Sweat blended with the makeup I smeared across my eyelids.
One after the other, they are wiped with creamy white that flashed back from the compact mirror I held.
I can hear chatter from the rooms down the hallway I lean in. The stars all get their own spaces, me included, but I decided not to use such an empty space.
Rather than have the backup dancers stripping and sliding into their chains and leather in their overcrowded room, I offered mine to the cast.
A few of the newer girls slid inside, still trying to hide their buttocks behind fishnet and translucent fabric. I can feel their embarrassment burning with every little tug they have at their outfits.
They're serving drinks tonight. They get the best of it. Nobody will be watching them when they came for the show.
I smile as they scurry by, mumbling thanks on their way to rehearse the paths they'll be taking. Their chains clatter against their bodies when they rush off.
My own curved chains are already weighing me down. My leather unitard is hitched so high that I can feel the cold breeze on my buttocks.
Leather straps cross over my nipples and form a circle in the middle of my chest. More wind around my upper thigh, dangerously close to my balls.
Twisting the sponge into the pink, I daubed it across the bottom half of the white. Crossing over to the black, I scraped the edge of my long nail across the surface so I can flick it outwards like pronounced lashes. The remnants go underneath, like slithering tears.
Smiling into the mirror, I turn my head to marvel at my handiwork with such a limited space.
The action is still bird-like. If the manager saw it, he'd mock me again.
A noise to my left caught my attention. Turning my head, I saw one of the other performers ushering for me to hurry up.
Adrian. He plays the strong, mostly silent, type on the stage as part of his act. Barely utters a word out there, but back here he's all mouth.
Chains loop his sides like they do mine. His hair is slick from sweat and grease, gold flakes glinting in the red lights behind him.
He's shirtless. There's fake bloody claw marks taking his chest. More of it smears around his longs.
He's at least got the decency of being dressed in actual pants and shoes. My feet are bare and already tracking up dirt from whatever is coating the black floor.
Snapping the mirror shut, I stack my makeup palette on top and take it with me.
Might need a touch-up later.
"You've still got to be glitzed up. Still dolling up those pretty eyes?"
His finger lightly trace my upper lid, pressing harder to wipe around the side.
"I'll sweat it off before I even get out there" I huffed.
"Yeah, well, that's your fault for not joining the others in the waiting bay. Spread them."
Sighing, I slid both legs apart as I hoisted up my arms.
Everything is shaved and plucked. With barely two centimeters between me and losing my decency, everything had to be smooth for the show.
Adrian already had the bottle of flakes he tipped into his hands and slapped along my legs. Working up the inside of my thighs, he moved quickly over my buttocks, giving the left one a cheeky slap.
"Don't forget my wings" I warned him as he slid up my back.
Moving around stiffly, I could feel his hands working the feathers around my shoulder blades. The stumps where glorious wings should have been were dusted and tussled to stick the gold firmly in place.
Carefully moving around, Adrian pressed his dusted thumb on either side of my eyes before daubing it down the bridge of my nose.
"Bird of prey...." he sang under his breath, smirking "bird of..."
"Shut it" I snorted back "I've already got to hear that ten times tonight."
"And who do you think has to sing it that many times?" he shrugged "spare a thought for my poor throat."
"You mean the one you don't even need to use most of the show?"
He rolled his eyes at me and slapped my arms down. I closed my legs again, careful not to rub the gold off as Adrian skipped up the few stairs to the stage and patted the crate next to him that I slowly leant against for support.
There's already a station of things here. Wipes, lotions, perfumes, pain killers, lube, condoms, tampons, and flakes. Everything but bandages. They don't look good for the show.
Grabbing my feet, he scrubs the filth off with a wipe. One then the other; even threading between my toes for good measure. I leave my makeup and mirror here to use when I get off the stage again.
With everything ready, I'm prepared for the hundreds of eyes on the other side of the curtain.
"Harnesses!" I hear another voice carry in the darkness as fingers snap "Avery, clean up!"
"He's spick!" Adrian called back just as I'm swarmed by two others.
Nisha had my front with the harness he tightened around my waist. His blonde hair was peaked like whipped meringue. He's only slightly smaller than me, so it almost brushes my chin. He's also a star of the chandelier. Everyone dazzles over him flipping around it in his skimpy outfit. His ears were carved down to try and appear normal, despite the unusual positioning hidden beneath a crown of thorns. His long tail was docked down to a stump he hid under more leather, bone, and chains.
