Astrid had never seen so many colours in one place.

The traveling carnival had arrived at the edge of her village at dawn, its wagons painted in dizzying swirls of gold and crimson, its banners snapping like restless birds in the spring wind. By noon, the meadow was transformed: lanterns strung between poles, music drifting like perfume, and crowds gathering from every farmstead for miles. Astrid clutched her brother Elias’s hand as they approached the entrance archway. He was older by six years, tall and sun-browned from long days in the fields, and he wore the patient expression of someone who had promised their mother to keep a close eye on a sibling with the energy of a firecracker.

“Stay near me,” he murmured, though he was smiling. “Carnivals are full of tricks.”

Astrid nodded, but her eyes were already wandering to the jugglers tossing knives that flashed like lightning, to the acrobats twisting through the air like ribbons, to the fortune-teller’s tent where incense curled in blue spirals.

Astrid tugged Elias’s sleeve. “Do you see--”

“Yes,” he said quietly. “Don’t stare.”

But it was impossible not to. The knife-juggler had the same face as the fire-breather. The acrobat swinging from the silks had the same face as the woman selling candied apples. Even the man at the ticket booth had worn that same unsettling smile. Still, the carnival was dazzling, and she was young, and curiosity tugged Astrid forward like a string. Elias bought them each a paper cone of sugared almonds, and for a while they wandered between tents, watching performances, listening to music, letting the strangeness fade into the background hum of excitement.

That was until the ringmaster appeared. He stepped onto a small stage near the center of the grounds, dressed in a long coat of midnight blue. His top hat was decorated with a single white feather. But when he looked at Astrid, something changed. He lifted a gloved hand and beckoned.

Elias placed a protective arm in front of her. “We’re not interested,” he called.

The ringmaster ignored him. His gaze stayed fixed on Astrid. “You’ve come home at last,” he said, voice smooth as velvet. “Our child.”

Astrid’s heart thudded. “I--I don’t know you.”

“Oh, but I know you,” the ringmaster replied. “You belong to us.”

Elias stepped forward, jaw tight. “Astrid, get up. We're going home.”

The ringmaster tilted his head, amused. “Home? Is that what you call the ones who found her in the barley field? Wrapped in a blanket that wasn’t theirs? Crying for a mother who never came?”

Elias stiffened. “How do you know about that?” he demanded.

The ringmaster’s smile sharpened. “Because she is one of us. A child of the Carnival of One Thousand Faces. And now that she has returned, she will stay.”

The music around them faltered. Performers turned in eerie unison, their identical faces all swiveling toward Astrid.

Elias grabbed her hand. “Run.”

Astrid ran. Or rather -- she was dragged along by Elias. Elias who had turned on his heel and started darting towards the edge of the clearing. It wasn't towards home, but that didn't seem to matter much. Astrid's arm burned as her brother (was he her brother?) tugged her along. "Elias!" she tried to call to him, but he didn't stop. Didn't even turn to look at her, too busy trying to push his way through the crowd.

Smash!

A cart came careening into their path. Pushed by someone -- the Strongman! A huge, burly man, who wore a leotard that clung to his enormous muscles. His face was, of course, the same as all the other performers. Elias hadn't seen him or the cart, and crashed right into it. He went tumbling forward over it, and with a cry of surprise, he dropped Astrid's hand. Astrid went to cry too, but then a strong hand clamped over her mouth.

"Don't struggle, child," the Strongman whispered into her ear. "It'll all make sense soon."

His voice sent a shiver through her. She hadn't even seen him move, how had he gotten behind her so quickly? Astrid's eyes went wide as she watched Elias struggling to stand. There was a gash on his head, from where he'd hit the corner of the cart, and he blinked dazedly in her direction. Fear soon pushed out the fog.

"Astrid!" he yelled. "Get your hands off my sister, you bas--"

His words were cut off by a whizzing sound, and the glint of metal. A knife had shot through the air, and the crowd gasped, backing away. A few screamed, but no one stepped forward. They must've thought this was part of the show, even as Elias fell to the ground to avoid another thrown knife.

The Strongman took advantage of the distraction. He picked her up as if she weighed nothing, one arm wrapped tightly around her. Turning her away from the crowd, from Elias. Astrid felt her heart pounding against her chest, and she squirmed as much as she could in his grasp. But she could barely move, and he still had a hand clamped around her mouth. So Astrid did the only thing she could think of.

She bit him. Hard, right on his fingers. The Strongman let out a sudden howl and his arms popped open like one of the carnival games. Astrid tumbled to the ground, rolling and rolling. It hurt, but there was no time to cry, no time at all! She scrambled to her feet and started running, any direction would do now. Her head swiveled as she looked all around. Where was safe? Where was Elias?

A roar behind her. The Strongman wasn't done. Astrid gulped, and darted for the nearest attraction -- The House of Mirrors.