J
Jessika Claire
Guest
Original poster
The hairs of the paintbrush moved delicately over slightly parted lips, staining them a deep red that roses could only dream of. It mixed with a darker color that would look like black to any normal person, but once you looked closer, you could see that it was a mix of all colors. Colors; each of them stood for a part of life. Green stood for nature that was slowly dying. Yellow stood for joy that people tried so hard to feel. Blue stood for hope and peace that people so desperately clung to, and so on. Yes, this mixture of colors was a mixture of life itself.
The paintbrush traced its way along smooth, pale skin. It traced intricate designs around the eye and cut a clean line across the neck. But any amount of makeup only enhanced the beauty of a person. However, this was just the beginning. The makeup was just the finishing touch; the icing on the cake. The outfit was more candy for the eye.
Starting at the head, the blonde hair was pinned tightly with diamonds. A large bun laced with a girl's best friend, a ring of rubies to act as a headband, and a sapphire for decoration. Moving down, there was a red ribbon around the neck, looped through a tiny golden bell that rang with the slightest movement. Working down, the arms were bare except for the lacy black gloves that were pulled past her elbow, a dainty little ring on the ring finger. Tight around the waist was a red corset, pulled so tightly that the curves in her waist had been sculpted to perfection. Below the corset was a flat stomach with a simple, silver belly-ring. The tiny little skirt that hugged the hips was just enough so it didn't reveal anything above mid-thigh and left enough to imagination. The final piece of the outfit was the boots; the boots that were knee-high and laced with red ribbon.
As the elegant hands pushed the body up from the chair, the four inch heels could be heard clicking on the ground. Emerald eyes stared into the mirror at its reflection and the lips curled up in a smirk of satisfaction. She was stunning. There was no doubt about that, and the icy blue eyes watching her from behind agreed a hundred percent.
"Beautiful, of course. Why else would I have hired you?" his deep voice made her skin tingle, but she was long past loving him. She was so connected to him that she felt every breath that he took. Every breeze that caressed his skin caressed hers. She could even see herself through his eyes. He stepped forwards, and he looked just as attractive as she did. With his crimson hair, pale skin, and muscular figure, he was something out of a dream for most women, but not for her. Oh, he was real, alright.
"Oh, I don't know, maybe for my skill?" in her hand was a sleek whip. It was a simple weapon, but as she snapped it against the far wall, it clearly held a lot of power. He chuckled and placed a finger under her chin, making her look up at him. He was quite a bit taller than her, even with her heels.
"Perhaps. Now go prepare your performance while I entertain the crowd. You're on in ten." with that said, he left her to herself.
Not one to waste time, she left and turned the opposite direction that he had. The hallway was dark, but that was no problem for her. She took long strides and her fingers trailed along the wall. After just seconds, the wall had been switched for cold, metal bars. Inside, she heard creatures growl and hiss, but she didn't mind it. The sounds the creatures made were not threatening, but welcoming. Just as she had a connection to him, she had a connection to these creatures. After a few long paces, she reached the back wall. She pulled a rope and the bars sunk into the ground, leaving the creatures free to leave their confines. Bright, glittering eyes looked back at her from the darkness and one by one, they began to leave.
"Mummy will be with you soon. Don't worry." She gave a purr as the last one left, flicking its tail in her direction. She followed them, dragging her whip behind her. There was no need to use it. The animals followed her every word. After all, they knew that if they disobeyed, the penalty was straight to the point.
The penalty was death.
She waited behind the heavy, velvet curtains. Each animal was sitting in their respective cages. Funny, how they left one cage only to be contained in another. They were well rewarded for their performances, however, and they all knew that. She knew some of them were thinking of it already as some drooled at the thought. Meanwhile, on the other side of the curtain, he was standing. The audience was already captivated, which made her throw her head back and laugh.
It was only a matter of time now.
~~~
"Welcome, Ladies and Gentlemen to our wonderful circus! Here beneath our tent is beauty and magic! Now, you may think this is going to be another performance, but I assure you, this will be a night you will never forget!" the audience stared at this man. He tapped his cane on the ground. This one man could hold the attention of hundreds of people that sat around him.
"I'm sure you can already tell that we aren't your average circus. You may have noticed that we don't sell food, drinks, or merchandise at the door. We don't have staff wandering up and down the stairs trying to trick you into buying sweets or toys. Why is this? Well…" he tipped his hat and swiveled to face the crowd to the front.
