Post by Wulfi on Jan 27, 2009 23:16:25 GMT -5
"Hurry, Mom, the circus is starting!" cried an enthralled young child as he attempted to drag his mother along. The sun was falling as twilight began to sweep over the land. Hustle and bustle filled the parking lot. Today, a very special circus was in town, and every single child within a fifty mile radius had come to witness the unique form of entertainment that this circus troupe was said to provide.
The fair-skinned woman didn't budge, only stared in the direction of the main tent. Off to the side of the large open flap of the main tent was a dark-haired lad of questionable age. He sat slumped on a crate, hands in his lap and fingers entwined. His deep eyes were empty, void of any and all emotion, as if everything was lost.
Her painted lips shook gently, eyes wide. Her gaze was attached to the child on the wooden box, and despite the calls from the younger boy in her possession, she did not move.
It couldn't possibly be that child...
The seated youth turned his head only a fraction, but before he could see her face, another member of the troupe ran up to him and hugged him with fervor. The girl seemed to be utterly infatuated with him, from the looks of it. She just flung herself at him, after all.
The boy suddenly stood and struck his arm out from the elbow, pushing her aside roughly, and stormed off in the opposite direction of the largest tent.
"Mom~!!" whined the small child, nearly on the brink of tears from the sheer anticipation of waiting so long for a reply. He'd moved from her hand to the folds of her yellow summer dress and was tugging anxiously at the cloth. "C'mon~!!"
Two words came softly out of her mouth.
"Dear God..."
Happiness is what takes form in the absence of sorrow, in the absence of fear. In order to achieve true happiness, a person would need to rid their life of all possible problems. No stress, no school, no possibly troublesome social activity... But all of this was useless if that someone hadn't decided on the one thing that would give them their ultimate bliss. How would they get there once it was decided? What sort of tragedy and loss would one have to suffer to reach that stage of joy? And once those certain happenings had occurred, was it possible to overcome them and, in actuality, be honestly and truly happy?
Not a day went by where Gwyn didn't have these words in her mentality. Her brother had always been the witty one in the family. He did strive to be a comedian, but he never could reach that dream of his. His path to the ultimate happiness was destroyed, but Gwyn wanted to rebuild it.
And so, as the 16-year-old girl ran a hairbrush through her sleek strawberry blond hair, she stared into her large royal blue eyes as his words scrolled through her mind. The mirror showed a piece of toast hanging lopsided in her small mouth. The fabric of her light blue turtleneck caught some of the stray crumbs that fell from the buttered bread, but she brushed them off as she ran down the stairs from the bathroom at the end of the hall and flew through the living room.
A woman sat in front of the computer screen in this room. Her golden blond hair, lacking luster with age, was in ringlets and held up on top of her head. As usual, she was dressed in only a white t-shirt that was a bit too big for her and black pajama pants with spaceships on them. Her dark blue eyes were glued to the monitor, signaling that she was probably still chatting with that same Palestinian playboy on Yahoo! Messenger. The smoke from the cigarette in between her lips didn't disturb her eyes in the least.
"I'm off!" Gwyn called to her without looking back. She threw on her pearl white jacket and sped out the door, closing it behind her. The three-year-old little girl hobbling on the floor nearly got her hand caught in it. The older girl had been in such a rush that she hadn't seen her.
As Cassidy fell on her bottom and began crying from the surprising loud noise, the mother of two heaved a sigh and rolled her eyes. She didn't move from her seat, but grunted out a quick "annoying little bitch" before she returned her undivided attention to her online boyfriend.
Unlike Cassidy, the older child's legs were strong. They had assisted her in making it to the bus on time, which was a miracle considering the turbulent sleep she received last night. Odd dreams had her tossing and turning, but she had no clue as to what they were. All memories of such visions were gone from her head.
As the bus headed onward, Gwyn wondered as to why her friends weren't sitting with her, but soon brushed the thought off. Maybe they just wanted some space. It was understandable, since there was a huge test in Algebra II today. Her posse wasn't exactly comprised of geniuses.
However, as the vehicle came to a halt in front of the school, she felt her stomach drop and bounce around nervously. Today didn't feel like it was going to be a good day. No, not at all.
Fourth block, the last block of the day, had finally come around. The frigid December air looked rather uninviting outside the classroom window, but she longed to be out there. There wasn't a bird in sight and everything was still. Occasionally, a lone breeze would pass and sway the bare trees. As long as she could get to the diner where she worked, the Samson, on time, everything would be fine. Her boss was nice, despite being one of her mother's many ex-boyfriends, and the food was so goo-
"Hey, Gwyn, is it true?" called a haughty senior from the other side of the room. She recognized him as the local jackass. Gwyn honestly had no clue what he was talking about because they had been murmuring far out of her hearing threshold. She raised an eyebrow at him, looking unamused. Some of his group members were snickering and trying to hold back their laughs. "You know! The thing that happened this summer!"
She felt her throat tighten up. New Year's was one week away and they bring that nasty false story up now?! Couldn't this have happened well before the brink of 1999?!
Various classmates began chattering, intrigued. They had no idea what he was talking about, but apparently, this guy had done his research. She actually began praying that he'd have mercy on her. She'd never done anything to him, so why this?
