Claire listened to them speak, and thankfully they changed the subject away from what had happened in the dream. Maybe Elijah hadn’t noticed how Claire had returned the kiss after all, or they just didn’t want to talk about it when she was right there. Maybe they’d prefer talking about it behind her back like everyone else.

The topic they talked about concerned Claire as well. If there were truly something sinister and evil going on at the circus, then it concerned all of them. She had to wonder if Elena had ever meant to take it this far. She didn’t particularly like her boss, but she had thought of her as competent and well-meaning up until now. After what had happened, she had to question that though if it turned out that Elena was involved in more ways than one.

Claire was surprised by Kate’s apparent selfishness. Personally, she wanted most of her circus family to survive as well, not just save her own skin and get away with it. If that was all Kate wanted to do she may as well leave and find another circus, no? She doubted this curse, or whatever it was, had struck them all.

She pushed her head against Kate’s shoulder when the woman shook her and told her that she knew she wasn’t asleep anymore. She couldn’t know that for certain, so Claire tried to convince that she was in fact still asleep. Claire kept snoring, even going so far as to make the noises louder.

“I am asleep.” She muttered, but of course that gave the fact that she wasn’t sleeping away. “Oh, bother…”

Claire opened her eyes, rolled off of Kate and raised her knees to her head in a sitting position. She wanted to hide, not talk about whatever had happened between them, assuming that was what Kate wanted to talk about. She blushed and looked down at the ground, keeping her head pressed against her knees.

“What stuff?” She asked after sitting quiet and motionless for a moment. “I thought we had talked enough for today. There’s no need to talk about anything.” Claire coughed and stood up. “I can’t talk at all. My voice is hoarse and you wouldn’t understand what I’m saying. Also, I need to go check on my chores and big cats now.” She nodded determinedly and spun around to walk away. “Yup, no need to talk about anything’s that happened. It’s all a bunch of elaborate illusions.”

She doubted Kate would take her seriously though. If anything, she might take it as dismissive and rude. As she walked away slowly she felt her cheeks turning hot and she had to stare down at the ground so no one else would notice it. She didn’t want Kate to get the wrong idea, but she had to figure out what that was to begin with.