Le Cirque Des Cassés

Chapter One: Ringmaster

"Schizophrenia; a chronic and severe brain disorder that interferes with a person's ability to think clearly, manage emotions, make decisions and relate to others"

Ringmaster woke up to a buzz, he knew it was about 6:30 in the morning. He stood up and stretched. He double checked his alarm was off, not his alarm clock, there were no clocks in the Cirque. He could still hear the blaring. He saw that the alarm had shut off and sighed. He ignored the buzzing and left his trailer. He looked around for a moment.

He saw Dancer and Whisper cooking for the cirque, he smiled. Dancer waved at him and pointed towards the main tent.

"Is Snake in there already? It seems much too early for her to be up," Ringmaster stated. Dancer shrugged, which indicated to those who knew her that Yes, Snake is in there, but that isn't all. "What else is it then? Whisper?"

"I haven't a clue," Whisper said, "maybe someone new?" Dancer jumped up and down, tapping her nose to show that Whisper was correct.

"Someone new?! Dammit Dancer, why didn't you wake me up when they arrived!? If someone else got to her first I swear I'll gu-" Ringmaster was interrupted.

"Ringmaster, Bite is behind you," Whisper mumbled. Bite was cowering some, trying to hide from the yelling.

"Dammit," mumbled Ringmaster. He quickly went over to the teenage girl and took her hands. "It's okay Bite. I'll never hurt you remember. It's okay." He said soothingly.

Bite nodded, "I know Ringmaster. It just scared me..."

"It's okay. Go help Dancer and Whisper, okay?"

"We have a cup of ice for you darling," Whisper beckoned. Bite rushed over. Another fabulous reason Whisper was nicknamed the way she was. Somehow she seems to whisper to everyone's very core to get them to listen to her. Ringmaster stood up and walked to the main tent where he saw Doll and Snake talking to a small girl. Maybe 6 or 7.

"Who is this?" Ringmaster asked.

"This is a girl seeking shelter here for a few days," Snake hissed, drawing out the letter S.

"I see. Can she speak?" Ringmaster asked, he saw the girl shake her head no. "That's alright. Speaking isn't necessary. Can you write?"

Luckily, the girl nodded. Ringmaster motioned for Doll. She walked over, walking light and careful. "Doll, go get a pen and notepad for our new visitor please."

"Of course Ringmaster," Doll responds before walking off, returning shortly and handing the pen and notepad to the child.

"How did you get here?" Ringmaster asked the small girl, he waited and watched her write.

I ran, The child had written. Ringmaster then looked at her legs, covered with small cuts and larger ones. Bruises dotting along her ivory skin. She was missing a shoe, and her socks were torn. The destruction to her socks and other clothing seemed almost perfected in a way. 

"I see. Why are you seeking shelter here?" He questioned. He knew asking so many questions wouldn't be best, but he needed to know how dire the situation was.

The girl had written, My Aunt and Uncle. They hit me. The girl's spelling wasn't the best, but it was understandable.

"Ok. Did you live with them?"

Yes, wrote the kid, My mom and dad died when I was young.

"Alright Child. How about we take care of those injuries and then get you some clothes to wear, alright?" Ringmaster asked, smiling gently when the girl nodded, "Good."

He slowly picked up the small girl, well aware that she had injuries that would sting if hit or moved to quickly. "Snake, why don't you come with me. You're more experienced with medicine than me."

"Alright Ringmaster," Snake hissed, kindly smiling at The Child. Snake stood up and brushed off her clothes, and then the three were started down the hallway, headed towards Snake's trailer that contains a first aid kit that is more advanced than the others in the area.

Child tucked her head close to Ringmaster, she never really trusted adults, but right now with Snake and Ringmaster, she felt safe. A part of her wondered if this is how kids normally feel with their parents. If normal kids got held by their parents and had their cuts cleaned and if they got a band-aid put on the scabs.

Snake opened the door to her trailer, turning the handle left twice and then right once before opening it. Child looked around the orderly trailer. Snake had many books, organized by color than organized alphabetically within the color. Her bed was made with the pillows being exactly the same shape and size.

"She can sit on my bed, let me grab the medical kit," Snake said to Ringmaster before walking off to another part of the trailer. Ringmaster carefully set down Child, being ever so careful to not mess up the bed. Ringmaster knew what would happen if Snake's bed was disturbed and that is something that Child didn't need to see at this point in time.

Child started squeaking at Ringmaster. "Yes Child? What is it you need?" Ringmaster quietly questioned.

Thank you, Child signed.

"You know sign language?"

Child shrugged, which Ringmaster interpreted as Child knew some sign language, likely simple words, like please, thank you, eat and drink, those types of words.

Snake reentered the room, a medical kit in hand. She seemed pleased to notice that the bed wasn't messed up and that Child was staying still. "She shouldn't need too much care. The cuts she has are likely from running through the forest. They don't look too bad," Snake reassured Ringmaster. He sighed with relief.

Snake knelt on the ground and started to care for the small cuts. She put some rubbing alcohol on a rag. "This is going to sting Kid. Just try and hold still."

After receiving a nod from Child, Snake set to work on gently cleaning the cuts, holding Child's leg tightly to help prevent the likelihood of her flinching away and hurting herself more. Ringmaster stood back some, just observing to make sure nothing drastic happened. He always watches new comers closely when they first arrive, after all there are so many different issues flying around the cirque that one new comer can quite easily throw off the fragile harmony of the cirque.

"What?" Ringmaster asked, believing he heard his name, which snapped him out of his thoughts.

"Nothing was said Ringmaster." Snake calming answered, she has been around the cirque a long time, so she is quite used to Ringmaster believing to have heard things he truly didn't.

"Oh, how are you doing Child?" Ringmaster asked, wanting to change the subject from his hallucination. Child gave a small thumbs up, smiling gently. Her smile was interrupted by a wince when Snake went back to cleaning a cut.

The rest of the time Snake spent cleaning Child's cuts was completely in silence. Child kept her eyes on Snake, watching what she did with an interested eye, and Ringmaster watched Child with an interested eye.

"There, all done," Snake said, her voice soft and calm. Child offered a hug as payment, and as a thank you to Snake. Snake was partially surprised by that. She wasn't used to affection like that, no one at the cirque besides Whisper and Dancer were, and that's only because the two are dating. And Target and Blade, but their relationship was not conventional. Nonetheless, Snake carefully hugged Child.

"That's lovely, but we need to get some new clothes for Child. After all, ripped up clothes aren't exactly the best to wear," Ringmaster said, gently picking up Child after Snake let go.

After that Ringmaster and Child went off to get some new clothes for the new, and smallest companion of the cirque.