-Roughly 12 and a Half Years Ago Inside an Abandoned Art Studio-

The dark studio exists under the Circopian tent and seems to have had no visitors for many years... until recently... Two 9-year-old kids have made visiting the studio at late hours a part of their routine.

Solange and Milano are gathered in the largest room within the studio. The room has an extremely tall ceiling with towering shelves that are stacked with cans and buckets of paint of every color in the rainbow. The higher shelves are blanketed by decades of accumulated spider webs. The spacious room also has 10 long and skinny tables with stacks of empty canvases, pencils and other equipment.

Milano and Solange are on a stage area at the end of the room. They're cutting out shapes from pieces of paper, painting and attaching strings to them.

Solange cuts out the shape of a large cloud from a huge canvas sheet and attaches a string on it.

Solange: "Milano!! Check out my cloud! Is this accurate?"

She proudly holds her cloud up: "Fufufu!"

Milano, with splattered yellow paint on his face and clothes, is super concentrated as he paints giant zigzag shapes he's cutting out in yellow.

Solange pouts: "Oi... Milano! Look at my cloud! Look at it!"

Milano glances for a brief moment: "Oh. It's pretty. Hang it up next to the others."

Solange blushes and smirks: "Hehehe! I'm better at making clouds than you, aren't I?"

Milano, still heavily invested in his yellow zigzags: "Mhm."

Solange stands up and stretches deeply: "Aaaeehhhyy...!"

She gazes at their masterpiece so far. A wall painted in blue, paper clouds hanging on strings from the ceiling, drops of dark blue paint to imitate rain and paper crafted snowflakes decorating the surrounding area.

Solange to herself: "Hmmm... we already have a lot of clouds... where to hang this cloud...?"

Solange glances behind at Milano painting.

Solange: "Milano, how many clouds are there in the sky? We have like 26 here, are we almost done?"

Milano glances up: "Hm? There's an infinite number of clouds in the real sky."

Solange kinda pissed off: "Aaah whaaat!? Tch. I'll go get more strings from the storage room."

Milano stands up: "No need. We're only making a portion of the sky here. And I think I just finished the final edition of our masterpiece."

Solange glances at the yellow zigzags: "Oh? What are those?"

Milano: "Uh... To be honest... I don't know yet. But they also exist in the sky. They're like... cloud poo."

Solange looks disgusted and drops her cloud on the ground: "Wait... is rain just cloud pee then?"

Milano chuckles: "Hahaha... don't drop it on the floor, it'll get dirty."

Solange picks it up: "Oh! Sorry!"

The dirty floor colors one side of the cloud grey.

Solange: "Ah crap. You were right, it's messed up now. I'll clean it, don't worr-"

Milano's eyes widen: "NO!"

Solange is startled for a moment: "Eh?"

Milano relaxes a little: "I mean... no. Keep it grey. I like it. I think the sky has grey clouds too."

Solange: "...Ok...?"

Milano glances at his yellow zigzags.

Solange: "Milano... You know... I love talking about and making the sky with you. These past 2 years have been so fun..."

Milano keeps his glare at the yellow zigzags.

Solange blushes a little: "And um... I've had some of the best times coming up with new ideas for the sky project with you!"

Milano's eyes start filling in rage.

Solange: "I think even though you're banned from ever performing because of your parents... I think there's a way for us both to go to the outside world without performing..."

Milano's fist tightly clenches.

Solange: "And... I... I don't want to go without you! I want to see what's really outside with you! So... um... basically what I'm trying to say is that... I like you... or something."

Milano: "Screw you..."

Solange: "Wha...?"

Milano turns around: "The sky... is a project for you? A project we come up with new ideas for? What's really outside? Seriously...?"

Solange: "I mean... Weren't we making a cool concept of what's out there-"

Milano shouts: "THE SKY IS REAL, SOLANGE!! I THOUGHT YOU KNEW THAT!! YOU ALWAYS TALK ABOUT WANTING TO SEE IT!!"

Solange stares at Milano.

Solange: "Who cares if the sky is real...? I just like spending time with you so I go along with it. I want to see whatever's actually in the outside world with you."

Tears flow down Milano's cheeks.

Milano: "I can never see it. I will never see it but... just knowing that it's right outside this tent is enough for me. The sky has to be real... otherwise all the hell I'm going through inside this tent... What the fuck is the meaning of it all?"

Solange: "You don't have to go through hell anymore! I'm saying I have a way to leave the tent without performing!"

Milano: "I'm not leaving."

Solange: "WHA- YOU SEE THAT PROVES IT RIGHT THERE! YOU DON'T EVEN CARE ABOUT HOW BAD YOUR LIFE IN HERE IS! YOU BEING BANNED TO LEAVE IS JUST CONVENIENT FOR YOU BECAUSE YOUR BIGGEST FEAR ISN'T EVEN YOUR FAMILY OR YOUR SHIT LIFE! YOUR BIGGEST FEAR IS LEAVING THE TENT AND SEEING THAT THE SKY DOESN'T EXIST!"

Milano as his tears drip on the yellow zig zags: "Screw you."