Tawn had my back, making sure the harness was blended into my costume and didn't stand out. His skin was cold on mine when it worked it over, sending jolts through my body that briefly paralyzed it.
It's involuntary. Just the touch of snakeskin on mine makes me freeze. It's a response that's too deeply rooted to ignore.
When he's satisfied, he steps back to take his place on the crate for maintenance by Nisha.
"Avery is belted!" Nisha calls out while flecking up Tawn "Good to go!"
"Wait your cue!" the voice growls in the darkness when I line up with the curtains and make sure I'm within the tape lines behind them.
I ignore the fierceness of the voice. Everything must be perfect for the show, as it is every night.
"Check your hooks" Adrian winked as he slid to my left to take his mark at the edge of the curtain. A hand slid over to hand him a microphone. I didn't even see who it belonged to hidden so deeply within the fabric.
"I will."
Suddenly the crowd erupts into cheers and clapping. The curtains billow out towards me as chained and dazzled dancers rush through it around me, giggling.
"Watch your middle!" the voice barks when dancers get dangerously close to bumping me "move around! Move around!"
They flutter around me like broken butterflies. I hear the chains clinking on each other. I can see the bright makeup painted down their arms that are held above their heads to avoid swinging into me. They're panting from their performance. They give it their all every night.
Sweat mixes with the provided sea salt perfume. It crawls down my nose and makes me aware of my own smell of creamy makeup and metal from the fake gold.
Then, the stampede is gone. All dies down again as I see the wash of bright light hit the corner of the curtain Adrian saunters elaborately through.
The dancers gather just off the stage, stripping off the extra chains to slide on red ones for a new number. There's extras already there to make sure they have the costumes ready.
"Bird of prey..." I hear Adrian's voice waver through the darkness "bird of prey....."
I take my cue and slip through the curtains to the runway. The stage is a strip that is smacked right in the middle of a dining area. The lights are bleeding red, basking over the already dark stage that awaits me.
A massive bird cage dangles from a wire suspended from the roof. The first part of my dance will be suspended up in it. The second will just be me and a netted wire.
Holding my arms out, the gold glints in the dark light. I look to the sparkling eyes around me, elaborating on the bird-like stance I took earlier on the mirror.
I can see the silent awe on their faces. They're waiting to see if I can keep the show alive with my act.
"Iron cannot contain him" Avery points towards me, signalling for the spotlight to follow.
Instantly, I'm drowned in light. I almost miss snatching up the side of the cage so I can be lifted from the stage. I have to remember to dip my head. I always get blinded at that part.
The feeling of nothing around me is the closest to flying I'll get. These stumps will never carry me like this wire does.
I'm almost at the roof. Another helper, Claire, smiles down at me. I only notice her in the darkness by the slither of blonde hair poking out from her all black outfit.I return the familiarities as I pose on the side of the cage, suspended outwards only by my arms.
"A machine, a beast!" Avery singed out, his voice warbling with passion.
I haul my body around to start spinning the cage. The wire clinks against the support, as it usually does.
I hook my leg through the bars, using the other to keep my upper body stiff. Falling limp, I hear gasps before I spin around with the cage.
"Glinting gold in the dark!"
I unhook my leg and grab on with one hand, making a show of dangling from the sides.
I can hear them holding their breath. It makes me smile that they're so worried for me.
Working my way down the side of the spinning cage, I reach the bottom to latch on underneath.
Peeling my legs up and slipping them over my arms, I contort into an odd position. The cage starts to wobble at the shift of balance, allowing me to hold my legs in line with the bottom of the cage to spin like some sort of manic clock hand.
The cage starts to lower. I feel the wire tighten as I drop my legs down and let myself hang. Judging the distance, I let go, hearing cries of surprise and fear.
At that distance it would have broken a normal human. But, I was more than normal.
Landing and flourishing, I move to the end of the stage to get down and flirt with the audience in dance. With the cage lowered onto the stage, it could be shrouded in darkness and moved backstage so the next part of the act could commence.
I bend and flip to the left. I slide and grind to the right. I keep the eyes on me while they work quickly to hook up the netting.
