River’s Run

Chapter 1-2

“She’s coming!” Star said excitedly, wrapping her arms around Jo’s neck and dancing around.

River let out a tired sigh, rolling her shoulders around to ease the tension. She had a lot to do in the next couple of days if she was going to meet up with her two best friends. She grinned.

They were really more like sisters to her. They were her only family now. She had grown up traveling with the circus and had met them when their parents had joined when she was five.

The Strauss Family Flyers were known for their high-wire acts. When Star and Jo’s parents retired several years ago, it became the Strauss Flying Sisters. River’s parents did just about everything from tightrope walking to the high wire to River’s specialty, knife throwing. River had been born into the life of a circus performer just as Jo and Star had been.

They grew up moving from town to town, country to country, nomads in a modern world. The life had actually been very fulfilling. They were very well loved and protected. Their schooling consisted of learning a wide variety of languages as well as learning how to do all types of incredible tricks. They had more parents, grandparents, aunts, and uncles than any girls could ever imagine having. It had hurt when River’s parents were killed in a hotel fire during one of their stops when she was seventeen, but her circus family had gathered around her and supported her.

Two years ago, Jo and Star decided they were tired of all the traveling and accepted jobs with Circus of the Stars in Florida. They bought a condo and loved the stability of living in one place. River continued traveling with the circus.

At almost twenty-two, she was the youngest of the three. The circus had just finished a tour in Asia, and she was glad to be home. The girls promised each other they would get together at least once a year.

Last year, Jo convinced River to meet them at their condo where Jo produced at least a dozen different guys for River to meet. River knew what they were up to. They thought if they could get her interested in someone, she would settle down. River still enjoyed traveling too much to put down roots. All the guys left her feeling awkward and clumsy, which was ridiculous when one considered she could hit moving targets with a series of knives while gliding through the air upside down held only by her ankles.

River just wasn’t comfortable around the opposite s*x. She always felt a little different. It might be her appearance. She looked more like an elf.

Oh, not one of Santa’s—more like one from the Hobbit. She wasn’t really tall at five foot six, but she was very willowy. She had thick dark brown hair that hung to her waist, pale skin, and huge dark-blue eyes outlined by thick dark lashes.

Most people thought she wore colored contacts when they first met her. She usually wore dark sunglasses when she was out because her eyes were so different. She didn’t mind when she was performing—it helped with the mystique about her—but out in public she would often be stopped and stared at. Her parents used to tease her, saying she had been a gift from the stars, which she might have believed if her mom hadn’t had the same unusual eyes.

River was glad they had decided to meet somewhere else this year. Star had picked out a cabin in the middle of nowhere. They were supposed to meet up in the mountains of North Carolina in two days. River was still in California so she had to make arrangements for a flight.

She called Ricki, who made all the travel plans for the circus, and within an hour she had all her flight arrangements done including her e-ticket and leased car. The joy about Ricki making the arrangements was River didn’t have to worry about the usual restrictions for car rentals. Everything went through the company.

Pulling a big, black bag that resembled a duffel bag onto the bed, River opened it to look at her collection of knives carefully packed. She was very, very picky about her knives. They were her life, literally. She had been tossing, juggling, and throwing them since she could walk. Some of the acts her dad taught her had never been performed by anyone else in the world.

She was known as the best of the best when it came to anything involving a blade. While she made sure that everything had survived the shipping from Asia, River couldn’t help but laugh at the memory of the reaction of customs officials on both sides of the ocean. Ricki had been there to take care of everything, thank God.

Now, River had the next three months off as the circus broke for a much needed rest. She would spend most of it at the cabin Star had rented, practicing new acts. Closing the bag, she finished packing her other belongings before getting ready for bed. She was so looking forward to the peace and quiet of the mountains.