^Phil^

Amber waited in the tent, fixing her hair and readying to perform. She glanced around, and when she was satisfied that no one was watching, she took some of her mother's rouge and put it on. When she was carefully replacing the lid, she heard a noise from the back of the tent. Startled, she dropped the lid on to the dressing table where it clattered loudly. Quickly, she glanced around, and at the back of the tent was Luke. He had poked his head through the flap and was motioning for her to come outside. Oh, the nerve of him! She thought angrily as she stood up and shoved her hair back. She took her time walking to the back of the tent, and Luke became impatient. He grabbed her arm tightly, and she winced as his fingers bruised her skin. She wrenched herself free from his grasp and held her arm where he had grasped it. Her eyes filled with fire. Overhead the clouds thundered noisily, and it was growing dark quickly. "Don't you dare touch me!"

"Oh my, you are filled with spirit tonight, Amber. What has gotten into you?" he asked amusingly.

She glared at him angrily, hunching over her arm, her eyes burning holes in his chest. She looked like a panther ready to pounce, causing him to take a step back. "I saw you today," she said, her voice accusing. "I saw you with that woman! I suppose she is one of the many at the governor's palace. Am I right?"

"What is this about, my little Amber? Why so angry? I have returned to watch you dance for me, and this is how you show your gratitude?" he replied, pretending to get hurt.

But she was nowhere to get finished. She wants answers. "Don't avoid the question. Answer me!"

"Amber," he warned as he advanced towards her. His gaze was furious as he took her by the arm, squeezing it tightly, "I do not deserve to be treated this way. I suggest that you change your attitude. Remember who you are talking to."

"Who are you to tell me what to do? I deserve to know who that woman was that you were with today." When he did not open his mouth to speak, she yelled again, "Answer me!"

Just then a figure emerged from the shadows. "Luke, she deserves to know, and if you refuse to inform her, I will." The voice belonged to a woman, and when she had come into the light, Amber recognized her as the one from the market place.

She looked from Luke to the woman and then back to him. She felt her throat becoming constricted with tears. "This is, Christina, Amber. I brought her along so I could introduce her to you. She is my fiancé." he said calmly.

"What?" she gasped, backing away from the two.

"We are to be married in a few months." he declared. Amber stood completely still, hardly daring to breathe. The shock of this news made her blood boil, and she clenched her fists at her sides.

"I thought you would be happy for me, I thought that perhaps you were different from the rest of them, but I was wrong." he explained, almost emotionless.

"The rest of them?" Her voice was dangerous. "You mean my people?"

"Yes, the gypsies," Luke answered, gesturing to the camp. "The scum of the earth that don't know how to make a decent living, so they tell lies to eager tourists or any one else that is stupid enough to be lured into their traps," he mocked, a look of pure disgust on his face. "You gypsies do not know what the meaning of hard work is."

"How dare you!" she screamed. "My people are decent human beings who know how to love and care for one another. You are wrong, Luke. Your kind are the ones that tear people down and lure helpless girls into their snares! You are the one to sniff your lavender and dab your eyes with your fancy handkerchiefs! I bet you have never even felt real pain or suffered at the hands of those who weren't kind enough to help you along!" she said through her gritted teeth, still recovering from the shock.

He laughed and turned towards Christina. "See how ungrateful she is? The poor little savage. I suppose she knows no better." he joke. With that Amber screamed in rage and rushed towards Luke, her hands shaped like claws, her sharp nails waiting to find their target, but then she felt strong arms around her, pinning her arms to her side. "No, Amber," warned Phil as he encircled her in his embrace. "He is not worth it."

She struggled to free herself, and Christina stared in horror as Amber strained against Phil to attack Luke. "Go!" Phil screamed at them. "Get out of here before I release her and justice is done."

Luke took Christina by the arm, and together they fled quickly. When they were out of sight, Phil released Amber, and she violently pushed him away. "Why?" that was all she asked. Her eyes were still burning with hatred, and her chest was heaving.

"Because it would have been wrong, and you know it. I think you would have come to regret it, and if you let your hatred take over you, you would only have proved to Luke that he was right about what he said: that you were a savage." he tried to explain her.

She angrily swung her fist at his shoulder, but she missed and instead swung at the air. "Then why do I feel like justice hasn't been done?"

"Because it hasn't," he said as he hugged her to calm her down.

She couldn't bear for him to see her this way, so she pushed him away and ran. She bit her lip as she rushed into the tent and slumped into a chair. She waited, but no tears came. It's funny, she thought. I always thought that if something like this happened to me, I would be devastated, but I am angrier than anything. Oh the things I would do to him if I knew they weren't wrong! She walked out of the tent and leaned against the tent pole.

The air was chilled as her father and brother performed their stunts, and she waited patiently, trying to push the argument to the back of her mind. Her pulse accelerated as her time drew near, and her excitement built, eager to become lost in her performance. Just as the act was over, the sky thundered once again and threatened to break up the small party that had begun to rage below, meaning that if it did rain, Amber would not be able to perform.

Her mother, seeing that she was beginning to sulk, walked over to her and laid her hand on her shoulder. "Maybe you are not supposed to perform tonight," she suggested.

