She stared at the vanity in her private tent. Her red eyes stared back at her, but she was more concerned with the bags underneath them. Her hair was also annoyingly unkempt. The bedhead she currently suffered was not worth that pathetic pittance of sleep she had just endured. It had been a while since she’d gotten a good night’s rest, but she couldn’t let it affect her. If her energy was lower than an acceptable amount for even a single night, it would ruin the night for thousands of others.

  The woman knew she’d have to start getting ready soon and began pulling out her makeup. Getting ‘performance ready’ was the absolute worst part of her day. It was an unbelievable pain, but she knew no one would come to see her as she was. If everything went well today, in the near future she could get someone to do it for her. Wouldn’t that be nice.

  After brushing her hair and applying a bit of makeup, she began practicing her smile in the mirror. If anyone were to notice it was fake, everything would crumble apart. It hurt her face the more she practiced, but kept going out of spite. Her inability to smile didn't mean she wasn’t happy. The woman loved her life and the people around her. She loved what she did and could never see herself doing anything else.

  It was the fakeness of it all that bothered her. When was the last time she got to really act like the real her? “The show must go on, I suppose,” she muttered to herself unconvincingly as she started to get dressed. The woman pulled on her fishnet stockings, and donned her signature red tailcoat. After one last look in the vanity, she would head out, but then there was a call from outside her tent.

  “Leader,” a man poked his head into the tent. “Their vehicle is en route. It will reach the interception point in about 40 minutes.”

  “Thank you, Mill,” the woman answered. “Tell the others to get ready, we’re moving out in 10 minutes.” After making sure her subordinate had left, she turned back to the vanity once more. “Ah, when did that get there?” She touched her face to make sure she wasn’t dreaming, a genuine smile. The more she looked at, the bigger it got.

  She walked slowly to the mirror, and began to chuckle slightly. The woman placed her hand on the reflection, but she was no longer looking at herself. Her mind was gone, full of scenarios and plans, working out every contingency. “I wonder, you who think themselves above us, just what kind of show will you perform for me? You have everyone’s attention, but will you buckle under the spotlight? Do your best. It’s your first show after all… will it be your last?”

  ◆◆◆

  “Leader, incoming! ETA, 3 minutes,” Mill called out to her. She was honestly impressed. Mill had actually managed to report something to her accurately on the first try for the second time in a day. Out of everyone else, Mill was undoubtedly the most loyal and hardworking of her crew. However, he was a bit of a lunkhead. Normally, when he tried to tell her something, he’d initially forget what he came for, stumble around for a while, and only remember sometime later. Today must be just as important to him if he’s able to remain so focused.

  “Alright then, everyone!” The woman addressed her troupe. “Let’s get the show started. It will be the most important performance of our lives. Give it your all!” Cheers came from the crowd surrounding the caravan, and then they all quickly loaded up into their vehicles. Music started as the wagons and cars rode forward. It was entirely live music as well, booming with energy that would put any professional band to shame. It was music that would draw a crowd, that people couldn’t resist wanting to experience up close and in person.

  The troupe paraded forward on the desolate road. Balls were flying from juggler’s hands, dancers were prancing around, animals were roaring with all their might. It was a show for no one, but they were acting as if thousands were watching. Soon, the only eyes that mattered were upon them. As they slowly proceeded through an intersection, a car was stopped, waiting to cross. It really was such an obvious car, none other like it in the world. Even if it wasn’t recognizable, the top was down and their hair was a dead giveaway. The car of the Fiends for Hire, the stars of tonight's performance.

  When her carriage was right next to their car, the woman jumped down from the top, right onto the metal hood. She landed with a crouch, bowing in front of them while waving her tophat. Their eyes had all been wandering, staring intrigued at the procession, but now all of their eyes were on her. “Good day to you, Fiends for Hire. It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance.” She did a backflip off of the hood, landed with a pirouette, and then leaned on her cane.

  “I am the ringmaster of the Wandering Souls Circus you see before you! You may call me Rallie,” she introduced herself to them.

  “You’re a Lesser,” Drim Drazah pointed out.

  “Indeed I am, how very astute of you.” Rallie’s eyes glinted at them. “Many of us are in fact. This circus is not just a place for entertainment, it is a place where those who have lost their place in this world can find purpose. I’m sure each of you knows what that’s like... Now then, I would like to personally invite you to tonight’s performance. No! Not as guests! I’m sure our humble performance would seem trivial in your eyes. I would like to invite you to perform in our show; to dazzle, amaze, entice the masses. Put on a spectacle only you can! That is the grand nature of this invitation.”

