Rejoice Ch. 6
Rose immediately doused her fire, and hid herself in the hay. She hoped that whoever it was soon left. She got no such luck. Instead the person walked in with a soft tap-tap of a walking stick until they came to her little campsite, where they wouldn no doubt see her clothes hung to dry. However, instead of examing her makeshift clothesline, the person kept tap-taping their walking stick. Rose came to the surface of the Hay enough to get a look at the person. The person was actually a girl, about the same age as her, her back was turned, so the only distinguishing feature was her orange hair. The clothe's she wore were not unlike the clothe's Rose traditionally wore herself, with the same color scheme, red and white, though it seemed as though she had more layer's on.
After a bit, the person's walking stick, which equaled the girl's height, hit the small lump of ashes were her small fire once burned. A crinkle sound of burnt wood cracking, and charcoal crumbling was heard, and the person brought the other end of their staff to their nose, and sniffed it. Odd. She then continued to where her clothes were, but kept tap-taping with her stick. Rose let out a sigh as the girl touched her jacket with the end of her stick smeared with ash.
At that moment, the girl wheeled around, and wielding her walking stick like a sword, slashed through the hay stack, and hitting Rose on the head, not only causing a splitting headache, but also knocking her out of cover and into the freezing cold.
"OW!!! What the bloody hell was that for!?" She cried out rubbing her head, trying to get up.
"Hmm, I don't think you live here." The girl said, waking towards her. Then Rose noticed the Bandages that covered her eye's. The girl grabbed Rose's shoulder, and started feeling her way around her, such as her face. "You'll have to excuse me, I thought you might have been one of those Giant Beetles."
"W-well I'm not." Rose said. The girl continued to feel Rose, going around her other shoulder, and to parts Rose really didn't want to be touched.
"C-c-c-could please, c-c-cut that-t-t out?"Rose said.
"Your not wearing a shirt." The girl observed, not bothering to move her hand.
"Yes-s-s I'm not-t wearing a b-b-b-b-blood-dy shirt-t-t, I know th-that." Rose chattered, slapping the girl's hand's away.
"Take this." The girl said, taking off her own jacket, revealing her bare shoulders to the cold, and giving it to Rose, who took it gratefully.
"Aren't-t-t you c-c-c-c-cold?" She asked, putting on the jacket.
"Of course, it's winter, but your shivering, and not wearing a shirt-" The girl then put her hand on Rose's hips. "Or a skirt, or pair of pants."
"Huh, I j-jumped int-t-to the b-bloody sea, and I didn't want to be in my c-c-clothe's when they froz-z-ze over." Rose explained, stamping her feet, and rubbing her arms in an attempt to keep warm.
"Well," The girl said, taking off her scarf. "This should help with the lack of clothing downstairs." The girl then began to unravel the scarf, which unfolded into the size of a large blanket. It was the same type of scarf the Gypsies wore, made of a thin fabric akin to silk. The girl folded it up a few times unti it was appropriate skirt length, and wrapped it around her waist, helping Rose keep the feeling in her legs.
"T-thanks, I reall-l-ly owe you." Rose said. "What's your name?"
"Chelsea." The girl said.
"R-Rose." Rose said, grabbing the girl's hand and giving her a firm handshake.
"Ah, I've been looking for you." The girl said.
"Y-you have?" Rose asked.
"Yes, this old man took me in, and he told me to look for you." She explained. "Follow me, I have a campfire in the woods." She then turned and left the barn, and with nothing better to do, Rose gathered up her clothes and followed.
"Hey, the old man, did he wear b-blue robes and look like a King?" Rose asked, chasing after her.
"I wouldn't know." The girl said, keeping a brisk pace into the woods. "Though he did give off a regal atmposphere."
"What was his name?" Rose asked.
"He told me, but I forget it. Weird." She muttered.
"Here we go again." Rose muttered.
"Excuse me." Said a man in a blue striped suit said walking into the dark council room.
"Ah, I was wondering when we'd hear from you." Said the head of the Highwayman's Guild leaning against the wall.
"Yes, please excuse me Jim, you know I am rarely late, but my contact in Westcliff has come across some interesting charges." The man said.
"Really? How interesting?"
"Well, I have asked around, and learned of Siren's supposed failure." The man said.
