AllFreeNovel
Share Us
The moment my foot touched the ground, I was enveloped in a cacophony of sounds. The Carnival of Bones had no concept of time, with darkness surrounding us day and night and stars twinkling overhead in the infinite sky. Despite the cool summer breeze that brushed against my skin, it felt like I was standing still, suspended in an everlasting moment.
The gray faces were lined up for each ride, and I was careful to skirt around them. It didn’t matter how long I stayed here, I was never going to get used to the purgatory spirits awaiting judgement.
My curiosity was piqued as I watched the crowds. What could they be thinking about? Did they understand where they were standing and that I was among them, observing their every move? How much of this carnival was taking place in their minds? If it was, what kind of wonderment or terror had the performers conjured up for them? Despite my curiosity, I knew the answers to these questions would remain a mystery unless I chose to stay here and delve deeper.
I made it to the central circus tent where I knew Ellie, or whoever sent that note would be waiting. It seemed like the place where everyone congregated the most. I thought back to the other night—or—I suppose it could have been any night, really. In fact, even though had to have been at least two weeks, it felt like one never ending night.
Remembering that night made me smile, and my whole body buzz with energy. I’d danced with Theodore while we sipped drinks that made my head fuzzy. Then I’d escaped with Bael, let him kiss me on the Ferris Wheel, and then ravish my body in the quiet darkness of my room. For a brief few hours, everything had seemed dreamlike and fun. But like all things in my life, they tend to come to a screeching halt without warning.
I passed the cages where I’d last seen the large performing wild cats. They were empty. That sent a shiver through me for a whole different reason.
Making my way through the tent flaps, I was hit with a wave of heat and smoke. The smell of burnt sugar filled my nose as I scanned the room for Ellie or any sign of someone I recognized. My eyes locked onto a figure sitting at the back table, shrouded in darkness.
As I approached her table, she looked up at me with an eerie smile on her face. “Ah, there you are,” she said coyly as she leaned over to pour something into a glass. I’d never seen his woman before.
She had dark skin and steel grey hair in hundreds of tiny braids decorated with glass beads. Her eyes were bright green, and she wore a colorful silk dress with long bell sleeves. On the table were various drink glasses and tall fancy bottles of what I presumed was some kind of alcohol.
Beyond her table, I could just barely see flashing lights from the main room, and the performance music was so loud that I could barely hear the woman as she spoke to me.
“What’s going on?” I asked cautiously, approaching the table.
“Have a drink, dear.” She offered me a glass of deep purple liquid, sliding it across the table. I eyed the glass with suspicion. I knew better than to take random drinks from strangers. The woman chuckled. “It’s not going to bite you, I promise.”
She picked up the drink with her bony hand and tossed it back herself before licking her lips of the deep purple droplets. Then, she poured another glass for me and scooted it my way. “We call this Euphoria, orbwè entèdi.”
I raised a skeptical brow.Forbidden Drink…
Cautiously, I picked up the glass and brought it to my nose. The smell was like chocolate, with a hint of something spicy and sweet like berries. My mouth began to water. “What’s in it?” I asked. Was I seriously entertaining this crazy woman and her mystery drink? “And what does it do? Is it some kind of drug?”
The woman simply smiled at me, her eyes shining with a mischievous glimmer. “Let’s just say that it’ll take you to another world,” she said enigmatically.
I hesitated for a moment longer before taking a sip of the purple liquid. What could it really hurt anyway? I was dead already, right? Or—almostdead. This wasn’t my real body, so what I did here didn’t exactly count. At least that’s what I told myself. What happens at the crossroads stays at the crossroads.
I shrugged. “Bottoms up, I guess.”
At first, there was no taste, only coldness on my tongue. But then came the flavor explosion—sweet and tart mixed together in perfect harmony, tinged with warmth from spices I couldn't identify. Suddenly, everything around me shifted and blurred until all that existed was a deep warmth that slowly made its way through each of my limbs. The first thing I did was let out a long breath, letting my shoulders relax and my muscles loosen.
The woman waved me off, smiling mischievously. Several people entered behind me, talking amongst themselves. I recognized a few faces and brightly colored performance costumes. They were dancers of some sort.
As they tossed Euphoria back and strode into the main room without hesitation, I couldn't help but feel conflicted. My eyes followed their every move, betraying my desire to join them. One of the women in a shimmery leotard caressed my cheek as she passed, her other arm looped around a man with his shirt off and his skin painted with glitter. A shiver ran down my spine at the sudden touch, but it wasn't one of excitement or anticipation. It was fear. Fear that I didn't belong there, that I could never be as carefree as they were. I followed them through the slit in the tent, and my heart raced as I watched them fade into the distance, leaving me alone in a sea of strangers.
The circus tent blazed with bright colors and loud music, but the fog that filled the air was thick. I could feel a chill in the air as I made my way toward the stands instead of the center of the room like I had last time. The crowd of grey faces sat so still, their faces emotionless and their eyes glazing. Despite the warmth from the lights above, I felt so alone in this corner, surrounded by several random rows of empty seats.
The bright lights of the circus tent illuminated the center ring, where I watched in a mix of fascination and trepidation as two lions, a panther, and a tiger prowled around. The glint from their sharp teeth made me gape, open mouthed with awe as I wondered if they would attack each other or the audience. Yet at the same time, I was captivated by their grace and beauty. Then again, we were all dead already, weren’t we? They couldn’t really hurt us.
Several dancers were performing stunts, wielding flaming hoops and batons with practiced ease. The big cats interacted with the fire, growling and swiping at the flames, but I didn’t really sense any true fear coming from them. They were performers as much as anyone else here tonight.
As I scanned the grey faces in the stands, I realized something. Every few rows, sporadically spread out through the circus tent, were others like me, who were wide awake and in living color. I stared at them in shock. I hadn’t realized there were others.
But hey, why wouldn’t there be others? Why would I be the only soul to be offered this choice?
Movement from my peripheral caught my eye and I peered over to see a teenage boy gaping at the tigers with wide blue eyes. He had messy auburn hair, and his clothing was all scuffed up, a bit of blood dripping from his temple, but I couldn’t see any wounds on him.
He must have felt me staring, because he turned, meeting my eyes and said, “I’m trying to wake up, but it’s not working…” his voice was listless and breathy.
I gave him a flat smile that probably wasn’t very reassuring. “Have you been to the mirrors yet?” I didn’t know why that was the first question out of my mouth, but I was suddenly very curious about these random souls.
He blinked at me for a moment before answering, as if it took a second to gather his thoughts. He must be brand new here. Newer than me.
