Fly High: Circus It Up!, #1

By E Darkwood

It was just another day on tour for the merry performers, they practiced their acts, they joked around, their ship traveled on. The only thing that could be considered out of the ordinary for the troupe was their latest destination: the elitist naree'm space station.

 

The pioneer visit was suppose to draw in new interest for a dying art form not draw interest that would become literal dying. Or an exploding ship as it were.

 

The unexplained tragic incident claimed all but one.

 

Little Cyan was found in an escape pod, he was too young to understand much less explain to those that found him what had happened to him or his parents or to the crew they were a part of. By the time Cyan had the language he could no longer recall much of that life-altering day but what he could never forget was Circus.

 

The naree'm had never heard of a circusite until they took one in, Cyan had never heard of the aquatic naree'm until he became one but everyone will hear about it when Cyan and his nestmates Circus It Up!

 

-

This is a tale about a trio of naree'm who will do whatever it takes to achieve 'Circus' even if that cost is a 'human', whatever that is.

 

Please note this series has a short story that while it chronologically occurs before the events of this book it is not necessary to have read it to understand the overall tale.

 

Also note that Fly High is the first part of a duet and neither book is meant to be read as a standalone.

• Language: English
• Publisher: E Darkwood
• Release date: Jul 23, 2022
• ISBN: 9798201608927

Book preview

3

"The square root of eighty and eight plus thirty and five minus eleven minus open parenthesis seventy and two minus twelve divided by five close parenthesis... one zero nine... sixty... twelve... What the raging bear is the square root of ninety and seven?! Is that even a whole number??" I whine, my mental arobat tumbling over with me, just like the crustacean who's been furiously scuttling in the rolling exercise wheel in there too — all of us trying to get through this last question, and all of us wondering where I went wrong because I had to have flipped it somewhere when my answer isn't even one of the choices on the screen!

So I retrace my steps.

... One zero nine... sixty... twelve...

Bugle.

I look again at the options. There's a nine point eighty and five. I consider, then juggle the numbers once more, toss the options and with a soft press of my lips I lock nine point eighty and five in.

I stare at the 'submit answers' button as if I could will it to give me the right answer while I can still change it and when it doesn't do anything of the sort I close my eyes and before my arm is too soft to do it I send off my test — the button's at least useful for that.

No sooner is 'sent' showing than my arm gets even softer but there's not much I can do about that besides let my eyes nervously roam over the loading screen as I await for my confirmation to become the results.

I grind my lips together and I think I'm about getting to the point that I'll be armless for a while when my screen blinks and there it is!

NAP! I celebrate with a reflexive pump of my arm which quickly transforms into a wiggle that all my other arms uncontrollably follow.

It's with a silent five-arm glare that the administrator of the test let's me know ah is not amused.

I'll remind all participants that on completion you are invited to wait outside. Ah insinuates.

I pull my arms to my sides sheepishly.

Napnap, outside. I awkwardly agree as I step away from my terminal but not before throwing a glance towards Salem who returns it with a quick 'I'm almost done' wave.

I nod then swim out of the room.

Bugle that was harder than I thought it'd be. I comment absently as I look around for Kitri and as I do I also feel the smile I give myself.

Fiaga, I GOT FIAGA!! I inwardly enthuse, swimming excitedly as much at the thought as that I've spotted him.

Kitri! What'd you-

YAHOOO!!!

I smile wider as I keep one eye on Kitri and turn towards the testing room my arms already spread for a catch.

I GOT FIAGA!!!!! Salem shouts as she clings to me with one arm while the rest wiggle around.

Me too!! I answer my own limbs flying except for the one that finishes our hug hold by placing itself opposite to where hers presses.

The rest of me also decides to shake with happiness which means it's suddenly a churning ride we're on but that doesn't make either of us let go, it only makes us laugh with giddiness.

Leoleo. Cuts in a robotic monotone, the announcement stilling our moving appendages about as soon as it registers.

Salem and I switch more of our gaze to Kitri but all he does is wave the tip of one arm in indifference.

