AN: Find the Trowa quote (I couldn't resist). About the first chapter: Tira
should be about 16, Darren should be around 15 and Evra should be about 17.
I had some trouble locating the section that gives a hint on his age (the
author doesn't say anything)
Damien
Tira and Mr. Grims have been with us for about a week now. I like it. Even though they both are extremely quiet. Mr. Grims' presence has kept Mr. Crepsley from demanding too much of me (considering what happened when I first met them) and Tira is someone whom I can relate to.
Mr. Tall said that she can stay in our tent. I think Evra likes her too. He was surprised at how well his snake adapted to her. I was surprised too.
Tira would sleep on the floor (I offered my hammock but she refused). One night Evra's snake got loose and found Tira asleep. I thought for sure she would be scared but she wasn't. I had woken up Evra in order to get his snake away from Tira but it wasn't necessary. Tira woke up and looked at Evra's snake. The snake slithered to her and coiled around her. Then Tira began stroking her. Evra and I were surprised but sensed no danger and so we went back to bed.
I'm going to ask her how she did that when we go off to look for animals we can feed to the Little People. Right now I'm supposed to be taking care of Madam Octa. Mr. Crepsley and Mr. Grims are both sleeping right now. I watch them before finishing my work. I grin and walk out.
"Darren," a soft voice rings through my ears as I turn around. Tira is walking toward me with Evra at her heels. I wonder what they were talking about. Her face is expressionless. All but her eyes. Her eyes always seem to be looking at some distant past. Like something is haunting her. Always haunted.
I decide to ask her about Evra's snake. "Tira," I begin. Why is it only hard to talk to her? I'm not a shy person. "About last night. How were you able to keep Evra's snake from attacking you?"
A small smile crept onto her face. "Beasts only bear their fangs at enemies. They're true to their emotions." She turned. "I am also telepathic. Come and I'll show you." Tira was walking towards the wolfman's cage.
It's as if I am hypnotized by her voice. All I feel capable of doing is following her.
She leads me to the cage and reaches through the bars. My eyes are wide with surprise as the wolfman merely rubs his head against her hand. What happened to the vicious creature that kills? She scratches his ear and pulls her hand away. "See?" she asks. All I can do is nod. I glance over at Evra. He looks as shocked as me. Tira is really amazing.
***
It's almost dark out. Tira and I are waiting for Mr. Crepsley and Mr. Grims to wake up. Evra is off preparing his snake for the show tonight. Tira does the act with the wolfman and Mr. Tall. It's probably safer with her there to control him. Again she is cleaning dirty vials.
A slight noise is heard from our masters as they wake. Mr. Grims is the first to get up. He smiles towards me and bends down to kiss Tira on the cheeks. She smiles but it looks self mocking. Such a sad smile.
"Darren," Mr. Crepsley says as he walks towards me. He hands me Madam Octa's cage and the flute used for a distraction to the audience. 'Darren' is pretty much the only thing he's said to me all week. He's still mad at me. It's not like he says much to me when he's not mad.
"Are you nervous?" I ask as Mr. Crepsley and Mr. Grims leave. It's her first actual performance. I've seen her rehearse and so far there haven't been any problems. She shakes her head and walks towards the wolfman's cage. I start out towards the performance tent but watch her as I'm going. She's beautiful in her costume. Her pale skin glows against the black dress as it trailed down her back. It fits her slender form perfectly.
I thought the show was great when I was part of the audience. Being part of the show is even better. The feeling of the audience's excitement is wonderful! I look over towards Tira. She and the wolfman are up first. She is looking at him the way she did earlier with Evra's snake and again with the wolfman.
I walk over to her smiling. "Break a leg," I tell her.
She smiles, "Thank you." A trumpet sounds. It is time to go out. Tira walks out as the Little People roll out the cage. The wolfman goes wild as he enters the stage. A few audience members began screaming. I smile at the thought of some fond memories.
Mr. Tall walks out onto the stage and the wolfman immediately begins acting like a harmless puppy. I stare at Tira while Mr. Tall says his speech. Mr. Tall says the ending, "And none of them are harmless." As he walks off stage Tira opens the cage to the wolfman and he jumps out of the cage. There was a shocked silence coming from the audience.
Tira spoke as she walked around the front of the stage, "Please remain quite. If my concentration is broken and he is startled, there is no telling what he will do." Both the audience and I are captivated by her voice. Or at least I think it's her voice. Could she be holding our minds?
Not a sound is made during her entire performance. She and the wolfman bowed and the wolfman went into his cage. One of the Little People closed the door. The door was tightly secured and the wolfman once again became the snarling monster. Tira and the wolf man left the stage. A roar of applause was heard and I gave Tira a thumbs up. She returned my gesture with a small smile and left.
