"Alright, do you have any peculiar abilities that you could use in performance?" Rupert Giles asked the blonde girl.

"I…am strong...er. Than most people," Buffy replied, awkwardly.

"Let's see, then."

"What?" Buffy questioned.

Giles was flanked by a pretty redhead who chose then to pipe up:

"Oh, pick something up!"

Buffy looked around and her eyes landed on a cannon. She walked over to it, sliding her duffel down her arm and onto the ground. Giles had his arms crossed and the redhead looked on curiously as Buffy leaned over nervously to grip the cannon...before hauling the entire steel contraption off the ground and holding it over her head.

Giles uncrossed his arms and his eyes widened.

"Woah," the redhead said.

Buffy blushed and quickly but carefully put the cannon back down, and went to retrieve her duffel. She hadn't exposed her strength so blatantly before, having been so determined not to be detected by the Orphanage. Giles and the petite redhead didn't say anything; these few seconds of silence allowed Buffy's fears to ramble through her head. What if she was too much of a freak, even for the circus?

"Keeeeeeeep her!" A dark-haired woman nearby caterwauled.

"Of course, Dru. Do calm down," Giles said, exasperated. "Welcome Buffy. Willow, introduce the girl and show her where she can sleep."

Buffy smiled, relief evident in her face.

"You got it, ringmaster man," the redhead chirped. With that, she beckoned Buffy to follow her further into the big-top tent. "I'm Willow Rosenburg, like Giles said, and I'm the magician and Giles' management assistant."

Looking up, Willow pointed out the three trapeze artists: two girls and one male.

"Get down here and meet the new girl!" Willow hollered.

One by one, the trapeze artists somersaulted down, landing on the large net with a bounce.

"This is Xander Harris and his girlfriend Anya Jenkins," Willow said, indicating the couple in matching, tight-fitting red and yellow outfits who were now on the ground.

"Catch me, Xander!" Said the smallest trapeze artist as she flipped over the side of the net. Xander complied hurriedly and caught her in the bridal carry before she hit the ground.

"And this is Dawn Summers. She's the baby of the circus."

Buffy noticed that Dawn's outfit was red and pink with glittery patterns.

"I am not!" Dawn whined.

"You're our baby, Dawnie," Willow said good-naturedly before turning to Buffy. "But that's only because she's the youngest. It was her cannon you picked up."

Buffy's eyes widened as she looked at the gangly girl. This little thing was shot out of the cannon?

"Wait, what did you do to my cannon?"

"She picked it up," Willow said.

"Shpedoinkle," Xander said, impressed.

"Holy moly. Who are you?" Anya asked bluntly.

"Oh. Guys, this is Buffy...What was your last name?" Willow said.

Buffy looked sheepish and said quietly, "I...don't know it. I was raised in an orphanage."

There was an awkward silence before Dawn spoke up.

"So you don't have a last name? Want to share mine?"

Buffy looked up at this unexpected gift.

"Are you serious?" She asked timidly.

"Sure I am!"

"Okay. Buffy Summers it is," Xander said with a grin.

"I'm gonna get her a cot," Willow said and pulled Buffy towards the other side of the tent. Going through some flaps to the back area, Willow indicated where the boys slept and where the girls slept. When they entered the girls' sleeping area, they were greeted by an indignant "Hey, close that!"

"Sorry Cordelia," Willow said to the half-naked woman. Cordelia was busy dressing herself in her own costume, which seemed to be skin-tight and rather plain on her torso but rather glamorous on her lower body with a layered petticoat of blue and green taffeta.

"Cordy's good with her mouth," Willow said in a deadpan voice.

"Haha. You're funny. Who's this?"

"I'm Buffy."

"I swallow swords and blow fire."

"Oh...that's...a good thing to be able to do, I suppose."

Cordelia gave her an odd look.

"Whatever." With that she pulled out a make-up kit and turned to face a slightly scratched mirror hung on a support beam.

Buffy turned to Willow to find the magician crouching by a cot that was slightly larger than the others that was occupied by two girls.

"Tara! Fred! Get up sleepy heads," Willow whispered loudly and shook each of the girls' shoulders.

Buffy wondered if she would be sharing a bed with someone. Realising that all the other cots that crowded the little room like a herd of sheep were too small to hold two people comfortably, Buffy wondered if the girls were lesbians.

The two bedbound girls blearily opened their eyes at the same time.

"Come on. We have a show at noon today."

Tara and Fred moaned and closed their eyes again. Willow smirked and pinched their butt.

The girls yelped simultaneously and finally sat up, pretending to look a bit scandalized. It was then that Buffy realised that with these two around, there was no way she was too much of a freak for the circus.

"Buffy, this is Tara and Fred. If you couldn't tell, they're our Siamese twins and also my lovely assistants."

The twins offered Buffy a sleepy, lopsided smile each but Buffy couldn't stop staring. Shyly lowering their eyes, the girls started getting out of bed.

"Don't worry," Willow said to the twins. "She'll get used to it. She'll learn to not only appreciate freakishness, she'll celebrate it." There was a bit of a threat in Willow's tone, Buffy noted. Willow was apparently very fond of her assistants.

"I...sorry," Buffy stammered.

"Let's hear it for the mistress of eloquence," Cordelia snickered from the corner.

"You know what you could do, Buffy?" Willow said suddenly. "We need a tightrope walker."

"What?" Buffy's eyes widened.