The feel of the net was coarse enough so that I couldn't slip through it like ribbon. Ribbon flowed better and looked marvelous, but I was always shredding it with my long nails or slipping through it. That's when it was decided that net would be better. We'd make a show of it that I had been caught as part of my act.
Flipping down the stage, the lights shone on the black net looped in the wire waiting for me.
Flaunting over, I tugged on it to test the hook holding it up. It was mainly for show, but also for piece of mind for me. I had to check the hooks to make sure the net was gathered in it properly. If not, I could seriously hurt myself if I fell from the roof. There was a single wire slipped through the net. It held another hook that I clipped to my belted harness.
I might be better than the normal man, but I wasn't invincible. Without the extra wire, I'd be dead from a fall as high as I was about to go.
"Tricked and trapped" Avery signalled again for me to start my act "webs of lies."
I sat in the loop of the net and waited to ascend upwards. It gave me a little moment for me to catch my breath and check my harness.
I looked up and saw Claire again. She gave a thumbs up at a quick jerk of the safety wire. A small loop of netting flopped down. It was a single strap I could grip for my big finale. It was the only piece with an adjustable grip on it to really keep myself secure.
Nodding, I stood up, spreading my legs to grip each dipping end between my toes.
"Bird...of....prey!" Adrian boomed "fly away!"
Spinning, I tangled myself in the net. Letting it wind free, I looped part around my leg and middle, winding as I spun upwards, knotting and tangling.
With each part restricted in place, I quickly checked I wasn't about to strangle myself.
"Come back to me!" Adrian beckoned "you'll be free!"
I let myself fall, twisting and spinning down towards the ground at frightening speed.
The crowd gasped when my body snapped back at the end of the fall, watching when I hung upside down by my tethered leg so I could flip around and stand back up in the gathered net.
Sticking my foot through the loop, I kept my toes straight and tether pulled tight. Then, I kept climbing, making a show of acrobatics as I went.
At the top, I hauled myself back to make it look like I was falling again. This time, my foot took the support of it all while I swung myself around to spin the net, spinning wildly by my foot to twist my whole body as I rotated.
The net lowered slowly as I rotated in impressive spirals. Curling up to grab my foot while still rotating, I snatched onto the loop to shove my hand through instead and choke it so I didn't go flying out. With it only tied down, I continued the elaborate spinning and twisting around the net until my cue a few meters above the stage.
Ceasing the spinning, I released my hand and climbed into the net to twist both sides around my feet. Hanging down now, I waited for Adrian to walk his way onto the stage and hold his hand up towards me.
The wire stopped lowering me. I loosened my feet on the net to slip down towards Adrian while upside down and facing him, arm stretched out so my hand could leave into his.
Using it as support, I flipped down from the net and took my place draped off Adrian's shoulder, inches from his face as he breathed his last words into the microphone.
"Bird of prey...."
The lights were cut and the crowd tore into cheers and whistles.
Killing the mic, we quickly ran off stage in the darkness so the next act could rush on around us.
"Fucking beautiful!" the voice of the manager boomed over his own clapping before he approached to kiss my lips roughly "a little sloppy tonight, but they didn't seem to notice! I did though."
I felt his black stubble graze my face. I could feel the slimy sweat sticking to my dry lips. I couldn't wipe them here, not while his hard face bored down on me.
Shame burned my face alongside the beard rash. The manager saw all. He made sure I knew that. He was the boss, not the assortment of hybrids he kept as entertainment.
"I'll make sure it's better" I breathed back as I slid onto the crate.
"Spice it up while you are at it!" he clapped Adrian harshly on the shoulder to squeeze it "I didn't feel the tension! He's supposed to give up the skies for you and you were just a bit breathy."
"Do you want me to kiss him too?" he joked back.
"Whatever it takes to sell the act that you two are in love" the manager nodded, finally moving onwards to snap his fingers at another act who was talking.
"Fuck me" Adrian muttered under his breath.
"Don't tempt him. He might write that into the show" I smirked back, laughing.
"Yeah, yeah" Adrian shook his head and jerked his thumb to the left "need water before the next part?"
I nodded, sliding down again. Makeup touchups could wait.
I followed Adrian around to the waiting bay where others were already sitting, drinking or stripping for preparation of their next parts.