Cormac Limbs is second. He walks onto the stage and begins.
***
As I was watching Evra and his snake, Mr. tall walked up to me. "Darren," he grabbed my attention and I begin turning towards him. "You and I will work with Madam Octa." I opened my mouth to protest. I've never done the job without Mr. Crepsley. "Mr. Crepsley is with Mr. Grims. That is all you need to know." I wordlessly nod my head and follow him to the stage.
"Ladies and gentlemen," he begins. "Our last act for the night is the most dangerous of all our acts." He points over towards me as the lights change their position, "I give you Darren Shan and Madam Octa." I open the cage and begin playing. Mr. Tall is deathly still as I instruct Madam Octa to perform different stunts. His life is in my hands. One wrong move or sudden noise and all could be lost.
All that is lift is to get her in her cage. She's almost there. Beads of sweat are running down my face.
Bang!
The sudden sound broke my concentration but a second flute began its music before Madam Octa could get out of control. I turn to see who made the save. It's Tira! I smile as I see Madam Octa crawl into her cage and the door shut behind her. The crowd cheers but is suddenly stopped.
"Silence," a shadow jumps down onto the stage in front of me. He walks towards Tira. There is no expression on her face. Even her eyes have no expression. Who is this guy? He grins, "My dear Tira." A dark hand grabs her chin. Her eyes are downcast as he speaks to her. Her long flowing black hair hides most of her face. The strange man's speech is barely audible and I can only hear bits of what he is trying to say. "How I've missed you so." He leans in and tries to kiss her.
"Oh no you don't," I say as I tear her away from him.
He chuckles. "Foolish boy. You dare try to meddle in my affairs?" He bends close to my face. "You're no match for me little *half-vampire.* My eyes are wide. He knows what I am? I feel Tira's shudders as I hold her back. If I was not here holding her I'm sure she would fall to the ground.
"Freeze, Damien," a familiar voice calls out from the stands. I smile as I see Mr. Crepsley and Mr. Grims jump down from the roof of the tent.
Damien turns. "Larten Crepsley… or should I say Vur Horston?" I gasp. Who is this guy? He chuckles. "It was nice playing with you but I must leave." With that the lights turn on and off and he is gone.
Mr. Crepsley walks up to Tira and me. "Tira, take care of the audience and come back to my trailer." Tira nods and walks to the center of the stage.
"Ladies and gentlemen," her voice is calm. The lights center on her. The murmuring ceased as their attention turned to Tira. "We hope you enjoyed our show. Thank you for coming. Please exit over at the curtains to your left."
'Darren,' her voice is in my head, 'these people won't remember what happened. Go to Mr. Crepsley's trailer. You'll get an explanation." I nod and walk out. Mr. Tall is there talking to Mr. Crepsley and Mr. Grims.
Mr. Grims turns to me, "Darren, is Tira almost done?" I nod and she walks in.
"Everybody is gone," she says and sits down near me. She puts her head in her hands. I put a hand on her shoulder. I am worried for her. Whoever that guy was seemed to want her. And I think he'll do anything to get her.
Why?
"Darren," Mr. Crepsley decided to speak. "It's not fair to leave you in the dark. Even more so now that he's seen you." He pauses, "Damien is a vampire hunter. One of the best."
Tira picks her head up. "It's me he wants. I'll just go with him. I don't want you all put in danger."
I am angry that she would even say something like that. "You can't! He's a vampire hunter. He can't just want you."
Mr. Grims nods," Darren's right. At this moment you are his main objective but once he's done with you he'll go after us. We're all in the same boat."
Mr. Tall stood. "Is it wise for you to stay with the circus? I don't want the others put in danger."
Mr. Crepsley shakes his head. "They should not be in danger unless they get in the way. Either way will have to get rid of him." He sees the look on my face. "He'll kill us if we don't get to him first. Darren?"
I nod. My head is downcast. I can't kill another person.
***
"Darren," Tira calls after me. I turn. She is no longer wearing the black dress but black drawstring pants and a black turtleneck tank-top. Her jet black hair flows freely around her face. "We have to talk." She sighs, "I understand how you feel. I don't want to have to kill anybody either but if it means risking the lives of others," her haunting voice dropped to a whisper. "I won't let innocents die. I'll die first."
I'm too angry to respond. I can't kill another human being.
Tira catches my thought. "Stop thinking like that," her voice was raised. She looked angry. "You are *not* a human anymore. You're part vampire and Damien will not see the human in you." Her eyes are a deep red. "All that could happen if we leave him alone is that he will kill another innocent. He'll do that even if we leave the circus. Fighting is the only thing that we can do."