Solange tears up: "As long as you stay in here, the sky will be real for you. So stay inside the tent forever for all I care!"

Solange rips the grey cloud in half. It echoes in the spacious room making a thundering sound.

-Present Day-

21-year-old Milano enters his mansion through the front door.

Milano places down a heavy box full of metallic exoskeleton-like objects on the floor: "I'm home!"

He sees Bumpkin, Goma-Chan and Gianni snoring with their heads leaned on each other on the couch by the TV. There's a crappy black and white horror movie playing and bits of popcorn riddle the marble floors.

Goma-Chan: "Snore..." (-ᴥ-ʋ )zzZ

Milano smiles warmly: "I was going to cook us a celebratory dinner tonight. Oh well. I got the secret equipment for tomorrow's performance, Gianni. Goodnight man."

Gianni nudges and moves in his sleep a little. There seems to be an envelope beside him.

Milano: "Hm?"

The envelope reads 'For Milano'.

Milano picks it up and looks at Gianni who's still sleeping.

Milano holds his laughter: "You made this for me? Bet I wasn't supposed to see this until tomorrow but I'm opening it anyway."

Milano opens the envelope to see this piece of paper:

Milano barely manages to hold in his laughter: "Soo cute! But I was being metaphorical when I called them giant flying electric eels! This make-up drenched idiot thought they actually looked like this!" XD

Gianni angrily twitches in his sleep.

Milano shuts his own mouth and makes his way 7 floors up to his bedroom.

Milano drops to his bed head-first without changing his clothes: "Aah. I'm tired."

Milano sniffs himself: "My clothes smell of that strange lady's perfume. It must have been really strong."

He talks into the bed: "The mansion will probably get lonely at night again starting tomorrow night if Gianni succeeds and makes it to the outside world..."

Milano starts falling asleep: "But I hope Gianni saves Blanca... And I hope... They get to see the sky together..."

He falls asleep.

-Approximately 12 and a Half Years Ago-

Under the ominously colorful tent walls, 9-Year-Old Milano limps through the narrow alleyways of the Circopian boonies dimly-lit by neon flickering circus lights.

Milano's ripped cheek injury from his fight with Gianni is still fresh but gruesomely stitched together by what seems to be dental floss. He's moaning in pain as he barely manages to limp in front of a colorful strip club in the red-light-district of Circopia.

Solange is sitting on the steps at the entrance of the club. She seems to be distracted shaking a plastic box with 9 colorful spheres inside.

Milano, with huge dark eye bags under his eyes, barely manages to smile in relief as some blood leaks out his stitches.

Milano: "Solange..."

Milano collapses on the street.

Solange takes off her hoodie to the sound of someone collapsing: "Hm?"

Her crimson red eyes spot Milano laying on the ground.

Solange enthusiastically smiles: "Hi Milano! How's the sky model going at the studio? Your dad beat you up again, huh? Or was it your mom?"

Milano with his face buried on the ground: "It was my friend this time..."

Solange puts her finger on her lip in thought: "Oh. I see. So you have other friends that aren't me, that's kind of annoying. Maybe someday when you die you'll get reincarnated as a punching bag!"

Milano: "Hospital... Take me... to the..."

Milano goes unconscious.

Solange smirks: "Finally."

-8 Hours Later-

Milano wakes up on Solange's lap. She's looking down at him with a cheeky warm smile.

Milano: "Are we at the hospital?"

Solange: "Nah. Much better. We're at a place you woulda never come to if you were conscious."

Milano, sweating in fear: "Solange... What are you saying...?"

Milano's vision clears.

He finds himself staring up at the enormously tall wall of the Circopian tent, only inches away from him.

Milano jumps in shock: "AARGGH!!? SOLANGE!! WHAT ARE WE DOING THIS CLOSE TO THE EDGE OF THE TENT!!?? THEY'RE GONNA CATCH US!!"

Solange puts her finger on Milano's lips.

Solange: "Shhh. It's ok, I snuck us here. This is one of the less secure tent-edges. And isn't it obvious? We're going to crawl from under the tent and see what's outside!"

Milano is trembling uncontrollably: "Sol! Tent-Slipping is illegal!"

Solange sighs as she rests her back on the tent wall: "Duh. That's why I snuck us here, silly. Don't you wanna see what's outside?"

Milano touches his cheek to feel thick bandages.

Solange smiles jovially: "Don't worry I patched you up!"

Milano grabs her arm and holds it tightly.

Milano: "We're leaving!"

Solange tilts her head: "Eh?"

He tries getting up but collapses again, his grip loosens on her arm.

Solange holds Milano's hand and pulls him in.

She hugs him.

Milano, extremely fatigued: "Let go of me..."

Solange embraces him: "Your life sucks, Milano. I'm really happy that I wasn't born as you. You get bullied by kids your age and raped by adults."

Milano tears up: "Stop..."

Solange embraces him harder: "Your parents are terrible people too. Even though you were born really talented, none of that talent matters since you're banned from ever officially performing in Circopia because of your parents' crimes of trying to illegally tent-slip. You didn't even do anything wrong. But you're stuck in Circopia forever just because you're the son of 2 criminals."

