Prologue

Thirteen-year-old Zoe staryed away from her mother’s cracked and bedraggled vanity mirror, towards what had been her mother’s clothes chest.  She pulled out her favorite of her mother’s costumes; a beautifully woven vest of bright red and yellow, a form-fitting sleeveless orange shirt, and flowing blue pants made of transluscent glittery material.

It was big on Zoe, and her chest did nothing for the enhancement of the shirt, but regardless, she put it on, and hesitantly began to dance to music only she could hear, trying to recall steps she’d watched her mother perform time and again.

Zoe supposed, had her mother lived, she would have taught Zoe how to dance, perform magic tricks, delight audiences in the ways only gypsies could.  Of course, she would always be poor.  Gypsies, traveling caravans, circuses, they were a dying breed.  Even the Harlequinn clowns, which used to delight Zoe as a child, were scarcely seen.

Suddenly, she tripped on the hem of the pants that fell five inches below her ankles.  Zoe fell to the floor on her knees in front of the chest.  Tears overcame her and she buried her head in her hands.

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Outside Zoe’s tent, a large, gruff man named Giovanni heard her tears.  He stopped to listen, cursing silently until he heard her get up.  Then he heard the patterned footsteps of a dance.  He’d trained his ears for this since reaching adulthood.

He was the owner of a traveling caravan.  Had been for the last twenty-odd years.  And he was always looking for “new meat” to add to his “collection.”

Giovanni had scoured the country, looking for freaks, singers, dancers, lion tamers, snake charmers, horse trainers, anything to attract an audience.  Yet, he had no dancers.  He’d interviewed and hired many, but always left them behind.  They could not keep up with his training or what he demanded of them for a performance.

He hoped this girl would be different . . .

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When Zoe once again faltered in a dance step, she became aware someone was watching her.  She gasped when she saw who it was.

“Child,” Giovanni said, “I have a proposition for you . . .”

–Notes–

::applause:: excellent, im looking forwards to the rest and meeting u [lost=one]