Welcome to the Circus

After the dust settled and smoke cleared nearly half the population was either dead or dying and the other half was scarred beyond repair. Everything fell into chaos no one knew what to do all forms of society was destroyed but then the Circus came into power. It distracted everyone and made it easier to just not think. The Circus' power grew to the point where everyone knew what it was and it was all everyone ever thought about. A job in the Circus was the job every parent wanted for their child, but once you entered the Circus' company you never left and if you did then you were better off dead. And slowly life started again in small colonies but the hold that the Circus had on everyone was undeniable. It told people how to dress, how to feel, how to react, basically how to think. The Circus ruled and it seemed that it would always do so.

90 YEARS LATER
Outskirts of City 19

"The Circus is in town Mary," my grandmother said. Mary was my mother's name my name is Maria. Most people would have gotten angry in this situation but she's crazy. She's right though, the Circus was coming to City 19 but people like me, people who lived on the outskirts of the Cities were never really expected to go, we were the outcasts.

My grandmother Rachael is nearly 101 years old I'm not even kidding. Truthfully she's not really my grandmother. She adopted my mother, my mother had me and then when my mother turned to drugs she took me in. My grandmother was always a bit crazy but as she got older she got even crazier. She used to tell me about how she was there when the world ended 90 years ago (hardly something to tell a minor about by the way) and how she was there when the Circus first started out. Rachael was always hiding something when she told me these stories I could tell maybe not when I was younger but as I got older I could see the lie in her eyes.

But all of that no longer mattered beacause she didn't tell stories anymore. In fact, nothing Rachael said made much sense anymore. Now all she talked about was the Circus and a stupid cello, when I was younger she taught me how to play but no one played the cello anymore no one really played any musical instruments. If you did have that talent, the Circus would have surely had its claws in you the moment it got word that you could play. That was the main reason I stopped playing. I never wanted to be apart of the Circus.

"I always wanted to be apart of the Circus, Mary," my grandmother said not even looking at me. I winced, her voice sounded so sad and frail.

"No grandmother, no you wouldn't," I replied. Despite the obvious perks that should come with being apart of the most powerful group in the world I could see what it really was. Being apart of the Circus was like selling your soul because once they had you, you could never leave. Unless you were kicked out but if you were kicked out of the Circus you were probably better off dead.

My grandmother giggled.

"You were always so smart Mary," she said, "I don't see why you never learned how to play the cello."

"You should get to sleep grandmother," was my reply. She looked at me and nodded. Then she turned away and stared out of the window looking at the dirty city that lay below us. I kissed her forehead before I left. I was about to leave when I heard Rachael speak.

"Goodbye Maria," she whispered so softly I almost didn't hear it. I stopped for a bit before continuing to leave.

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Work was terrible. I hated having to go to the City. I clean houses there, it pays well enough but I hated being here walking through the relatively clean streets filled with people who didn't struggle to survive. Back in the Outskirts people kill just for a meal, or money to satisfy their addictions the worst part was nobody cared. Everyone just turned their heads and went about their safe controlled lives.

I stopped in front of a Circus poster. The Circus was indeed coming to City 19.

"Are you going?"

I jumped out of my skin and gave out yelp.

"Hey! What the hell man?!" I yelled turning round. Instantly my blue eyes were met with a pair of brown ones. The black top hat and trademark red jacket, why didn't I look to see who I yelled at BEFORE I opened my idiotic mouth? I just yelled at the most powerful person in the world, The Ringleader

"I-I-I di-umm," I stuttered out absolutely terrified of what might happen, no one crossed the Ringleader unscathed. I could be lack listed and then both me and my crazy grandmother would starve. Another thing I hate about the Circus, exploitation of power.

For a moment I thought I was dead but then again dead was what eveyone was now a days.

"You should go," he said chuckling, "to the show I mean." He stared at me for a moment before producing a ticket and holding it in front of my face like some kind of dog treat. I was too afraid to even move.

Smiling like a chesire he moved towards me and gripped my wrist and placed the ticket in my hand. At first I thought that he would just let me go and be on his way and I prayed so hard that he would. But instead of letting me go he gripped my wrist tighter and pulled me in so that his chin was right above my shoulder and his lips were next to my ear.

"I know your secret," he whispered. I could practically feel the smirk that was surely stretched out across his face. The only question now was, which one?

Stepping away from me he spoke again confidence dripped from every word.

"You should go," he said again but this time I knew it wasn't a suggestion it was an order. God damn me if I was to be ordered around like a dog.

He walked away and disappeared and I continued home. I looked at the ticket in my hand.

'Admit One' it read, I sighed, what have I gotten myself into?