/

She stood in the doorway of her small studio room watching the staircase with a glint in her eye for several moments after the Barnum girls and their Mr. Blue Eyes had gone.

Then she promptly snapped herself out of it, shook her head in disbelief with a small chuckle and felt the curls bounce across her back as she turned back to her room.

Anne was outside her apartment door by 7, already unbuttoning her thrift-shop purple coat and unraveling her cozy pink scarf before her brother opened the door. After moments with no answer, she knocked again furiously. "C'mon, W.D. open up. I forgot my key!"

Another moment passed before the door finally swung open, but not to W.D.

"Annie's home!"

Lettie Lutz, her brother's best friend and other half, yelled from the doorway before wrapping Anne into a bone crushing hug.

"How ya doin', Lettie?" Anne breathed out through the comforting squeeze.

"Since when do you work so late? Had us worried sick!" Lettie ushers her inside to where she finds her brother already cozied up on the couch, two glasses of wine perched on their little coffee table in front of a glowing TV.

"You seem absolutely distraught." She deadpans, making her way towards the refrigerator.

"Good day at work?" Her brother calls from the couch.

Anne is grateful neither can see her face from here, because it turns a bright shade of blushing. "Yeah, it was okay," is all she replies, trying to hide the giggle that threatens to erupt at the end.

She grabs a bottle of water and starts toward the couch where her brother and friend have settled. W.D. met Lettie working in a seamstress shop downtown when Anne pressured him to get a job after close to a year of failed auditions. Been inseparable ever since, thick and thieves, and mischievous too. She doesn't like to go out much, spends so much time in their apartment she might as well live there. Anne enjoys the company, has grown to love the woman like the big sister she always wanted. Anne can get trapped in her own stubbornness sometimes, and is glad Lettie keeps spirits light for both her sake and her brothers.

Her brother's voice snaps her out her thoughts as he asks, "Care to join us tonight?"

"You want me to join ladies' wine night? Wow, W.D. did you fall on your head today?" She chuckles as her brother pulls her down next to him with smirk.

"Oh shut up, you. Just because you're no fun doesn't mean we can't have a little fun ourselves."

"I'll drink to that!" Lettie raises her glass and clinks the clear edge with W.D.'s. "Besides, we could use the extra company. Charity bailed on us for some rich bloke upstairs," she sighs, taking a sip.

Charity became friends with the pair after being a loyal and frequent customer over the years. She wasn't like most of the people they worked for—she was kind and empathetic, looked at them like people with lives and feelings and hearts. Anne would never get used to the sight of Charity Barnum sitting on her couch sipping wine and watching TLC with Lettie and her brother on Friday nights, no matter how wonderful and motherly she was to them all. She was a good exception in a sea of hatred for differences.

"Yeah, he waltzes in for dinner and suddenly Charity's like, 'oh, wine night? Who is she?' Lord, is nothing sacred anymore?" W.D. throws his head back behind him and the girls laugh.

"She was very sorry to miss out, but I do agree, this boy better be so hot she'd leave Circus Boy for him to be missing our night."

"Who's the boy you're all so worked up over?" Anne questions, taking grabbing her water bottle and taking a sip.

"Phillip Carlyle."

Anne almost spits out her drink and her face goes blank.

"Annie, honey, you seein' ghosts?" Lettie laughs.

Anne shakes her head. Her stomach does the trapeze trick again and ties itself into knots.

"No, but I've seen him. And I can vouch for Charity… definitely hot."

Her brother throws a pillow at her that she narrowly dodges while the whole apartment explodes in a giggle fit. Lettie demands details immediately but Anne suddenly feels the urge to duct tape her mouth shut and never speak again.

"No way! You two are gonna blow anything I say way out of proportion," Anne yells to a pleading Lettie.

"You can't drop a bomb on us like that and leave it! Spill, girlfriend!"

Anne gets lost in the excitement for a moment, feels like a high school girl telling her friends about the boy from calculus and they'll braid each others hair and plan what Anne wears to the first date and he'll show up magically at their door with a bouquet of flowers and he'll sweep her off her feet with a kiss and…

Anne needs to put a stop to this.

"He's working for the Barnums now, showed up to pick up Caroline from dance class and we… we just said hi and that was it."

"Oh my god, Annie has a crush!"

"I do not!" She punches her brother and looks away, trying to convince herself of that very fact. "Look, we talked for all of 3 minutes, maybe, at the most. He's good looking and he was nice when I met him but you know guys like that… rich, elite, can do whatever they want with whatever they want. No time for the dance teacher."

