The boys, the girls, they all love Carmen. The way she could take flight quite literally while dancing and contort herself in the most interesting ways. The way her red dress seemed to flow effortlessly with her. In fact, probably everyone in the world loved Carmen. Everyone except one girl and that girl was Carmen herself. Maybe her peculiar powers would've been beautiful to her if she wasn't forced to act. Only seventeen but she was the Coney Island Queen. She was 'The Captivating Carmen' The audience was larger than usual and seemed to only be growing.
"And now, The Captivating Carmen!" yelled the announcer. The room roared with applause and cheers and then suddenly went quiet as the music started.
It alarmed her how she was able to lie to herself during the show and everyone else. She felt like she was slowly dying. Put your red your dress on. Put your lipstick on. Do your act. Now the camera's on. I'll be alive again, she thought to herself. Her red dress was seductive and enchanting and she stepped onto the stage. She floated across the stage and then used her peculiar power to fly up in the air, amazing the crowd filled with children and adults. She used to have a dance partner who was just as enchanting and her. He was charismatic, magnetic, and electric but just a little too ambitious. His want to more in life than to be trapped in a small show and tried to leave, promising that he'd be back for her. He didn't make it out, her owner didn't allow him to leave. When he got impatient and tried to leave himself, he didn't make it. Carmen remembered how they restrained and tortured him.
One day, they just got tired of torturing him and just took him away. She liked to think of him as dead, rather than being sold off to a mine somewhere and to be forced to work until death. The audience cheered as she demonstrated her unheard of flexibility. Now, it was time for the grand finally. A ring was lowered onto the stage. Carmen hooked her arms through the large hoop and put her neck back, letting it rest against the ring. As the hoop lifts, she removed her arms, supporting herself fully on my neck. The audience gasps and cheers as she spins around. Carmen lifted her head, using her peculiarity to stay flying, letting her dress flow. She hooks her arms around the hoop and it descends, bringing her down. Flashing, her pearly white teeth, she bows, and the curtains close.
"You did very well, Carmen. Now, go outside and offer to sign pictures that I'll be selling," says her owner. Carmen knew that her owner's name was Bobby Roberts but preferred not to give him a name that was so human. He wasn't a human, he was a monster. An abusive, power-hungry, greedy monster.
"Yes, Mr. Roberts," Carmen said, bowing her head respectfully. It took all her self-control not to spit on his new shoes. Carmen followed behind him as he opened the door. She went out the front entrance onto an area that was boxed off with red rope. Bobby snapped his fingers and a stand next to them opened. Many young boys and girls crowded around. The number of men had greatly increased since the show first opened. She signed Carmen with her sparkly red pen ink on many photos. As she was signing, something caught her eye. A man with fiery red hair spun a young woman with garland roses wrapped around her head. She stared for a few moments too many with an insatiable longing. Alex had hair like that, matched with piercing blue eyes. He used to sign with her. He used to dance with her. He made this less painful. He made her feel more than an object of the public eye.
"Carmen!" snapped Bobby Roberts, appearing through the door. Carmen jumped out of her daze and signed some more. Bobby Roberts slammed the door roughly, leaving Carmen alone with her fans.
"I want to be just like you," said a girl. Probably a teen. Carmen squeezed the young girl's hand.
"You don't want to be like me. Don't wanna see all the things I see," she whispered, only to the girl. The teen rolled her eyes, annoyed and went away. She stayed out until all her fans slowly went away and only the man and his wife remained. He continued spinning her around as she laughed. They were dancing to no music and somehow that made it sweeter. Carmen knew not to stare but the woman and the man were enchanting. Neither of them was overly attractive but they just seemed so… happy.
The woman caught her staring and nudged her husband. Carmen looked to the ground as they walked up to her.
"Can we help you?" asked the woman.
"No, I just was remembering someone. I got lost in thought," she said. It was only a half lie.
"Wait, what happened to your partner? You had one, right? Yeah, Alluring Alex! Your performances with him were captivating and alluring," said the man with a laugh. Carmen didn't laugh, she didn't even smile.
