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Post by slyoldweasel on Jul 23, 2013 18:17:06 GMT -5
The moon glowed, full and silver, in the starry night. Sounds of insects serenaded those still awake in the late hour. Voices rose above the glow of paper lanterns strung between trees, excited and ringing. Children laughed in excitement and adults chattered feverishly, journeying to their vehicles after a night of wonder and magic at the Cirque de Joie.
As the last of the circus goers filed out of the big top, a boy with brown hair stepped outside, black plastic bag in hand. He yawned before bending down to scoop up a half-eaten box of popcorn, throwing it into the bag. The girl beside him laughed.
"It's amazing how much people spend for things they'll barely even eat," she said, striding alongside the brown haired boy, stopping just in front of him to pick up a pink gum ball.
"Yeah, but not all people are quite as conservative as we are Mia," he pointed out, plucking the gum ball out of her hand and chucking it into the black bag to join the popcorn.
"Not as conservative as me is more like it, Damian. I know how you like to buy things before thinking," Mia said, putting her hands on her hips. She was still decked out in her costume, sequins glittering in the glow of paper lanterns, glinting hues of orange, yellow, and red off of silver. She pushed a perfectly sculpted golden curl out of her bedazzled eyes. "Have you even used that waffle iron you bought in the last town we were in?"
Damian's cheeks burned. "No, but I haven't had an occasion for it yet!" Mia rolled her glittering blue eyes.
"What would be an occasion that calls for waffles in the shape of Julie Andrew's face?" Silence. "Damian?"
Damian cautiously picked up a paper bag covered in an unknown substance emitting a smell akin to cabbage before answering.
"When it comes up, I'll let you know," he said, dropping it into the bag. "I don't think I want to know what was on that." Damian grimaced. "It smelled really funny." Mia laughed, a high-pitched, childish laugh.
"Better you than me!" she said, wrinkling her nose. She glanced over her shoulder to two girls decked out in jewel tones and glitter standing by a pole supporting a string of lights, giggling. A sigh escaped her red lips. "I wish those two would help with clean up once in a while. Everyone else helps." She swept her arm out, gesturing to the scattered mess of people clad in various circus costumes. They were all divided into groups, some toting garbage bags while their partners picked up trash while others fixed fallen decorations and hangings, making sure that everything looked neat and in its place for the next round tomorrow. One pair, a German boy and girl, were trying to re-hang a set of streamers.
The girl seemed to be arguing with the boy, gesturing that she was too short to reach the place it was originally strung. She placed her palm to the top of her head before extending her arm up as far as it would go, indicating the height difference. She jumped up higher to prove her point. The boy sighed, bending down to one knee, holding out his hands, fingers laced together. The girl giggled, placing a foot on his laced fingers. She placed one hand on his shoulder and the streamers in the other, giggling as the boy lifted her up, holding her foot level to his belly button. Her other leg dangled behind her, bent at the knee and toes pointed up gracefully like a dancer. She pressed the streamers back to its original position, smiling down to the boy. She squealed as the boy threw her up into the air, catching her in his arms. They rubbed their noses together lovingly before the girl jumped out of the boys arms. They both ran off, out of sight, laughing at each other.
"Eh," Damian said, shrugging. "Sinead and Nessa never help with clean up. They'd rather gossip about the boys they caught checking them out during the performance." His bag was almost full with discarded wrappers, food, and broken toys. He bent down to grab another discarded cotton candy cone and spotted a small, yellow, plush bird lying in the dirt, forgotten by some inattentive child. His eyes softened, dark brows lowering over blue eyes. He always hated seeing stuffed animals left behind. Putting the garbage bag down as he walked, he strode towards the bird. He bent down, taking its form in his hands. It was virtually unblemished, save for the smudge of dirt over its left wing. He ran his thumb over it, feeling the soft material. How could someone just leave it lying in the dirt? Its blue eyes glinted up at him, almost playful.
"Another one?" Mia asked, standing behind Damian. "How could someone have such a charming little bird and then just leave it?" She scooped up the garbage bag, walking towards the dumpster. Damian stood up, cradling the small bird in his hand. Sometimes he really didn't like the children that came to the circus. They made messes, cried during performances, and left poor, little stuffed animals in the dirt like a toy graveyard. He heard the hard slam of Mia tossing the bag into the dumpster. Many others were heading towards the dumpster with garbage bags as well. He saw Keith talking animatedly with Delaney as he threw his bag in. She laughed loudly at something he said, glancing over her shoulder at Emmet, who was speaking to Colm, who was juggling tennis balls. Mia strutted back toward him. She reached out a long, slender hand and plucked the bird from Damian's fingers. She held it close to her face, examining it with an inquisitive gaze before placing it safely back in Damian's hand.
"Another one for your collection," she said, eyeing it again. Damian laughed.
"Let's see who shows up this time," he said, placing the bird in the pocket of his vest. "Hopefully no one like Delaney." He eyed the brunette who was now talking so loudly to Keith that Emmet was glaring at her, ready to throw a rubber mallet at her head. Mia chuckled.
"We can only hope. Hey, maybe we'll get a girl for you. You need more girl friends." She gave Damian a two finger salute before sashaying over to Ivana, who was affectionately scratching the ear of a large, white tiger. Damian rolled his eyes, turning to get a full view of the camp. Everything seemed to be in order. Ramona, the Ringmaster, was doing the final check she always did before anyone is allowed to go to bed. Damian rubbed the back of his neck, fighting the urge to yawn. He wasn't sure if he could handle another show like the one tonight. It wasn't bad, just exhausting. He had to help with far too many costume changes for his liking. He didn't mind all that much, it was part of his job description after all. He was the handy man of the circus, helping in any and every way that he could. But tonight had been awful, with Nessa's strap breaking, Mia not being able to find a shoe, and Liam misplacing his magic wand, it was stressful to say the least. Not to mention the fiasco with Ivana and her tigers, who weren't getting along as of late.
Losing the battle with his urge to yawn, Damian felt his chest expand, body flooding his brain with much needed oxygen. Man, he was tired. Taking a quick look to make sure that Ramona wasn't looking in his direction, Damian hurried over to his tent stationed away from the big top. He ducked inside, lighting an oil lamp before walking over to a large chest. He opened it up, pulling out a pair of flannel pants and a t-shirt. He quickly got dressed and placed his clothes in a pile. Before laying down the shimmery purple and red vest he wore every day, he took out the small, yellow bird. Smiling to himself, he placed it with the eleven other animals he's found in the past. Each one represented a member of the circus. The friends that joined after him: Hugo, Heidi, Ivana, Colm, Mia, Keith, Liam, Sinead, Nessa, Emmet, and Delaney. He had found each of their stuffed animals days before they joined the circus. Now his little yellow bird sat with the others, seemingly out of place and yet like it belonged there.
Damian settled into his cot, wondering who it was who would be joining the family of Cirque de Joie next.
"Who are you?" he asked, before falling to sleep.
A/N Just a quick start to a sort of different story than I'm used to, given that my other story is almost done. I hope you like it, there will be more to come!
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Post by slyoldweasel on Jul 23, 2013 18:50:54 GMT -5
"Wake UP!" Ivana yelled into Damian's ear for the fourth time, rapping her knuckles on his forehead. "You've got to get up and help get everything ready for tonight!" Damian, groaned, rolling over. Ivana huffed, slamming a pillow over Damian's head.
"OW! What was that for?" Damian yelled, rubbing the back of his head. He sat up, glaring at Ivana, who was standing over him with her hands on her hips. She gave him a "get-up-before-I-sick-my-tigers-on-you" look. He swore, standing up. He stretched, reaching his arms over his head. He heard a satisfying 'crack' before lowering his arms to his sides. He ran a hand through his mess of hair, groaning when his fingers became stuck in tangles.
"Ramona wants you out there in ten minutes," Ivana said. "She said that there's going to be a big crowd tonight, so be prepared. She's got you on food today." She laughed when Ivana made a face of disgust. "I know how much that sucks. You want me to help?" Damian rolled his shoulders, shaking his head when they popped into place.
"Nah, I got this. But thanks for the offer, Iva. It almost makes me want to forgive you for such a rude awakening."
"Be glad it wasn't Delaney," The Bulgarian girl said, eyes glinting. "She would have sung you awake, and we all know what happened last time." Damian smacked his forehead. That wasn't a very pleasurable experience. Ivana bid him farewell and left the tent. The late morning sunshine streamed through the opening of the tent, alighting dust particles as they drifted through the air. Damian dressed himself, shrugging on his purple and red vest. Today was going to be a very long day.
He hated working with food.
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"Mommy! I wanted blue cotton candy!" a small boy in a Pokémon shirt whined. Damian was stuck selling sweets this night, and oh how he loathed it. The little boy glared at his pink cotton candy. Damian looked at the boy's mother.
"I'm sorry ma'am," he said, trying not to lose his cool. "We're out of the blue sugar, but I assure you that the pink taste just the same." He gave her an apologetic look, trying to avoid a tantrum.
"But pink is a girly color!" the boy said angrily. "I'm not a girl!"
"C'mon, honey," said the mother, tugging her little boy along before Damian blew a fuse. There were a lot of people at the Cirque de Joie tonight, all hoping to catch the show before the circus rolled out of town in the morning. So far he had three children claim that he handled their food with dirty fingers, one claim that he had licked his caramel apple before handing it to him, and two throw their lollipops back into his face. One had glued itself to his hair and he had to take a knife and saw it off, much to his dismay. His hair was going to look awful for weeks.
It was just about time for the show in the big top to start, so Damian started pulling everything back into the cart he was stationed in. He closed the panel before stepping out, breathing a sigh of relief. He quietly tip-toed into the back entrance of the tent. Ramona was already introducing the first act, Hugo and Heidi on the trapeze. Damian walked around, asking if anyone needed any help. After helping lace up a costume or two, and after zipping Nessa up, he sat in a fold out chair in the back, listening to the 'oo's and 'ahh's of the crowd as Hugo slung Heidi up into the air, only to have her fall right back into his arms as they swung overhead an ogling crowd.
Damian watched as each act walked in and out to the crowd. Their faces were lit up with excitement and the thrill of performance. He could feel the energy, almost like electricity, radiating through the air. He could almost get high off of it, basking in the glory of his friends. As the acts dwindled down, he got up, beginning the routine of cleaning up the back. He put costumes back into boxes, props in containers. He helped the girls remove their makeup after the show was over, unsticking facial jewels and false eyelashes. He helped the guys sort all of their equipment for the long journey to their next destination.
