The girl in the gilded cage *Completed*

Running of with the circus

*Joshua*

That night, as I lay in my bed, I found myself thinking of Malina and her dangerous act. I couldn't get the image of her out of my head. I could still see her up there on the tightrope, walking backwards and then forwards again high above the audience.

I had a dream about it, seeing her float through the air like a vision of beauty and grace. Then the dream changed into a nightmare, and I saw her fall. In my dream, I reached for her, trying to catch her, but I couldn't reach. She fell into a deep hole of silence, looking at me the whole way down, until she was gone. I woke up, drenched in sweat, and I was still thinking of her when I drifted back to sleep.

When I woke up in the morning, my mind was still clouded by the dream. It seemed so vivid, so real. It was one of those dreams that was hard to shake off, and I ended up taking a long shower to clear my head of the night.

As if my mind had been trying to tell me something, I got a call from my agent later that morning about the circus, leaving me a bit dizzy but elated and happy. I picked the phone back up and called my mom, whom I have recently gotten a phone, I like being able to reach her.

"Morning, my dear. What's happening?" she asks.

"Well, I am calling to tell you that I am running away with the circus," I say, chuckling slightly when I hear her gasp.

"What are you talking about?" she asks.

"My agent got a call from the owner I visited with Sharon and Stellybear. Apparently, he saw me do the introduction yesterday, and he liked it. So did everyone else, according to him, and he offered me a job until their ringmaster is back," I tell her.

"But Joshua, you can't just... Oh, who am I kidding? It is you I am talking about. You just do what you feel like, as always," she says, and I know she is shaking her head but smiling.

"I have nothing else to do, I am between movies right now. It sounds like fun, and it is easy work. It doesn't pay much, but I get a trailer and free food, so it is kind of like a vacation," I tell her, sure it is going to be loads of fun.

She laughs. "You are crazy, you know that, right? But I am sure you are going to have a great time, and you are going to be amazing, Joshua."

"Thanks, Mom. Well, I need to go talk to the owner, so talk to you soon, and I'll see you in a couple of months then," I tell her.

"Take care, my dear, and as always, be yourself, and everyone will adore you. Talk to you soon," she says, ending the call.

It might seem odd for an actor to accept such a job. But, well, I will be the first to admit that while I wouldn't call myself struggling by any means, I am not exactly Hollywood A-list either. I have a steady job with Paramount, and I get the occasional leading role, but I am not top of the crop.

I don't have anything on my schedule for the next couple of months, and as shows and movies are cast long before being shot, the chances of a role popping up are slim. I can use this as practice. Treat it as a role and, well, a vacation. I have been working non-stop for years. I love meeting new people and seeing new places, and this seems like the perfect way to do that.

I keep myself busy between roles. I don't lead a glamorous life, and I dabble in a lot of things besides acting. That is how I manage to lead a comfortable life and be able to follow dreams and ideas.

*Malina*

"How can he do that? Some f*****g actor. Not even a real man, someone soft that knows nothing about life in a circus," Ioan complains. Joe has just told him about the boss's decision to hire Joshua Mitchell as the ringmaster until Joe is ready to work again.

I choose my words carefully. I totally get the choice, but I don't want to anger Ioan. I know the man has a bad temper. "Well, the boss must have seen something in him, and you know, you already have so much on your shoulders with the knife act and the tigers. I mean those are much harder."

"Yeah, you are right. I mean, it takes a real man to throw knives and handle wild animals; everyone can stand there and just talk," he says, and I keep my thoughts to myself, just smiling and making an excuse to get away.

Ioan is exactly the kind of man that is the reason why I have never had any problems following my father's no-dating rule. He is a chauvinistic pig, a player who sees women as nothing more than things to possess. He is rude and loud, and I know he wants me, but he is the last man I would want.

I walk to my trailer. I had finally gotten my own last year. Before that, I slept in my father's trailer. It is nice to be able to be alone. The circus is loud, busy, and bustling, and you don't have much privacy as it is, so being able to go somewhere and close the door is needed.

Laying on my bed, my hands behind my head, my thoughts slide to the very tall, handsome man from yesterday. So he is going to be here in the circus for the next couple of months. I hope he can jumble things here a bit. Be a breath of fresh air. This place could use it for sure.