Read and Review :)
Chapter 3: Meeting the family
She held the paper up high once again, reading the address and her adopter over and over again. This is the place, but what kind of place is this? This shouldn't have passed the health test of Alfea, the place was a dump, flyers scattered everywhere with popcorn bits and wrappers on each corner, the air had the combining smell of corndogs and rotten meat, plus, there wasn't a house, only matching yellow and red tents. Who would let someone live here? The place was practically deserted.
Practically, but not quite. Musa walked around, clutching the sling of her backpack and the papers in her other hand. She could hear the faint sounds of a band playing lively music that had a childish ring to it, she could hear a few people laughing from one of the tents and noticed that most of them weren't lit; there was one, a much larger one; that stood out in the center of the quad.
She walked to it.
As she got closer, Musa's eyes glittered from the lights that were brightening her way. There were large posters with things that she couldn't make out, there were smaller tents that lured her interest and there were noise that she couldn't ignore.
Once she reached the larger tent she pulled the curtain a tiny bit and peeked, trying to see what kind of people her new family is.
Her eyes widened as she saw more than a dozen beings in every nook of the tent, it was larger in the inside. The first thing that caught her attention was the redhead that kept breathing fire; she was standing in the center on top of a large elevated circle with a blonde girl that looked pretty normal. Next, her eyes traced the a hint of movement up above, she saw 2 girls swinging in the air, one was tan and the other was dark skinned, they flipped and flapped to and fro, laughing as they succeed. Over by some bleachers, Musa heard a loud roar; a lion faced-serpent tailed-goat bodied-chimera was being tamed by a girl with pink hair and yellow tips. But another roar was heard, not an animal's roar, but off a motorcycles, engines were purring and wheels were screeching as two men drove around the tent with their bikes, avoiding everyone and ever thing that would block their way.
Musa had never seen anything like this.
"Well, well, well…" a low grunt was heard from behind, Musa turned to see two men looking down at her. Caught in the act.
She released her hand from the curtain and smiled sweetly at the two gents, one was an elder man while the other was a big brute that didn't look too happy to see her.
"Are you lost, lassie?" the big brute stepped in and crossed his huge arms together, trying to intimidate her.
It worked "No… Not really, I- Well…"
"Speak up, then, what is it that you want?" his tone was rougher and challenging, the elder man noticed and stepped in as to help the young girl.
"Now, now, Cordatorta, we don't need any trouble" he looked at Musa and gave her a smile "May we help you with anything, dear?"
Musa hesitated "Oh" she showed her papers to the two men that seemed nice enough to help her figure out the whole adoption thing with Cirque du Magix "I was sent here, from Alfea Children's Home, but I think there's some kind of mix up"
The elder man read the papers slowly while his expressions remained neutral, adding to the anxiousness Musa felt from the very beginning "I see"
"So you're Musa, eh?" Cordatorta stepped in once again "We've actually been expecting you, didn't think you'd arrive this early. C'mon then, let's show you around"
"Wait, what?" Musa was pushed inside the tent, not getting a word from the elder man who kept reading her papers as the bigger man led her in.
Everyone in the tent smiled, waved, bowed and even high-fived Cordatorta as they entered, each of them, curiously looked at Musa. They didn't give her a bad feeling, it was different, not like the looks she'd been getting in ACH.
"Hey, Cords!" one of the men that Musa saw riding the bikes stopped in front of them and removed his helmet, he was blonde and charming.
"Sky, how's practice?" he exchanged greetings with the young fellow, Musa was quite surprised that Sky looked like they were the same age.
"Great, but Brandon here," he pointed to the other bike user "Was trying to steal my thunder"
"Your thunder?" Brandon had removed his helmet, he was a brunette that also seemed to be under the same age as Musa "Excuse you; I can't help it if my natural talents just come out"
"You mean falling down?" Sky retorted back.
"I don't imitate what you're good at" Brandon grinned that earned him a smack on the shoulder, but it was all playful roughhousing.
Cordatorta was laughing as he intervened between the two men "Lads! Now, show some manners, you're in front of a lady"
Both of them looked at the girl he was referring to and bowed their heads "Sorry" they said in unison.
"It's no problem…" Musa was frantic; she had never had more than a few seconds of talk with people and that would usually lead to her secret exposed.
"Better" Cordatorta loudened his voice and patted the two boys "This 'ere young lassie is Musa, a new member of our family" he pushed her towards them, making the jitters inside her explode "Treat her nicely"
"Brandon" the brunette offered his hand, Musa accepted hesitatingly "And that's Skylar, he's the eldest among us so if you need a big bro, you can count on him with anything"
Sky rolled his eyes and offered his hand which Musa accepted as well "You can call me Sky"
"Musa, I'm Musa"
They both laughed, making the blue haired girl blush.
"Why don't you lads introduce her to the girls? Then we'll head down to the Domain tent for her to meet the others where she'll see Tecna, her roommate" Cordatorta offered.
"Alright" Brandon waved as they took Musa away from the two men, the elder one still focused on the paperwork.
