Faye bolted upright in bed, body damp with sweat. It had been the nightmare again, her childhood friend dying, and her being helpless to save her. They were in school together, performing together and even working for the same circus, inseparable.

She would always remember that night’s performance, an event that seemed destined to haunt her.
It was what lead her to leave the circus and work on her own or at Ren Faires.

The body seemed to fall forever, like it was in slow motion.

And the sound, she could still hear Amandas body slamming into the ground, the sound of a young body breaking. She shudders and wraps her arms around herself, and feels the tears running down her cheek. But what haunted her more were her eyes. They remained open, never seeing again, dull and lifeless. She remembers running to her friend, falling to her knees and lifting her limp body into her arms. Oh, how she screamed and cried at that moment. It wasn’t supposed to happen, Amanda had practiced that act hundreds of time and had never slipped. Which lead her to believe removing the safety net would be fine, and raise the tension of the audience.

Her eyes drift down to her feet, taking in the blue sparrow tattoo and what it meant to her. The ancient Egyptians associated sparrows with the stars and believed they caught the souls of those who passed. She found comfort in believing her friends soul was above her in the stars.