Chapter Text
The edge. The void.
Strangely tempting when her eyes fall into it.
The building she's on must be sixty floors, at least from where the plank is. She look at the hole in the wall then at the crowd behind her. They were staring at the scene with glassy eyes and blank expressions, all expecting her to “do the thing”. She sigh and lower her head towards the street and the passing cars. It would look like a painful fall if she fail. She roll her shoulders, relaxing and taking a determined spirit before putting her foot on the plank. Then another. Taking a deep breath. There she goes.
Weirdly, her balance was better than she thought it would be and manage to get to the end of the plank in less than a minute. Suddently, the crowd explosed in applause and cheers, filled with glee. She turn around and face them with a timid smile. It was strangely satisfying to do this. However, as she was walking back without looking at the plank, she tripped on her own foot and fell down.
Off the edge.
-”Jes? You're good?” Ask a voice behind a microphone.
She was on the ground, beside the plank and the headset is half on her face. Well that was embarassing. She sit up, put the headset on her knees and look at the colleague who talked to her behind the glass.
-”I'm good. I just... didn't paid attention, I guess.” She said before looking at the device. “The headset looks fine too.”
-”Good. Darcy would be pissed if we mess up with the prototype.”
-”Well, it's kinda her fault: she's the one who wanted me to try the persceptives. By the way, isn't she with you?”
-”No, the supperiors asked for her presence. About the project.”
-”Okay so... Do you need anything?”
-”Nope, you can leave. Have a good weekend, Jes.”
With a content sigh, she got up and leave the test room. She put the headset on one of the table along side of the others headsets. She stare at it a little; virtual reality was something that facinate her ever since she got into this company. Testing it become somekind of hobby since the main game artist, Darcy Schaumrolle, personnally asked her to became her test subject with others lucky colleagues. Of course, it wasn't for big things like the program Darcy was currently working on, but small stuffs like today. Today, she was testing the persceptive of their visuals. So they've created this little exercice based on the anxiety test. Jes went throught this the first time she came here, but it was less immersive back then.
She left the room and made her long way to her desk. Maybe taking a coffee in the way? No, she was going home anyway, she just have to take her stuff. The breaking room was on the path, thought. And she could say bye to a certain colleague before going her way. She open the door, breath in the smell of cappucino and leftover donuts and find a big and familiar figure between the employees who finished their day like her. Time to have another social interaction. At least she should tell him good luck after what happened this noon. She walk towards him while he was hesitating on which donut to take home.
-”Hey Kaufmo.” She begin, leaving some feet between them for her personnal space. “How you doing?”
-”Oh Jes! Sorry, I was huuuuh... thinking.” Kaufmo answer while staring back at the donuts.
-”Thinking about that girl, huh?” Jes tease a little bit. She's not the teasing type, but she knows he's cool enough to accept it.
-”Well, I was kinda nervous about that actually. And you know that when being nervous make me hungry...”
Jes smile a little. Poor Kaufmo. Or perhaps lucky one? Earlier today, he gather all his courage to ask a girl for a date or at least go out with him. Not a girl from the company, but one of the people who served them food on the parking lot. Every Wednesday and Friday noon, the Hungry Bear, an asian truckfood, park on the parking lot with a lot of varieties that please everyone. But what Kaufmo asked today was to take out one of the waitresses. And Jes have to be honest: from where she was, she admit that the girl was very beautiful, but she didn't know that he had a thing for her. Well... actually, a lot of her colleagues have a thing for this girl, but Kaufmo? Why not. After that, all thoses colleagues was seemingly jealous of him, but didn't dare say a word to his face.
-”I'm sure your date will go well.” Jes tell him with a thumb up.
-”Y-yeah... thanks, Jes. I'm just hope I'm doing everything right.” Kaufmo said while straighten his tie.
-”I'm sure you are. I mean, well you're a bit of a clown around here; maybe she will like your humor.”
-”Oh she do, but it's hard to think when I'm nervous.”
-”Oh alright?” Jes simply said, thinking about the fact they already know each others but decide to not be curious. Instead, she thought about how to cheer him up. “You know, my mother told me that the first step is always scary, but when you're on it, it became easy. I was very nervous when I came here, but it went so well I'm... I'm still surprised, to be honest.”
-”You're... you're right. Well, your mother is right. I will tell you how it goes next Monday.”
