A girl found herself wandering aimlessly deep within the forest. The full moon gleamed in the pitch black sky of the night leaving the girl with just a little light to guide her from the shadowy path of the woods. Tall trees surrounded her, swaying as the breeze whistling between its branches. The sound only made the girl more frightened than she already was. She never meant to run through the forest but she had no choice at that moment.

If it wasn’t for the new job she had landed on that day, she won’t be even near that forest. She was just gone to deliver something from the other side of the city when it all happened. A bunch of guys surrounded her without her noticing and the next thing she knew was being pushed down in a cold concrete. It scared her to hell as they’ve positioned a knife in front of her and threatened her with their foul-smelling breath that a slight move will cost her life. She didn’t dare to move at that point and cursed her fate for having such a bad luck.

Praying for it to end quickly and shutting her eyes from the looming knowledge she knew will take part, it was then that a dog came charging to their direction and biting the one on top of her as hard as the dog could do. The men were thrown into panic after that and fought the rabid dog, forgetting the girl for a moment giving her a chance to run away. For a second, the girl was confused on what was happening that her mind even conjured that the rabid dog was far from ordinary. The girl couldn’t point out what made it different but she dismissed all the thoughts about her unexpected hero and ran as far away from that place.

It was then that her eyes caught the lines of trees of the forest. She was about to turn around and run in a different direction but the yells and the sound of heavy footsteps surged her forward and into the woods.

Beads of sweat had already pooled into her skin but she didn’t dare to stop from running. She had lost count on how long she had last heard the cries and shouts of the men who were following her but her heart was still pounding inside her chest.

It was then that she stumbled through the bracken that finally slowed her down. She laid there for a moment, trying to catch her breath and also listening to the sound of footsteps or angry voices to come closer but her ears were only greeted with silence.

Slowly, she raised her head and peeked through the large grove, seeing that it was still dark and no living, except her, was roaming the forest. She sat up from her position and looked down at her scraped knees. It was bleeding but not that much and the pain was tolerable.

The girl then stood up, testing her ankles and legs if they are still fit to walk which thankfully they did. She then suddenly looked back just to make sure that the men who were following her were really gone. Thankfully, they were not in sight. She looked around her to see where she had run through but she could not recognize the place. She sighed in spite of herself for getting rid of one situation and landing on a new one. Thinking that there’s no use blaming her fate, she decided to find her way out of the forest.

Gradually, she started walking, taking the forest in for the first time and find it not as scary as it had been when she had entered it.

It was actually nicer than what she was used to lived in. Fresh air surrounded her and she finds it refreshing from all those fetid smell she had lived through.

At least I’m getting something fresh from all of this, she sarcastically said to herself and brushed a branch away from her trail.

Seconds turned to minutes and minutes turned to hours, the girl had lost track of time on how long she was actually walking. She thought that she might at least see another road or the civilization in that manner after a few minutes or maybe an hour but it took longer than she had anticipated.

The girl had noticed too that the trees are getting taller, the forest started to get much darker and the wind stilled but it was colder than she could have remembered a while ago.

The sound of the forest started to change to as she has noticed that it has gone quieter. She doesn’t know if that was even possible and that was when an idea struck her brain.

She had learned that animals tend to be quiet while watching their unknowing prey move around until they find a perfect time to pounce on them and surprise them with their teeth and claw.

The girl shivered, not only from the cold now, but also from the thought that she might be a prey right now to an unknown beast lurking in the woods.

She hastened her steps immediately, looking every now and then behind her to make sure that there was nothing there. The girl walked even faster, minding her step as the roots seems bigger and more widespread in that area of the forest. It wasn’t long when she finally heard a snap from behind her that made her broke into a run without looking what it was.

It didn’t stop from there. Just after she heard the snap, she saw the bushes from her right rustled which she quickly avoided and headed to her left. The snaps of twigs and rustling of bushes didn’t stop after that. The thought of a pack of wolves was after her right now seems to be the only answer on how often it was that she was hearing stuff around her.

She was panting heavily at that point and the girl could feel her heart pounding against her chest rapidly. She started praying and pleading that she would get out of that forest as soon as she can and possibly, not harmed.

