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

Chapter 9

*Not Edited*
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The trapeze artist looked around, seeing that she was in a field. The field was filled tall grass, a forest of trees behind her. She didn't see anyone else, she was alone.

"Anne!" a voice called out. The mulatto woman looked around, knowing who that voice belonged to. The voice repeated her name, and Anne ran to the voice. She ran into the forest, the voice growing louder and clearer.

That voice belonged to her mother, so sweet and gentle. Anne continued to run, feeling the dirt cover her bare feet like when she was a child.

Anne saw a clearing out of the woods, past a wooden fence the same direction from where her mother once was heard. She smiled and made it out of the forest. But not out the woods.

When she climbed over the fence, she didn't realize she stepped into a cotton field. She saw a house, the same house that she visited as a child. She slowly walked through the field, careful not to be seen.

She reached the whipping post, the one she would be whipped almost every day as a child. No one was outside, which was odd. Anne heard her name again, coming from the front of the house. Before she could react, the woman felt someone roughly grab her by the arm. She looked to see Jonathan, who looked older.

He didn't say a word but dragged her to the front of the house. She felt frightened, unsure of what was happening. Once they made it to the front of the house, she saw the slaves she once worked with, but her brother was missing.

Anne was pushed to the front of the crowd of slaves, kneeling on the ground. She saw a woman who kneeled next to her. She kept her head down, making her face a mystery to Anne. On the front porch and saw Master Derek and Mistress Margaret, who stood beside him. She saw a man in his mid-20's, who looked so much like Derek.

"Now that we're all present" Derek said loudly. "It is time for me announce that I will be retiring. My son will be taking over the plantation,"

It all clicked. The man next to the slaves master was his son, Daniel. He smiled and walked up front.

"I am going to make a few changes," Daniel declared. He walked down the stairs, to the woman who kept her head down. Anne was upfront, feeling more anxious.

"This nigga," He bellowed while pointing to the woman next to Anne. "Has been lying to The Wheeler Family for years. She kept her runaway children a secret,"

Anne's head shot up, not believing who the woman was. The woman didn't seem to notice her, keeping her head down the entire time.

"For that, you don't deserve to live," He took out his small gun from his pocket and aimed it at the woman in front of him. A loud shot startled the crowd. The woman fell forward, head bleeding, and faced Anne.

The woman was her mother, Lunah. Time slowed down, the soft chuckle from Derek echoed in Anne's head.

Anne screamed, covering her mouth in shock. Tears streamed down her face, hitting the soil that she kneeled on. She backed away but stopped when a warm liquid touched her fingers.

She turned her head, seeing the bodies laying on the ground, men, women, even children. Some showed their backs, having scars from the lashings they received.

The mulatto slave looked back, seeing W.D. on the ground. His body was covered with whip lashes, some having blood. His breathing was shallow but stopped.

"As for you," Derek said, getting the woman's attention, who was still on the porch of the clean house, had a whip in his hand and a gun in the other. He aimed the gun at Anne and pulled the trigger.