He didn't know what it was. Maybe it was because he had been in the circus for so long, but it seemed so boring, doing the same thing performance after performance. He wished he could go out there and perform with everyone else, but he didn't have a talent like the others. He could sing, but that didn't help him with the big top acts.
As Damian walked past the entrance from back stage to the ring, he heard Ramona's voice speaking with a higher, softer voice. Damian stopped in his tracks, peering through the entrance. He knew Ramona's tone of voice anywhere. It was the tone that meant business. The one Damian always heard before someone new joined their family.
Speaking to Ramona was a slender girl with long, wavy brown hair that reached to her lower back. Her skin was a nice color, like the moon. Damian was entranced by her. The girl spoke softly and swiftly, speaking to Ramona feverishly, like she was begging her for something. Ramona laughed, placing her hand on the girl's shoulder. She gestured towards the giant, blue silk hanging from the ceiling. The girl gazed at the silk with determined eyes. She took her shoes off and strode towards the silk with a grace like a pro. Damian watched with inquisitive eyes as the girl gripped the silk in both of her hands, wrapping the silk around one of her feet before hoisting herself upwards with a strength Damian didn't think the girl possessed.
The girl hoisted herself into the air, climbing up the silk with expertise that outshined even Hugo. She climbed halfway up the silk before running her slender fingers through the middle, dividing it. Locking the leg with the foot tangled in the silk, she bent backwards, back arching gracefully and she swept her arm out in a graceful motion. She leaned forward again, grabbing the other side of the silk and wrapping it around her other foot. Slowly, she gripped the silks on either side, before sliding into a split in midair, suspended by her feet. Damian's eye's bugged out of her head. The girl was so flexible.
The girl continued to impress both Damian and Ramona, taking on various positions on the silk, moving gracefully like a swan or a dancer, defying gravity with many of her moves. Ramona seemed to be enjoying herself, a wide grin plastered to her face. The girl's face was unreadable, it was the most serene, angelic face Damian had ever seen, but the girl's eyes held a fire that was intense and burning. Damian knew he shouldn't be staring at the girl like he was, but he couldn't look away.
The girl began to wrap the silk around her tiny waist, winding it around over and over. She let out and audible breath before releasing her hold on the silk, unwinding herself from the fabric. Damian almost cried out as the girl untwisted rapidly from the silk, falling to the ground. At the last possible second she grasped the blue material, inches from the mat on the floor. Ramona laughed a loud, surprised laugh and clapped as the girl lowered herself down, untangling herself from the silk. Ramona strode over towards her, her face alight with excitement.
"That was amazing!" she said, hands on her hips. The girl stood, stoic, watching Ramona with apprehensive eyes. "We definitely need you in our show! We only have one female aerialist. You'd be a great addition!" Ramona extended her hand. The girl stared at it for a moment, surprised, before taking Ramona's hand in hers, grinning from ear to ear. Ramona laughed and wrapped her arm around the girl's shoulders.
"Just bring your things in the morning! I'm sure you're gonna like it here," she said. She led the girl out of Damian's sight, walking towards the main exit of the tent. Damian craned his neck, trying to catch one last look at the girl before they both disappeared outside.
"Spying are we?" a voice from behind said. Damian jumped, breath catching in his throat. He whipped around to see Ivana, who was cackling with laughter behind him. She grinned at him, crossing her arms.
"Looks like we have a new addition to our little family. Did you see her performance?" Damian's eyes glazed over, remembering the moment like he would for forever. The delicate and yet powerful movements of that girl, it was mesmerizing.
"It was amazing!" Damian exclaimed. "Wait, how did you watch it?" Ivana gestured to the main entrance.
"Same as you, except I was watching from there," she explained. "Looks like Hugo has some competition coming his way. I can't wait to get to get to know that girl." Damian grinned. Just then he realized, he didn't know the girl's name.
"Uh, Iva," he started, "Did you happen to catch her name?" Ivana looked thoughtful for a moment before shaking her head.
"Nope, sorry." She smirked. "But we'll find out tomorrow won't we?" She walked out of the tent, leaving Damian with his thoughts. He sighed, plopping back down in his chair. He was excited about the girl joining the circus, but he was nervous. What if they didn't get along? What if the girl treated him more like the 'help' and part of the performance family? It's never happened before, but he was always afraid that someone would come along and hold him at a lower spot on the totem pole because he wasn't a performer. Damian put his head in his hands. So this was who the little yellow bird symbolized. He hoped that he could befriend this graceful girl. Mia was right, he needed more female friends.
Damian stretched his arms before standing up, taking one more glance around the back to make sure everything was in its place before stepping out of the tent and into the night.
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Post by celticbear on Jul 23, 2013 18:52:58 GMT -5
Sly! I love the idea of lads working in a Circus! I bet Keith is a Clown!
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Post by celticbear on Jul 23, 2013 19:00:49 GMT -5
Damo has a crush!
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Post by slyoldweasel on Jul 23, 2013 19:27:42 GMT -5
The sun had barely climbed into the sky when everyone in the circus was hustling and bustling to put everything up before they set out to their next town. Tents were being disassembled; decorations were being placed in boxes or in trash bags. Damian was currently helping to take down the big top.
"C'mon guys!" he yelled, pulling hard on a rope. They had already taken down the sides and were preparing to pull down the top. All of the inside equipment had already been put in its proper place. Damian was stationed on top of the tent, unlacing the top. The other men helping had fallen into conversation, neglecting their duties.
"We've got to head out by eight you know!" he reminded them, shooting a particularly nasty look towards a boy with long, blonde hair. The men groaned before going back to work, pulling up stakes and removing ropes. Damian finished unlacing the top and climbed down a ladder close by. They took down the support poles on the inside before lowering the top down, pulling up the spikes that had been driven into the ground to make sure it didn't go anywhere. After helping to roll the top, he set about with a hammer, pulling up the longer and more stubborn metal spikes from the earth.
It wasn't long before everything was rolled into trailers and trucks. Record time, Damian had thought to himself. He had already placed all of his belongings in a trailer. The only thing unloaded of his was his backpack he always kept his important things in. It sat off to the side by his guitar case. Now all there was to do was to double check all the trucks and trailers before heading out. But where was that girl that had danced so gracefully on the silks last night?
Damian hadn't seen her once since he'd gotten up early this morning. Surely the girl knew when the circus would leave? Ivana seemed to have the same thoughts, looking over at Damian with inquisitive eyes from her position in front of the cages that contained her tigers. Damian shrugged, scanning the areas with his eyes once more. Ramona seemed to be unfazed by the absence of their newest aerialist, chatting happily with Dominic, one of the male workers that helped with costumes.
With a sigh, Damian set out to find out if he was needed anywhere else. He passed Nessa and Sinead, who were flirting with the resident "danger man" Keith. Keith leaned against a trailer, machete in hand. He always seemed to have one of the many weapons he wielded with him wherever he went. Damian reasoned that it was more to show off than anything else. He was just glad Keith didn't carry around fire to feel superior.
Liam was speaking animatedly with Heidi, talking about a new trick he had in mind for his magic show. Heidi nodded politely, periodically glancing in Hugo's direction, who was currently juggling back and forth with Colm. Damian glanced around for Mia, who was nowhere in sight. Just then he ran into something hard. He ricocheted backwards and hit the earth with a 'thump', dazed by the sudden stop in momentum. He looked up to see Ivana, holding a hand clad in fishnet out for him to grab. He mumbled a quiet "sorry" before taking her hand in his, hoisting himself up.
She laughed at Damian's bewildered expression and pointed in the direction of Ramona, whose back was to them. She was speaking to none other than the girl aerialist. Her hair seemed to glow in the early morning light, like a halo that encircled her soft face. She was dressed in black flats, black tights, and a long, flowy blue top that resembled some of Heidi's own tops. She paired it all with a light brown leather jacket. The girl had a duffle bag on her shoulder. Damian smiled and looked to Ivana, who was evaluating the newcomer. Damian watched as Ramona held up a finger to the girl in a silent 'one moment'. She then turned around and cupped her hands to her mouth.
'Everyone!" she yelled. "Everyone! I have someone I'd like you to meet! We have a new family member!" People filed out from their various posts. Some walked lazily out of trailers while others blushed madly as they strode out from behind trees. The girl shifted her weight nervously, hazel eyes scanning the throng of people. Damian and Ivana swiftly made their way towards Ramona, hoping to get a better view of the aerialist. After everyone assembled into a semi-circle, Ramona placed a hand on the girl's shoulder, guiding her out for everyone to see.
"Ladies and gentlemen," She started, smiling out at everyone. "This is Amelie."
"Hi Amelie!" everyone said in unison. A few girls giggled as a blush crept up Amelie's face, staining her cheeks. Damian said the name over and over in his head. 'Amelie'. It was unusual. He'd never met anyone named Amelie before.
"She's going to be our newest addition to our aerialist act!" Ramona continued. Across the semi-circle, Damian saw Hugo pump his fist in the air with a resounding "Yes!"
Amelie looked over, lips forming a small smile. As she moved her eyes, she noticed Damian, who was staring at her. Damian blushed from being caught and waved. Amelie tentatively waved back before looking up at Ramona who began to speak once more.
"I want you all to be nice to her and show her the ropes! No, not those kinds of ropes Emmet," Ramona said with a sigh as Emmet held up a bundle of multi-colored rope in the air. A chorus of groans and "That was so not funny Emmet," from Mia and Heidi resonated through the group. Amelie suppressed a chuckle and mumbled "It was kind of funny," too softly for anyone to hear. Ramona waved it off.
"Okay guys, let's move it out! Amelie, see that boy over there with the brown hair?" Ramona asked, pointing at Damian. Ivana laughed beside him as Damian froze where he stood. Everyone else dispersed as Ramona led Amelie over to Damian. Damian swore he heard a "good luck" from Ivana as she strutted away, leaving Damian alone.
"This is Damian," Ramona said, gesturing to him. "He's kind of the go-to guy. If you have any questions ask him. Damo, this is Amelie."
"Nice to meet you Amelie," Damian said, putting on his most charming smile. Her name flowed perfectly from his tongue. He extended his hand, which Amelie took hesitantly, but gripped firmly. They shook hands and Ramona patted Amelie on the shoulder before leaving the two standing awkwardly, staring at each other. Amelie coughed and Damian shifted his feet, unsure of what to say to the girl.
"So, Amelie," he said, rubbing the back of his neck. "Is this the first time you've been in a circus?" Amelie moved his hand back and forth.
"Sort of. I mean, I've done silks before in a few shows but I've never been in a traveling circus," she said awkwardly. "I'm really glad to be here actually." Damian wondered what that meant.
