I stand, my legs wobbling as the world tilts. But Milo steadies me from behind, his chest warm against my back. The Ringmaster opens the curtain to the ring, and a wave of terrified silence rushes in.
“This is your last chance,” he warns gently.
I nod. Milo squeezes my hand—just enough to make another tiny spark rise from him. “Catch their Joy,” he breathes.
I whisper back: “And hold yours.”
Then I step into the darkness of the ring, where every lantern waits for me to save them.
Chapter 14
Milo Discovers the Jar
The circus does not collapsethat night.
But it doesn’t recover, either. My second performance—weak, trembling, barely held together by muscle memory and desperation—gives Wonderhouse just enough light to keep breathing. Not enough to thrive. Not enough to stretch its arms and sing again. Just enough to survive the night.
And survival feels like a kind of loss.
By the time the final act ends, my limbs feel carved from cold wax. The Ringmaster helps me off the stage, his hands firm on my shoulders, guiding me through a blur of fading cheers and exhausted performers.
“Go rest,” he says. “You did more than you had.”
But his eyes say:You did less than we needed.
I nod because I have no strength for anything else. I stumble toward my little cot behind the costume wagon. The jar presses against my hip with every step, heavier than it’s ever been, though I know that weight is mostly in my heart. I sink onto my cot and let the jar slide to the ground beside me. The sparks inside are dim tonight—no swirling, no shimmering. Just a slow drift, like tired fish in shallow water.
“I’m sorry,” I whisper to them.
Then I hear footsteps. Quick ones. Unsteady ones. “Milo?” I whisper before I even open my eyes. Because I know that rhythm. I know the weight of his silence.
He bursts into the tent, breath ragged, eyes wide with real fear. He doesn’t answer my questions. He drops to his knees beside me, hands shaking as he reaches for the jar. The shawl slips away, and for a breathless moment, he just stares. Soft light spills across his face, painting him gold and pink and lavender.
“Joy…” he whispers. “What is this?”
I sit up too fast, dizzy. “Milo—give it back.”
“Why?” His voice cracks. “Why are you carrying this alone?”
He pulls the jar closer to his chest, protecting it from me. He asks how long I’ve been emptying myself out, how long I’ve been dying for this place. The worddyingsits between us like a thrown knife.
“How long have you been disappearing?” he asks.
My throat closes. He lifts the jar higher, seeing thepink-white laughter, thesoft blue of discovery, thelavender relief, and thegold warmth. All the things I can gather but never feel.
“Because this is who I am,” I murmur.
“No,” Milo says, shaking his head. “Maybe, this is what they made you.”
A spark rises from his shoulder—a small, grey-gold one, trembling like a candle in a storm. He isn't angry at the magic; he’s angry because I shouldn't have to do this. He looks inside the jar, seeing the truth of my captured life.
“Take one,” he says suddenly, his voice trembling. “If you’re empty… take one back.”
“I can’t,” I whisper. “My body won’t hold it. They slip right through me.”
He stares at me like I’m a ghost. “Joy, that’s not a curse. That’s theft.”
The word hits me like a blow. He tells me I’m not cursed, not because I lack something, but because someone stole my ability to receive. He leans closer, forehead almost touching mine. “I will find a way to give it back to you.”