My early Christmas gift to you all, a new chapter! Enjoy!
3
It wasn't until early morning that everything was set up. Since they aren't staying here long, a lot of personal items are left packed in the trucks. Shusei has a few books out on his nightstand in case he finds a moment to himself. Immediately after everything was set up and put into place and Tanaka had approved, Shusei collapses in his bed; more like a cot than a bed. His tent was mostly empty.
He lies in his bed and puts the back of his hand to his forehead. He let out an exasperated breath when it still feels warm. The last thing he needs now is a fever.
He rolls over to his side and closes his eyes, trying to lose himself in unconsciousness.
….
The sound of an alarm clock goes off, and a fist harshly falls down on it to silence it. Hotsuma lazily looks over to the clock. 11:24. Seeing that it's almost noon he drops his face back into its pillow instead of getting up. He wants to fall back asleep to make up for all the missed sleep from having to go to school, plus another night spent playing a video game doesn't help.
Remembering that tonight is the night of the circus he's been invited to, he gets a little energy and sits up in bed. Hotsuma still can't believe he was talked in to this.
I feel like a damn kid…
He doesn't hurry out of bed. He has nothing to do today until the show late at night.
Hotsuma wonders what he'll see tonight.
The whole thing is probably a joke. Smoke and mirrors…
But another part of Hotsuma wonders…
What if it is real?
Hotsuma lets out a pathetic laugh for having thought that.
….
It's pitch black.
Shusei stands in a clearing, steadfast with his hands balled into fists. He's shaking but whether out of fear or anger, he isn't sure.
Across from him is a tall elegant and yet feral man with silver eyes. Behind him are two wolf like beasts, black fur with red eyes and baring their long, sharp fangs.
"Tell me, Zweilt, " He says in a sarcastic tone, "How does it feel to be abandoned?"
Shusei doesn't answer, and when the silver eyed man grows tired of Shusei's silence, he holds up a hand, an indication to the two dogs they recognize as a signal to kill.
Shusei can't move…
Or maybe he doesn't want to.
What's the point, anyway?'
One beast's jaws latches on to Shusei's throat and pierces down with all its might. As blood begins dripping down his neck and breathing became near impossible, the other wolf dug its claws into his stomach.
Shusei could barely let out a scream and before he knew it, the world went black as the sound of sadistic laughter fills the air.
…
Shusei awoke with a start, letting out deep labored breaths.
What…what was that? A dream?
He felt his body for any signs of injury. When he realizes he hasn't been attacked his hand rests on his head again. He's burning up with a fever.
That dream…it was probably just the fever.
Shusei felt like the world was swaying and, even while sitting, couldn't orientate himself.
This isn't good.
Whether it is bad or good, he wasn't going to complain to anyone about it.
He swings his legs over the side of his bed and firmly set them on the floor. He gets up slowly to avoid any added dizziness and grabs on to the desk beside his bed for support. When Shusei thinks he's safe, he lets go.
Shusei wobbles a little bit but manages to stand. He sees his coat lying in the corner and slowly walks over to pick it up. He puts it on and tries to smooth out the wrinkles. It doesn't look great and Tanaka will probably scold him for it after the show, but he puts it out of his mind for now.
Shusei pulls up his sleeve and looks at his watch. His eyes open widely in shock.
I slept all day!
It's 10:20 at night. He only has a few minutes before the show.
"I've got to hurry." His voice cracks. He can't believe how badly he feels and sounds now. He shouldn't be performing in this condition. Shusei sees a bottle of water next to his bed that he left there last night after unpacking. He hurriedly drinks it all. It doesn't make him feel better like he hoped, but he has no choice now. Shusei runs out of his tent and rushes over to where the show will begin in just a few minutes.
….
Hotsuma leaves little early to make sure he meets up with the others on time. He doesn't bring anything with him other than his cell phone in his pocket and a little bit of money. On the way there, he found Kazuki, and the two walk together to the meeting place. Katsu, Osamu and Yuu are already there waiting for the others. Hotsuma doesn't know the other three too well, so he stuck by Kazuki's side.
Osamu gave Hotsuma his ticket.
He examines it carefully, still thinking this whole thing is a joke. He doesn't notice the others leaving until Kazuki taps his shoulder, "Come on! Let's go!"
They continue to walk further into the forest, almost losing their way a few times. About twenty minutes pass before they find the dim lights of the circus grounds. The whole place is blocked off by a fence except for a booth at the entrance where a worker was waiting to take tickets. The group walks up to the booth and hands their tickets to the silent man. When he receives all their tickets, he waves his hand, telling them to enter.
