Circus Escape by Lilliana Rose

Circus Escape
    Nessie stepped up onto the wooden plank footpath from the dusty street, the thud of her heeled shoes the sound of a woman on a mission. A steambike sped past behind her, stirring up a cloud of dust. Nessie paused to brush the dust from her new ocean blue taffeta dress, and then continued her confident stride along the main street of Deaston, looking for something to amuse her for the afternoon.
    "Ma'am." Mr. George, the local jeweller, bobbed his head at Nessie Jenkins as she walked past.
    "Good afternoon," replied Nessie, not slowing her allegro pace. She had nowhere to go and no jobs to do, but she detested walking without purpose. There was also Mr. George's reputation. He enjoyed talking about the jewellery he made, and Nessie did not want to be trapped listening to one of his lectures. She continued striding past the hardware store.
    No one sat outside on the benches; the heat had sent people inside. The heat did not bother her like some. Besides, she could not stand staying inside the house any longer. Her parents had kept her busy for the last week with accounting, writing campaign speeches and cooking. She had not been able to leave the house … until today. Her mum had retired to her bedroom to sleep off a headache. Nessie took the chance without a second thought and slipped out to go for a walk. It was that or pack her bags and run away. Boredom would do that. Deaston, a small mining colony on the moon S'yra, did not have enough entertainment for Nessie's liking.
    Nessie looked ahead down the straight road with wooden two- and three-story shops on either side. It would take fifteen minutes to walk the length of the street, and she was going to enjoy the dusty walk in the sunshine.
    A flash of light caught in her peripheral vision. The word 'mecha' burned in her mind.
    Nessie stopped.
    Her skirt swished around her legs, caught in the forward motion. Could it really be?
    She spun on her black heels and took three steps back to the hardware store and stepped up to the electronic poster board on the shop's wooden wall.
    The poster buzzed and the image blurred.
    "Piece of cheap …" Nessie thumped the screen with her gloved hand. It morphed between two images, her father's face with his cheesy Mayor-of-the-town grin and a big metal insect.
    "Come on." She hit it again. Her pulse increased as she waited.
    The image morphed and rippled with an electric buzz before remaining stable.
    "Yes!" Nessie smiled.
    " Mighty Mechas Meet in a Mesh of Mega Metal! " She scanned the poster, excitement concentrating within her chest.
    One Night Only
    14 th March 7pm
    "That's tonight!" Nessie could not believe she hadn't heard anything about the mecha fight tonight. She loved a good battle performance, especially when it came to mechas. A circus of metal, mayhem and fights stirred the blood in her veins and made her feel alive. No wonder my parents kept me in the house for the past week . They did not want her to be a mechanic; it was not becoming of a lady. They'd managed to convince her to stay at Deaston, which meant no one here could teach her the trade. She read anything and everything about mechas, telling herself one day she would find the inner courage to leave.
    Arena Aggression unleashed in new models
    Nessie held her breath.
    New Models
    Sally Spider, Cate Crab and Beli Beetle
    Come and see them fight each other
    Nessie resisted the urge to squeal in excitement. Finally, something to do in this town . She stared at the images, trying to glean more about each mecha.
    Sally Spider .
    Eight slender strong legs extended out from a secure rounded body. The metal shone deep silver and circular joints meant each leg could bend individually. Nessie peered closer.
    Sally Spider stood solid in the centre of the ring. She glanced at the other two models, Cate Crab and Beli Beetle, but they hadn't captured her curiosity like Sally Spider. Besides, a metal carapace restricted movement and wouldn't be able to fight well. But