"Well we're uh, glad to have you," He said, throwing in a grin. "Heidi's ecstatic to not be the only female aerialist. You better watch out or she'll try to make you do all the hard work." Amelie laughed and Damian gave himself a mental pat on the back. Before he could say anything else he heard Ramona yelling for everyone to get ready, they were moving out in five minutes.
"Um," Amelie said, unsure. Damian gestured to her bag.
"I'll take that for you if you like. I have to double check everything anyway." Amelie shrugged the bag off of her shoulder, handing it to Damian. Damian saw Ivana making her way over to her truck.
"Ivana!" He yelled, gesturing for her to come over. Her head whipped around and she smiled, reversing her direction. She waved at Amelie, who waved back with a shy smile, then looked at Damian with an arched eyebrow.
"Amelie, how about you ride with Ivana? She's a good friend of mine," Damian explained. "I have to go and double check everything and then get in the big truck with Ramona. Besides, Ivana needs someone to ride shotgun." Amelie laughed and looked over at Ivana.
"If you don't mind-" she began.
"Nah," Ivana said, throwing out her hand. "I really do need some company. No one ever wants to ride the truck hauling the tigers." Amelie's eyes widened at 'tigers' but nodded, following Ivana to her truck. They both waved over their shoulders, leaving Damian alone.
Damian watched as Amelie walked away, impressed with the lithe, graceful way she strutted. He took one last look before setting off to check each trailer and truck, making sure that everyone was in their right places and that everything was loaded. He placed Amelie's bag with his guitar case in a trailer and shrugged his bag onto his shoulder.
As he passed Ivana's truck, he waved. Amelie and Ivana seemed to be having a heated discussion. Ivana made a hand motion and Amelie laughed, shaking her head and explained something unintelligible to Damian's ears. Damian laughed to himself; those two were going to get along just fine. He made his way over to the main truck, which hauled a trailer behind it boasting 'Cirque de Joie' in loud, bright colors. He opened the door and hoisted himself into the passenger's seat. He looked at Ramona and nodded, signaling that everything was ready to go. Ramona turned the key in the ignition and the truck roared to life. Behind them Damian could hear the sound of many engines igniting, ready to depart once more.
They were ready to go.
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Post by celticbear on Jul 23, 2013 20:53:26 GMT -5
Well the load in and the first meeting between Damo and Ameile went well! Love Keith's part in the Circus!
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Post by slyoldweasel on Jul 23, 2013 22:09:45 GMT -5
Amelie marveled at how fast it took the crew and cast members to set up all of the tents and booths. In no time at all the circus was set up and ready to go - the red and gold big top standing as the main attraction in the sea of lights and bright colors. She had offered her help only to have everyone politely decline her offer, explaining that she didn't really know how to do anything yet, but that she'd learn soon.
So she stood, useless, watching as lanterns and twinkle lights were strung from poles and signs were staked into the ground- boasting attractions, prices, and food items. Her mouth watered at the promise of funnel cake. She spotted Damian to her left climbing up a tall ladder to string up a set of purple and yellow streamers extending from a booth sporting hot dogs to a pole located at the center of the food area.
Damian was struggling to reach the top of the pole despite the aid of a ladder. Suddenly his foot slipped on a rung and the ladder wobbled dangerously. Amelie gasped and ran towards Damian.
"Be careful!" she warned, placing her hands on the ladder to steady it. Damian jumped at the sound of Amelie's voice and stared down at her with apprehensive blue eyes. Amelie averted her gaze, looking down at the grass. Damian quickly fastened the streamers and stepped down the ladder, jumping the last few steps. He put his hand on a rung and leaned nonchalantly on the ladder, facing her.
"Sorry about that," he said, trying to gauge Amelie's expression. He must have made her assume that he became angry when he rushed over to help. He needed to fix that. "I didn't mean to act so annoyed when you came over, you just startled me." Amelie's head raised a fraction, but her gaze continued to be directed downwards.
"I should be thanking you actually," Damian continued. "The ladder and I would have fallen if you hadn't rushed in to save the day. So thank you, Amelie."
She slowly raised her gaze to meet Damian's and smiled. Good, now they were getting somewhere. Amelie let go of the ladder and ran her fingers through her hair. "You're welcome. As funny as it would have been to see you totally face plant in the dirt with that streamer waving behind you in a blaze of glory, I bet this place wouldn't run as smoothly with you out of commission."
Damian stood, speechless for a moment and then laughed. Amelie chuckled nervously and locked eyes with him. The two stood in silence for a beat or two before they heard footsteps scuffing in the grass. They both turned to see Hugo flanked on either side with Sinead and Nessa. Hugo held his hand out to Amelie, who promptly shook it and eyed Hugo questioningly.
"Hey, Amelie," Hugo said after he released her hand. "I'm Hugo and this is Nessa," he gestured to the blonde, who was staring at her with a cocked head, "and Sinead," he said, gesturing to the red-headed girl, who smiled at her kindly. "We're the aerialists of the Cirque de Joie."
"Nice to meet you all," Amelie said, holding her hand out first to Nessa, who shook it and told him she had pretty hands.
"Did you steal them from a model?" she asked softly. "I read a book about a boy who stole girl's hands. You don't want mine- my thumbs look like toes." Amelie made a small sound in his throat and looked to Damian, who shook his head in a 'just-don't-ask' fashion.
Amelie then gave Nessa a strangled smile and held her hand out to Sinead. She wrapped her elegant hand around Amelie's. Suddenly Amelie jerked her hand away from Sinead's like it was on fire, giving her a confused look complete with arched eyebrow that would make any diva faint, and held her hand to her chest. Sinead's lips twisted into a smirk. It made Damian uncomfortable.
"Anyway," Hugo said, giving Sinead a look. "We have a show in a few days and Ramona really wants to you go ahead and stick your foot in, metaphorically. We're going to teach you our routine for the show if you're not busy." Hugo looked to Damian, who shrugged, and looked to Amelie, who looked confused.
"Um, sure," she said, forming a small smile. "Just give me a minute with Damian and I'll be right there." Hugo nodded.
"Okay, just meet us in the big top when you're ready. You might want to change though- I don't think you'll be able to move too much in those jeans." Amelie looked down and blushed, forgetting that she wasn't wearing any of her practice wear.
Damian tried not to look down at her tight pants, knowing it'd be awkward if Amelie caught him staring. As Hugo and the girls walked away, Damian turned to Amelie, who was watching Sinead walk away with an unappreciative gaze. Damian raised an eyebrow.
"You okay?" he asked, concerned that Amelie had been spooked by Sinead's more than friendly handshake. "Let me guess, she scratch your palm with her finger?" Amelie looked Damian in the eye and nodded, shoving her hands in her jacket pockets. Damian laughed and put his hands on her shoulder.
"She's just one of those over confident people, she doesn't usually mean anything by it," he assured, feeling Amelie's shoulders relax under his hand. Damian shot her one of his charming smiles and silently cheered to himself when Amelie smiled back.
"Well, I should probably go now," she said, shrugging Damian's hand off of his shoulder. "I need to start now if I'm ever going to get the routine down by Friday."
Damian nodded, mildly hurt that Amelie moved his hand away, but smiled at her before she left him alone standing awkwardly by the ladder. Damian followed her with his eyes, watching as Amelie disappeared inside her tent, no doubt to change into something suit to practice silks in.
He sighed, leaning against the ladder. He heard the jingle of a hip scarf and looked over his shoulder to see Mia walking up behind him. She gave him a knowing look and crossed her arms, nodding at Amelie's tent across the way.
"You two seem to be getting along," she said, the corner of her cherry lips turning up into a smile. "Glad to see you had nothing to fear."
Damian shrugged and sat on one of the ladder's rungs. "We're getting along, but it's awkward," he admitted. "She seems to only really get along with Ivana."
Mia laughed, leaning against the pole supporting the streamers. She crossed her arms and looked up to the sky, which was currently covered with swirling grey clouds. Damian hoped it wouldn't rain- he hated trying to re-decorate after rain ripped down streamers and ribbons. He seemed to always injure himself trying to fix something after it rained.
"She's a little strange," Mia said, looking back at Damian. Damian nodded, surveying all of the nearby tents and decorations. The area looked spectacular as always. But it was when night fell that the circus had the power to seduce people into its clutches with its bright colors, mysterious atmosphere, and the hint of danger inside every booth and tent.
The Cirque de Joie was a night circus, only opening the minute the sun fell and the moon rose so it could turn on its lights that looked liked fireflies and lamps that glowed like balls of fire in the darkness. That's what had drawn Damian to it in the first place. That and the sense of freedom that wafted from every corner of its domain.
"Anyway," Mia said, observing her sparking lacquered nails. Damian realized that he hadn't heard a single word she had said while he mused. He shifted, raising his head to look at her. She continued, apparently not realizing that her words had gone unheard. "She'll be a great addition to the act. I'm just worried about Sinead freaking her out before we have the chance to show her off."
Damian grimaced. "She's already scared her once today," he said.
Mia looked down at him, lowering her hand to play with the coins on her hip scarf. They made a light, jingling sound when they hit each other. It was mildly soothing. "Did she shake her hand?" she asked, a smile creeping over her lips.
Damian nodded and she laughed, the coins on her hips jingling merrily with her movement. "I didn't know a little angel like her would know what that gesture meant!" she said, crossing her arms over each other. She removed herself from leaning against the pole. Damian stood, mirroring Mia's crossed arms.
"Maybe she's not as angelic as you think," he said, grinning.
Mia smirked. "I figured. You should steal a glance at her when she doesn't think anyone's looking at her. She looks like a kicked puppy."
Damian's smile fell. Just as he was about to ask what that meant, Mia walked out of sight, the sound of jingling coins happily trailing behind her. He frowned, wondering why Amelie looked, as Mia put it, like a kicked puppy. He looked over to the big top. He might as well watch the aerialists practice. He hoped to be mesmerized by Amelie like he had before.
With that thought, he set out towards the large tent. Unfortunately, Ramona spotted him walking briskly across the grass.
"Hey, hold it there partner," she said, heading towards the boy. Damian stopped, turning to Ramona.
"What's up?" he asked, hoping he wasn't in trouble for something. He hadn't even had a chance to pull a prank yet! Maybe Ramona was going to employ the policy of punishing him for "something he's going to do in the future". Damian made a face. That would suck.
"No one's allowed to watch Hugo teach Amelie the routine," Ramona said, stealing Damian away from the tent. "Not even you."
"Why?" Damian asked, eyeing Ramona with a suspicious eye. So much for being mesmerized by Amelie's silk skills.
