{ W h o } Rusty, Cameron { W h a t } the Medium has a message to pass along { W h e r e } the back lot { W h e n } Friday { R a t i n g } TBD
The first time Cameron had worked the midway as a shill, she'd been nervous, arguably even more nervous than the first time she'd unhooked her bra in front of an audience. What if she made a mistake? What if she really messed up? What if the patrons caught on that she was a fake? Worst of all, what if she got arrested?
By the end of her first day, those worries had faded away. All she really had to do was look happy and act excited when she won prizes. And win she did, because with all the games somehow rigged in her favor, she couldn't lose. That was the whole point of being a shill: winning. Win the game, win the prize, make it look like any rube could do the same.
Cameron was quite proud of the delighted, loud squeal she'd perfected to draw attention each time she won the biggest, cuddliest stuffed animal or the brightest bouquet of paper flowers or the sparkliest 'diamond' ring. The rubes saw how easy it was--why, look, even a girl could do it--and flocked to play. And if the teddy bears were small and shoddy, the rings tarnished and tacky, if the ball didn't sail through the hoop or if the milk bottles simply would not tip over, what did it matter to her? By the time the mark lost the game, Cameron had already moved on.
Just now, she was moving on with quick, purposeful strides, her shift on the midway finished. Cameron had a while before her shift in the kootch tent began, and she was eager to put her feet up before spending several hours in high heels. The clothing she wore for her day shift couldn't have contrasted more wildly with the gaudy costumes she donned for the kootch show. Low-heeled practical pumps, drab skirt, high-necked blouse... the same nondescript sort of clothes she'd worn since she and Mort had had to go into hiding.
Leaving the midway behind, her pace slowed. Instead of slipping inside her trailer, Cameron decided to sit on the steps for a bit and enjoy the afternoon. Leaning back against the door, she toed off her shoes and turned her face up to the sun, letting out a quiet sigh of contentment. The carny life wasn't half bad, all things considered.