"Honey, no one can resist a dance teacher that looks like you, I don't care how much money he has weighing down his pockets," Lettie says, throwing back another sip of her drink.

"Well, I'm telling you it's nothing. Even if I wanted it to be something, which I don't," (lies!) "It can't be anything. We're different people from different places, no matter how pretty we both are." But she wants to believe he's different than that. His eyes alone told her more than that. "Besides, if you don't believe me, you can see for yourselves soon. He's our new boss."

/

"Phillip, do you have to go?" Helen whines with pleading eyes as she attempts to drag her new best friend by his pants-leg back through the door.

"I'll be back in the morning, bright and early, I pinky promise," he winks down at the young girl, fastening his jacket.

"Yes, he will, indeed. And every morning after that until he gets sick of us," Barnum laughs, a changed man since dinner with the young socialite that he was once skeptical to bring on-board.

"Well seeing as there is never a shortage of magic in this home," Phillip starts, and picks Helen up for one last hug and a spin, "I have a feeling I'll be around for quite some time." He gives the girl a quick kiss on the forehead that sends her running behind her mother's leg, a bright shade of embarrassed and giggling, and with a last wave, Phillip heads out the door for the night.

The day had been a lot for the young man to take in, his life changing literally overnight, launching him into the world of fantasy and adventure that is the Barnums. Strange how, in just one day's time, those people and this place felt more like home than any mansion or penthouse or long list of celebrity acquaintances ever had. Phillip smiled at the thought, finally, a family of his own.

His parents had never neglected him, at least at first. Phillip was merely a distraction in their game to socially advance in New York's elite society. As he got older, he got more useful, talented as he was, making strides by the minute as the prodigal playwright. It was fun at first, he loved the write, loved the magic of the theater, how easily he got lost in the stories of his head, how other people had the chance to see inside him. He liked the parties for a while, the people, the fame, but it got old quick. He grew irritable, fast to snap at a flashing camera in his face or a person out of place.

He didn't like who he'd become. It didn't feel right. It wasn't the show business he got into. And his parents grew less affectionate by the minute, seeking his money rather than his love. For the past few years, he'd learned to drown it out in a drink.

But being with the Barnum girls, eating dinner with Mr. and Mrs. Barnum, having people ask about his day, his favorite color, his favorite book, getting to listen to stories of others, to feel a part of something once again—that's what Phillip had always dreamed of having. More than fame, more than wealth, Phillip just wanted a family.

And the dance teacher? Not a bad part of the deal either.

He stepped into the elevator, buzzing with excitement from the day. But if he's being honest, it was mostly from the thought of the chestnut brown locks that bounced when she laughed. God, that laugh.

He swears the memory is vivid he can hear her as he steps off the elevator when the doors slide open. Lost in a lovesick daydream, he's barely paying attention to where he's going and…

"SHIT, dude! Watch where you're—"

He gets a face-full of bouncy brown locks.

Is it bad he still thinks she's the most beautiful person he's ever seen, face red with rage and all?

"Oh my god, oh my god, I am so sorry, I didn't mean to yell like that," thoroughly embarrassed, throwing a hand up over her mouth and taking a step back.

Phillip, still at a loss for words around her, barely manages to choke out, "No worries, I've yelled worse things to my coffee table when it runs into my toe."

Anne laughs and looks up at him, he feels her gaze through his whole body, a twinkle in her eyes and she locks hers with his. "We've gotta stop meeting like this," she chuckles.

"What do you mean, you don't normally run into your students' babysitter on the way out of an apartment building? That's how I meet all the girls."

Anne shakes her head, and god, that laugh, Phillip could write a twelve-part series of plays on this. "Heard you were with the Barnums. My brother's upset you kept Charity from them on wine night." Phillip lifts his chin in understanding and breaks out an infectious smile. Anne catches it and shakes her head.

"Ah, I see. Never been much of a wine person."

"Didn't peg you as one."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Phillip challenges with a smirk, and Anne throws her hands up in defense.

"Hey, don't look at me, not my thing either."

"I've always preferred to do my Friday night binges on the couch with a big plate of…"

"Chinese take-out!" They both yell in chorus, before collapsing in giggles.

"I knew there was something I liked about you," Phillip says, taking a step closer to the girl, who has invented a new shade of blushing altogether. "Well, next time, we send your brother up with Charity, and me and you have a proper wine night for ourselves. Minus the wine."

Something about being around Anne, though time has been short, has made him feel high up in the air, fearless, determined, weightless. And he takes the way she looks at his eyes as a good sign she's flying just as high.

