, something about this whole situation didn't seem right. I glanced once at Catherine as she watched me in question.
"I'll be back. Something I have to do in the kitchen." I murmured. I didn't wait to see her reaction, I wasn't too worried about it. Instead I walked to the back of the restaurant and into the kitchen, back into the closet, which had been given to us as a room. Swinging open the door I found the room empty.
The bed lay empty upon the floor, the sheet thrown to one side. Quatre was nowhere in sight… but his clothes were. We'd lived here long enough for him to acquire a couple sets of clothing, and he still slept in the baggy pants from the manager, though I never asked him why. I noticed now that all his clothes were still piled neatly in the corner, except for the baggy pants. If he were here he'd still be dressed in his pajamas, which wasn't like him at all.
I swallowed hard and stepped out of the room. My eyes drifted to the door and I noticed something very peculiar. The lock was turned; he'd locked it from the inside, even though the lock was made of iron. He'd locked himself in. And yet when I came to the room it was empty. I glanced to the doorframe and found the area around the lock splintered.
Someone had forced their way in.
My blood ran cold and I felt my world spin suddenly. Reaching out I grasped the wall for support, trying to stay calm. He was gone. He'd been taken, against his will, while I was working outside. While I was…
While I was talking to Catherine.
Anger flowed through my body and I quickly regained my balance. Turning on my heals I marched myself to Catherine's table, only to find her still working on the French silk pie. My eyes narrowed as she looked up to me. She dropped her fork in surprise.
"T-Trowa?"
"Where is he?" I hissed, keeping my voice down so I didn't disturb the others in the restaurant and so I didn't make a scene.
"He? Who?"
Not wasting any time I slid into the booth seat next to her, grabbing the knife from her silverware set and resting the tip against her waist. Her eyes widened and she froze, just staring at me. I knew that it wasn't suspicious at all. To anyone else in the restaurant we would look like two friends sitting down together to share a piece of pie. The knife wasn't obvious, and since her back was to the rest of the restaurant she didn't have a chance of getting help from looking at others. She also knew that I could move faster then she could scream, I had her trapped.
"Tell me the truth," I hissed.
She swallowed and just blinked at me, then realization grew in her eyes. "Oh. My. God." She whispered hoarsely. "You… you lied to me about the boy. He was in the back wasn't he? And he's gone?"
My eyes narrowed farther and I pushed the knife close to her. She edged toward the window, the blade not quite jabbing into her, but resting threateningly against her waist. "Where is he?" I asked again.
"I swear I don't know. Honest, Trowa, I had no idea. I just came in here for a piece of pie and-"
"Don't lie to me!"
"I swear it! Trowa, I swear! I had no idea you worked here, I wasn't even looking for you. I just took the day off today after perfecting a new trick on the tight rope and I came in here to treat myself for finally getting it down and then you came to my table. God Trowa, I swear I didn't know you were here." Tears were welling silently at the edges of her eyes and she was just staring at me, her bottom lip quivering in fear.
She had no illusions that I meant business. It was plain on her face that she fully expected me to use the knife in my hand. I felt my own hand quiver as I realized what I was about to do. Taking a step out of the booth and standing I let the knife fall from my grasp and clatter onto the floor. I took a deep breath to calm myself as she sighed in relief.
"He's gone?" She asked timidly.
I nodded and dropped back, leaning against the wall across from her. I was acting so stupid, so impulsive. I knew Catherine would never help in a plan like this, not when she knew how miserable Quatre had looked every day. Catherine wasn't the type to help kidnap him, she wouldn't do it willingly. I should have known that, but instead I overreacted. I drew a few shaky breaths, trying to completely calm myself.
Before me she stood up and placed a hand tentatively on my shoulder. I looked up in surprise to see her face. "I swear I didn't know. They… the manager must have sent someone to follow me…"
I shook my head. "No, he was probably looking for us all this time. Just waiting until the right time. It's not your fault."
"But I distracted you."
"It could have been anyone, Catherine."
"Trowa…"
I pushed off her hand and pulled off my apron, walking toward the door. I didn't care about the job; I could always find another. I had to find Quatre. My carelessness had allowed him to be taken, right out from under my nose. Some protector I was, I couldn't even protect him. I grabbed a set of steak knives from the kitchen on my way out and shoved them carefully in my pocket, then started on the trek back to the circus.
I knew the manager wanted Quatre, so that was the best place to start looking. I set my mind on the goal and walked. I wouldn't let this happen again. I'd failed to protect Quatre and now I was going to make up for it. This time I'd kill him, no matter what Quatre said. It was the only way for him to be safe. I'd kill the circus manager and then we'd run. They couldn't throw someone in jail who they couldn't find. I'd protect him, I'd never let this happen again, even if it meant living on the streets or in an abandoned building. Jobs and money were too risky, they weren't needed. We'd find a way to survive without them if it kept him safe.
I knew that when I got him back I'd never leave his side again. Never again.
That is, of course, provided I found him alive.
But if I found him dead…
I didn't want to think about that. Because I had no idea what I would do then.
TBC…