Natalie Lyn Eddington's Story

Clara glanced to her side, where Alex was whispering to her. "How's your room? Excited for the circus? By the way, if it means anything to you guys, I'm fifteen years old." "Our room is lovely, thank you, and yes... I am. Mostly excited about not having to walk anymore," she grinned at him. Fifteen? She looked to Doug, then back to Alex. The boys were both so young, with so much of the world weighing on their shoulders. "I'm seventeen," Clara managed to whisper, just as the show began to start. She was so consumed with watching the show, and her siblings, that she did not notice the sun beginning to set outside as the show went on. Ribbon dancers, elephants, horses, magicians, zebras, giraffes, lions, tigers, bears-- Oh yes. The circus bloomed to life before their eyes, exploding colors everywhere. Clara laughed until her sides hurt at the funny clowns, and became entranced by the beauty of the gypsies. Everything was so beautiful, and then it ended.

The large mass of people filed out like cold honey from a jar. Their painstakingly slow pace prompted Clara to sit down on an empty row of seats, to try and wait out the crowd. "You don't have to wait for them, come this way!" Penny smiled, waving for Clara, Alex, and the rest of the gang to follow her. Penny led the group out of the back of the tent, smiling at the chaos that the big top hid so well. Clara looked around in amazement. What had just moments before been so beautiful and breathtaking, was now a jumbled mess of carts, animals, equipment, and the men that were shuffling them all about. It looked as though the circus had vomited it's acts out onto the field, and the workers were scrambling to make order of the chunks. The noise was a mild roar of orders being shouted. "Dinner will be in that tent, over there," Penny informed them, gesturing to a large red tent. "Okay, thank you," Clara nodded. "No problem, but hey, I'll see you there, okay? Alex, come help me find my brother, would you?" Clara nodded as Penny turned her attention away, dismissing her. She turned to Natalie and offered her a smile, holding out her hand to the girl. "Let's go get in line for some food."

---

Penny waved goodbye to the group as they headed towards the tent. Getting in line for food wasn't a bad idea, that is if you were the type to wait in line. Personally, she usually skipped someone or just waited for the crowd to die down. She turned her attention back to Alex, who was looking wired as usual. "She's pretty," she said flatly, her eyes watching him for any sort of reaction. "Anyway, where did my brother get off to? He's a better hider than I am..." Penny headed off towards the boy's cart, intending to search for her brother there. Why had he not joined them to see the circus? Was he up to something? Or worse, had he gotten in trouble with the ring leader? Or worse had he gotten hurt? Annoyance rained down on her as she stomped across the grass. Why would he just take off like that without even telling me where he was?

Once Zach had left Clara and her family, he'd made his way to the large area that had been temporarily fenced off for the horses to graze in. He stood at the fence for a long time, just watching the large animals. The circus had eight horses. Four beautiful Friesians and four elegant Lipizzaners. Zach knew each of their names and loved each horse equally. The boy spent a good thirty minutes just watching the horses before he removed himself from the fence. One by one, Zach brought each horse out of the two pens and groomed and tacked them. Once the horses were ready for the show, he motioned to a man to help him to bring the horses into the Big Top. The tent was packed and Zach's mind wandered to the family that he'd helped earlier in the day. He hoped that they'd settled in and were feeling better than when he'd last seen them. Suddenly, Zach heard the Ring Master talking about the horses. That was his cue. One by one, alternating the breeds, the boy sent the horses out into the ring. The horses ran around the ring, as if they'd done this many times before. They performed beautifully. Normally, Zach would have been out in the ring with them but he'd decided that tonight they'd only do a half performance. They needed rehearsing again before going on for very long. Everyone always loved the horses. They never seemed to care about all of the hard work that went into working with the beautiful creatures. Zach was usually with them, even if he wasn't training them. They always seemed to calm him. One by one, the horses came back to Zach. he quickly led them back out of the tent and into their fenced in areas. He groomed and untacked the beasts and made sure that they were taken care of for the night before heading to his cart.

Zach made his was slowly, taking his time. Everyone else was most likely heading to eat. Normally, Zach would have as well. Not tonight. He was tired and was still not sure about Clara and her family. He knew that she would most likely be in the tent eating with the others. He didn't want to have to face the new faces..not yet at least. As he entered into his cart, he went into his section..sitting down upon his bed. He sighed heavily. He knew that Penny and/or Alex would most likely come looking for him. It wasn't like him to skip supper. All he had to do was wait.

