Cirque De Sem'ya

Chapter 1 - Opening

"Ladies and Gentlemen, boys and girls, behind me stands the entrance to a world unlike any other, a world of mystery and fantasy, of fear and amazement! But I'm warning you...nothing is what it seems. I welcome you to the Cirque de Sem'ya!!" The Ringleader shouted from the opening of the grand tent. He was a Russian born man who immigrated to the States, and with him a circus of foreigners, traveling from city to city by rail, leaving even more of a mystery than when they came.

A burst of an inferno came over the heads of the spectators from the Brazilian fire breather. Snaking up his arms and brushing all the way up to his chest and shoulders under the single vest he wore were burns from the very flames he controlled. The flames danced above their heads, a constant reminder of what awaited.

The dark symphony of horns and chimes and drums clanged around the tent, lurking around every corner. Darkness began to engulf what was inside the tent, as if the sun hid in fear of the contents inside. Spectators spoke in only whispers, making the sight of their fear even more tantalizing for the circus company. The music and whispers died away when the mist began to roll from under them and towards the center of the tent. From the smoke itself rose the Ringmaster, he tipped off his hat and held out his arms to the round of applause given by the surprised onlookers.

"My dears, you are in for a show tonight, it shall be one unlike anything you've ever laid your eyes upon! Because this is no ordinary circus where clowns laugh and people swing for the amusement of your little ones. Oh no, the Cirque De Sem'ya will change how you see the circus, it holds the key between what we know as reality and fantasy and that between life and death. What will come before you, I shall warn, is not for the faint of heart. We pride ourselves of living among the fear and darkness. Be careful...and be ready so let's have the SHOW BEGIN!" And with that, in a cloud of smoke and haze, the Ringmaster disappeared like a shadow in the night.

The sound of a whip cracking in the air filled the room when the second applause finally died down. With the sound of the whip, the roar of a lion released followed by the flash of fur and teeth when the cat ran towards the center, completely free and unchained. Those who were not ready for such a surprise let of screams of fear as the big cat crept closer, along with more of the similar species and more, tigers and panthers stalked beside, watching the movements of the people behind the barrier. A man stepped forwards the shadows from which the animals came. His skin was marred with scars but had no embarrassment to hide such disfigurations. He cracked the whip a third time to gain the cats' attention. The animals obeyed the whip like it was their lifeblood. His work was watched in utter amazement at how tame such wild beasts seemed to be and how not a single word was uttered in the performance by the tamer. Such skill was put in place it seemed that this man had turned this beasts into what seemed to be simple house cats. The performance was over when the man began to exit from the center of the stage with all of the wild cats following behind him as if in a trance.

"My my, wasn't he just a wonder?" The Russian voice hummed, and to the crowd's surprise, they found him sitting amongst them in the stands. A spotlight shone on him, putting him on the spot for the world to see. "Such an ability, to hold such virtuosity at bay, a true gift. But as you saw, sometimes a gift can be such a curse. Don't you agree? On the subject of curses, our next act knows all too much."

The Ringleader stood suddenly and took the tail of his coat in his hand and spun where he stood, sweeping the fabric along with him. When the motion was completed, the Ringmaster no longer stood in the stands; in his place was a dark skinned man with hair and eyes the color of steel.

"Trust me...I should know."

He slipped a rose from under his sleeve and bent forward to hand it to a young girl who sat a row in front of him. From what it seemed, the man leant too far forward and almost fell on top of the child, but all that fell was a overcoat.