"Ladies and Gentlemen, we have some very special guest with us tonight. They are on a very strict diet as a part of their training. Oftentimes, our guest go insane with hunger. Do not fret, however, because we have the very best protection for you all." As he spoke, metal bars rose up to separate the audience from the ring. What they didn't notice was that the entrances and exits had been barred as well.
"Now that precautions have been made, please welcome our first performance! Our guest will be able to greet you… at the end." As he said this, the audience cheered and applauded as his platform sunk into the ground, leaving the ring bare of any life. For a moment, there was absolute silence. Then the curtains were raised, allowing the woman to make her appearance. Certain men in the crowd went wild, and everyone sat on the edges of their seats in anticipation. What would come next?
From below the ring where the Ringmaster disappeared to, the cages rose up with a light cloth covering them. Ropes from above lifted the first, revealing a real beauty. Everyone would recognize it instantly as a tiger, but the thing that made it unique was the beautiful, violet fur it had with black stripes. Its eyes were a lovely shade of violet as well, but that was harder to tell from such a distance. The tiger gave a loud growl and the crowd was silent for a moment. It was such a magnificent beast, yet many questions arose from it as well. Was the fur dyed? Had they genetically mutated it? And if so, how?
Those questions were stifled as the next cage was revealed, leaving four covered. This cage held a lion. It was normal colored, but it had two heads. Both heads stared into the crowd, canines gleaming in the lights that dangled from above. The crowd whistled and cheered, and the tension built in the room. People were obviously curious as to what would come next.
The third cage revealed a horse with gemstones embedded into its neck and golden hooves. Its mane was the most peculiar, however. People screamed as the woman walked over to the creature, which was let out of its cage, and stroked its mane. She crowd murmured in confusion as she was unharmed. The horse's mane was made out of flames; not hairs dyed to look like flames, but real, actual flames.
The fourth was harder to see at first. It looked like a normal wolf, but she allowed the animal to escape the cage. A block of pure diamond was brought into the ring and people gasped as it shined and glimmered. It really was a sight to behold… Until the wolf's claws sliced the block apart. It sunk its fangs into the diamond, and between its claws and its canines, the wolf effectively turned the block of diamond into little pieces of diamond scattered on the ground.
The fifth one was the prize. It was the one that the woman had the most pride in. She'd raised this one from when it was just a tiny little thing. Now, it was twice her size and ready to tear apart anything that put her or itself in harm's way. The cage was revealed and gasps rippled through the crowd. The audience was speechless. The cage was considerably bigger than the others, which had gotten the crowd curious, and now they were staring at something that only legends had described.
It was a phoenix.
The flames that rose from the crimson feathers were real. They were no figment of imagination. They were not a result of special effects. The flames were real and right in front of their eyes. The beak was long and sleek, a deep color that gave off more of a shine than gold. Its eyes were a not a color that could be described. If you ever got close enough to look into its eyes, the colors never stopped changing. Not one color could have described it. Its talons were sharp and left scratches on the metal perch in the cage.
A voice echoed around the ring, even though there were no speakers in sight. The Ringmaster's voice made an appearance once again. "Now that we've had a chance to see our precious gems, let's see them in action! Our Tamer, Kira," he paused to allow the Tamer to take her to the front and to the sides, and to accept her applause. "Has complete control over these magnificent beasts. Just sit back, relax, and be amazed!" His voice cut out and all the creatures stepped out of their cages.
The cages disappeared below the stage and Kira's props were all lifted onto the stage and into the air. There were the usual flaming hoops and platforms, but the Tamer knew that beneath the stage was another obstacle course that would shock the crowd once it was in action.
She went through all the usual motions of a circus, letting them jump through hoops and doing daring stunts, like placing her head in the tiger's mouth. This was only a simple task for the animals. She had no fear of them either, which was clear whenever she made contact with them. They trusted each other completely. But now, the real games began.
As the obstacles disappeared the same way everything else did, a larger cage rose; a cage that filled the whole ring, leaving only enough space for Kira and the other animals to sit. Inside this cage, there seemed to be a complicated obstacle course that seemed to replicate a jungle. Inside, already pacing back and forth was a normal orange and black tiger. It was exceptionally bigger than an average tiger, but it was the tiger that everyone was familiar with. This was where the real show began. A door opened at the side, allowing the violet tiger to make its way into the arena. The two stared at each other for a moment.