I can go anywhere. He adds, punctuating his point with another flip of an arm tip.

Salem and I exchange a glance but then we're smiling at him.

"We can go anywhere." She says with dreamy conviction that causes me to worry my lips but before I can voice my confusion she goes on.

"But we're not going just anywhere, we're getting our show and we're getting it on the station!"

\__\

I grumble to myself while I brush the sand away.

Why the station? Kitri poses which makes me pause my cleaning to turn a questioning eye towards him.

It's not really like him to ask something he already knows the answer to... Is it about the words? I wonder as I slowly resume moving.

It's a weird one to do it with, but it's not the first time he's decided to get his practice in while we do ours.

Och. Salem expresses her annoyance as she picks herself back up. For a second I think it's to me but there are more eyes on Kitri — and I'm also not the one who presented a rhetorical.

How many other naree'm do you know who can do tricks in the dry? Salem answers his query  rhetorically with her challenge.

Bugle. I can tell that Kitri is going to argue and it's not bad practice but because it's over something he doesn't need to worry about I reach an arm out.

We'll be safe. I promise with a reassuring squeeze.

When he turns his arm over to return my grip I relax knowing he's calmer about the issue.

Tra, with you there we can't be anything but. Salem chimes in with a cackle.

The station's where it's at! We can't get real fire or a horse down here or- She halts her list and  grins wickedly in my direction.

Don't you want to be an arobat? She questions with extra fake sweetness.

I'm a little uneasy about her smile but I still reply with an och to yet another rhetorical question — why is this suddenly the practice we're doing?

They don't have water on Circus when they perform do they? She presses.

... Don't think so? I answer warily.

There you are then, neither will we.

A quick bristling goes through my little arms in response to her how she makes a roundabout to the  point that dry acts are the way to go.

Salem acknowledges my displeasure with a sage nod.

A good show makes you a little scared. But we don't want good, or even great. She explains as she swims to hover just above me.

"It's making our audience a little uncomfortable that'll make our show unforgettable." She punctuates as she pushes upwards out of the water and into the flip she's determined we become able to replicate while standing on the dry patch, not just near it.

I grind my lips together but dutifully prepare to catch her.

Bugle. I murmur as my position is once again off and she drops past me to skip over the sandy bottom until she eventually comes to a murky stop.

My little arms riot with my  frustration.

"We're barely near the dry patch, it'll be years by the time we can do it on the shore!!" I growl every last one of my little arms agitated.

It's not that I don't want us to have an unforgettable show. It's not even that I don't understand we need a draw. I know filling our act with Circus isn't enough — not when it doesn't mean anything to most other naree'm. I KNOW we have to do something that appeals to everyone. I know and she knows... tralala half of the time I have to wonder how she gets this stuff better than I do.

My lips twitch at that then go still.

'The worst thing you can do isn't not sticking the landing, it's not getting back up.'

I expel a long bubble and my rising spike of anger neatly returns to starting point.

People were slow to like our acts but we're getting attention. I remind myself, by doing so renewing my motivation to keep going though by this point what I'm doing more than not is losing sight of the naree'm I care about amongst the heavy curtains of disturbed sand.

Not that it really matters when I can feel her just fine but I just don't like having to go with a mostly  gritty view — that I definitely wouldn't have to deal with on land... Except that sand floats in air too?...

"If we really want to wow them, we have to get the flip so we can get an infectious vid." I vehemently recite followed it with a recalibrating stretch.

Salem meanwhile unaffectedly picks herself back up but on hearing my sparkling commentary she smiles.

We get the vid, we get eyes on us. We get eyes on us, we have a winning argument for why we should get a place on the station. She continues to voice our reasoning encouragingly.

We get a place on the station and we're halfway to Circus! I crow returning her grin.

It's the station, because a terminal doesn't know everything — if we're aboard the only hub of dry people we can ask them ourselves if they've ever heard of Circus. Someone will know something at some point, it's just statistics.

When the sand allows I meet one of her eyes and signal a napnap for the next attempt. I'm bracing myself once more when I have a