Chapter 2
Nova
Popping out her fangs, Nova stepped out of the cage. She pocketed the two teeth, then rubbed her lips. This set were getting old and would grab her lip sometimes when she hissed. She was going to have to bug Riff until he agreed to order her another set.
Once outside the cage, she moved her hand from her lips to the small sore spot on her hip. Even though the guys used the lowest setting on those shock sticks, it still hurt.
She kept asking if there was any way they could figure out how to get the things to make the sound without delivering a shock, but Riff insisted that was impossible. She didn’t bother to argue again. During her life in the circus, she’d learned that good theatre was worth a little pain.
Grabbing the tarp they used to cover the cage, she started wrestling it back in place. The guys were supposed to stay to help, but they never did. She got tired of complaining and simply did it herself.
At least she knew the Tiema family wouldn’t start eating until she got there. She loved them for that.
The Tiema family was made up of Melee, the matriarch, Hashor the eldest, then the twins Mashie and Miffla, and finally the youngest, Nikla.
She and the twins were about the same age.
When she’d first been introduced to the circus performers and workers, they didn’t know what to do with this small human child.
Then Melee had stepped forward and treated her like a cub.
That gave Riff an idea, and soon she was doing an act with the Tiema cubs. They put her in an outfit with fake Tiema ears, and she rolled around with them, pretending to be clumsy and trying to do her best to follow the graceful creatures as they leapt, jumped, and tumbled on the stage.
The audience loved it, and that act kept going until she and the cubs were too old to pull it off.
Riff tried to put her in several other acts, but nothing really worked until they hit on the wild human idea.
She didn’t mind the wild-human act, especially the second show of the day.
It was an easy show because there weren’t any acrobatics or shock sticks.
All she had to do was pretend to be drugged so all the little kids could touch her.
Her stomach rumbled, making Nova redouble her efforts with the drape. The sound of the theatre door opening surprised her. No one should be coming in through that door until it was opened by the staff.
She turned, prepared to hide in case it was a lost Fielden, only to be greeted by the sight of Riff, Captain Sanian, and another male she'd never seen before. Both Riff and Sanian looked very excited.
That worried her. They weren't cruel, but what tended to excite them most was money, and that didn’t always bode well for everyone else.
“Nova,” Riff chirped at her excitedly. “I'm glad we caught you. We have the most excellent news.”
“What's going on?” she asked, then made a startled sound. “Who are they?”
Two more figures appeared out of the shadows at the back of the room. Had they been there the entire time? She flushed a little with embarrassment. She couldn’t believe she hadn't seen them before now.
All three strangers were the same green-skinned species with a blue-green scale pattern running from the middle of their foreheads and over the top of their heads. They were tall with broad shoulders tapering down to narrow waists.
They were all wearing armor, and she could see several energy weapons strapped to their bodies. They must’ve done a lot of negotiating and paid a heavy price to be allowed on a pleasure ship with so many weapons.
It was clear that these males weren’t regular patrons. Fear made her heart beat faster.
Riff was at her side now, tugging her pants to get her attention. When she looked down, he pointed at the three strangers. “These males are Hissa.”
She had never heard of the Hissa before. “Um, that’s nice?”
“They’re a wealthy species with two moons full of dimmerion,” Sanian said. Between his high-pitched voice and lifted neck crest, she could tell he was excited.
She looked over at the three men, now all gathered just behind the captain. They were all staring intently at her, as if they were inspecting her.
“You aren't selling me, are you?” she asked.
“I know you like it here,” Riff said with another tug on her pants. “But they paid a lot of credits. The Hissa aren't known to be cruel or mean, I'm sure you will learn to be content with them.”
Cold dread settled in the pit of her stomach at the same time red hot anger built in her chest.
She swept her gaze over the three men, then settled on the one that was standing a little in front of the other two. This was probably the leader.
“Do you have a circus? Do you need a wild act?” she asked bluntly.
He looked surprised at her question, then answered in excellent space standard. “No, we don't have anything like a circus.”
His voice and body language made it clear that he was disgusted by everything around him.
They probably considered the Delight too public. They must like their entertainment to be private.