'And I don't want to leave my friends again,' I add silently.
AN: So what do you people think? I kinda like it. Please tell me your opinion.
Damien
Tira and Mr. Grims have been with us for about a week now. I like it. Even though they both are extremely quiet. Mr. Grims' presence has kept Mr. Crepsley from demanding too much of me (considering what happened when I first met them) and Tira is someone whom I can relate to.
Mr. Tall said that she can stay in our tent. I think Evra likes her too. He was surprised at how well his snake adapted to her. I was surprised too.
Tira would sleep on the floor (I offered my hammock but she refused). One night Evra's snake got loose and found Tira asleep. I thought for sure she would be scared but she wasn't. I had woken up Evra in order to get his snake away from Tira but it wasn't necessary. Tira woke up and looked at Evra's snake. The snake slithered to her and coiled around her. Then Tira began stroking her. Evra and I were surprised but sensed no danger and so we went back to bed.
I'm going to ask her how she did that when we go off to look for animals we can feed to the Little People. Right now I'm supposed to be taking care of Madam Octa. Mr. Crepsley and Mr. Grims are both sleeping right now. I watch them before finishing my work. I grin and walk out.
"Darren," a soft voice rings through my ears as I turn around. Tira is walking toward me with Evra at her heels. I wonder what they were talking about. Her face is expressionless. All but her eyes. Her eyes always seem to be looking at some distant past. Like something is haunting her. Always haunted.
I decide to ask her about Evra's snake. "Tira," I begin. Why is it only hard to talk to her? I'm not a shy person. "About last night. How were you able to keep Evra's snake from attacking you?"
A small smile crept onto her face. "Beasts only bear their fangs at enemies. They're true to their emotions." She turned. "I am also telepathic. Come and I'll show you." Tira was walking towards the wolfman's cage.
It's as if I am hypnotized by her voice. All I feel capable of doing is following her.
She leads me to the cage and reaches through the bars. My eyes are wide with surprise as the wolfman merely rubs his head against her hand. What happened to the vicious creature that kills? She scratches his ear and pulls her hand away. "See?" she asks. All I can do is nod. I glance over at Evra. He looks as shocked as me. Tira is really amazing.
***
It's almost dark out. Tira and I are waiting for Mr. Crepsley and Mr. Grims to wake up. Evra is off preparing his snake for the show tonight. Tira does the act with the wolfman and Mr. Tall. It's probably safer with her there to control him. Again she is cleaning dirty vials.
A slight noise is heard from our masters as they wake. Mr. Grims is the first to get up. He smiles towards me and bends down to kiss Tira on the cheeks. She smiles but it looks self mocking. Such a sad smile.
"Darren," Mr. Crepsley says as he walks towards me. He hands me Madam Octa's cage and the flute used for a distraction to the audience. 'Darren' is pretty much the only thing he's said to me all week. He's still mad at me. It's not like he says much to me when he's not mad.
"Are you nervous?" I ask as Mr. Crepsley and Mr. Grims leave. It's her first actual performance. I've seen her rehearse and so far there haven't been any problems. She shakes her head and walks towards the wolfman's cage. I start out towards the performance tent but watch her as I'm going. She's beautiful in her costume. Her pale skin glows against the black dress as it trailed down her back. It fits her slender form perfectly.
I thought the show was great when I was part of the audience. Being part of the show is even better. The feeling of the audience's excitement is wonderful! I look over towards Tira. She and the wolfman are up first. She is looking at him the way she did earlier with Evra's snake and again with the wolfman.
I walk over to her smiling. "Break a leg," I tell her.
She smiles, "Thank you." A trumpet sounds. It is time to go out. Tira walks out as the Little People roll out the cage. The wolfman goes wild as he enters the stage. A few audience members began screaming. I smile at the thought of some fond memories.
Mr. Tall walks out onto the stage and the wolfman immediately begins acting like a harmless puppy. I stare at Tira while Mr. Tall says his speech. Mr. Tall says the ending, "And none of them are harmless." As he walks off stage Tira opens the cage to the wolfman and he jumps out of the cage. There was a shocked silence coming from the audience.
Tira spoke as she walked around the front of the stage, "Please remain quite. If my concentration is broken and he is startled, there is no telling what he will do." Both the audience and I are captivated by her voice. Or at least I think it's her voice. Could she be holding our minds?
Not a sound is made during her entire performance. She and the wolfman bowed and the wolfman went into his cage. One of the Little People closed the door. The door was tightly secured and the wolfman once again became the snarling monster. Tira and the wolf man left the stage. A roar of applause was heard and I gave Tira a thumbs up. She returned my gesture with a small smile and left.
Cormac Limbs is second. He walks onto the stage and begins.