Tears started threatening to fall from her eyes but she kept it at bay for she could not afford to blur her sight right now. The moon was barely peeking from the canopy those large trees had made below. The girl ran as fast as she can and for the second time that day, she tripped again from some wild roots and found herself planting her face on the soft soil.

She hit her head a bit too hard at that time and her vision blurred from the impact. The girl tried to stand up but her legs became a wobbly set of sticks beneath her. She groaned from the pain in her head and held it for a second just to find out that she had a cut on her brow. Ignoring the blood and the pain, she looked back at her to see the ones in pursuit of her. Learning that there’s no one or something there, she leaned her back to a tree and willed the pain in her head and extremities to go away before she made a move.

Having the trees as her support, she gingerly moved forward again, trying to calm herself up as much as possible.

The girl doesn’t know how long she was walking around like that when finally a light overhead caught her attention.

Her heart leaped inside of her chest thinking that finally she had found her way out of the forest. She increased her speed while still being careful since it was too dark for her already and headed to the source of light.

Once she got there, a large clearing greeted her eyes with the moon finally showing up in the sky. Towering tents striped in red and yellow that seen better days grace in the middle of the clearing and spotlights, which seem the one she had seen a while ago, kept on moving from side to side. A circus tent, the girl happily muttered; now finally seeing some hope to get out of the forest safe and sound.

Immediately, the girl made her way to the tent and once she got closer, the archway which provides the entrance of the circus suddenly lit up shocking the poor girl as the firefly-like lights flicker to life. She stepped back from the archway and looked carefully at the twisted irons holding the lights fearing it will explode any moment as it didn’t stop from getting brighter. Then finally, it stopped making it clearer that the lights were actually aligned in scripted letters.

Cirque du Minuit

The girl thought for a moment; frowning and look questioningly at the signboard. Midnight Circus, she had thought which was unusual. Shrugging her growing suspicion of the tent, not only because of the name and what it means, but also because it was in the middle of the forest, the girl moved at the main tent of the circus looking for someone to help her. The girl was already desperate and the pain from her wound was already throbbing reminding her that she needed to get it cleaned before it got infected. Upon arriving at the entrance of the main tent, a sign was put there telling her that it was still close. She looked up to her watch only to find out that it was already quarter to eleven o’clock.

It was then that she heard that told her there were people there. As fast as her feet could let her, she walked around the tent and into the back where she found a smaller tent perched up. There were people there, in which she had gratefully noted, busy preparing for the show. Performers and crews of the circus were shuffling around dragging things with them or shouting orders at each other. It was odd, the girl had thought, when she saw how dull the colors of the dresses and clothes of the performers in spite that it was supposed to be a jolly circus. She shrugged the thoughts away as soon as it came and gingerly moved to their direction.

“Uhm, excuse-“

“Didn’t I tell you before to put that frame already on the stage?! Why the hell is it still here and not in there?” The man shouted at someone and didn’t notice the girl immediately before walking away from her.

The girl was nervous from all of the shouting but then she tried again to talking to someone but just like the first guy did, everyone just shrugged her off and even glared at her when she interrupted them on making progress to their work.

“Move brat! You’re in the way!” A man shouted and started pushing the girl away harshly when she didn’t moved a bit.

The girl almost stumbled to the ground but still, she managed to get away from everyone’s way as much as she can. Even with the bloody face and her dirty, torn clothes, no one seemed to mind on questioning or even helping her. She regretted somehow on trying to ask for help there but then again, it was the best thing she could have right now given the situation she was in.

Slowly and without her noticing, she got deeper inside the tent as she tried to get away from everyone’s way. The girl was fearful at that point because on what she had seen so far was much compared to a Goth-like circus. Dark clothes, heavy white make-ups and looks that are vicious, it was not what she had imagined of a circus was. It was an odd circus indeed. Well, she never able to go on one though before for some reasons. Only the pictures and descriptions from the books she had gotten her hands to were the only ones she had to compare this particular circus with.

Giving up on asking someone for help in there, she let her eyes wander inside the tent and watched as the performers and crews moved things from one place to another.

The girl stayed on one place where she could not bother someone but eventually she needed to move before someone would finally realized that she was not really a part of the circus and chase her away.

