Tommy was amazed by the new circus. He had heard rumors of it online. A show unlike any other, with special effects so real it was hard to believe. The circus moved from town to town, and the day he heard it was coming to his hometown he got tickets. Tommy was a special effects nut, and he had to see what made this circus so special. His parents had no interest in going, but also didn't want the sixteen year old going alone, so he talked his friend Jason into coming with him, despite Jason's protest that the circus was for kids.
The two teens sat on the raised bleachers under the brightly striped tent that covered what was usually just an open field. Despite earlier objections even Jason was impressed by how real the effects and creatures were in this circus. Tommy was amazed. The circus advertised wonders seeable no where else, and it delivered.
Tommy's eyes fixated on a pair of what looked like centaurs trotting by. One man, one woman. Their dedication to realism in the costumes was top notch. Tommy couldn't figure out how they rigged it up. Even more, he saw swinging balls on the back of the male centaur as he turned away from the teens to continue his trot around the bleachers after a series of balancing tricks they had done in the center ring. Even though the acrobats that were performing now looked completely human, they seemed supernaturally lithe and flexible. Pulling of stunts and tricks that made Tommy's joints hurt to watch.
"Does that centaur costume have a dick?" Jason muttered under his breath. Tommy just nodded.
"They said they go for realism." Tommy's eyes drifted to the ring leader. A tall, athletic man who was at once welcoming and intimidating. He wore some sort of contacts that seemed to make his eyes shine oddly in the light. Beside him was bowing some sort of lion-man. A bare human torso but a lion's head and tail, his legs hidden in sparkling golden tights.
"Realism is one thing. There's kids in the audience." Jason seemed offended. The tall, lanky, dark haired teen could be surprisingly prudish about things.
"Real horses would have the same stuff." Tommy replied with a grin. The two friends were oddly dissimilar, compared to Jason, Tommy was on the short side and a bit stocky. He also reveled in the weird that usually made Jason uneasy. They still clicked as friends most of the time, despite the differences.
The show was winding down, and Tommy lingered till the crowd has thinned out to begin making his way out. There were burly guys all over that acted as ticket takers and bouncers, and probably also did a lot of the manual labor around the circus, and Tommy was looking for them to not be paying attention.
He caught his opening and slipped under one of the bleachers, hissing at Jason to follow. The other teen crouched down to look under the bench. "What are you doing?!"
"I'm going to figure out how those costumes work. I need a look back stage. It's the last show of the day, they'll probably all go to dinner or something." Tommy's voice was eager with excitement. "C'mon, it'll be fun!"
Jason shook his head. "No way. Do you know how much trouble we can get in?"
Tommy tsked under his breath, he knew he wasn't going to nudge Jason into breaking the rules. "Fine, just cover for me. I'll text my parents to say I'm going to your house and will be late getting home."
Jason frowned, now stuck in doing something against the rules either way, but finally sighed and stood up. "Fine. But text me when you get home."
Tommy watched as Jason's feet walked away and the tent emptied. He kept to his hiding place as he waited, hoping to let the post-show stuff wind down. As all but the emergency lights shut off under the tent he crept out from his hiding place. He made his way over to where the acts entered the tent, listening at the flap for a few moments but hearing nothing. He pushed his way through into a smaller tent set up right against the bigger one. This one was full of props, with chairs and tables for the acts to sit at while waiting, but there were no costumes and all the props were sadly mundane. He grabbed a weight the lion man had been showing off with, expecting it to be light, but he grunted and could barely lift it. Well, the muscles had been real at least.
He made his way across this tent to another flap, peeking out into a night-darkened field. Trailers and tents were set up around the area, with lights set up to help cut the gloom. He heard voices coming and quickly ducked back inside, though peeked out through the flaps. The male centaur walked by, talking with what looked like one of the acrobats, though in normal clothes now. The centaur wore a vest over his chest, but still had that lower horse part on. Why was he still in costume?
"Lily is still upset." The centaur man was saying. "I know we only pretend to be a couple in the shows, but damn, it makes it hard to pretend when she only glares at me outside of the ring."
The other man laughed. "Well, she did have a huge crush on you, and you didn't exactly let her down gently. Give her time, she'll find someone else." Then more seriously. "Or you could ask Az to be reassigned."
The centaur snorted. "And give up this horse dick? No way." They both laughed at that. Tommy's eyes widened as he watched them move right past the opening. The way that horse half moved, even twitching in the hide, and the join that had been hidden by his performing costume. That was real! Where had a real centaur come from?!
Part of him wanted to get a closer look, another part of him wanted to run. The first part won out and he slipped free of the tent, just in time for something to grab his collar and yank him back inside. He whipped around, expecting to see Jason had come back for him. Instead he saw the one of the burly guards with the ring leader standing just behind him, still in his garish red suit though minus the top hat. Tommy struggled, but the guard held him easily, batting at his arm felt like hitting a log.
"This is why we count everyone going in and coming out." he ringleader said in his deep rich baritone. His black hair was neatly coiffed, though his eyes still seemed to shimmer oddly.
"Please, let me go, I'm sorry. Don't call the cops." Tommy found himself begging.
"Cops? No. That's not how we deal with trespassers. I would let you go but I can tell from your eyes, you've already seen too much. Alas, we will need to do something with you. Bring him." The ringleader walked out through the tent flap Tommy had been spying through.
"Yes, Master Az." The guard said in a dull tone. He tucked Tommy under his arm like a petulant child and followed after. Tommy continued to beat on the guard to no avail. He looked around for help and caught the eyes of the centaur and the acrobat. They looked pitying, but did not step in to help, instead turning away and carrying on with their conversation.
Master Az brought him to one of the tents. In the middle was a dais surrounded by mirrors, though one was open like a door, allowing access to it. The guard unceremoniously chucked Tommy onto the platform. He got up and tried to make a break for it but was quickly shoved back by the burly guard.
Az stepped over to a book on a pedestal and began to flip through it. "Let's see. Where we have an opening. Our strongman was freed not long ago so we could use another. Lily has requested reassignment, I'll need a second centaur for that act first. I could always use more laborers." The man said, casting a look to the dull-eyed guard who shrugged. "Ah yes, such stimulating conversation I get from you lot."
"Please, I'm sorry, I won't tell anyone. Just, please let me go." Tommy begged, looking between the guard and Master Az. The tall man simply shook his head and tapped something on the book.
"This will do." Az turned and began to chant. Red light appeared beneath Tommy, making some sort of strange symbol below him. The guard shut the mirrored door, leaving Tommy trapped in an octagon of mirrors that cast his reflection back at him in infinity in all directions, the glowing red light below casting everything in a harsh glare.
The mirrors began to spin around him and Tommy fell to his knees as pain wracked his body.