A few days had gone by since Carson took in the two orphans by the field. He'd seen the desperate faces and sparks in their almost extinguished eyes. That was the only reason he needed.
The older one he had big plans for. He said he was 11, but Carson knew that with his height, he could pass as at least 14. Barney would have to perform, maybe with swords or knives or maybe even a bow and arrow.
As for the younger boy...he didn't know what to do or expect. Clint seemed ordinary, no special skills at all; he was also too young and small to pretend to be older than his mild age of 7.
It reminded Carson of the other "freaks" he had taken in and given a family. Freaks is what they were called, the whole lot of them. Carson often showed his displeasure with that term, but who's to say the circus owner can't have an act himself?
That's what it was, a big, fat lie. He didn't feel that way at first, nearly falling in love with the first performer he picked up. Her name was Madame Samos; took after fortune telling like her fool of a mother. She still worked around occasionally, but was also married to another man and raising a child, much to Carson's dismay.
From there, it was Travis and Annie and Zachary. All three of them were barely more than teenagers, the youngest being only a few years out of highschool. They were pretty flexible too, which came in handy when Carson encouraged them to become trapeze artists.
Annie was flawless, now being a leader in the whole circus. Travis was okay; his inability to work well with others definitely messed up the dynamics. Zachary was the most problematic. He was already drinking a fair amount of alcohol, and the older people in the carnival industry didn't help matters get better. Both him and Travis eventually moved to working food and games booths while Annie trained newer recruits.
It wasn't that big a deal seeing as several more teenagers had expressed interest in joining the terribly mismatched group. More acts rose up like magic, from feel within the dark. There was simply no other way to describe it other than the revival of Carson's Carnival of Traveling Wonders. Originally belonging to his old man, the youngest in the family took over when he passed away.
Over the years, the circus had gotten ahold of several more skilled people and increased the amount of acts and events and shows across the country. The current show was just outside of Waverly, north to be exact. They had traveled from western Montana just days before, and prior to that was more south than any of those places.
Barney Barton was soon working knives with a man known as the Swordsman. Clint had only met him once, being so busy helping with the food and other methods of entertainment, but he seemed like a nice guy. His actual name was Jacques Duquesne, but rarely went by it.
Carson had told Swordsman his ideal plan; it included Barton working with him in the show as an assistant. Maybe with time, if he could work the blades well enough, he might be able to get a bigger role or swallow the damn things.
The younger Barton was placed under Annie's care, because she was great at helping people adapt to the circus gig. She also secretly loved the way he smiled and giggled and ran around the circus grounds. Clint helped set up the tents and booths to pass the time, but when there was no work, he liked to roam and explore the area.
It didn't take long for Clint Barton to become a favorite within the band of carnies. They hung out with him all day, unless they had to practice their acts. Carson had noticed what a little charmer he was; he immediately knew the audience would adore Clint over Barney since the older kid didn't smile as much, unless it was strained and fake.
That's why Carson routinely dropped hints about training Clint for trapeze and swords and god knows what else. Nobody seemed to notice, at least, they didn't do anything in fear of hurting their youngest runaway. Annie was the only one who stood up to Carson and told him to stop. She knew that she couldn't get kicked out of the carnival, the legendary trapeze artist was one of the main leads for the show.
"He's too young, Carson!"
"Well, I'm just saying. Barton can do a little more-"
"Clint already helps out. Maybe if you would pay more attention to him than booking shows and running a business, you would notice!"
The conversation still hadn't gone well. Carson expected more from the young kid, especially in the coming year. The businessman just couldn't grasp the idea that such a small child can help in different ways than performing.
His brother did just fine, and technically, they both had the same life experiences if you thought about it. Clint was the only thing on Carson's money making mind for the next few years. Even more so when it started paying.