Circus Escape by Lilliana Rose Read Free Book Online Page A

her head throbbed, but she kept her Spider on course.
    Spinning towards Cate.
    One claw dropped to the ground and then the other spun away as the razors shaved their way towards the body of the crab.
    *~*~*
    Air fanned around Nessie's face. Hot air, tainted with exhaust fumes and dust. The inside of her nostrils burned. Her awareness pulled away from the darkness, slowly. "What happened?"
    A man fanned his hat over her face. "You missed the best fight."
    Nessie groaned. She felt like she'd been steamrolled and her head had been fogged with steam. Then she remembered. Sally on the ground. Her legs being snipped off.
    "Sally?" She sat forward. Her stomach contracted and she swallowed hard.
    The man whistled. "Now that is some mecha beauty. I'm going to back that one in the future. A spider winning? Who ever thought that a spider would beat a crab?"
    "She won?" Nessie asked, her hand on her head and her eyes squinted closed against the throb in her mind.
    "Won?" The man let out a loud whoop. "She more than bloody won! Take a look." He helped Nessie to stand.
    Nessie sighed in relief as she saw Joy standing on top of Sally waving to the crowd. Cate Crab was a gutted mess. Kris kicked at the broken metal parts of Cate lying in the dirt.
    "Joy." Nessie smiled. She did it . Then she fainted once more, this time missing the seat behind her.
    *~*~*
    "Easy now." A nurse rushed over to Nessie's side to help her sit up. "Ya had a nasty fall."
    Nessie groaned as the throb in her head set in like a winter's storm. She groaned again as she flopped back into the pillows. The tent was a small first aid area, and Nessie lay on the only bed. The floor was a dusty tarpaulin and a simple gas lamp hung from the ceiling. There was some light outside still creeping in through the cracks, but it was edged with red in the last light of the day.
    "I'm OK," said Nessie, her breath short from the exertion.
    "I'm sure ya are, but ya better stay here for a bit. I don't want ya to be brought back on a stretcher." She waved her finger at Nessie in warning.
    "No, no. Of course, no." Nessie moved trying to find a more comfortable position. Sally had won . Which meant that she had winnings to collect, and Joy was expecting her to turn up. Joy . She had to go and see Joy. She swung her legs over the side of the bed.
    "No, you don't."
    "Excuse me, but I have a very important date with a young woman, and I don't want to keep her waiting," said Nessie. The spin of the world slowed as she paused at the edge of the bed. The nurse tut-tutted at Nessie, but didn't stop her from getting up.
    Nessie's back ached, making it difficult to move. But she didn't let that stop her. She wanted to see Joy, but first the winnings. She'd feel much more comfortable with the money back in her purse.
    Nessie brushed down her skirt, making sure that it hung neatly. "Thank you, ma'am."
    "Ya better take it easy, girl. Don't wanna see ya back 'ere." She glared at Nessie.
    Nessie simply nodded her head in acknowledgment and walked out.
    *~*~*
    "You're done. Finished. I own you now," Jim yelled. He paced angrily back and forth near where a damaged Sally Spider was parked in the garage. "What were you thinking?"
    Joy kept her mouth closed. She wasn't about to say anything. She'd never seen Jim this angry. She expected him to rant a little, but not this eruption of anger.
    "No, don't tell me." He ran his hands though this dark hair. "I don't want to know what goes on in that crazy head of yours."
    Joy kept standing, her shoulders back, but the more Jim spoke the more her stomach knotted. Done for . Her debt was beyond ridiculous now, at least at a level based on what she earned couldn't be paid back in two lifetimes. She glanced over at Sally. But worth it .
    Jim slammed his hand down into the side of the wall. Then he shook his hand furiously. "I sure as hell own Sally. You're never going to Operate another Mecha."
    "No." The realisation hit Joy hard in the stomach, and she doubled over