"I don't want to make her any more nervous than she already is!" Ramona stopped, placing her hands on Damian's shoulders. "So no one gets to see her performance save for Hugo, Sinead, Nessa and I until opening night." She patted the top of Damian's head and waltzed away, whistling an annoyingly cheery tune to herself.
Damian huffed and crossed his arms like a 5 year-old. Now what? He felt something wet fall onto his nose. He cursed - at least he knew what he was going to be doing tomorrow.
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Post by HburgEagle44 on Jul 24, 2013 0:17:06 GMT -5
This is an incredible start, yet again! Love it!! What's Amelie's secret? Auntie... you like anything Keith does. Just saying. haha
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Post by slyoldweasel on Jul 24, 2013 0:25:07 GMT -5
Ramona smiled happily to herself, twirling her golden cane expertly around her index finger. Everything was going splendidly.
She'd just checked on Hugo practicing with the new aerialist, Amelie. She seemed to be learning quickly, and anything she wasn't getting she was practicing relentlessly until she got it right. Ramona liked to see that spirit in her performers. She just hoped that Amelie didn't crack when opening night came around.
As she rounded a corner outside the fortune teller's tent stationed a ways from the big top, she came across the figures of Sinead and one of the crew members, who currently seemed like they were having a contest on who could suck the other's face off first. Sinead seemed to be winning.
"Excuse you!" Ramona exclaimed, rapping the two in the head with the bottom of her cane. They came apart with a ghastly 'pop' and promptly moved three feet away from each other, hands behind their back and eyes pointed towards the ground. Ramona pinched the bridge of her nose and sighed.
"Next time you want to explore what it's like to be a leech," she said, placing her gloved hands on her hips, "perhaps it would be wise to do it someplace private?"
Sinead rolled her eyes and the crew member rolled back and forth on his heels, twiddling his thumbs behind his back. They both apologized with a quiet "sorry" before walking past Ramona, heading towards Sinead's tent. No doubt to explore their new-found interest of pretending to be blood-sucking leeches. Ramona shook her head, continuing on her stroll throughout the circus.
It was beginning slip into dusk, the sun departing ways with the sky. The grass was still wet from yesterday's downpour of rain. Ramona chuckled to herself, remembering Damian's outrage that morning at having to replace all of the streamers and decorations he had so painstakingly put up yesterday.
Ramona was thankful for Damian though, he always made sure that everything was perfect. Whistling a cheery tune to herself, Ramona disembarked on the last stretch of her afternoon stroll.
Meanwhile, Damian was sitting in his tent, brooding. He hadn't gotten to witness any practice from the aerialists these past two days. Every time he had tried to slip into the big top, he had been thwarted on some way or another. The last time he tried he'd been tackled to the ground by Sinead. He'd have bruises on his back for weeks.
Opening night was only two days from now. Damian hoped he wouldn't be too busy to watch the show, which he always was. Maybe this time he'd get lucky.
With that thought, Damian reached out and wrapped his hand around the neck of his guitar. He set it on his lap and ran the fingers of his left hand over the fret board, feeling the steel strings under his calloused fingertips. He quietly began to strum, fingering chords he knew by memory from playing guitar for years. He hummed the melody of a song he didn't know to himself, not quite sure if it was an actual song or one he made up in his head.
Either way, it felt soothing to sit and do something he loved without having to worry if it was perfect in the eyes of anyone else. His music grew in volume, flowing through his hands, his lips, and his heart. It was an old folk song he'd heard many a time, called All the Pretty Little Horses. It was a haunting melody, but beautiful and rich and soothing to Damian's ears. Damian closed his eyes and sung softly as he strummed, a small smile playing his lips.
Amelie half walked, half stumbled across the circus towards the little encampment where all of the performer's tents were located. Everything hurt. Her hair was drenched with sweat and her arms and thighs screamed from being stretched and pulled in ways they shouldn't in any normal circumstances. Her eyes strained to focus in the darkening light, nearly tripping on a rope that wound across the damp grass. As she made her way over to her tent, she heard a soft, almost haunting melody flow through the air. Curious, she followed the sound.
Her quest found her standing by a tent she knew as Damian's. She tried to keep quiet as she leaned her ear close to the side of the tent, straining to hear the sound of guitar and soft tenor resonating through the dusk.
"Black and bays, dapples, grays, all the pretty little horses. Hush-a-bye, don't you cry, go to sleep my little baby…"
Amelie's eyes softened at the words. It was a lullaby, one she'd heard when she was young. She was touched by Damian's soft tone, as if she were singing it to someone. Amelie wondered if there was someone in the tent with Damian, but something told her that he was alone. Maybe it was the way Damian sung, as if he were in his own little world.
Amelie didn't know this boy very well, but she made a note of asking him about his musical skills in the future, or at least to ask him to sing for her sometime. She really had a lovely voice. Amelie smiled to herself.
She heard Damian's voice dwindling down, the strums of his guitar becoming slower and softer. Amelie took that as her cue to get a move on before she got caught. As quietly as she could, she stepped around the tent. She felt the coolness of the damp grass beneath her bare feet. She shivered and wrapped her arms around herself.
As she placed her foot down for another step she felt her heel slip on the slick grass. She let out a yelp as she came crashing down to the ground. She heard movement in Damian's tent before seeing a head topped with thick, brown hair pop out the front, looking around in the dark. Eyes squinted in the dim light before they spotted Amelie lying dazed in the grass.
Damian hurried towards the girl, careful not to fall himself. He came to a halt beside Amelie, bending down and looking over the girl, making sure she hadn't injured herself when she fell.
"Are you okay?" he asked, holding his hand out. Amelie stared at Damian's hand for a moment before taking it. Damian pulled her up, brushing the wet blades of grass off Amelie's shoulders. Amelie blushed and assured that she was alright.
"I wasn't watching where I was going," she said sheepishly.
Damian chuckled and shoved his hands into the pockets of his jeans, resisting the urge to brush his hand across Amelie's forehead to move the hair that had fallen into her face.
"It's alright," he said, shrugging. "It happens when you walk around bare foot in wet grass."
Amelie laughed and nodded, looking down at her feet, which were now covered in grass and mud.
Damian smiled and then looked up to the sky, noting how dark it was becoming. "Would you like to come in for a minute?" he asked, pointing to his tent with his thumbs. "Just to kind of orient yourself after that fight with gravity?"
Amelie seemed to think it over for a moment before shaking her head, smiling apologetically. "I'd really like to, but I should get some rest," she said, trying to ignore the way Damian's eyes briefly lost their playful glint. "Hugo wants me back on the silks at seven thirty in the morning, so I'd really like to get some rest." She gave Damian another apologetic look, hoping she hadn't offended him.
"It's okay," Damian said, laughter bubbling from his throat. He patted her on the shoulder. "Hope you get some sleep. Try not to slip on any more grass on the way, okay?"
Amelie smiled and nodded, bidding Damian goodnight. She watched as Damian walked back into his tent, noticing as, one by one, lights illuminated from inside. Amelie stepped carefully as she made her way over to her own tent stationed a ways from Damian's.
As she stepped inside she fumbled around to find her lamp, finally feeling the cool glass underneath her hand. She felt around for her lighter, lighting the oil lamp. She lowered the flame before stripping off her sweat-soaked and now grass covered clothes.
She knew she should wash out her hair, but she was so tired. She opted for a dry-shampoo, applying it generously to her hair before rubbing it with a towel. She quickly dressed herself in a pair of plaid sleep pants and a shirt. She flopped herself on her cot and burrowed herself under a mountain of blankets.
She lay in silence, listening for Damian's guitar. But the night was silent save for insects. She sighed, extinguishing the flame in her lamp before rolling over, closing her eyes to sleep.
Across from Amelie's tent, Damian placed his guitar in its case, gingerly closing the lid. He sat down on his cot, sliding his fingers into his hair. His shoulders rose as he took a deep breath. He exhaled slowly, his warm breath ghosting over his lips.
He felt stupid for asking Amelie to come into his tent, but he knew she was genuine when she said she needed to rest. Damian could only imagine how tiring it was practicing aerial stunts all day. He hoped all of Amelie's hard work would pay off when the Cirque opened its arms in two days time.
Knowing that he'd be put to work tomorrow, Damian extinguished the lights in his tent and lay down on his cot, placing his hands behind his head. Soon his breathing slowed, chest rising and falling slowly. He moaned softly in his sleep, a soft smile gracing his lips.
In Amelie's tent, Amelie tossed restlessly, mind plaguing her with thoughts of everything that could go wrong during her performance. She finally fell into a fitful sleep, comforted only by the thought of Damian's soft lullaby.
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Post by slyoldweasel on Jul 24, 2013 2:39:01 GMT -5
She couldn't do this. Sh couldn't do this. She. Couldn't. Do. This. Amelie tried to control her increasingly erratic breathing as she stood in the back of the big top tent. She'd been fine earlier that day, accompanying Ivana on a stroll around the circus as people began to file in, watching in amazement and amusement as others put on impromptu performances.
Keith had enthusiastically brandished his deadly weapons as teenage girls giggled, ogling his bare chest. Mia had twirled a baton alight with fire in front of a group of eight year olds, their eyes sparking with wonder as she had tossed it into the air, only to catch it effortlessly in the palm of her hand. Hugo had even invited Amelie to do a few tricks with him, to which Amelie hesitantly agreed. They both had cart-wheeled and flipped through the circus-goers, earning them a rousing round of applause. Amelie had been high off of adrenaline then, grinning like a five year old on laughing gas. But that was then and this was now, five minutes before show time and
She
Couldn't
Do
This.
She went to brush under her eye, only to jerk her and away in fear of ruining her appearance. Mia had helped her with her make-up, applying glitter on her cheeks and eyelids. She could feel the glitter weigh them down and stray glitter on her eyelashes caught the light and dazzled in front of her eyes.
She felt constricted in her skin tight costume. It was an aquamarine blue and silver, binding her from her ankles all the way up to the top her neck. Her arms were bare, though she had a blue ribbon winding down her left arm, tied at the end around her wrist. Hugo was dressed in a similar fashion, but he wore only blue and silver pants, the top half of his body bare with silver ribbon criss-crossing over his shoulder blades and chest. Sinead and Nessa wore the same as she was, skin tight silver costumes, the material hugging their curves in the most sinful of ways. Their faces were adorned with blue jewels of different shades, glittering like fish scales did in the sunlight. Blue ribbons wound around their legs, waist, and chest.
Amelie sighed and sat down in a fold out chair that was near the entrance into the ring. She could hear the excited chatter of the audience. It sounded like a lot of people. Amelie wanted to throw up.