The girl had decided then that she would just watch the show first and then asked for help after it or maybe, some of the audience of the circus might be able to help her.

With that thought in her mind, she looked again to the entrance she had come through but found out that the towering tents were actually connected to each other creating multiple paths. She couldn’t remember the way she had gone through and so she ventured to the nearest one of the paths thinking that it might be the right one since she really didn’t walked that far.

As she goes deeper into her chosen passageway, the lights seemed to get darker. The sounds inside were still mixed with the shouts and chattering of people but something was different that the girl could not point out what it was.

”Wrong way,” the girl said and was about to make her way back to where she came from when a tall guy stopped her from her tracks.

“Are you lost, miss?” The guy said out of the blue shocking the girl and smiled at her only to show off a set of sharp canines.

The girl backed away with her eyes widened from the sight but the guy only tilted his head to the side and frowned before speaking again.

“You’re bleeding. We must take– “ He was about to say that they should patch it up but stopped abruptly when she suddenly stepped back as he tried to touch her shoulder. The girl didn’t know that there was a person behind her until she bumped on him accidentally.

“Hey! Watch it!” A voice sounded from her back and she quickly turned around to say sorry but what she saw was a rounded guy with his head shaped like a football. The girl choked the words she was about to say and just watched as the irritated guy mumbled some profanities to her before he walked away to a different direction.

It was then that she could finally see what was inside that room.

A man with a deformed face…Siamese twins with two heads in one body…a man with his face and body covered by hair….an armless lady…a three-legged man…a camel girl…

All of the people she had seen inside the room were….. Peculiar.

“Are you okay?” The man who had talked to her asked and placed a hand on her shoulder before turning her to her direction.

The girl shivered from the touch and quickly moved away again in fear of the man. The man noticed it and was deeply saddened on her reaction.

“Aah, I forgot. You must be new here judging from your reactions. I must be hideous to you. I’ll leave you to your own accord then but before that, here.” The man then took a handkerchief from his pocket. “You need to clean your wound. You could find a bathroom here if you turn to your left. There’s water there and a mirror. Err…uhm…well, yes. I guess I should go on my way,” The man had said sadly and turned around to walk away from the girl. The girl then felt guilty on being rude at him and showing him that she was scared of her despite that he was the first one who had actually talked to her and was the only one who had shown concern to her in that place.

“Wait!” She said and ran to him and stopping him by holding his arm. The man was surprise with the sudden touch and looked at the girl who was looking dejected as she stares at him.

“S…Sorry…I didn’t mean to hurt you. I-I was just surprised from what I have seen and yes, this is actually my first time on seeing uhm,” she stopped herself abruptly from telling what on her mind because she knew it was rude and definitely out of line.

“Freaks?” The man suddenly said to the horror of the girl.

A tinge of red suddenly graced her pale cheeks thinking how guilty she was that it was actually the description she had thought a while ago.

“N-No! T-That’s too much…I mean…it’s not like that,” The girl stammered at her own words.

The man just stood there and watched the sudden change of color on the girl’s cheek but he seemed not offended for knowing that the girl was really thinking of that word before he suggested it. In fact, the man smiled again, showing his canines and reassured the girl.

“It’s okay, we’re used to it and we really are called freaks around here.” The girl flinched with the sight of his canines again and upon noticing it, the man quickly withdrew his smile and hid his hideous fangs before bowing his head.

“I’m sorry, I just like smiling,” The man whispered and the girl felt a sense of guilt once more.

“No, I should be the one saying sorry. I’ve judged you sooner than I should. You were actually the first one who was nice enough to talk to me here. In fact, I think I like you smiling more than hiding your face,” The girl said and she actually do feel what she had said that she likes him more  smiling than hiding his face looking depressed. There was something about the guy even with his sharp canines made him looked innocent and trustworthy.

The man looked up with those delighted puppy-looking eyes and that was when the girl realized that it was his eyes after all that reflected the innocence and warmth from the guy.

“My name is Eisuke, by the way. What’s yours?” The man said a smile gracing his face but still trying to hide his canines and offered his hand.

“I’m Kaori. Nice to meet you,” The girl said as she took his hand for a shake.

