Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight.
Bella's P.O.V.
I was trudging through the empty streets, my sneakers filled with water from the many puddles, cursing at myself.
Why did I have to choose this town to travel to? I was a toothpick salesman for goodness sakes, I was pretty sure the need for toothpicks was universal. But I chose this tiny, deserted, wet town by the name of Forks. I had been searching for hours and only found three houses, all claiming they already had a perfectly good toothpick salesman named Mike Newton. Whoever that was.
Anyway, as I was saying, I trudged through the streets, getting nowhere. Then I saw an opening in the thick forest lining the sides of the empty street. My curiosity sparked like a stray firecracker. The smarter part of my mind warned me not to go wandering into the woods in a strange town, alone. But, as always, I didn't listen to the subconscious warnings. I shoved them back into a dark corner and gave them a time-out.
Then I walked into the opening, spotting a decaying wooden sign tacked onto a tree. It read "Cullen Circus" in sloppy letters. I shrugged and started following the dirt road that lead farther into the forest. Ten minutes later I stepped through a tangled mess of branches and into a huge clearing.
And, what do you know, there was a big red and white circus tent directly in the middle. What a strange place for a circus. Then again, it wasn't as if selling toothpicks was what most people considered a "normal job". Strange was my middle name. At least, that's what it said on my birth certificate.
I walked slowly up to the tent and pulled open the flap, peering inside. I furrowed my eyebrows. So this was were everyone from town was today. The tent was packed with people, all sitting on rickety bleachers. The bleachers were a deep blue color with the paint chipping. The flakes were floating to the floor under the bleachers, giving the impression of blue dandruff being scratched off a scalp. Ewww.
I decided since I'd come this far I might as well stay for the show. Besides, maybe somebody needed toothpicks. I plopped down on the bottom row, the only place there was room left. There was exited chatter for a few minutes, then everything fell silent as the light grew dim.
A spotlight flooded the middle of the stage as two middle aged people came strutting out from the right side. There was a man with light blonde hair and blue eyes wearing a tuxedo, and a woman with caramel hair and brown eyes, wearing a striking scarlet dress with a black feathered boa around her neck. The woman struck a funky pose, smiling warmly at the audience. The man spoke.
"Welcome one and all to the annual Cullen Circus!" he shouted.
"I am Carlisle Cullen, and this is my wife Esme. We started this circus a long time ago with only two acts, and we have grown tremendously since then. What you're about to see will amaze and astonish you. And possibly persuade you to buy a timeshare. But we'll save that for later….anyway, lets welcome our first act, the wonderful and flexible, Flying Alice!" he screamed.
All of a sudden trapeze bars hazardously dropped from the ceiling and a tiny shadow flung herself into the spotlight. She was graceful and nimble as she threw herself form bar to bar, doing daring flips and twists. I watched, mesmerized. My eyes glazed over as I soaked in the wonder, drool dripping down my t-shirt.
Then as she was about to finish her finale, she froze, her face blank. The crowed waited in anticipation. A phone rang through the piercing silence, echoing through the tent. I gasped at the sudden sound. The tiny girl, dangling high above the ground, pulled out her cell phone, glancing at the number. She shook her head and flipped it open, putting it to her ear. She muttered something into the phone and snapped it shut. I heard faint mumbles sounding like "I told then not to call me at work.", and "Stupid drycleaners.", and "It was only one truckload of clothes!" then she stuck her phone in her pocket and easily finished the finale like nothing happened. The crowed clapped uncertainly. I joined in.
Carlisle and Esme strutted back out, smiling.
"Now, ladies and gentlemen, it's time for act two! I'm proud to present, the tough and manly, Emmett the strong!" he screamed.
An overly muscled man wearing a purple sequined leotard walked onto the stage. He paused directly in the middle before giving the crowd a huge goofy grin. He walked over to the giant dumbbells stacked in the corner and made a big show out of lifting one, his arm muscles straining and his face turning red. Then as he held it all the way in the air, he relaxed, giving the crowd another grin. He dropped it and picked up two effortlessly. The crowd gasped and chuckled.