"Well, I wouldn't exactly call it a failure, not unless you want her kick you in the face with those pointy shoes of hers." Jim mused.
"Regardless, I heard that the Hero's children managed to escape, no?"
"Yeah, they escaped, escaped the men who infiltrated the Bowerstone guard, don't know where they are."
"Well, that is fortunate, as the man in Westcliff happens to be in caring for the children this moment."
"Really? You mean that loon you told me about?"
"Indeed, the very one."
"Well then, if your sure, what are you waiting for?"
"I simply wanted you to be informed before I took action, and for the appropriate ammount of men to be in Westcliff to occupy the guards. That and I didn't want to be any more late than I already was." The man said before leaving.
"Okay, good salutations everyone!" Barnum said, walking into the children's bedroom, doing his best to wake everyone up.
"Come on atmos Tommy, Jenna, you too Daniel, and little Joseph too!" Barnum said, firing off a device he had invented specifically to make loud noises.
"Yeah, this I don't miss." Jenna said, wiping the sleep dust from her eyes.
"Wha!" Daniel yelped as he was woken unexpectedly.
"Up and at'em it is." Thomas said, shifting his legs over the bed.
When Barnum got to Joseph, the little baby giggled when Barnum's muggy face came into view.
"What's the point of having a winter vacation, if we still have to wake up in the bloody morning?" Jennna asked, turning over, and pulling the covers over her head. In response, Barnum fired his noisemaker right next to her head, which helped get her out of bed very effiecently when she practically dropped out of bed in response.
"Early to bed, early to rise!" Barnum said cheerfully.
"Makes a man old, and blind in the eyes." Jenna said from the floor. Thomas soon appeared and helped her get up.
"You got to be kidding me." Daniel exclaimed. "Sun's just beggining to rise!"
"Hey, with life I exemplificate, you need to be up at all probable hours of the day." Barnum said. "And if'n your staying, it's best you remplicate, no?" With that he left, sounding his noisemaker once more before closing the door.
"You know, some days, I could really kill that guy." Jenna said, getting up from her covers.
"So they are the same person." Rose lamented. Rose had made her way to the girls, Chelsea, campsite where a makeshift tent with some firewood that needed little prompting to be lit were. Rose placed her clothes near the fireplace to warm, and the two conversed, talking about the Man who helped bring Chelsea to Oakfield, and Rose to Bowerstone.
"It would explain why he told me to wait for you." The girl explained, taking a drink from a mug. "Would you like some tea?"
"Who doesn't like tea?" Rose responded, near desperate to get something warm in her. "So, the old codger just said that I would be here?"
"Yes he did." Chelsea said, pouring Rose her drink from the kettle.
"And you... just did as he said?" She asked.
"Yes. Before he found me, I had little purpose in life. He found me, and helped me survive." She responded, holding out Rose's drink witch she took.
"Either he must have found you while I wasn't looking, or he's been mighty busy since the beggining of winter." Rose commented, bringing the warm drink to her mouth and taking a sip. "So, what now?"
"Well, as I said before, I have little purpose in life, few ties to others, and I am sure I was to meet you for some purpose, do you have anything I might assist in?" She asked, taking another sip from her drink.
"Honestly, I'm not sure." Rose said, placing her cup on the ground for a moment. "Whole thing sounds like a bunch of bullocks to me. I mean, the old man's already ripped me off once, and I've been burned quite a few times trusting strangers with considerable hospitality in the last few days. How can I trust you?"
"You can't." Chelsea said, taking a few more sips from her drink. "You can only have my good word. Mind you though, if I ever catch you doing something unsavory, you'll come to regret it."
"Yeah sure." Rose scoffed. She remembered the near thrashing in the barn, but she had been both freezing, and naked. The sheer riduculousness of the notion shocked her as she looked back on it. Here she was, supposed to be the serious type. Well, here's hoping she not gonna lose any toes to frostbite.
"Regardless though, I believe I will follow you anyway." Chelsea said, putting her cup down. "If nothing else, it would be interesting to get know the woman who goes skinny dipping in the Albion Sea. During Winter."
"Hey, that wasn't my fault, it was this damned pirate." Rose said hotly.
"Of course." Chelsea said.