I moved to the corner to another station there so I could begin wiping the makeup and gold from my body.
The next part of my act called for a darker colour scheme. I was supposed to have killed Adrian then.
I needed my black paint and fake blood. I also needed to swap these chains for red one and strap on more monstrous arms over mine. I was supposed to be fearsome, 'but in a sexy way', as the manager put it.
"Water" Adrian passed me a bottle I took "we've got to get back for costumes and makeup."
Agreeing, we headed back along backstage where people were rushing for their places.
Dancers in red chains and bones slipped through the curtains to join the others already thumping around onstage to loud music.
Adrian led me to my room and ushered me inside. My assigned person for costumes was already there, irritated that I wasn't prompt enough.
Curled brown hair and purple glasses reminded me this was Aralie. She was usually calm and collected, but I had dawdled on her time.
"You were supposed to be here right away!" she tutted as she unhooked my chains and started peeling off the leather around them "you are a star. You need to follow your marks, not go sight seeing!"
"He needed water" Adrian shook his head at her while smearing off my face "you can't have him passing out of dehydration."
"And I can't have him be the reason I lose this job" Aralie remarked while dropping down the silver chains to start threading on red ones "get the makeup on. We don't have all day."
"Yes, Sir" he retorted with an eye roll and march over to my dresser where my main collection sat.
"It's just a streak across the eyes" I told him when he fished out the black "I usually do it with my hands for the right look. It's not supposed to be neat."
Adrian looked to Aralie who shrugged and moved aside so he could rub his fingers into the black and start messily streaking it across my eyes.
"You've got to be more aware of others" Aralie scolded me still as she threaded on one of the massive feathered arms around my own "if you need water, then send someone to get it. You do have people assigned to you for a reason, Avery."
I recoiled in shame, knowing I was putting people out of jobs by not utilizing them. It felt wrong. I didn't want to act higher than them at all.
"We came on time, didn't we?" Adrian replied while wiping down his fingers so he could pull off his torn shirt and throw it aside "so that's that."
Aralie huffed at him and roughly slid the other covering over my other arm, snapping it in place.
"Careful" I chuckled nervously "you might take an arm off."
Picking up a spray bottle of fake blood, she shook it before frantically squirting me down with it. Shooting some into my mouth, I swished around the plastic liquid and let it dribble down my mouth.
Adrian was also sprayed, the focus going on his bare chest that dribbled down to his pants.
"I'll take more than an arm if you dawdle back after this act" she wagged a finger at me "now go! You've got to get back in position and you've got to get changed! Chop chop!"
Adrian checked my face over and let me look it over in the mirror before rushing me for the door and racing down the hall for the shared dressers.
I swelled with pride knowing I looked amazing. The black really made my brown eyes look haunting. The massive talons on these fake coverings really had me looking terrifying.
And the chains. I think red was going to be my new favourite colour. It went with the blood perfectly.
I rushed back up behind the stage and took my place at the crate to wait.
Looking down, I noticed my makeup was missing. I wasn't fussed. One of the others might have picked it up to do touchups elsewhere. It'd come back soon.
"Fake blood!" the manager shouted as he stormed towards me to check me over "good, good. Listen, there's been a change of plans tonight."
My heart dropped. Instantly I was peering up at the manager to try and read his strength face.
"I haven't been pulled, have I?"
"No, fuck no!" he waved aside my concerns, laughing "you're our twirling, prancing star! It'd be suicide to pull you this late in our show!"
His hand shook my shoulder roughly. It was squeezing far too tightly, making me wince.
He realized, letting go. He even brushed it down like that would make the throbbing pressure disappear.
"We've switched it up. Instead of chains, we've got glorious red ribbons. Oh, you should see them! They're spectacular!"
"Ribbons?" I choked out, sliding close to the manager so I could drop my voice nervously "I haven't practiced with those. My act is chains and nets, like you said."
"Well, now its ribbons" he stepped from me, snorting "how hard could it be? It's the same shit!"
I didn't respond. I could only look up at him in shock.
I'd shred them.... I'd fall straight down to that stage....
The manager saw my fear and hesitation. My nails were curled into my palms, stabbing them as a reminder of what awaited me.
