The Circus

~Jewel~

I ran. The wind blew through my hair, and against my face, trying to keep me in the only place I could ever despise.
It seemed like hours before I finally fell onto the ground in a meadow, exhausted. It felt like my ankle was broken--I was sure it was--but I just rolled over onto my stomach and began to cry.
Once my tear ducts began to dry out, I rolled onto my back. The stars were so clear against the sky here, away from the smokiness of the circus bonfires. I savored the beauty of nature.
However much I loved to be free, I missed Cowboy. There was no way he could ever find me here. I'd probably die out here. I just wanted one more of his tender kisses before I left this world.
I rolled over in agony, and there was a sharp pain in my ankle. I screamed into my arm.
After two minutes of lying still, I figures that it was the best way to avoid pain.
There was a rustling noise in the wood byond the clearing I was lying in, and I heard fast-paced footsteps, but I didn't care. I thought about the words I had said to Cowboy back at camp. I was so stupid--I must have hurt him so much. I brought my hand up to wipe the tear from my eye.
"Jewel!" It was Cowboy.
I sat bolt upright, which, inevitably, hurt my ankle.
Cowboy launched himself at me, but not in the way I expected.
He gave me a hug. I pulled away--I didn't deserve it.
"I think I broke my leg," I said, cradling my injured ankle.
"Can it wait? I need to explain. I behaved so badly back there."
He explained everything I already knew from his thoughts, and then some.
"Wow." I widened my eyes. He'd been through so many hardships.
I touched his hands. Hands that had taken innocent lives.
Yes, his body had killed, but his soul hadn't been a killer's soul. He felt utter shame and regret, and I felt sorry for him. For the hard things that had taken him to that awful circus. He was kind, and sweet, and caring, and woderful, and that was why I loved him.
I leaned forward, and kissed him. It was gentle this time, and the pain in my ankle even disappeared from the moment that the kiss started.
I lost myself in that kiss.

Dent watched as Rogue left. What was she talking about? He and Lark didn't have anything between them. They were great friends, that's all.

He shook his head in amusement. Let Rogue believe what she wanted.

Dent turned back to Lark. "So, do you read it in my palm, or do you need a crystal ball, or what?"

He had to be sure he'd leave this place one day. Otherwise he could kill himself right now.

Then he sighed. No, he wouldn't kill himself. He liked the others too much. After Lark told him his future, whatever that might be, he'd probably go back to sleep, wake up in the morning, and do whatever Rusty wanted him to do in the morning.

Lark

My eyes rolled into my head as I consentrated on Dent's future. I saw him once again trying to escape, but this time he looked only about a year or two older than now. He had released the lions and everyone was running and screaming, even though the lions didn't do much but trot around, confused of what to do now that they were free. Rusty was frightened and began trying to whip the lions away, which made them angry. THey attacked him as all the misfit circus folks ran away together. Another flash of light and it was several years later. Dent was older, well dressed and sitting in a comfortable living room in a cozy little house with his wife and two children. Wait a minute-- his wife and children? I tried to distinguish the wife, but the vision had made her rather blurry. I watched as more snipets of Dent's later life flashed by until he finally died of pneumonia as an old man.

I pulled out of my vision. Wow, there was a lot to see.

"So, what happens," Dent asked, extremely eager.

Lark sighed.

"Don't tell me; am I going to die soon?" he asked, now becoming nervous.

"No, but you had a long life to look through," I said, laughing grimly.

"You will overtake Rusty one day; I know you wanted to hear that. It didn't look too far off from now, either. You released the lions on him and we all ran for it," I whispered.


*Oh, and Lily, can you please post for the Disney Inhuman thing? I posted and it's getting to the bottom. I don't want it to go away; it's so much fun!*

Dent chuckled. Setting the lions free; it was always a plan he'd had. He even tried it, once, but he couldn't get the lock undone, and Rusty caught him first. If only Lark had told him how he was able to free them...

Then he laughed again, harder. Here he was, believing in palm-reading and visions, when he had lived in a gypsy camp most of his life and seen how they lied through their crystal balls. He must've been half asleep, he decided, to actually believe Lark could tell his future.

Cowboy-

He wasn't expecting a kiss, especially a kiss as passionate as that one was. He pulled away as a smile threatened to creep onto his lips. He sighed as he sat back, she didn't look at him any different. God, she didn't understand at all. She still saw him as the same Cowboy, when she should see him as a monster. He had hurt so many people, without a second thought. And his happiness threatened to turn him into that thing again. That was why he offered himself up to the circus, so he would never be happy. Then Jewel came along. He knew he should let her go, it would probably be for the better, maybe save some lives in the long run. But he couldn't let her go, he was too selfish.
"Jewel, I have to take you back, I know you don't want to go. But if I leave you, you'll die; I'd never forgive myself." He lifted her off of the ground and headed back to the Circus grounds. She didn't shy away from his touch at all, stupid girl, she really had no idea what he was capable of. Maybe it was time for him to leave, or die.

