Teodor
Teodor watched from his seat as Jasper finished his act. He of course knew it was real magic, and the children believed, but the adults just took it for fantastic illusions and slight of hand. Jasper, he knew could do the fake magic tricks as well, after centuries of experience, but it wasn’t his preference. AS the crowded applauded, Teo joined in for a few claps, then got up and pushed the curtain open. He was greeted by bright sunlight, and a large open field. Beyond that was the nearest city. He couldn’t remember the last time he had a night on the town, or ate out. He could still remember the last day he and Manuela spent together as free people.
“Teo!” Manuela’s sweet voice sang out from the trees. Teodor could hear her crunching in the leaves. He chased after her and finally caught up. He wrapped his arms around her and whispered in her ear.
“Got you!”
Manuela let out a squeal and tried to wiggle loose from his grip. Her struggling caused them both to fall onto the ground. They laughed for a while, and it was the first time they had in a while. It had been over 5 years since they had seen their parents, and the freedom they now owned was intoxicating. “Teodor, what’s that?” Manny asked and sat up, pointing at a large tent-like structure with torches set up around it.
“I don’t know,” Teo said and stood up. He held out a hand to his sister and helped her up. “Let’s go.” Manny smiled and brushed off her green dress. They made their way over to the Cirque, not knowing they were taking their last three steps. Manny saw Cedric and she blushed. Teodor noticed her and shook his head. “Let’s go ask him what this is.”
“Pardon me!” Manuela called out to the man in a sweet swing song voice. Her Romanian accent was strong when she spoke English. She assumed that was the language he spoke. He looked English. She kept her gaze on his eyes. As he explained the Cirque, she was intoxicated with the idea of living forever. “I’m an entertainer,” she mused. That was the only way for her and Teodor to get money at the moment. “And my brother and I are special.” She looked to her twin, who seemed slightly uneasy. He wasn’t fond of the idea of eternity, but the look in his sister’s eyes broke his heart.
“Yes,” He said and put his head against his sisters, and they fused together. “Siamese twins by choice.”
Within the hour they had signed the contract and sold their souls. For a while, he tried to enjoy himself, but he found it impossible to forgive himself for letting his sister do this.
He took a deep breath and returned into the ring in time to hear Cedric’s announcement. He walked over to his space wheel and rolled it over to his wagon. He laid down and soon he was fast asleep.
Manuela
Manuela was sitting next to her brother, watching Jasper’s show in awe. She never grew bored of it. Even after 400 years, she was still amazed by his magic shows, and his astounding voice, asking the crowd to question reality. She joined the crowd in their applause and smiled brightly. When she sat back down, Teodor had disappeared. She frowned, but was then crowded by a group of people. Most were children, asking if she could show them her tricks again.
“Of course, but not all of them.” She smiled. She still had on her spandex body suit and extravagant make-up, so she felt she couldn’t refuse. She twisted herself into a pretzel, then unfolded and stood up again. She puffed her cheeks out while she thought. “What do you guys want to see?” she asked. All of a sudden she heard the familiar sound of Gaston’s laugh and kids laughing as well. The few children that were talking to her, took off to go talk to Gaston. She smiled and walked over as well.
“Quite the star, huh?” She smiled and winked at him. Cedric walked over and told them to rest, they were leaving early. She frowned and walked over to her wagon. She noticed that Teodor had returned and was fast asleep. She wasn’t looking forward to the early morning. She sighed climbed into her wagon. She stripped off the suffocating body suit and pulled on a flowy floral dress. She fixed her hair and stepped out, barefooted and leaned against her wagon, looking for a way to entertain herself.