the circus of missing children

chapter 1

Warning contains blood and gore

Lucy opened her brown eyes as she turned to look at the clock on the wall, seeing that it was 06:00, she got up and brushed her messy brown hair. She put on a dark green-gray long dress, and headed to the kitchen to prepare breakfast for her siblings.

At 06:30 her fifteen year old brother came in carrying their eight year old sister. "That smells amazing Lucy." Arthur said as he put Rose down.

"Thank you Arthur, would you set the table while I go give breakfast to mother?" Lucy asked, grabbing a plate.

"Sure." He replied, as Lucy made her way to her sick mother's room. Their mother had been extremely sick since giving birth to Rose, but they can't afford a doctors visit, and any treatment they would recommend.

Lucy balanced the tray on her right hand and opened the door with her left. The tall brunette entered the small room, a thin, pale woman lay in the bed, struggling to sit up. "Hello mother, I have brought you your breakfast." Lucy said as she placed the thray on her mothers lap.

"Hello Lucille, thank you. I am sorry that you and Arthur have to take care of me and Rose." she said, as she began to eat.

Lucy sat on the end of the bed, facing her mother. "It's alright mother, we understand why we need to look after Rose." she said gently.

They continued to chat for 10 minutes while the mother ate, until Arthur came in quietly.

"Hello mother, Lucy I'm going to work and I'm taking Rose with me. We'll be back by quarter past four, okay?" Arthur told his older sister.

Lucy nodded and said goodbye to her mother, and walked down the hallway with her brother, chatting to each other.

Once they reached the front door Rose ran to Lucy as she picked her up. " I'll see you later, and when you get home, you can help me and Arthur make dinner okay? But you need to be a good girl for Arthur and work really hard." Lucy told Rose while rubbing their noses together.

Rose looked at her sister with big sparkling eyes "I will Lulu! I promise." the eight year old exclaimed excitedly.

Once her siblings had left Lucy decided to go for a walk because she needed some fresh arm and maybe run some errands.

The tall seventeen year old brunette skipped down the streets of Victorian London, her short hair bounced off her shoulders.

"Welcome! Welcome, one and all to the Dark Wood Circus!" A charismatic voice shouted. Lucy ran towards the voice. She found a woman, no older than 19 dressed in a colourful attire. A yellow, green, blue, and red striped dress that came down to her knees and had a petticoat underneath so it resembles a cupcake. Her long blonde hair reached her lower back, swaying with her every moment. "Gather round and see these pitiful, poor creatures that God himself has forsaken!" The woman turned to the red and white tent behind her, the entrance of the tent flowed in the wind almost becoming Lucy to go in. The woman glanced back to the crowd behind her. "Feast your eyes on the deformity and depravity, the dregs of humanity." She was about to pull back the curtains when she paused. " But watch those wondering hands now, they bite." She pulled back the curtain, revealing a tall slender man. He towered over Lucy at 6 foot 7, his dark blond hair framed his face, bright green eyes seemed to hypnotize lucy.

"Welcome to all, I hope you enjoy the ride! All of the acts, different as they might be, have so much fun living so happily! Come see it all, join the crowd, at my circus there are no frowns allowed!" He stepped to the side to let the crowd pass him.

The first tent had what looked like a two headed clown, the right was a boy's head and the left side was a girl. They had blond hair and dead green eyes. They bowed to the crowd, and raised their right foot, and took a deep breath, and started to dance gracefully. The ballet was hypnotising with violines coming from somewhere that Lucy couldn't see. Once they finished the crowd went wild as the dancers chest raised and fell out of breath.