Adeline~

I saw Rogue coming out of her tent, holding her arm. I walked quickly toward her. The grass was crunching under my shoes.
"Rogue what did you do?" I asked her, keeping my tone calm. I unwrapped the cloth her arm. "Come on. I have something to bandage this up with." I took her hand and led her to my tent.
"You don't have to Adeline. I can take care of it." She said as I sat her on my cot. I looked around for something to wrap her arm with.
"No, you're already here. Plus I want to help. I was headed to your tent to see if everything was okay anyways." I sat down next to rogue and wrapped the jagged cut. "You still haven't told me what it's from."
She looked up and then said, "I smashed the mirror." Her glance fell away form mine.
"You'll have to clean it up before Rusty sees." I tied off the cloth and stood up. "You want any help?" I asked her, looking down and holding out a hand. Rusty would kill her if he saw it.

~Jewel~

Halfway back, Cowboy paused.

"You're really not scared of me?"

I smiled. "Not at all."

I struggled to reach up and kiss him. He wouldn't let me.

"I'm a monster, Jewel, a monster." He looked away.

"No you're not." I touched his cheek. "You're a beautiful, kind, caring, selfless, wonderful person. Cowboy, you don't have to go back. We can run away together. We'd never have to see Rusty again. We would be so happy together. Your past doesn't matter, it's what's in your future that counts for you."

"You don't understand, I killed those people with my bare hands."

"No, Cowboy, your body killed those people. Your soul is completely free of blame."

"Whatever. Let's just drop this subject." He walked on.

Chase

I dropped onto what passed for a bed in the circus, staring at the top of my tent. Adeline...thank god she hadn't been wearing that clown makeup. Even though I knew she meant no harm, anything that looked like a clown was enough to scare me. I half suspected Rusty made her wear it to keep me away from her.

But then, what'd it matter? It wasn't like she felt the same way about me. However she'd seemed a minute ago was probably just my own dreams running away with me.

I allowed myself a half smile in spite of this. Skipping work. Rusty was going to starve me for a week because of this, or something equally as bad. But it would be worth it just to see the look on his face when he finally found me. After all, why would he think I'd hide in my tent?

Rogue (Robyn)

"You still didn't tell me what happened?" Adeline tried.

I looked away from her and raised one of my eyebrows. "I don't want to talk about it."

"It's ok to be scared." She couldn't smile while saying THAT

"I'm not affraid!" I yelled, and then brang my voice back down. "Of anything... Not even Rusty." I lied.

"What happened?" She asked again.

"I.... Don't want to talk about it." I said again. I stood up, my fist still bleeding as I tried to walk out of her tent.

"Robyn!" She cried out.

I stopped but didn't turn to face her. "Don't.... Ever say that name." I then walked oput of her tent with my fist bleeding and my eyes tearing up... I wouldn't cry not even a single tear.

Adeline~

I sighed as Robyn walked out of my tent. I flopped down on to my cot and shook my head. She didn't trust anyone.
I couldn't stay here all night but if I left the tent Rusty would find me and I didn't want to deal with that tonight. I smiled as I thought of Chase. He wasn't scared of Rusty. He was brave, the exact opposite of me.

Cowboy-

It hurt Cowboy to be so cold to Jewel, he didn't want to be; he loved her. He took her back to where the fire and the sleeping children were. He set her on the ground and straightened her leg out, which made her cringe. He got ready to heal her foot, still remembering the words to the spell then he stopped. He looked around, then looked up at Jewel. No one knew he could use magic. He wasn't very good at it, but he knew a few healing spells the gypsies had taught him, along with a few other spells.
"Close your eyes." He instructed and she did as she was told. He muttered the words and then the magic errupted from his very hands and twisted around her ankle. It wasn't sparkly or pretty, it was black and slithered like a snake. Not all magic is good, it just depends on who uses it.
"Better?" He asked when the spell was done.
"Yeah." She stood up and could walk on it.
"You should go to your tent now, we'll be moving in the morning." He said turning his back to her.
She moved towards him and layed her head on his shoulder, "Can't I stay here with y-"
"No." He stepped away from her then slightly turned his head, though not enough to see her, "Goodnight." and then he kept walking, all the way to where the horses were.

Hey, I know I'm late, but can I come into this storybook? Maybe my character can just be a new person here?

haha you're always welcome to join, Arris. It'd be fun!!

Dent was staring at the east as the sun was coming up. He knew he should probably wake the others, but it seemed cruel, knowing all the hard work that faced them today. Some of them, like him, had hardly been able to sleep, anyway.

He glanced Cowboy lying on the ground, his hat pulled over his face. It was hard to tell if he was actually sleeping or not.

Suddenly struck with a stroke of genius, Dent crept closer. He lifted up the brim of the hat ever so slightly, just to look at his face. "Hey, Cowboy, rise and shine, eh?"

Grunt.

"Are you dead or alive in there?"

Grunt.

"Well that's just wonderful," he said enthusiastically. "Guess what?"

Grunt.

Dent swiped the hat from Cowboy's head. "I've got your hat," he cried, and took off.

Lark

I woke up early in the morning, just as the sky was turning red and pink with the newly rising sun. I lay there a second before getting up and tiptoeing out of the tent so as not to awaken Rogue and wandered outside around the camp. She saw Dent rip off Cowboy's hat and wave it in his face as he sleepishly staggered up and chased him around the ashes that remained of last night's fire. She giggled a bit at the sight of Dent's keep-away game.

"Hey Lark, catch!" he yelled to her and neatly throwing the hat to her.