"I heard from a little birdie that you, a flat chested little bitch, actually felt pathetic enough to stoop so low that-... you-... unbelievably-..."
The substitute teacher started to stir from her slumber on the desk.
"-GAVE YOUR BROTHER HEAD!!"
There were mixed reactions from the crowd, including hearty laughs and cries of utter disgust. As the bell rang, a red-faced Gwyn fled out the door and down the hall until she burst out the door. She could still hear the menacing laughter inside her mind.
She'd never thought anyone would believe that stupid rumor. Of course she didn't do anything like that, but Conner did have a rather... experienced girlfriend that looked very much like her.
If he hadn't died in that accident, he'd show them. Oh yeah, he'd teach them right from wrong! He'd stand up and tell them the real story, and with his weaving of words, win the battle without throwing a punch.
She finally stopped running after she was a block away from the school. She'd forgotten her English notebook (surprisingly, not her backpack), but there was no way she was going back for it now. Hands on her knees, she ignored the painful sensation the cold winter air had on her lungs as she caught her breath.
Eyes half open and misted over with a layer of tears, she caught sight of a blurry scrap of paper on the sidewalk. Her eyes stung as she blinked the salty liquid away to get a better look at the piece of trash. Her breath made visible puffs in the below-freezing air.
It was a ticket to the circus, and not just any circus, from the looks of it. Something about this ticket made her feel strange, but not the bad strange that she had been feeling earlier that day. This was a curious, hesitant strange, a childlike and shy strange.
The crumpled paper had a sepia tint to it, making it appear vintage. There was a man in a black suit on the front of the paper. He had his fingers clamped on the rim of his top hat and a large smile on his face. She read the old-styled letters across the top of the ticket.
Mercury.
Ever since she was little, she'd loved the circus. In fact, she wanted to be a clown at one point in time, but she remembered her brother telling her not to. She'd asked why.
"If anyone's going to get embarrassed in front of a sick and twisted crowd, I want it to be me."
Her voice was soft, repeating each word just like he had, yet her tone at the end held the sound of dawning realization. If Conner was still alive, he'd be there for her. Even now, she didn't feel like he was with her in spirit or anything of the sort.
Still, she remembered the multiple occasions where he'd dress up in baggy rainbow clothes and make-up, bound down the stairs like he was an idiot, and hug her before going to do charity work at a children's hospital. Conner loved making people happy. Those acts he put on were the cobblestones on his trail to his own ultimate happiness.
Her brother was a saint.
Her brother was a clown.
Her brother was a hero.
A gust of wind caught the ticket and blew it away, but it didn't venture long before it flew into a gloved hand.
Gwyn's heart nearly stopped.
The fair-skinned woman didn't budge, only stared in the direction of the main tent. Off to the side of the large open flap of the main tent was a dark-haired lad of questionable age. He sat slumped on a crate, hands in his lap and fingers entwined. His deep eyes were empty, void of any and all emotion, as if everything was lost.
Her painted lips shook gently, eyes wide. Her gaze was attached to the child on the wooden box, and despite the calls from the younger boy in her possession, she did not move.
It couldn't possibly be that child...
The seated youth turned his head only a fraction, but before he could see her face, another member of the troupe ran up to him and hugged him with fervor. The girl seemed to be utterly infatuated with him, from the looks of it. She just flung herself at him, after all.
The boy suddenly stood and struck his arm out from the elbow, pushing her aside roughly, and stormed off in the opposite direction of the largest tent.
"Mom~!!" whined the small child, nearly on the brink of tears from the sheer anticipation of waiting so long for a reply. He'd moved from her hand to the folds of her yellow summer dress and was tugging anxiously at the cloth. "C'mon~!!"
Two words came softly out of her mouth.
"Dear God..."
~Performance One~
Mercury
Mercury
Happiness is what takes form in the absence of sorrow, in the absence of fear. In order to achieve true happiness, a person would need to rid their life of all possible problems. No stress, no school, no possibly troublesome social activity... But all of this was useless if that someone hadn't decided on the one thing that would give them their ultimate bliss. How would they get there once it was decided? What sort of tragedy and loss would one have to suffer to reach that stage of joy? And once those certain happenings had occurred, was it possible to overcome them and, in actuality, be honestly and truly happy?
Not a day went by where Gwyn didn't have these words in her mentality. Her brother had always been the witty one in the family. He did strive to be a comedian, but he never could reach that dream of his. His path to the ultimate happiness was destroyed, but Gwyn wanted to rebuild it.
And so, as the 16-year-old girl ran a hairbrush through her sleek strawberry blond hair, she stared into her large royal blue eyes as his words scrolled through her mind. The mirror showed a piece of toast hanging lopsided in her small mouth. The fabric of her light blue turtleneck caught some of the stray crumbs that fell from the buttered bread, but she brushed them off as she ran down the stairs from the bathroom at the end of the hall and flew through the living room.
