All Too Well

♚ Chapter Three ♚

"Violet, you can do it!" Freckles yelled from her side.

Freckles and I stood on each end where the tightrope ended and a platform was attacked to it. We both wore matching white dresses that looked more like nightgowns and ballet shoes. We were trying to practice crossing the tightrope, but I was struggling. I had no sense of balance whatsoever on the tightrope and it didn't help that I was half-blind on my right side.

I only had one foot in the tightrope and I was already wobbling like crazy. I placed another foot onto it and the whole tightrope started shaking. Freckles struggled on her end to balance on it. "That's right..." she assured me, gesturing me to come forward to her. "You take a step forward, I take a step forward. We'll keep walking until we reach each other. That way we remind balanced."

I placed another foot forward but lost my footing. I screamed as my foot slipped off the tightrope and I fell down to the ground. I covered my eyes with my hands as I plunged towards the ground to my death.

Until I landed on something prickly and bouncy.

I uncovered my eyes to see myself on the safety net attached near the bottom of the tightrope. Oh, right. The safety net was fastened below the tightrope so that if we fall, we wouldn't go splat onto the ground.

I got off the safety set and squatted onto the ground, sighing. Freckles walked backwards off the tightrope and back into the platform before climbing down the ladder, skipping a couple of the bottom steps by jumping, causing a cloud of dust from the dirt floor to rise before she rushed over to me. "Violet, are you alright?" She asked. "That was some fall you did."

"Freckles, it's useless," I mumbled. "I'll never be able to balance myself on the tightrope."

"Aw, blimey, of course you can! You just need some practice, that's all!"

"Freckles, what are you saying?! Look at me! I can't even walk a few bloody steps across the tightrope before falling. And Father wants us to walk across it with a parasol, do a few tricks, without a safety net underneath. Blimey, it sounds near bloody impossible for me!!!"

I sighed, getting up from my spot. I clenched my fists as clear drops of tears fell onto the dirt floor, darkening it. "Freckles...I can't believe I'm saying this, but I think you're better off doing this act on your own," I sighed, sniffling a little.

"Wha--!" She started.

"It's been two months Freckles! You can walk across the tightrope without any trouble at all! Whereas on my end, I can barely take three bloody steps before falling! I'm making no progress at all!" The droplets fell into a heavy stream as I covered my pale face and sobbed loudly. "Don't worry about me. I'll find another talent I'm good at."

My body quivered from crying so hard as I covered my eyes with my fists and cried. Freckles came up to me and pulled me into her arms. "Violet, you will master the tightrope," she encouraged me. "If you don't, then I'll quit and so whatever you do."

I gasped, my eyes widening as the last few stray tears fell. "You can't do that!" I yelled.

"Then you better get better at the tightrope or else I quit if you quit. Now come on. We'll keep on practicing until the night falls and we can't see anything at all."

I have Freckles and hug. "Thanks for offering to help me out," I said.

"You're welcome," she replied with a smile. "It's payback for you taking care of me while we were in the East End."

*~*~*~*~*~

Doll and I along with Dagger, Beast, and Snake stood by Joker with Peter and Wendy sitting on a trapeze bar above us. "The whole circus is jostling for a chance to give you a fun show!" Joker yelled as a spotlight shine behind us, revealing our shadowy silhouettes. "We'll now raise the curtain on this show of the century with a fiery feat from our fire-eater, Jumbo!"

On cue, Jumbo appeared behind us and roared. Not wanting to get burned, we dashed away from Jumbo we went into our positions for our performances. He held the torch by his mouth and blew, causing the flame on the torch to turn into an explosion.

Doll and I ran to our places and climbed up the ladder to the tightrope while Peter and Wendy were doing their trapeze act. "First, our trapeze artists in perfect harmony..." Joker was introducing our acts one by one. Peter and Wendy swung on trapeze before she let go of it. Peter, who was swinging upside down, reached out his hand and caught her. "Peter and Wendy!" He yelled.

"He never misses the mark. The bulls-eye knife thrower...Dagger!" Joker threw his arm out at Dagger who was throwing knives at a spinning wheel with a lady attached to it. Doll was taking out her parasol as she reached the platform.

We locked eyes and nodded as Snake did his snake-taming act. "Next, an extremely unusual but magnificent act performed by our snake charmer, Snake!" Joker yelled. The snakes coiled around him and hissed, but he played a melody in the background and did some strange dance while they were attached to them, which calmed them and they obeyed his every command.

Then, Doll and I took a step onto the tightrope. Joker announced, "Next, I would like everyone to look up." The crowd followed his command and looked up, watching intently Doll and I carefully began walking on the tightrope. "Observe our fair ladies of the circus as they defy death on the high wire!" When we were a couple feet apart, we did the splits on it while maintaining balance. Then we got up and did a handstand while doing a split upside down with our legs. Everyone gasped. "They are our circus princesses, Doll and Rose!" Joker laughed, "They seem to be having fun, right? How about we have a volunteer from the crowd to go on the tightrope with them!"

Everyone shouted, raising truer hands, begging to be picked. Doll and I scanned the crowd for anyone who's excited enough to go on. Then, my eyes locked onto a young boy in a crowd. He was sitting there, arms crossed. He had blue-black hair and was dressed in a suit, cape, and top hat. One of his eyes was covered up with an eye patch. He has a solemn look on his face. Either he had on a poker face or he wasn't enjoying this. I tipped my head towards Doll and motioned at the boy. Doll nodded. I pointed at him and Joker shined the spotlight on him. "'Ee there, with the cape and hat! How about going up with our tightrope walkers?"

The boy sputtered as an older man with black hair and a suit led him down. I walked backwards on the tightrope and down the ladder to get him. "Climb up!" I whispered.

The boy climbed up and I followed him. He was on the ledge where the tightrope was. "What am I supposed to do?" He hissed.

"What else?" I snapped, grabbing his shoulders. "Walk!"

"But I'm going to fall to my death at this height!"

"Just follow my lead, okay?"

I helped the boy cross the tightrope. Then, I lightly shoved him and he wobbled a bit. Doll cartwheeled over to us. Doll and I did the splits as I lifted the boy into the air. Then, Doll took a couple steps back and I took a couple steps forward. The boy wobbled between us as Doll and I did a hand stand while our legs split.

The audience sucked in a breath as they watched what happened next. I shoved him towards Doll and he yelled as she caught him. She walked back towards the ledge as I cartwheeled across the rope and I was on the ledge with the two of them. The audience clapped for us as we bowed and climbed down the ladder.

Once we were down the ladder and hidden in the shadows, the boy glared at me. "How dare you shove me across the tightrope like that?" He growled. "I could of fallen off, you know?"

"But you didn't," I shrugged, acting cold. "I told you that you could trust us. Right Doll?"

"Right," She nodded.

The boy shot us one last glare before stomping back to where he was in the audience. I shrugged. "Bloody brat." I muttered.

"Blimey, what do you expect?" She muttered as she took her hand into mine. "We are part of the circus. You'd expect when you volunteered that you'd be apart of some risky acts."