"What?" he asked in a deep bass. "You think I was actually having trouble lifting that thing! Yeah right, look at these guns!" he yelled, flexing his huge muscles. He then proceeded to juggle three dumbbells while whistling show tunes. He bowed and with one last grin he jogged off stage.
Carlisle and Esme came back out, and this time Esme spoke.
"Now it's time for our legendary acrobatic troupe, the Wolves!" she spoke in a warm voice.
A group of about twelve young men came cart wheeling out. They all had tanned skin and shoulder length black hair. They formed a circle, joining hands, then they broke their circle and began to do acrobatic tricks and flips over and around each other until they had a formation in the shape of a wolf's head. The crowd ooooed and ahhhhhed, including me.
They stood on each others shoulders until they formed a pyramid. Each level back flipped off, but one man tripped, taking everyone down with him. A collective grumble of "damn it Paul" chorused through the group as they scrambled to their feet. One of the burly men looked at the others sheepishly.
"Sorry. I got distracted." I heard him mutter pitifully.
"By what this time, Paul?" another asked warily.
"There was a penny on the floor." he mumbled.
I didn't hear the other man's answer because they started to do some kind of hand signal in synchronization then growled deeply as they tumbled off stage. Just as the last man disappeared behind the curtain, Paul tiptoed back out a stealthy and scooped up the penny, scurrying backstage with a giddy grin. The crowd clapped enthusiastically.
Carlisle and Esme ran out again, Esme speaking once more.
"Next up is the beautiful and talented Rosalie, the Bearded Woman!" she yelled. A stunningly beautiful blonde flounced onto the stage. She was "hot" as my ex-boyfriend Tyler would say. And she had a beard. A long, fuzzy, blonde beard that matched her hair perfectly. A few men in the crowd whistled suggestively. She gave them the middle finger. Well then.
She set up what looked like an obstacle course and whistled loudly to the left. Three poodles padded out, walking in a line. They were all wearing sweaters with neon green flamingos peppering them and were walking on stilts. Huh.
"You'll see that these poodles are better trained than the dogs in the last act." she said in a sultry voice, a smirk on her face. I frowned. I had liked the last act a lot. But then she whistled again and I became distracted as the poodles started playing leap frog. Then they jumped through hoops, balanced on impossibly small beams, and danced to the YMCA song. All because of Rosalie's clever way of whistling and her fancy hand motions. The crowd clapped earnestly as she ran off stage, her beard swaying in the wind.
Esme and Carlisle flounced back out, Carlisle speaking once again.
"Now folks, get ready, because this is the final act before the big finale!" he shouted, doing a little groovy dance in place.
"Please welcome the mighty and persuasive, Jasper the Lion Tamer!"
A tall, lean figure strode out carrying a long whip. He had blonde hair, blue eyes, and was wearing a gray pinstriped suit. His face was blank and unreadable as he motioned toward the back wall dramatically. All of a sudden it fell down with a muted thud, revealing a huge growling lion. The crowd gasped and a little girl beside me screamed. Or maybe that was me.
The lion sauntered out, circling the tamer. Then the tamer began circling him. It became a staring contest. The lion lunged and Jasper stepped easily out of the way, hissing. He looked pointedly at the lion and it sat down, suddenly looking bored. Jasper slapped his forehead and sighed heavily. He walked over and snarled something to it. No response.
"Use the whip!" someone from the crowd shouted. The tamer's eyes snapped up, searching for the culprit. He zeroed in on him.
"How dare you suggest I hurt such a creature!" he roared.
"Well why do you even have a whip then?" the voice asked. Jasper crossed his arms across his chest.
"Because!" he yelled.
"Because why?"
"Just because!" Jasper screamed, throwing the whip on the ground and stomping off.
There was complete silence. Then the lion got up, stretching. He looked at the crowd, yawned, and meandered off stage.
Esme and Carlisle came sprinting out.
"Errr….sorry about that folks. Jasper's our newest act and he gets a little emotional sometimes." Carlisle stated with a nervous laugh. The crowd returned the nervous laugh.
"Anyways, lets welcome our final act, the magnificent and magical, Edwardini!" the crowd clapped excitedly.