Brandon, Sky and Musa's first visit were the two people Musa had seen first, the girl that breathed fire and the blonde that was next to her. Both of them were still by the circular stage, but were taking a break from what they were doing.
"Brandon!" the blonde got up from the floor and threw her bottled water at the redhead, earning her a few friendly glares.
"Hey there, Stel" Brandon gave her a hug then pointed at Musa "I want you to meet someone"
Stella smiled at her, which was not the reaction Musa was expecting, usually girls gave her an odd questionable look.
"Her name's Musa and she just got here, Cordatorta said she'll be joining us"
Stella's smile grew wider and she grabbed Musa by the arm "Holy magix, seriously? This is great! You'll have to meet everyone!"
Stella gestured the redhead to approach them, she complied.
"That's Bloom, Sky's girl"
"Stella" Bloom swatted Stella's shoulder but changed expressions when she faced Musa "Don't mind Stella, she could be a bit of a coo coo"
Musa nodded, but returned the same smile.
"I always thought you were my girl" Sky butted in.
Bloom shrugged.
"Looks like Sky always had a one sided relationship!" Brandon joked, making Sky tackle him as they laughed.
Stella grabbed Brandon and grunted "You two can be so immature, go bring that somewhere else, you can leave Musa and the introductions with us"
The two boys didn't protest and said their goodbyes to Musa, who was happily enjoying what she was seeing so far. She had no idea that there were people as nice as them, who didn't judge her right away. But still, they didn't know who or what she was.
"C'mon, we'll let you meet the others" Bloom pulled Musa with her and they sprinted off, with Stella.
As the sun settle down Musa had met almost everyone in the tent, she found out that the flying girls were Flora and Layla, the chimera tamer was called Roxy, and she met 3 other boys: Timmy, Roy, and Helia. Each of them different but they had this one thing in common, they were nice to her. No one was always this nice to her in the home, only Daphne. Speaking about Daphne, she hadn't had the chance to say goodbye. It was saddening to leave things like that, but Griselda had already told her that Daphne's arrival was spontaneous; no one knew when it would be. So accepting the adoption was her final option, rather than being alone.
Cordatorta called everyone for supper and Musa was beginning to make some friends, she found out that Bloom was also an orphan, giving her something to talk about, and stories about her experiences.
In a large wooden house, hidden behind smaller tents, everyone gathered for supper. The floors squeaked, the walls wiggled, and the lights were dimmed. But Musa was sure that there were more people, the ones she met in the tent weren't the only one's she should've met.
Sitting in one corner was a girl with metals attached to her body, she had a red circular left eye, a prosthetic left arm that made sounds when she moved it and Musa saw that inside her shirt were a lot of bandages that emitted some lights. Sitting opposite from her was Timmy, a young ginger who seemed to be at ease with her. On the table in front of them were 3 young girls that looked to be 10-11inch tall, they needed lifts to help them reach the table, sitting with them were Flora and Layla, the two ladies that kept swinging. Across their table was Roxy, Roy and a little rabbit who kept walking using his hind legs, which caught Musa by surprise. Next to their table there were 3 girls seated, one had long white hair, the 2nd had cloudy purple hair and the last had straight dark hair, they set of a bad vibe which was understood since they kept glaring at everyone who passed by them. And lastly, Helia and a fellow with spiky magenta hair that wore a half torn up robe were seated in the other corner.
"Don't worry, you'll meet the new faces later" Stella assured Musa, pushing her to the table where Brandon and Sky were seated.
-After dinner-
Murmurs and whispers filled the wooden house, everyone was finished and was waiting for their permission to go and do as they please.
Cordatorta stood up from his chair, everyone was silent. He coughed, scanned the room and started to talk "Alright, we had a good meal, got to do some training and we enjoyed our latest show. Now, tonight, we will be having a bon fire to celebrate our new family member…"
Everyone started to whisper again, but of course, all eyes were on Musa.
"Let's have Saladin speak up for the introductions"
Everyone applauded as the elder man stood up.
"Good evening and thank you everyone. Now then, as you all have noticed we have a new face joining us tonight, her name is Musa…" Saladin gestured her to stand.
Musa stood and felt that same feeling when her expose happened in Jared's party, she inhaled deeply and waved at everyone "Hello"
"She's going to be living with us and helping us with our shows, we will be her new family and I expect everyone to treat her as such, you've all been good to each other, I shall hope she isn't any different" he smiled and nodded.
Everyone applauded once more and the elder man sat back down.
People started to get up and dish out their plates; Bloom and Stella led Musa to where the cleaning station was and quickly washed their plates. They pulled her away from the wooden house and were just in the nick of time. They lured her to the center field of Cirque du Magix where the bon fire will be held, catching the men in action.
"Don't you just love the way Brandon carries those branches?" Stella was sighing dreamily as she watched her man help out find with the fire.
Bloom rolled her eyes and bumped shoulders with Stella "Please, you love everything about Brandon"
Musa laughed and looked at Bloom and Stella's way, her eyes widening as she saw Stella under the night sky.