"He was taken away," she whispered. She didn't want to lie with the cover story she'd be given. Alex was supposed to have moved away, across the continent to support his mother.
"What do you mean?" the wife asked, she wasn't rude just curious.
"You wouldn't understand. He had hair like your husband's. Not the same eyes though, Alex's eyes were this blue and- Sorry, you didn't ask about that," Carmen said, ashamed of her tangent.
"It's fine," she replied.
"I should get going now," replied Carmen, still embarrassed. Bobby Roberts let her in after he checked to make sure that they had made optimal sales and no one else was interested.
"Carmen, you have really outdone yourself this performance. These are the best profits we've seen since Alex!" Bobby Roberts yelled excitedly.
"Ok," she replied blankly, making her way to her room. She got out of her dress and changed into something more comfortable. She stared at the poster of Alex in her room. It was four months since he was taken away and she still wasn't able to shake her feelings away. She took off her makeup and searched for her medication. She took her prescription but was tempted to take just one more. She craved the numbness more than ever. As she swallowed just one more, she regretted how she had caved. She laid down, wanting to forget about everything. She could feel herself slipping into a dream.
Carmen's POV:
"I've been waiting to see you," I say as soon as I see him. Finally, another dream with him.
"I thought you wanted to forget me," he says with a small pout. I pull him down on the sand with me. I kiss his cheek laying next to him. I'll miss you when I wake up.
"You're my favorite part of the day. I just wish you were still here,"
"Really?" he mutters, wrapping his arms around me.
"Mhm," I say, leaning my head in close to his. I felt his lips against mine and I found myself slowly melting into him. Alex kissed me gently, and almost carefully in a way. I find myself knotting my fists into his shirt, pull him closer to me. His arms circle me and we roll over, tangled against each other. He tasted cinnamon and something that has the possibility of being sweet. If only this was real. I don't want to pull back, I don't want to wake up. When he pulls away, we lay next to each other, in a happy haze.
"Remember you once told me that I was dream girl? Talk to me about why I am," I say. I just want him to talk.
"That's going to be a short conversation," he says with a smirk.
"You're so mean!" I say laughing out loud, "just talk to me. I miss your voice,"
"You wanna know why I like the color red?" he asks.
"Yes," I ask with a small smile. He's told me this story a million times but it never gets old.
"Red is energetic and exciting. Red is powerful. Red can be fun. Red is passionate and bold. Red is the color of the dress you wear," he says. His voice is a little bit off, not the same. I'm forgetting. I can't forget. I'm not supposed to forget.
"Hey," he says, looking me in the eye, sitting up. I sit up too, finally feeling the wetness on my cheeks.
"You're not here anymore," I say, crying.
"Yes, I am,"
"This is just a dream. I-I'm tired of it!" I say, crying harder. Why does it have to be like this?
"Tired of what?" he says, wrapping an arm around me.
"I-I don't know! I just get so, wrapped up in this ruse of a world,"
"What do you mean?"
"Alex, I just miss you. You're never coming back. I-I didn't even get to say goodbye," I say sniffling. He lifts my chin so I'm looking him in the eye.
"I thought I promised to come back to you," for a second his crystal blue eyes seem real. I just want to sink into the sand with him and never have to face the world again.
"B-but what if you don't,"
"Then I guess we'll have to say goodbye right now," he says.
"Why?" I ask, confused with his statement.
"You said you wanted to properly say goodbye to me but never got the chance to,"
"B-but-"
"Or, you could join me, Carmen," His words feel like sweet venom. So enticing but yet so dangerous and in a way deadly.
"How long do people last in the mines?" he asks.
"A month at most,"
"How long have I been there?" he asks.
"A lot longer," she whispers. His silence told her something. He was dead.
3rd Person:
"Why are you acting like this? This is my dream," Carmen said, standing up. This wasn't fair to her. He couldn't act like this in her fantasy.
"Did I ever tell you my peculiarity?" He questioned.
"N-no, I assumed you didn't have one," Carmen stuttered.
"So did I until, well let's just say it has to do with the afterlife,"
"What do you mean?"
"Carmen, I'm dead," he says chillingly.
