Poison Princess

Chapter Six: Poison Flowers

Chapter Six: Poison Flowers

A handful of members of the scientific community theorize that the newly divergent evolutionary offshoot of human beings, known as Espers, possess an inner instinct or drive that compels them to kill humans, a murderous subconscious voice, if you will. They believe it is the supposed driving force to push Espers to replace ordinary humans as the planet's dominant sentient species. No true evidence of such a voice or instinct exists, however. When asked about the subject, most Espers express no such feelings toward humans, they only wish to live peacefully in society.

Some say that the theory is merely anti-Esper propaganda, an excuse to ramp up the hatred and discrimination against them. But the main basis of the Espers' "genetic voice" theory originates from a few observations of the species. Young Espers often face hatred and contempt at the hands of their human parents, and as a result, many of these Espers end up attacking and even killing their parents, or being abandoned by them before such a thing happens, which results in even more emotional anguish and abuse that often leads to future Esper violence.

Some scientists believe that the true purpose of an Esper's killing instinct is to outbreed and replace human beings, but while this is merely speculation, it cannot be denied that the Esper birthrate has been rising every year, and the species has been finding its place among society. Perhaps one day, far into the future, it could be possible that Espers may become Earth's dominant race, but even if that were the case, violence against them will only result in more tension.

It is also important to consider that while Espers are not fully human, they are still descended from human lineage. In that case, Espers carry the same intelligence and emotional capacity as humans, so it is only natural to believe that suffering such abuse would cause them to eventually lash out, just as any other person might. More research is required to ascertain whether this killing instinct Espers supposedly possess is a genetic entity, or simply a creation of miserable children.

-A report from the Planetary Defense Agency in discussion of Espers' instincts

A year had passed since my arrival at the Rouge Fleur Circus as its newest performer. By now, I had made this place my home. The fellow non-human performers who I once feared had now become my closest friends. We ate together, practiced together, performed together...we were practically family, the family I had always wanted but never had. I was no longer a stranger here, some awkward Esper kid fumbling and stumbling through the world of the circus arts.

I was a full-fledged performer now, the Poison Princess. I saw my face on posters, t-shirts, and other merchandise they sold in the shop under the big top. It was a weird feeling, seeing people buying stuff with my image on it.

By then, I had grown into more of a woman- taller, leaner, more defined. I wasn't standing out so much among all of these inhuman beings. One day, I was practicing ballet alongside Amdusias and Andrealphus. The two demons were taking turns performing a pas de deux with me, in preparation for an upcoming ballet-themed act in the circus. A pas de deux was a dance between a male and female performer, where the man often acted as support for the woman as she pulled off more complicated, dynamic poses that she would be unable to acheive on her own.

Amdusias was delicate and slow, while Andrealphus was forceful and fast, keeping me on my toes in order to keep up with his quick movements. I twirled about to avoid being smacked by his sprawling train of peacock-like, eye-studded tailfeathers. He made a show out of it, like he was trying to court me. "Your body seems so fragile, but you can still maintain pace with me," Andrealphus commented. "You seem to have a knack for ballet, but I'd say you'd do wonderfully in my kabuki act instead. You may be partners with Ophelia right now, but...there's no rule that says you can't have multiple mates."