Chapter Three

JustAnotherFanGirl2004: I actually started writing this story before I read The Lost Princess, and named Rose before that. I liked the name because it seemed to describe her well - something beautiful but dangerous. Roses have thorns, and if you press on one hard enough you can get scarred - and Rose has been heavily scarred.

Anne was shocked when she saw Rose bend like that. She'd never seen anyone do anything like that, least of all a little girl. She was also surprised when she saw how much Rose's face could transform. One moment, she was hard and angry and sad, the next she had a fake, performing smile on her face. But she really looked like a different person when she genuinely smiled. When Phillip and Phin had said, "You're in," Rose really did look completely different. She had a bright smile and her face softened. Her eyes were warm and cheerful and Anne realized that this girl was very complicated.

"Hi Rose," Phin said cheerfully to the quiet girl. "How've you been?"

"Better than I was a few hours ago," Rose said.

"Well, do you like the circus?"

She nodded.

"Rose," Phin said seriously. "I also lived on the streets for years after my parents died. I know how you feel."

"No you don't," Rose whispered.

"What was that?" Phin asked.

"No you don't," Rose said louder. "You have no idea what it feels like to be abandoned by everyone you know!" she shouted. She turned and raced away, leaving Phin confused.

When Lettie sneaked into the ring and saw Rose do her act, she was amazed.

Later, when she formally met Rose, she was surprised by one of the first things the girl told her.

"Hi, I'm Rose," the ten year old had said.

"Lettie. I love your eyes."

Rose looked surprised. "Really? Thanks! I love the way you style your hair. Can you teach me how?"

Surprised but pleased, Lettie nodded. Later, when she was showing Rose, she said something like, "So Rose, do you know anything about your parents?"

Rose visibly stiffened and shook her head. "They are gone, and I don't ever want to know them," she said. Lettie was curious, but it was clear Rose didn't want to talk about it, so she changed the topic.

Anne walked down the hall. Rose had been there for ten hours and Anne could already tell the girl had been through a lot. It was sad that such a young child was living in the streets. She thought of Caroline and Helen. The two girls' parents had struggled financially for a few years, but the two of them were never roped into it. And they'd been raised in a kind and loving household. Anne wished all kids could have that.

Rose had already met everyone, and Anne had seen her reactions. She smiled a few times, but she was distant.

Now, Anne was walking to the dressing room. She was pretty sure Rose would be there and Anne needed to talk to her.

She opened the door and saw the girl sitting on a bench reading a newspaper. When Rose heard the door open, she leapt up and looked like she was ready to fight something. When she saw who it was, she relaxed.

"Hi Anne," she said.

"Rose, why are you hiding in here?" Anne said, not unkindly.

Rose shrugged.

"Mind if I sit down?" Anne said.

"No," Rose said. Anne mentally sighed. This wouldn't be easy.

"Rose," Anne said. "I think we need to talk." Rose looked up at her, and Anne was a little surprised. Most people would avoid looking at her because of her skin color, or wince when they saw her. No one at the circus did this, but Anne had thought maybe Rose would. But she just looked at Anne the same way she looked at everyone.

"What is it?" Rose asked.

"You've been here a while. Why are you distancing yourself like this?"

Rose just shrugged.

OK, time for a new tactic.

"Rose, we're a family here. We want you to be part of it."

Rose's face hardened and Anne saw anger in her eyes.

"Family lets you down. You can never trust family," Rose growled.

Anne was confused. "Rose, what are you talking about?"

Rose didn't answer.

Anne rested her hand on Rose's. "Sweetie, you have to open up. You can't hide from people - they have to see you."

"I don't hide," Rose said.

"You do. Emotionally," Anne said softly. Rose looked up at her, and Anne could see years of pain in her eyes.

"Tell you what," Anne said suddenly. "You don't have a place to stay for tonight, so why don't you stay with me and Lettie in our room? Just till we find something more permanent."

Rose gave her a small smile and nodded.

Anne grinned at her and added, "You can't perform tonight, so how about you watch the show with Phin's family? They should be here soon, and they have two daughters close to your age."

Rose nodded.

"In the meantime, let's choose some new clothes for you," Anne said. The two of them spent half an hour finding clothes for Rose. When they were done, she had a slender dark blue dress with a white sweater, white leggings, and brown boots for that night, and two more dresses - a yellow and a green. Plus, a long shirt and some dark leggings for bed.

"Remember," Anne said. "These clothes are only temporary. We'll get you new ones soon - and an actual nightgown." Rose smiled and said it was no problem. The two of them walked out as Charity, Caroline, and Helen came in.

Anne introduced them to Rose, who was again covering up herself. Anne frowned. It would clearly take a lot for Rose to trust people again, if ever. She wondered what exactly had happened to her.

Anne was also a little worried Rose wouldn't like Caroline and Helen, but when Helen asked her what she did and Rose showed them, the two girls told her that was amazing. Rose was smiling soon and Anne stared at her. She shot Charity a smile. For the first time, she realized how much the Barnum kids added to the circus. They were one of the most solid things about the performers' lives. These two kids would always be there to show them that there were people in the world who wouldn't care how different they all were from normal people. The two girls would always be there to cheer them up, and Rose seemed to like them too. She had a real smile on her face and soon all three girls were happily talking. Yet, Anne couldn't help but notice the fear and hesitation in Rose's eyes.

"I don't understand her," Anne said. She was talking to Phillip, Lettie, and Phin a while before the show.

"Me neither," Lettie said sadly. "You know, she said something strange to me before."

"Me too," Phin said, the same time Anne said the same thing.

The three exchanged baffled looks.

"What did she say?" Phillip asked.

"She told me, 'Family lets you down. You can never trust family,' " Anne said.

"To me she said, 'You have no idea what it feels like to be abandoned by everyone you know,' " Phin said.

"When I asked about her parents, she said, "They're gone and I never want to know them,' " Lettie said.

"What do you think it means?" Phillip asked.

Rose was surprised by how much she liked Caroline and Helen, but she couldn't help it. She was still hesitant and distanced herself, but she did like the girls.

Charity was also nice to her, and this was a rare gesture from a white adult. They all invited her with them, and one of the best things about them wasn't the way they didn't call her a freak because of her contortion. It was that they didn't act like her skin or eye color separated her from them.

They all stood in the stands. Rose couldn't help but notice the few weird glances the small group got, but she mostly ignored them.

When the show started, Rose thought it was the most magical thing she's ever seen. The stunts were incredible, and she had never in her life seen something like it. She caught Anne's eye and gave her a huge smile.

Maybe this new life would really be good.

I'm building Rose up! There's more to her than meets the eye. I don't think she would have said those thing to Phin, Lettie, and Anne if she had a bit more experience talking to people. When everyone ignores you, you don't have to be careful with what you say. She'll probably be more careful from now on.

-Creator of Magic