Chapter 1

The crowd screamed, some pulling out their phones to record, others shouting, "This is so thrilling!"

My mom covered her eyes, too scared to look.

But I stared hard at the woman in the cage.

That face, that curve of the profile, that mole behind the ear.

Exactly like my mom's.

I turned to look at my mom in the passenger seat.

She was muttering, "It's so cruel."

My hands were shaking so badly I could barely hold the wheel.

My mom reached over from the passenger seat and patted me. "Honey, what's wrong? You're so pale."

I jerked her hand away.

Who is she?

And who is my mom?

......

The cars behind me were laying on their horns, and someone stuck his head out and cursed, "Are you sick or something?! If you can't drive, pull over!"

I couldn't hear any of it.

The woman in the red dress had been bitten on the leg, and blood ran down her calf and dripped onto the ground.

When they dragged her out of the cage, her eyes kept turning toward me.

I could feel her gaze locked on me.

My mom kept chattering beside me. "That was terrifying. Look at how badly that poor girl's leg got bitten. I wonder if they even have insurance. That circus troupe is inhuman..."

Her voice was exactly like always.

But all I could think about was that woman in the cage.

I took a deep breath and pulled into the parking lot up ahead.

"Mom, I'm going to run to the restroom. Wait for me in the car."

"Sure. Good timing, I'll answer a message. Your dad's asking where we are."

I got out of the car and ran toward the circus troupe.

The show in the predator area had already let out, and the onlookers were heading out, a few of them cursing.

I ignored them and went around to the back of the performance area.

A guy was crouched on the ground smoking. When he saw me coming, he stood up warily. "Who are you looking for?"

"The woman who got hurt in the show just now—she's someone I know."

"You know her?" The guy looked me up and down. "What do you want?"

I pulled three hundred out of my pocket.

"Sir, I just want to see her, to confirm whether she's someone I know."

The guy reached out and took it, then jerked his chin to the side. "That car all the way in the back. Don't stay too long, or the boss'll chew you out."

I ran over and pressed up against the window to look inside.

The woman was sitting on a quilt, hugging her legs, wiping the blood off her leg with a scrap of cloth.

She looked up, and I froze completely.

She looked at me, opened her mouth, and mouthed two words.

"Get out."

Then she suddenly shrank back, because the car door was being pulled open from the outside.

The guy who'd been smoking earlier stuck his head in. "You done? The boss is back. Get going."

I was shoved back out.

I ran back to the parking lot.

When I opened the car door, my mom was looking down at her phone. "Why'd that take so long?"

I looked at her face, and it was exactly the same as that other face.