One Heart- The Greatest Showman

Chapter 54

Elizabeth's Pov 

The coloured lights blinded me when I first stepped into the stage area. Phillip had swiftly made his way over to the entrance, greeting everyone as they came in and took their seats. Although he looked at every single person walking through the door, acknowledging them. Somehow he managed to look up at me in and smiled.

I smiled back, a small blush creeping onto my face, as I ran up to the trapeze platform, slowly climbing up the ladder. W.D held out his hand for me, pulling me up.

"Nice costume." He said as I regained my balance on the platform. I said thank you quickly as I began to toy with pieces of my hair, fixing them and fiddling with them. The flowy pieces on my costume I had also begun to fiddle with. It was different to being in my regular purple costume and blue wig. I mean I should of done it along time ago, Anne will occasionally do shows with her regular hair out but I never really did. But after the encounter with the Carter, I wanted to fight against the intolerance. I wanted a changed. 

The music had set in and the lights dimmed, a single spotlight touched the stage highlighting where Phillip stood.  He did his ring-master opening of the show thing, bringing the acts in one by one. W.D flew off the platform, gaining momentum as him and Anne swung an swapped between the two trapezes. 

I stood their, hiding in the dark, waiting for my cue. I wasn't in this act, I was just waiting for a later one. But it was always good to be up here before your part. You could see the whole circus tent from up there. Everyone in the audience, all of the performers...Phillip in his red jacket. We didn't tell him, but were pretty sure he figured it out, the girls and my mother made the costume red and black to match his red and black suit. Because Anne and W.D were siblings and therefore had matching purple costumes and Phillip and I are now husband and wife so we figured we should have a similar colour scheme. 

Husband and wife. 

Wow, it is weird to say that. Not bad weird but a good weird. But I hadn't really said and noticed that. Like I knew we were married and all that, but it was the first time actually recognising it. I mean we hadn't had that long after the wedding with the dinner and my mom, but it didn't feel any different. We were still Elizabeth Gray and Phillip Carlyle. Wait, was I Elizabeth Gray? Or was I now Elizabeth Carlyle?  

I said the name a couple of time over, testing it as it rolled off my tongue. It fit, but it wasn't forced. It was like it was always meant to be Elizabeth Carlyle.  Mrs Carlyle.  I could feel the corners of my mouth rise, making me smile as I played around with my name...may new name. 

The change in music woke me up as W.D called out my name, getting me ready to jump. I quickly got up, and jumped, W.D's arm locking around my wrist. He swung back and forth a few times, letting me glide through the air. Just as I was getting ready to dismount to Anne, I don't know what happened. Everything just went black for a second, I couldn't see or hear anything. I wasn't really sure if I remained conscious for the duration, but I opened my eyes to see Anne getting further and further away from me,  a look of terror on her face. 

I was free falling. It took me a little while to realize it. I didn't catch Anne's hand and was now falling. Now any regular person would of begun to freak out or even begun to scream by now. But as we all have established by now, I am not a regular person. I don't really remember what I did, the audience didn't seem to phased though. Thought it was apart of the routine. I closed my eyes bracing my self for the impact of the ground but it never came. Instead I felt two arms catching me, I slowly opened my eyes to see who it was. 

Phillip with a look of concern on his face. I just smiled and hoped back up and kept going with the routine, the crowd cheering, the rest of the performers looking at me with utter confusment and concern. 

*****

The moment the show was over and everyone had gone backstage, I began to get bombarded with questions about my fall. Everything ranging from why didn't I tell them to was it planned and was I okay. I quickly dismissed everyone, telling them I was fine,and walked into my dressing room.

I sat down at my vanity and began to untwist my hair from its dishevelled half up do. I knock on my door not long after.

"Come in" I said, as my hair fell onto my face, undoing itself from the style.

"You're mother said she will meet us back at the house, she said she was tired."

I looked up in the mirror to see Phillip, slowly closing the door behind him.

"Okay" I replied as I began to brush my hair, trying to ensure that there would be no knots in it later one when I would place it into a braid of sorts. 

"Are you okay?" His tone was filled with concern and uncertainty as he looked at me directly in the eyes. 

"Yeah, I am fine." I said nonchalantly, letting the brush run through me hair. 

"Lizzy, what happened out there?" 

"Nothing. I am fine Phillip." I say back, placing my hairbrush onto the dressers and picking up my coat, wrapping it firmly around myself as I realised how cold it was. 

"Lizzy. You fell and almost hit the ground."

"But I didn't" I acknowledged, as I turned towards him. Leaning back on to the chair behind me. 

"What happened Lizzy?" 

I didn't answer and he figured out what I was saying in the silence. 

"This isn't the first time this has happened? Is it?"