"Show me" the manager barked and lifted them up for me to inspect them "yeah, a bit long there. Reed! Run to the dressing room; second one from the back door there's a pair of those fancy dog clippers in there with the pink handle. Grab them and bring them here, ok? Now go! Run kid!"
Speckled brown hair swooped past me to rush off. I paid no attention to the kid on their errand, keeping my head low to try and steady myself and avoid what I knew was going to be behind those curtains.
"Avery, Baby" the managers voice cooed as he held my hands in his "it'll be fine. You're a bird. You were made to fly up there."
With these stumps for wings? The ones that were cut from me to make sure I didn't fly away?
Scowling, I focused my glare on the manager who dropped my hands down and sneered back.
"Get out there and don't fuck it up" he growled to me when he looked over my shoulder "about time."
"Sorry, the ribs were giving me trouble" Adrian's voice breathed beside me, but the manager was already off to snarl at someone else.
"He's got me doing ribbons" I muttered to Adrian.
He turned to me, black shirt pressed down the middle to hide the mechanism that would spring forth his fake bloodied ribcage. His hands smoothed it over carefully to make sure it wasn't obvious.
"Ribbons?" he frowned when he realized what I said "our thing is supposed to be chains."
"That's what I said!" I whined back "but he thinks it'll look better!"
"No" Adrian shook his head "you can't do it. I'll go tell him...."
"What's he going to do?" I sniffled, holding out my hand when Reed skidded back into view with the clippers held ready "he's got his mind made up."
My nails were sliced short. One by one the little guillotine cut them far too close to the quick.
Reed's hands were shaking. She kept her head low when she snipped along my fingers.
"What are we going to do?" Adrian glanced to the curtains in worry now, freezing up as the crowd behind erupted into cheers and whistles.
"What can we do?" I whispered back and blinked back my tears threatening to spill over "it's our act."
Dancers spilled around us. Moving out of the way, Reed pulled me with her so she could frantically cut her way along my other hand.
I felt her steadily cutting closer to the flowing quick until she nicked it in the last nail, causing me to recoil when the fire burned its way through my finger.
"I'm sorry!" she squeaked out as she raced for the wipes to staunch the blood dropping from it "it's hard to see in this darkness!"
She didn't have the sight I had. She didn't have a lot going for her, being a hybrid of a lowly Sand Piper who only chased waves for a living. Blessed with a name meant for an expected boy, Reed really didn't have much going for her.
"We'll sort it after the act" Adrian scowled at her, tossing aside the wipe as she made herself scarce "it's the last one. It'll be fine. You've practiced with ribbon before."
I swallowed the choking lump in my throat and nodded. Taking my place behind Adrian at centrestage, I could feel every knotted muscle strangling my body.
He was handed the mic again that he fiddled with uneasily. Tapping it against his hands, he had me taking a deep breath of my own to steady my shaking nerves.
I hadn't ever had a successful run with ribbon even in practices. That was years ago and barely a few meters off the floor. I was going to be up at the roof again.
Adrian took a deep breath and burst through the curtains. His voice boomed cheerfully into the microphone while I swayed on the spot, unable to pace.
Sucking on my bleeding nail, the pain arched down into my bone and sawed at it. Trying to shake it away, I listened for my cue.
The lights dimmed. Adrian's voice grew vague. I moved closer to the curtains for my appearance.
"Avery!"
The voice came to my left. I ignored it.
"Psst! Avery!"
I glanced, seeing Tawn crouched down by the stairs. Other dancers gathered there too, watching me intently. One held a jar of the grey ash they used in their routine to smear themselves. They were still covered in it.
Why were they all here? Weren't they supposed to be changing and drinking with the guests? Their parts were over now.
"Come here" Tawn beckoned.
"Go away!" I hissed back and shooed him away "you'll make me miss my part!"
Tawn sighed and rolled his eyes, tapping the dancer with the jar on the shoulder. Rushing up beside me, he snatched up both my hands while the dancer unscrewed the lid for Tawn to scoop up a heavy handful and slap it into my palms, forcing them to rub together.
"We heard what was going on. This'll help you. It'll stop you slipping."
"Plus it looks really cool when you slap you hands together" the dancer gushed.
Smiling down at them, the tears threatened to make their return.
"Thanks guys..."
"Hey, anytime. If y...."