Zach attempted a smile at Alex when he saw the younger boy enter the cart and was about to speak when his sister entered. The young girl tackled Zach to the mattress. Zachariah turned his gaze to Alex as the younger boy spoke to him. "Tired? We could get food for you if you would rather lay in bed. Penny- *ahem*- Penelope was worried about you. You shouldn't leave us like that without any notice." Alex said. Zach didn't answer right away but instead chose to slowly sit back up after Penny had gotten off of him. He smiled at the two. Zach wasn't sure if he was even hungry. He'd been through quite a bit that day. He'd not expected to find the pretty girl and her family. He still wasn't sure why he hadn't just directed her to Barty and then been on his way. Penny was speaking to him again, bringing him out of his thoughts. "So, where did you run off to anyway? I mean, you pull an entire group of kids out of the woods in the pouring rain, dump them on Barty and then just... take off for the day! Without even introducing me to them or telling me you found them! You should have told me first. I think you should eat with the family you found... I'm going to. You really should come. I remember what it was like when we first got here- not knowing anyone, it was kind of scary. You know, with all the clowns and circus freaks walking about... Course we know they're harmless, but they don't. C'mon, eat with us? Please?" Zach thought for a moment. He knew that he couldn't say no to Penny and she knew it as well. "All right." he said softly, smiling at his sister and friend.

Zach slid off of the bed and led the way out of the cart. As usual he didn't say much. He walked close to his sister and friend, listening as they spoke softly. As they slowly neared the large red tent. Zach could hear the loud noises coming from the tent. The talking was happy and nonstop. He could even hear the sounds of many people heading through the line to get food. Zach slowly entered into the large tent, making sure to stay behind Alex and Penny. His eyes scanned around the room, finally spotting Clara and her family. His eyes held the girl's for only a short moment before Zach forced himself to look away. He followed behind Penny and Alex as they made their way through the line. It took a bit, since there were so many already ahead of them. At long last, Zach reached the end of the line. Getting some food, the boy slowly followed behind his sister. It seemed to him that they were heading straight for the new family. He wasn't sure if he was happy about that. If it had been up to him, Zach probably would have just sat off to the side, as he normally did. He kept his face quite blank as he sat down in front of Clara, refusing to look at her. He slowly began eating, listening closely to everyone talking around them.

Alex Curtis

Alex hardly payed attention to Penelope and Zach's conversation, instead focusing on his messy side of the cart. The room was a messy one, but that's what would be expected when two teen boys get a room of their own to take care of. Zach's side, however, was much cleaner. There was a few notebooks and pencils nearby, and a folded bed sheet. Not neat, but acceptable. Alex's side had the smaller bed of their clustered cart yet had open books laying on it and art utensils on the desk. Three half-finished clay models were also positioned on his desk as well as one of few finished paintings partly-nailed onto the wall. A small, broken guitar and old prank material laid under his bed as well.

"All right," Zach announced, bringing Alex back to reality. He wasn't surprised that Zach agreed to go to dinner as Penny could convince her brother to do nearly anything. Maybe it was just because she meant the world to him. Maybe it was because he felt like he owed his sister for coming with him. Probably a mix of both.

Alex quickly snuck a pack of cards in his pocket because if anything got awkward at the dinner table, he could distract everyone with a game of blackjack or poker. As they exited the cart they walked out to the crowded area with their coworkers offering each other hi-fives and toasting each other. That was the routine after every successful, and even unsuccessful circus.

"You know that other family, the newcomers? They don't really seem prepared for this sort of life. I guess none of us really were either though. Maybe they're just trying to get somewhere though, and don't plan on sticking along with us," Alex said to Penny, loudly saying the last part so Zach could add on if he wanted to. Maybe Zach also didn't know where, if anywhere, they were heading. Either way, Zach did not respond as he seemed consumed with his thoughts. As they entered the tent where food was served, Alex softly grabbed Penny's arm and asked her, "Wanna cut the line?" That's what Penny and Alex did most of the time anyways. He also noticed Clara and her eldest brother's face in the crowd and waved to her.

Alex had asked if she wanted to cut line, but by the time they had gotten there, it had already died down. "No point today," she shrugged. After standing in line with the boys she made a B-line for the Eddington family. Immediately she sat down next to Clara and offered her a wide smile. "Well, how did you like the circus?" As the girl answered, Penny glanced over to her brother, frowning. What was his problem? At his silence, she reached her leg under the picnic style table and kicked his shin. She glared for extra emphasis. 'Be nice,' she mouthed, jerking her eyes towards Clara and her family. "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?" Penny had so many questions, all swimming in and out of her thoughts. Biting her lower lip, she forced herself to wait for another response before spilling out any more.

