Cirque du Mystere FINAL

As Alex’s consciousness slowly returned, he registered the sound of soft music in his ears, the softness of the bed, and the cold rag on his forehead. He shifted slightly, which seemed to agitate all of his cuts and bruises. He moaned at the sharp pain.
    “Don’t move yet!” KC cried out. In a second, he was by the bed, Alex’s hand in his.
    "He’ll be fine, KC.” Charlotte had placed her book down and joined KC beside the bed, taking the wet rag off of Alex’s forehead. Alex sighed in relief.
    “How long have I been out?” His voice didn’t sound like his own, it was rough and hoarse. KC smiled a little, before his signature scowl returned,
    “Long enough, dummy!” He huffed and turned his head aside. Charlotte giggled.
    “Yes, long enough for my to stitch your deep wounds.” Alex placed a hand to his side instinctively, feeling the course thread through his skin. There was still a dull ache whenever he breathed.
    “W-What about Patricia?” He asked hesitantly. Charlotte’s smile fell, and KC looked down to the floor. It was obvious she hadn’t made it. Alex brushed his hand against his forehead, muttering angrily to himself.
“There was nothing you could do.” Charlotte spoke solemnly, but with a gentle shake of her head, her smile had returned.
    “But not only is le prince gone, but Papa has returned!” She placed the wet rag into a bowl next to the bed before tugging the little blanket back onto Alex. His face widened in surprise.
    “He’s your father?”  
    “Before you ask,” she held up a hand, “I’m adopted.” Alex nodded in understanding before his gaze returned to KC. He had a few bruises on his face, but nothing Callum had inflicted seemed to show, and for this Alex was grateful. There was a knock at the door, and Charlotte called out for them to enter. It was Viktor, but somehow he seemed different. Even KC noticed.
    “Did... did you cut your hair?” He asked. A dark blush erupted on Viktor’s cheeks as he ran his hand up to his hair. One side of his head had been shaved, so the dark hair was styled towards the other side. It was a little shorter than before, and it showed off his ears. His human ears. Alex was confused.
    “I thought you had... you know, wolf ears?” He chuckled. Viktor scoffed and walked over to Charlotte,
    “The hats are enchanted. You didn’t really think Charlotte was a rabbit, did you?” Alex didn’t answer. KC laughed again, gently squeezing Alex’s hand.
    “The Boss wants to speak to the punk.” Viktor told Charlotte. She chuckled and put a hand on his chest.
    “You’re a punk, Viktor. Try again.” She gave him an encouraging kiss on the cheek, which he seemed to respond well to. As he turned, he spoke softly.
    “He wants to talk to you... Alexander.” He left the room without another word. KC and Alex looked at each other, very confused and slightly frightened. They then looked to Charlotte expectantly, who merely shook her head and shrugged.
    “I think that’s the closest thing you’ll get to an apology, mon petite magician.” Alex felt a little better, and smiled.
    “I’ll take it.”


    “How’re you feeling, kiddo?” The Boss smiled as he hoisted a heavy looking crate onto a large wagon. Alex leaned on KC a little more as he tried to balance on his one good foot.
    “Better, sir.” The Boss smiled.
    “Good. Perhaps you’ve had time to think of my offer?” He turned to take another crate a circus member handed to him. KC looked to Alex, who sighed deeply.
    “Yes, I have.” The Boss dusted his hands off and smiled widely, showing his shining teeth. There was a moment of silence as Alex thought of the best way to say his next words. He could say, ‘Oh boy sir, I’d love to join this circus of mystery and murder!’. He could also jump up and down while clapping excitedly. He could do a lot of things, actually.
    “You’ll join us? Great! Until we get to our next big show, you’ll be bunking with your, uh... ‘friend’ here.” The Boss clapped a big hand on KC’s shoulder, which nearly toppled the two of them. He then walked off to continue loading crates. Alex’s face scrunched in confusion.
    “How did he... you know what, I know better than to ask that.” KC couldn’t help but smile. After distributing Alex’s weight better, he turned his head to look into Alex’s eyes.
    “Well, come on ‘friend’.” The two laughed, and they hobbled back to KC’s little home.


    The Cirque du Lapin had a large ceremony to bury Feliks Ziegler the Strong Man, and Patricia Salsburg the Snake and Acrobat. There were some who cried, while others remained silent. They all then separated to prepare packing, and The Boss went to bury Callum Kurr, who had once been a dear friend. Alex had sent a letter to his brother, explaining that he had found love and was moving away. He knew better than to expect a response. When the entire Circus had been packed away, they all gathered for one last meeting before the long trek began.

    “Ladies and Gentlemen, I am very excited to tell you where our next big show will be.” The Boss stood on a large cart as the entire circus circled him. A few members of the audience began to guess, some said Germany or Spain, and others wanted to tease by naming Russia, or China. The Boss raised his large hands, and they all went quiet. From who-knows-where,  he pulled out a massive flag, sporting the red white and blue colours.
    “Across the mighty sea, we go to America!” The crowd erupted into cheers, lifting their hands into the air. Viktor took hold of Charlotte’s hips and lifted her high above, spinning them around in joy. KC leapt from his seat beside Alex to do a celebratory dance. Alex, for obvious reasons, remained seated.
    “I’ve never been to America.” Alex laughed. KC took Alex’s hands into his as he continued to jump up and down.
    “None of us have, this is our first time! HELLO LADY LIBERTY!” KC cried out. Several others joined him, cheering and leaping about. Even Charlotte and Viktor came near, and Charlotte took a seat next to Alex.
    “I don’t think they have finished building her yet.” She whispered to Alex, who nodded his head in a agreement.
    “Don’t tell him that, he’s really excited.” Alex snickered. Charlotte placed a gentle hand on his shoulder.
    “Are you ready to go? Have you made your goodbyes?” Alex nodded. Viktor then walked over, taking Charlotte’s hand and lifting her to her feet, and into his embrace. They reveled in each other’s warmth before Viktor spoke without looking at Alex.
    “I guess we’ll have to be good to each other now... since you’re joining us.” He mumbled in Charlotte’s hair. She let out a gentle giggle.
    “Don’t you think he’ll make a great magician?” She looked up expectantly, and Alex was very glad he was not on the receiving end of her puppy eyes. She could rule the world by using that look, and obviously Viktor was not immune.
    “Maybe...” He then dragged her away in embarrassment.  Alex was shocked at the word, perhaps she was more magical than he ever imagined. KC had returned from the excited crowd and took his seat next to Alex. Giving into the excitement, Alex took hold of KC's wrist and pulled him into perhaps the most passionate kiss they had shared. It left KC in a daze, and Alex smirked.
“To America!”