I blinked absentmindedly at my feet, sitting before the river and listening to the owners talking among each other while fishing.
My eyes would drift to the fire further away, its bright flames illuminating the tent in the back.
It was in the middle of the clearing between the river and the forest.
I could confidently say that it was at least as big as a circus tent. It was a lot for a temporary shelter...for a group of ten.
Luxurious and beyond lavish.
It looked like a permanent home, not something that could be packed and moved around easily.
The owners didn't work to earn a living, no, they looked like they had an excess of coins to spend. The wealth was just there, treasure chests lying around like random pots and pans in the kitchen. Luminous pearls were hung around everywhere, with no care in the world.
My tent was right next to the main one, a makeshift one that the owners put together when I first joined them two moons ago.
They would toss jewelry boxes inside for me to play with, like people would toss a stick at their cubs.
My nights would be spent counting them and sorting them in order by size and color. I would put on necklaces, rings, bracelets, and then take them off because I couldn't shift with them on. I wasn't an advanced shifter like the owners.
I wanted to hide inside my tent now. To stay closer to Madam, but I had a meeting with the owners to attend.
Vick slung an arm around my shoulder.
"The big difference between you and that chick? You've got us, Little Miss. She might've had Precious eating out of her hand, but she forgot one crucial thing," Vick explained, voice low, "We are the majority here."
"I don't want Madam to feel left out," I said, "Why are we trying to isolate her more? She is part of the family, too. We...we shouldn't do this behind her back."
The last chick took advantage of this to break them apart, so why were we repeating her mistake?
Madam talked so much, and she seemed happy to share her world with me, so...why did I have to do this to her?
Vick paused, and the rest of the owners shifted in discomfort, leaving all the talking to him, "She cut you off, Little Miss, and suddenly acts like it's her last day on earth with us. If nobody forces her to catch a breath, she will suffocate."
"I deserved it. I deserved to be cut off," I replied and stood up. "I need to go to Madam. She is alone right now. She must be lonely."
"She has Karrak with her right now," he said, "He is keeping her occupied."
Karrak never interacted with Madam if he didn't have to, and preferred to guard her from a sade distance. They had the strangest relationship. He was the only person Madam didn't try to please, if one didn't count her habit of staying silently by his side as pleasing.
I shook my head, "No, she is alone. I know it. She is alone without all of you. She needs... all of you."
I tried to stand up but the crushing weight of Vick's arm kept me in place. It was as if he was telling me I was going nowhere, not until I explained myself properly.
"It's not complete without everyone," I tried to find the right words, "Never has been...and never will be. Please, don't keep your distance from her. You need to complete her."
"...Alright," Vick agreed hesitantly, and the rest followed. "We will go to her, and you too. Just stop crying. It makes me want to cry, too."
"Then cry," I said, "Cry and cry until Madam comes and kisses you better. She always offers to kiss your wounds better, doesn't she?" I wiped away my tears with the back of my hand. "She is good at it."
Vick's face softened, and he smiled. "Yeah, she is, isn't she?" He ruffled my hair. "She is the best kisser. So good that you would drop dead if she gave you a real kiss."
I grinned at that, holding my head in pain, "A happy dead."
Everyone laughed and agreed with my words. "A happy dead," they echoed.
"Me too, me too," they all agreed, "I also thought I was gonna die happy just from her kiss."
"Happy dead!" they shouted, and we laughed.
"Happy dead!" I shouted with them, and we laughed again.
"Happy dead," we repeated together as we approached Madam's tent.
We scrubbed our feet in the water before the entrance and then burst inside, shouting at the top of our lungs, "Happy dead! Happy dead! Happy dead!" like crazy.
At the far end of the tent was a stage draped in silks. Madam lounged there, staring at us like she'd just bitten into a sour berry and was deciding whether to swallow or spit. "..."
"Happy dead!" we yelled again and leaped into the air.
I also jumped with the rest, but my legs dangled in the air before I could land, and I kicked them in frustration, trying to reach the ground. Not my dress. Not my dress!
Michael lifted me up higher. "Do you want to get crushed? Don't jump with us. Stay on the side and clap."
He put me down on the side and joined the rest in the wrestling pit. They were trying to push each other down to win a kiss from Madam.
Now I understood why the tent was so big. They ducked, punched, kicked, and rolled around, all trying to get to Madam first.
"You are all crazy!" Madam yelled, confused. It must have been a while since she saw the owners fighting against each other, I thought.
"Crazy in love," they shouted in response, and I laughed, clapping my hands.
"Crazy in love," I repeated after them and joined the ruckus with my clapping. I couldn't wrestle with them, but I could cheer them on. "Fight! Fight! Fight! And then fuck! Fuck! Fuck! Fuck!"
"Who taught her to speak like that?!" Madam yelled louder, and the owners froze.
"..." They looked at each other and pointed fingers at themselves.
"Me."
"I did."
"It was me."
"Me."
"Me too."
"Us."
"We did."
I rolled on the ground in laughter, kicking my legs in the air. "Us! We did!" I cried out, repeating their words.
"Oh, you think this is funny?" Madam asked and loomed over me, dodging the males who were trying to hold down her wrath. "You think this is funny, huh?"
She picked me up by my legs, holding them up in the air. I was hanging upside down, and my dress slipped down and covered my face.
"Mmmhmph," I tried to lift my dress, but it was too hard. I was shaking and flailing, and the dress kept slipping down, covering my face and mouth, the blood getting into my head. "Mmhhmph!"
"Stop thrashing," she scolded, and I stopped moving, swaying gently from side to side as she held me up like a naughty puppy. "On your knees, all of you."
I heard a few thuds, and then silence. I pushed away the fabric from my face to see the owners on their knees, their heads touching the floor.
She threw me in their direction, and they quickly caught me before I could hit the ground.
They made some space for me between them, and I dropped to my knees too, following their lead.