Alex Curtis
Penny asked the question Alex had been wondering the whole time, "You know, no offense or nothing, but... you all don't look much like circus folk. Why are you here? Are you staying or just passing through?" The mood suddenly became tense at the wait for Clara's response, however it was all lost as Clara started laughing. Penny bit her lip, obviously restraining the multiple questions she wanted to blurt out.
Clara responded, "You're right, and I'm sorry to say we can not stay. We are heading to Easthaven, to live with our late aunt. The ringmaster was kind enough to give us a ride... Although it is lovely here and the people are wonderful... We need to get to our aunts as soon as possible." She then blushed a little as she bent closer to the trio and said in a hushed tone, "I think that is where our mother went, and we are trying to find her."
Alex didn't understand how a mother could get lost without the intent of abandoning her children but seeing Clara's blush made him refrain from asking and he did not want to make her sad. Penny's mood suddenly dropped and the whole atmosphere of the room nearly changed. Clara almost instantly said, "Penny, are you alright? Honestly, it's no problem at all, there's no need to be sad for us. I think the younger two are quite happy to be on such an adventure!" which brought Penny out of her zone and led to her giving one of her sparkling smiles. It was rare for Penny to be so sad which caught Alex a little off guard.
"What about you? What brought you here, and why did you stay?" Clara asked curiously. Alex suddenly became self-conscious of his scars, something he had learned to ignore, and while he couldn't cover the barely-visible scars on his eyes he made sure his sleeve was tucked down enough to cover the scars on his arm. Even Penny and Zach spoke to Alex little of his past. "You know, my family went through some tough times. My mother died when I was seven, which was tough on me but a lot tougher on my dad, who was very close to her. He started going out and drinking and eventually I couldn't take it much more and left on my eighth birthday. I didn't meet Zachariah or Penelope until I was twelve- or was it thirteen? I think they were frightened of me at first," Alex joked. He decided to leave out his habits of gambling and his fathers beatings.
Zach suddenly surprised Alex by sharing his story. He seemed to be doing it more to impress his sister rather than share his story, but nonetheless it was something unusual of Zach. The story always amazed Alex of how attached Penny was that she decided to go with her brother. However, the story always made Alex long for a companion who would always stick by his side. Clara's siblings had Clara and Zach had Penelope while Alex had no one.