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Chapter 10 is the tenth and final chapter of The Lonely Ones novel.
Description[]
With the Performer defeated, Ruse, Feast and Mim use the Performer's beret as their means to escape the flying carnival. Ruse self reflects about her life and the other, who they were before and who they are now. Wherever and whatever the world they are in is, Ruse understands now that the three of them are part of it, and even though it has been affecting them, they are affecting it too.
Plot[]
Ruse, Feast and Mim look at one another as they hear the sound of the Performer’s scream fade slowly. Feast looks back at the loading dock, while Ruse looks back at the Ferris wheel. Despite Ruse considering them going back to the carnival, she has the revelation that they can never go back to the carnival or their old lives. Ruse shakes her head to tell Feast not to go back. Feast frowns with doubt, but shrugs his shoulders. As Ruse squeezes Feast and Mim’s hand, she thinks about what she wanted before, a place where she could feel like she belonged. But it is now that she understands that it was never a place she yearned for, she wonders if that is why she jumped into her Nanny's pool that night, but with her memories still unclear she is not certain. However, whatever her reason for jumping into the pool was, it does not matter anymore to her, the only thing that mattered now was that it brought her to Feast and Mim.
The yellow blimp they saw come and go tell her there is more to the place they are in, wherever and whatever it is, and for better or worse they are part of it now. While it has been affecting them, they have been affecting it just the same, as well as one another. Ruse can feel she is a different person now after meeting Feast and Mim, but she feels like she has never been more herself. As she thinks about who she is, only the name Ruse comes to mind. Ruse then considers the not so good changes as well, how Feast is wasting away, in need of food and rest. Mim on the other hand, seems like a different person now, practically unrecognizable from who she was before. Ruse watches Mim stand straight, no longer expressing her usual shy and nervous behavior, making her wonder if Mim is truly freed from the Performer's control. As Mim tries to rub off the face paint on her with no success, she catches Ruse staring at her. Before Mim smiles and nods to Ruse, Ruse sees a little emotion in her eyes, but is too quick to register. Ruse feels guilty for her suspicions over Mim, but decides to keep a careful watch over her. Ruse knows now that there is nowhere safe for them, but they still intend to look for a safe place.
With the three of them still holding hands, Ruse leads them to the Performer’s beret on the conveyor belt. The three of them position themselves around the beret to grab hold of different ends, forming a triangle. They stretch the beret as wide as they can and together they march along the conveyor belt to jump off the edge together, into the open sky. As they fall, the beret fills with air and balloons above them to slow their descent. As they gently drift through the sky with no sense of direction or movement, Ruse recalls how she previously felt, like she was sinking, being pushed down into the dark watery depths, a complete contrast to how she feels now. Now, Ruse feels like she is floating in a dream, weightless. The girl can feel her thoughts scatter and wander, lost memories start to re-surface as she begins to feel her consciousness slip away. She can feel her fingers slipping from the beret and she jolts herself awake to regain her grip.
She checks on Feast and Mim. While Feast is focused on looking down for whatever lies below, Mim’s attention is fixated on the flying ship above them, as if she has left something important up there. Ruse doesn't know if they can make a future for themselves wherever they are now, but she has never been someone to consider the future. What is most important for them, is to survive in the now. Ruse looks out into the horizon with anticipation and worry over what may come next.
Characters[]
- Ruse
- Feast
- Mim
- The Performer (mentioned)
- Ruse's Nanny (mentioned)