"Whoa" she gasped, catching both Bloom and Stella's attention "Stella, you're glowing?"
"Oh" Stella giggled.
Bloom nodded "Sit down, Musa, I need you to breath"
Musa was following the pattern Bloom was creating, inhale, exhale, inhale, exhale But Stella was glowing yellow, her eyes did not deceive her.
"Hey, sunshine" Brandon passed by and waved at Stella.
Stella playfully waved back "Okay, Musa, there's something you need to know about your new home"
But before Stella could explain the bon fire was lit, everyone was present and loud cheers echoed around. Everyone started dancing, howling and chanting. Musa then got an eyeful of everyone.
"Are you guys having fun?" Flora joined in and offered the three some drinks.
Musa nodded "Getting there" she breathed out.
Flora giggled and looked at Stella "She saw you glow, huh?"
"Oops?" Stella stuck her tongue out and drained her drink.
Bloom shook her head and laughed "Don't worry, everyone will formally introduce themselves to you"
As the night grew longer the bon fire grew stronger. Everyone was dancing, music was coming out from either side of the tents, people were roasting whatevers in the fire, Bloom was playing with the fire and Musa was actually having fun. She mingled and talked, she met the girl with the metallic eye, she danced with the 3 little girls and she got to drink cold juice with the rabbit. It was the start of her 1st night in her new home.
"Okay, okay, okay!" Stella halted everyone, unplugging the source of music which resulted with booings, she laughed it off and gestured everyone to take their seats "It's time for introductions"
Everyone took their seats around the fire.
"Great! We'll start this formal event with our oldest man, Skylar!" Stella pointed at Sky who shook his head with a laugh as Brandon pushed him to his feet "Remember, gramps, name and specialty"
"I got it, I got it" he laughed and looked at Musa "My name is Skylar and I am a Leva bike Specialist, I received the nickname Sky because I can do stunts with my bike in mid-air"
Everyone applauded, next.
"My name is Brandon and I, too, am a Leva bike Specialist. I train with Sky with death-defying stunts, so thank you"
Everyone laughed, next.
"My name is Stella and I am called the firefly in Cirque du Magix, as you can see," she stepped out of the light from which the fire emitted "My whole body glows. I am part of the Unique Cirque performance"
Everyone applauded, next.
"My name is Bloom and I am a fire eater," she stuck her tongue out "I can eat, duh, and breath fire which usually gets people all awed by"
Everyone laughed, next.
"My name is Timothy but everyone calls me Timmy, I am the ring master of Cirque du Magix and I make sure that everyone is in proper shape when it's their act"
Everyone applauded and some whistled, next.
"My name is Tecna and I am called Cyborg, I am half human and half robot given certain circumstances and I am part of the Unqiue Cirque performance"
Everyone applauded, next.
"My name is Flora and I'm an Acrobat and Contortionist, I usually do acrobatic stunts but I'm starting to learn more about contortion"
Everyone applauded, next.
"My name is Layla and I, too, am an Acrobat and Contortionist, I'm more familiar with contortion but Flora helped me with some acrobatic routines so we decided to become partners to give the audience a better performance"
Everyone applauded, next.
"My name is Lockette and these are my sisters, Amore" she pointed to the redheaded shy one "And Piff" she pointed at the tiniest one who looks to be tried "And the 3 of use are called 11inch Mini's, we're actually 25 years old but due to birth defection we've been stuck in our toddler bodies. We are part of the Unique Cirque performance"
Everyone applauded, next.
"My name is Roy and I am a magician" he showed his arm tattoo and it started to glow "I use to work under the late Nabu, a magician that used to be part of Cirqu du Magix, he thought me everything I know about the art. And my assistant, Kiko the rabbit, is part of my act"
Everyone applauded, next.
"Hi, my name is Roxy and I am the animal tamer for Cirque du Magix. I specialize on chimeras but I can also tame unicorns, griffins, lions, bears, gators and snakes"
Everyone applauded, next.
"Good evening, my name is Helia and I am the strongest man in Cirque du Magix, I perform with the other acts that will require lifting heavy objects such as people on pianos, car pulling, or people tossing. But I also participate in the Unique Cirque performance, thank you"
Everyone applauded, next.
Three girls stood up "My name is Icy and these are my sisters, Stormy," she pointed to the cloudy purple haired one "And Darcy" she pointed to the dark haired one "And we are the Witches of Cloud tower, we man that tower" Icy pointed to the tallest building in the area "Where people usually go when they want to frighten themselves, but we do fortunetelling as well"
Everyone applauded, next.
And lastly "My name is Riven and I am part of Unique Cirque performance, I scare children"
Everyone applauded.
Musa stood and spoke up "Thank you for introducing yourselves, my name is Musa and I hope to get to know each and every one of you well"
No, she couldn't tell them what she was. Musa felt trapped, out of everyone, she felt like she was the weirdest of them all. She couldn't, not yet.