Welcome to Gaia! ::

An announcement ripped through every program on television as the small town went on with there day, yet many paused with confusion as every channel suddenly had the same intterupting advertisment.

A skeleton face faded slowly into the red background as some off-key disturbing music began to play, "Are you misunderstood, looking for some deadly fun and twisted thrills? Well you're in luck my little outsact," then a flash of eyes appeared in the eye sockets and the image zoomed out, it was the ringmaster. His hat tall and extravagant with cobwebs and other ghastly patterns hanging from the brim. "The Twisted Hearts Circus. It's devestatingly entertaining."

People began to crowd around tvs while parents sheilded their childrens' eyes as violent acts came through. Bloodied people, a tight rope walker using a man's spine for balance, and a fire breather blowing flames onto a heart that was still beating. Then the screen went black and a whisper rang though veiwers' ears, "Twisted Hearts" Then the original programs returned, but the entire town was silent.


Felix smiled at his tight rope walker who was hacking the local sattilite, "That ought to bring some attention yes?"

When they got down Felix bent down in front of her and said, "I know you don't like being on the ground so get on my back." She knew better than to not listen and what he said was tru so she climbed on. Felix hoisted her up with not trouble at all and began walking with her on his shoulders.

"I know you think we're going to get into more trouble than get any costomers, but like I said. I know what I'm doing."

Soon they came to their cirucs grounds in tha large feild where everyone was practicing, still keeping his little backpack over him he popped out a unicycle. The in one swift jump they landed on it and he rode to see how everyone was doing.

The freaks were unloading into their seperate tent. The clowns were making sure the animals were in order, and the firebreather was starting a camp fire for tonights' meal. Felix admires the huge black and red tent that had risen while they were gone. His haven, his scantuary, his home.

"Take me to the high wire please, I need to practice," she said curtly.

Felix smirked, "I kind of like you legs wrapped around my-" she hit him while she jumped off his shoulders and ran off into the tent. Felix felt the bump rise benath his palm right when a knife came fllying at him. He ducked quickly right as the flaming knife zipped by him and landed on the target.

"Sorry," Jason called out to him.

Jason ran over to Felia after apologizing, Damn I almost killed the ring leader, I've got to watch the sidelines before I hurt someone. "Hey sorry about that Felix, I didn't mean to almost rip your brains out." Felix's eyes widened and he took a pen and wrote what Jason said on his already tatooed arm. Jezz, he's always so interested in ways to die.

While Felix continued to write as the morbid ideas came rushing into his mind about death by knife thrower, which did make Jason a little uncomfortable, the young knife thrower looked around. Everyone was hard at work and then someone caught his eye. The strongman, only two years older then him. Jason watched as he lifted huge boxes out of trucks, shirtless. He felt his face heat up and he looked away, No! Why am I thinking like that it's so wrong!



Felix wrote at least fifteen things on his arm and finished the last one, "The knife gets thrown into your stomach and the paremedics rush to save the victim but it's too late. He bled to death." Then he looked at Jason who was blushing for some odd reason, "Well I'm going to go check on everything else, okay?" Then he looked up at the highwire, "Hey give me a knife," he said to Jason.

Slowly Jason handed him a small blade and Felix threw it at Brianna. It landed right above her head on the wooden pole behind her. She didn't flicnh but she looked down angrily at him.

"Meet me in my trailer later, we need to plan something for your act. Don't worry nothing creppy," he winked and stuck his tongue out. Then he cycled away right before the knife came flying back at him.

Jason picked it up and waved sorry to Brianna.

Felix watched with a distrubing pleasure to see her twist her body in ways that were most likely not healthy, and then she just got up and left. "Hey, I didn't approve, but hey that was realy good!" Then his mind began to work on new possibilities combining her disfigurations with the other's acts.

Roselyn was only ten but the moment she twisted her head all the way under her legs Felix hired her on the spot. The only problam was that she wouldn't wear the makeup he assigned her, and still he had no sucess. Why won't she wear it, he wasn't sure but he continued on his way to see how the lion tamer was doing.