***
As I was watching Evra and his snake, Mr. tall walked up to me. "Darren," he grabbed my attention and I begin turning towards him. "You and I will work with Madam Octa." I opened my mouth to protest. I've never done the job without Mr. Crepsley. "Mr. Crepsley is with Mr. Grims. That is all you need to know." I wordlessly nod my head and follow him to the stage.
"Ladies and gentlemen," he begins. "Our last act for the night is the most dangerous of all our acts." He points over towards me as the lights change their position, "I give you Darren Shan and Madam Octa." I open the cage and begin playing. Mr. Tall is deathly still as I instruct Madam Octa to perform different stunts. His life is in my hands. One wrong move or sudden noise and all could be lost.
All that is lift is to get her in her cage. She's almost there. Beads of sweat are running down my face.
Bang!
The sudden sound broke my concentration but a second flute began its music before Madam Octa could get out of control. I turn to see who made the save. It's Tira! I smile as I see Madam Octa crawl into her cage and the door shut behind her. The crowd cheers but is suddenly stopped.
"Silence," a shadow jumps down onto the stage in front of me. He walks towards Tira. There is no expression on her face. Even her eyes have no expression. Who is this guy? He grins, "My dear Tira." A dark hand grabs her chin. Her eyes are downcast as he speaks to her. Her long flowing black hair hides most of her face. The strange man's speech is barely audible and I can only hear bits of what he is trying to say. "How I've missed you so." He leans in and tries to kiss her.
"Oh no you don't," I say as I tear her away from him.
He chuckles. "Foolish boy. You dare try to meddle in my affairs?" He bends close to my face. "You're no match for me little *half-vampire.* My eyes are wide. He knows what I am? I feel Tira's shudders as I hold her back. If I was not here holding her I'm sure she would fall to the ground.
"Freeze, Damien," a familiar voice calls out from the stands. I smile as I see Mr. Crepsley and Mr. Grims jump down from the roof of the tent.
Damien turns. "Larten Crepsley… or should I say Vur Horston?" I gasp. Who is this guy? He chuckles. "It was nice playing with you but I must leave." With that the lights turn on and off and he is gone.
Mr. Crepsley walks up to Tira and me. "Tira, take care of the audience and come back to my trailer." Tira nods and walks to the center of the stage.
"Ladies and gentlemen," her voice is calm. The lights center on her. The murmuring ceased as their attention turned to Tira. "We hope you enjoyed our show. Thank you for coming. Please exit over at the curtains to your left."
'Darren,' her voice is in my head, 'these people won't remember what happened. Go to Mr. Crepsley's trailer. You'll get an explanation." I nod and walk out. Mr. Tall is there talking to Mr. Crepsley and Mr. Grims.
Mr. Grims turns to me, "Darren, is Tira almost done?" I nod and she walks in.
"Everybody is gone," she says and sits down near me. She puts her head in her hands. I put a hand on her shoulder. I am worried for her. Whoever that guy was seemed to want her. And I think he'll do anything to get her.
Why?
"Darren," Mr. Crepsley decided to speak. "It's not fair to leave you in the dark. Even more so now that he's seen you." He pauses, "Damien is a vampire hunter. One of the best."
Tira picks her head up. "It's me he wants. I'll just go with him. I don't want you all put in danger."
I am angry that she would even say something like that. "You can't! He's a vampire hunter. He can't just want you."
Mr. Grims nods," Darren's right. At this moment you are his main objective but once he's done with you he'll go after us. We're all in the same boat."
Mr. Tall stood. "Is it wise for you to stay with the circus? I don't want the others put in danger."
Mr. Crepsley shakes his head. "They should not be in danger unless they get in the way. Either way will have to get rid of him." He sees the look on my face. "He'll kill us if we don't get to him first. Darren?"
I nod. My head is downcast. I can't kill another person.
***
"Darren," Tira calls after me. I turn. She is no longer wearing the black dress but black drawstring pants and a black turtleneck tank-top. Her jet black hair flows freely around her face. "We have to talk." She sighs, "I understand how you feel. I don't want to have to kill anybody either but if it means risking the lives of others," her haunting voice dropped to a whisper. "I won't let innocents die. I'll die first."
I'm too angry to respond. I can't kill another human being.
Tira catches my thought. "Stop thinking like that," her voice was raised. She looked angry. "You are *not* a human anymore. You're part vampire and Damien will not see the human in you." Her eyes are a deep red. "All that could happen if we leave him alone is that he will kill another innocent. He'll do that even if we leave the circus. Fighting is the only thing that we can do."
'And I don't want to leave my friends again,' I add silently.
AN: So what do you people think? I kinda like it. Please tell me your opinion.