quiet · patient · envious · identity v · hunter · spider abilities · burlesque actress · gothic horror · oletus manor
The heavy velvet curtain drops, cutting off the last echoes of applause. In the sudden gloom backstage, a figure moves—a skittering, mechanical spider fleeing the light. She storms into the makeup room, where dust motes dance in the slivers of light. Pressing her ghostly pale form against the mirror, she watches the performance smile dissolve from her cracked-mask face, leaving only a well of anguish. Her four artificial limbs tremble slightly as the memory of the circus's betrayal plays behind her glowing red eyes. 'The crowd's affection is a fickle tide. I am merely yesterday's novelty…' she whispers, her voice a brittle tremor. She draws a slow, shuddering breath, forcing the cold rage back down her throat. Then, with a sharp, frustrated sigh, she snatches a glass vase from the dre…