Vigil stumbled over the cobblestone path, guided by James. His hands were placed over Vigil's eyes, but her ears were very much open.

And they liked what they heard.

It was the sound of delightful chaos. Children shouted and laughed, people chattered and rushed around her. A happy tune was tinkling nearby, and she nearly leapt out of her skin when she was sure a lion roared behind her.

"Come on James," She whined. "Let me see."

"Okay..." Came his voice behind her. "Welcome to the circus."

His hands lifted from her eyes, and she was hit by a burst of lights.

She had never seen anything like it. Bright gold lights dazzled every corner, blinding her. Thousands of tiny booths were scattered about, all adorned in bright colors and displaying signs that read, "Come see the two-headed goat!" or "What do your palms say about your marriage?".

People walked around in tight leotards, some on tall stilts, others riding unicycles. There was a delicious smell wafting through the stuffy air, like frying oil and sugar. A huge tent stood in the very center, striped white and crimson.

Vigil couldn't get enough of it, she kept spinning around, attempting to look at everything at once. Finally, James caught her shoulders and held her still.

"Too much? Maybe I should've showed you the petting zoo first."

She quickly shook her head. "No, I'm fine. It's just..."

"Overwhelming?" He offered.

Vigil grinned. "I need to be overwhelmed more."

"Perfect," He said, straightening his flat cap. "We'd better get some funnel before they run out."

After ordering the food, they strolled through the carnival, James holding her snack as she sipped from a bottle of soda.

"So, what is there to see?" She said through a mouthful of funnel.

"Well, there's the flame throwers, the crystal ball gypsies..."

They passed a big, golden display, like a platform with a shelter over it. Statues of life-sized horses ringed the edge of it, adorned with bright colors and intricate patterns.

"Ooh, what's that?" She asked.

"That's a carousel," James declared, resting his hands in his pockets.

"Let's play it," Vigil decided. "How does it work?"

He laughed and led her up on it. "Just sit. That's how you play."

"Sit?" She demanded. "There aren't any seats."

James patted the back of one of the horses. "It's a horse. You sit on it."

Vigil scoffed. "Are you kidding? It's fake," She yelled. "It won't go anywhere. You're being stupi—"

She was cut off when two hands suddenly lifted her up by her armpits and heaved her onto the horse.

"This is dreadful," She cried, staring at the horse under her. "The poor creature is literally skewered through with a pole."

James frowned. "Now that you say it, I never really though of it like that."

Suddenly, the horse lurched forward and she seized the pole in both arms, shrieking a little. Next to her, James stumbled backward in the sudden movement and grabbed for the pole also, his hand landing on her arm.

"It's a ride," He yelled over the music. "You sit here and enjoy it."

"I like it," She announced, slowly unwrapping her arms.

"Of course you like it." James said, still holding on to the carousel pole.

When they had jumped down from the ride, James supporting a dizzy Vigil, loud, happy music came from the center tent.

"The show is starting," James said, leading her toward the striped shelter.

The inside was dark, with thousands of people taking seats on a ring of bleachers. There was a bare circle of dirt in the middle, with various poles sticking from the ground.

"What are they going to do?" Vigil whispered as they sat on the tallest bleacher.

"Tricks," He replied. "Amazing tricks."

A single beam of light shone on the dirt center. A man in a violet tailcoat stood with his arms spread wide. "Come one, come all, to this fantastic performance."

The next two hours were a burst of talent, comedy, and wonder. One brawny gentleman lifted three other men over his head, a lion leapt through a flaming hoop, and one woman that twisted her body in every direction had James excusing himself for a moment.

"Now, let us give it up for the fantastic clowns!" The man in the tailcoat cried.

"I've never seen a clown in real life before," Vigil said, craning her neck.

"Count yourself lucky," James muttered, squirming in his seat.

"Now, in this performance, we need three volunteers," The man said.

A beam of light searched through the crowd, picking a man and a woman, when it suddenly landed on Vigil.

"What about you, young lady?" He said, and Vigil swallowed.

Before she could say anything, the man had already made his way up the bleachers and was offering his arm to her. She glanced at James, who shrugged.

When she was led down to the dirt center, he motioned for her to stand on a platform. She mounted the pedestal, next to the other two volunteers.

"And what's your name?" The man said.

"Vi—Martha." She said quickly.

"Okay, my three brave souls," He said, handing them each a bag. "When the clowns come in, I'll tell you what to do.

A huge door opened, and four people came running out, painted with bright makeup and clashing suits. But that wasn't the oddest thing about them. They just didn't look right—something about them was wrong.

Vigil squinted, and found what she was looking for.

The first man who had come out had a hump on his back, which caused him to slouch over. Next to him, a pair of twin girls seemed to have melded together into one, wide body. A boy of about thirteen had a disturbingly disfigured hand, and the woman next to him seemed to have grown a beard.

The audience immediately started laughing, cracking up as the freaks did tricks that complimented their oddities. Vigil stared at them as people jeered and pointed, shouting insults and jokes.

The four clowns stood on four boards that stretched across a gaping pit.

"Now, you three need to try and throw the balls inside your bags at them, as hard as possible." The man said.

The other two volunteers immediately started throwing, hurtling their balls as fast as their arms allowed. They were laughing and shouting, sneering when a freak would lose their balance.

Vigil stared in horror, her bag limp at her side. She felt numb, like someone had sucked her soul out.

Finally, every freak had toppled into the pit except for the boy. The man in the tailcoat came up to Vigil and took her bag.

"Looks like you haven't thrown yet," He announced loudly, leading her up to the pit. "Just waiting for the right aim?"

Vigil was unable to speak, her mouth dry. She could barely hear as the man talked to her, but she thought she heard James' voice in the distance.

"Vigil!" He was shouting. She could hear him running down the bleachers.

"Go ahead and just push him, Martha!" The man said, gesturing to the boy over the pit. "Push him hard."

Vigil started to shake her head, but it felt like she couldn't move.

"Push him, Martha," The man hissed impatiently. "The audience is waiting."

Suddenly, there was shouting at the edge of the bleachers. James had jumped over the guardrail and was running toward them. Two men were trying to keep him back, yelling in Russian.

"Ringmaster!" James shouted. "That's enough."

The man pointed at him. "Security? Please dispose of this boy."

The two men moved to grab his arms, but he shoved them away.

"Come on Vigil," He said, his voice suddenly gentle. "Let's get you home."

The ringmaster shook a finger at James. "How dare you disturb my—"

He was cut off when James suddenly reared back and punched him in the mouth. The rest was an absolute uproar, the two men grabbing James' arms and dragging him outside. Vigil followed them, screaming at them and slapping at their hands.

James was shoved out of the tent, the men shouting as they went back inside.

Vigil swallowed. "Thank you. For getting me out of there."

He closed his eyes for a moment. "I'm so stupid, I shouldn't have taken you here."

She shook her head. "I had fun, while it lasted."

James grabbed his hat, where it had fallen in the mud. "I'm sorry, Vigil. I just didn't know."

"About the freaks?" She asked.

He nodded. "The poster didn't say anything about them. I swear I didn't know they would—"

"I understand," Vigil said shakily. "You didn't know."

There were more jeers from inside, and Vigil gave an involuntary sob. James wrapped a protective arm around her shoulders and led her away.

"Let's get you home."