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

Chapter 8

*Not Edited*
_______________________  

When the three returned, it grew darker outside and dinner was just served in the tent. Charity and her family had returned, and everyone ate together as a family. Almost everyone. The Wheeler Siblings excused themselves to their room, which they shared in a trailer, with their food. They did this once a month but no one in the circus really knew why.

W.D. opened to door and the two walked in. He closed the door behind him, along with the windows and curtains. The trailer became dark, and Anne lit a candlestick. The light glowed as she carefully placed it on the wooden floor. The two now hand their plate of food, which had a slice of roast beef, a dinner roll, and boiled potatoes, with a cup of with water to drink.

They did this once every month since the day they left the plantation. This time, however, was different. It was October 20, 1850. 15 years ago that day, on October 20, 1835, they left the Wheeler plantation. Fifteen years since they last saw their mother. Fifteen years since they ran away to their freedom.

Every month they would spit a quarter of their meals for the day, to do what their mother did the day they left. Their mother gave the two the half of her food for the day, to give them some strength for the long journey to freedom. Though on the anniversary of their escape, they gave up the half of their breakfast and dinner. It was somewhat of a tradition to them, a depressing tradition.

"Mama," W.D. whispered, his voice shaky. "It has now been well over a decade since we saw you and heard your beautiful voice.

Small tears began to form in his eyes, but he remained strong for his sister. Anne wiped a tear from her cheek and spoke. "We hope one day we'll see you again. We'll all be free from slavery, we will find where Papa is. We will be together again, together as a family,"

The two sat in silence after that, eating the little that was left on their plates. Though they didn't say a word, both knew the other missed their mother as much as the other.

"W.D.," Anne said, staring at her food. "Do you ever wonder what we'd be doing if we were back on the plantation?"

"Sometimes. I honestly think that if we never left, we'd be separated. We shouldn't think of such things,"

"That would be like saying we shouldn't be thinking about mother,"

"I didn't say that," W.D. said his voice rising, "I think of her every day. I think of what would happen if I failed to keep my promise. I promised her to protect you. When the fire happened, I tried to go after you. I tried to get you out of that building. Phineas held me back, but I continued to break free to find you. I felt like I broke that promise when I realized you were still inside,"

"I don't always need your protection,"

"I know. You escaped, and still had mama's shawl, but that doesn't stop me from trying,"

Anne smiled. He did protect him for fifteen years. Sometimes he wasn't successful but he continued to provide security for her. He stood up for her, fought for her, and even fought alongside her at times.

"I intend on keeping that promise like you promised her to never stop feeling freedom,"

"And now we both fly every day, free as a bird,"

They both smiled. They soon finished eating and looked at the food on the spare plate they had. W.D. grabbed the plate and blew out the candle. Anne opened the curtain, letting the moonlight shine through the window. The two walked out the door, W.D. still holding the plate of food.

Neither saw anyone outside, so they stepped out and walked to the back of their trailer. What they did with the plate was different wherever they were, but they always hid the food in plain sight. This time they placed it under their home.

They made their way to the circus tent, seeing P.T. and his family preparing to go to their home for the night. They decided to live with what they had before the circus, a small apartment. Their two daughters saw the brother and sister and ran to them.

The siblings couldn't help but laugh. Despite reliving their troubled and dark past, it was nice to forget about it for a moment and enjoy the happiness around them. It didn't last long because the two young girls asked them questions.

"How long did you stay in one place? Why did you choose New York? What did you do after you left?"

"Helen, Caroline!" Charity scolded. "They don't have to tell us everything they've been through. What they wish to tell will be told in time,"

"Now then," Phineas said, getting his family's attention. "We should be getting home now. We can come back tomorrow,"

The children pouted but and the family walked out the tent. The two siblings saw the rest of the acts playing their daily card game or leaving to go to bed.

"Anne, W.D.," Phillip said as he walked to them. "Can I ask you something?"

"Of course," Anne answered.

"Why were by the pub?"

Anne hesitated, but W.D. answered him. "We need help from a friend,"

"What sort of help?"

"If we tell you, we have to keep it between us,"

"I promise I won't say a word,"

"That friend," Anne whispered. "Thomas, He's going to get us freedom papers,"

Phillip was shocked. He ushered them to follow him to his office, where he closed and locked the door and window.

"Do you know what you are getting yourself into?" He asked a bit of anger in his voice.

"We're getting our liberation," Anne told him.

"Do you really have enough trust in Thomas? What if doesn't get those papers?"

"He'll get them. We know he will,"

"It takes time to get the proper paperwork done. We leave in two weeks and there already posters of the each of the acts. If you don't get these papers by then, I will have to cancel the tour,"

"Don't worry about it. He'll get them,"

Phillip sighed, a bit frustrated. He turned away from them, looking at one of the promotional posters. Anne walked to him and looked at the poster. It was of her and her brother on the trapeze.

"We know this is risky," Anne said to him. "But we know this is important to you. We have to do this. If you cancel this, it could lead to questions. Rumors will spread and the circus will probably be shut down,"

"We can't predict what will happen," Phillip told her.

"No one can, but we can try to prepare for it,"

The ringmaster looked at her and her brother and nodded. "If you get them, we'll leave. But we'll still have to be careful, there are still slave kidnappers and officer who may be suspicious,"

Both of the siblings nodded. The Wheeler siblings walked out the door, Anne seeing Phillip watched them for a moment, before closing his door.

They walked back into their trailer, leaving their empty plates and cups outside of the door. Anne changed into her night clothes first then her brother. They slept in their hammock beds but on that specific day every month, they'd slept on the hard wooden floor on a thin blanket. The two laid next to each other like they always did when they didn't have separate beds.

"Someday," W.D. said softly as he stroked his sister's hair, the curl resembling so much of their mother's. "We'll find Mama and Papa,"

A small tear drip of Anne's face as she closed her eyes, hoping one day it will be true.
  _______________________

Author's Note:   Two updates in one day! For the next few chapter we'll go deeper into their past.

!!!Thanks for Reading!!!