“It’s nice to meet you too. So…How can I help you?” The man asked to the girl’s delight on finally remembering her purpose of being there.

“I actually got lost on the woods and just stumbled on this circus. I was looking for someone to help me get back to the city,” Kaori said.

“City?” The man tilted his head again in thought.

“Yeah, city.” Kaori confirmed but the look on Eisuke’s face made her bewildered.

“Don’t you know a city?” Kaori asked cautiously but was only meant with an innocent nod.

“Are you serious?” She asked but Eisuke was still dumbfounded.

“Well, I grew up with the circus for as long as I could remember. This is the surrounding I only know,” Eisuke gestured around him making Kaori pity him more.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t know,” She lowered her head but Eisuke only let out a chuckle.

“It’s okay. No need to be sorry about,” He brushed off what she had said and smiled once more.

“But…Don’t you get through a city to get to one place to another?” Kaori asked, her curiosity peaking.

“Well, how could I say it? We are always asleep when we travel and by the time we wake up, we are already on another place without knowing what passed us.”

“Strange…”

“Not really. We just really have an awesome transportation crew and that since we’re almost performing during midnight, we sleep by day and that was the time that we move to another place.” Eisuke explained and Kaori accepted it a little.

“Now that we’re clear about that, how about we find someone who actually knows how to get you to the city?” Eisuke suddenly said.

“Good idea! Err, well, who do you think we could ask?”

“No problem. We’ll just go straight to the ring masters. They’ll definitely help you,” Eisuke said.

“Ring masters?” Kaori asked not knowing anything about circus life.

“Oh, they are the ones who manage the performances and everyone,” He explained.

“Aah…” The girl only said and watched as Eisuke made a gesture with his hand.

“If you’ll just follow me now, we’ll get you to their office. The show will start in an hour so we better hurry up. The head ring master is really particular with time so if we want her help, we should be moving quickly,” Eisuke said and moved with ease through the maze of passageways.

Kaori kept up as best she could, but it didn’t help that the space was narrow and crowded with people who were preparing for the night’s show. Chairs, tables, wardrobes, and props were strewn across the place haphazardly as if no one really bothered cleaning up the place.

Kaori, on the other hand, was in between fascination and fearfulness as the main attractions for the circus showed abashed to her. Everyone doesn’t seem to mind her gawking at them but a few of them would throw rude glances on her like they were asking for a fight. Good thing they didn’t and left the poor girl on her own.

Eisuke led her around another passageway (Kaori was finally getting confused if how many tents she had passed with that hallway) and as they neared another open space, Kaori heard a splash of water and then a shuffle of fabrics before it was replaced with a high-pitched voice.

“Ei, what are you doing here?” A voice rang out before Kaori could see who spoke, not until Eisuke pulled a curtain on the right side corner revealing a huge tank filled with water.

A pale, smooth back still glistening with water greeted Kaori’s eyes when she caught someone shuffling on the side. Kaori stopped short and held her breathe when she realized that the woman was . The robe she was trying to wear was only halfway to her body letting a glimpse of her small waist and a part of her exposed .

Kaori quickly turned away, blushing madly at the sight, but she had noticed that Eisuke didn’t even move and seemed not bothered on seeing the figure like he was already used to it.

“Sorry to bother you. I was only passing to help this girl get to the ring masters,” Eisuke replied and Kaori gingerly turned around again to face the woman when she felt Eisuke touched her shoulder motioning her to look at the said woman. Kaori kept her eyes down and didn’t bother to look up at the figure fearing that she might not still fully clothe.

“Is there something wrong with my face?” The woman asked, now moving closer to Kaori.

“No! It’s just–“

Hearing her footsteps getting closer and the implication that Kaori might have offended the woman unknowingly, Kaori quickly looked up to explain but was only surprised yet again by the image that greeted her.

If Kaori had thought that she had seen everything from a while ago, she had deemed herself wrong as she came unprepared to see the woman in front of her.

Unlike from the distorted and out of the ordinary figures she had seen from her way up to there, the woman possessed a great beauty and charm that Kaori had never seen in her entire life. As Kaori stared at the beautiful woman in front of her, she had confirmed that she was still far from ordinary but her beauty was enough to erase those peculiar features and making Kaori to admire and not be scared of the woman.

