Snippet #2176551

The cool morning air was refreshing, carrying the gentle scents of a recent rain. Small mud puddles dotted the country road, but the increasing heat of the day made it clear that the mud would be gone by the afternoon. As the sun rose, each color seemed to grow more vivid, the morning dew twinkling in the light. A small, feminine figure briskly trotted down the road at a pace that could barely be called a walk, giving each puddle a overly wide berth. Slowly, the road became more crowded as the woman approached a small town. Her pace slowed as she quietly took in the surroundings. The town was small, with a few buildings lining a main street, a train station, and post office, and a factory. A dilapidated sign near the factory read, "Temperance, Illinois" in faded white letters. A half dozen houses branched off of the main street, with about thirty or so more scattered about the countryside.

Evie became more nervous as she neared the train station. Her fingers were drawn to her pocket once more as she felt the money for the train ticket and the circus fare. She had been saving as much money as she could for more than a year, and she kept feeling uncertain that she would have enough, though she had carefully counted it several times. Arriving at the train station, which was just a small two-room building with a platform for boarding, she shyly peered through the crowd already gathering for the next train. In reality, there were only about seven or eight people, but it seemed rather packed to Evie. She hurried over to the counter, hesitating a moment before asking for a two-way ticket to Hallowbrook. A blush colored her face as she handed the man behind the counter some money, and she watched with apprehension as he counted it. Without a second glance, the man handed her a ticket and told her the train would arrive in about twenty minutes.

Evie went out to the platform and sat on one of the wooden benches, watching nervously for their arrival. It was their idea to go to the circus after all. Even though Evie had always wanted to go to a circus, it took a lot of convincing to get her to come. She was still worried that her mother would drag her back home when she figured out Evie had left with her chores undone. She hated not doing them, but she couldn't go to the circus if she had. Moments later, Jack showed up, to Evie's relief. However, he seemed to be having some trouble getting his ticket, and the police man came over. Though Evie presumed he was coming to help Jack, the policeman immediately began pushing him. Evie watched in horror as the man grabbed Jack by the collar, not only because of that, but also the glimpse she got of Jack's hand in the man's pocket. She carefully watched the policeman's face, hoping he wouldn't notice. The man let Jack go, and Evie scooted over to make room for Jack to sit. She waited for him to start the conversation, but responded with a gently scolding tone in her voice. "Now why did you have to go and do that? You're lucky that bull didn't notice your little caper. That gave me the heebie-jeebies, I thought you would get caught for sure!" There was genuine concern in her eyes as she spoke, but there was also a weariness that said they had this conversation many times before.

Evie became concerned when she caught sight of the train before Avalin had arrived. Hopefully she wouldn't come too late. The train arrived in the station, and after a few moments the final boarding call sounded. Finally, Avalin arrived and hastily boarded the train and joined them, and they took the last few open seats on the car. Evie smiled at her two friends, finally beginning to relax when the train ground into motion. Evie had only been on a train a few times before, but she enjoyed it. Though the trio talked for a while, Evie soon dropped off, content just to listen and comment every once in a while.

Soon, however, her thoughts turned to her mother and her home once again. She dreaded returning after a day of neglecting her chores. Everyone would be cranky and her mother would probably berate and beat her. Her thoughts quickly turned from the depressing subject as she stared at the landscape quickly passing them by. She began to wonder what the circus would be like. What unimaginable wonders would await her there? Suddenly, a thought came to her. What if she just joined the circus? She wouldn't have to go home ever again, and she could see the world. Her cheeks began to flush with excitement as she imagined what adventures she could have. Then she began to wonder what exactly she could do at a circus. She had almost no sense of balance, so she could not be a tightrope walker or a uni-cyclist. She was not nearly flexible enough to be a contortionist. The idea of swallowing swords made her feel queasy. Joining the circus was beginning to sound less and less practical.

Finally, they arrived at their destination. Since the circus was set up just outside the town, it only took a short walk before they arrived. Evie smiled at her friends as she bought the admission ticket and hurried in. Taking a couple steps toward the main tent, she immediately tripped and fell to her knees, feeling somebody stumble over her and walk past with a murmured curse. She yelled an apology to the man's retreating form before standing and brushing her dress off. She gave an embarrassed nod to Jack, who helped her brush off the dust. Mostly unfazed, she motioned to her friends and continued on, pausing a moment to watch a man who seemed to be flying on a piece of wood. Excitedly, she realized that this circus, the Torture Circus, also had mutants! This just could not get better. She made some comments on these things, but as she came closer to the tent, the name began to bother her. Why the Torture Circus?