A woman sat in front of the computer screen in this room. Her golden blond hair, lacking luster with age, was in ringlets and held up on top of her head. As usual, she was dressed in only a white t-shirt that was a bit too big for her and black pajama pants with spaceships on them. Her dark blue eyes were glued to the monitor, signaling that she was probably still chatting with that same Palestinian playboy on Yahoo! Messenger. The smoke from the cigarette in between her lips didn't disturb her eyes in the least.
"I'm off!" Gwyn called to her without looking back. She threw on her pearl white jacket and sped out the door, closing it behind her. The three-year-old little girl hobbling on the floor nearly got her hand caught in it. The older girl had been in such a rush that she hadn't seen her.
As Cassidy fell on her bottom and began crying from the surprising loud noise, the mother of two heaved a sigh and rolled her eyes. She didn't move from her seat, but grunted out a quick "annoying little bitch" before she returned her undivided attention to her online boyfriend.
Unlike Cassidy, the older child's legs were strong. They had assisted her in making it to the bus on time, which was a miracle considering the turbulent sleep she received last night. Odd dreams had her tossing and turning, but she had no clue as to what they were. All memories of such visions were gone from her head.
As the bus headed onward, Gwyn wondered as to why her friends weren't sitting with her, but soon brushed the thought off. Maybe they just wanted some space. It was understandable, since there was a huge test in Algebra II today. Her posse wasn't exactly comprised of geniuses.
However, as the vehicle came to a halt in front of the school, she felt her stomach drop and bounce around nervously. Today didn't feel like it was going to be a good day. No, not at all.
~~~~~
Fourth block, the last block of the day, had finally come around. The frigid December air looked rather uninviting outside the classroom window, but she longed to be out there. There wasn't a bird in sight and everything was still. Occasionally, a lone breeze would pass and sway the bare trees. As long as she could get to the diner where she worked, the Samson, on time, everything would be fine. Her boss was nice, despite being one of her mother's many ex-boyfriends, and the food was so goo-
"Hey, Gwyn, is it true?" called a haughty senior from the other side of the room. She recognized him as the local jackass. Gwyn honestly had no clue what he was talking about because they had been murmuring far out of her hearing threshold. She raised an eyebrow at him, looking unamused. Some of his group members were snickering and trying to hold back their laughs. "You know! The thing that happened this summer!"
She felt her throat tighten up. New Year's was one week away and they bring that nasty false story up now?! Couldn't this have happened well before the brink of 1999?!
Various classmates began chattering, intrigued. They had no idea what he was talking about, but apparently, this guy had done his research. She actually began praying that he'd have mercy on her. She'd never done anything to him, so why this?
"I heard from a little birdie that you, a flat chested little bitch, actually felt pathetic enough to stoop so low that-... you-... unbelievably-..."
The substitute teacher started to stir from her slumber on the desk.
"-GAVE YOUR BROTHER HEAD!!"
There were mixed reactions from the crowd, including hearty laughs and cries of utter disgust. As the bell rang, a red-faced Gwyn fled out the door and down the hall until she burst out the door. She could still hear the menacing laughter inside her mind.
She'd never thought anyone would believe that stupid rumor. Of course she didn't do anything like that, but Conner did have a rather... experienced girlfriend that looked very much like her.
If he hadn't died in that accident, he'd show them. Oh yeah, he'd teach them right from wrong! He'd stand up and tell them the real story, and with his weaving of words, win the battle without throwing a punch.
She finally stopped running after she was a block away from the school. She'd forgotten her English notebook (surprisingly, not her backpack), but there was no way she was going back for it now. Hands on her knees, she ignored the painful sensation the cold winter air had on her lungs as she caught her breath.
Eyes half open and misted over with a layer of tears, she caught sight of a blurry scrap of paper on the sidewalk. Her eyes stung as she blinked the salty liquid away to get a better look at the piece of trash. Her breath made visible puffs in the below-freezing air.
It was a ticket to the circus, and not just any circus, from the looks of it. Something about this ticket made her feel strange, but not the bad strange that she had been feeling earlier that day. This was a curious, hesitant strange, a childlike and shy strange.
The crumpled paper had a sepia tint to it, making it appear vintage. There was a man in a black suit on the front of the paper. He had his fingers clamped on the rim of his top hat and a large smile on his face. She read the old-styled letters across the top of the ticket.
Mercury.
Ever since she was little, she'd loved the circus. In fact, she wanted to be a clown at one point in time, but she remembered her brother telling her not to. She'd asked why.
"If anyone's going to get embarrassed in front of a sick and twisted crowd, I want it to be me."
Her voice was soft, repeating each word just like he had, yet her tone at the end held the sound of dawning realization. If Conner was still alive, he'd be there for her. Even now, she didn't feel like he was with her in spirit or anything of the sort.
Still, she remembered the multiple occasions where he'd dress up in baggy rainbow clothes and make-up, bound down the stairs like he was an idiot, and hug her before going to do charity work at a children's hospital. Conner loved making people happy. Those acts he put on were the cobblestones on his trail to his own ultimate happiness.
Her brother was a saint.
Her brother was a clown.
Her brother was a hero.
A gust of wind caught the ticket and blew it away, but it didn't venture long before it flew into a gloved hand.
Gwyn's heart nearly stopped.