The woman then drew up her hand to comb her wet, long-auburn hair before settling it at her side. Kaori noted that her skin shined against the dimly lit room and that was when the woman got closer that she had noticed her body was actually covered with a diamond-like skin shimmering against the light. Her eyes were the color of the deep blue sea but once in a while it seemed to sparkle at her slight movement.

Kaori’s breath was taken away the moment her eyes laid to the woman. She didn’t move. She didn’t speak even when she was spoken too and that was when the woman raised her brow.

“I think your friend here had hit her head too hard rendering her speechless,” The woman said, her eyes finally on the deep cut on her brow.

“Kaori! You okay? We should hurry and patch that wound of yours,” Eisuke worriedly said and tried to remove Kaori from her trance.

Kaori then whispered something that didn’t caught the woman’s and Eisuke’s ears.

“Pardon?” The woman said.

“B…Beautiful,” Kaori uttered breathlessly and when the woman suddenly looked at her with an astounded face made Kaori snapped from her reverie.

“Aah!” She said and slapped her hand to her forehead for saying the word out loud.

The woman though, getting over from her shock, gave out a small chuckle as she raised her hand to covering her lips.

“Thank you for the compliment. I appreciate it a lot. People…tend to tell me otherwise,” The woman trailed off, her eyes getting distant like she was relieving something from the past.

Kaori noticed it and was slightly felt concerned on the woman but then as soon as her expression changed, it snapped right back after, shrugging some unwanted memories.

“Aah, enough with that. You should go and tend to that wound of yours before it got worse,” She drew back and walked away from them before stopping at a rack filled with clothes.

“Besides, I need to get ready for the show,” She added.

“Very well then. We’ll leave you on your own, ma’am,” Eisuke then looked at Kaori.

“Kaori, let’s go.” Kaori did turn reluctantly from the woman but stopped again when the woman called for her.

“By the way, be careful on your way. Oh and be on your guard when you’re at the ring masters office. You don’t know what lurks behind these tents so I would prefer if you just keep it to yourself,” The woman strangely warned to her. Kaori looked back on the woman only to turn around again upon seeing that the woman started to discard her robe, showing the girl her body once more.

“O-okay. Thank you,” She stuttered and quickly moved from her place and sighing a relief after getting out at the increasing hotness of the room.

“Tomomi must have like you,” Eisuke said breaking the silence between them.

“Huh? Tomomi?”

“Yeah. The woman back there is Tomomi.”

“Aah, so her name is Tomomi. But what do you mean?” Kaori asked, confused on what Eisuke meant by like.

“You see, she wasn’t the type who shows concern to others, especially strangers. For her, it was a waste of energy and besides, nobody had shown one to her too so why does she need to bother getting worried or being swayed by someone. That was her logic from the start. She cared more for the show than actually care for people.” Eisuke made Kaori pondered on that thought. Although in a short time that they have met, Kaori noticed how her mood shifted once Tomomi said something about people thinking otherwise.

Kaori didn’t know why but a sudden feeling of pity to the beautiful woman emerged from her heart and she couldn’t shake the feeling away.

“Don’t worry about her. She’s actually sweet when you came to know her more. But, uhm…err…she could also be very seductive once she let her guard down,” Eisuke whispered the last sentence and scratch the back of his head like he was troubled by it. Kaori felt light again and let out a soft laugh at Eisuke’s expression. She just finally confirmed that she was not the only one who felt uncomfortable when seeing Tomomi .

“Well, I’ve warned her many times but she wouldn’t listen. She said that she was used being like that and that she wasn’t really trying to be seductive. After a while, I just got used to it but sometimes, I’m caught unprepared by her boldness,” Eisuke explained.

“I think that’s just a normal reaction, Eisuke.” Kaori grinned and once again Eisuke showed off his canines with his smile. This time, Kaori didn’t flinch and seemingly getting used on what she was seeing.

“Thank you and I’m glad you’re smiling again,” Eisuke told her and that was when Kaori noticed that he successfully diverted her from feeling pity to the gorgeous woman.

“Thank you,” Kaori murmured and greatly appreciated that she had accepted Eisuke’s help before.

~*~*~*~