A little short but it needed to be.

Headcanoned with and beta-ed by Grace

"I'm getting impatient."

Maggie let out a frustrated sigh as she wiped away a stray tear that'd found its way down her cheek and to her chin. She placed her hands back on the cold crystal ball in front of her, palming it almost carefully as her hazel eyes dared to look up at Elsa standing a few feet away, towering over her from a distance. She finally tore her gaze away, fighting off a cough that would have her throat rip again.

"You're not leaving until you give me my song." The older blonde snapped. She paced around the girl. The fortune teller let out a defeated whine as she blinked rapidly, her fingers flexing around the glass. "Come on, you had it earlier, sing louder!"

Maggie's eyes snapped shut and she began to hum the tune she'd made up hours before again, something quick and hurried that had seemed to pacify the ring leader long enough for her to swallow down a reduced, liquid lunch. But now Elsa wanted the rest of it.

She never was good at song writing.

Her voice fell flat as she winced, blood falling down the back of her throat. She spit out what'd collected on the front of her tongue as she coughed out and it landed on the front of her sweater, staining it.

Elsa grimaced. "That'll be fine for now, Eve can fix your tuneless cries. Now, sweetheart, the words."

Maggie opened her mouth, but nothing came out, and she blushed as she looked away. She brought her hand up to her throat, massaging delicately. It hurt too much.

Elsa scowled. "You realize that a freak who cannot work has no place here?"

The girl squeaked and she shook her head violently.

"What? What are you trying to say?" She yelled. Her hand came up.

"Hey, stop that!" Elsa turned to face Jimmy, her hand falling to her side as he entered the ringleader's tent. "Why are you tryin' to hurt to her?" The young man moved to the girl's side and he pushed her hair out of her face. She smiled up gratefully. "If you do that, she'll never heal."

"What do you care?" The blonde snapped back. She reached for a cigarette and lit it with a furious flick of her lighter. "I don't want her to heal, I want her to give me another song."

"How do you want her to answer when she can't talk?"

Elsa turned at the voice, eyes bright. "Will you look at that, Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum puppying after Jimmy."

Who's who?

Shut up.

"She can't talk." Dot repeated harshly. Bette's lower lip was trembling.

"Then find her pen and paper, ja?" Elsa laughed lightly. "And a bib."

OOOoooOOO

The twins had done what they'd been asked, dropping the stack of notebook paper in front of the girl, Bette with an encouraging smile and Dot with barely a glance. The pen'd come from Jimmy's shirt pocket, and Maggie's smile had almost been forced.

She took to writing words. She scratched them out and rewrote them, and as time went on, the tears started flowing again. She was trying hard to hide them, her hand coming up to wipe them away. She shot the others a pleading look and they took the hint to leave.

She'd fallen, but she wouldn't let them see her at the bottom.

Jimmy threw her one last look before he exited the main tent, the twins ahead of him.

She kept on trying, but nothing came as Elsa paced behind her and took to sighing every few minutes, tapping her foot on the straw covered floor. Maggie's fingers flew over the paper, but it was scribbles she was writing.

"This is useless." The older blonde sighed angrily. "Luckily for the show, and for you, I've found something new for you to do." The girl glanced up warily, shifting in her seat as the ringleader watched her with hawk hazel eyes. "I didn't think I'd need it, but apparently I do. It's good that I had it installed last night."

She moved to one of the pillars holding the tent up and picked at a rope hanging there, fingers undoing the tight knots until a banner up top unfurled and dropped, five feet long.

Elsa's fingers came to rest on the top of Maggie's head and she slowly turned the girl's gaze until they were both looking at the newest poster hanging off the rafters. It blew lightly with the breeze coming in from outside, but Maggie could easily see it. Elsa's voice was almost soothing. "Look girl, I've found an act for you."

Maggie's mouth dropped open and new tears sprung to the corner of her eyes as she stood to get a closer look.

She'd been drawn onto the fabric, her mouth turned into a grotesque thing as she smiled, teeth sharp. She was almost showing them off. Behind her, on either side of her, stood Jimmy and Paul, both holding out their forelimbs to show off the seal's stunted growth and the boy's lobster claws.

It read "Creatures of the Deep, Live!".

Maggie's lips disconnected and she snaked her tongue out, collecting at congealing blood almost out of habit. Her voice was hoarse. "N-no."

"Oh, yes."