Sapphire
Rebecca Hammett
Sapphire
Rebecca Hammett
Published by Rebecca Hammett
Copyright 2014 Rebecca Hammett
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To my mum and dad, who helped me with the story
and encouraged me along the way.
Prologue
My name is Sapphire Rosanna Burne. I was named Emily after my dear mum, who died two days after my birth, on the eighteenth of November. I was born in Aberdeen, in Scotland, where I intended to stay, but my job prevented that. After I left high school, I tried desperately to get a good job with a steady income. None came. I remember living with Sylvie and Mum and Dad, going out each day at six to do my paper round and again in the late evening. I had a lot of time to do whatever I wanted, but most of it was spent helping Sylvie doing her painting and drawing or running errands for my neighbours, to make sure I didn’t run out of back-up money.
I tried for two months, but no one wanted a teenager to help run their business or do cleaning. Most people teased me mercilessly, saying there was no way I was almost nineteen and I hadn’t finished school yet. No one ever took me seriously, so I had a hard time.
Three months after I left school, I managed to get a well-paid job in a circus. I know it was ludicrous; I was eighteen and yet I actually got a job in an acrobat circus, but at least I had a certain amount of money each week, warm food twice a day and a small breakfast, not to mention my cosy wagon.
The money I saved really came in handy. I had around £80, which helped me pay for my wagon, leaving a little left over. I remember spending it on the warmest stew I ever tasted, savouring every gravy-filled mouthful. I ate and ate with relish, and then trooped back to my new site and had a slap-up meal of boiled potatoes covered in spice, honey-covered carrots, stewed tomatoes and simmering pork. I ate that too, with gusto, and then sleepily settled down for the night.
But life in the circus was hard work when I was eighteen and nineteen. I couldn’t keep up with all the other tumblers in my act. Not being used to acrobatics every day wasn’t a good start. Each day when we warmed up, my legs ached unbearably and my arms hurt horribly, not to mention my back and neck, which cried out in pain.
Chapter 1
“Sapphire, get practising!” Riel ordered, his red face and several chins wobbling disgustingly.
I stepped out into bright lights and a sandy ring, my back aching terribly from lack of sleep, where my acrobat accompanists, Topaz, Gem, Marble, Diamond, Emerald and Rose Quartz stood, carefully bending each other’s backs this way and that before they started their routine. Maximilian, the only boy in our act, stepped out and held out his strong hand to me. I let him arch my back all the way around, and then twisted my wrists too (to prevent me from straining them when I land on them in handstands, cartwheels or flicks).
Rose Quartz, one of the littlest, had got bored of warming up, and started to practise her backward somersaults. She landed sideways sometimes, because she hadn’t yet got used to them, but managed them reasonably well. Her blonde hair cascaded over her honey-coloured shoulders as she practised her complicated routine. Music blared from the black loudspeakers in each corner of the big tent. I watched her twist and leap to the first three lines, and then she vaulted lightly over twice, landing each handspring perfectly.
About ten minutes later, a shrill bell made us all jump and stop what we were doing. We stood to attention while Riel put us through our paces, making each girl jump with precision on the springboard. We each had to time our flick perfectly, with Maximilian landing first and standing steadily, with Gem landing neatly on his shoulders. Marble flipped through the air agilely, leaping onto Gem’s strong shoulders. Then Emerald and Diamond used the springboard and flew through the air, one at a time, each girl landing like a jigsaw puzzle piece being fitted neatly into place. They all seemed solid, and then Topaz used the trampette (a small trampoline used for taking off on) to leap high onto Emerald’s shoulders. Once there, she stood securely, not wobbling at all. Her arms were outstretched so she could keep her balance without falling off and her head was held high so she could face the audience when performing properly. By now, the human tower was complete. Riel clapped, his ringed sausage fingers flying like the clappers, his beer belly flubbing around enthusiastically.
“Good, my fairies!” he cried, waddling over to us, flushed and excited. “Topaz, that’s a big achievement, and an exciting new showstopper act!”
Topaz smiled and blushed happily, for she couldn’t perform as well as the rest of us.