"Hey, are you okay?" She heard the concerned voice of Ivana behind her. She opened her mouth to speak, only to discover that her vocal chords had abandoned her.
Ivana laughed and squatted down in front of her. She was in her "tiger tamer" outfit, all decked out in purple, silver, and gold. She had a purple glittering top hat perched on her head, with a long, gold feather adorning it. Her face mirrored others in that it was covered in glitter and facial jewels. Amelie had to admit, she looked fabulous.
"You're gonna be fine," she assured her, giving her one of her famous Ivana hugs. She hugged her back, grateful for her new-found friend. She pulled back and flashed her a smile, winking her glittery purple eye. Amelie laughed and flicked a curl out of her face.
Meanwhile, Damian was sitting in the band pit, playing with the synthesizer. The keyboardist conveniently enough sprained her wrist the night before, so Damian had to fill in for her. It was like a dream come true, he'd be able to watch the acts without peering through a crack through a tent flap. He was especially excited about seeing Amelie perform.
He leaned back in his seat, eyes scanning the crowd. They were full tonight. Every seat was filled with child, parent, or curious patron. The air was filled with excited chatter, almost deafening in its volume.
He glanced at his watch- three minutes until show time. For some reason, he felt nervous. His heart pounded in his chest, his palms were sweaty, but it wasn't like he had anything to be nervous about. He finally decided that he was nervous for Amelie, who no doubt was a nervous wreck backstage. Damian wished he could tell her good luck before the show, but now it was veering to less than two minutes until show time and he couldn't afford chancing that he could be there and back to his post in time. Each second felt like minutes. Damian sighed and flipped through his music, marking measures with a pencil.
Amelie stood in the line up behind her fellow aerialists. They were all lined up in order of performance: Heidi was to perform with Hugo on the trapeze first, then followed by Colm and Delaney doing…something, Mia and Keith with their amazing blades of fire, Ivana and her white tigers, Liam with Delaney (again) and their dynamic magical act, Emmet and his gang of idiotic clowns, then finally Hugo, Sinead, Nessa, and her on the silks before the cast came out again for their bows.
Currently they were all lined up to proceed out together, allowing the crowd to see their performers before they performed, kind of like an introduction. Heidi turned and gave them all a thumbs up, signaling that it was time to go. Ivana gulped and put on her best smile before following her fellow performers out into the ring.
Everyone was immediately slammed with the sounds of sonorous cheers and lilting music coming from the band. Heidi waved enthusiastically to the audience, holding Hugo's hand as they both smiled to the crowed. Keith was brandishing his swords, Mia her batons- not yet lit. Sinead strutted in her skin tight costume, showing all the men in the crowd exactly just what she had to offer.
Amelie waved awkwardly, unsure of what to do. She didn't have the confidence of Sinead... at least not yet. Her only thoughts were 'just smile and wave- you'll impress them later'. She sure did hope that would be true.
The performers circled around the ring, greeting and waving to the crowd. Ramona was standing on a pedestal in the middle, making wild gestures and laughing as she waved his top hat. The enthusiasm in the big top was high. Everyone seemed to be bouncing out of their seats. Amelie could feel her face go hot. Her cheeks felt numb he was smiling so big.
Just as she rounded the side of the ring she spotted Damian in the band, playing the keyboard with one hand and waving to her with the other.
Amelie laughed and waved back. Damian gave her a thumbs up and mouthed 'break a leg!'
She nodded and waved again before following the other performers back through the tent flap and into the back, where it was an immediate rush of gathering props and checking make-up one last time before the wait to perform.
Amelie sat back down in the chair she had previously occupied, watching as Heidi walked around Hugo to check for any wardrobe malfunctions. She could hear Ramona's booming voice echoing through the tent on the other side.
"Ladies and gentlemen!" she cried. "Boys and girls! I welcome you to the Cirque de Joie! The most wondrous and thrilling circus your eyes will ever feast upon!" The crowd cheered and Ramona smiled, straightening her scarlet jacket with gold trim. She waited as the crowd quieted before continuing.
"Prepare to experience our first act! Our dynamic trapeze duo of Hypnotic Heidi and Heroic Hugo!" The crowed exploded in applause, whooping and hollering for the trapeze artists to come forth and show their skill. Hugo gave Heidi a quick peck on the lips before they both went bounding out to the ring. The circus had begun.
Amelie stood up and walked over to a mat and began to stretch, feeling as each muscle warmed and became more relaxed. She rotated her head and earned a few cracks in her neck, sighing as her neck and shoulders were flooded with warmth. She watched the hustle and bustle of the other acts, wishing that time would go faster. Amelie wondered if anyone had ever died of stage fright. She hoped to not be the first.
Damian grinned as he watched his friends perform, only halfway paying attention to his music. He hadn't gotten to watch them like this in a long time. With only a little bite of resentment, he watched as Hugo and Heidi wowed the crowd with their death defying stunts, swinging back and forth high over their heads. He cheered when Colm came out, Delaney on his shoulders, as they juggled what appeared to be a variety of fruit. Interesting.
Never minding that, he prayed as Keith and Mia came out with their fire, hoping that nothing would go horribly, horribly wrong. He watched in awe as Ivana 'tamed' her white tigers, expertly leading them around the ring for all to see. He ogled at Liam's amazing act of making Delaney disappear and reappear high above in a steel ball, sliding gracefully down a silk and bowing to the confused and amazed crowed.
He laughed in amusement as Emmet and his merry band of clowns performed their quirky yet endearing act. And then it was the aerialists turn. Damian's knee bounced up and down impatiently as Ramona announced the final act.
"Now, for the final act of the night, I give you our mesmerizing and dazzling aerialists! Now please folks I remind you to take no pictures during this act, as the flash may impair the vision of our aerialists and we don't want anyone riding in an ambulance tonight!" The crowd laughed and waited impatiently.
Ramona's lips turned up into a smile before sweeping her hand towards the back of the tent, white-gloved hand pointing to where Hugo, Sinead, Nessa, and Amelie were hidden in the back.
"I give you Hugo, Nessa, Sinead, and Amelie! The awe-inspiring aerialists of the Cirque de Joie!" The crowd cheered as the four came leaping out, Nessa and Sinead taking their positions under the two pairs of deep blue silks that dangled from the ceiling.
Hugo and Amelie stood of a ways away on either side, still as statues. The crowd quieted and Ramona leaped off of her pedestal, gesturing towards the band. The conductor tapped her baton on his stand and gave the musicians a stern look. Damian flipped his page and looked at his music: Bolero, from Moulin Rouge. He heard the piano begin to play, a soft, almost melancholic melody. The girls clad in silver began to make the ascent up their silks.
They gracefully moved their arms, sweeping to the audience before twirling around the silks, wrapping the fabric around their bodies. They slid into splits as the synthesizer came in, Damian dividing his attention to them and his music.
He eyed Amelie, who hadn't moved from her position yet. All of a sudden the sound of the drums came into play, and Hugo and Amelie strutted their way towards the center of the ring. They followed the girls up the silks and wrapped their arms around the girls' bodies. Amelie moved with a fierce intensity in her eyes and she and Nessa swung their silks around the ring, gaining momentum until they had four people swooping over the crowd. The crowd gasped in amazement.
Damian watched in awe as they began to slow down and Hugo and Amelie moved in synchronization. They danced around Nessa and Sinead, who were equally as lithe on the silks. As the tempo of the music began to pick up, so did their movements. At one point they had grounded themselves, using the silks as props as they danced around each other. Hugo and Amelie ascended the silks as a violin began to play, performing crazy stunts such as hanging upside down by their thighs and at one point grabbing each other's forearms as they spun around in circles.
The other two girls grabbed the silks. They pulled themselves up swiftly up the silks, taking positions under the boys. Nessa and Sinead climbed, only to push each other away and swing before grabbing each other and balancing back to back, moving their bodies to be parallel with the ground.
The crowd cheered every time the amazing aerialists paused in a pose, mouths open wide at the strength and grace displayed by the teens. Damian almost forgot to play as he watched Amelie in astonishment, shivers shooting up his spine and down his arms as he observed the girl's body movements, almost to the point of suggestive as she moved with Hugo, who happened to be her partner.
The couples began to wrap themselves in fabric as the music began to reach his climax, embracing each other as they released their hold on the silks fell to the ground as the violin played almost erratically, performing the same stunt that almost gave Damian a heart attack when he saw Amelie perform it for Ramona.
They unwrapped their arms around each other and stood up, they threw their arms around their partners, the music coming to a soft close. The lights blackened the moment Amelie and Hugo threw their arms over Sinead and Nessa, bathing the entire audience in darkness. The crowd sat mesmerized, unsure of what to do.
As the lights began to come back on, the aerialists smiled to one another. Amelie's chest heaved as she tried to catch her breath. On her face was an enormous smile, stretching from ear to ear. The blood rushed in her ears, her heart pounded against her rib cage. She felt amazing.
The crowd erupted in screams and cheers. Nessa grabbed Amelie's hand and smiled at her, gesturing for her to bow. She laughed and bent forward, mirroring the motions of her fellow aerialists. The crowd stood up from their seats, whooping and hollering over the amazing performance. Ramona ran back up to her position on the pedestal, grabbing her microphone.
"Let's have another round of applause for all of our performers!" she yelled as the other circus members filed into the ring, blowing kisses, waving to the crowd, and bowing gracefully.
Ivana ran up to Amelie and threw her arms around her neck. Amelie gave her a tight hug, muttering a "thank you" in her ear as she exclaimed how amazing and wonderful she was tonight. She chuckled and unwrapped her arms around her, eyes diverting over towards the band. Her eyes searched until she found him, standing up and clapping with a grin so wide it rivaled that of the Cheshire cat himself.
She grinned back at Damian and held her thumb up. Damian mimicked her and whooped, winking his blue eye at the brunette. Amelie winked back and waved to the crowd, wondering how she ever could have gotten this lucky.
Yes, this would be just fine.
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Post by slyoldweasel on Jul 24, 2013 4:50:46 GMT -5
A sigh was the only sound that penetrated the smothering silence in the small tent. The light of a late morning sun illuminated the rust-colored fabric, the shadows of trees from the outside imprinting themselves against its surface. A bird or two chirped before the sound of rustling wings could be heard. Then the sound of a deep breath.
Damian slowly opened his eyes, pupils adjusting to the light. He willed himself to get up, having half a mind to just lay in his cot all day. But there was work to be done, as always, so with a final sigh of defeat, Damian sat up in his bed. He stretched and popped his neck before getting up and getting himself ready. He fumbled around for his shoes, once putting one on the wrong foot and twice having to remind himself how to tie his laces. Oh, it was going to be one of those days.