Kira looked into the crowd and saw mixed expressions. Some people were cheering them on, some people were confused, and some people thought this was morally wrong. She grinned as the tigers circled each other, waiting for the other to make a move. Finally, the orange tiger leapt for the violet one, who managed to block the assault with a simple swipe of its paw. They went on like this for mere minutes. The violet tiger seemed to give no effort at all as it took down the other. The normal tiger was shaking now, fur matted and stained with crimson blood. The arena was quite a mess, even though the violet tiger seemed completely unharmed. The crowd was absolutely silent at the bloodshed they'd just witnessed.
This was the only scene they'd have to deal with though. There were different tests for the other creatures. Some were as simple as showing off their speed. However, the phoenix was the one that would stick with them the most. As the animals and Kira were accepting applause, the phoenix rose into the air and burst into flame. It was beautiful, like watching a star explode, and the ashes slowly fell to the ground. However, from the ashes, came a tiny chick; one that had crimson feathers as well, but less vibrant.
The crowd applauded and wept at this scene. A phoenix was something many people couldn't comprehend and just being in the presence of something as precious as a phoenix's rebirth was enough to reduce people to tears.
They disappeared below the stage and the show continued as usual. Acrobats and other entertainers stole the stage. People had almost forgotten about the guest mentioned until the Ringmaster appeared once again with a cage beside him.
"Ladies and Gentlemen, what I have here beside me is something you'll never see anywhere else." And sure enough, he was right. As soon as the cage was unveiled, people in the crowd screamed. Inside was sitting something there were no words for besides unnatural and immoral. It looked a little like a little boy, but where there were supposed to be legs, there were little stumps. The arms were long and thin, and grotesque wings were embedded into its back, covered in blood as if they'd just burst from his body. They were so heavy and ripped so badly that they didn't look functional at all. Its eyes were large and filled with darkness that chilled people's very souls. Already, people were scrambling over each other trying to flee the circus, but the Ringmaster spoke over the commotion.
"Yes, yes. My dear Derrick here is a very unique specimen." Some people still listened to him, intrigued. However, these people were very few. The 'freak', for lack of a better word, was clearly terrified by all the commotion and bared its razor sharp teeth at the crowd. "But the things he can do. The destruction that he can cause, well," the Ringmaster gave a chuckle and the bars of the cage lowered. "I think I'll show you firsthand what terror feels like." The creatures from the first performance came back out, stunning the crowd into not moving. Everyone was crowded around the exits that they found were closed off.
The Tamer's arm rose, and with it, her whip. By now, people didn't know what to expect, except that something bad was going to happen. The bars separating the ring and the audience slowly went back into the ground and the people in the crowd had a sort of understanding that their time was short now. The members of the circus (creatures included) stared into the eyes of the crowd, scanning for the weak ones and for the ones who would put up a decent fight.
Kira's whip came down and everyone moved at once. Animals bit the flesh and tore it apart, snapping the bones in their strong jaws. The 'freak' dragged itself with its long arms and propelled itself forward with its wings. Its first attack would always be to tear the legs off, perhaps in spite, or perhaps because it stopped people from getting away.
The Ringmaster and the Tamer stood in the ring and laughed. It was all they could do, watching people scramble around, even sacrificing their own children.
"Sacrifice is necessary. Even human instinct knows that. Just as these people are our sacrifices needed to perfect our team." The Ringmaster said to Kira, who simply gave a nod and watched the bloodbath in front of her.
It was over in a matter of minutes. In the end, there was a boy, surrounded by these creatures. He was huddled in the corner, shivering and clutching his head. He could smell the breath of the animals and was sure that he would be dead soon to join his parents and sister in Heaven. But he was startled to feel the tiger's tale caress his cheek and the wolf nuzzle his arm.
Kira was the one who picked the boy up carefully, bringing him over to the Ringmaster.
"Tell me boy," he began. "What is your name?"
The boy didn't seem to remember how to talk, but a nudge from the horse made him give out a strangled cry, "Shane, sir."