Tawn paused, listening.
Everything was quiet. I heard Adrian sigh into the microphone and tap his foot.
"He's a bit embarrassed" he quipped "someone's got performance issues."
There was laughter as Adrian ran with the joke to cover my absence.
A head poked from the folds of the curtain, snapping it's fingers.
"Avery!" it hissed "what the fuck are you doing?! You're meant to be out there!"
I missed my cue. With my heart up in my throat I saw the manager storming over from my left. The head promptly disappeared and Tawn scurried away with the dancer. I raced out as I felt the snatching hands of the manager trying to throttle me.
"The beast!" Adrian cried out "my friend!"
He flipped his mic down as he turned to me.
"Where the fuck were you?" he mouthed, advancing.
I couldn't respond. I followed him with my head as he twined around me, hand running over my shoulders.
"My, you've.....grown."
His eyes slid to my crotch. There was some accompanied laughter.
Such a stupid part of the show. I shrugged dramatically, huffing.
Adrian turned. It was my turn to pounce on him and flip him onto his back.
Shaking my head and slashing my arms, Adrian screamed down the mic.
"When you said you were going to eat me, I thought you had something else in mind!" he cried out to more laughter.
The lights shrouded us. I stopped slashing since we were completely covered. He continued to wail dramatically, snapping open the shirt to have the ribs burst free. I stood over him, staring down intensely.
I saw the ribbons being lowered from the roof by the hook. They draped over Adrian like two glorious pillars of blood.
The hidden stage hand quickly scurried out to grab Adrian's microphone he gurgled into and promptly shut off.
"Where's my harness?" I muttered to them.
"There is none" they shrugged back, disappearing again.
The lights came back up and I panted, holding my arms out and curving my monstrous talons.
My heart was bursting out of my chest when I wiped my mouth and flicked the blood over Adrian.
Grabbing both the ribbons, I circled to show off their billowing beauty.
Dancers dressed as scavengers crawled onto the stage to drag Adrian away. We hissed at each other, as we usually did, while I tried to desperately stall for time.
With my chest heaving and my feet sweating, I picked up my pace, running now to get enough momentum to leap into the air. The ribbons spilled out either sides of the stage over the awestruck people below.
Spinning, my hands gripped the ribbon for dear life. The ashes were stopping me from slipping but I could feel them turning muddy under my sweaty palms.
Curving myself into the ribbons, I paused, wrapping them around my feet as I stared longingly up to the roof where Claire still remained hidden.
"Free......" Adrian's voice sang slowly from behind the curtains right on time "without me...."
I climbed, twisting the ribbon around my stomach as I went. It had to loop perfectly so it didn't cut off my circulation when I made my drop towards the stage.
The only thing that would stop me would be my hands. They were tied up like they should be, although muddy.
Smearing clumping ash through the glorious crimson, I reached the top, panting.
"Where's the harness?" I muttered up at Claire.
I had a harness with the chains I usually spiralled down with. That was dangerous enough. I had almost taken an arm and leg off before by having the metal links shift during my drop. If it wasn't for the harness keeping me up, I would have dropped down onto my neck.
"There is none" she cringed back "I don't even have one up here to give you!"
Lip quivering, I threw out my arm to signal I was ready for the drop.
"I'm sorry" Claire whispered.
"It's ok" I smiled back and listened for Adrian.
I heard him audibly swallow before his voice pierced the air.
"FREE!"
I released myself and kept my muscles tight. I spiraled downwards, tumbling and twisting as each carefully placed loop peeled away from my body and flung out around me.
I tumbled through the air, free-falling faster and faster. I felt the ribbon snag around my leg, then tear into my stomach. Unwinding around my body, i jerked against it as it tangled me in its grip only for a few moments before releasing me again.
It was all I needed to realize the ribbon had looped out of my hands. I spiralled down now out of control before tumbling down to crash into the floor on my shoulder.
The crowd groaned, screamed and gasped at the thundering noise of my body crashing down. There was silence as Adrian even stopped singing.
I was in the spotlight, hauling myself to my knees. It felt like my arm was crushed into my ribs. The whole right side of my body was as if it had been rammed through a concrete wall.
I stood shakily, flourishing. Turning back to the ribbon and the ash smeared down it, I wasn't going to let it beat me before my routine was done.