It'd been four days since Amelie's first performance and Damian hasn't been able to speak to her since. After Ramona saw the tremendous response the young aerialist had gotten from the crowd she'd been pushing Amelie to perfect her routine.
"I saw those slip ups, don't even try to act dumb about it!" Ramona had said with a laugh after the show was over. "You'll have to perfect this routine before tomorrow night!"
Amelie had forced a smile and glanced to Damian from across the ring, who just grimaced and shrugged, not able to help. After that, Damian had only seen Amelie during the show and fleetingly when the exhausted girl trudged off to her tent afterwards.
After Damian was sure he hadn't forgotten any article of clothing, he stepped outside of his tent into the bright summer day. His skin tingled as it warmed under the glow of the sun. He cast his eyes upwards to the sky. It was absolutely beautiful, blue as a robin's egg and free of fluffy white clouds. It was wonderful.
Damian set out towards the circus, hoping that Amelie was located somewhere behind its alluring and colorful exterior. Last night had been the final performance for this area- they'd usually have stayed longer but their next stop was a huge money maker and Ramona wanted to get there a.s.a.p. before the summer was over.
Tomorrow would be a day of relaxation before setting off once more. They were nomads, and as such they must pick up their homes and move once again. As Damian passed a few unoccupied tents, he hoped that Amelie wasn't still sleeping in her tent. The thought hadn't occurred to him until now. All he wanted to do was speak to the girl.
Damian groaned and ran his fingers through his curls, pulling on the tresses. Oh, well, might as well get some breakfast.
And with that thought Damian set off towards the orange food tent. He could already smell the aroma of ham wafting through the air and tantalizing his senses. He inhaled deeply and licked his lips before stepping inside the large tent.
As Damian entered the tent he spied many workers and cast members that gathered at various fold-out tables, conversing and eating breakfast. Damian waved to a few people, noticing that Ivana and Mia were sitting at a table near the far right of the tent. He tried to get their attention by waving his hands. He saw Mia's eyes flicker before adverting her attention to his waving hands.
Ivana halted what seemed to be an enthusiastic retelling of some event and looked over, a grin spreading across her face. The two girls motioned for Damian to some sit with them. Damian laughed and held a finger up before making his way over to the table that was covered with eggs, bacon, ham, pastries, toast, fruit, juice, and bless him, coffee.
Damian hurriedly grabbed a paper plate and piled it high with eggs, bacon and a doughnut. He filled a cup full of hot, steaming coffee and made his way over to Ivana and Mia. As he sat down by Mia, Ivana opened her mouth to speak. "So," she said, locking her deep chocolate eyes with Damian's blue ones, "Have you spoken to Amelie lately?"
Mia eyed him curiously as he processed Ivana's question through his still too sluggish mind and shook his head. "No, she's been so busy that I haven't been able to get a word in," he said, taking a bite of his doughnut. He swallowed before setting the pastry down and licking the glaze off of his fingers. "Have you talked to her?"
Ivana laughed. "Yeah, we're really getting to know each other," she said. "She's a cool girl. She's almost as much of a diva as me!"
Mia laughed and Damian feigned surprise, his hand flying to his forehead. "You don't say!" he exclaimed in mock astonishment.
Ivana rolled her eyes, the smallest of smiles tugging at her lips. Damian laughed and began to work on his breakfast. He relished the smell of his coffee as he brought it to his lips, sipping at it slowly, savoring the flavor. He could feel the caffeine going to work in his body, that familiar buzz in his veins, causing him to wake up more and more as he chatted about Mia's annoyance of Delaney and Ivana's new ideas for her tiger act.
"Sasha and Nadua need something new," she said, pointing her fork at Damian. "I think they're getting bored."
He raised an eyebrow and listened to Ivana's new plan for her act. Mia only half-listened, playing with a perfectly curled strand of hair in disinterest. As Ivana finished, Damian nodded in approval of her plan and gulped down the rest of his coffee.
Mia politely excused herself and strutted away from the table, empty plate in hand. Ivana waved and then looked at Damian with a peculiar expression.
"I know that look," he said, mouth turning up into a smile. "What are you up to Iva?"
Ivana laughed. "Nothin' bad. It's just, you know how we all have the day off tomorrow?" Damian nodded, wondering where this was going. Ivana continued. "Well, I was thinking that you, Amelie, and I could go into town and hang out instead of staying around here. It'd be good for Amelie, ya know?"
Damian's face lit up at the idea. This did not go unnoticed by Ivana, whose mouth twisted into a sly smile. "So, you interested white boy?" she asked.
Damian chuckled and nodded. "That's a great idea!" he said as he stacked his utensils onto his now empty plate. "It'd be a great opportunity to get to know Amelie. She seems like a nice girl."
Ivana arched an eyebrow and followed Damian's movements, stacking her utensils and napkins of top of her empty plate. Damian stood up and held his hand out, offering to take Ivana's plate for her."You're so sweet," she said, handing it to him. He stacked on top of his own plate.
"I know," he said without modesty. Ivana laughed and bade him farewell, telling him not to forget about the plan for tomorrow. He promised he wouldn't and headed towards a trash can, dumping the paper plates.
As he started out the tent, he collided with something smaller than him. The smaller being stumbled and fell backwards, hitting the ground with a soft 'thud'.
Damian, momentarily dazed, looked down to find Amelie looking up at him with a mixture of surprise and mild annoyance. He immediately thrust his hand out for her to take. "We've got to stop meeting like this," he said as Amelie took his hand.
As soon as Amelie was vertical once more she checked over her outfit, making sure there weren't any grass stains on the bottom of her jean shorts or her perfectly spotless white blouse. "Guess I subconsciously like you helping me up," Amelie said with a laugh. "Thanks."
Damian flashed a smile and shrugged."No biggie. You want to sit down and get some breakfast?"
Amelie lit up to the idea of food. "I thought you'd never ask," she said with a smile, immediately making her way over to the breakfast table.
Damian grabbed another cup and filled it with coffee as he waited for Amelie to finish gathering sustenance. After she finished piling fruit onto her paper plate, Damian led her to the table that he, Mia, and Ivana had occupied mere minutes ago.
Amelie began to eat her food without hesitation, neatly picking up a grape and popping it into her mouth.
Damian sipped his coffee as an awkward silence ensued. "So," he said, after a while. "I haven't been able to congratulate you on how awesome you've been doing in the show. You're really amazing, Amelie!"
She looked up from the orange slice she'd been sucking on as a smile widened across her face. "Thanks," she said, wiping her hands with a moist towelette she seemed to have produced out of thin air. "That means a lot, really." Amelie had a look of pure sincerity in her eyes.
Damian smiled and took another sip of coffee, concentrating on how its heat radiated through the cup and into his fingers that were wrapped around it. "So I was thinking," he said after another moment. "Since we're all off tomorrow, I was wondering if you'd like to join Ivana and I. We're going to go into town and act like normal teenagers for once. Are you interested?"
Amelie seemed to think it over for a moment before breaking out into a smile. "Sure, that'd be great!" she said, laying the towelette onto her plate. "It'll be nice to take a break. When tomorrow?"
Damian furrowed his brow. He and Ivana hadn't really discussed a time- or anything come to think of it. Damian sighed. "We haven't really discussed a time yet, but I'll let you know when we figure it out."
Amelie nodded and stood up from her seat."Well, you know where to find me," she said, smiling down at him.
Damian looked into Amelie's hazel eyes and grinned. She waved and walked away. He watched Amelie walk away, admiring the lithe, almost silent way she moved. Damian wished he moved in such an alluring way.
Alluring?
He sighed. He seemed to be doing a lot of that today, but this time it was for a completely different reason.
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Post by celticbear on Jul 24, 2013 22:22:44 GMT -5
Not sure if I trust Sinead! Nessa is okay! And Emmet as the clown is perfect! Glad Amelie got over her stage fright and wowed the crown on her opening night! And I think Mia has a crush on Damian and is getting jealous of how close Damian and Amelie are becoming. I hope nothing ruins the plane for the day-off!
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Post by HburgEagle44 on Jul 25, 2013 0:17:49 GMT -5
Ahh awesome performance!! I hope the day in town goes well for them
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Post by slyoldweasel on Jul 25, 2013 2:13:22 GMT -5
Ivana observed Damian as they patiently sat in chairs outside one of the many circus tents, waiting on Amelie to arrive at their established meeting point. Well, Ivana waited patiently. Damian's left knee was bouncing rapidly up and down and his arms were crossed, pressed firmly against his chest. Ivana honestly didn't know why Damian was in such a rush. Ivana averted her eyes to Damian and analyzed his choice of wardrobe for the day.
He wore a simple pair of dark-wash jeans, tight fitting, and a mustard yellow graphic tee that donned the Beatles on the front. On his feet was a pair of worn red converse. He was obviously dressed for comfort today. But he did do his hair. Instead of the normal messy mane of brown he had gelled them back out of his face.
Ivana thought he looked quite dashing with his hair like that, but he seldom had the time or the reason to do anything with his unruly brown hair.
Damian continued to bounce his knee. He wasn't quite sure why he was so impatient today. It's not like they had a real plan to stick to. Maybe he was just eager to get out of the Cirque for a few hours and feel like a normal teenager.
He looked down at the watch on his wrist. It was 10:28. Ivana, Amelie and him had decided to meet at 10:30 and drive into town together. Damian would be the one driving since he knew exactly how to get into town- having to go and hang up fliers a few days prior to the circus opening.
10:29. He bit his lip in anticipation. He hoped that Amelie wasn't one of those "fashionably late" people. Yes, she was fashionable, but to be late was to be sloppy. And that was very unattractive.
As if she had heard Damian's thought, Damian looked up to see Amelie walking towards the duo. The first thing was the white flowing top that was so bright, it was impossible to miss. The second thing he noticed were the leather brown boots that stretched all the way up to Amelie's knees.
"Whoa," Ivana said, obviously entranced by her boots. Amelie gave an inquisitive look before looking down, as if noticing her shoes for the first time.
"Heh, yeah," she said, rotating her right leg to give her a better look. She gave a nervous laugh.
"Well," Damian said, breaking Ivana out of her boot-induced trance. "We better get going. Ivana?" He cleared her throat.
"Uh, right," she said, slapping her hands on her knees.
"We're taking the truck so uh, just follow me." And with that he stood up and began to walk in the direction of the vehicles. Amelie looked to Ivana with an arched eyebrow. Ivana just shook her head and laughed, trailing behind Damian.