"Shane, is it?" the other members of the circus came out behind the Ringmaster, neither smile nor frown on their faces. The boy was beyond terrified now. Would they torture him? Or would they turn him into one of the freaks? The Ringmaster tapped the boy's shoulder with his cane to grab his attention again and grinned.
"Welcome, Shane, to the Freakshow!"
The paintbrush traced its way along smooth, pale skin. It traced intricate designs around the eye and cut a clean line across the neck. But any amount of makeup only enhanced the beauty of a person. However, this was just the beginning. The makeup was just the finishing touch; the icing on the cake. The outfit was more candy for the eye.
Starting at the head, the blonde hair was pinned tightly with diamonds. A large bun laced with a girl's best friend, a ring of rubies to act as a headband, and a sapphire for decoration. Moving down, there was a red ribbon around the neck, looped through a tiny golden bell that rang with the slightest movement. Working down, the arms were bare except for the lacy black gloves that were pulled past her elbow, a dainty little ring on the ring finger. Tight around the waist was a red corset, pulled so tightly that the curves in her waist had been sculpted to perfection. Below the corset was a flat stomach with a simple, silver belly-ring. The tiny little skirt that hugged the hips was just enough so it didn't reveal anything above mid-thigh and left enough to imagination. The final piece of the outfit was the boots; the boots that were knee-high and laced with red ribbon.
As the elegant hands pushed the body up from the chair, the four inch heels could be heard clicking on the ground. Emerald eyes stared into the mirror at its reflection and the lips curled up in a smirk of satisfaction. She was stunning. There was no doubt about that, and the icy blue eyes watching her from behind agreed a hundred percent.
"Beautiful, of course. Why else would I have hired you?" his deep voice made her skin tingle, but she was long past loving him. She was so connected to him that she felt every breath that he took. Every breeze that caressed his skin caressed hers. She could even see herself through his eyes. He stepped forwards, and he looked just as attractive as she did. With his crimson hair, pale skin, and muscular figure, he was something out of a dream for most women, but not for her. Oh, he was real, alright.
"Oh, I don't know, maybe for my skill?" in her hand was a sleek whip. It was a simple weapon, but as she snapped it against the far wall, it clearly held a lot of power. He chuckled and placed a finger under her chin, making her look up at him. He was quite a bit taller than her, even with her heels.
"Perhaps. Now go prepare your performance while I entertain the crowd. You're on in ten." with that said, he left her to herself.
Not one to waste time, she left and turned the opposite direction that he had. The hallway was dark, but that was no problem for her. She took long strides and her fingers trailed along the wall. After just seconds, the wall had been switched for cold, metal bars. Inside, she heard creatures growl and hiss, but she didn't mind it. The sounds the creatures made were not threatening, but welcoming. Just as she had a connection to him, she had a connection to these creatures. After a few long paces, she reached the back wall. She pulled a rope and the bars sunk into the ground, leaving the creatures free to leave their confines. Bright, glittering eyes looked back at her from the darkness and one by one, they began to leave.
"Mummy will be with you soon. Don't worry." She gave a purr as the last one left, flicking its tail in her direction. She followed them, dragging her whip behind her. There was no need to use it. The animals followed her every word. After all, they knew that if they disobeyed, the penalty was straight to the point.
The penalty was death.
She waited behind the heavy, velvet curtains. Each animal was sitting in their respective cages. Funny, how they left one cage only to be contained in another. They were well rewarded for their performances, however, and they all knew that. She knew some of them were thinking of it already as some drooled at the thought. Meanwhile, on the other side of the curtain, he was standing. The audience was already captivated, which made her throw her head back and laugh.
It was only a matter of time now.
~~~
"Welcome, Ladies and Gentlemen to our wonderful circus! Here beneath our tent is beauty and magic! Now, you may think this is going to be another performance, but I assure you, this will be a night you will never forget!" the audience stared at this man. He tapped his cane on the ground. This one man could hold the attention of hundreds of people that sat around him.
"I'm sure you can already tell that we aren't your average circus. You may have noticed that we don't sell food, drinks, or merchandise at the door. We don't have staff wandering up and down the stairs trying to trick you into buying sweets or toys. Why is this? Well…" he tipped his hat and swiveled to face the crowd to the front.
