Angryfanfic: Yes, Rose is a contortionist.
Green Meadow1870: One of those ideas was true, but it wasn't the whole truth. And I'm glad you liked the cliffhanger.
I have a new update schedule, which is because I have published two new stories that I hope you check out. Now I'll be updating every nine days.
Chapter Eight
Rose ran to the door and pulled it open, ignoring the slight burning feeling on her hand.
She sped through the halls, the smoke filling her lungs and flames surrounding her.
Rose felt her racing heartbeat as though it were part of the very air around her.
She stood in the middle of the hall, looking around in despair.
Rose tried to see, but it felt as if the smoke wasn't just in her eyes but in her very soul.
She shouted out for help, but no one responded. She was alone, scared, and about to die.
Rose was alone, scared, and this time she was going to die. No one came last time. They wouldn't come now.
She felt a tear slid down her face and closed her eyes, knowing what was about to happen.
"Rose! Rose!"
That was just in her mind, just her hope. No one would come.
"Rose!"
Rose suddenly felt a hand grasp her own and looked up to see Lettie.
"What are you doing? We have to get out!"
Dazed and shocked, Rose nodded and followed blindly. Suddenly, they were out. She looked back and saw the others trying to put the fire out. But she didn't acre.
Rose buried her face in Lettie's dress and sobbed, letting the tears out.
"You came," she whispered. "You didn't leave me."
That night, all the performers sat in a circle in the Barnums' house. The fire had been a few hours ago. It had been caused by the same thing as last time - angry people. But this time it was on purpose, and they did it because of Rose. Of course, no one told her that.
There were no injuries, but they were all worried about Rose. She was quiet ever since her meltdown after the fire, and just sat with a blanket around her shoulders - staring into the fire.
Lettie decided to sing some songs to cheer everyone up. When Rose heard the music, she wanted to sing along, but didn't.
"Days like this I want to run away..."
"Shut up!"
"Pack my bags and watch your shadow fade..."
"I told you to shut up!"
SMACK
"Worthless girl! Just be quiet and do your work! No one wants to hear your horrible voice!"
She looked down at her feet and stopped humming along. Caroline and Helen had been the only ones to hear her sing in years, and she wasn't about to let anyone else hear too.
Finally, Lettie and Anne couldn't take it. They'd become like Rose's family, and it hurt them to see her like this.
"Rose?" Anne said softly. "I think we need to talk."
Rose looked up and nodded blanky, letting them lead her away.
"When we got out of the fire, you said something about how I didn't leave you. Why would I do that?" Lettie said slowly and gently.
Rose sighed. She should have known she couldn't hide forever.
"When I was eight...there was a fire at the orphanage I worked at. I was trapped inside and no one came. By some miracle I survived, and woke up in the wreckage a few hours later with a broken leg. I called for someone, but there was no one. My body was visible, even if there was wood and ash on me. I realized that they had just assumed I was dead and left me in the fire. I lived on the streets after that."
Lettie and Anne stared at her. This made so much sense. Rose had been so scared by the fact that she was left to die in a burning building that she didn't trust anyone again. She was scared of being abandoned that way.
"Rose," Anne said, crouching down and looking the young girl in the eyes. "We would never do that for you. Lettie came, didn't she? And have we treated you like the others in the orphanage?"
Rose smiled a bit, which filled Anne and Lettie with relief.
"No, you don't treat me like them."
"What was it like?" Lettie asked hesitantly.
Rose sighed, silently struggling. She had never told anyone, but this was Anne and Lettie. They always kept her secrets.
Well, maybe she didn't have to tell them everything.
"It was hard. I only got the table scraps and they would shout at me if I did something wrong. Occasionally I was slapped, but that was the extent of it. The worst things happened when I was on the streets."
Anne and Lettie could sense that there was more, but didn't want to push Rose. This was the most that she'd ever told them, and it made sense.
"Thank you for telling us," Lettie said gently. "I know you don't want anyone to know, but can we just tell-"
"No," Rose said. "I want to do it."
They drew back in shock as she walked back into the living room and everyone stopped talking and looked up at her.
"Rose?" Helen asked her friend. "We were wondering...why did the fire affect you so much?"
Rose explained it to them, and they all gave her sympathetic looks.
"You know," Anne whispered to Lettie. "I have a feeling things are going to change a bit now that Rose is opening up. I feel like there's still more, but we'll get there. Someday."
That night, the three of them got to their room. It was like every other night - they took baths, got dressed for bed, and lay down. But there was one thing different from everything that had happened this past month.
Rose didn't have nightmares.
Please review and tell me what you thought of the ending. And do you think I wrote the fire scene and the song one well? I'm trying something new with these little flashbacks, and I want to make sure I'm doing it right.
-Creator of Magic