2 Part 2

Nick led me to a larger tent, which was a dull gray colour and, thankfully, tall enough that I didn't have to crane my neck to fit in. Inside was a large, circular table with a red tablecloth overtop. Nick sat at the table, and I followed suit, still unsure with what I was doing here with him.

I understood that Nick was a fortune teller, as Anna had described him, but I didn't know why I had to apprentice under him. Wasn't fortune telling just a scam? What would I have to learn to be successful as one? Other than lying, of course.

'First thing's first, kid.' Nick began. He didn't look particularly happy that I was here, but that wasn't exactly unexpected from what I'd seen of him. 'No matter what anybody says, I'm not a fortune teller. If you want a name for my profession, Cartomancer will be what you use.' I nodded my understanding, unsure of why he didn't want to be called a fortune teller, though I didn't ask him.

'Second, you are my apprentice, and I am your master, so you will refer to me as such, or you can take that ratty suitcase of yours and go find some other circus to run away with.' I was fine with calling Nick 'master', as we had to do such things at the boarding school I went to. Thinking about the old school brought me back to other memories. Memories of Sarah. My lips wobbled a little at the thought, but I pushed it to the back of my mind and focused back on Nick.

'Third, you will be sleeping outside in the spare bedroll, you're not sleeping in here.' A frown grew across my face. I was concerned about what ailments I could catch sleeping outside like Nick described.

He looked me in the eyes, as though trying to reinforce what he had told me with just his gaze. 'And finally, I'm not your guardian, whenever you're not doing chores, you can do whatever you damn well please, just don't come running to me if you get into any trouble, because I won't get you out of any again.' I grimaced in memory of the three men who had confronted me earlier.

I nodded my understanding, trying to seem cheerful, despite the concern welling up inside of me. 'Yes, sir, I won't be causing any trouble, you won't have to worry about me.' Nick grunted and left the tent, and me in it. I didn't know what to do, so I just sat there, fingering the carved necklace.

Eventually, though, I started getting hungry. Nick hadn't told me anything about food, so I decided to explore the camp a little. The sun was set low on the horizon, throwing cascading oranges and yellows across the sky, shading everything in warm colours.

I walked aimlessly through the camp, keeping an eye out for food of any kind. The camp was surprisingly big, housing around a hundred souls. As I walked, the people stared at me, though with less hostility than they had earlier, when I had first arrived. I walked like that for about half an hour, but I couldn't seem to find any mess tents, so I started the walk back to Nick's tent.

A feminine voice called out to me, interrupting my solemn mood. I looked around for the origin of the voice, and found a sleek young woman, probably a year or so older than me, walking unhurriedly towards me. 'Yes?' I answered once she got closer.

She had auburn hair that flitted lazily in the breeze and wore baggy, beige clothing. Her face was pointed, with a sharp chin, sharp eyebrows, a sharp smirk and sharp eyes. Very pointy indeed. 'I've heard that you recently just joined the fray.' She said, her voice melodic.

To say the least, I was flustered. Her smile widened at my reaction, clearly amused. 'Yes,' I finally stammered out, embarrassed by my reaction. 'My name is Evan, what's yours?'

The woman made a grand flourish, bowing at the waist. 'I am the great performer Sandra, but my friends just call me Sandy.' She straightened up, her smile wide on her face. 'It's nice to meet you, Evan.' She said her voice seemed to be welcoming and mocking at the same time. 'I hear that you've been put up as Nick's assistant.' She said, a teasing look in her eyes. 'That's a sad fate for any soul.'

I don't know why, but that grated me a little. Sure, Nick wasn't exactly a warm guy, but he had taken me in (even if he didn't want to) and given me a place to stay and job to work. He had given me far more than most people ever had. Even Sarah.

Sandy must've noticed my scowl, despite my best efforts to hide it. She frowned, her smile disappearing almost instantly. 'I'm sorry,' She said, trying to make amends. 'I was just joking, I didn't mean to insult Nick.' My irritation evaporated immediately. A small smile crept onto my face, which Sandy, of course, saw, and we both cracked out into laughter, despite the fact that the only thing either of us had said was an apology.