"But-"
"I promised to come back to you," he says.
"But what are we going to do?" Carmen asked, venom in her voice.
"There is an afterlife and I can talk to the living," Alex said.
"Why did you leave me waiting if you could do it all this time? Do you know how much it hurt to not have you here?" Carmen knew what she was saying wasn't fair at all.
"Carmen, I died a few weeks ago," he calmly as if it was a perfectly normal thing to say.
"But, it took me a while to figure out what I could do. I can enter the living's dreams and real life. But only to a people at a time and I can control that,"
"Oh," she said, feeling terrible.
"Now, you're going to wake up soon and I'll be there. You won't be able to feel me though,"
"Oh," Carmen repeated. And surely, she did wake up and did see Alex.
"Alex!" she cried out loud. Jumping out of her bed she tried wrapping her hands around him. Carmen slightly stumbled from getting up too fast but caught herself on a desk.
"Careful. You can't touch me until…" he trailed off.
"I die?" Carmen asked, her eyes wide. Her eyes automatically flitted to the pills.
"No, Carmen," Alex said looking at her carefully.
"I want to touch you," she whispered. Alex gave her a boyish smirk and she immediately realized her words.
"I didn't mean like that!" Carmen said quickly, feeling the red grow on her cheeks.
"Carmen! Who are you talking to?" Barked Bobby Roberts.
"No one, Mr. Roberts," Carmen stuttered.
"Then keep it down, damn it!"
"Sorry," Carmen muttered.
"We need to be quiet," Alex muttered.
"No kidding," Carmen replied sarcastically.
"I want you to walk out of this room. Talk to the Jest the Clown. Tell him I sent you. He'll give you a tape. Then, go outside. Two officers are there right now, doing a final check, it'll take them at least half an hour. Tell them to help you and explain that you have been abused by Mr. Roberts. Then ask them to take you to the station. Tell them to play the tape. Then, he'll be arrested," Alex finished.
"Alex, that won't work. The police might be managed by Bobby Roberts. What if it all goes wrong?" Carmen whispered. There were many, many flaws in this plan no matter how well thought out.
"Do you trust me?" he asks.
"Yes," Carmen said taking a deep breath. So, Carmen did as she was told. She walked up to Jest and he just handed her the tape. Then, she took a deep breath and walked outside. She did see two officers.
"Excuse me!" she called out. Both of their heads turned to find her.
"Ah, Carmen. How can I help you?" asked one of them walking towards her.
"I need help. Bobby Roberts isn't who he says he is. He's abusive. I have proof," she said, showing them the tape.
"Darling," said a voice from behind her. The blood drained from her face and she turned around to find Bobby Roberts looking straight at her.
"This woman tells us you've been abusive," One of the cops says.
"Darling is just sleepy and not herself. I'm pretty sure we can all forget about this," said Bobby Roberts, pulling out hundreds of dollars.
"Well, we understand if this was all just a simple misunderstanding," said the other cop, finally speaking.
"Excellent gentlemen," he says. They held their hands out and Bobby Roberts distributed the money out between them. In the end, they must have at least had $800 each.
"Have a good night!" They said in unison.
"Carmen, darling, can we talk," Bobby Roberts said roughly grabbing her arm.
"No!" she screamed.
"You're making me the bad guy," Bobby Roberts said as he dragged her inside.
"Stop!" she screamed, trying to fight in every way she could.
"You know, I'm peculiar too. I was always this, young and handsome, I mean. And I always will be,"
"Alex!" she screamed. There was no use, Alex couldn't save her. She could see Alex he was darting around looking at his hands trying to grab Bobby Roberts.
"Alex? Oh, darling, he can't save you now."
"Just please stop!" Carmen cried as he dragged her into a room. She never stopped struggling as he shackled her to the floor.
"Don't worry, darling. I would never hurt such a gentle, beautiful young woman,"
"Get your hands off of her," she could hear Alex say. She thought she was the only one who could hear it until Bobby Roberts was staring directly at him.
"A-Alex?" he said in disbelief.
"Bobby Roberts. You will let her go now," Bobby Roberts astonished, moved so fast, taking the gun out and shooting at Alex.