  “Ugh, we don’t have time for this,” Phon Drazah grumbled from the backseat. “I’ll teleport us to the other side so we can keep going.”

  “Such a pity,” Rallie acted downtrodden. “But it’s to be expected I suppose. You know that you’ll be outperformed by Lessers so you’d rather run away and save your dignity. I completely understand. I’m sorry to have bothered you.”

  There was a small bout of pained laughter from the backseat. Then Phon Drazah’s eyes bulged out of her head, as if they were trying to physically assault the ringmaster. “What did you just say?!” Rallie was doing her best now to force back a smirk from the bait being taken so easily. “No, no… I won’t be swayed just like that,” The Vixen muttered to herself. “Kada, hurry up and get us out of here.”

  “Nope,” Kada Susten stated firmly from the driver’s seat.

  “Did you just say ‘Nope’?” her super was flabbergasted. “There seems to be some confusion that you’re in charge here.”

  “Well, first off, Drim’s the leader, not you,” Susten rebutted. “And second, I’m the driver, so yes, I’m kind of in charge. I’ve been good this whole trip about not getting side tracked, but I’ve been driving the whole time so I get to be selfish at least once. I demand we go to the circus! By the way this totally has nothing to do with those two getting to be in a movie when I didn’t, so don’t even think that!”

  “Fine then, Drim talk some sense into her.” Phon Drazah was clearly getting furious, and Rallie was eating it up. She didn’t know she was going to be entertained so early.

  “Uhh, well, I think maybe we should at least check it out,” her brother mumbled while refusing to make eye contact with his sister.

  “Ughhh, I should have expected this,” The Vixen groaned. “Can I at least count on you to be a voice of reason, Xard?”

  Like her brother, Xard Randex looked anywhere but at Phon. “It… could be an interesting and eye-opening experience that will inspire us to be better…”

  “Oh mawhg it, I give up,” Phon Drazah relented and then slumped down in her seat with her arms crossed.

  “I’m glad you’ve come around,” Rallie cheered. “The troupe will be ecstatic to hear that you’ll be joining us. Now then, if you’d so kindly follow along.” Perfectly timed, the last wagon rolled by the intersection. The ringmaster gestured her cane in its direction, and it stretched into a whip which latched onto the roof. The whip then contracted back into a cane, pulling her on top of the wagon. The Fiends followed behind in their car with Rallie sitting atop the wagon to make sure they didn’t stray.

  A little while later, they reached the site for tonight’s show. It was a giant open field just outside the town of Nodding. It was the perfect spot for a circus to perform, to liven up such a sleepy sounding place. Since the caravan was so slow, those at the front had already unloaded and began setting up the circus. Even the main tent had already been erected by the time they arrived, and the site was abuzz with preparation.

  Several of the troupe had gone off into the town to advertise. A few of them had already visited a few days ago to put up flyers. These flyers just coincidentally advertised that the Drazahs and other Fiends were performing tonight, clearly a clerical error that Rallie could have in no way planned. It was fortunate that they agreed to the show, or she would have been forced to do massive damage control.

  After the Fiends parked their car, the ringmaster gave them a tour. She started at the entrance, and ran them through a breakdown of the average visitor experience. There were several merchant stalls, a few game booths where people could win prizes, and even a few simple thrill rides for customers to enjoy. As they walked around, Rallie noticed that Drim Drazah seemed increasingly suspicious of the circus, often glancing intently in seemingly random directions. She wondered if any of her employees were providing anything less than the expected level of vigor and hospitality.

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  Next, it was time to introduce them to the cast and the rest of the troupe. Of course, she would save anyone who was busy for later. First there was Honk, the clown specialist. There were no actual clowns at this circus, because their experience showed that children were terrified of and would have traumatic nightmares about clowns with red eyes. So Honk divided the normal clownish qualities among the rest of the cast and made sure everyone’s acts were together. When the Fiends left Honk, they had all been harassed in some form or another.

  “Uhh, this is Throat…” Rallie hesitantly introduced a woman who was sitting on a few crates. She was disinfecting several odd items that didn’t seem to have any form of discernable relation to one another. “She can swallow anything… Anything! And I mean that in an entirely non-sexual way. It’s rather disgusting really, and a huge turn off.”

  “Leader Rallie, we have returned from the town!” a rotund stubbly man waddled up to her.