It is like stepping into a whole new world. There are people all around, playing games, eating candy, and shopping. It is noisy but being hidden in the trees is enough to contain the sound of the circus. It is mostly dark unless near a tent or booth, but by now Hotsuma's eyes are used to the dark and he no longer had a hard time seeing.
Everything is brightly colored, but years of wear faded the color a bit, giving the cirque an antique look. The only things up to date are the banners portraying the current actors. The sound of music is heard throughout the cirque grounds, the usual music one would hear in a circus. To Hotsuma, it sounds like a high pitched train. According to Osamu, the musical instrument is called a calliope, an instrument comprised of musical whistles that were originally used train whistles.
Hotsuma looks all around, taking in all the sights the cirque had to offer. He was relieved to see it wasn't a typical children's show. There is an atmosphere to this circus that felt a little mature, more dangerous. This feeling lifts Hotsuma's mood.
"Hey, there are games here! Let's play a few!" Yuu said running towards the games and away from the group. He stopped in front of what looks like a shooting game. The booth is lined with cheap prizes.
"We don't have time! The show will start soon!" Osamu pulled Yuu back from the games.
"Show?" Hotsuma turns to Kazuki.
"Oh, he didn't tell ya?" Kazuki said blankly, "This cirque has an awesome event with fire breathers and contortionists and stuff!"
"Hmm…"
"Fine! After the show, let's play though!" Yuu was more interested in the games than the show.
"Alright!"
"Hey, there's cotton candy!" Katsu said. Osamu sighs, knowing the night will be like this.
Kazuki laughs, "Osamu, you're like the parent!"
Once everyone was gathered together, they all decide to head for the main tent. The big brightly colored tent in the middle is where the performances take place. There is a line outside but people are quickly being ushered in. They only had to wait ten minutes before being seated.
They end up sitting in a middle row, so their view of the stage is good. Hotsuma has an end seat, which he likes. Kazuki was sitting next to him.
Inside the tent, the center of the tent is brightly lit, but everyone in the audience is in shadow. In the middle is a large round stage in the center with two smaller ones on either side. The age and wear on the stage and equipment is evident and half of it doesn't look safe. Large poles are placed around the rings to act as both support for the tent and for the tight ropes and swings. Hotsuma doesn't see any safety nets.
"This should be good! What do you think, Renjou?" He asks Hotsuma. Kazuki is like a little kid with his excitement towards the upcoming show.
"Yeah." He answers still unsure of the whole thing.
"Did ya have a hard time sneaking out? My parents are gonna pissed if they find out." Kazuki laughs, unaffected by the scolding he will most likely receive.
"Nah. They won't notice I'm gone." Hotsuma said with an air of disdain.
Kazuki saw Hotsuma's demeanor change and worried that he said something he shouldn't have, "Sorry…if I said something I shouldn't ha-"
"No!" Hotsuma didn't mean to upset Kazuki, "My parents are always gone. They're always away on business."
"Oh…"
"It's no big deal!" Hotsuma pipes up, not wanting to ruin the fun, "It's fine, really!"
Most people aren't aware of Hotsuma's home life, other than Tsukumo and his sister. Aside from his parents, he lives comfortably in a large home. His appearance and attitude however, would never hint at his personal life. Both of his parent's are businessmen, and are very wealthy. While Hotsuma lives almost luxuriously, he feels like he has no family.
The two are interrupted by the dimming of the lights. The tent stays quiet for a moment and then a spotlight appeared on the center stage, which remains empty. A few people begin whispering to their neighbors about the show and what is going to happen next.
"Allow me to personally thank each and every member of the audience…" A voice echoes in the dark tent.
Hotsuma perks up at the sound of the voice. A voice that sounds forced with an underlying hint of sadness and shame.
A figured appears in the light.
Hotsuma strains his eyes to get a better look at the host.
It wasn't an old man, like Hotsuma had expected. In his mind, a ringmaster was an old gentleman with years and years of experience in the circus industry. Rather, the person standing center stage was a boy his age. A boy who should be in school, not traveling with some freak show. The boy looks fatigued and near collapsing, but putting on a brave face for the crowd. People begin cheering at the sight of a performer.
Can't they see the strain in the boy's face? Hostuma wonders.
The boy wears a wrinkled green jacket over a vest with pinstripe pants tucked into a pair of boots. His short brown hair was a little messy. But the more he spoke the stronger he was getting.