"Why the bloody hell aren't you dead?" Bobby Roberts shouted, shooting at Alex a few more times, only to have it go straight into the wall. Carmen pulled her hands with all her might but it wouldn't come out of the shackle. The chain was longer than expected though. There wasn't any smell in the room so this couldn't have been used to hold animals.
"Anyway, this is the life you'll now live Carmen. In here or out there, performing. You had your chance," Bobby Roberts says with a smile that's all too perfect.
"Let me out!" Carmen screamed. She hoped someone would hear her but no one came to save her.
"Now, can't have you awake for this one," Bobby Roberts said, removing a handkerchief from a pocket and taking out a bottle from his pocket. He put one drop on the handkerchief and Carmen's eyes widened.
"What are you doing? Stop! Help!" Carmen screamed as Bobby Roberts walked toward her, holding the handkerchief. She saw Alex walking toward her and she was sure Bobby Roberts couldn't see him. He grasped her hands or at least tried to. Carmen felt herself instantly relax slightly as Bobby Roberts covered her face with the cloth. At first, she tried holding her breath, but she eventually gave in. When Bobby Roberts was sure Carmen was fully sedated he removed the chains, kissed her on the head, and walked out, locking the door behind him. The door had a clear plastic-like material that could clearly show Carmen inside the small chamber. It was soundproof so anything she said on the inside couldn't be heard and anything he said on the outside couldn't be heard either.
"Everyone up!" Bobby Roberts roared, stomping down the hallway, waking all of his acts up. Clowns, magicians, stuntmen and women, assistants, and other peculiars all quickly exited their rooms in nighttime attire and messy hair.
"What does he want now?" muttered a clown.
"Silence! Follow me," Bobby Roberts ordered. They all followed him, confuse. Bobby Roberts showed them the door and Carmen inside of it. Gasps were thrown around the room and everyone started to mutter.
"Why is she in there, boss?" asked a magician.
"Carmen decided to break a few rules. This is where she'll be staying until she learns her lesson. She can't hear you and you can't hear her. Nobody is to let her out. If they do, they will immediately be sent to the mines. Let this be a warning to anyone who disobeys me," Bobby Roberts bellowed. After the message sunk in, Bobby Roberts stalked off. Everyone stared at Carmen and slowly started to make their way back to their rooms.
"Shame," muttered a stuntwoman.
"Poor girl," agreed the clowns. AS if on cue, Carmen's eyes opened to see everyone looking at her through the clear plastic. Realizing she was no longer in shackles, she made her way to the door slowly, still quite sedated.
"Help me," Carmen said weakly, banging softly on the plastic. Nobody moved despite the lock being simple. All they had to do was turn it. They watched her bang on the plastic and door, becoming more and more desperate. Her face slowly filled with more and more panic and people started walking away until only Jest remained.
"Jest! Help me!" Carmen cried loudly, banging on the plastic. Jest, of course, couldn't hear her but could see her pained expression. It hurt Jest to see her like this, knowing that he was a part of her capture and attempted escape. Jest felt his hand slip to the lock and tighten around it. He couldn't do it, he couldn't risk everything. Something about self-preservation stopped him. He knew Alex died working at the mines which he was sure to be sent to if he let her out.
"I'm so sorry, Carmen," Jest said, looking down ashamed. He mouthed the words slowly, over and over again looking at Carmen directly. Carmen understood him and stopped banging on the plastic. This was it. Nobody was going to let her out until she had to perform. Jest walked away and then Carmen felt alone. She couldn't see Alex which meant forcing two people to see him at once tired him out and needed to make sure his power didn't make him pass out. Can one even pass out in the afterlife? Carmen thought over this and decided that yes, you could. Carmen eventually drifted into an Alex-less sleep tired from yelling and banging on the door. Instead, she was sure she saw her mother. Beautiful, precious, and warm were things Carmen immediately felt radiating off of her mother. She wore blue velvet, a beautiful color that matched her eyes. That was all Carmen remembered of her. Carmen could still see blue velvet through her tears when she awoke. Then, the glow of blue velvet was gone, faded away. Suddenly, people were opening the door and grabbing her. Time to perform. She was kept under the watchful eyes of men and women as she got dressed. She could feel their eyes as she put on her makeup and did her hair. She could even feel people watching as she changed. Little did everyone know, including Alex, that Carmen now had a death wish. Carmen knew exactly what she was going to do. She was going to do her act and then there would be a little surprise. Her plan ran through her head multiple times until she was gleaming. She would do it during the final show. The midnight show.
