"Hey!" Eli stood up. Oh crap..why'd I do that? "Isn't…Griffin our only trapezist? That's why people come is to see…trapeze acts. If you get rid of Griffin, you loose money." He was starting to become more confident with this lie. "You loose money, you loose the circus."
The ringmaster blinked. "Very true, Eliott." He put Griffin down. "8 hours of non-stop practice, Griffin, starting now. That is your punishment."
Ana let out a sigh of relief. Thank god for Eli… Honestly, she would have been thrown out of the circus forever ago if it weren't for him.
Eli nodded and sat back down. Oh my gosh…that actually worked! I'm getting better at this!
Griffin shook his head at Eli, silently screaming: Nonono this is dangerous Eli save yourself what are you doing?!?!?! The ringleader slowly set Griffin down, considering this. “One more slip up, and you get the noose”, he threatened Griffin. He stepped back, but then turned around, regarding the trapezost with cold eyes, stepping forward again to deliver a hard slap in the face.
(oops I was late sorry!)
Jace waits for the ringmaster to leave before asking Griffin if he's okay. Too many times has the ringmaster bullied his friends. They need to take action before it's too late.
Lia stretches in the training room, waiting to start practicing. She touches her cheek where a red mark was still visible from where she was slapped.
Leo walks towards Lia, sighing worriedly. He puts a hand on her shoulder and smiles at her. He quickly pulled his hand back, though. "I'm gonna need some help with the choreography."
“I’m fine.”, Griffin said to Jace, turning to Eli. “Thanks, Eli.” He swallowed. “You didn’t have to do that.”
Eli shrugged. "Except I did. If I didn't do it, someone else would have." He nodded. Ana signed to Eli. "Ask Griffin where he was." Eli nodded and turned back to Griffin. "Where were you?" He asked.
(Griffin speaks sign language)
Griffin averted his eyes. “I— I found my mother’s body.”, he signed to both of them, tears welling up in his eyes.
Ana stood up and put a hand on Griffin's shoulder. "I'm so sorry…" She signed back.
Eli translated what Griffin said for the rest of the group.
Lia nods. "Yes, of course," she says and stands up straight. "I'm so glad I actually remembered it this time. Just, be careful and follow my steps."
Jace sits down and remembers that he's due to practice in 10 minutes. He curses silently then gets up and starts getting ready. He hears Griffin's reply and stops doing whatever he's doing.
Griffin blinked, trying to dispel the tears. “I should get going.”, he signed. “I have a lot of practicing to do.”
"Oh..well let us know if you need anything, okay?" Ana signed back. She saw Eli nod in agreement.
"I should probably practice too. The last time I dropped my baton. Luckily, the ringmaster wasn't there." Eli stated, pointing to the black eye.
“Ouch!”, Griffin said, handing him an ice pack and heading towards the ring to practice.
Eli took it and applied the ice to his eye for a few seconds before grabbing his batons from his seat. He began practicing his routine, not wanting to disrupt his friends in the ring.
Ana rushed to the ring and began stretching, preparing herself for the show.
Lia looks up to see most of the circus members enter the room. They all start practicing, and after what feels like forever, it's almost time for the show to start.
Ana nervously twiddled her thumbs as she waited for the show to start. Eli put a reassuring hand on her shoulder.
Griffin made his way to Ana and Eli, muscles aching with fatigue after 8 hours of practice.
Eli smiled at Griffin. "We've got this guys."
“Fist bump?”, Griffin held out his hand, silently running his routine over on his head.
Eli chuckled, fist bumping Griffin and Ana. "Of course."
The ringmaster walked into the spotlight, about to begin.
Ana gulped. It's okay…just remember your routine… She went over it in her head.
Leo put himself in position and gave Lia a reassuring smile. His ankle ached, but he ignored it.