Prologue

Full Summary: A mysterious boy who flickers in and out of reality may seem like an impossibility, and yet there has never been anything that seemed more real to Cyrus Maple. Ever since he was little, he existed between three worlds - that of the past, present, and future. With little control over his power, he'll often disappear before people's eyes, moving into another part of the timeline that he has no control over. However, he always seems to end up in the same place - the Barnum & Bailey Circus. His fear of discovery keeps him from approaching the circus, and yet he finds himself oddly fascinated by the people within. When he is discovered in his snooping, how will the circus react when they discover that he has no tether to their reality?

This is my first fanfiction here, so please go easy on me! I'm also pretty new to The Greatest Showman fandom, so forgive me if I get a few things wrong. That said, this is an OC story, and due to the nature of the story, the characters from the movie may not have many appearances. Also, since the movie is...well, uhm, not historically accurate at all, I'm going to be blending together true history and movie history. I'm also making some assumptions on what decade what happened in the movie. There's a reason I'm not using exact years...besides the fact that I'm not very good with history in the first place!

Also, as something worth noting… I love The Greatest Showman, but I also know that considering the real events that formed Barnum & Bailey Circus, it is somewhat sickening that they glossed over so many details. The real P.T. Barnum was a sick man with a greedy ambition that turned him into a monster. The members of the circus were not treated as described in the movie, and even today the circus is continuously seen abusing or neglecting exotic animals. I think the movie is harmless as long as everyone who watches it is aware of the true history. That's probably one of the most idealistic things I've ever said, but I love the movie too much to consider it a menace. That said, if you're a decent human being with any sense, you'll boycott the circuses, not the movie as the PETA has been suggesting. That said if you really want to visit the circus, do extensive research on them first. I don't know if there are any out there that are allegedly 'good' in a moral sense, and honestly, if there is they're probably low-budget and not that entertaining, but I could always be wrong. I do think that you should always recommend the movie with a warning attached mentioning that the real events were much more sickening, but it's your life so do what you want. I'll just get off my high horse now and stop ranting for once.

That said, please enjoy the story!

P.T. Barnum's Circus, 1850's.

"Ladies and gents, this is the moment you've waited for…"

The young boy almost scoffed at this as he opened his eyes to the familiar song. He'd heard it many times before, yet it never seemed as ironic as it did now. The sound was distant, almost a whisper drifting through the walls of the former museum. The street before him was busy, with men in fancy vests and women wearing frilly dresses crossing the street to enter P.T. Barnum's Circus, enticed by the sound of music within and the exotic posters out front. If he had to guess, he'd arrived somewhere shortly after P.T. Barnum had begun to gain success - he was far too familiar with the timeline of the circus building he leaned against now.

"...been searching in the dark, your sweat soaking through the floor…"

He grimaced, again reminded of how fitting the song was for his current situation. He was sweating profusely like he'd just woken up from a nightmare - and in a way, he had. He took stock of his current appearance - he looked terrible. Greasy strands of blonde hair hung into his face, and his right shoe had a sizable hole in it that he could stick his entire big toe through. It reminded him of the first time he'd seen P.T. Barnum before the circus was ever founded. Or, he supposed, it wasn't quite the first time. Events always seemed out of order in a life like his.

"...and buried in your bones there's an ache that you can't ignore…"

He sighed and brought himself to his feet, glancing at the spot he had just been laying. The sidewalk wasn't exactly the most comfortable place to sleep, and it seemed his body agreed - an aching feeling sunk into his bones as he rolled his shoulders, trying to get familiar with his new clothes, although he supposed they hardly looked new. They were only new to him.

"Hey!" He heard an accusing voice that he recognized as that of the box office staff man. He never did catch his name; he'd always seemed insignificant up until now. As he turned his head to find the bearded man approaching him, he blinked, confusion crossing his features. Before he had time to react, the man had grabbed his wrist, prying something out of his hands. It was a moment before he realized what he'd been holding - a golden stopwatch that looked like it had cost a pretty penny. That wasn't his, was it?

The man didn't let go of his wrist, examining the stopwatch to ensure it hadn't been damaged. He then gave the boy before him a skeptical glance, muttering something under his breath about irony and thieves, or something like that. If he was honest, the grip on his wrist hurt, but he didn't let it show on his face. It was better to not resist so he could get out of there as soon as possible.

"You okay, kid? You look like you've seen a ghost." He blinked at that, the gears turning in his head as he tried to figure out what he'd done wrong. Oh, right. He was supposed to put up more of a fight - he supposed it did seem odd that he'd given up the watch without even trying to get it back. Then again, the watch held little value for him. Even if he could pawn something he'd so obviously stolen, the money would be useless to him after a week or so.

He didn't speak, only averting his gaze in a show of stubborn disinterest. He didn't want the watch. Couldn't he just leave him alone?

Instead, the man looked him over with renewed interest. "You're an odd one, aren't you?" He received no response and didn't really seem to be expecting one, tightening his grip on his arm and beginning to pull him inside the building. His eyes widened at that, and he tried to dig his heels into the ground, to no avail. The man before him was much stronger than the 10-year-old boy, and he received little more than a surprised glance before he was overpowered and all but dragged inside the ticket booth.

He was seated forcefully on a stool in the back of the ticket booth with an insistent stay here and a don't touch anything before the older man disappeared through a door leading into the building. He stood up to leave as soon as he was gone, but he quickly found that the man had locked the door leading outside. The man returned with none other than P.T. Barnum only moments later. He hadn't realized until then that the music had stopped - the performance for today must have just finished.

This was exactly what he didn't need. He stared up at P.T. Barnum with owlish eyes, his fingers still resting on the locked door handle. And then, that glint lit up Barnum's eyes, and a terrible feeling settled in his gut.

"Welcome to the circus, kid."