It had been a long time since she'd seen another girl around her own age, and it was kind of nice to have another girl around. Not that she was going to start going all girly and cooking for anyone! To hell with that! But it was nice, to see a 'proper' young lady around. Penny would never admit it, but Clara kind of reminded her of Wendy, from the stories Zach used to read her. Wendy was just a kid herself, but she pretended to be the mother of all those Lost Boys. Penny felt her mood dropping a little at the thought. Lost boys. That's what Alex and Zach were. Penny glanced over to her dark haired friend, who always had a smile on his face. Did he have a family to go back to? After all this time, did they? Did their mother and father even remember them anymore? Were they missed? Penny's shoulders slowly began to fall with all the sad thoughts she was thinking.

Upon being noticed, she perked right back up and flashed one of her usual Penny King smiles. The only people allowed to be sad in the circus were the clowns; and they had real reasons to be sad! They get made fun of all day, so at least she didn't have to deal with that.

---

Clara waved at the others who were in line, and pointed them out to her siblings. She continued to eat until the others had their food and sat down, Penny beside her, Alex beside Penny, and Zach directly in front of her. "Well, how did you like the circus?" Penny chirped, bright eyed and full of life. "I thought it was wonderful," Clara replied honestly, a smile lifting her lips. "What did you all think of it," she asked to her siblings, hoping that they enjoyed the show as much as she did. After she was answered, the black haired girl beside her spared no 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?" Clara laughed, unable to answer her right away. Penny was like a puppy; so excited, it was unsure what to do with itself. Clara regarded the girl, wondering if she would start vibrating from her restraint of more questions.

Ever patient, Clara calmed her laughing and nodded. "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," she paused to offer the three of the circus group a smile, "are wonderful... We need to get to our aunts as soon as possible." Once she was sure that the two little ones were busy eating their food, and tuning her out, she added in a low tone, "I think that is where our mother went, and we are trying to find her." Clara felt a blush rise in her cheeks, and the reaction was unexpected. She was embarrassed. How does one 'lose' their mother? She felt like an idiot.

It was just then that she noticed a change in the younger female sitting beside her. "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!" Clara felt relief when the other girl lifted her head and flashed a beautiful smile towards her. Clara smiled back, thankful to have lifted the girl's sadness. "What about you," she asked, turning her attention directly to Zach and then to Alex. "What brought you here, and why did you stay?" Don't you have families, she wanted to ask, but after glancing between the trio again, she decided against it.

As Penny began speaking to Clara, Zach kept quiet still. He'd not really thought anything different about his actions but apparently his sister didn't care for it. The younger girl kicked him quite hard in the shin and if that wasn't enough Penny made sure to mouth the words, "Be nice" to him. The younger girl even went so far as to glare at him. Zach had done a poor job at hiding his pain, though. He turned his blue eyes to his sister, returning her glare before rolling his eyes at her. He didn't understand why Penny wanted him to be social. She knew how much he hated speaking with those that he didn't know. He tried to push these thoughts from his mind and attempted to concentrate on what was going on around him. Penny was still talking with Clara. "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?" Zach noted quickly Penny's mood turning. He wondered what she was thinking. Hopefully it had nothing to do with him, though..he was afraid that perhaps it had to do with the both of them. Zach kept his eyes upon Penny, even as Clara answered the younger girl. "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," she said smiling, "are wonderful... We need to get to our aunts as soon as possible." Clara spoke again before noticing the change in Penny. "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!" the older girl said. Zach was quite happy when his sister seemed to perk back up and even smiled. Zach was frowning towards his sister. He would have to speak with her later about what was bothering her.

Zach was finally forced to take his eyes off of his sister when Clara directed a question towards the trio. "What about you? What brought you here, and why did you stay?" His blue eyes focused upon Clara. The boy's face was still quite blank even after Penny telling him to be nice. He just couldn't help it. He allowed Alex to answer first, listening to his friend. Zach knew that Penny was expecting him to answer Clara. Could he do it? He wasn't sure but he would try. After Alex had finished speaking, Zach stared at Clara. He wasn't sure why he was, but at last he finally tore his eyes from the girl in front of him, looking down at his plate. "My parents..they kicked me out of the house. Said that I was too much to handle..needed to straighten up." he said softly, still looking down. "I begged Penny to stay but..she insisted upon coming with me. We stayed because we have nowhere else to go." Finally he looked up again, holding Clara's gaze this time, for a moment before turning his gaze to Penny, trying to see if she was happy that he'd at least made an effort to speak with the girl.

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.