Daize's Story

|DAIZE|

“Two steps right, three steps, back, turn. Rise and fly!~” A girl moved gracefully and lithely, allowing her body to sway in the direction she told her mind. Her precision was perfect not a movement off point. She followed the dance to the music she played in her head. She raised her arms above her and circled them around each other as if she were telling a story with her movements. It was a sort of ballet, and she was the star ballerina. She raised one leg above her head, showing off her amazing flexibility. Then she took a step forward, tiny baby steps, one after another.

Her black hair was tied and twisted up into a bun and pinned there to keep it out of her pale face as she spun and danced. She moved to stand on tip toe; aligning her feet precisely on the correct spot of area, never once did she wobble. She wore pure white clothing, adorned with many colorful ribbons. It was designed to catch the eye of her viewers. She turned her head, as if it were a part of her dance and waved an arm in a circle bowing low and standing up on tiptoe once again.

Her hands crossed over her painted white face, she swayed her hips to the music that she could hear. The show was going to be perfect as she danced lightly forward, bowing and turning dipping and raising her arms. She reached higher and higher as if she could fly. Her blue orbs opened and sparkled with delight as she continued to reach. It was if she could touch the sky. And then…

A high pitched beep threw off the tempo, the music screeched to a halt, and everything came crashing down. The ballerina fell, dropping and cutting through the air. Her hands desperately pried for the dream that she was being pulled from by the force of gravity. It was over…for the pierrot.

Daize hit the soft pillow-like mesh net set up underneath the tightrope that she had been elegantly walking across. The young trapeze artist slipped her arm from the large white sleeve and looked at the offending thing on her arm. Its lights flashed and flickered, emitting a high-pitched sound. She rolled over with a sigh as the lights of the scanner hovered over the red and white striped tent.

”Aww, No fair! I didn’t even get to reach the other side this time. " She crossed her arms across her chest childishly as the scanner passed over her and the bracelet on her wrist went back to its cool empty gray color. It was so plain and didn’t match well with her outfit, which always sparkled with color. She liked things that stood out, that were amazing. Really anything that could attract a sight.

She turned her head towards the empty stands, imagining children sitting there and watching a marvelous show. But, there was no longer a show. The ringmaster was long gone all that remained was a lonely pierrot girl who couldn’t even fly. Saddened, Daize raised a hand and rubbed at the white makeup. It came off easily revealing her true face. She kicked her legs then flipped them over the side of the net and her body followed as she expertly flung herself off it. She cart wheeled once and landed in perfect balance in the exact center of the tent.

From there she proceeded to go to the opening that had been ripped in it by a storm. Through the thread strands she could vaguely see a large warehouse in the distance and in the other direction a tower, of which had a giant toy room at the top.
Pressing her fingertips into her cheeks she slipped from the tent and glanced at the sky.

“Because of you, the circus never comes to town anymore” she said.

|DAIZE|

Daize removed her fingers from her cheeks. Soft indents were formed there. She hadn’t realized she had pressed hard enough for it to be so. They only slightly stung, as if they had been pinched. It was not an inviting feeling. However, curious she continued to poke and pry at her face, testing out the different places. There wasn’t a logical explanation for her actions, she was merely… bored.

After a while, it got quite boring and she dropped her arms by her side. Seeing as the coast was clear, Daize decided she might as well go out for a walk. No, it wasn’t the smartest thing to just aimlessly walk around a place like Project 21. Daize was a brave girl, however and she adored taking risks. Besides, she wouldn’t be walking aimlessly, she had an aim.

She looked up at the sky and stuck out her tongue, as if to tease Éclos. Though she couldn’t see it, she imagined it shook in fear from her actions. She then began to skip across the grounds that led away or to the tent, depending on the direction you were travelling. Her objective was to acquire some food from those who worked around the area to provide food. She didn’t exactly know where it came from but it tasted far too delicious to argue. There were rumors that it was from the far western side of Project 21, but as there were no maps, no one really knew direction. Even so, Daize adored that food.

She made it a game, her trek down the road. Cart wheeling a few times, and walking on her hands a few of the steps. She loved to perform, and sometimes it just carried into everything she did. However, as she purposefully tumbled over, she spotted a light on and a shadow by it, in the top of the tower, near her tent, however she was upside down, and it looked higher up than usual. Flipping herself over, she took another look. Yes, that was the correct distance now.

