In a mesmerizing circus where the boundaries between reality and illusion blur, Dex becomes entangled in a deadly game that only allows one victor to survive. With each step through the dazzling tents and enchanting attractions, he discovers that th...
"Could you please be quiet!" the teacher yelled from the front of the bus. "You're almost adults, so start acting like it!"
"Yeah, Jason, don't act like a child!"
"Coming from you!" laughed the boys at the back of the bus.
It was a hot summer day, and the last week of school had finally arrived. To give the oldest students, who would be moving on to high school next, a good memory of their school, there was a field trip today. To a circus.
"Dex. Dex!"
"Huh?" Dex jolted awake when he heard his name. "What do you want?" he asked, annoyed, rubbing his tired eyes. His seatmate, Niko, grinned widely and held up a colorful poster in front of Dex's face. "Apparently, the circus has a new owner. My brother told me he went to this circus with his class once, but it was super boring back then. Now they even have an amusement park! And really cool people work there, and..." Niko continued to chatter, not realizing that Dex had stopped listening. Dex took the poster and examined it closely; it was colorful, a bit too colorful. It was described in large letters what new things were available, and there was a picture of the new circus director. He looked young, with makeup on his face and blue hair.
"Hey, Niko?" Dex suddenly said. The brown-haired boy stopped talking and looked at his friend with a friendly smile. "You have a twin brother," Dex asked.
"Mhm!" Niko nodded.
"And you're the same age?"
"Mhm..."
"Why don't you both go to the same class?" Niko remained silent for a moment, looking down briefly. "We didn't have much money at the time, so my parents could only send me to school later," he smiled then. A lie. Dex knew Niko was lying. The two had been best friends since kindergarten, but Dex felt like he still didn't know everything about Niko, as if he were a stranger.
"Why do you ask?"
"Oh, just curious," Dex mumbled, leaning back in his seat.
"So, folks, let's get off, but no pushing!" the old teacher called again as they arrived at the parking lot. Dex stood up from his seat when he was suddenly pushed hard to the side. "Watch where you're going, man!" Dex shouted angrily at the boy behind him. "Did you hurt yourself?" Niko asked, concerned. "Nah, nothing happened," he assured him, and both of them then left the bus.
It took a while for everyone to get their bags from the trunk, and then the teacher had to count the students. "I hope they don't have any creepy clowns," someone next to Dex muttered; it was Anna, a brown-haired girl with brown eyes. "Which circus doesn't have clowns?" Dex asked. "Yeah, but I mean not the completely made-up ones who always look at you with a wide smile..." Anna murmured, staring at the ground. Dex looked at her with wide eyes. "Are you scared of clowns?" Anna scratched her head. "You could say that."
"Hmm, as long as they don't send you on stage, it's not that bad," Dex said. "Oh, I'd love to go on stage!" Niko suddenly interjected, with a big smile. Anna looked at him in shock. "But everyone will see you, and they'll laugh at you if you do something wrong!" "That's why they pick people from the middle," Dex explained. "So they can mess with them, and once you're on stage, you'll do whatever the clown says just to get it over with."
"You really know your stuff," Anna chuckled. "Have you ever been to a circus?" Dex was surprised himself; why did he know this so well? He had never gone to the circus with his parents because his mother claimed that they mistreated animals. So why had she let him come here now?
Suddenly, the teacher called out, "Okay, folks, after the show, the amusement park will open, and you can wander around for 2 hours. Everyone in groups! If I see anyone alone, they'll be sitting with me. And behave. I don't want everyone to think that Redwood High has nothing but idiots for students, understood?" Some of the students only nodded, and a few others said, "Yes," and then they finally set off.
They walked through the parking lot, trees blocking the view of the amusement park and the tent, but they could already hear colorful lights and loud music, along with some large rides in the park. "Omg, I'm so excited!" Niko smiled broadly. Dex chuckled when he saw how excited Niko was.
When they finally reached the tent, everyone was in awe. It was huge, much larger than on the poster. It was red and white, with spotlights of various colors illuminating the evening sky. "Whoa! Much better than I expected!" Niko grinned. Dex had to admit he was also very impressed.
"Guys! You can grab some food. I want to see all of you in your seats in 30 minutes!" the teacher shouted, and as if on cue, everyone ran to the popcorn and drink stands in front of the tent. Before Dex could continue to look around, Niko grabbed him by the sleeve and pulled him to one of the stands.
"And now there are students here too. Is this some kind of kids' show or something?" chuckled a black-haired boy with red streaks in his hair as he took a drag from his cigarette. "You didn't have to come, Damien," muttered a girl with short, black-dyed hair, black makeup, and dark, short clothing. Damien grinned at her, "Well, it's nice to do something together again, isn't it?" The girl just snorted and glanced towards the colorful entrance of the tent.
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"Scarlett~"
She immediately punched Damien in the stomach. "Cut it out!" Damien gasped for a moment and took a few steps back. His girlfriend's angry expression quickly turned to a concerned one. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to-" "PFF HAHAHA!" Damien burst into loud laughter. "Oh, Scar, I love it when you get worried about me." Scar looked at him, annoyed. "You're mean. You know I don't like that name." Damien put his arm around her waist. "I'm sorry, I won't do it again," he grinned. Scar just rolled her eyes. The two had been together for two years, both attending Redwood High. After graduation, they got together and already had an apartment.
"Let's go inside," Scar murmured and started walking. "If the princess commands it," her boyfriend teased, following after her.
