Chapter Text
Opal was always aware that she was different from her father and the rest of her family. Compared to their huge monstrous forms, large claws and sharp fangs meant for ripping and tearing into prey. She possessed a smaller frame and less impressive claws and fangs. She was aware that it was due to her heritage, her human mother, the same creatures that Jester would tell her were food and cruel creatures.
She was aware that her shortcomings were due to her mother. Opal didn’t resent her; her mother loved her very much. She knows that she was loved very much, remembering how her mother never looked at her features with shame or fear, but rather with pride. She would brush her silver hair from her face, as she looked down at her, with such love on her face that she would tell Opal that she was perfect. Even now, years after her passing, the love she felt for her mother hadn’t faded, but had grown despite the grief.
Her father, The Pierrot, is where her inhuman features came from. His grand height, his beautiful horns, sharp claws, and fangs. His tremendous strength. Opal knew that she was her father’s pride and joy. Though his love for her was at times suffocating, never letting her truly spread her wings, in the confines of the circus. He clung to her after her mother’s death; it was devastating to both of them, but it had hit her father harder.
It was the first time she had seen him, so defeated, and from eavesdropping on the Doctor and Jester. That he was losing himself, not taking care of himself, had to be reminded that her mother had left her. They were allowed to grieve, Jester deciding that they all needed to relax and had Ticket Taker plan a retreat instead of going to another location.
She was but a girl then, and she had understood that her mother wasn’t like her or the rest of the family. She was weaker, and her appearance had changed rapidly, unlike the rest. Opal remembers that her mother had sat her down and explained to her that she wouldn’t be around for a long time and would eventually have to leave. She didn’t understand it well enough, but as her mother’s hair changed from grey to white, her body becoming weaker and smaller, her father was always at her side.
Eventually, she stopped breathing altogether. She remembers her father's heartbreaking wails, as he was unable to maintain the human facade they wore. They had explained death to her, a natural process, the Doctor had explained in detail. It was still jarring at the time, she cried for days afterwards. Unfortunately, life continued onwards without her, the circus having to continue to earn money.
Thus started her isolation in the circus; her father had been overprotective of her and her mother. Now, it seemed that he had become increasingly overprotective. She spent the majority of her time and life in the circus, unless they were on vacation. Even then, she was always within her father’s line of sight. It had started to grate on her nerves a bit, especially when she wanted a bit of privacy.
Though she could count on Uncle Harley for that. He would turn a blind eye if she did anything her father didn’t approve of. Her mother’s death had affected him as well, not as intensely as it was for her father, but enough to notice. Growing up, she was mainly curious about him, the opposite of her father, and he would shoo her away a majority of the time. Though he eventually let her stay close, much to her father’s displeasure.
As she grew up, Jester had decided that she could do little things around the circus, much to her father’s worry. It’s not that she didn’t know about the activities of the circus; she knew that the meat that was given wasn’t animal meat. Knew what was provided at the black tent and what happened in the pink tent. When she had asked her mother, she was told that she would know as she got older. The fact that there was always the scent of blood that clung to the circus grounds and her family. The way there was always a new rotation of Fools.
Still, it had been shocking to find out that the meat they ate was human. It had brought her to a crisis at the time, knowing she was part human and her mother had been human. When her father had tried to console her, he had explained that humanity was cruel, and she knew he was referring to something before her, before her mother. When she questioned him about her mother. He had gone on to a usual tangent about her mother, that she had been different from the rest of her kind. In a way, Opal supposed he was right.
After all, she had fallen in love with her father, who Opal could admit was terrifying in his own right. Then willingly stayed in the circus, knowing full well that she wouldn’t be truly accepted. At an older age, she knew that Jester despised humans at best; it had made her insecure, wondering if his ire had extended to her. Though he had reassured her that Opal was family, despite her heritage. He patted her head and gave her a small smile.
Though sometimes, she felt that they saw someone else instead of her. She knew they were thinking about her, Columbina. Opal knew that her presence, despite her death, still had her hold over the inhabitants of the circus. She remembered sneaking into Ticket Taker’s tent, curious about the mirrors, before catching a strange reflection in the back mirror. In a sense, she could see why Columbina, like her, was unimpressive compared to the others, no claws, little fangs, and the way they were treated at the hands of humans.
It had been heartbreaking and eye-opening, to the cruelties of humanity, understanding why her father had been so taken by her mother. Why he had always been so overprotective of her. She knew that he didn’t want her to have a concrete role in the circus, though that decision lay with Jester. Seeing her increased responsibilities in the circus, she knew that he was easing her into a working role.
She mainly helped her father before his performances, helped with Ticket Taker and his management of the Fools, nothing too dangerous, to her father’s relief. Work that kept her on the circus grounds. Of course, the no children rule applied to her; she stayed in her tent during showtimes.
That changed when they arrived at a new city, Jester had decided she could pass out flyers. She was excited for a chance to leave the grounds. Her father had not been pleased, but rather distressed; she knew that the crowds would verbally or physically abuse them. She had tried to reassure him that she would be fine; she would mainly be around Ticket Taker. He had expressed his worry that something might happen to her. Though that was a concern mainly for tomorrow, she went to bed excited and nervous for the events to come.