Glancing back to the curtain, I gestured for Adrian to keep going. I saw his panicked face pull back as the microphone snapped back on and the music started again.
"S-oaring..." Adrian faltered, steadying himself as well "Soaring through life."
I went to lift my right arm to twist the ribbon around my palm. Instantly, seering pain shot through it when it tried to lift only a few centimeters higher.
Fuck.
Twisting my left instead, I yanked on the ribbon to make sure I wasn't going to slip from it again.
I couldn't. Not for this part.
Running and launching myself over the edge of the stage, I arched over the crowd closes to me.
I heard their gasps and some screams before I landed on the other side of the stage to throw myself off it and circle back to the middle.
With momentum now going, I circled back up to hang off the sides of the ribbon.
I could hear everyone holding their breath. Only the music and the lyrics filled the air.
Back up towards the top, I gripped both sides to twist my way down through the middle.
My hands slipped again, making me have to catch myself again to concerned gasps. I played it up as part of the show, doing it deliberately again when I got closer to the end that I tossed upwards to hook my feet through.
Leaning out, I spread my left arm wide while smirking at the crowd. My right quivered uncontrollably and refused to finish the spectacular end like I wanted.
"He'll take your breath away! Bird of prey!" Adrian finished marvelously to the quiet crowd.
The lights snapped off and I was lowered further to the ground where Adrian rushed over to support my chest as Tawn and Nisha grabbed my unravelling legs.
I found the stage again to be whisked backstage to a mass of concerned faces and hands.
Gently pushed onto the crate, others left to wrap up the show. Everyone that remained whispered frantically for me to say something.
"I'm fine" I smiled back, inhaling sharply when fingers tried to move my arm "it's fine."
"I'd be surprised if it wasn't broken."
"It's broken for sure."
"You landed right on it, Avery."
Voices echoed around me until the manager rushed over to shoo his way through to me.
"You good, kid? Holding up well?"
"You shouldn't have changed it up like that!" Adrian snapped to him "he would have been fine with the damn chains!"
"Oh, he's just being dramatic" the manager waved Adrian's concerns aside, ignoring the bared teeth and clenched fists Adrian withheld behind him "tough it up, have a drink, and get on the stage to take a bow. Photos in ten!"
He clapped and peeled open the curtain to push people through it. There was cheering that welcomed them when the other dancers bitterly fixed themselves up and sashayed out.
Once most dancers were through and the show was running back on track, the manager made himself scarce, muttering about needing a drink for his stress.
Tawn glared in his direction before leaning down to me.
"If you need me to spit in his drink...."
I giggled at his smile, letting him help me to my feet.
"You good to go back out there?" he worried now that the area around us was thinning "you need to get that fixed."
"I'll be good for a bow and some photos" I scoffed back, seeing his concern "come on, we can't keep them waiting."
Tawn sighed and agreed, taking the front to burst out with his arms up.
The crowds cheering increased at one of the stars making himself known to them.
Adrian patted my shoulder and followed, showing off the ribcage still splayed outwards from his shirt while playing it up.
I steadied myself, and shoved through the heavy curtain. Instantly, I was met with everyone clapping for me. They had formed a path straight down the middle I could walk through while waving to the screaming crowds.
They were erupted with support for me. Taking my place at the front, the others closed the gap behind me so we could take our bow and bask in the returned cheers piercing straight through us.
With everyone invited back for drinks, the tables started to clear into the doorway further upwards.
That was our cue to head back and meet them. The stars were expected for photographs for eager fans lined up near the stairs for the exit.
The dancers and lesser actors were free to grab drinks, mingle with the crowds, or avoid them altogether to head back to their own homes to get some sleep before the next show tomorrow night.
We didn't leave. The stars had their own rooms. Us hybrids were the only ones with our own spaces right where we performed. The manager didn't want us growing a brain and running while we were out there in the real world.
Keep us close. He had it all signed for and written up in contracts. We couldn't leave, even if we wanted to.
"Just a bit longer" Adrian muttered to me as we filed offstage "then it'll all be over."
I nodded, knowing full well that he would be pushed out the front doors after the drinks had dried up and photos were taken.
For now though, I was going to be fed liquor and love until I forgot all about the disaster of tonight.
ns 18.68.41.179da2
