“Ladies and gentleman,” Michael called out. “I am sorry but my performers need to go. Thank you so much for coming to see us, and I hope you will visit Cirque du Feu Magique again soon.”
A few people rushed to get a last autograph, while the rest left. The energy slowly died down, which made the anger even stronger.
“Madam, Sir, I’m afraid you’ll need to leave now,” said Michael to the couple.
“Actually,” said the man, his Russian accent thick and sharp, “I would speak to my son.”
“Papa,” Sasha said, eyes wide as the tall man walked over in long, measured strides.
I trembled at the burst of cold fear, but Sasha quickly pulled his emotions in as his face became blank.
“Sasha.” The woman rushed over and embraced him. “I have missed you so much. You’ve grown, you’re taller than me now. You were beautiful tonight.”
Sasha sighed. “Mama.”
“Your babushka and I cried as we made latkes for Hanukkah when we realized you weren’t going to be eating with us.” She wiped a tear from her eye. “You always ate so many you gave yourself a tummy ache.”
Sasha smiled. “My friends made me latkes. They weren’t as good as yours, but it was very kind of them.”
“Enough,” snapped his father. Hot anger flared as he began to speak—his words cold and sharp in Russian. His words were vile, and if Sasha’s father respected him at all, he would never speak to his son like that, let alone in front of people. I did my best to ignore what was being said.
I wanted to go to Sasha, but Taliesin held me back.
“Lev,” said his mother in Russian, placing her hand on her husband’s arm. “Please, he is a boy, of course he is going to want to try new things. And he looked so lovely, I could see the skills he learned in ballet during his performance. It warmed my heart.”
His father ranted some more.
“No,” said Sasha in English. “No, Papa, I won’t stop. I do practice ballet some, but I am here touring with this circus right now, and I want to perform. I love silks and I am learning trampoline and German wheel.”
I shivered at the coldness of his father’s voice, as he snapped at him in Russian.
“I love this more than ballet,” Sasha said.
His dad slapped him. Okay, that was it. I wrenched out of Taliesin’s grip. “Leave him alone,” I said.
His father sneered at me. “Or is this little tart what you love more than ballet?”
Whoa, wait a minute.
“Papa, I am not a little boy you can bully into doing what you want. This is what I want, and I’m not leaving, and I’m not stopping, and if you hit me again, I will hit you back.”
I stood near Sasha supporting but not wanting to interfere. Okay, I lied. I wanted to kick his dad hard, in his stomach, but respected Sasha so I stood there being supportive, and gave his father the evil eye.
“If you don’t give this up, you don’t need to bother coming home when this craziness is over with,” his father said.
“I’m sorry you feel that way.” Sasha stood there straight and strong.
His father cursed in Russian under his breath. “Come, Alexandra.”
Sasha gave his mom a soft, sad smile. He expected his mom to follow his father. My heart broke.
“No, Lev. I’ll meet you back at the hotel. I’m going to take our son out to eat and catch up with him.” She squeezed Sasha’s arm.
I blinked to hide my tears. No crying, come on suck it up.
Lev sneered, made a dramatic turn, and stalked away. Drama queen.
I stopped myself from sticking my tongue out at his retreating back.
Miu glided forward, still dressed in her kimono for the Japanese fan dance. She reached up, and placed her hand glowed against Sasha’s cheek where his father had hit him. “There—all better.”
“Thank you. Miu, this is my mother, Alexandra Koen. Mother, this is Miu.”
Alexandra shook Miu’s hand. “You are the healer, da. Did you heal my son?”
Miu smiled. “Yes, and of course, he’s my friend.”
“Thank you. Sasha, introduce me to everyone.”
Sasha smiled, the lightness and love coming from him made my heart ache. I hadn’t realized how unhappy he’d felt. I stepped back and let the others crowd around Sasha while I tried to gather myself.
“Sapphire, come and meet my Mama.”
“It’s very nice to meet you,” I said, holding out my hand. Her eyes widened at the spark of heat. “Sorry, I do that sometimes,” I said.