"Ladies and Gentlemen, we have some very special guest with us tonight. They are on a very strict diet as a part of their training. Oftentimes, our guest go insane with hunger. Do not fret, however, because we have the very best protection for you all." As he spoke, metal bars rose up to separate the audience from the ring. What they didn't notice was that the entrances and exits had been barred as well.
"Now that precautions have been made, please welcome our first performance! Our guest will be able to greet you… at the end." As he said this, the audience cheered and applauded as his platform sunk into the ground, leaving the ring bare of any life. For a moment, there was absolute silence. Then the curtains were raised, allowing the woman to make her appearance. Certain men in the crowd went wild, and everyone sat on the edges of their seats in anticipation. What would come next?
From below the ring where the Ringmaster disappeared to, the cages rose up with a light cloth covering them. Ropes from above lifted the first, revealing a real beauty. Everyone would recognize it instantly as a tiger, but the thing that made it unique was the beautiful, violet fur it had with black stripes. Its eyes were a lovely shade of violet as well, but that was harder to tell from such a distance. The tiger gave a loud growl and the crowd was silent for a moment. It was such a magnificent beast, yet many questions arose from it as well. Was the fur dyed? Had they genetically mutated it? And if so, how?
Those questions were stifled as the next cage was revealed, leaving four covered. This cage held a lion. It was normal colored, but it had two heads. Both heads stared into the crowd, canines gleaming in the lights that dangled from above. The crowd whistled and cheered, and the tension built in the room. People were obviously curious as to what would come next.
The third cage revealed a horse with gemstones embedded into its neck and golden hooves. Its mane was the most peculiar, however. People screamed as the woman walked over to the creature, which was let out of its cage, and stroked its mane. She crowd murmured in confusion as she was unharmed. The horse's mane was made out of flames; not hairs dyed to look like flames, but real, actual flames.
The fourth was harder to see at first. It looked like a normal wolf, but she allowed the animal to escape the cage. A block of pure diamond was brought into the ring and people gasped as it shined and glimmered. It really was a sight to behold… Until the wolf's claws sliced the block apart. It sunk its fangs into the diamond, and between its claws and its canines, the wolf effectively turned the block of diamond into little pieces of diamond scattered on the ground.
The fifth one was the prize. It was the one that the woman had the most pride in. She'd raised this one from when it was just a tiny little thing. Now, it was twice her size and ready to tear apart anything that put her or itself in harm's way. The cage was revealed and gasps rippled through the crowd. The audience was speechless. The cage was considerably bigger than the others, which had gotten the crowd curious, and now they were staring at something that only legends had described.
It was a phoenix.
The flames that rose from the crimson feathers were real. They were no figment of imagination. They were not a result of special effects. The flames were real and right in front of their eyes. The beak was long and sleek, a deep color that gave off more of a shine than gold. Its eyes were a not a color that could be described. If you ever got close enough to look into its eyes, the colors never stopped changing. Not one color could have described it. Its talons were sharp and left scratches on the metal perch in the cage.
A voice echoed around the ring, even though there were no speakers in sight. The Ringmaster's voice made an appearance once again. "Now that we've had a chance to see our precious gems, let's see them in action! Our Tamer, Kira," he paused to allow the Tamer to take her to the front and to the sides, and to accept her applause. "Has complete control over these magnificent beasts. Just sit back, relax, and be amazed!" His voice cut out and all the creatures stepped out of their cages.
The cages disappeared below the stage and Kira's props were all lifted onto the stage and into the air. There were the usual flaming hoops and platforms, but the Tamer knew that beneath the stage was another obstacle course that would shock the crowd once it was in action.
She went through all the usual motions of a circus, letting them jump through hoops and doing daring stunts, like placing her head in the tiger's mouth. This was only a simple task for the animals. She had no fear of them either, which was clear whenever she made contact with them. They trusted each other completely. But now, the real games began.
As the obstacles disappeared the same way everything else did, a larger cage rose; a cage that filled the whole ring, leaving only enough space for Kira and the other animals to sit. Inside this cage, there seemed to be a complicated obstacle course that seemed to replicate a jungle. Inside, already pacing back and forth was a normal orange and black tiger. It was exceptionally bigger than an average tiger, but it was the tiger that everyone was familiar with. This was where the real show began. A door opened at the side, allowing the violet tiger to make its way into the arena. The two stared at each other for a moment.