It had been a long time since I'd last laughed, and I missed the feeling of actual joy. I didn't want to lose that feeling ever again. My stomach rumbled like a wild beast, and Sandy laughed even harder than before. I quieted down though, revelling in my happiness for just a moment longer.

I remembered when Sarah and I used to laugh like that, when all that there was to the world was laughter and love. I thought back to when we would lay in the grass, watching the sun pass overhead, talking about nothing in particular. I remembered when we would head over to our special park at night, where we would hug and kiss under the shroud of moonlight. I remembered it all. And I wished that I could just burn those memories from my head.

My attention turned back to the present, where Sandy was calling my name, concern evident in her voice. I mentally shook myself to alertness and focused on her. Sandy's eyes were creased and she wasn't laughing anymore. Pity, she had a good laugh. 'Are you okay, Evan?'

I didn't want to answer, I really didn't. But there was just something about the way Sandy was looking at me, something I just couldn't resist. 'Bygone days.' I said, not bothering, or wanting, to elaborate further. Sandy respected my secrecy though, as she didn't question me further.

'Come on,' She said, gesturing for me to follow her. 'Let's get some food in that abyss of yours.' I nodded, a sad smile playing across my lips, and followed Sandy to a large tent, bigger than Nick's, even.

Sandy stepped inside, not bothering to wait for me. I absently thought about the scandalous situation I was in, entering an empty tent with a beautiful woman, but the thought quickly left me. I stepped inside after Sandy, with only a moment's hesitation.

Okay, maybe not so empty as I had thought. Inside there was a family, each of them looking strikingly similar, with a woman, older than Anna, with the same auburn hair of Sandy, and a man with the same sharp features, though his face was more aquiline than Sandy's. There were two other children, each younger than Sandy and I, but not by much, only a few years at most.

Sandy introduced me to her family, who were surprisingly nice people to be around. Her father wasn't just physically sharp, but had a wit that I envied him for. Her mother was delicate, like a wispy candle flame, flickering in the breeze. The children were nice, but not quite as interesting as Sandy or her parents. Its a bit rude, I know, but they were what you'd expect teenagers to be like. Loud and abrasive.

Sandy's father, Jeremy, invited me to dinner, which his wife, Rebecca, and Sandy insisted I do. I nearly accepted. Nearly. But looking at this family, with their jokes and laughter, their joy and inclusivity, they were direct opposites of my family. And with that train of thought, my mind eventually settled on their betrayal. I just couldn't take it anymore, their blatant manipulation of my life. And Sarah, whom I'd thought I had loved with my heart, had given up on me as soon as my parents had broken out their shrewd bartering.

I wanted to scream, to yell, to throttle all those who even looked at me funny. My hand reached out to my necklace, clutching like it was my only tether to this world, the only thing that kept me going. Eventually, my silence irked Jeremy and Rebecca, who looked annoyed with me. Sandy, though, looked at me with a mix of confusion and sympathy.

I finally broke the silence, sick of thinking these terrible thoughts. 'I'm afraid I have things to do this evening,' I said, reverting to the formal tone I only used when I was feeling especially turbulent. 'I thank you for your company, but I will be taking my leave.' I stumbled out the flap of the tent, my lungs screeching for fresh air.

My legs were shaky as I staggered all the way back to Nick's tent. I all but tripped over when I entered the tent, surprised when hands caught me before I could plant my face in the ground.

My groggy eyes flitted up, searching out the person who had saved me from a mouth full of canvas. Eventually, my eyes cleared enough for me to recognise the annoyed visage of Nick. He shook his head, clearly unhappy, though whether that was because of me, or something else, I couldn't tell. 'Hey, Nick.' I mumbled, barely holding onto consciousness. He grunted in reply, eyes searching mine.

'Fine,' He finally said, breaking the silence that had built up. 'You can stay here for tonight, but never again.' I smiled dazedly, wanting to thank Nick, but not being able to. He pulled my arm over his shoulders and all but dragged me through the tent.

The table was gone, replaced by two bedrolls. If I wasn't allowed to sleep in here, and Nick had only just agreed to let me sleep in the tent, then why were both bedrolls laid out? Sadly, my befuddled mind only had enough in it to ask that question, but not to actually answer it. I had fallen into the dark void of sleep well before Nick had laid me down on the bedroll.