Chapter Text
Ding.
The sharp sound of a bell rings in the background, distinct to the chatter filling up the café. Brisk steps head your way, while your attention hangs elsewhere.
Jingle, jingle.
Other types of bells ring softly near you. Smaller. More quieter.
They say reality is stranger than fiction.
Attached to vivid and whimsical cosplay-like hats.
But you believe it to be something different, entirely different.
Stealing glances from the corner of your eyes, you observe a flash of bright colours contrasting with the background. Reds, yellows and blacks. A white mask that somehow contorts, with uncanny smiles that stretch wildly. Happily nodding away to the worker at the till, without uttering a single word.
Next to him, a more expressive colour combo. Green, blacks and yellows. Butting into the quiet serenade of the taller and redder one. Wearing a similar mask but plastered with a more daring and ‘playful’ expression.
They don’t pay attention to you, they're fixated on the sole person that matters in this whole café. A person capable of making life-altering decisions in this world. Someone that you kind of knew and didn’t.
Perhaps that you were staring for so stupidly long, for a split second, she makes eye contact with you, making your shoulders jump. Immediately, turning around, your hands start sweating.
Moving inches away from the scene, you bring your hands up to touch your head, searching for any metal casing around to only mess up your hair.
Come on, no wires at least?? Did someone not put a VR headset on you while you were sleeping? Sword Art Online style?????
Yeah, right.. There’s no such technology in this world-
“Helloooo? Excuse me?”
Snapping out of your thoughts, you face a human, presumably, with eyebrows knitted together and rigid arms crossed over the other. They looked like any other, a person who could blend in easily in other parts of the world unlike the two not-so-strangers next to you. Your slow response time paired with the blank stare seemed to let the person continue.
“Tsk, tsk. What kind of customer service is this? You made me call you a million times.”
“Sorry, ma’am!”
Right. This was ‘your’ version of reality. Facing customers, in a bustling atmosphere, serving coffees, lattes and macchiatos from dusk ‘till dawn and returning for round 2, 3… for the rest of your life. Except you never made fancy coffees, nor macchiatos for a living. Ever.
“Seriously, this place needs better workers.. And more presentable too.”
Turning away from the nonsense, half the order slipping away from your mind, you work towards starting the hot machine and something else. Rushing, remembering, swinging by counters and causing a cascade of cups crashing down the pavement. Sigh.
Flipping health code violation. What is one meant to do here? Should you pick up the cups and dispose or clean them first or…? Searching for a manual or a boss somewhere to only find your colleague with you. Gulping, you turn around to ask for help (telepathically) but instead meet a sharp, poison-stained stare, jolting your gaze back to the floor.
Yep, hahahaha nope. Going to pick up another cup, you catch your reflection in the stainless steel equipment. Dark circles with a slight eye twitch every so often. Freshly ruffled hair.
Another shout of hurry up gets you moving again.
Shit. How much longer?
…
Pitter, patter, pitter, patter.
Despite how heavy your body was feeling, the moment your boss announced your dismissal for the day, you were the first one to bolt out of this place. Too much eagerness to leave the workplace is usually not a good thing. But what could you do?
Clowns infested your workplace.
You squint your eyes trying to reduce the tremors creeping up your mind. You didn’t have enough time, you had to focus on a particular task at hand right now. However, you couldn’t ignore the soft crunch that scratched beneath your foot. No need to look down to know what it was thanks to the emboldened, scattered fliers swirling around announcing the arrival of a peculiar circus.
‘Why did it have to be this world? Why, why, why.’
Passing through countless people rushing home, your destination is different. Eyes scanning for a small queue hidden away in the corner of the street, you finally find the sign, ‘local food donation bank’. A breath of relief escapes as you join the line for some much needed serving.
“You came just in time! There’s only a few pack lunches left to give away”
Inspecting the items given to you, you find a prepared sandwich and a drink. This would do for now. Thanking the distributor, you turn away with a slower pace, searching for an empty spot to sit on.
You don’t rush eating your sandwich, in fact you take as long as possible. But how long can you truly eat slowly for? At most maybe 30 minutes. Nimble bites were not enough however as you could feel saliva building in the back of your mouth, and a stomach folding in itself per the second you don’t move. And the sandwich was small too.
When was the last time you ate? It was a weird question to ask yourself. I mean it’s not like you always ate on time. There were times where you were so busy with work or entertainment that you delayed your breakfast. Lunch. Or even dinner. But skipping them wasn’t what you used to do on purpose.
Searching for a clock hanging by a shop nearby, you are scared to open your phone recklessly. Instead you gaze far away, looking at the sun tucking away from the world. By now you would have been home, slumping in the comfort of your bed, munching on a snack with a hand carelessly while scrolling on the phone with the other. Maybe play a game, like the game you were recently playing, ‘The Freak Circus’-
Oh no. Is this where you went wrong?
Closing your eyes, your mind traces back about a week and a half ago. It was a morning like any other, waking up slightly tired from the previous night’s binge-watching activities. Scrolling away, switching between fandoms, watching anime, manga, reading fan fics or theories. The Freak Circus was just a game that you happened to spot being trendy and so decided to play it on the spot. It was a good game but unfinished, leaving you with a desire to feed on fan content.
Waking up, you got dressed, finding the usual clothes that were quick to wear. It was really just a normal routine: freshening up, heading to the elevator and pressing the same buttons to go to the ground floor. Except the moment you stepped out, you felt the immediate change in the atmosphere. An air that was suspiciously cleaner, but a more mundane town.
‘...What?’
Glancing everywhere, noticing how your neighbours’ houses were not next to you, and the familiar grocery shop with glowing lights screaming ‘OPEN’ was not ahead of you. Accidentally letting out a small scoff.
‘Me and my dreams haha’ you waved a hand in the air dismissively. This must have been a dream. After all, it was suspicious you managed to wake up early despite how late you slept.
It was a simple and convenient way to describe where you were and what you were seeing. But reality was far too cruel.
“You never saw my type of bank card before?”
“What do you mean this hotel charges £75 per night?!”
“No I am saying, I need to go back to my countr-”
Your memories replaying, rapid, each word a reminder of how grave your situation is. Mocking you, almost tearing you apart. Taking out your wallet, opening it to find a sparse amount of cash. Only £20. Accompanied by a bank card that apparently does not work in this world.
In the world of The Freak Circus.
You let out a deep breath before raising your palms to your face and dragging it.
Out of all worlds it was this one. One that you enjoyed playing but did not fully get to explore yet.
And you were not even the main character. What will happen to you?
One thing’s for certain is that you were not protected. Since day one, you were struggling, left with no bonus or powers for yourself and your sudden entrance. No money, no relatives, no house. You were lining up at the food bank for God’s sake.
Certainly, you would have gone insane already if not for the fact that you finally found a job.
But that future of you getting promoted to full time work seemed to dwindle now.
Another sigh escapes your lips.
The only thing that matters is your survival. And now even more than before.
Do not get involved.
It’s easy, just mind your business. Do not get involved. You are a nobody. It is okay. Just do not-
You spot a familiar shadow. One that you grew accustomed to in the depths of the night and without realising, your shoulders drop and your mouth curves upwards.
There was another thing in this world that slightly kept your sanity.
A hooded man wearing a black mask over his face. Full of mysteries. The very embodiment of stranger danger.
Strange, isn’t it?
“Well, aren’t you glad to see me~”