Le Cirque

Chapter Three

  Maralove Maudelyn was a bitter, critical little girl. She was seven years old, and had only been at the circus for about a month. Few people liked her, but that was okay because she didn't like them, either. Her closest friend was Hale, and that was because he was rarely around to witness her malice. When she first got to the circus, she didn't talk. No matter who tried, no one could get a single word out of her. Clowns tried to make her laugh, animal tamers let her pet the friendlier beasts, acrobats attempted to befriend her, but all to no avail. Then, one day, she suddenly seemed to come alive. "Why don't you just change of those ridiculous heels?" she asked, looking pointedly at the resident dragon tamer’s feet. The woman could barely walk in her shoes, and was tottering dangerously close to the edge of the platform on which she performed.

  There was a shocked silence, and then everyone ran up to her. “Why wouldn’t you talk? Where are you from? Do you just love it here?” Everyone was curious. Maralove didn’t answer their questions, though. She looked around at the small crowd, smirked, and walked away.  Again, there was a silence, only interrupted when the dragon tamer flipped her red hair back and proclaimed, “I liked her better when she was silent.”

  And most people reluctantly had to agree.

  As the weeks went on, it became apparent that the only time Maralove was going to talk was when she wanted to criticize someone. People stopped welcoming her to watch their practice, and some even chased her off when she came. Lots of disgruntled performers crowded around her practices, yelling insults and slurs. She didn’t make mistakes often (she was already a terribly good tightrope walker) but those she did make she could be tormented about for days.

  Do you feel bad for her? Don’t. You would have done the same thing. She was vicious. “You look stupid, not funny. Who even thought to make you fall? You way overdramatize it, and everyone in the entire audience will only laugh at your bad acting,” she said to one clown on a particularly nasty day. “None of you laugh. You’re all even worse, or else Hale would have chosen you to do it!” she added, staring at the others. She turned and walked away before anyone could retaliate.  

  Maralove would have been thrown out but for two things. One, the circus was always in desperate need for more acrobats. Two, she was just about the perfect candidate for a performer. She looked amazing, standing up on top of the world, sparkling gold hair falling to her waist. No one could deny it; it felt like watching a god. She didn’t do anything so common as to walk. She floated. Glided across the rope. A fiercely devoted look would come over her face. The tightrope was a part of her, as necessary as any organ. It was harder to hate Maralove watching her practice tightrope walking.  Still, most of the people at the circus found a way.

  Maralove was eating lunch when Hale and Shar got to the Circus tents. The whole circus could be packed onto a train in minutes, and then set up again almost as quickly so that everyone could get some practice for a few days between shows. The crew had three days before moving on to the next world. An all too familiar smirk played across Maralove’s lips as she caught sight of Shar, looking puny and terrified next to Hale.  “And what is this?” she asked, looking up with an all too innocent expression at Hale. “A new member of the circus,” he announced loudly. Many people looked up, curious as to what exactly she could do. “She’s from earth, and Madame has pegged her as a tightrope performer.” There were a few nervous chuckles and pointed looks at Maralove.

  “I expect you to make her feel welcome here, and show her around when she needs it. Someday, she’ll probably kick all your asses, so you had better be on her good side. Madame said she would be one of the best performers any of us had ever seen, and it’s my job to exploit her, so any of you that so much as put a scratch on her head, I’ll kill you.” He turned and walked away, leaving a baffled little girl with many curious people watching her.

  It was an outright lie, telling everyone of her remarkable talent. There was no part of Hale that thought Shar would be miraculous. Not even he could say why he felt the need to set up such expectations for everyone, knowing that they’d fall flat.

  As he entered his small office, he suddenly remembered what day it was. It was too late to turn around, so with a sigh, he forced himself to meet the men standing opposite him.

  “Hello, gentlemen, how are you today?”

  Hale, cut the shit. We all know you couldn’t care less how we are.

  “Oh, but you’re wrong. I’m burning with curiosity as to your personal lives.”

  Sorry, you’ll just have to be left wondering. We came to remind you. You have twenty years left. Then, this is done. That is, unless you’ve managed to find it.

  “No, not yet. But twenty years can be a long time, and-“

  Not out of more than three thousand. We are impatient. Just remember you’re deadline.

  “I assure you, gentlemen, I never forget it.”

  Back in the lunch room (well, it was more of a tent) everyone openly stared at the small girl sitting alone. Shar was fighting back tears. Shar was scared, and some of the more freakish creatures had her wondering exactly what she had gotten herself into. Suddenly, someone walked up and sat down opposite. Another little girl, with sparkling gold hair and translucent skin. She didn’t look scared at all. She was smiling.

  As Maralove plopped down next to Shar, not a single person in the entire room breathed. And then she opened her mouth to speak. Many people visibly edged forward to hear.

  “Hi, I’m another tightrope walker. Have you tried the green stuff? It’s delicious!”

  No one quite understood the way those two managed to be friends. But during lunch that day, Maralove was friendly, funny, and… nice. No one could fathom the change, especially seeing how Shar was competition. For the rest of the day, the two stayed together. And as Shar struggled to stay balanced on the tightrope for the first time, Maralove didn’t mock her once. No one understood it. What was wrong with Maralove?  

  She still was rude to everyone else, but Shar was off limits. She had taken a liking to the young girl, and that was that. And so time passed, like is so often does, right under everyone’s noses, and it was three years later.

  The girls were ready to perform.