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Cirque du Freak Fanfic
"But he was my pet!" I screamed at Mr. Tall. Jennifer and Sage, my two best friends, were sitting next to me on the black coach Mr. Tall had just bought. I was talking to the ringleader about the Cirque's recent loss.

Mr. Tall nodded and spoke in a calm voice. "Yes, Carla. I know that you cared deeply for the wolfman but you cannot blame Mr. Crespley."

"I don't!" I snapped. "I blame his half-wit assistant!

Mr. Tall raised his eyebrows questionably and I began to explain my distaste for our resident half-vampire. "He was the one who told that eco-freak about the wolfman. If Darren hadn't done that then wolfman would be safely in his cage and I would be there feeding him snack and making him icicles to lick!"

"I understand your feelings here but Darren is very new to this lifestyle and has a lot to learn. You can't blame him for the wolfman running away."

"Watch me" I said in a quieter, but still forceful voice.

"Come on, let's go." Sage said to me and Jenny as she stood. "There’s nothing we can accomplish here and we have to prepare."

Jenny got up too and stretched her arms. "Yeah, I need to feed Pyro."

Both of them started to walk to the door but I sat firmly planted on the black couch. "I'm not done here yet." I said with a quick glance at Mr. Tall.

Sage turned to face me and crossed her arms over her chest. "Yes. You are."

"No. I'm not."

Sage glared at me and I knew what was coming next.

Against my will I stood up and followed her out the door. I glanced back at Jenny a few times as I was forcibly marched toward our tent but she just shrugged as if there was nothing she could do. And to be honest there wasn't.

When we finally reached our tent I sighed with relief as Sage loosened her grip on me. I slowly started to regain control of my body.

"I really wish you wouldn't use your mind control on me." I said through clenched teeth.

Sage stuck her tongue out in response and dived into her bed, which she had covered in large, fluffy pillows.

"It's not her fault you were being difficult." Jennifer called out from the other side of the tent. She was begging her last chore of the day and was hovering over a clear, glass cage filled with more then 20 mice. She quickly grabbed the plumpest one she could find and carried in to a large metal cage. The cage was surrounding an elegant, scarlet red bird. Using her free hand Jenny swiftly pulled out an intricate, golden key from her pocket and used it to open the small lock, also covered in gold that clashed with the iron of the cage's bars. The key had the word phoenix engraved on it written in a formal script. The lock made a small thud as it fell from the door to the floor.

"Here comes dinner Pyro." Jennifer grabbed the mouse and threw it into the cage an inch in front of the bird's beak. Pyro speedily extended it's next forward and swallowed the mouse whole in one big gulp.

"When your done feeding your pet we have to start getting ready for the show." I said.

Jennifer nodded and Sage made a muffled noise from underneath the mountain of pillows that had swallowed her.

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((everything below this is through Sage's(my) point of veiw.))

I was sitting in the front row in the theater and was listening intently as Mr. Tall announced the show.

"Welcome to the Cirque du Freak!" He bellowed from the balcony above us. The theatre was pitch black and we could only hear his voice echo down.

"Today's show will be based around the mind." He paused as a few people ohhed and awwed. "A lot of our audience always thinks the shows are just illusions, tricks they say. But today we are going to show how powerful the mind really is, and how hard it would be for us to fool it."

I smiled as his introduction reached it's end, the show was about to begin.

"Now, I ask for complete silence throughout the performances. I can't risk the performer getting distracted and possibly hurting one of you." He said in a deep, grave voice. "Let's begin!" He shouted.

As soon as he finished the last word the room was deathly quiet except for the sound of light footsteps coming from the entrance toward us and the stage. Our eyes were starting to get adjusted and when the footsteps stopped we were able to faintly see a figure motionless in the center of the stage. We heard a noise like a gust of wind and a large candle in front of us that we hadn’t noticed before lit. It revealed a row of unlit candles around it and also the figure to be Jennifer with Pyro resting firmly on her shoulder.

“I am Jennifer and this is Pyro.” She gestured to herself and the phoenix. I lifted the hood of the cloak I was wearing to be able to see the show a little better. “I am one of the few Pyrokenetics left in the word. My kind and I are born with the ability to create and manipulate fire with our mind.”

I cleared my throat and sat a little straighter waiting for Jenny's act to begin. She waved her out hand, palm facing the audience, in front of her and a wave a fire shoot out of her hand. Everyone in the first row, but me, cowered in their chairs not wanting to feel the wrath of the flame. The wave lit the row of candles illuminating the room.

"Pyro is a phoenix and being such he also has an affinity with fire," She said with a smirk. "And today he will show you it." She raised her arm to display Pyro who had slowly moved down Jennifer's arm and was holding his head high as if he knew just how special he is.

Jennifer nodded to the phoenix and bird spread his wings out showing off the brilliant red of his feathers. He took off into the air and circled above his master's head, behind him a trail of fire followed. The circles started to tighten as he flew higher and higher until he was just spinning. Then, without warning, he tucked his wings in and then started to catch fire. He turned into a blazing sphere of fire that you could see reflected in every audience member's eyes as they stared in amazement.