"Oh, yes, Daniel me boy, could you hand me that codsprottle?" Barnum asked as the kids helped him from his workshop.
Daniel shrugged in response to which Jenna explained "The flintlock mechanism."
"Excuse, me, but is it me, or did that last one sound like a dirty word?" Daniel asked, handing the gun peice to Barnum.
"Well excuse me." Barnum said indignantly. "You know, you happen to be one of five people who even know about this computation? You should feel honored."
"Oh, he doesn't mean it uncle Barnum." Thomas told him. "You just take some getting used to, is all." Currently, Barnum, doing his best to entertain his favorite kids in the world, and Daniel, was having them aid him in his latest endeavor, as they fussed over a table that had an old flintlock rifle they were using as reference, while Derek laid his head near Barnum's feet and his walking stick, while Jenna and Thomas' little brother slept peacefully in their room.
"Remind me what we're doing?" Jenna asked.
"I verbicated didn't I? We're making a miniturized-like model of the space gun. Thought it would be better than elasticating the blueprints." Barnum said.
"So you gonna build this here? In Westcliff?" Daniel asked.
"No, no, I think not, not with the bandit coast being so proximitly, and the wheather, I was thinking maybe one of the beachs in Bloodstone, or maybe Southcliff. I have always wanted to journiate there." Barnum pondered.
At that, someone knocked at the door. "Thomas old lad, could you explicate that?" Barnum asked.
Thomas quickly got to the door, and returned with a man in a blue pin-striped suit.
"Hey, uncle Barnum, that guy from yesterday want's to see you." Thomas said.
"Oh, why yes, Mr. Clockman, is this about that man you know from the colonies?" Barnum asked.
"Oh, Mr. Benedict? Well, his work is quite eventful, though at this point, irrelevant. No, you see, I came here, because of my contacts south of here, want the children in this house dead."
"Uh-um, I'm sorry, I don't think I quite heard you there." Barnum said.
"Oh, I'm sorry Mr. Barnum, I'm afraid you heard me exactly right." The man said, making no move.
"Look, I have no idea what is going on here-" Barnum said, angrily, getting off from his stool, and grabbing his cane. "-but if you want to get to these children, your going to have to go through me." Barnum said, walking up to him, and staring him down intimidatingly.
"That shouldn't pose to much of a problem." The man replied. Then, with loud crack, Barnum froze, and then fell back onto the floor, his eyes rolling up to his head, and blood, slowly leaking onto the floor from a circular wound in his chest. At this Derek the Dog barked madly at him, and would have lunged for his neck had Jenna not grabbed onto his collar and stopped him.
The man in the blue pin-striped suit's only reaction was to pull up his pistol, and wipe the barrel clean, before looking at Jenna and Daniel who were huddled together.
"You know, I genuinely was interested in you endeavor Mr. Barnum, but I'm sorry to say I have to terminate our business relationship. Still though, out of all the pseudonyms I've used over the years, the one I gave to you, has no doubt been the worst, yet you still bought it. 'Clockman', sound's like the bad guy in cheesey mystery novel written by Meredith Sock too, not like those are hard to find. As for you." He said, aiming the gun at the Jenna and Daniel, huddling together, with Derek being held back by Jenna, growling menacingly at him. "Know I take no pleasure in this, but-"
The man was interupted by another, louder crack, and the man slowly raised his eyes toward the ceiling, and he collapsed on his knees, and slumped on to the floor. As his blood mingled with Barnum's, Jenna and Daniel saw the attacker was none other than Thomas, wielding the rifle Barnum had used as reference, and all he did under the disbelieving stares was to push up his large spectacles.
"You shot him?" Jenna asked incredulously.
"Well I didn't see you two doing anything!" Thomas replied.
The man moaned slightly, and in response, Jenna stomped on his foot, likely breaking his hand. Then Jenna and Thomas ran to Barnum and flipped him over to see if he was alright.
"Come on, wake up, wake up! You blimey codger!" Jenna said, shaking him, genuinely scared and worried for him.
"Oh, uh." He responded, coughing up a little blood.
"Do you think he's okay?" Jenna asked Thomas frantically.
"I don't know." Was all he could say.
"Don't give me that, is he okay?!" She demanded from him.
