Ms. Maisy's Marvelous Wonders

September 5th - 8:10

Date: Tuesday, September 5th, 1922

Time: 8:10

Location: Ms. Maisy's Marvelous Wonders

After asking around the rest of their circus family, Angela and Wendy eventually find Tammy in the ice garden, along with Jason. Apparently, the two of them were roped into helping clean there; a chore Angela always made sure to avoid. It's even worse since they're cleaning it for good. What do they do with the ice sculptures? Just let them melt? That's such a waste.

Especially for Blue Flame. That was one of the circus' most ambitious project: a great big fire made of ice. It's beautiful and is the only sculpture Angela really appreciates.

Angela and Wendy stop at the threshold, watching. Tammy and Jason both have their backs turned, neither of them aware of Angela and Wendy's presence yet. Blue Flame sits in the middle of the room, still untouched. Angela's not sure how they'll get rid of that one. It's probably an easy eight feet tall and required four people to work on.

"What do we do?" Angela asks. "We can't very well ask Tammy about Jason when Jason's right there."

"Maybe there's a way we can separate them," Wendy ponders.

"I don't think either of them would be willing to do anything with us, especially if it pulls them apart."

"Not us. Um..." Wendy goes over to one of the adults in the room, Rebecca Hendrix. Becca's one of the artists who created the ice sculptures, along with a bunch of other circus art. Angela's sure she's sad to see the sculptures go too.

"Becca," Wendy calls quietly, getting only Becca's attention. "Can you do me a favor?"

"What's up, sugar?" Becca asks, her southern drawl almost as deep as Jason and Tammy's.

"I heard a lot of noise in the basement. Like, a lot of noise. I think there might be rats down there."

"You think? You didn't check?"

"Would you?" Wendy asks, a sensible rebuttal. The circus basement is known for scaring off even the strongmen. There's nothing really bad about it. It's just dark and smelly and no one's been down there for a long time so now no one wants to go down there. Except for Jason, who goes down regularly for stars know what.

Oh. Angela thinks she sees where this plan is going.

"I know Jason spends a lot of time down there. He may keep things there too," Wendy continues. "It'd be awful if they get chewed up by rats suddenly, especially when we have to leave and he may have a hard time getting replacements. Can you go and tell him so that maybe he can check if he wants?"

"Why can't you?"

"I would, but you know he doesn't like me. He'll think I'm up to something. In fact, don't even mention me. And wait until we're out of the room to tell him."

"Mm-hm," Becca hums, her hand on her hip and a brow lifted. "And are you up to somethin'?"

"What? No!" Wendy brings a hand to her chest, offended. "I can assure you, I have done nothing to his basement."

"But what about out of the basement?"

"Becca, please." Wendy brings her hands together, begging now. Angela follows suit, hoping to double the effect. "We will love you forevermore if you do this."

Becca rolls her eyes and sighs.

"Alright, fine," she says. "But y'all best be behavin' yourselves. And if you get in trouble with Henry, you don't know me."

"We've known you for three years," Angela slips out.

Becca gives her a look. Crap.

Wendy puts a hand on Angela's shoulder. "I'll make sure she stays quiet. Thank you, Becs!"

Becca waves them off as Angela and Wendy leave the room. They hide behind one of the packing boxes (ugh, packing) and wait.

After a while, Jason comes out of the room, making his way for the basement. He passes by Angela and Wendy, completely unawares.

Angela and Wendy silently cheer before getting up and going back in the ice garden. They ignore Becca's warning stare as they make their way to Tammy.

"Good morning, Tammy!" Wendy calls out cheerfully. Tammy spares them one blank glances before going back to removing small ice sculptures from the shelves.

"I do not wish to speak with either of you," Tammy states.

"Well, we kind of need to speak with you," Wendy says.

"Too bad." Tammy's eyes flicker to Angela. "You promised."

"I know," Angela admits. "But I think we need to make an exception if you truly want to keep Jason safe from any, er, consequences."

Tammy's hands pause, her full attention on Angela now.

Wait, why is her attention on Angela? Does she have to do the speaking? Crap.

"Um," Angela looks to Wendy briefly for support. "So, it seems that someone has been in our room. We woke up to find it a mess and all of the evidence we have on Ms. Maisy is missing. We think that Jason took it."

Tammy shakes her head. "That's not possible."

"Why not?"

"I've been keeping an incredibly close eye on him. I'll admit, the state he's been in now, I wouldn't put him above searching your room. Which is why I stayed up the entire night, to make sure that he didn't."

"So," Wendy cuts in, "he didn't leave your room at all?"

Tammy shakes her head. Angela and Wendy share a look.

"Who went through our things?" Wendy asks.

At that moment, a piercing sound is heard, almost like breaking glass. But as the three girls turn, they all realize that the glass is no other than Blue Flame as it cracks and bursts to pieces.

Angela was able to duck behind a box to escape the shards of ice. Wendy ducks as well, though she still gets a small nick on her arm.

Tammy is not so lucky.

She falls to the ground, shrieking and holding on to her eye. Angela is at an angle, though, where she can see the damage: a thick ice shard stained with blood poking out of Tammy's eye.

Becca rushes over—she's cut up too, on her face and arms, but nowhere near as bad as Tammy.

"Oh, my Lord!" she exclaims as she crouches to her. "Shh, it's okay, dear. We'll fix you right up. Come here."

Tammy still screams, but with Becca's consoling, she's able to stand and lean into her embrace. Before they start moving, Becca's eyes find Angela and Wendy.

"You two. Stay. Here." Her voice isn't a friendly one and Angela knows that they have some major explaining to do.

Becca starts taking Tammy out of the ice garden. Some of the other adults come to help, but many of them are still collecting themselves or helping others. There are quite a few that are bleeding badly, but none as bad as Tammy.

And of course, just as Becca and Tammy reach the door, Jason comes back, his eyes wide.

"What happened?" he asks, his voice rushed. "Why is she screaming? What happened?"

"Not now, Jason," Becca says, moving him out of the way. "We've gotta get her to a doctor or something. Why don't you run and get Henry?"

Jason doesn't answer. He stares at Tammy in—well, Angela's so unused to Jason having any expression that she can't tell what he wears on his face now.

But one thing's for certain. This is definitely the first time she's seen Jason cry.