Blinded By The Past-- The Greatest Showman/Anne Wheeler Fanfiction

Chapter 2

*Not Edited*
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As Anne grabbed her coat and walk out in the chilly autumn air, ignoring Phillip calling her name. W.D. followed her, both not looking back. It was nearing winter time and the snow was about to fall, making them shiver a bit. Both walked away from the tent, and into the city.

The siblings didn't say a word to each other, trying to forget about their past. Anne knew W.D. did everything he could to keep her safe, even after they joined the circus. Ever since they left the only home they knew so many years ago, they had to rely on each other. Relying on each other for food, work, and protection.

The two didn't know where they were going since their home was in the circus. The home before that was the streets for a few days. They were deep in thought when they stopped in front of what was once their workplace. The building wasn't rebuilt, so what remained was only pieces of the structure and the flooring.

Anne remembered the first time she and her brother walked into the building, the day their lives changed for the better.

It was hard to believe that only 11 months ago the Wheeler's were homeless. They were evicted from their apartment in the Lower East Side, after not paying their rent the day before.

While trying to find shelter, W.D. found P.T. Barnum's poster. The two haven't been on the trapeze in months, and he knew Anne wanted to fly again.

Anne remembered they spent the night in an abandoned warehouse, where the only things in it were ropes, sandbags, a few pulley systems, and metal and wooden poles. The warehouse had a large loft that had a ladder underneath it.

W.D. showed his sister the poster he took. She was both excited and unsure. Anne wanted to do what she loved and earn money while doing so, but she didn't want to be criticized for her skin tone. Anne eventually agreed to it and their lives changed in a few days.

"Why did you walk away?" A male's voice asked. Anne and W.D. turned their heads, seeing Phillip and Lettie.

"It's hard to explain," Anne told them.

"You don't have papers, do you?" Phillip asked. Anne held her down, ashamed that the truth is out. W.D. didn't say a word, continuing to look at the building.

"No," W.D. said aloud, "We don't,"

"Why didn't you tell any of us before?" Lettie asked.

"We were afraid," Anne said, "we were afraid the first few months, but then it just remained a secret. We don't want to go back there,"

"I am going to cancel the tour," Phillip said after a moment of silence. Anne looked at him and shook her head.

"No. I will not let you end something that hasn't even started because of us,"

"We don't know anything about you. None of us do,"

"You know me,"

"I don't anything about your past". We know nothing about your childhood or what you two did before the circus. What your life was like before all of this."

Anne looked at W.D., who looked at her. Her brother excused themselves, before facing his sister.

"We can't keep this a secret," W.D. said. "No one else knows about us,"

"Thomas knows,"

"We had to pay for him not to tell anyone. We still have to, remember that,"

Anne did. Thomas was the leader of a gang, who the Wheeler's first met when they first arrived in New York. He was like a brother to them for years. That is until the siblings decided to leave him. They made an agreement. Anne and W.D. will pay him, Thomas will keep their secret.

Both of them knew the truth would come out eventually, and they would have to face it one day.

"It's time we face it," W.D. whisper

Anne didn't want to tell anyone else about what she and her brother been through but she knew it's time for it to come out.

She turned back to Phillip and Lettie, both were patiently waiting for an answer.

"It's time now,"
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A/N- Probably in the next chapter or the chapter after that (Chapter 3 or 4), I'll get into Anne and W.D.'s backstory.

I also did some more research and found out that the movie takes place in the 1880s(1888 if I remember correctly). I'm just going to keep this story in the 1850s since I plan on doing more with this. 

Thanks For Reading 💖😀👑🎈🦄🎉