Y/N's smiles are a rarity, and for good reason. With all odds against her, a spark of hope ignites when the girl, by some miracle, finds a ticket to the circus. She goes, glad to have some time away from her nightmarish home life, but still can't he...
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
_________________________________
A sigh was drowned out by the sound of cars as I sat on a bench at a bus stop. I have no intention on going on one; I just needed a breather. I should be heading home, but I really don't want to be there right now. It's much too hectic, and I don't feel like dealing with that right now. I'd rather wait until mom comes home from work, even though that'll take a long time, especially since she took on that second job.
There's only so much I can do to entertain myself in my small town, especially without money, but it's better than having to be around dad. I frown while gently rubbing my sore shoulder and wince when I press too hard on the bruise. You see, my father isn't exactly a nice guy. He loses his temper over the littlest things and has a tendency of beating me whenever he requires a punching bag. I'm not hit on the daily, but it's still frequent enough that I flinch whenever he so much as twitches a finger.
Thankfully, he doesn't hurt me anywhere visible. I'm usually able to cover any marks under my clothes. If only he was the only person I had to worry about. My sister is just as horrid. She's a troublemaker that always places the blame on me. You see, she learned a trick. If dad finds out about something she did, she would never get punished for it.
All she had to do was hide a bit of evidence inside my room, and his attention was immediately brought to me. It's probably the reason he's so rough with me. He's positive I'm the bad egg in the family, even though that isn't the truth. I suppose it's his way of disciplining me. I watch the cars pass with tired eyes as they create a breeze that makes strands of my hair fly around messily.
I slick them back, which does little to tame them, but it kept them out of my face. A flicker of blue from the corner of my vision grasps my attention, so I look up to find a piece of paper being carried by the wind, and by some coincidence, it lands on the other side of the bench. Curious, I pick it up to examine it closely and am surprised to see that it's a ticket to the circus. I remember passing some posters in town that advertised it. By the sounds of it, it isn't your average second-rate circus either.
They filled the fairgrounds with tents, games, rides and fun side attractions that all lead up to the main event at the bigtop. They're known for their incredible acrobatic shows, magicians and clowns. They even have exotic animals, such as lions, tigers and elephants, which I hear are well kept and healthy. They must draw in a lot of money to have so much entertainment to offer. I flip the ticket over and find their dates and times on the back. It seems like today is the last day they're in town.
'Well, that's one way to kill time.' I was almost tempted to smile as I stood, holding the ticket tight in my hand to make sure I don't lose it. It was a nearly twenty minute walk to the circus, and my legs feel a little sore by the time I get there, but the sight of the crowds of happy people filled me with excitement. From the full parking lot, I could see the lines of people waiting to get in, the tops of the colorful tents and even some of the rides. Cheers of joy reached my ears as I came closer and took my place in the shortest line. At the ticket booth, I'm met with an older gentleman dressed in a black top hat and a fancy red jacket with gold trim and shiny buttons. He gives a big smile as I hand him my ticket and says,