-”Best of luck, Kaufmo! See you!”
With that, Jes leave her colleague to his donuts and come back to her desk.
Her desk wasn't messy like most of thoses in the company. Jes always take her time to clean it, learning from her mother's maniac behaviour. It makes so much easier to take up her stuff, put it in her bag and just leave. Because to be honest, she doesn't want to talk to anyone else. She wasn't as social as Kaufmo wanted to think.
Her way back home is going the same way as always : leaving the company by the east entrance, taking the fourteen line bus to the second last stop, walking on the Mary West street, seeing a shiba stuck in a bu- wait what?
Jes stop in her track and turn around. There was a shiba inu stuck in a over high bush along the park entrance. How did it get there? Is it okay? She step closer to the dog. It seems okay? Just panting and, by the sound she could hear behind the bush, wagging its tail happily. Well... what she could do? She couldn't leave it there. She put her bag on the ground and take the dog by the top. And strangely enough, it was very easy to take it out of the bush. It was like it was just waiting for her to do it. She put the dog on the ground and take her bag.
-”Well... Have a nice night?” She said, unsure of what to do with it.
The shiba inu pose its front paw on her leg, making her flinch as it pant even harder than before. By taking a closer look, she notice it has a collar. One with a wonderful blue orb who shine softly. The owner of this dog must really love it, offering it a gem that you can only found on high price necklaces. Curious, Jes get closer to the dog to see if it have a medal or something, and indeed, there it has one behind the gem. She start to read it:
“My name is Bubble. If I'm lost, please take me back to Caine's Fun and Wacky Toy Store.”
Huh. First time she ever heard of such store. But at the same time, it was a very big city; maybe it's a new shop. But the real question is, how far this dog have walked away from its home? Jes look at it, it just stare deeply back at her. She can't... leave it like that, right? After a big and frustrated sigh, she took up her phone to check on a map where this store is, thinking about all the troubles she would get on just to give back an animal to its owner. Well at least, it will be a nice story to tell to her mom.
Oh? Well, actually... The store was only two streets away! That won't be troublesome at all. Decided, Jes put her phone back in her coat pocket.
-”I guess I can take you home. I hope you're not a little joker.”
She take the dog gently by the collar and try to push it to the right path. Thankfully, the dog follow her clamly. Or rather, it seems to lead the way. At some point, Jes even let go of the collar and just start following the dog. For one second, she thought it was strange, but forget it when the dog bark at her to attract her attention.
Eventually, they goes around the corner and see the store. It's a really bright and colorful little kid toy shop with, indeed, the words “Caine's Fun and Wacky Toy Store” on the top in different colors for each letters. The lights of the large display case was off thought, making Jes nervous. Is the owner even still there? She check around for any schedules, but couldn't found any. The dog, however, start barking as loud as it can.
-”Oh, calm down, you little-” Jes stopped when the light suddently turned on.
The door open abruptly, letting a man of an undetermined age came out. His messy red hairs was hidden under a big black top hat, he's wearing a nice red suit with a big white bow and a slightly shiny black trouser. Was he dressed like a circus ringmaster? He look up to Jes with his heterochromia green and blue eyes and flashed the biggest smile she ever seen.
-”Bubble! There you are, you little prankster! I was looking for you all day!” He exclaims with a booming voice, opening his arms to welcoming his dog as it jump on him. “Yes, yes, you are a good boy!”
Jes just stare at them, not knowing what she was waiting for. She wasn't waiting for a reward, that's for sure, but she feel like she was waiting for something. Maybe she should just go home. She turn around to come back on her way but is suddently stopped by the toy shop owner.
-”Oh wait, wait!” He said, taking her by the hand.”I have to give you a gift, for all the troubles! Wait for me!”
He rush back to the store while Jes is holding her own arm. She hate when people touch her, it's always... disturbing for her. While she was nervously rubbing her arm, the dog was just staring at her, waiting. Watching her? At least, she had the feeling she shouldn't go yet or there would be consesquences. But it was just a little reward, right?
The man came back, smiling even more than before, holding a little toy in his hands.
-”There! Just for you!” He said happily.
-”Oh huh, thank you but I don't need a to-”
She suddently stopped when she saw what kind of toy it was. It's a little rubber ball, one with blue and red stripes and yellow cercles on its extremities. It was a simple child toy, but somehow...