“Come on! We’ll practise that act, and all our others, before he comes back! He’ll be so pleased,” Diamond whispered, her lovely curly blonde hair glistening in the light, and her shining blue eyes glittering like the sea.
“Hurry up! We’ll practise the leaping act,” she encouraged again. We obeyed, with Marble and Gem instantly lying down, turning forward rolls, backward rolls and double twists. Diamond ran forward bravely, bouncing from Gem’s feet, leaping high in the air, and then turning two forward somersaults. She landed on her feet, standing calmly on the other side of the human ‘river’. Topaz walked over in a handstand, for she was agile and very light on her hands. I turned a triple forward somersault, pointing my fingers and toes neatly. Emerald took a small run up, did a quick round-off and a backward somersault.
We stood, chattering about the previous act, noticing that it was breakfast time. We collected our ‘pocket’ money (the money we earned performing in the circus) and rushed to put it away in our separate wagons. I shared with Rose Quartz and Diamond, and the other four shared another wagon.
As I ate my small bowl of crunchy cereal, I pondered about what to spend my money on. I’d saved up about £20 now, from all my shows.
Performing in the ring was not my ideal job, but at least I had an income, even if it was a bit small. It felt nice to be free, but here in the circus I had aches and cramps in my back each day, and I couldn’t fall asleep at night for the pain.
Riel was generous with our weekly pay, and gave us tips if we ever performed brilliantly (not often!) and also if we tried a new move. Diamond receives lots of extra tips, because she is daring and light and agile, but also because she’s very pretty and cute and the audience love her. I am still learning, but I have been here about a month and can manage neat somersaults, cartwheels, handstands and any kind of leap or jump, but I am terrified of trying backward somersaults or handsprings.
Our pocket money is always enjoyable to spend, with all of us spending a little on postage stamps, writing paper and envelopes each week. We all had family, apart from Emerald and Gem, and loved to write to them as often as we could. Because I liked to write down my thoughts and feelings, a month ago I’d used up most of my money on a lovely jewelled pen, with blue sapphires and amethysts glowing royally, and a marbled notebook with aquamarine swirls and indigo, with pale lilac and violet at the corners, complete with white froth and a shoal of yellow fish swimming happily. I had remembered not to make my fancy writing too big, so as t
o fit in as much of my life story as possible.
As Riel called us back into the ring for an hour’s practice before our late morning break at 10.00 a.m. I suddenly turned a brilliant double backward somersault in the air, when the others were practising their various routines, without even the trampette or the board to bounce on. Riel stared at me in amazement; as everyone knows backward somersaults are my biggest phobia. He clapped, and so did the rest of my circus friends.
Little Rose Quartz was beginning her training for flicks today, and she wasn’t too happy about it. Her pale face with its glowing rosy cheeks had turned white, with her pink lips strained in a wan smile. Her blue, sparkling eyes had pooled into silver puddles, lashes stuck together defiantly. She was shivering, and I felt a pang of sorrow for her. I watched her run swiftly up the bouncy running track, hands at her slim sides. At the small springboard, she lifted her arms up and bounced with all her might. I saw her turn a round-off, and watched anxiously, but she failed miserably three times over. Riel looked mildly annoyed, but he gave her a little more support and thicker mats.
I came over to help when she had practised for a little while on her own, but hated seeing her fall. Once she turned a backward somersault, but her arms stuck out strangely and she landed on her knees with a bump. By three o’clock, she had mastered a round-off back tuck (a round-off joined to a backward somersault), which was a small achievement.
Riel made her train the movement thirty times over, and she turned it perfectly each time. Her face was pinker now, and she was smiling from ear to ear.
Before the first show, Sasha, Kate and Mirabel dabbed our faces with red stage make- up and pink blusher and brushed our hair lovingly. Diamond and Rosy (our nickname for Rose Quartz because of her rosy pink cheeks) looked fantastic, their blonde hair swept up in loose ponytails and white lilies tangled in their lovely locks, blue eyes shining prettily and lips tinted a pale pink. When I perform in the ring, I always like looking at the girls in the audience, not dressed in tight leotards or purple tops and black gym shorts. They were always decked out in bright leggings, tight tops, flouncy frocks and pretty pinafores with buttons. Sometimes I wish I was normal …