“Sapphire is the Jewel, the one from Babushka’s stories. Sapphire, my mama, Alexandra, one of Russia’s finest prima ballerinas.”
She smiled. “Oh, you. That was a long time ago. It’s nice to meet you. I’m sorry about the scene.”
Sasha chuckled. “At least Sapphire was the only one who could understand what Papa was saying.”
“You speak Russian?” she asked.
“Um, no. I can understand any language a Child of Fire is speaking,” I said.
Alexandra’s eyes widened.
“I tried my best to not listen—it seemed private.”
“Thank you, you’re a good girl.” She squeezed my hand before letting go. “Come, Sasha, I am sure you’re famished, and we have so much to talk about.”
* * *
I lay on a stack of mats backstage waiting for Kayin to finish getting ready. My shoulder ached a little, probably from resisting Taliesin as he held me back from kicking Sasha’s father. Closing my eyes, I relaxed into the mat. All I wanted was some food and sleep. I smiled as a body hovered over mine. A spicy citrus scent tickled my nose.
“Yes, Shin,” I said.
“Want to go and get some Korean food with me? There is a place only a few blocks away.”
“I’m tired. You’ll have to carry me.”
Shin chuckled. “Of course, princess.”
I opened my eyes. He held push-up position above me, as if he hadn’t done two performances today. I wrapped my arms and legs around Shin. With a sigh he pushed up and stood.
“Scoot,” he said.
I slid around to his back. Shin clasped his hands together under my legs to support me. I wonder how long the piggyback ride would last.
“What are you two up to?” Kayin asked wrapping his scarf around his neck.
I tightened my legs and leaned back, reaching with my hands to get my stuff. “We’re going out for Korean food. Want to come?” I asked, putting on my coat, bag, hat and scarf.
“You’re going to have to help,” Shin said holding out his jacket.
I helped him on with his jacket and scarf on before wrapping my arms around his shoulders. I turned to Kayin, who took pictures of us with his phone. Rude! “So?”
“If it’s okay with Shin, I’d love to come,” Kayin said.
“Of course, it’s fine with me.” Shin said, placing his hands behind him again to help support me. “Someone will need to help carry the princess here.”
Kayin laughed as we walked out the performers’ exit. Weak circles of yellow light lit up patches of the dark narrow alley behind the theater.
Shin patted my leg. “You might have to get down.”
I looked ahead. A man stood in the shadows against the wall. He walked towards us, kilt swaying around his legs, curls falling over the shoulders of his leather jacket as he adjusted his yoga bag. “It’s okay. Ramsey?”
“Hey, I hoped I’d catch you,” he stepped into the light. “I thought you weren’t hurt?”
“She’s not,” Shin said. “Just lazy. Wait—did something happen last night? Is that why your shoulder is injured?”
“No, I mean I messed up during the routine at the matinee, you saw me,” I said.
“Yes, but then why would Ramsey think you were hurt?” Shin asked.
“Well, I fell?” It sounded more like a question then a statement. Lying is so not my thing.
“At the gala? You?” Shin didn’t sound convinced.
&n
bsp; “It’s my fault,” Ramsey said. “I gave her a glass of champagne and didn’t realize she hadn’t eaten recently.”
Thank goodness he lied so well.
“Lightweight. I’m not sharing my soju with you,” Shin teased.
“Korean?” Ramsey asked.
“Yes,” Kayin said. “You should come.”
“Cheers, that’d be brilliant. If you two don’t mind.”
“Of course,” I said.
Shin chuckled. “It’s fine with me. The more, the merrier.”
“So, Ramsey, what did you do today?” I asked, hopping down to walk.
“We opened for a bigger group at a pub. We just finished about thirty minutes ago.”
“Did it go well?” I asked glaring at Shin over my shoulder, as he let us walk ahead of him and Kayin. I knew Shin was watching Ramsey’s butt.
“Yeah it did, and your shows? You hurt yourself?” Ramsey asked.
I huffed. “I slipped and tweaked my shoulder a bit. It’ll be fine tomorrow.”
“Here we are,” Shin said opening a large wooden door. Korean symbols inlaid in silver shone in the light of the streetlamp.