Milano softly cries on her neck as he sees her plastic box with the 9 colorful spheres sitting on the ground beside them.

Milano: "Please... Solange. Let's go home..."

Solange breaks the hug and takes a perfume bottle out her pocket.

She sprays it on herself and on Milano.

Milano: "What are you..."

Solange whispers: "They say the sense of smell is the closest linked sense to memories."

She holds Milano's hand tightly and slips their hands together under the tent.

Milano freaks out: "WHAT ARE YOU DOING!!? STOP!! BRING MY HAND BACK IN THE TENT!!!"

Solange: "MILANO IT'S OK!"

Milano: "NOOO!!! NOO IT'S NOT OK!! PULL MY HAND BACK IN THE TENT!!! SOLANGE PULL IT BACK!!!!"

Solange: "MILANO CALM DOWN!!!"

Milano: "I'M NOT CALM!!! PULL MY DAMN HAND BACK IN THE TENT!!"

Solange: "I'M DOING THIS BECAUSE I LOVE YOU!! YOU DON'T NEED THE SKY TO BE HAPPY! YOU JUST NEED TO GET OUT OF CIRCOPIA!"

Milano: "YOU DON'T GET TO TELL ME WHAT I NEED TO DO!"

Milano punches Solange hard on the side of her face.

For a split moment that seems forever Solange is falling towards the ground from the force of the punch. Milano and Solange stare at each other with disgusted expressions.

Last second, Solange grabs Milano, making him fall with her. They hit the ground hard and messily roll under and through the tent... outside Circopia. Outside of the tent.

-Present Day-

Milano wakes up screaming in bed in the middle of the night.

Milano with cold sweats and blood shot eyes stands up: "AAARRGHGH!! AAARRRGHGH!!! AARGH!!!"

He continues screaming at the top of his lungs, so loud that his vocal chords begin taking damage. With the back of his hand he violently swipes everything on his desk away as all the items crash and break on the wall. He grabs his mirror from the wall and starts smashing his face into it, over and over and over.

Milano: "ARRGH!! AAARRGH!! ARRGGH!!"

Blood starts leaking onto the mirror and the ground and his face starts getting disfigured as he constantly smashes the mirror on himself over and over.

One of his eyeballs gets ripped out of the socket and dangles on his face as he screams even more.

Downstairs, Gianni wakes up to the loud screaming.

Gianni: "H- huh...? Wh-Who the heck is screaming, man...?"

Bumpkin and Goma-Chan wake up and get alerted by the sounds too.

Meanwhile upstairs, the mirror crumbles in Milano's hands. Blood has flooded and is being absorbed by the wooden floor of his bedroom.

Milano disgustedly turns to look at his bedroom balcony standing before him.

Milano: "Clouds can't cover it anymore. I have to forget the outside world. Death. THE SWEET RELEASE OF DEATH!! GIVE IT TO ME! I WANT IT! GIVE IT!"

Milano limp runs towards the balcony with his dangling eyeball like a hungry wild animal running to a carcass.

He spreads open the doors and steps foot on his luxurious balcony.

Milano hysterically: "DEATH! DEATH!! YESS!! HAHA! HAHAHA!!"

He begins climbing the protective screen of the balcony as he hears someone try to open and aggressively knock on the door of his bedroom.

Gianni from behind the door: "MILANO!!! YOU OK MAN!? WHAT'S GOING ON!! Oii!!! THE DOOR IS LOCKED MAN!"

Milano sees Gianni's drawing of electric eels for him soaked on the floor with blood.

Milano climbs the balcony screen and looks down: "I'm sorry, Gianni."

Gianni kicks open Milano's bedroom door.

He comes face to face with Milano.

Gianni sees Milano's long black hair blow in the wind and the sorrow gaze he gives him.

Gianni screams: "MILAAANOOOO!!!!"

Milano lets himself fall off the edge of the balcony.

Gianni sprints at him: "YOU FREAKING IDIOT!!!"

Gianni leaps over the balcony screen and aerodynamically dives down towards Milano mid air, as if diving at an orca performance.

Gianni catches Milano mid air and with all his effort barely manages to aim their fall into the orca pool at the mansion instead of the hard poolside stone flooring.

They splash inside the pool together.

The pool is dyed in red with Milano's blood.

Gianni opens his eyes underwater to see Milano staring at him.

As Sky the orca swims past them curiously observing the situation, Milano mouths a sentence to Gianni underwater.

Milano as bubbles escape his mouth into the bloody water: "GIANNI! NO MATTER WHAT. DON'T GO TO THE OUTSIDE WORLD!"

Gianni's Inner Monologue: "At that moment, it was only a split moment. I don't know how it happened but just for that moment I suddenly stopped caring about Blanca. She wasn't even on my mind after she had been for years. I no longer wanted to see the outside world even though I had wanted to all my life. At that strange inexplicable and contradictory yet short moment, all my brain could tell me was to stay as far away from the outside world as possible."

TO BE CONTINUED