Page 112 of Tiger's Dream
“Yes, but…”
“We are here to free his human side. Unlike you are now, he will be limited as to how long he can sustain his human form, but it will give him the opportunity he needs to eventually break his curse.”
I froze. “This is when Kelsey meets him at the circus.”
“That is what the paper says.” Ana turned to me. “What exactly is a circus?”
Never having been to one myself, but hearing about it firsthand from those I trusted, I said, “Kelsey and Ren have opposing views. Perhaps we should find out for ourselves.”
“Agreed,” she said.
When we reached the edge of the trees and I saw the large building ahead of us and a parking lot full of cars and trailers, I touched her elbow. “Perhaps we should change clothing to fit in with the locals?”
Ana nodded and though Kelsey had yet to meet either of us at that point in her life, we decided it would be best to alter our appearance as well. After using the scarf, we both looked like an average young Oregonian couple out for an evening of…uh, circusing. At least, I hoped we did. From my experiences in Kelsey’s country, most events could be attended wearing what she called jeans. Ana rubbed her hands on the thighs of her pair, feeling very uncomfortable.
“Are you certain that women wear such things in this time?” she asked.
“It covers a lot more than that dress you wore to Ren’s wedding,” I said.
“Yes, but…” Ana stepped closer and whispered into my ear. “It shows my shape.”
My eyebrows lowered as I took a step back and looked her up and down. The pair of jeans hugging her body certainly did show her shape. Even though we were disguised as other people, her figured had remained virtually the same. I let myself appreciate the view for just a few long seconds while she squirmed uncomfortably.
“Would you prefer a skirt?” I asked.
Ana looked down at her long legs, considering. “No,” she finally sighed. “If this is what the women wear, it would be best to fit in.”
“It would,” I agreed.
Giving me a nod, she took my outstretched hand, and I led her to the front of the building, where we met a young man selling tickets.
“How much?” I asked him.
“Ten for each of you. Total of twenty,” he said.
I grunted, patting my pockets. Ana handed me a large gemstone and I shook my head minutely. A family got in line behind us. “I must have left my wallet in my car,” I said. “We’ll be right back.”
Turning around, I looked for a sign to indicate where the money machine might be. I wasn’t sure I could get it to work using our powers but it couldn’t hurt to try. Finding it, I showed it to Ana, who tapped on its side. “Where is the lock?” she asked.
“I’m not entirely certain,” I answered. “Also there are cameras. We can’t play around with it too much or it will alert the bank.”
“Cameras? Bank?”
“Cameras take your picture. Like someone drawing your image. But instead of an artist, it’s a machine that does it. And the bank is the business that owns the machine.”
“I see.”
I wasn’t sure she did. “May I borrow the amulet?” I asked.
She removed it from her neck and handed it over. I held it tightly in my hand, telling it what I wanted, but the machine didn’t so much as hum. As I tried again, I heard Ana’s voice say, “Thank you very much.”
I glanced over my shoulder and found her in conversation with a young man who looked like a college student. He passed her something and grinned as he left her, walking backward until he nearly tripped over a cement parking block.
“What was that about?” I asked.
“He gave me twenty,” Ana answered.
I looked down at the money clutched in her hand and she held it out to me. There was more than twenty dollars in her hand. It looked like the young man had emptied his entire wallet. She had several bills amounting to at least three hundred dollars as well as his personal card with his phone number circled.