Suddenly the fire started to dim and ash and bright red feathers started to fall from the sky. The fathers slowly descended from the air landing gracefully on the stage's floor. Jenny had her hand held out and a small pile of ash began to form in her palm. A light squeak came from an unknown score and then a small pink head pooped out of the ash and soon a whole baby phoenix revealed itself. She put her pet delicately in a pouch she had in her pocket and attached it to her belt.

Jennifer smiled serenely at the audience, looking over the audience until she spotted me and smirked. She lightly bowed and took a calming breath before speaking. "And with my part of the show is over." She stomped her foot on the ground and a sheet of fire shot up from the ground between the spectators and herself, temporarily shielding her from our view. When the fire left and the onlookers searched for the performer, she was gone.

Murmurs arose from the audience as they tried to decipher the act that just took place. Five Little People took the stage pushing in a clear glass tank filled with water, the wheels screeched to a halt and the Little People scurried off stage. Carla and Mr. Tall walked onto stage. Carla was wearing a straightjacket and had chains draped all around her, but was smiling like this it was completely normal. And to her and me it was.

“Now on to our next performer. The amazing Hydrokinetic; Carla!” He gestured to Carla who nodded at the audience since she couldn’t wave due the constricting straightjacket.

“I will be submerged into this tank of water, upside down and blindfolded and in a way reminiscent of Houdini I will escape safe and sound.” She said with a smirk to the audience.

Carla grabbed a ladder from behind the curtains and stood it beside the tank. She quickly climbed it and Mr. Tall followed after her. She sat on the edge of the tank while Mr. Tall locked the padlock and then Carla fell back into the water headfirst. The ringleader disappeared from sight and headed back stage.

The room was silent as Carla floated motionless in the water. I stared blankly at the container, I knew what was going to happen and the time spent waiting for the one crucial moment was getting on my nerves. My thoughts started to wander back to when Jennifer, Carla, and I had first became friends. We were only seven years old and I was at that time living in an orphanage. I had never met my parents and had been living there almost my whole entire life and it was the only home I had ever known.

Carla and Jenny came in within 3 months of each other-when we were all 6. Jennifer’s parents had died in a house fire, which she had caused but everyone has always lied to her and told her that they died in a car accident, she still doesn’t know. Carla’s mom…well, she just couldn’t handle her powers. I was picturing my 7th birthday-the day we all became friends- and smiled. I didn’t really have any friends at that time; I always tried to keep myself closed of. The day started out bad but at one point, I’m not sure which, it turned into one of the best days in my whole life. I pictured myself running- and then I heard it, it interrupted my thoughts and drew me back into reality.

There was a sharp crack that was coming from the tank and as I looked closely at it I saw ice starting to form on the glass. A thin layer slowly spread across and you could hear smaller and larger cracks. A moment later the whole tank shattered and water spilled across the floor. I rose my feet a little too avoid getting the liquid in my shoes. Carla stood upon with a huge grin on her face as she saw the look of awe on the viewer’s faces. She was completely dry even her feet, the water on the floor looked like it was repelled by her.

“Like it was earlier mentioned I am a Hydrokinetic and like you may have guessed I manipulate water. Even freeze it.” She said dully, it sounded like a speech she had rehearsed and said many times and that she was tired of repeating.

Carla looked below her and watched the water flow down the stage and trickles down the steps. “Well, there going to be a brief intermission as we clean this stuff up. Feel free to visit the gift shop.” She said before going to rejoining Mr. Tall and the others. When all the audience left, I went behind the curtains too.

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"Shhhh! It's not funny." I said to Carla. She was laughing hysterically and I was holding back some giggles back myself as we watched the Little People try to stand up on the slippery stage floor. They were put in charge of cleaning up the stage after Carla's performance and couldn't keep their balance on the soaking wet floor.

Thud!- "Lefty" as Darren ridiculously named him fell on the floor as he tried to pick up one of the bigger, and few remaining glass shards. He got up quickly and shook his head to try in an attempt to shake off the pain as well.

"Ok, maybe I should help him." Carla said as she struggled to contain her laughter. " Sage's performance is about to start and I do not want to know what she'll make me do if her act crashes and burns because of me."

She made the water around the Little People hover in the air and then put it over the row of candle around the stage. "Can you increase the flames Jenny?" She asked me.

I nodded and did as she asked. The candles grew much brighter illuminating even the farthest corners of the room and the water began to bubble at the high temperature. Soon steam floated up to the roof and searched for a wait out by the seems in the wooden roof.

"There." I said triumphantly. I lowered the flames and caught Lefty's gaze, he nodded in thanks and I smiled.

The audience slowly filled their seats as the intermission came to a close. By the time Mr. Tall gave me the signal to dim the lights even further all the seats were filled, all but the center seat in the front row. I did as Mr. Tall had commanded while Carla, who had decided to improvise, willed the steam-though it wasn't a liquid anymore it was still water and she could control it- to eerily creep on the stage.

"Now, on to our third and final act!" The ringleader said as he took the stage. "This is a different type of mental talent but is just as entreating, I can assure you of that." He said with a smile. He left, stage right to let Sage have the whole stage for her performance.