Midnight Circus

Chapter 3 - Lulu

Rosaline Levington: 

Rose never felt so frightened and alone, she had not but a clue as to where they were going, moreover the person she was being taken to. Who was this Morris person the officers spoke of? She did not remember anyone by that name.

It was almost afternoon by the time they'd arrived. The carriage steadily pulled to a stop in front of a small worn-down estate. 

She was entirely spent from crying the whole way--her body shook, her breathing shallow and irregular, even as the tears dried out, leaving salty streaks upon her puffed face. Her mind was muddled and her insides churned from motion sickness, the world spun as if unaligned with its axis. The officer, whom the yellow haired man called Richard, opened the carriage door and stepped out into the fridge air. He turned to Rose and lifted her out of her seat with ease, deciding to carry her given how unwell she'd look.

A thin coat of snow blanketed everything in perfect white, making the world around her a blank canvas, waiting to be painted. Rose would have stood in awe at the sigh before her if not for the current circumstances.

They trudged up the length of the yard, to the entrance. Richard gave a good three knocks before an elderly woman with peppered hair, whom Rose presumed to be Ms. Morris, unlatched the door. The women cracked a smile, her skin creased from age.

"Richard! Long time no see. Come in. Come in," said the lady. She ushered them inside the cozy house and sealed shut the entrance so the cold wouldn't creep in. Though the house appeared rundown, the inside was very much habitable, equipped with a fiery stone hearth that doused the entirety of the place in warm.

"Mornin' Ms. Morris," said Richard.

Rose immediately noticed three children crowding by a narrow staircase, glaring at her curiously. They whispered something but she couldn't decipher the words. There eyes continued to stared, boring into her like arrows. It made her feel awkward and utterly out of place.

"Rosaline, this is Ms. Morris, the owner of this place. You will be staying with her for the time being, until we figure out what to do."

"Hello, Rosaline," Ms. Morris greeted her. Rose retreated back, behind Richard. 

After several minutes of talking among the adults, Ms. Morris showed Rose to her room.

Rose sat in solitude and did nothing but stared at the empty wall for what felt like hours.

"Come Rosaline, its time for lunch," Ms. Morris appeared at the doorway. "I'll introduce you to the others."

Rose was about to step out of the room but Ms. Morris stopped her and said, "You wouldn't want to get porridge on that pretty doll of yours."  Rose placed her dolly on the bed and followed Ms. Morris out of the room. They made their way to the dinning room were the three others sat.

Ms. Morris gestured the eldest, "this is Emma." The girl looked to be few years older than Elli. "Timothy," she pointed to the next eldest. "And lastly, Susan."

Once Rose was finished eating what portion she could take down, she politely excused herself, retiring to her quiet room alone, whist the other children ate and cheerfully conversed amidst themselves.

She soundlessly made her way up the flight of stairs and down the span of the hall to the opened room. She froze at the door frame with widened eyes. What she saw in the room had shocked her.

Rose stood there, robbed of breath, watching her dolly pace back and forth on floor as if contemplating on a though. A mix of fear and excitement coursed through her.