A huge puff of pink smoke exploded, and a young man appeared along with a table and a few supplies. My jaw dropped. He was gorgeous. I snapped my mouth shut and watched the stage in anticipation.
"Hello citizens of Forks! You are about to witness something so magical, so thrilling, that you'll never doubt anything again! Well, except for maybe buying cheeseburgers from a guy in a dark alley wearing a trench coat." he yelled. His voice was musical.
"I will start with a simple trick, pulling a rabbit out of this hat!" He took off his hat and turned it upside down, rummaging around inside. He pulled his arm out and thrust it toward the crowd, revealing a lump of dirt.
"Errr….dust bunny. That's not supposed to happen." he mumbled.
"Well….no matter! The show must go on!" He swiftly pulled out a wand from his back pocket. He pointed it at a bouquet of flowers.
"Abracadabra!" he screamed. Nothing happened. Then the wand exploded, covering Edwardini in glitter. His skin and clothes sparkled in the spotlight. I giggled. He was so cute. He cleared is throat.
"Well, on to the next trick!" He began to pull out brightly colored scarves from his shirtsleeve. After three scarves I saw a note attached to one.
"Oops, that's my shopping list," he murmured, snatching it off and starting to pull again.
Four more scarves later one got stuck. He stared yanking at it, pulling as hard as he could. A loud ripping sound echoed through the tent. His pants had ripped off. He stood there, his face bright red, in just his boxers and jacket. And written across his boxers, in big letters, were the words "Do you believe in magic?" I giggled again, blushing from contact embarrassment. He swallowed thickly.
"Can I have a volunteer?" he asked in a squeaky, mortified voice. I quickly raised my hand, wanting to get closer to him. He glanced around, then he locked eyes with me.
"Ummm… the young lady in the front wearing blue." he called. I jumped up, running for the stage. I tripped over the ridge separating the ring and stands, but managed to play it off as an awkward ballet move. He smiled at me. My heart leapt. He didn't seem to notice, he just held out a handful of cards.
"Pick a card, any card!" I chose the first one I touched. It was the three of diamonds. He did fancy maneuvers with the cards while I stared at his beautiful face, awestruck.
"Is this your card? Huh, huh, is it?" he asked excitedly. I bit my lip.
"Err… no." I mumbled. His face fell.
"Oh." he stated sadly. I hated to see him sad. Then he perked back up.
"Is….this your card?" he asked hopefully, whipping out the king of spades.
"Nope."
"Dammit." he muttered. We continued like this for five minutes. Then the crowd started to get fidgety.
"Maybe you should do your next trick." I whispered. He looked at me, seeming confused.
"Oh. Oh right, the next trick!" He turned to the crowd.
"I will now make this young lady…..disappear!" he yelled mysteriously.
My eyes widened. Uh Oh. He grabbed my hand and I felt a zing of electricity. Once again he was oblivious. He dragged me behind a hanging curtain. I silently prayed I wouldn't end up in the sewer or somewhere out in Idaho. I heard him yell a few words and felt a weird sensation.
I was falling…falling…falling… splat. I opened my eyes cautiously. I was face down in a pile of old potato peels. I sighed in relief. I looked around the almost pitch dark room, disoriented. Then I heard applause and realized I was somewhere backstage. I heard noises. There was a loud slurp followed by a chuckle.
"Your beard tickles, babe." I heard a voice say. I screamed and scoured the wall for a light switch. I found one a flipped it on. I was met with the sight of the strong man and the bearded lady making out passionately. I squeaked, scampering out the door behind me.
I entered another small room, filled with props. The trapeze artist was hanging upside down from the beams, comforting the lion tamer, who was sitting with his head in his hands.
"It's okay Jazzy, you'll get it right next time." she said, smiling. He looked up at her, ashamed. She started making goofy faces at him until he cracked a smile. Then she dropped down further and kissed him softy on the lips, reminding me of spider-man. Just then the strong man ran into the room behind me, ruby lipstick smeared across his face.
"Who are you and what have you done with the pickles?' he screamed. I flinched before answering in a small voice.
