While staying on Kayla's good side wasn't a bad thing, in truth James had realised there was little choice but for him to go along with her ruse, no matter how degrading it had been. Had he not been able to convince Mr Spinoza of his value to the circus the old man could have called animal control which would have made an already bad situation even worse.
"Thanks so much for helping me there, you're pretty cool for a big hairy ape" Kayla grinned. James found it hard to appreciate her levity considering her role in his predicament, but at least she seemed genuinely grateful. Just when it looked as riding this one out might not be so bad after all, Mr Spinoza re-entered the tent with a couple of circus hands.
"Ok fellas, take James here off to mingle with the rest of the talent" Mr Spinoza joked. Although he didn't like the sound of this, wanting to keep things as straightforward and painless as possible James plodded off obediently with the young men. He drew a number of gasps and intrigued glances as he left the tent, with passers by clamouring to take his photo and children rushing over to greet him, only for their parents to pull them away warning them that James might be dangerous. It was all so humiliating, even if nobody knew who he really was. As desperate as James was to be human again, he found himself willing the spell to hold a little longer at least.
After minutes that felt like hours, James was led into a smallish barn filled with a variety of other animals - zebras, snakes, foxes and a macaw were all immediately apparent. There wasn't too much space and the smell was terrible.
"Well, in you get" one of the men instructed James and nodded towards a large, rusty cage. As much as he hated the idea, now wasn't the time to rebel.
"Wow, the boss is right. He really is well trained" one of the men remarked to the other, seemingly impressed. They then walked away, locking the door behind them.