We were ushered into a booth. I slid in next to Ramsey, leaving Kayin and Shin to share the other bench. Shin spoke to the waitress, and she smiled and hurried off.
“It’s beautiful,” I said. The walls were painted a dark blue, and the benches and chairs were covered in a rich cream colored fabric. Photographs of Korea and small wooden shelves displaying statues, pottery, and dolls from Korea decorated the walls.
The waitress brought a pot of tea, and two bottles of soju, and passed out menus.
“Sorry, you two are too young to drink,” Shin said opening his blue-green bottle.
“What is it?” Kayin asked.
“Rice wine. Do you want a sip?” Shin asked holding out the bottle.
Kayin took a sip, wrinkled his nose, and handed the soju back. “Sour.”
Ramsey held out his bottle, but I shook my head.
“So what do you recommend?” Kayin asked.
I hid my grin behind the cup of tea as Shin leaned over Kayin’s shoulder to help him pick something to eat.
“This restaurant offers a lot of vegetarian options.” Shin pointed at the menu, his blue streaked black bangs hanging down over his face.
I felt Kayin’s embarrassment, his ebony cheeks not betraying the heat that I was sure filled them.
“Do you like spicy food?” Shin asked.
“Yes,” Kayin said.
“These are good.” Shin leaned a little bit closer.
“Have you eaten Korean before?” Ramsey asked.
“Only what Shin made for us. You?”
“Yes, I usually get the grilled eel or abalone porridge. What are you thinking of getting?”
“I’m torn between the sweet potato noodles with tofu and veggies or the veggie and tofu Bibimbap,” I said.
The waitress came up and took our orders. Kayin and I fumbled with our menus in order to quickly pick something and try to pronounce it. Between our mangling of the Korean and our accents, mine American and Kayin’s Zimbabwean, the poor waitress looked completely lost. Shin ordered for us, his lips twitching in amusement.
“Extra tofu for me,” I said to Shin who nodded and told the waitress.
“I guess you like tofu,” Ramsey said.
“Protein is important,” I said. “Something Anali and Gavin drilled into our heads when we first started touring.”
Ramsey chuckled. “When I started touring my mum kept telling me my prick would fall off if I drank too much and slept around.”
Shin chuckled. “Yes, my mom is always telling me to be careful, and to wants to know when I’ll come home and settle down with a nice Korean girl.”
“Doesn’t seem like your thing,” Ramsey said.
Shin wiggled his eyebrows. “We’ll moms don’t need to know everything, now, do they?”
I reached across the table and squeezed Kayin’s hand. His nervousness buzzed around me.
“How..” Kayin cleared his throat. “How do you think she’ll react?”
Shin frowned. “At first she’ll cry, and ask if I’m sure, and wonder what I’ll do with my life. Then she’ll think it’s all her fault and wail about how she ruined me and now I won’t give her grandkids. Then she’ll calm down, and tell everyone she always knew in her heart, because a mother knows these things, and then she’ll start trying to set me up with a nice professional gay man who wants to have a family so she can still get grandchildren from me.”
“That sounds like fun,” I said, heavy on the sarcasm.
Ramsey laughed. “She sounds like my mum. My youngest sister came out last year, and that is exactly what mum did.”
“That doesn’t sound so bad. Why not tell her now?” Kayin asked.
“Well,” Shin said. “I want to tell her in person, and if she’s holding a grandchild from my older brother then she won’t yell as loudly.”
“What about your dad?” I asked. “Will he be okay?”
“Actually I’m pretty sure my dad is gay. He’s great, and he loves my mom. But I see where his eye wanders. And I know he’s had affairs; we pretend it’s with women. My mom huffs and randomly starts talking about the inherent weakness of men. Then my dad starts spending more time at home and buys her stuff.”
Kayin fiddled with his silverware. “So you aren’t worried about losing your family?”
“Oh.” Shin’s smile was soft and sad as he looked at Kayin. “I see. Um, no, I’m not worried about that.”
Kayin nodded. “It feels like something you can’t take back, like once you admit it to yourself, or another person than that’s it, your life has changed.”
