Chapter Four

Oliver

"Hurry up!"  Chester's voice assaulted me as I hastily fumbled with the buttons on my shirt.

After I admitted to Chester that I slept in the Miller's barn, he graciously allowed me to follow him home like a lost dog to use his shower.

I couldn't tell you the last time I even was in a residential bathroom, let alone a shower.  I had forgotten how solid a shower actually felt.  I just wanted to let the water rain down on me for hours.  I hated to admit I had lost track of time; until Chester banged on the door, pulling me out of my haze.

"Hold on!"  I called through the door as I patted down my damp curls.

"The rest of the town is probably having a riot while you preen in my bathroom.  Ma already took the kids down, and here I am stuck with you!"

"Chester, you flatter me,"  I opened the door and leaned up against the door frame.  "We aren't missing anything yet."

"Oh, come on already!"  His red hair bobbed away down the hall.

I sighed as I followed him towards the front door.  I paused only for a moment as I passed down a framed picture of Chester's family.  I felt a slight tug of sadness, but I shoved it down before accompanying Chester out the door.

"Why did you lock the shop last night anyway?"  Chester pulled his front door shut behind us before we made our way through the white picket fence surrounding his small front yard.  "It's not like anyone would have bothered the shop?  I can't tell you the last time we locked up the house."

"I guess I just respect Richard's property."  I raised my eyebrow at him as we headed towards the fields.

Luckily we were closer to the Circus coming from Chester's house than the shop.  The streets were crowded with more people than a typical evening.  The energy from yesterday still infected the townsfolk.  Children eagerly dragged their parents by the hand.  Clusters of teenagers were grinning ear to ear. 

"See, we aren't late."  I gestured towards the herd we had fallen into.

"I swear, Oliver, if we miss anything, I am going to be sore with you."  Chester's face contorted into an annoyed scowl.

"You thinking about the dame we saw yesterday?"  I innocently batted my eyelashes at him.  That's exactly who he was thinking about.  She was all he talked about today at work.

"N...no!"  Chester stammered out as a crimson blush seized his cheeks and ears.

"Don't be so on edge just because you think she is minxy."  I teased him, but he didn't bother even acknowledging me.  I had lost his attention to the lights and vibrant colors that were coming into view.

A delectable sweet and salty aroma wafted towards us.  It was a combination of cotton candy, peanuts, and popcorn.  My mouth watered at the thought, but I couldn't afford such luxuries.

Voices, music, and laughter drifted behind the aroma.  As we got closer and closer, two men seemed to spring up from nowhere.  They towered over the people.  The men walked through the entering crowd, not caring where they stepped.  People dodged their feet?  No, people were avoiding their stilts.

The men wore bold red and white striped pants with black tailcoats.  One man had on a black top hat with a red ribbon.  The other man was wearing a base of white makeup with dripping red paint slobbily smeared across his lips and eyes.  The man in the makeup kind of gave me the creeps.

A woman in a plain cream dress went up the top hat stilt walker and handed him some juggling clubs.  The stilt walker whistled at his partner to catch his attention. Before we could move to safety, the duo began to juggle over the top of our heads.

Squeals of excitement and fear erupted from the crowd as they scurried out from beneath the juggling duo.

"Whoa..."  I heard Chester exhale when I glanced over his eyes were as wide as saucers.

"They are just on stilts."  I playfully punched Chester's shoulder as the man with the makeup almost stepped on us.

"Still impressive,"  Chester mumbled as we practically had to dive out of the way once the duo began to walk while juggling.  The man did not even pause or acknowledge us.  It was as if we were just insignificant ants.

Suddenly a howl echoed through the air.  My stomach churned at the sound.  What was that?

"The main show in the big tent will start in twenty minutes!"  The man with the top hat yelled over the murmurs of the crowd below.

"And you said we would be late..."  I clicked my tongue against the roof of my mouth.