  “Oh, done already then, Croak?” the ringmaster was a little surprised. “I know what you guys are thinking, he’s named Croak because he looks like a frog, but that’s not it. He’s our circus barker, in charge of marketing and sales, and quite good at his job.”

  “Yes, Leader Rallie, it’s quite amazing!” Croak croaked. “We have sold out of every ticket, including all the reserved and special seating. We’ll make more tonight than a month of shows combined!”

  “Fabulous, good work!” Rallie praised him. “Us being Lesser Fiends is one of our major selling points,” she continued to explain. “People want to see things they can’t do themselves, and with our enhanced strength and agility, we can make everything seem like a spectacle. Though, I suppose it’s nothing close to the genuine article. Try not to disappoint our crowd tonight, please.”

  When they entered the tent, they came across a rather large man—“large” very honestly being an understatement. He was practically bulging out of his skin, with every inch nothing but muscle. “This is Mill, our resident strongman,” the ringmaster introduced him. “They call him Mill because his favorite way of training is picking up dumbbells and swinging them around like a windmill.”

  The strongman then picked up two weights to demonstrate his namesake. He spun them a few times, and then dropped them to the ground with a resounding thud. Even though they were Fiends, they appeared off-put by that demonstration. If someone were to be hit by him while he was doing that, they’d undoubtedly be bashed to pieces. Mill trampled over to the wary Fiends and bent down to meet them at eye level. He then jutted out his arm. “One of you, arm wrestle me!” he grunted.

  Three of them wore faces of immediate refusal. While they were undoubtedly stronger, Mill had a personality that made people rather uncomfortable. However, Kada Susten stepped forward and jutted out her own arm in response, her face filled with an eager competitiveness. They got a crate to serve as their arena, and both of them sat on the ground. Rallie grabbed their hands when both of their arms were in place. Before she counted them down, the ringmaster humbly requested, “Please do go easy on him, we need him still able to perform tonight.”

  The match began, and Mill went full force right out of the gate. His veins were popping, his whole face was red, and he began sweating from his entire body. He wasn’t looking due to straining his face, but Rallie wondered what expression he’d have if he saw that Susten’s hand hadn’t moved an inch. To everyone’s surprise, it did eventually budge. With all of his strength, he had only managed to move it a hair, but the fact that he was able to move it at all was astonishing.

  It seemed to throw Susten off the most, resulting in her panicking. She finally put forth strength and won within a second. Mill’s hand was smashed into the box, shattering the wood into small pieces. Rallie couldn’t help but laugh nervously. If things ever came down to a proper fight, they’d surely lose even with the entire strength of the troupe, not that she was planning on fighting them to begin with.

  The tour came to its conclusion soon after. In all, she had introduced them to about a dozen members, each of them just as unique as the last. “Well then, before we get to discussing what you all will be doing, I’m sure you must have a few questions,” Rallie inquired.

  “Yes, several actually,” Drim Drazah readily responded and the others all nodded in agreement.

  “Me first!” Susten emphatically raised her hand as if she was in a classroom. “What’s with the names?! They’re kind of like our titles but you guys use them for everything.”

  “I assumed that would be kind of obvious,” Rallie stated. “We’re people who ran away from our past lives and formed a circus. Lesser Fiend or not, we’re all trying to move on. For a lot of them, their names were shackles, so they changed them.”

  “But not you, though,” Phon Drazah surmised.

  “That’s correct,” the ringmaster confirmed. “Rallie is my original name, but it is my only name. I’ve stricken my family name from myself. I’d rather not get into specifics as to why, but I’m sure you can easily speculate the reasons.”

  “Okay, I want to ask about your reputation of being Lessers.” It was now Randex’s turn to pose a question. “You said being Lesser’s was one of your biggest selling points, which means you’re openly advertising it. Doesn’t that get you in trouble with the CP? Wouldn’t the police constantly be harassing you with litigation?”

  “We have an understanding with the Central Peace, actually,” Rallie admitted. “When we first started, there were a few investigations as you mentioned. Eventually, a CP official came out to meet with us directly. Through a lot of tedious back and forth, we were able to convince them that we were no threat, and they agreed to not meddle in our affairs.

  “I’m sure you wonder why they’d agree to it so easily. That’s because we are a place for Lessers and anyone else who has lost their way to find solace. So for their bottom line, we keep those who could prove problematic out of the general public. We also make sure they don’t run wild by keeping them busy, as well as providing a service to the community through entertainment. We are not a private army who is for sale to the highest bidder, so they didn’t try to buy us or make sure that we couldn’t be bought.