The small child skipped to her corner and sat down with a sigh. So he doesn't approve? I should know, only the most disturbing gut-twisting, heart-stopping disfiguration would make Felix proud of me. She nestled down in her sweater and wrapped her wool scarf around her neck. A childish scarf it was, decorated with bunnies and carrots. Roselyn didn't care. Whatever she felt would show. The girl flipped to a new page in her sketch-pad. Here, she started drawing the most morbid, appalling trick she might try next.

She always seems so interested in her art...
"What are you drawing?" Jason asked with interest as he strolled over to Roselyn. Knife in hand he twirled it in the air, he stared up to see it shine as the rays of stage lights bounced off the metal. He started to stumble, as, he was more interested in the knife than where he was going. He tripped and fell over a pile of books, stacked half as high as Roselyn, almost like a wall guarding her "nest".

His knife flew past where he lay, and lodged itself by Roselyns arm.
A loud shriek filled the air, pounding on the ears of anyone who could hear her.
"I'm bleeding!"Roselyn screeched, and as tears filled her eyes, she started to cry. Attracted by the blood-curdling noise, Felix made his way over to Roselyn and Jason.

Brianna sat on top of Felix's trailer. The metal under her was growing colder as the night went on. Sighing, she rolled onto her back and looked up at the stars; bright dots of light scattered across a velvet black sky. The stars, they look so far away.

"Hey Bri!" Felix yelled, and Brianna's head appeared over the top of the trailer. "I brought food!"

Felix's trailer was one of a kind. The walls were painted black with neon patterns scattered across. Behind a cluttered desk, a small stool lay on its side. A bed, with its covers strewn halfway across the floor was pushed up against one wall. It could have snowed in there, with all of the sheets of paper lying around. Most of the writing was so hastily scribbled that it was illegible.

Brianna caught a glimpse of the writing on one. It said: Death by knife thrower:
Brains ripped out.
Slowly bleed to death.

Brianna raised an eyebrow. "What?" Felix asked, "These are fantastic!" She rolled her eyes and took a bite of her dinner.

"So, what did you have in mind?"

"Something wonderfully insane of course!" Felix replied happily.

Felix opened up a chest and took the contents out. It included some old photographs, a glittering white gray and black costume, and what looked like a human spine.

"I thought you might be interested in these," he smiled and tossed the photographs towards Bri. They were in black and white and showed images of the tightrope walkers from before Bri's time. She observed them quietly, most likely studying the techniques of her elders.

Then Felix showed her the costume and spine, "You're wearing this for opening night and we're giving you dead makeup. And you're using the spine for balance and whatever tricks you come up with. Oh!" he remembered, "And it's a real spine froooom," he pointed to a man in the picture, "That guy." Her expression did not show fear however she slowly looked up at him like he was crazy. As usual.


Jason walked away with his knives to his trailer, So angry! I can't believe I messed up like that! Then, as he continued forward with knife in his hand, he saw a person round the corner right into the knife. Jason shouted and jumped back, but the person did not scream in pain. Observing his knife, Jason found it to be bent rather then covered in blood, "What the-"

"Hey buddy be careful next time you never know if you could hurt someone," the person held up a flashlight to his face and it turned out to be the strongman, Axel. Jason was glad it was dark outside for his cheeks were on fire.

"I'm-I-I'm so sorry," he tried to walk past him but Axel put a hand on his shoulder and stopped him in his tracks.

"Hey don't sweat it kid, I've got muscles to spare," he felxed his other arm to emphasize that fact and winked before going off on his merry way. And Jason blushed again, Why do I think this way? And why did he wink at me?

Brilliance! Pure and utter brilliance. This will definately give Felix the chills.
Roselyn shivered as she looked at her sketch.
This looks...impossible. And very painful. Sooo...it's PERFECT!
Roselyn set the drawing on the stand beside her, and stepped onto the cushion she practices on.
"Here goes nothing!" Roselyn whispered as she began twisting her body.