"It has not begun to rain yet," she replied defiantly, "I still may get to dance."

"Perhaps, if fate has it written in your cards." Turning to examine her face more closely, her mother asked, "Is everything alright, Amber?"

"I'm fine." Amber sighed and wrapped her arms around her, wishing more than ever that she could just sail away from it all, with someone who truly loved her.

Her mother squeezed her shoulder affectionately, and she left her spot by the tent, walking over to the campfire, already in her performance as she took her position. The moon was a crescent, and it cast its eerie light on the small crowd that had gathered. She clicked her castanets and her body swayed to the rhythm of the tambourine. She waved her arms above her head in long beautiful sweeps, and the onlookers moved to the edge of their seats. Phil watched her from a distance, his face covered in shadow. He was still burning from holding her in his arms.

Amber became lost in the dance, oblivious to her surroundings, and a steady, light rain began to fall. No one made any move to leave, and she welcomed the rain, stretching out her arms twirling, her skirts billowing in the wind. The rain fell on her face in large drops, and then, without warning, the tears came. Two silently rolled down her intense face and mingled with the rain drops, but she continued to dance. She let them come, allowed her grief and anger to wash over her in waves as the rain continued to pour from heaven. She could taste them falling into her mouth. She couldn't contain her sobs any longer. She cried out, and the dance ended as she fell to the ground, her back quaking. Phil immediately rushed over to her, putting her arm around his neck, he helped her walk away from the stage by the crackling fire.

He led her inside of his family's tent and sat her down upon the only bed and just let her cry. He put his arms around her, and she rested her head on his shoulder. "It's okay, Amber." he whispered in her ear. "Everything's going to be alright." He waited until her sobbing had subsided before he asked, "Did you really like him that much?"

Offended, she shoved him away, rising from the bed, and stood in the corner. "Amber, I only meant," he began as he crossed the room to where she stood, "-that he is not worth shedding tears over. He was not a gentleman, and in my honest opinion..." He hesitated, and whispered into her ear, his breath warm on her neck, "He didn't deserve you."

"Oh, Phil," she sighed as she turned to look at him, her eyes still glistening. "I don't think it's just losing him. It has more to do with his deception, how I honestly thought for the past year that he was a fine gentleman and that he really cared for me. I can't believe that he would go to such lengths to fool me just so he could get what he wanted." She put her head in her hands.

He took her arm and provoked her stare, measuring her seriously. "What exactly did you give him?"

She became nervous under his gaze and she squirmed out of his grasp, crossed over, and sat back down on the bed. He followed after her and repeated, "What did you give him?"

Tears stung her eyes at the implication of his question, but she refused to let them fall. "I can't believe you would accuse me of such behavior."

He could hear that she was hurt, and he winced at that. The last thing he wanted was to aggrieve her, and she was right about his implication, and he cursed himself for upsetting her. "Phil, you should know that I am better than that." And he did. He suddenly felt foolish for thinking otherwise.

"I am sorry, Amber, it was incredibly stupid of me." he apologized, realising his mistake.

"You are not stupid, don't ever say that."

He hung his head, and she placed a hand to his face. He gazed into her eyes, and the touch of her cold fingers on his cheek prompted him to speak. His voice was so soft that she had to lean in to hear him. "I was jealous," he confessed.

Her lips parted, and she withdrew her hand slowly. "What?"

"I was jealous of Luke. It just seemed that you liked him more than me. You always snubbed me when he would come around, and you would get so defensive in any conversation regarding him. I always thought that he didn't deserve you. You are too good for him. You have so much spirit, and to end up with someone..." He paused and took a breath, "Surely you knew that it could never be, that he was leading you on."

She looked away from him. "I think in my heart I knew," she said to her lap. "I wanted so badly to be loved that I convinced myself that he actually wanted to be with someone like me." They were quiet for a few moments, and he took her hand into his. "Thank you for restraining me this afternoon. I am glad you were there. You're a good person, Phil."

"Thank you," he mumbled.

"I was just so angry, and I can almost swear that if you weren't there, that I could have killed him." Her voice was so bitter and cold, causing him to shiver.

His answer was firm. "You wouldn't have. You might have wanted to, but I know you wouldn't do such a thing. You will forgive him, one day. You need to let go."

I know he is right, she thought as she made her way to her tent, her thoughts a jumble and her clothing soaked. "I'm just not ready to let go."

"Let go of what?" asked Charles as he emerged from behind the screen. His chest was bare, but he had a heavy towel wrapped around him. His hair was dripping water, and his eyes were sparkling.

"Oh, nothing father," she said, trying to brush it off.

He stood there still, yearning to be a part of his daughter's life, but when she made no move to confide in him, he withdrew quietly.

She did not undress. She just stood there, trying to sort out her thoughts, and then something tugged at her heart. Following her impulse, she put on a heavy cloak that belonged to her mother, and left the safety of the encampment, stealthily disappearing into the night.

Word Count: 2279

Thank you for reading this chapter. If you like it, don't forget to vote and comment on this chapter. It means a lot.

Bookworm_Beauty96, I dedicated this chapter to you. I am really very inspired by your writing style. I really love your book. ♥