Re: [Carnival: Hannah & Zoe]
Tug, tug, tug, and the girl Hannah pulled along was quiet. She thought the quiet suited her, suited the girl with the dark hair and the odd demeanor. Tug, tug, tug, and Hannah loved the crowds. She felt safe in a group, and that had been the case since she'd been really, really little, when her entire family had been unable to see her, all while being in the same room as she was.
But that wasn't now. No, no, now was circling the big tent, which was striped red and white, and she ducked into the flap in the back, pulling Zoe along with her whenever the girl slowed.
Inside, in the back, there were vanities lined up against the flapping sides of the tent, and performers painted their lips red and their cheeks pink. Here, girls were pulled tight into corsets. There, the snakecharmer cooed at her babies. Further, the gymnasts stretched, and Hannah led the way between them, wander and wander, until they could see the three rings that made up the big top.
Ahead, the entire audience was filled with rapt faces. On the stage, a trapeze artist balanced on a fishing wire. High, high, high above, and with no net to speak of. She was like a dancer up there, the girl, with blonde hair as pale as moonlight, and she tiptoed, pirouette, and all with not one tiny misstep. "Isn't it beautiful?" Hannah whispered, wonder and awe in fairywings.