"So, what's on the agenda?" Damian asked as they whizzed down the road. Maroon 5 could be heard in the background as he, Ivana, Amelie rode in the much too small red truck. Amelie was in the middle, hands clasped in her lap as she stared silently ahead of her. Ivana was absently staring out the window, twirling a lock of hair in her fingers.
"How about lunch?" Ivana said as she leaned over Damian to switch the station. The song immediately switched from "Misery" to "Forget You" by Cee Lo. Amelie bobbed her head to the beat. "I know it's early but I'm starving!"
Damian nodded in agreement. "Me too," he said, starting to think of all the restaurants he had seen while in town. There was this nice little diner he'd stopped in to ask the owner if he could put up an advertisement for the Cirque in his window. The old man was more than happy to comply. "I know this great little diner. Are you up for brunch Amelie?"
Amelie seemed to consider it for a moment before nodding her head. "Sure, I could go for coffee anyway," she said, moving to change the radio station once again. She went through a few stations: pop, country, gospel, talk radio, before setting it on a song that made Damian suppress a laugh of amusement.
"Really?" he asked, listening to the belting voice of Barbara Streisand drift from the speakers.
Amelie furrowed her brow. "What?" she asked defensively. "How can you not appreciate the superb vocals of Barbara?" Ivana laughed as Damian's eyebrows shot up to his hairline.
"It's not that!" he said, glancing from the road to Amelie. "I was just surprised by the song selection is all. Not many people I know would switch from pop to Broadway." Amelie crossed her arms.
"Well welcome to my world McGinty," she said, staring straight ahead.
Damian chuckled and turned the radio up, Barbara now filling the three teens' ears with a haunting melody. Amelie wore a look of satisfaction. Damian periodically glanced at the other girl's reflection in the rear view mirror, making sure he hadn't offended the girl and admiring the way Amelie's eyes sparkled when she got her way.
As they pulled into town, Damian was shocked to see just how crowded the place was. Apparently he'd missed the memo that they were having some sort of festival this weekend. The entire stretch of road between the main part of town was blocked off and covered in various booths displaying crafts and beautiful artworks. Damian pulled into a nearby church parking lot, unbuckling his seatbelt after pulling the key from the ignition.
"What's going on here?" Ivana asked as she slid out of her seat. Amelie followed her lead, straightening her top after jumping out of the truck.
Damian made sure to lock the door before they set off down the street, weaving through patrons of all ages. "It must be some sort of festival," he speculated, the smell of funnel cake and hot dogs clouding his senses. "What a lucky day to visit!"
"I agree," Amelie said, eyeing a rack of multicolored scarves. "Perhaps we'll leave with a few souvenirs."
"But before that," Damian said, holding up a finger. "We get food." Ivana and Amelie nodded and gestured for Damian to lead the way. Damian held a hand out for each of them. Ivana interlocked her fingers with his. Amelie stared at Damian's other hand apprehensively.
"It's so we won't get lost," Damian assured her. The smaller girl sighed and placed her pale hand in Damian's, feeling the rough, calloused fingers rub against her soft skin. Damian tightened her hold on both of his companions hands before leading towards what he hoped was the direction of the small diner.
They passed many a person: giddy children, gluttons with a variety of condiments smears across their faces and clothes, cranky teens who didn't want to be there, and people of all ages with outlandish hats made of balloons positioned atop their heads.
The three were accustomed to sites such as these of course, they graced their vision all the time back at the Cirque. But they were here to get away from the circus, not to be reminded of it. Damian's eyes scanned each shop they passed, looking for the familiar door that read "The Mountaineer Diner" in old fashioned scrawl across the glass doors.
Amelie looked around, surveying all of the little booths donned in bright colors of green, pink, orange, and yellow. She saw everything from pottery and jewelry to photography and toys. It seemed that the citizens of this town occupied the booths to sell their trades. She looked to Ivana. She seemed to be having a great time looking at all the little knick-knacks displayed in the shop windows and laughing at the little girls and boys who peered inside them, noses pressed hard against the window panes.
"Aha!" Damian exclaimed when he found the diner. Amelie jumped at the sudden noise. "Here we are!" He let go of Amelie's and Ivana's hands and opened the door.
Amelie sighed at the loss of warmth that radiated from Damian's palm, not even noticing the heat until it was gone. She trailed in behind Ivana and thanked Damian for holding the door for them.
The diner was very charming, set up almost like an old soda fountain with black and white checkered floors and red vinyl seats in front of a counter and at booths stationed by the large glass windows.
Ivana claimed the booth closest to them, sliding in and immediately grabbing a menu. Amelie slid in beside her, leaving Damian to sit across from them. He grabbed two other menus and handed one to Amelie.
"Thanks," Amelie said, immediately flipping to the beverages. She eyed a few yummy sounding coffee concoctions, finally deciding that she didn't really want coffee anymore. She averted her attention to the milkshakes and smoothies, settling on a lovely sounding mixture of raspberry and chocolate swirl.
"What are you feelin' like Damian?" Ivana asked without looking away from her menu. She herself was eyeing french toast smothered in strawberries and powdered sugar- the breakfast of champions.
"Hmm," he mused. "I think I'm going to order some fries and a chocolate shake. What about you Amelie?"
"I think I'll be enjoying a raspberry chocolate swirl milkshake today," Amelie said, gesturing towards a picture of the tantalizing beverage in the menu. It made
Damian's mouth water. "Maybe I'll get one of those too," he said. "It looks yummy!"
Amelie laughed as a waitress approached the table. She was thin and blonde, her gold curls framing her brilliant green eyes that were lined in dark eyeliner. Her waitress dress uniform was powder blue, contrasting with her cherry red lips. She looked like a pin up girl straight out of the 50's.
"Good morning! My name is Carly," she said cheerily. "What can I get for you all today?"
Ivana moved to speak first. "I think I'd like the strawberry french toast," she said politely. "and a glass of milk please." Carly quickly scrawled Ivana's order on her note pad and looked to Damian.
"And you dear?" she asked, eyeing Damian up and down. Amelie squirmed in her seat, uncomfortable with the way their waitress was looking at Damian with her eyes. Had she no decency?
But Damian seemed to be unfazed. "Yes, I'd like two large raspberry swirl milkshakes, one for my friend here," he gestured to Amelie, who opened her mouth in protest. "and an order of french fries please."
Carly wrote down the order on her pad before assuring them that their order would be ready soon before winking at Damian and strutting away, the movement in her hips exaggerated in a way no decent woman would do in public.
"What'd you do that for?" Amelie asked as soon as the waitress was gone.
Damian looked at her with innocent blue eyes.
"Do what?" he asked.
Amelie sighed. "I can pay for my own food you know," she said, holding up his wallet. "I'm not a charity case. I do have money."
Damian laughed. "I just wanted to be nice," he said, lowering Amelie's hand holding the wallet with his own. "Besides, think of it as a welcome to the Cirque."
Amelie threw her head back in defeat, shoving her wallet back into her pocket. "Whatever," she said, crossing her arms in a "please" fashion.
"Get used to Damian treating you to food," Ivana said. "When I came to the Cirque, he wouldn't stop buying me cotton candy. It's his way of showing affection." Amelie rolled her eyes as Damian nodded.
"It's true," Damian said with a grin, rubbing the back of his neck.
"Well next time you feel the urge to buy me something," Amelie started, "Make it a scarf or other accessory. I don't want to get fat." Ivana and Damian chuckled. "Now, if you'll excuse me-"
Amelie rose from her seat with the intention of heading towards the restrooms. As she walked away she could hear Ivana and Damian fall into comfortable conversation. She was so immersed in her thoughts that she didn't notice the two large boys in red Letterman jackets follow her into the small area by the restroom.
"Lookie what we've got here Steven," said one of the boys. Amelie froze, every muscle seizing in her body.
The boy was tall and broad, with brown hair and cruel eyes. His heart immediately began to beat hard and fast against his chest. Damian could feel her throat begin to close up in panic. She turned around to face her aggressors.
"It's a fairy - The freak that thinks she can fly!" The other boy, Steven, laughed. He was thick and stupid-looking, with short blond hair above thick, hulking eyebrows.
"Why are you away from your little freak show?" Steven asked, approaching Amelie. "You don't belong anywhere else. You think you're better than everyone because you know how to climb up curtains." He shoved Amelie's shoulder with his hand.
Amelie gritted her teeth as she stepped farther back. She could hear the blood rushing in her ears and creeping into her cheeks, staining them bright red with rage. The nerve of the neanderthals.
"So what if I am?" she asked, glaring with sharp eyes. "What are you going to do about it?"
Steven and the other boy looked at each other. The other boy laughed and balled his hand into a fist.
"We don't like freaks," he said, shoving Amelie again, "and we'll teach you exactly what we do about them." Steven came to the girl's other side, effectively trapping Amelie like an animal against the wall.
Amelie rolled her eyes. "I'm so scared," she said sarcastically. "What can two brainless neanderthals do to me anyway, punch me? That won't turn me normal, just like you sitting in a classroom probably won't make you smart!"
Steven growled. "Why you-" he started. He lunged at Amelie, who sidestepped just in time. Steven collided with the wall, almost causing it to fall from its place. The other boy tried to grab Amelie's arm, but the girl was too fast and dodged the boy's hand.
Amelie knocked over a vase as she tried to move around the two boys. It crashed, loud and echoing. She was annoyed that the bathroom was so far from the rest.
She moved under the other boy and out where there could be a possibility someone could see her... but no one could see her, on account of the restrooms being in a hallway near the back of the diner.
She looked around desperately for a place to hide, eyes falling on a janitor's closet to his right that was halfway opened. Amelie stepped inside and closed the door, trying to slow her uneasy breathing. Suddenly she heard footsteps. She held her breath.
"Where is that freak?" she heard the enraged voice of Stephen say.
The other boy sighed. "Whatever man, let's get outta here," he said. She heard their heavy footsteps fade away. Amelie slowly opened the door and scanned the area. It was free of the Twin Terrors. She slipped into the bathroom, her hands shaky as she opened the door of the last stall. She sat down on the toilet and placed her head in her hands, letting out a shaky breath.
"I thought I could avoid this," she said to herself, trying to find the courage to walk back out to Damian and Ivana, who were no doubt wondering where she was. She blinked back the tears that started to burn behind her eyelids.
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Post by slyoldweasel on Jul 25, 2013 19:32:14 GMT -5
Damian's brow was furrowed with distress. What was taking Amelie so long? He hoped everything was alright. He took another slurp of his raspberry chocolate swirl, savoring the sweet and bitter flavors as they tingled tantalizingly on his taste buds.
