Jax left his room, a smile automatically spreading across his face like second nature, or maybe a reflex. It wasn't happiness that pulled the corners of his mouth up, just habit. He didn't know how long he'd been in the circus anymore. Days, weeks, months—the place had a way of eating time, swallowing it whole until every adventure, every laugh, every shout blurred together. But it didn't matter. He knew his purpose here: to entertain and annoy. Nothing more, nothing less.

The hallways of the circus were as gaudy and bright as ever, walls painted in bold colours. Crossed-out faces lined the doors along the walls. The abstracted members. Gone, but not gone enough. Their doors still stood there like gravestones, mocking him. But Jax strolled through it all, his grin fixed and hollow. He wouldn't dare show a hint of weakness.

And yet, his mind was rampant with overwhelming thoughts and emotions. The adventures, Caine and what he could be hiding… the guilt, the confusion. He hated it. He hated everyone here.

And most of all, himself.