The boy ran his fingers through his hair, like he had heard Hotsuma's thoughts.
"Thank you everyone for joining us here tonight." He spoke confidently to the crowd. Hotsuma cringed at the thought of standing up in front of so many people to speak. Either this boy was confident or just very use to this routine, "I will be your host and ringmaster for the night!"
"Tonight, we have prepared a great show for you all. Amazing performances that will leave you breathless. But rather than boring you with a speech, I'll introduce our first performer." He continues.
"Our first act will be performed by Steele," The boy begins to walk off stage but abruptly turns back to the crowd, "Ah, yes!" He was reminded, "I must insist that nobody…Nobody, try any of what you are about to see." He puts a sarcastic smile back on his face and walks off the stage.
Bored by the name of the performer, Hotsuma's eyes follow the boy until he is out of sight. The crowds' cheers for the first performer pulls his attention back towards the stage.
He is a tall thin man dressed casually in black pants and a button down shirt. Despite his young appearance, he has gray hair that is combed neatly black. He couldn't be over 30 years old. He carries with him two long, thin swords.
Hotsuma rests his chin on his hands and he stares blankly at the stage.
The man puts his arms in the air to gain attention and begins giving a brief history on his act, sword swallowing.
"Sword swallowing is a dying art due to its danger. In order to successfully do this, one must train three gag reflexes and be able to remain calm, which is obviously difficult to do. The sword passes closely to the heart and aorta, which if cut, will cause massive bleeding and death."
Hotsuma listens to the man and the more he speaks about the dangers, the more intrigued he becomes.
"But, enough talk!" Steele says, "Time to show you what sword swallowing is all about!" He lifts one of the blades above his head with the point above his throat and pulls it down in front of his stomach to show the audience how far the blade will go once inside. Steele lifts the sword and brings it to his mouth and carefully licks the length of the blade. Once again he holds the blade above his head, opens his mouth, and inserts the sword. It slowly goes into his body and once all the way in, he lets go of it and holds his arms out. A few seconds later he quickly pulls the sword out, giving the crowd a chance to applaud.
He performs the trick a few more times. The ringmaster brings out several swords which Steele swallows all at once. When the sword swallower left the stage the audience cheered loudly.
"That was crazy!" Said one of the boys, Hotsuma can't tell who over the noise.
The boy walks on stage again, gesturing with his hands for quiet.
The ringmaster continued to introduce the next acts. After performances by jugglers, contortionists, knife-throwers, lion tamer, and more, the ringmaster appeared once more on the stage, completely worn out and ghostly pale, "I'm sorry to say that that is all for tonight's show! Thank you so much for coming this evening, perhaps we will see you all at another show!"
Hotsuma was happy to confirm his earlier hunch that there were no clowns in this type of circus. Kazuki nudges Hotsuma's shoulder interrupting the ringmaster, "That was pretty awesome, wasn't it? I'm gonna have to try some of those stunts!"
"That's dangerous! You'll kill yourself, Kazuki!" Osamu overheard.
Hotsuma wasn't paying attention to the two. He listened to the young ringmaster's voice as he begins telling people to exit the tents. He hears the others getting up and decides to follow their lead.
"Now let's go check out the games!" Yuu said while rushing out of the tent.
Osamu and Katsu follow him out of the tent. Kazuki looks over his shoulder and calls for Hotsuma, "Ya coming?"
"Uh…yeah." Hotsuma answers.
"Well let's go before we lose them!" He grabs Hotsuma by the arm and pulls him along.
When they exited the tent, Hotsuma looks back. He can see some the performers walking off, probably to go take a rest, while others went to their booth to sell merchandise and put on a few small acts. In the midst of the crowd, Hotsuma sees the ringmaster walking alone. Hotsuma realizes the boy never mentioned his name in the show.
I wonder…who is he?
Kazuki notices that Hotsuma became dead weight, "Hey. What's up?"
"…" Hotsuma looks back at the tent, "Nothing. Why don't you go with the rest and I'll catch up later."
"Uh? Alright…Is everything okay?"
"Yeah, don't worry about me!" Hotsuma ran off before Kazuki could ask any more questions.
Hostuma lost sight of the boy amidst the crowd, but that didn't deter him. He had to know more about that ringmaster.
What's his story?
Thank you to everyone who reviews and favorites! It really means a lot!
To those who celebrate, Merry Christmas and have a great holiday!
Hope to see you in the next chapter!