The man take her hand and place the ball inside it while Jes was staring deeply into it, like hypnotised by it. It was the first time she see it, but at the same time, she remember something from far in the past...
She was playing alone in her room, throwing her rubber ball against the walls. She knows she won't be in trouble because her mom was away that day. Unfortunately. She was very angry at her: today was her eighth birthday, so why isn't she there?! She was supposed to bake a chocolate cake today, she promised it, but instead, she was called to work abruptly because of some problems. She couldn't understand her job as a nurse at this time, she was only a child. And she was upset and lonely.
Suddently, she heard a noice from her closet. She turn around to face it, her face beaming slowly at the realization. Of course! Why she didn't thought about it! Instead of being here, all alone, she can just see her best friends in the Circus! She guess she was too angry to thinking about it. After all, ***** doesn't like when a friend was too angry or too sad inside the tent.
She came closer to listen inside the closet. She could recognize the voices of her friends, trying to making the less noice possible, but knowing the “Chaos Trio”, they probably do the exact opposite just to annoy everyone. She knock on her closet and suddently, every sounds stopped, replaced by little “shuuush”. She waited a little bit, waiting for the ringmaster to tell her to come in like always, but he doesn't seems to do it this time. So this time, she decided to came on her own to the Circus.
She open the closet and step inside, arriving in a dark place, way darker than the inside of the tent should be. That's weird. Isn't the Circus always bright and colorful? She walk further inside, waiting for anything to happen. When suddently:
-”SURPRISE!!”
The lights turned on and confetti fell down from the ceiling. She's looking around : all her friends was there, sitting around a big table, smiling and cheering for her. The confetti was magically avoiding something : a big and creamy chocolate cake in the middle of the stage. She gasp as it was the biggest cake she ever seen in her child life.
-”Happy birthday, *****!” They all said in unison.
-”Oh my! Thank you, guys!!” She happily exclaim with the biggest smile she could do.
-”It was *****'s idea. He saw that your mother left, so we decided to do a surprise birthday party. Just for you!” Said *******, the oldest of them all.
-”It was a bit hard to prepare it in such a small time, but we made it!” ****** comment with her tongue sticking out.
-”Now that she's here, can we eat the cake?” Ask *** in a kinda polite but impatient way.
-”Calm down, ***, you will have your part, but first, leave ***** blow her candles.”
As soon as ***** said that and snap his fingers, the candles magically light up. She approch the cake, trying her best to contain her excitation. She looks at the ringmaster, waiting for confirmation before doing anything.
-”Don't look at me, my dear. It's your birthday. Go ahead and don't forget to make a wish!”
She nods and start thinking about what kind of wish to do. Wishing that her mother was more often at home? The big cat plush she saw at this toy store once? Knowing who her father was? So many options. But when she look around to see her friend's faces, the anwser became obvious. They all have their home oustide the Circus, just like her. So sometimes, they can't be always there and sometimes, for example ******, come back all sad and upset and doesn't want to play with them. ***** close her eyes and think :
-”I wish that, despite everything, we will always be friends!”
She blows the candles.
Jes didn't thought about her childhood for a long time. It was a lonely one, unable to do friends in real life because she was too nervous and shy. Eventually, she made imaginary friends one day and start doing a game she called “The Circus”. She imagine herself inside a big colorful tent where she and her “friends” makes circus acts for an invisible audience. It fills her with glee to do that, even if she doesn't get along with them sometimes. She remember a little frog who love doing pranks, a clown who loves bad jokes and a small rabbit who was always carrying a plush version of himself. The Chaos Trio, they used to be called, and such chaos they could bring. Jes smiles, reviewing her memories about her imaginary friends, even thought she doesn't remember their names. It was a happy moment.
She looks back at the toy before thanking the shop owner.
-”I don't know why you're giving me this, but than-”
She look up and suddently realize... she wasn't in front of the toy store anymore. In fact, she was in front of her own appartement. How... how long she was thinking about the past? How did she got here? Did she mindlessly walk back to her home? Did she even thanks the shop owner?
She looks back at the toy once again. Sure, all of this happened, otherwise she wouldn't have the ball. But it was... so weird.
Well. This happened. She can't go back anymore, it would be even more strange if she do, right? She decide to go back home with a sigh, thinking about her weekend and the fact she got an interesting story to tell to her mother throught the phone.