A/N: Thanks to all my readers from greatestjournal! I'm so very glad all of you like it. I must admit I was really nervous that NO ONE was going to read this and that those who did would HATE it. I'm just so critical of myself. This takes a while to actually get going... but it does pick up. Sorry if that bothers anyone. (Again -these characters do not belong to me - oh wait - except Mme. Ombre, Marie Lambert, and Lisette d'Arbre! Yay! I actually own something!) Enjoy!
In the early darkness of the night, she led her students out of the Opera House and down the streets of Paris to the fair grounds. A band of gypsies had made this spot their temporary camping grounds and in return, invited the inhabitants of Paris to come and be amazed by the spectacles they offered. All for a small fee, of course. As the group approached the fair grounds, strange music and harsh laughter filled their ears. Almost immediately, the girls began to huddle closely together.
As they reached the entrance to the gypsies' camp, they saw a large, scruffy man sitting on a stool outside his tent, counting coins. His clothes were multicolored and crudely made. They were soiled with dirt, food, and drink. He wore a chain around his neck from which dangled a few gold coins. He immediately stopped what he was doing when he saw the girls approaching. "Ah, bienvenue," he wheezed. He gave them a wry smile as he twirled the tip of his black mustache between his fingers. "What brings you to our humble camp?" The girls said nothing as they glanced at each other. He let out a hearty laugh. "What does it matter? As long as you have the means to enter?" His eyes narrowed slightly as he surveyed the group.
Annette DeFranco was the first to step forward. "Here, monsieur," she said, coldly dropping a coin into his hand. The man looked down at her, then laughed again.
"Go on, entrez! That's it, my pretties, that's the way to do it," he said as one by one the girls stepped up and pressed a single franc into his large, grubby hand. As Adele and Marie stepped up to the man, he swayed a bit from having had too much to drink. Adele firmly pushed the two francs into his hand. Without another word, she and Marie slipped past him and into the camp.
The two girls stared in awe as they slowly made their way through the fairgrounds. It was quite dark now and the only light came from the occasional bonfire or torch. As they sauntered through the fair grounds, they saw a fortuneteller's tent, a group of jugglers and acrobats, a magician, and even snake charmers. All the while, the gypsies beckoned to them, trying to coax them to spend their few francs at their particular attraction. Marie held on to Adele's arm, all the time, never letting her friend out of her sight or grasp.
"Adele, j'ai peur! I'm so frightened! These things… they aren't human! They're spirits… monsters…!" She said, jumping at a deep cackling that came from a nearby tent. "They're witches… devils… come to lure us all to hell!"
Adele suddenly stopped in front of a tent that seemed to have drawn a fairly large crowd. A poorly made sign read: L'enfant du Diable (The Devil's Child). Another large man stood in front of this tent. He had a thick, black beard and his clothes greatly resembled those of the man who had collected their entrance fee. His eyes were bloodshot and his face and hands were covered with dirt.
"Step this way, my pretties. Come and see the devil's child," he said, his voice dripping with enticement; his breath reeking of strong whiskey. "Come, come this way!" He beckoned for them to follow him.
Marie whimpered softly. "Don't worry, Marie," Adele said softly. "I'll pay for this." Before Marie could do anything, Adele handed the man the fee, then slipped in through the flap of the tent. The crowd inside was gathered around a dimly lit cage. Adele and Marie pushed their way through the crowd to get a better view of the thing inside. Then, they saw it – the Devil's Child – and for a brief moment, Adele stopped breathing.
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