Once the ringmistress looked to the camera, Arla bounced her leg, trying to keep her impatience in check. That the woman’s answer would dictate her future didn’t help.
	Her fidgeting paused as a particularly thick cloud of blue-tinted smoke snaked in front of her, giving her a thick lungful of it. The lurking mental fog pulsed and a slight dizziness made her head spin for a second.
	She exhaled quickly and scowled. It was the incense, after all. 
	Abandoning propriety for an attempt at discretion, she adjusted in her seat and brought a knee to her chest. Foot on the chair, she rested her arm atop her knee. Hoping the position came off as contemplative, she did her best to filter the air with a hand over her mouth and nose.
	The woman’s voice brought Arla back to the task at hand. Holding her breath, she leaned forward to retrieve her camera. She exhaled when the ringmistress gave the promise of safety in the circus.
	[i]Safe.[/i] Normally, she would scoff at the concept. There wasn’t any adventure in living safely. And the night was made for just that, adventure. But tonight, ‘safe’ was exactly what she needed.
	When the woman finished, Arla sat properly in her seat and stared, slack-jawed.
	“Wait… what?” Formality forgotten, she blinked in surprise, the incense playing little part in her confusion. “For real? I’m in? Just like that?” She watched the woman lean back in the chair. A grin spread over her face.
	She had come expecting to have to fight to stay. Yet, it took only a few minutes to settle the matter. No questions asked.
	She looked over when one of the acrobats came at the ringmistress’ silent command. She blinked when the acrobat addressed the woman as ‘mistress.’ Arla tried to recall whether or not the ringmistress’ name had been announced during the show. If it had, she’d missed it.
	Giddiness raced through her when the ringmistress referred to her as their ‘new sister.’ She’d heard that circus performers thought of each other as family, but smirked despite herself at how cultish it sounded.
	If her parents could see her now, she was sure they’d both die from a heartattack. [i]Their[/i] daughter? In a [i]circus?[/i]
	She suppressed a laugh at the thought as the ringmistress refocused on her. She returned the woman’s compliment with a prideful shrug.
	“Gotta do what you’ve gotta do.” She returned the camera strap around her neck. “So, um… What should I call you? And do I need to sign anything?”