There really weren't very many reasons to pay so much for a slave, even one as exotic as her. If she wasn't going to be an attraction at a circus, that really only left one other option.
She looked at Sanian. “Don't do this.”
She was proud when her voice didn't waver with fear.
The captain's voice was stern. “It's already done. You don't need to pack your things. The men said they will provide you with everything you need.”
She cast them a disgusted look, of course they'd say that. If she didn’t have anything, it would be harder to escape.
Schooling her features, she sighed and slumped her shoulders, giving every indication she'd been defeated. “Please let me say goodbye to Melee and the cubs.”
Riff shook his head violently. “Absolutely not. You would get them to hide you. Come along and meet your new owners.”
Ducking her head down and with an exaggerated flinch, she stepped away from Riff.
She could see him frown in confusion at her action and almost laughed.
No one hurt the circus workers. If discipline was required, it was done with withdrawal of privileges, not corporal punishment.
She and the others never hesitated to argue with Riff and even the captain occasionally when it came to safety.
She’d only meant to look cowed and subservient, but the Hissa reacted to her flinch with much more ferocity than she expected.
One of them grabbed Riff by the back of the jacket and held him high in the air.
Riff gave a loud screech of distress and tried to twist and bite the warrior but only got a mouthful of armor.
Sanian spoke rapidly, trying to deescalate the situation. “No, no, this isn’t necessary. Please put Riff down. He wasn’t going to hurt Nova.”
“Didn’t you see her move as if she thought she was going to be hit?” one of the warriors snarled.
“We saw the act and how you shoved shock sticks at her,” another said. “I heard them snap on her skin. How could you do that to her every day?”
“What other abusive things have you done to her?” the leader said, standing close to Sanian. The captain shrank back in fear and began sputtering excuses again. None of them were looking at her.
She couldn't have asked for a better distraction.
Taking advantage of their inattention, she turned and took a running step.
One leap got her almost halfway up the cage, and she grabbed the crossbars with ease.
It took no effort to scamper up to the top.
She was lucky they’d shown up before she finished pulling on the drape or her escape would've been harder.
“No, get back down here!” Sanian yelled, sounding both scared and frustrated.
“Human, please don’t be afraid. We won’t hurt you,” one of the warriors called out.
“We’re here to take you to a better place,” another said.
She ignored all of them and their lies.
Once on top of the cage, she was close enough to the ceiling to pull the loose vent covering off and fling it to the ground.
She grasped the edge of the opening and swung herself inside.
She’d practiced the maneuver enough to have it down without needing to think about it.
The bag she had stored there a year ago was a comforting sight.
“Come down now or I'll activate your collar,” Riff threatened. He must’ve pressed the warning button because her collar buzzed but didn’t shock her.
He'd only ever used her collar once against her when she’d been very young and liked to explore the ship without permission. It had hurt, and she’d cried on Melee’s shoulder for hours afterwards.
Melee had been furious and made sure Riff would never hurt Nova again.
Turning around in the vent, Nova stuck her head out the opening and smirked down at the males. At the same time, she tugged the collar off, tossing it at the little Fozin with a cry of angry triumph.
“Here's your collar, you little weasel! Have fun trying to find another wild act as good as mine!” she yelled at him. She wanted to pause and really enjoy Riff’s astonished face, but it was only a matter of time until one of those Hissa climbed up on the cage and came after her.
With a grunt of effort and very little grace, she turned in the narrow duct, then grabbed the bag and continued her escape.
She felt a moment of sorrow that she’d never get to see Melee and the cubs again, but they’d all known a day like this might come.
Melee had disabled the lock on her collar.
Hashor had helped her figure out what to pack in the bag.
Mashie and Miffla had decided this duct was the best place to hide the bag and for a quick getaway.
Nikla had helped her plan out the escape after she left the duct.
They’d all made her promise not to look back because her freedom was worth leaving them all behind.
The Tiema family was free and could decide to leave the circus at any time. They wanted the same for her. They’d understand, but it still hurt to leave behind the only family she’d ever known.
“I’m not a slave any longer,” she whispered to herself as she crawled to her freedom. “Someday, I’ll find them again. I’m not alone. I’m on an adventure.”
It was time to start her life as a free woman.