TIGHTROPES AND LIONS (( D2 PLOT ))

“Where do you think mom is?”

Bluebell’s eyes bore into mine as she looked me straight in the face. This was a game, it was to see who could keep a straight face the longest. The oldest, being Bell, would say things and if our expression changed, we would be disqualified. While trying to keep a blank expression, we would go around the circle of us, each of us would take turns trying to answer the question that was asked. It was my turn.

“Mommy’s comin’ back,” I looked at the ground, knotting my hands together. “She’s waiting for us, at the other end of the world. First we walk, then we stop, then we keep walking. We follow that cycle until we reach her….” I continued to talk, I have always liked the way that directions were so direct. They would tell you exactly how to do everything. The rest of my sisters were always so careless.

“Okay, Esther. Gwen.” One of the two twins that sat next to me opened her mouth to speak. “Mom’s sitting in the circus tent, Bell. She’s watching us secretly, waiting for us to notice her as soon as we step onto the stage.” If anyone of us was smart, it was Gwen, she knew the answer to everything. She was the trapeze artist, along with Gaia. With them being twins, the spot fit them perfectly.

Bell only nodded, a smile rippling across her face. “Yes,” she confirmed. “Tightropes and lions, the circus beckons. Mamma’s waiting for us to come home.” I could see the tear as it dripped down her cheek, our motto spilling from her lips. Bell remembers mom the most. I knew her; she was really very pretty, with a nice smile and brunette hair that fell to her mid-back. Her teeth were aligned and her ears were just a bit too big for her small head. She was at work a lot though. I hardly ever saw her.

We were never that close. No one really knew mom except for Bell.

Even so, when she disappeared one day, none of us knew what to do. So we did anything a sensible group of siblings would do.

We started a circus.

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Bluebell Thomas – 18 – The Ringmaster - ((reserved for pinky)) :: She was the one that was close to mother, she would see her every day, she was spoiled by her. Mother always gave Bell the most attention. Because of this, attention is something that she craves desperately. She gets this attention from being the leader of the circus. Her favorite word is ‘leader’. She loves to have power and control over people’s minds. Bell has a firm understanding of the meaning of power though; she knows that responsibility is key. Responsibility for her is her younger sisters. She feels the need to take care of them as well as she can. Anything that doesn’t get done is an automatic fail for her. If one of her younger sisters becomes damaged or hurt, she makes mental lists of how to do things right and wrong. It’s all a big bulletin board in her head.


Isolde Thomas – 17 – The Clown - ((reserved for emmy)) :: In the most quiet of moments, even the person with the most sensitive of hearing can hear Isolde’s incessant laughing as it pulls itself through the Thomas’ house. She will always be the one to crack a joke, to try to cheer others up. The worst thing to her is sadness; she avoids it by tricking her mind into happiness. Even so, she is a definite loner and will wander off at night sometimes. She hates any sort of duty and is most definitely the most rebellious of all the sisters.


Esther Thomas – 16 – The Tightrope Walker - ((played by willow)) :: She’s the crazy kid of them all. Every family has them, the child that just isn’t right in the head. Everything follows a pattern for her, everything is something that will be taken in steps. Right foot, left foot. She is good at the tightrope because of her meticulous patterns and directions that she carefully follows inside of her head. She is convinced that mom wants it to be a puzzle, that she wants the sisters to figure out how to find her. Hardly any of the others sisters believe Esther. She will commonly talk to herself in hushed whispers, planning out a situation. Esther is always convinced that people are watching her. It is completely normal for her to stop in her tracks and look behind her. She is closest to Cerise.


Cerise Thomas – 15 – The Lion Tamer - ((open)) :: Cerise is the daredevil. Anything that will be a thrill will be her next activity. She has a list of things to try in one of her desks; she is obsessed with anything that she can beat people at. Cerise will always have the last word; she always has to be at the top of the list. No one, in her mind, is over her. This mindset separates her from the rest of her siblings. The only sister that is mildly nice to her is Esther, it’s only because Cerise tries to understand her. Or pretends to. She is the best actress out of all the others, she can create fake facades out of thin air to wear over her face. In her performances, she loves to wear masks. She loves colors and anything that is red, it is her favorite of the colors.


Lucia Thomas – 14 – The Juggler - ((reserved for scout)) :: She throws stuff. Lucia is the one with the anger problems. One minute, she’ll be a good girl, then she is angry and full of hate. A complete devil. No one wants to get in her way when she’s like this. The only way for her to calm down is to be alone. She likes small spaces and hates being in crowds of people. Lucia always complains before performances, she hates them. She has a special love for repetitive things. Circles fascinate her, that’s why she likes Juggling so much.


Gaia Thomas – 13 – The 1st Trapeze Twin - ((reserved for cameo)) :: She thinks that she can fly. She is a daydreamer with high expectations of everything and everybody. If she sees you, Gaia will imagine you as something. Maybe she sees you as nice, possibly she sees you as a brat. Either way, the image will never change. If someone doesn’t live up to what she expected them to, she can tend to have fits and tantrums. She is responsible and feels as though the weight of the entire world is on her shoulders. She is oblivious to the older people in her life and is thoroughly convinced that she is the leader of the circus.


Gwen Thomas – 13 – The 2nd Trapeze Twin - ((reserved for cameo)) :: Gwen is the brains of the family, perfection is her key to everything. She is careful and diligent as to get a routine down to the point, or a problem that must be solved. If anyone has an issue that they need thought out, Gwen is the one that will do it. Her main area of strength is avoidance and getting to places in the district. She knows all the ways around everything, every turn in a maze of roads. If you need to get somewhere fast, or unseen, she will get you there without trouble. She believes that mother is watching the family, seeing how they will act. Most of the siblings follow her ideas.


Elody Thomas – 12 – The Contortionist - ((played by lei)) :: The peacemaker of them-all. She has a whispy voice and tends to whisper all too often. She has a pet mouse, her name is May-bell. After her mother’s name. Flora is mostly a loner and likes to spend her time training and practicing her routines for their performances. She loves animals with a passion and has a small garden that she tends to. The only weird thing about her, she’s obsessed with sounds. From the sound it makes when the wind rushes through trees, to the clicking of a camera. Also, she is convinced that she can sometimes hear voices, calling out for her. Just like Esther, many do not believe her.

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