It made her curious enough that she was distracted and forgot her quest for a nice meal. Daize skipped towards the tower and waved her arms trying to get the girl in the window’s attention. However, she was on the ground and Angela was in a tall tower, it’s not like Daize could just get the girl to let down her hair, it wasn’t long enough. Although, Daize never minded having to play the role of a prince, there were other ways. She could just go right up.

Daize stopped waving her arms and skipped up to the entrance of the tower. It was made of an old stone and had a wooden door at the base of it. The door was never locked, since Angela never left the upstairs room. She remembered coming to the room often years ago when the circus was more popular. She believed it was a way to finding her older brother. She couldn’t remember a thing about him though, so it wasn’t much to go by. She could have sat next to him, and had no idea it was him.
She imagined a fearless black haired boy when she thought of him, or perhaps he was like the Resistor, what a hero~. Daize, pushed open the door and began to hop up the stairs, one by one. It was a winding staircase but that made it more fun! She grinned seeing how many she could hop up at a time, whilst contemplating how she would greet the girl.

However as she neared the top she heard a sound she highly disliked…. Sobbing.

Daize’s smile fell. A large white door came into her sights and she walked more slowly up to it. When she reached it she gave it one slight tap before pushing it open and ducking her head to enter the Toy Room. Her sights set on the little girl with pale white hair, sitting on a swing and clinging to a bear. The girl was crying.

Daize shook her head, she wouldn’t have it. People were not to cry when performers were present. Glancing around the room once Daize set her sights on a large and colorful ball and a few other surrounding it. She did a flip, her feet landing upon the ball and she maneuvered it around the room with light movements. When she reached the swing set she grinned and clapped her hands loudly.

“Aaaaaand Now I present to you!~ The Amazing juggler Daize!~” She called out, announcing her presence. She lifted the smaller balls and began to throw and catch them, rounding them into a circle as she preformed for her friend. “Not a single tear shall be shed when aided by this Craze!” Daize rhymed, as she added a few more balls to the display and juggled them faster. “For my next trick~ open your eyes and see what can surely amaze!~

Angela looked up from her seat, glancing at the dancing girl before her. She sighed lightly, shaking her head. "What do you want, Daize? I'm not in the mood for hanging out right now". She looked down quickly, clutching her bear close and sighing loudly. "I just need to be alone for a bit, I guess...". Suddenly, another voice interrupted the group. "Oh come on, Angie~ Don't be so down in the dumps~! You can feel that feeling too, right~? Like something's gonna happen soon~?". Angela simply nodded, her gaze boring a hole in the ground.

Suddenly, she looked up at Daize, smiling weakly. "Why'd you come here, Daize...?".

[ Sorry for the short/terrible post, but my mind's being a durrh Dx ]

|Mia|

Mia wandered the streets, clutching a half finished project in her hand. She had been working most of the morning, but got lonely. She set out without even setting the unfinished shirt down, pulling a small, handmade cloth mask over her nose and mouth. She had to do something outside or she might have exploded from boredom. She walked slowly through the familiar streets near her home, not really doing anything other than people watching. She started getting hungry, but ignored it as she found a small market she had not know about before.

She eagerly went around looking at the various items for sale, talking to the children there, and answering and asking questions as she showed them the gown she was working on. Finally, Mia realized the time. She had to get home or she might not make it! The thought made her shudder.

She hurried away, trying her hardest not to get lost since she was in a mostly unfamiliar area. Finally, she found a familiar street and scurried off toward home. She anxiously checked her bracelet, making sure it had not gone off yet, then increased her pace slightly. Mia could not stand the thought of being caught away from where she needed to be. The scanners were never nice about that.

Suddenly, her bracelet went off, and she stared at it in horror. Not now! She was almost home, but it was still several blocks before she got there. Remembering something she saw some other kids doing earlier, Mia tucked the half-done garment in her belt and lifted herself onto a low roof, running across and jumping with perfect form to the next roof before jumping down to the next block and repeating the procedure on the other side. She covered several blocks within a minute, but the scanners were coming closer fast. She saw her warehouse up the street and ran for all she had.

Finally, she made it and pushed inside the door panting hard. Seconds later, the scanner passed by her and her bracelet shut down. She closed the door with a loud sigh as she sunk to the floor. That was enough excitement for the day. She slowly stood up, taking the dress from her belt and examining it closely. It was slightly dirty now and she had ripped it slightly, but nothing irreparable. She sat down at her work space and started again on it, soon losing track of the time.

