*This story is under my folder titled “Circe the ringmaster!”. Gacha Club character designs are under my forum titled “My character designs<33[2]”. Enjoy!*
Emberlynn and Juniper jumped out of their bedroom window and into the rain-soaked grass, grateful that they were on the first floor, and not on the third floor, for that drop would have surely ended them.
“Can we go back home? Maybe they didn’t mean it.” Juniper suggested.
Emberlynn sighed. Leave it to Juniper to hold onto nonexistent hope.
“You know that they meant it. Why else would they send us away?” Emberlynn asked.
Emberlynn and Juniper were born conjoined at the hip, meaning that their bodies were stuck together. Mom and Dad looked at them both with disgust, and when they smiled at the girls, it never felt genuine. The smile looked like just the kind of grin a monster would wear.
The lies finally stopped when they were six years old. When Dad packed their things in a suitcase and shoved it in their face. When Mom sent them out, she shouted: “I don’t care if you live or die, just get out!”
Juniper bawled her eyes out. Emberlynn almost cried, but then remembered that Juniper needed her. She couldn’t cry in front of her sister, she had to help Juniper.
They found refuge in an orphanage. The orphanage itself wasn’t terrible. The children were friendly, the man directing the orphanage was nice, but nobody wanted to adopt conjoined twins.
So they were running away again after a few months, searching for another place to stay.
Would they even find a home? Was it possible at all?
In the distance was the sound of twinkling calliope music, cheery and promising.
“It’s probably part of a circus!” Juniper cried out, running towards it.
“You’re really just going to follow a strange noise?” Emberlynn asked, trying to pull Juniper away. As much as the noise sparked curiosity in her, the fact that she didn’t know where it was coming from bothered her a bit.
“Yes! Maybe we’ll find a big, beautiful circus with lights and people!” Juniper exclaimed.
Emberlynn tried steering her to a new direction, but Juniper was the one in control of their body at the moment, and Emberlynn was resigned to follow her.
Hopefully Juniper was right, and they’d be okay. Emberlynn wasn’t sure how much longer she’d be able to hide the tears.
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125,021 Literary Works • 672,739 Reviews
They first appear in the twelfth tale of this story:
31 Hellish Halloween Tales (Part Two) (Tales 9-21)
Hey creeper!
I remember these two! It's good to read another story about them. It looks like this one is essentially their origin story where we get to see how they found the circus.
It's touching to see Emberlynn strengthen her resolve in light of Juniper's breakdown, knowing that she has to be strong for her sister. Although this snippet of story is brief, I can tell that you were mindful of characterizing the two of them differently in everything they did and everything they said. Emberlynn is more mature and calm, a pillar of strength for Juniper, who in turn expresses her emotions more freely, whether she's sobbing about losing her home or gleeful at the prospect of discovering a circus. Though they're conjoined twins who share the same exact life experiences, their personalities are very different. Well done!
Happy writing!
Wolfi
Very glad you enjoyed this!
I like the action beginning of this with the two girls jumping out the window.
Also like that I easily understood why they’re running, even without context.
Hmm, I am a bit apprehensive abt them going to a circus of all things. I mean on the one hand, yes, they probably have a home for them there but at what price? Also would be interesting to note what kinda conjoined twins they are considering that... from all I heard they usually share half of a body or something, so just letting the other take control or wrestling control from them should not be possible. Hmm.
They are joined at the hip, meaning they really only have one arm they each can use. Kinda like the character "Evelyn Evelyn" that the singers Amanda Palmer and Jason Webley dressed up as.