"I'm Bella Swan, a toothpick salesman. Edwardini poofed me back here with his final act." His face slackened.
"Oh. Okay. But what about the pickles!"
"I haven't seen any pickles!" I whispered, intimidated.
"Me either, why are we talking about pickles?" he asked. I decided shrugging would be the easiest way out. He nodded and wandered back out of the room. I turned to look at the trapeze artist and lion tamer, confusion written all over my face. They shrugged.
"We don't know about the pickles either." the girl stated. Then she held out her hand.
"I'm Alice."
I shook her hand carefully, not wanting to accidentally pull her down from the ceiling.
"I'm Bella." I answered.
Then the lion tamer held his hand out.
"I'm Jasper."
I smiled timidly at them.
"Errr…do you need help down Alice?" I asked.
"Nope, I haven't touched solid ground in six years." she told me smugly.
"Oh. How do you get around?" I asked, curious. Lightning fast, she dropped from the beams onto Jasper's back.
Jasper grinned.
"I'm her form of transportation." He demonstrated by sprinting around the room while Alice clung on effortlessly.
"Now that's what I call love." I murmured. They laughed, their difference in voice pitch making an intriguing melody. I sighed, wishing I had someone to love.
I heard a loud crash as a tall figure stumbled in behind me. I twirled around and came face to face with…..Edwardini! I tried to smile seductively. I don't think it worked. I held out my hand.
"I'm Bella."
He shook it and I hoped he would feel the electricity without the pressure of the crowd scaring him. But he didn't.
"I'm Edward." he answered.
"We have unfinished business." he informed me. I furrowed my eyebrows.
"What do you mean?" I asked. He swiftly whipped out a deck of cards and held it out.
"Pick a card!" I picked one quickly. He shuffled the deck and pulled one back out.
"Is this your card?" I shook my head sadly. He proceeded to lift cards and ask me, while I inconspicuously inched closer until our hands were touching. Then he finally pulled out the right one.
"That's it!" I shouted.
"Yes! Score!" he yelled, pumping his fists. He turned slightly, making me lose contact with his hand. I pouted. He proceeded to do the trick over, pulling out cards that weren't mine, then I was finally able to discreetly touch my hand to his again, and he picked the right card. He looked down and gasped loudly, sending me stumbling into a pile of huge clown shoes.
"Bella! Bella! Bella! You're the secret to my magic!" he yelled. Then he scooped me up into a hug, bouncing around the room like a rabbit that had spent a few too many hours inhaling paint fumes. I basked in his sweet scent. A wonderful mixture of tangerines and sweat socks. I could get used to this. Then he stopped, his expression businesslike.
"Let's test this out." he said ominously. "To the bird cage!" he screamed, throwing me over his shoulder. We stopped in front of a small coop, which Edward reached his hand into, pulling out a white dove. He tore a strip of fabric from his jacket and draped it over the bird. Then he set me down, grabbing my hand. He did some weird hand gestures then yelled
"Swashbuckler!" and pointed at the bird. He lifted up the cloth. Nothing was there. I clapped excitedly. Then he got down on one knee.
"Will you, Bella…err…whatever your last name is, travel the world with me and be my honorary magic assistant?" he asked hopefully. I looked deeply into his green eyes. How could I say no?
"I will Edward I will!" I shrieked, jumping into his strong arms.
"Wonderful! First we'll take over magic, then the whole world!" he cackled evilly.
"Errrr…what?"
He cleared his throat.
"Nothing, sorry about that."
I shrugged. Carlisle stuck his head in the door.
"We're leaving, Edward.""Okey Dokey." Edward chirped, running out into the hall. I started to run after him, but got my foot stuck in a huge pile of lion crap.
"Wait! Wait!" I called. I finally got free and sprinted outside just as their huge tour bus with pictures of walruses painted on the sides was driving away.
"Noooooo!" I screamed, waving my hands wildly. The bus braked and started to back up. The door creaked open and Edward held his hand out.
"Sorry Bella." he mumbled.
"No problem." I smiled.
And we drove off into the sun set, with Emmett burping the A,B,C's all the way.
A/N: Reviews would be lovely. ;)