The Circus

Start to another story, the Circus is just a working title.
I'm kinda writing it for a friend, he hated the ending of Bridge to Terabithia because it was sad...

Search lights drew people into the circus every night, and as the bleachers began filling up, she took her place behind the scenery. That was always where she was before he came. It was her job to cue the animals, though she always wished she could swing from the trapeze on performance nights. She practiced every day, and was improving ever so quickly. But her teacher was too old to perform, and they had no partner for her. The “they” was her parents, Steve and Karen O’Toole, the managers of the circus. At the moment, the circus was small, and they were looking for a way to bring in more attractions.

Late that night, she was writing a last page in her notebook when a knock on the door shook the trailer. She opened the door, poking her head out. A group of three stood on the steps, and it looked like they were a family.
“Yeah?” She said, her hand moving up to her ear and fumbling with something for a moment.

“Steve and Karen…”
“I’m their daughter. Their trailer is next door.”

“Sorry to bother you.”

“Yeah.”

It was two days later when she saw them again, or, well, she saw their boy. She was drawing when he approached, and quickly covered her ears with her shoulder-length dirty blonde hair, then returned to her artwork. He went around back of her and looked over her shoulder.

“Is that a dragon?”

She turned around to look at him. He was tall, with square glasses and blue-green eyes. His hair was dark blonde.

“Can you say that again, please?” She asked.

“That a dragon?”

“Yeah. I have better ones in my trailer, along with maps and other creatures.” Her grey eyes sparkled as she spoke. She started to tuck her hair behind her ear, but stopped.

“You can see them if you like,” she put her pencils and paper into a bag, then stood up. She was short, only 4’ 11”, but people often told her she looked taller than she was.

Inside the trailer, he stood staring at her art-covered wall.

“You drew all this?”

“Yeah. This,” she pointed to a map, “is my world. Well, part of it. The rest of it is in my books, but Ladylan is my special kingdom.”

“Your books? You mean you write as well as draw?”

“Yeah.”

“I write, too. Sci-fi, mostly, none of it’s much good, but I’m getting better. You like fantasy, I see.”

“Mmm.” They were quiet. “Seeing as you’re in my trailer, I’d better introduce myself. I’m-”

“Josephine O’Toole, 13, grade 9, right?”

“It’s Jo, not Josephine. But how’d you know?”

“My family is joining your circus. I’m Johann.”
“You’re joking, right?”

“Okay, so my name is Mykel.” He grinned.

“No, about the circus part.”

“No.”

She looked skeptical. “What do you do?”

Mykel swept a goofy bow. “I juggle.”

Jo picked up some balls off her bed. “Catch!”

Sure enough, he began to juggle, then he tossed her a ball. She caught it, but threw it back.

“Sorry, I can’t juggle. I take care of the animals. And I’m learning the trapeze. But we don’t have a partner for me, so I can’t perform yet.”
Mykel caught all the balls at once. “I suggest a trade. You teach me trapeze, I teach you how to juggle. We’re the only two kids around here, we might as well get along.”

“And there is where the dragons were, before the disappeared. Only I know where they went, and it’s not quite time for them to come out yet. I visit them sometimes.”

Jo and Mykel were in the animal tent, and as Jo cleaned out the animals’ cages, Mykel was pouring over one of her maps.

“My favorite place in Ladylan is the lake. I go sailing there sometimes.”

“Do you like to sail?”

“I love to sail. The sea is my favorite place, but Ladylan is almost completely landlocked, so there’s not a very good place to sail there.” Jo tossed some hay into the stall of the circus’s horse. Some of it got caught in her braided hair, and she pulled it out. As she did, Mykel noticed something in her ear. Jo caught him staring, and sat down next to him.

“I’m deaf.”

When Mykel was quiet, she went on.

“I was born with hearing, but when I was six my hearing went bad after swimming once. I can hear some, but not much without my hearing aids. In a way its nice, though, when I write I take them out or turn them off so I can really go to Ladylan or wherever it is I’m writing about.”

She stood back up. “Soon as I’m finished, let’s go practice.”