"Look, calm down, there's no need to yell!" Daniel said.
Out in the center of the town of Westcliff, a bell rang out, the kind that were once used as church bells in the olden days, but now only used to alert the town of danger.
"That's not good." Thomas said.
"Uncle Barnum, please don't go!" Jenna said, beggining to tear up.
"It's- it's okay." Barnum muttered. "Wouldn't be the f-first time I've been blamgonged."
"Barnum! You okay!" Jenna cried happily, hugging him for dear life. This not only aggitated his old gunshot wound, but also his current one, but he didn't complain, instead, he said;
"I can't remember the last time you gave me a hug." Weakly putting his hand on her head in an attempt to pat it.
"We got to get this guy out of here." Daniel muttered.
"To me offi-ack!-office." Barnum said weakly. Thomas put the rifle over his shoulder, and grabbed one of Barnum's arms while Jenna grabbed the other. Together, they carried him upstairs, and to his office.
Barnum's office is quite the sight to behold. Business documents littered desks and tables, side-by-side with blueprints, and creative doodles, with models for past endeavors Barnum has gone through, but the most noticable feature were the pictures that covered every square inch of the walls. The settings ranged from Westcliff, to Oakfield, to Brightwood, to Bowerstone, some were of beatiful works of nature, but most were of people, from cousin's to aunts, even a few of Barnum himself. mostly people who got bored of waiting the the three month develifying time. But most noticeably were the pictures of Jenna, and Thomas, and their parents.
The two youngsters set Barnum down against his table, with Jenna and Thomas on either side of him, Daniel looking out the window, and Derek watching the door. Barnum then pointed to a table, and Jenna opened the drawer to reveal some medical supplies. Jenna took them out, and did what she could to heal him up.
"Why does he have a doctor's kit in here?" Daniel asked.
"F-first aid kits. Was supposed to more popular than the pox." Barnum muttered.
"Alright, I think I'm supposed to put these round the wound..." Jenna muttered, wrapping white linens over Barnum's chest, tying them with a knot.
"Thanks." Barnum said. He then pointed on top of a set of drawers, to a specific picture. "Get that for me, will you?" Jenna quickly got up, and returned with the framed picture, giving it to Barnum. "First one I took." He mumbled.
"Guys, I think we need to get out of here." Daniel said, peering out the window, and seeing the town Guards deeling with some type of militia outside.
"Here." Barnum said, taking the picture out of it's frame, and giving it to Jenna. "Keep that will you, don't want it anhilixec."
"What?" Daniel exclaimed.
"Destroyed." Thomas told him.
"What are you going on about?" Jenna asked him.
"In my desk... bag of coins, get it for me." Barnum said to Thomas. Thomas went through his desk and found a bag that easily held about a hundred coins.
"What do you want with this?" Thomas asked.
"They want you dead." Barnum said. "I don't want that to happen. Get out, qui-*cough-cough*-qui-quickly."
"And what, leave you here?" Thomas asked.
"Yes." Barnum told him.
"We can't!" He exclaimed.
"Do it." Barnum said weakly.
"We... we have to." Jenna said, getting up.
"What!?" Thomas exclaimed. "You can't be serious!"
"These are the same people who took Mum and Sparrow!" Jenna told him. "They want us too now for whatever reason, and if we stay here, they will get us!"
"We can't leave Barnum behind!" Thomas argued. "What do you want us to do, go and find our parents ourselves? We're only children!"
"We're the children of a Hero! We have to do something! No one else is!" Jenna argued.
"Meanwhile, while you two argue, the bad men that want to kill us, are getting closer!" Daniel said, getting inbetween the two. "I don't want this man dead either." He said, indicating Barnum. "But we have to come to a decision now!" Thomas could see in Daniel's eyes that he was scared of what was to happen next. He was right, a decision had to be made now.
Hello anyone and everyone reading! I just want to ask for opinions, and for reviews. At the beggining of the story there were tons of reviews about how good it was, and now... not so much. I'm not really sure what to think. Honestly, if makes me think that I've messed up somehow, and made the story dull, of uninteresting. If so tell me what I'm doing wrong! If not, just tell me it's still ok, or completely awesome, or whatever. I like reading people's opinions on this!
Sincerely, SAmaster01