Chapter 4

Grumbling, I march down the stairs out the front of the school. An Akuma attack can't happen at any other time? Just during my lunch? I'll have you know that I was enjoying that sandwich, thank you very much. In a flash of green light, I turn into an eagle and fly to the Louvre. Weird things always happen there. I don't know why. A loud, booming voice can be heard as soon as I get close.

"TONIGHT! See the bearded lady! Laugh at the dancing bears! And for the first time! The OLDEST woman on the PLANET!" The voice is feminine. I see the Louvre, and oh my sweet cheese and crackers what the heck happened to it? The pyramid is painted red and yellow, and a circus tent has been set up in front of the door. Spotlights dance around the ground. A beautiful young woman stands in front of the tent. She wears a ringmasters outfit and carries a whip.

"Tonight, I, the Ringmaster will give you an unforgettable experience! Come one, come all! Tonight, the party begins!" She shouts. Her voice is loud and triumphant. People gather outside, on the fringes of the square, curious but timid. Her whip strikes lightning fast. The first strike it hits a remarkably beautiful woman, and her body is suddenly covered in tattoos. She disappears in a puff of golden smoke. The whip strikes lightning fast, a short lady becoming incredibly tall, a large man becoming spindly and skeletal. Others turn into animals. A little girl becomes a withered old woman, and a startled young man becomes a beautiful mermaid. Seconds before the whip hits a little girl and her mother, I transform and hurl a knife, dropping out of the sky at breakneck speed. The ground cracks as I hit. Straightening, I pull my knife from the ground as people begin retreating. All the people who were transformed disappear in golden puffs of smoke. The square is empty. I remove my mask.

"Let's talk business, shall we?" She looks confused for a moment, then appears to be thinking. Her face brightens into a smile.

"Oh, I would be thrilled to give you a personal tour of my show!" She exclaims. "I've been waiting for you to arrive." She leads me into the pyramid. The inside has been cleared out. Bleachers line the edges, and the floor is unbroken. She leads me behind one of the sets of bleachers to a small maintenance door. Down a flight of steps is a neat office.

"The real wonders are behind this door." She says excitedly. She opens the door to a room much larger than should have been able to fit there. We walk past pens of animals. One holding a pair of bears, dancing. Dancing bears. Why not? We walk a little further and see two familiar faces.

"Stop touching me, Nino!" Alya says. She must be so annoyed right now.

"I can't. We're attached genius," He says. They look so uncomfortable in their old-fashioned dress and suit. Alya can't take one step to the right without dragging Nino with her.

"Behold! The conjoined twins, Connor and Carlene!" Ringmaster exclaims excitedly.

"Those aren't our names and you know it!" Nino and Alya shout in near perfect unison. Ringmaster ignores them and moves on to a small grotto.

"Next, the mermaids!" Ringmaster sings, dancing to the side. Two familiar faces break the surface of the water. Juleka and Rose. They look so uncomfortable with their tails. A third, unfamiliar face breaks the water. She has big brown eyes and long brown hair. No time to observe, Ringmaster rushes forward. She hurries past people and animals. Among them, I see a tattooed Sabrina, monkey artist Nathaniel, and bearded Melien.

"Now this is the oldest woman on earth!" I come up next to Ringmaster. "She's the main event." Ringmaster says to me. I can tell it's Chloe. Her skin is wrinkled and blemished. Her hands gnarled. Her hair white and thinning.

"My, my, Ms. Bourgeois. Looks like you've got yourself in a bit of a pickle. Who'd ya piss off this time?" I say, laughter in my voice. Giggling, I leave with Ringmaster.

"Oh, I do hope you'll stay for the show!" Ringmaster says once we enter the tidy office. "It'll begin in two hours."

"I wouldn't miss it." We exit the tent and enter the fading light of sunset. I transform into an eagle and fly away.

A huge crowd is gathered when I return. I land in a small alley. In human form, I magic an outfit for myself. The dress has a tall neck and is sleeveless. The skirt is high in the front, but long an trailing in the back. A black leather corset wraps around my waist, accented with gold buckles. Matching boots appear. The green dress is soft and flowing. A lacy black mask appears over my face.

The crowd parts for me like the red sea. In one hand, a golden cane, with a blue stone in the top, the other clenched into a fist. I stroll right into the pyramid, where Ringmaster greets me.

"I saved the box seat for you!" She exclaims.I climb to the balcony. I have an excellent view of the pyramid. People mill around in the stands, waiting for the show to start. The spotlights dancing over the crowd begin to dim. A single spotlight flare on, training on Ringmaster in the middle of the ring.

"Guys, gals, and nonbinary pals!" She shouts, her voice leaping through the air. "Boy, have I got a treat for you! Tonight features the dancing bears, bearded lady, mystic mermaids, and conjoined twins! But, most exciting of all, the main event! The Oldest Woman on Earth!" She cartwheels out of the ring as the dancing bears dance into view. The acts blur by. I occasionally see the whip flash out, hitting a random audience member, turning them into a circus freak before transporting them away in a puff of smoke. Up in the very top corner of the pyramid, I see a flash of red. Ladybug and Chat Noir are here. No one else seems to notice their presence.

"Now, before we present the grand finale, I would like to give a special shoutout to our guest of honor. Is there anything you would like to say to our audience tonight?" Ringmaster shouts from the ring. The spotlight shines on the box. I stand. The audience is in silence. I clear my throat.

"It doesn't matter where you hide. We will find you." I sit down.

"And now, the moment you've all been waiting for, the gra- hey!" Her shout rings across the stands as a silver staff knocks her top hat off.