"I know it's a short commute, but, can I walk you home?"

"Don't be ridiculous, I'm up a few flights of steps. Go home, you've had a long day."

"Hah, you can say that again."

"Welcome to the circus, Phillip Carlyle."

"Glad to be a part of it, Anne Wheeler."

/

Anne, for the first time in years, suddenly feels like a morning person. She's up and showered and dressed in record time, eager to get to the stage for the first meeting about the circus.

"I still can't believe all it took was a set of blue eyes to convince you to join us. You've got it bad Annie girl," W.D. chuckles as the siblings make their way to the stage.

"That's not the reason in the slightest," Anne counters, defiantly, trying to hide the smile that creeps up her face, "No, I just remembered why we moved to the city in the first place and all the performing I wanted to do, and realized I should do it while I still have the chance." W.D. opens the door for his sister and she steps inside to worn down theater, unbuttoning her coat.

"Wheelers, get over here!" Barnum calls from the center of the room where he sits with Lettie and his girls and papers strewn across the floor in every direction.

"Oh lord, the man's been dreaming again. Brace yourself, sister." W.D. pats Anne on the back as they stride towards the others.

"Okay, perfect," Barnum says, sliding papers around the floor. Almost absentmindedly, he calls, "Phillip, come on down, we're all here," and within an instant, the face Anne couldn't clear from her mind all night runs down the theater steps and meets them in the center.

"So, what've we got?" he says, reaching Barnum and crouching down to level with him on the floor. Anne thinks she imagines the wink he shoots her before focusing down on papers, but when she feels W.D.'s elbow just her in the side, she knows she's not imagining.

"Annie, you did not do the man justice!" he whisper-yells at her, staring at Phillip with a dropped-jaw, "You sure he's straight?"

He's not very discreet, as Lettie hears him and almost doubles over laughing. Anne bites her lip, holding back a laugh and furious at the same time.

"He's right, Anne. Better test him out before your brother snatches him up. That's one fine looking boy," Lettie cackles on Anne's other side and she shoots daggers back.

"Shut up, he's not deaf!"

"I want the best acts you can find, anything that makes people look twice at us," Barnum says, snapping the trio out of their laughing fit.

"Find more people like us, and you'll have them looking three times," Lettie laughs back at Barnum, who buries his head back in the plans and shoves a pile to Phillip, who is now standing and pacing back and forth.

"We need to tell a story, be different, be bold, I just don't see how…" Barnum ruffles his hair, distraught.

"No, Barnum, I see it. I get it," Phillip muses, still pacing.

"Well, we know everyone's got an act, let's make the people see it. Just don't wanna rely too much on controversy," Anne offers, playing with the hem of her practice shirt.

"Say that again!" Barnum stops short, looks right at Anne.

"Everyone's got an—" she starts, confused.

"No no no, after that…" Barnum waves his hand, eager.

"Don't want to be relying on controversy?"

"Exactly!" He stands up, excitedly, meets Phillip with paper, "I don't want to rely on controversy, I want to thrive on it. Make people see what they never dared to see, parts of them they didn't know existed because they've been hiding. Things, things, that no one has ever put into the light. Yes, I can work with this!" He shouts again, running around the stage.

"Here," He points to stage left, "the trapeze stands, Anne, you swing towards the floor, brush your feet right over…" He runs down, jumps up excitedly, "The worlds tallest man! Or the shortest one, I don't care, we'll have them both! And over here," He runs closer the to them, back to center stage, "Lettie, belts out a show-stopping hit while we have men throwing fire and walking on their hands, heck, let's throw an elephant in stage right," Barnum is spitting ideas left and right, running around the stage, and suddenly, a show starts to take shape, suddenly much more than a figment of his imagination.

"I like how you think, Barnum," Lettie joins him, takes her spot center stage, as W.D. drags Anne with him to find the best spots for their trapeze equipment, Helen and Caroline dance off to the side, already envisioning the lights and the wonder this show can bring.

Barnum strides over to Phillip, who seems at a loss for words, trying to soak it all in, let himself escape to the world Barnum is creating.

"So, what do you say, Carlyle? You find me the oddest array of oddities our great country has to offer, and we make some magic happen?"

/

Note: Was nervous to do this but am so glad I did, having so much fun with these stories and these characters. Going to be kind of Anne and Phillip centric, if you couldn't tell (i have an obsession sorry). I'll definitely continue to develop all the characters though, don't worry!

Will keep moving through the story slowly, see where it goes, idk, I'm an all-over-the-place kind of writer.

Thanks for the love, i am so excited for the rest of this!