Suddenly, she was jolted out of her focus by a loud clap of thunder that seemed to explode right over her house. She screamed and jumped, running to the door and flinging it open with tears streaming down her face. Terrible dark clouds roiled overhead, noxious fumes swirling in the air. The entirety of Project 21 looked like it was trapped in a giant smoke cloud. Mia pulled her mask over her face, a flimsy protection from the bad air, but far better than nothing, and darted into the street, running with all her might toward Daize's tent.

She quickly arrived, only to find that Daize was not even there. She began sobbing as she looked out again at the ominous sky. She couldn't be alone, she would be to scared! But where could she go? She knocked on a couple other doors with no response before she came to Angela's tower. She had met the girl a couple times, but did not know her well.

Desperate, Mia pounded on the door and waited. She impulsively tried the door and found it open, much to her relief. She hurried in and slammed it behind her, still sobbing as she stared at the winding stairs before her. Before she could debate whether or not to go up, another clap of thunder hit, causing her to yelp once more. Without any more hesitation, she bolted up the stairs. She soon arrived at a white door, huffing and sobbing. She took a couple breaths to calm herself before raising her fist and knocking loudly.

"A... Angela?" She knocked again, and said in a slightly louder, clearly panicked. "Angela, can I come in? Please!" Thunder struck again and she shrieked, collapsing to her knees with her head against the door as she cried with gasping sobs. Her whole body shook as she wept with terror.

|DAIZE|

Daize loved performing, but she loved her friend more. She hated seeing people sad, for Angela it was normal. It didn’t stop Daize from trying though. She danced about on the ball juggling as Angela finally looked up. "What do you want, Daize? I'm not in the mood for hanging out right now", Anglea said. Daize continued to juggle, attempting a particularly hard trick with them as she stared at Angela. The white haired girl had looked back down and squeezed the bear she held tightly. Daize didn’t particularly like the bear, in fact it creeped her out. There weren’t even sights at the circus that were as scary as the tattered bear her friend owned. "I just need to be alone for a bit, I guess..." Angela sighed loudly.

Daize shook her head and continued juggling, tossing the balls higher and higher. Her smile didn’t vanish from her face. “Nonsensical silly!! Being alone is never fun! Why do that when you can play with friends, jump dance laugh and run?!!” She rhymed again, wondering what had upset Angela this time. Most usually it was her brother, or lack thereof. That was their connection, well the main one. Daize and Angela had both lost their brother as a result of the war.

For Angela it must have been harder, since she could actually remember him. All of the balls fell to the ground around them and Daize stopped running on the other one. Suddenly, Angela glanced up with a small, weak smile. "Why'd you come here, Daize...?" she asked. Daize’s wide eyes softened and she sat down on the ball she had been balancing on. She smiled softly. “I was worried about you when I saw the scanners pass by. I don’t want my best friend being taken away you know. Everyone needs someone by their side, so they can smile for a moment even if it hurts to.”
She smiled again with compassion and care for the younger girl.

The moment was interrupted by a pounding sound below them. Daize jumped up panicked and her eyes darted to the door. Was it an Adult? It couldn’t be… Daize ushered Angela to get out of the open and approached the door quietly. The pounding had subsided, but whoever it was had rushed up the stairs and now stood behind the door gasping for breath. Surely an Adult wouldn’t need to catch their breath. "A... Angela?" A voice cried from behind It and Daize relaxed, recognizing the voice. “Angela, can I come in? Please!". Daize took another step forward and pulled the door open as a clap of thunder erupted from the window in the room. She froze and glanced at it once before looking back at the crumpled form of Mia, the seamstress who lived in the warehouse close to her tent.

Wordlessly, she helped the girl to her feet and hugged her tightly. “There there, you’re safe now.” Daize said as she pulled her into the room and pushed the door shut. She glanced to where she had told Angela to go and motioned for Mia to go there as well. Then with another clap of thunder outside Daize walked close to the window and glanced out. It was the oddest thing she had ever seen. A cloud of darkness was closing over them, almost as if it were night-time. It spread, and enveloped them like a thin sheet of plastic wrap being stretched over a bowl, the bowl being Project 21.

Mixed within the purple gray cloud sheet, were flashes of colour. At first, it seemed to be lightning, but there were too many variations of colour. Daize gasped and then covered her mouth. A horrid fume was drifting through the air, suffocating and probably toxic. She leapt back and slammed the window shut barring the three from the danger.

She turned back to face the girls coughing a few times, her throat was burning. There was something going on, something was happening. She had a strange feeling it had nothing to do with Adults this time.