{"product_id":"girl-who-joined-circus-9798840466391-new","title":"The Girl Who Joined the Circus","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eCirque du Noir... the circus of the night, where the line between the real and the imagined is a thin one.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIt's 1930, I'm nineteen years old, and I have high hopes of joining the circus with my best friend, Amelia.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eBut when I find myself alone at the train station with no sign of Amelia, I have no choice but to find my own way to the \u003ci\u003eCirque du Noir\u003c\/i\u003e, all the while figuring Amelia must have already arrived.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAs I reach the circus grounds, I'm summarily greeted by the alluring owner of the circus and ringmaster, Laurent, who tells me he's been awaiting my arrival.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAnd yet there's still no sign of Amelia...\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eI soon learn she's had to rush back home to tend to a family emergency, which means I'm now all alone as I embark on the next chapter of my life.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eWhile Laurent welcomes me to his circus wholeheartedly, something about him feels off-though I can't put my finger on just what. Perhaps the strange feeling is owing to the fact that I feel like I know him-that I've known him my whole life, and yet, I've never laid eyes on him before.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eOr maybe it's the circus itself-the more time I spend here, the stranger things get-like seeing people whose faces I can't make out, or an old gypsy woman I'm reasonably convinced is a ghost, or the caravan parked on the far side of the circus which is off-limits. Yet, I can't help but feel an unearthly call to the place.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eOr maybe all the angst I'm feeling is owing to one man: Rex, the caretaker, and manager of \u003ci\u003eCirque du Noir\u003c\/i\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eFor as charismatic and charming as Laurent is, Rex is the opposite. Dour, rude, and quick to anger, it's clear Rex not only doesn't want me here but also harbors a grudge against me though I don't know why.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eEven though I have the same sense of familiarity with Rex that I do with Laurent, with his surly attitude, Rex makes me nothing but nervous.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAnd yet I can't deny that I'm drawn to him-that he makes me feel a passion the likes of which I've never experienced before. Strangely, I feel a similar draw to Laurent, and I'm convinced they feel it too.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eBetween searching for answers to the myriad of questions regarding the \u003ci\u003eCirque du Noir\u003c\/i\u003e, Laurent, and Rex, I wonder if perhaps I've made a colossal mistake in joining the circus...\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"INDEPENDENTLY PUBLISHED","offers":[{"title":"New","offer_id":51569450090786,"sku":"9798840466391-new","price":16.85,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0893\/4755\/5618\/files\/9798840466391.jpg?v=1777147571","url":"https:\/\/www.albakireads.com\/products\/girl-who-joined-circus-9798840466391-new","provider":"AlbakiReads","version":"1.0","type":"link"}