"Come on."  Chester rolled his eyes at me as we waded through the sea of people to the ticket counter.  Handing over the little bit of money I had in my pocket felt like someone jabbed splinters under my nails.  There went a meal.

It seemed like every person in town showed up tonight.  Heck, it seemed like everyone in the county showed up.

I followed Chester's hair; thank goodness only his family had red hair in town.  It made it easier to follow him.

Chester turned to a tent off, detached from the hustle and bustle of the people surrounding the big top.  Large banners flapped gently in the wind. Each one had bold red letters painted on it, each one different.  The Porcelain Lady. The Human Dragon.  The Tattooed Temptress and her beauties.  The Bearded Lady.  The Amazonian.  The Human Pincushion.  The Wolfman.

"A freak show?"  I asked no one in particular. Chester nonchalantly shrugged his shoulders as he pushed through the flaps of the tent.  I glanced back towards the crowd surrounding the big top before following Chester.

There was little light in the tent; an eerie shadow hung over everything and everyone inside.  Small gasps and whispers peppered the air.

"Welcome to the oddities tent."  A small voice spoke from behind me.  I whipped around to see who said it, but no one was there.  "I'm over here."

I spun back around to find a teenager with snowy white cloud-like hair that formed a halo around her face with a white daisy tucked behind her ear.  Even her eyelashes and eyebrows were even white.  Her skin was so pale it almost glowed.  It was as if all of the colors had been drained from her body except for her eyes.  She had the most beautiful watery blue eyes I had ever seen.

"Um, hello."  I offered as I tried to avert my eyes; I had never seen an albino before.  I had heard about an albino boy from a customer at the restaurant I worked at previously, but this was completely different.  The man had described the boy as sickly and gross, but the Porcealian Lady seemed so ethereal.

"It's okay to look, you know?"  The girl clutched her ghostly white dress in her fingers as she curtsied to me.  "After all, I am the Porcelain Lady.  Why come if not to look at us?"

"I actually just followed my friend in.  I've never been to a place like this before."

"A place like this?"  Her head cocked to the side.  I could see the wheels turning in her mind, and I was mortified with myself.

"Yeah, no offense...where did Chester go?"  I squinted, trying to scour the shadows; Chester had vanished with no trace, leaving me at the mercy of this girl.

"Your friend?"

"Uh, yeah....he was just here."

"He just went into the Temptress's lair."

"Wait...What?!?!"  Was that some type of bordello?  What was Chester thinking?  His ma would kill him if she found out.

"That's where our tattooed temptress performs.  She and her beauties mainly dance.  Her show just started, and her mate won't let you in now.  If you try, he will just burn you.  Not worth it, in my opinion."

Mate?  Burn me?

What the hell kind of place was this?  I felt the Porcelain Lady's eyes roaming my face.  How did she even see where Chester went?  I couldn't see anything.

"If I was you, I would head to the big top. The show will be starting soon.  I think you will enjoy it more than here with the freaks."  The Porcelain Lady turned on her heel.  The swish of her dress was the last thing I saw as she disappeared into the tent, leaving me alone in the darkness.

I wanted to call after her and apologize, but she was right.  I wasn't comfortable here.

Without a second look, I almost ran out of the tent.  The mob of people had calmed down.  I slowly integrated with everyone else and let the current guide me into the big top.

The benches were slammed pack with every person I knew and more.  The energy in the tent was electric.  I managed to squeeze in beside an older couple near one of the openings.

All of the lights began to turn off until the tent was plunged into darkness.  Every person collectively held their breath.  No one dared make a sound.

"Ladies and Gentlemen! Children of all ages!  Welcome to the most unique show on Earth!"  A familiar voice with a heavy French accent permeated through the tent.  Jules...where was he, though?  "You may have gone to a circus before but believe me, you will find that whatever you have seen will pale in comparison to my Circus of the Moon.  I welcome you one and all to Cirque du Lune!"