My heart ached for Kayin. I could sense his fear and sadness thick in the air. I wanted to reach for him, to hug him, and comfort him. But it seemed like if I did that then I was admitting his feelings for him. Acknowledging that he was gay, when he is the one who should do it. Under the table Ramsey grabbed my hand and squeezed.
“I know my sister felt scared. She told me first. I told her that I would always be her family, no matter what. I also have friends who were kicked out of homes, and they made new families,” Ramsey said.
I sniffed, hoping to lighten the mood. “I’ve already told you, Big Brother, that you are stuck with me forever.”
Kayin smiled. “I won’t forget, Little Sister.”
Shin shivered. “Sounds like a warning to me.”
“Hey,” I shouted, pretending to be offended.
The waitress came with our meals. I breathed in the spicy garlic, and tangy kimchi scents. The table was covered in food. Fried dumplings, and spring rolls, both vegetarian. Little bowls filled with kimchi, mung bean sprouts with sesame oil, marinated cucumbers, and bamboo shoots with chilies were in the center of the table for us to share.
She set a hot, black stone bowl in front of me. I warmed my hands against the rough sides of the bowl while looking at the beautiful dish. Thin slices of carrots, red bell peppers, mung bean sprouts, tofu, and spinach all lightly cooked, seasoned, and placed in individual sections on top of seasoned rice, and on top of that was an egg.
“Now,” said Shin who also got Bibimbap but with spicy marinated beef. “You pour on hot sauce and stir it all up.”
He handed me the bottle. I squeezed out the dark red paste. Dipping the end of my chopstick in the sauce I found it to me a medium heat and slightly sweet. I added more, then ruined the beautiful arrangement by stirring everything together with a silver long-handled spoon. My eyes closed as I took a bite, this was comfort food. Warm, flavorful, and hearty. “This is wonderful.”
Kayin glared at his chopsticks and then did his best to scoop some of his Bibimbap into his mouth. I grinned as half of the food fell back into his bowl.
“Do you like it?” I asked to cover up watching him work the chopsticks.
He nodded and swallowed. “Yes, it’s very good, not very spicy though.”
I hummed as I took another bite. This was the perfect food for such a cold night.
“How do you do that so easily?” Kayin grumbled.
Ramsey waved his spoon in front of him. “I don’t bother with those bloody things.”
“You don’t have to use chopsticks,” Shin said, pointing to his spoon. “I’d rather you are comfortable and enjoy your meal.”
Kayin smiled. “I’ll switch later. I need to practice if I want to get better right?”
Shin smiled back. "I'm sure you'll pick it up quickly."
So good. I was hungry. If it was just the guys, I would have been shoveling the food into my mouth, but I restrained myself in front of Ramsey. “This is so good, thanks for inviting us to dinner,” I said, using my chopsticks to get a dumpling.
Shin nodded. “Their food is good, even better with company. Thanks for coming with me.”
Kayin took a bite of kimchi. “This is good, but your mom’s is better.”
Shin grinned. “I’ll tell her you said that, and she’ll love you forever.”
Kayin’s embarrassment prickled against my shields.
“So do you have shows all week?” Ramsey asked once we made sizable dents in our meals.
“We have Tuesday and Friday off,” I said. “What about you?”
“Let’s see, we have gigs Tuesday, Thursday, Friday, and Saturday nights. One is a wedding, and those are usually entertaining.” Ramsey said.
“What is the craziest thing you’ve seen at a wedding?” Shin asked.
Ramsey snickered. “Okay this one time, bloody hell it was bad, during my break I heard a noise coming from the coatroom. I thought it was Murdock with one of the bridesmaids, which was the norm. I took out my phone hoping to get a picture to use against him later, and there is the groom and the mother-of-the-bride snogging against all these fancy fur coats.”
“People do that in public?” Kayin asked.
“Some people,” Shin said. “But not everyone wants to.”
“Anyway,” Ramsey said. “As quietly as I can I back away and bump right into the father-of-the-bride. And the man, he just shrugs and says. ‘At least now she won’t have to make up stupid excuses to leave the house.’ I about died.”
Heirs of Avalon Page 17