Kira looked into the crowd and saw mixed expressions. Some people were cheering them on, some people were confused, and some people thought this was morally wrong. She grinned as the tigers circled each other, waiting for the other to make a move. Finally, the orange tiger leapt for the violet one, who managed to block the assault with a simple swipe of its paw. They went on like this for mere minutes. The violet tiger seemed to give no effort at all as it took down the other. The normal tiger was shaking now, fur matted and stained with crimson blood. The arena was quite a mess, even though the violet tiger seemed completely unharmed. The crowd was absolutely silent at the bloodshed they'd just witnessed.
This was the only scene they'd have to deal with though. There were different tests for the other creatures. Some were as simple as showing off their speed. However, the phoenix was the one that would stick with them the most. As the animals and Kira were accepting applause, the phoenix rose into the air and burst into flame. It was beautiful, like watching a star explode, and the ashes slowly fell to the ground. However, from the ashes, came a tiny chick; one that had crimson feathers as well, but less vibrant.
The crowd applauded and wept at this scene. A phoenix was something many people couldn't comprehend and just being in the presence of something as precious as a phoenix's rebirth was enough to reduce people to tears.
They disappeared below the stage and the show continued as usual. Acrobats and other entertainers stole the stage. People had almost forgotten about the guest mentioned until the Ringmaster appeared once again with a cage beside him.
"Ladies and Gentlemen, what I have here beside me is something you'll never see anywhere else." And sure enough, he was right. As soon as the cage was unveiled, people in the crowd screamed. Inside was sitting something there were no words for besides unnatural and immoral. It looked a little like a little boy, but where there were supposed to be legs, there were little stumps. The arms were long and thin, and grotesque wings were embedded into its back, covered in blood as if they'd just burst from his body. They were so heavy and ripped so badly that they didn't look functional at all. Its eyes were large and filled with darkness that chilled people's very souls. Already, people were scrambling over each other trying to flee the circus, but the Ringmaster spoke over the commotion.
"Yes, yes. My dear Derrick here is a very unique specimen." Some people still listened to him, intrigued. However, these people were very few. The 'freak', for lack of a better word, was clearly terrified by all the commotion and bared its razor sharp teeth at the crowd. "But the things he can do. The destruction that he can cause, well," the Ringmaster gave a chuckle and the bars of the cage lowered. "I think I'll show you firsthand what terror feels like." The creatures from the first performance came back out, stunning the crowd into not moving. Everyone was crowded around the exits that they found were closed off.
The Tamer's arm rose, and with it, her whip. By now, people didn't know what to expect, except that something bad was going to happen. The bars separating the ring and the audience slowly went back into the ground and the people in the crowd had a sort of understanding that their time was short now. The members of the circus (creatures included) stared into the eyes of the crowd, scanning for the weak ones and for the ones who would put up a decent fight.
Kira's whip came down and everyone moved at once. Animals bit the flesh and tore it apart, snapping the bones in their strong jaws. The 'freak' dragged itself with its long arms and propelled itself forward with its wings. Its first attack would always be to tear the legs off, perhaps in spite, or perhaps because it stopped people from getting away.
The Ringmaster and the Tamer stood in the ring and laughed. It was all they could do, watching people scramble around, even sacrificing their own children.
"Sacrifice is necessary. Even human instinct knows that. Just as these people are our sacrifices needed to perfect our team." The Ringmaster said to Kira, who simply gave a nod and watched the bloodbath in front of her.
It was over in a matter of minutes. In the end, there was a boy, surrounded by these creatures. He was huddled in the corner, shivering and clutching his head. He could smell the breath of the animals and was sure that he would be dead soon to join his parents and sister in Heaven. But he was startled to feel the tiger's tale caress his cheek and the wolf nuzzle his arm.
Kira was the one who picked the boy up carefully, bringing him over to the Ringmaster.
"Tell me boy," he began. "What is your name?"
The boy didn't seem to remember how to talk, but a nudge from the horse made him give out a strangled cry, "Shane, sir."
"Shane, is it?" the other members of the circus came out behind the Ringmaster, neither smile nor frown on their faces. The boy was beyond terrified now. Would they torture him? Or would they turn him into one of the freaks? The Ringmaster tapped the boy's shoulder with his cane to grab his attention again and grinned.
"Welcome, Shane, to the Freakshow!"