"And now, The Captivating Carmen!" yelled the announcer. Carmen heard this three more times that day. Then, it was time. Or at least she thought it was time. She saw him, all dressed up on the stage, holding out his hand, just like before. It all came back to her, her old act. She ignored his hand, knowing no one else could see him and she couldn't even touch him. She could see Bobby Roberts frantically beckoning her forward. So, that's what she did. Played by his rules and his act until the finally. The audience was sitting on the edge of their seats as she got into the hoop. Instead of her usual act, she sat on the ring and it was raised.
"I just wanted to say that you've been the best audience yet, so I have a surprise for you," Carmen said gleefully. The audience went quiet, listening to her every word. Even the music stopped.
"Now, I would love if Mr. Roberts would join on stage- don't be shy!" Carmen said with a dreamy laugh.
"Carmen, what are you doing?" yelled Alex from below. She ignored him and nobody else could hear him. Bobby Roberts, not wanting to give up the act, walked on to the stage, with a wave and a dashing smile.
"Carmen is right, you have been a wonderful audience," he agreed but Carmen could almost feel the seething burn of his words, telling her to stop and get on with this. Carmen jumped from the hoop, causing gasps from the audience, and floated down using her peculiarity.
"You're right, Mr. Roberts. You are quite dashing. It would be a shame if something were to happen to you," Carmen teased as she got close to him, resting her hand on his face. Bobby Roberts looked perplexed in every way possible.
"Why thank you, Carmen," he said awkwardly.
"Don't thank me so soon," she said with a bitter laugh, "take my hands,"
"O-ok," he said placing his hands in hers. Carmen cursed quietly in her head. She couldn't do it like this. She removed her hands from his and got behind him. She wrapped her arms around his stomach. Much better.
"Carmen, what are you doing?" asked Alex, looking at her straight in the eye. She mouthed the words, 'I love you,' over and over again.
"What are you talking about?" asked Alex.
"Look away, Alex. You won't want to see this," she said loudly. The audience muttered loudly and looked around nervously. Then it happened. She flew up, Bobby Roberts in hand. She must've gone thousands of feet upward when she stopped. Carmen could hear the faint screams of the audience.
"Carmen! Let me go, please! I'm sorry," Bobby Roberts yelled, trying to get a tighter hold on her.
"Don't worry Mr. Roberts, we're going down," she said wickedly. She went down quickly and positioned them both head-first. Bobby Roberts let out a loud scream and the last thing Carmen could hear was the audience screaming in terror. Alex saw Carmen and Bobby Roberts crash on to the stage, head-first. Their skulls cracked and their brains were sprayed across the stage. Police were called and investigated the stage and the situation. They threw over half the audience in a mental asylum when they claimed that Carmen could fly. The other half kept to themselves and claimed it was an accident to keep themselves sane. Nobody ever caught Carmen as a murderer, just as a beautiful woman who died while doing a stunt. It is said that they could still hear the screams of Bobby Roberts and even the sound of the whips he used on the animals. The acts formed together and acted as witnesses against Bobby Roberts. He was claimed to be heavily abusive to both the humans and animals in his act.
Carmen and Alex found comfort in the afterlife too but Bobby Roberts didn't. Something in Bobby Roberts soul craved revenge more than anything. Jest still wanders around the broken circus sometimes, blaming himself for Carmen's death. What if he had just let her out? Perhaps that would've changed near everything for Carmen.
A/N: Thanks to the voters on the poll, this is the story I came up with. I don't know how I really constructed this to be honest. It just started off as paragraph and then I just kept adding to it. Hope you like it! Please review and check out my other stories!
-L