  “That said, if the police were to come and arrest one of us, we would not stand in their way. It has happened before, and so far, they’ve always had good reason. Once a serial killer was hiding out among us. We were all suspicious of her, and she didn’t quite fit in, but we always try to give someone a chance. We all know what it’s like to feel as if you have nowhere else to go. Even if the police were to come for me, the troupe would not try to stop it. Of course, they would do their best to support me through the tribulations, as we would for any of our number.

  “You all aren’t exempt from this either. If the police or CP were to march in here tonight to try and capture you, we would not so much as lift a finger to help you out. I hope you can understand. Honestly, I wouldn’t be surprised if a few come to the show either way.”

  “Yes, that makes perfect sense actually. I can respect that,” Randex decided.

  “I guess that leaves me then, unless anyone else has a question,” the Fiends For Hire’s leader looked to his fellows who all shook their heads. “Alright, I’d like to know more about you and the circus’s history in general. A group of Lesser’s coming together and deciding to start a circus isn’t exactly something that just happens.”

  “Sure, I don’t mind explaining. It’s not that exciting, though,” Rallie established their expectations. “A few years ago, myself, Mill, and a couple others were all in a support group together for people with red eyes. We weren’t entirely sure if there was a common factor between us that caused it. None of us were exactly dying to admit that we had killed someone, though I’m sure a few of them must have at least speculated as much.”

  “Over the years, we started to accept this change, and became really close in the process. Eventually, we went from a support group, to a group of friends who liked to spend time entertaining one another with our new power. Each of us ended up becoming a specialist at some trick or quirk. We knew we were freaks compared to everyone else, but we didn’t let it bother us. For most, it just emboldened us instead.”

  “Then the day came, the day Drim and Phon Drazah announced the existence of Fiends to the world. Of course, with that announcement, all of our lives were shaken up. Many of us lost our jobs, and two of us were arrested. Some decided to distance themselves from the group entirely, unable to accept what we were. Still, just as many of us didn’t feel burdened by this realization, it felt like a liberation. They knew who they were, and it was all thanks to you two.”

  “What soon became clear, though, is that it would be increasingly hard to lead normal lives. Instead of giving up and being treated like criminals for the rest of our days, we decided to embrace it and do what we loved. That’s how the Wandering Souls Circus was formed. Originally, there were only a handful of us, but in just these few months it’s grown into the giant family you see around you.”

  “That’s actually a rather moving story,” Drim Drazah commented. “Do you mind if I ask which side you fall on; whether finding out you were a Lesser was a burden or liberation?”

  The ringmaster huffed and offered a smile in response. “Ask me again after the show.” She then went into the specifics into what each of them would be performing tonight. Originally, she had several backups if they weren’t comfortable with their respective first options, but they all took the first without even hearing the others. “Alrighty then, just be back here at least 30 minutes before showtime. I’ll be busy with rehearsals, so if you have more questions, please ask Mill, and he’ll either help you or get me.”

  “Wait, don’t you want us to participate in the rehearsals too?” Randex inquired.

  “Oh no, we specifically picked acts that you all wouldn’t need practice for,” the ringmaster clarified. “We know that you’re busy people and didn’t want to make you devote too much time. Phon Drazah might be the only one in need of training if she felt so inclined.” Rallie received a disapproving scowl from The Vixen, so she kept talking. “So feel free to go off into the town and do whatever you guys came to do, breaking into banks or something like that, right?”

  “I guess word’s spread pretty far then,” the hooded boy concluded. “There’s been a lot more instances of guards inside of vaults, not that them being there actually hinders us. Seems that word has finally reached the public as to what we’re doing.”

  “I’d definitely be interested to know what you all are doing in there,” Rallie pried. “But I know it’s none of my business. In any case, feel free to leave some of that money as a generous tip to the circus. Now, if you’ll excuse me…” She walked off into the next section of the tent. Instead of going off to rehearsals like she'd stated, the woman hid behind the curtain, observing the Fiends. They talked for a few moments, then Phon Drazah teleported them away from sight.

  Rallie slumped down on the floor and sighed in relief once they were gone. That had been one of the most stressful moments of her life. One wrong slipup and she and the circus would be in an astronomical amount of trouble. “You alright, Leader?” Mill came up to her with a drink.

  “Yeah, just dandy,” the woman graciously accepted it. After a few swallows, she stood back up and straightened her clothes. With her energetic demeanor back, she marched off to the ring. When she got there, the rest of the troop was waiting. “Now then, let’s make this a night the Fiends For Hire will never forget!”

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