Ivana seemed to be thinking the same thing as Damian. She rapped her nails impatiently on the table as she took a sip of her milk, having already consumed her French toast, which was delicious by the way. "What'd she do, fall in?" she asked, licking her lips free of a milk mustache.
Damian snorted and waved his hand. Just then he looked up to see two hulking boys in letter jackets stomp their way out of diner from the direction of the bathroom. That got him worried. He shoved a french fry in his mouth before standing up. "I'll be right back Iva," he said.
She nodded, understanding that he was going to check on Amelie. She watched behind concerned eyes as Damian walked towards the restrooms. Apprehension swirled unpleasantly in her stomach so she took another sip of ice cold milk, hoping to calm her increasing nervousness. She allowed her gaze to wander about the restaurant, hoping to find something or someone interesting to occupy her mind.
Meanwhile, Amelie approached the women's room. He gently opened the door, hoping it wouldn't squeak. Thankfully he didn't. He carefully stepped inside the blue room, noticing that only one of the stalls was occupied. Fear rose in his throat.
Tentatively Damian approached the only stall that seemed to be occupied. He reached out a fist and knocked on the door quietly.
"Amelie?" he asked. He heard a sniffle and the rustle of fabric. "You alright? Ivana and I got worried about you."
"This is the women's bathroom, Damian...Yeah, just perfect," came the reply. It was a sharp retort, which made Damian wonder what exactly went down in there.
"It doesn't sound perfect to me," Damian said, leaning against the stall. "You want to talk about it?"
He heard a soft sigh."Do I have a choice?" Amelie asked, rubbing her eyes.
Damian chuckled. "Not really," he said. "Now, open up!" There was a pause before the 'click' of a stall lock and the squeaky opening of the door. Damian looked Amelie over. She seemed no worse for wear, but she seemed shaken, and her eyes wore red like she'd been…crying.
"Come on, over here," Damian said, gesturing to a set of chairs stationed in a corner of the bathroom by the precariously hung mirror, conveniently enough. As Amelie sat down, Damian pulled out his phone and typed up a quick text message. As he hit "send", Amelie gave him an inquisitive look.
"A message to Ivana telling her that we did not indeed find the entrance to Narnia in the women's bathroom and we'll be out in a few minutes," Damian explained.
Amelie gave a shaky laugh and placed her hands on her knees, which were shaking ever so slightly.
Damian swallowed, but felt glad he could at least make Amelie smile at the moment. "So what happened here?" he asked, gesturing to the remnants outside of the bathroom door.
Amelie exhaled, gesturing towards the door. "Two neanderthals followed me in here and started harassing me. It seems that the Freak Finders like to follow me everywhere."
Damian couldn't help but laugh at her term, but sobered as he realized what she was saying. "They were harassing you because you're a performer at a circus?" he asked. It was understandable... there were some people that enjoyed the circus performers... but only when they stayed within the vicinity of the circus itself. It came to the point where Damian stopped caring.
"Yeah," Amelie said. "I know I shouldn't let them get to me, but sometimes it just gets the better of me."
Damian placed his hand on her's. "You don't have to be so strong Amelie," he said. Amelie looked from his hand to Damian's face, chest swelling with the feeling of comfort that radiated from Damian's very being. "I know how it feels... the feeling of not belonging... some people can be really ignorant. I admire you for being so strong, but you shouldn't have to feel like it's a burden you have to bear. Everyone at the circus has experienced the feeling of not belonging... that's why we're there in the first place... A bunch of misfits, being crazy together. You have to accept you're different, Amelie. Because you are... very much so."
The tension in Amelie's shoulders seemed to release from her body. Damian gave her hand a squeeze.
"And I'm here for you, whenever you need me," he said, staring directly into her eyes. "Ivana too. We're here for you whenever you need us. That's what friends are for, right?"
Amelie seemed to be fighting with herself. She didn't know whether to laugh or cry, so she did both. A single tear slid down her face as she laughed, grateful for her new-found friends and for someone that understood her better than anyone had before.
"Thanks," she said, looking at Damian with those hazel eyes that at the moment seemed like a summer after a storm.
Damian smiled at her, compassion swelling in his heart. He needed to help this girl. "Anytime," he said, standing up.
Amelie followed his lead. They paused for a moment, just looking at each other. "Let's get back to that raspberry chocolate swirl shake," Damian said, wrapping his arm around Amelie's shoulders. "Then, I'm buying you a scarf."
And so they went, stepping out the bathroom door in a much lighter mood than when they entered. After Damian gave Ivana a look that said "I'll explain later" and paying for their food, completely ignoring the sexually charged glances that Carly was giving him, the trio walked out the diner.
Amelie silently slurped at her milkshake, which had been transferred into a to-go cup, as they perused the colorful booths down the street.
"Oo!" Ivana exclaimed as they passed by a jewelry stand. Of course they had to stop as she browsed the rack of sparkling dangle-earrings that shimmered like fish scales in the sunlight.
"I personally like the red and gold ones," Amelie voiced as she and Damian stood to the side, watching the feverish girl with amusement. "They go well with your skin tone, and they're just plain sexy."
Ivana held the aforementioned pair up, examining them with the scrutiny that only teenage girls possessed. After a few moments she seemed to agree with Amelie and pulled out a ten dollar bill from her purse.
"Are you happy with your purchase?" Damian asked as they walked away from the booth.
Ivana had placed them in her ears as soon as she had received change from the nice lady who made the earrings, much to Amelie's protest of hygiene. "Heck yeah," Ivana said with a grin. "These earrings are all kinds of sexy!"
Amelie smirked. "What did I tell you?" she said, holding up her hands, now free of the most delicious raspberry chocolate swirl. "I have great taste."
"I'll say," Ivana replied. "Where'd you snag those kickin' boots anyway?"
"A great fashionista never reveals her secrets!" Amelie said, putting her finger to her lips.
Damian laughed and spied a booth that displayed scarves of every color and fabric. "Speaking of fashionistas," he said, looking at Amelie. "I believe I owe you a scarf."
Amelie blushed and furrowed her brow."You really don't have too."
"But I want to," Damian said, walking over to the booth. He flashed a friendly smile to the young woman who was apparently watching the booth for her mother. "So which one tickles your fancy?" he asked, stroking a particularly soft looking scarf that was a rich purple and red color.
Amelie snorted. "Tickles my fancy?" she asked as she scrutinized a lovely chiffon scarf that was a light shade of lavender. "What are you, from the fifties of something?"
Damian rolled his eyes and moved onto a rather ugly orange and brown scarf that had strange little purple flowers on it. The pattern made him grimace. He looked over to Amelie."Are you adverse to my vocabulary?"
"No, I think it's quite dapper," Amelie said nonchalantly as she examined a scarf with a zebra pattern in it in hues of peach and turquoise.
Damian chuckled. Suddenly his eyes fell on a shiny silk scarf that was two toned- brown, yellow, and green. Just like Amelie's eyes. It looked like water ripping in a stream. Each end of the scarf was lined with sparkly gold fabric.
"How about this one?" he asked, taking it off the rack. Amelie looked over his shoulder, eyes raking up and down the garment.
A small smile graced her face."It's nice," she said, turning around and holding her hand out to take it. Damian handed it to her and watched as Amelie rubbed her fingertips against the fabric, savoring the smooth surface. "I like it."
Damian took Amelie's response as approval and approached the girl sitting by a money box. He dipped his head low to her so Amelie wouldn't be able to hear how much the scarf cost, which was probably a considerable amount because of the fabric.
Meanwhile Amelie was still admiring the scarf. It was a lovely choice.
Ivana approached so she could look at it as well. "It's pretty," she pointed out. "and kinda expensive looking."
Amelie made an uncomfortable noise. She didn't even want to know how much Damian was going to pay for this thing. She heard footsteps behind her and turned to see Damian shove his wallet back into his pocket. Amelie gave a nervous smile.
Damian just smiled, looking from her to Ivana. "Ready to go?" he asked.
Ivana and Amelie nodded. As they left the booth, Amelie stared at the scarf in her hands, mildly confused as to why Damian would buy it for her in the first place. Well, she supposed it was to make her feel better after the fiasco in the bathroom. In any case, she was grateful.
They continued to browse booths, periodically entranced by some knick-knack or other interesting object. By the time they had finished one row of booths Ivana had bought two more pairs of earrings, a necklace, and a soft pretzel, Amelie had purchased a small strawberry smoothie, and Damian had come away with a curious pair of hot pink sunglasses.
They'd gotten halfway through the second row before Amelie spied the two neanderthals who had assaulted her in the diner.
Damian stopped midway through a retelling of the "worst Cirque performance ever", sensing that he'd lost the attention of his new aerialist friend. Ivana looked to Damian, who was also sensing that something was amiss.
Damian looked over the crowd of people until his eyes landed on the two thugs. Anger bubbled in his stomach. He made a low sound in his throat, but continued on with his story as if nothing had happened."So then Liam lost the rabbit and it so happened that there was a woman in the audience that was severely allergic to rabbits…"
The two boys came closer to them, not yet noticing Amelie. Amelie's hand flew to the new scarf, which was wrapped around her slender neck. She gripped it like a worry stone. This did not go unnoticed by Damian or Ivana.
Suddenly, as if in a horror movie, one of the boys looked up and saw her. He gestured to the other one, who Amelie recognized to be Steven. They both glared at her as they approached.
Amelie unconsciously moved closer to Damian, whose mouth was clenched shut. Ivana picked up the hateful vibe and glared right back at the neanderthals.
As they got closer, Steven opened his mouth to speak. "Nice scarf, freak," he said, looking Amelie up and down. Amelie shot him a hateful glare.
As the boys passed, Ivana turned around. "Hey, you've got a bit of ugly all over your face!" she yelled with a sweeping motion. "What'd ya momma do when you were young, beat you with an ugly stick? You so ugly, when you were born the doctor took one look at you and slapped your parents!"
All around them peopled began to laugh. Steven looked back, astonished, before punching the other boy in the shoulder, for he was laughing too. They both quickly walked away, egos wounded.
Amelie and Damian slapped Ivana on the back, howling with laughter."That was awesome Ivana!" Amelie exclaimed. Damian was grinning from ear to ear.
Ivana laughed."It's the Bulgarian blood in me!" she said.
Damian wrapped his arms around each of their shoulders."C'mon guys, let's get out of here."
As they walked away, Damian observed Amelie out of the corner of his eye. She seemed to be happy, which made Damian feel like a job well done.
He looked over at Ivana and winked. She winked right back, giving him a silent message that made him roll his eyes. They drove away in silence, only the fleeting sound of Broadway music serving at their soundtrack as they traveled back to the Cirque, back to home.
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