Jackson Overland glowered at the ground as he walked against the autumn wind to his little sister's school. He hoped Emily could wait inside the doors where it was warm, but he knew her school had a ridiculous rule about keeping them out unless they were doing something important.
He continued to grumble to himself about the small town's horrible school system when something smacked him in the face.
He stood frozen in shock for a second, then sighed exasperatedly, peeling the purple flier off his face. It was an advertizement for a circus coming through the county, most specifically their World Famous Freak Show. He continued reading the flier as he walked.
Come see the Circus!
including
Mr. Moon's World Famous Freak Show!
Wonders you're eyes have never beheld!
Mr. Moon only chooses the most rare and spectacular for his show!
October 1-7, 6:00 pm to 1:00 am
Tickets
Adult: $25
Child: $10
VIP Freak Show: October 7th by special invitation ONLY
Jack smiled a little to himself as he thought of his sister at the circus. He vaguely remembered going to this circus when he was a few years younger than her, with his mother. It came through every five years, but most people in the small town of Burgess couldn't afford to blow their money on the event. Which reminded Jack that he didn't have $35, let alone the fact that that was just the entrance fee. You probably had to pay for every individual attraction on top of that. In any case, it was already October 6th, and he had no hope of somehow earning the money.
He sighed and looked up, finding himself at the school. A few parents were there picking up their kids, but most had left already. The remaining kids stood just inside the doors, peering out the window anxiously for their parents. He made eye contact with Emily, and she smiled and came running out to him.
She walked silently next to him. She was always excited to see him, but less excited to go home to their abusive father. He never hit Emily, Jack made sure of that, but it was a terrible environment. She huffed as she hefted her heavy backpack on her tiny frame. He always made her keep a full change of clothes in the backpack in case they needed to run.
He was always prepared to run. He'd been secretly looking into gaining custody of his sister for almost a year. He turned 18 last December and has been trying to get his hands on the legal documents ever since. Still, it was difficult, and he was determined to never leave unless it was absolutely necessary.
He grew increasingly nervous as Emily passed the age he had been when his father started beating him, but he hoped that if he was there to take the brunt of it, his father would leave Emily alone.
Lost in his thoughts, they had made there way to the center of town, when he noticed a small crowd gathered at the edge of the park (that was really more of a yard) in the center of Burgess. Emily excitedly tugged at his hand and pointed at the extravagantly dressed man in the center of the crowd.
"Free VIP tickets to the circus to you and a friend if you can hit the target three times in a row!" He shouted to the crowd, gesturing to a small carnival game behind him. Several people lined up to toss a bean bag to the target, all missing.
"Try it, Jack!" Emily insisted. "You're the best snow-ball thrower ever! You can beat that easy!"
The thought was appealing, being able to take Emily to the circus after all, but he was sure the game was rigged some how, so he didn't want to get her hopes up.
"Alright, I'll give it a try, but I doubt I'll win," he told her, getting in line.
The other kids smiled and cheered at him, the others in line even letting him pass them.
"Jack can do it!" they said. He laughed at them and grabbed the three blue bean bags, taking careful aim and hurling the first one.
It hit the target with a bing and a red number 1 appeared on the screen above it. Another hit and the number turned into a 2. The children seemed to hold their breaths in anticipation as Jack aimed for the third. Another hit.
The number 3 flashed and little music played. The man slapped him on the shoulder and handed him two VIP lanyards. "These will get you into any attraction at the circus free of charge!" He announced grandly.
The kids cheered, especially Emily, who was jumping up and down proudly. "Can we go, can we go?!" she asked, tugging on his arm.
Jack looked at her sadly. "We'll ask Dad, okay?"
Her smile fell, before returning partially in understanding. "Okay," she conceded.
================================BLACKICE===================================
Greg came home drunk. Jack stood in the hallway, peeking around the corner to gauge the situation. Greg had three stages of drunkenness: just passed a buzz, when he would scream and yell at Jack; seriously drunk, when he would beat Jack into a bloody mess; and drunk off his socks, when he became bizarrely affectionate.
Jack hated the last one the most. He could never tell if he was going to be gently stroked and caressed until Greg passed out, or if he would crawl into his bed later at night. But tonight, he was glad to see him come calmly through the door and call out soothingly to his 'blue-eyed baby'.
Jack snuck in and sat next to Greg on the arm of his chair. He had put Emily to bed early and planned it all out. Greg petted his back and sighed contentedly, whispering things to him about how much he loved him and how good Jack had been to him since his mother left them.
"Dad?" Jack asked tentatively.
"Yes, Baby?"
"The circus is here. Can I go?" He carefully avoided mentioning Emily; Greg took out both his rage and affections on Jack, leaving Emily a neglected hole in his life and a subject he preferred to ignore.
"You have quite expensive taste, Baby. But, I suppose you've earned it. How much is it?" He pulled his wallet out of his pocket and rifled through the huge wad of cash he always carried with him (he didn't 'trust' banks). Jack was trying to think of a way to explain that he had won free tickets without it seeming like he had already planned to go without asking first, but when he saw the money, he seized the opportunity.
"Tickets are thirty," he said, milking him for all he had, "but you have to pay for everything inside separately."
Greg nodded, attempting to count the money, but in his drunken haze, gave up and handed Jack a few tens and twenties that added up to $110. Jack smiled and grabbed the money, throwing his arms around his dad in exaggerated gratitude. When he pulled away, his dad was already unconscious.
Jack pulled away gleefully, hurrying upstairs. He saw a pinkish glow coming from Emily's door, so he opened it gently to see her sitting up in bed with a picture book, her room illuminated by her pink-shaded desk lamp. She looked up at Jack with wide, hopeful eyes.
He couldn't stop his smile lighting up his face. "We're going to the circus tomorrow."
She beamed and squealed at him excitedly.
================================BLACKICE================================
Emily screamed and pulled Jack toward the entrance to the circus. The grounds were filled with strangers from the wealthier surrounding towns. The same man that had been in the center of Burgess conducting the game for the free tickets was at the entrance, greeting the patrons with wild enthusiasm.
"Ah, the little man from Burgess with the good arm!" he greeted as he saw them. "Welcome to the circus! Enjoy, enjoy!"
Emily was so excited, they had been through almost half of the attractions in the first hour. They had been on several rides that made his stomach turn, gone through (and gotten sufficiently lost in) the Fun House of Mirrors, and looked at all the animals in the cages.
There were a few tents around, each with an announcer outside, that held little interest to Emily: a booth where charms were sold, a fortune teller, a dream interpreter. Actually, the dream interpreter one caught Jack's eye. It was made of sparkly black, blue, and purple cloth, very dark inside. He stepped closer, listening to the announcer.
"For ten dollars only, have your dreams interpreted by the one and only Pitch Black, the Nightmare King! Or, if you're feeling extra brave, for twenty dollars, have your deepest fear revealed!"
A group of boys around his age laughed at him. "I'm not afraid!" one declared boldly, stepping up to the man and handing him a twenty.
"I must warn you, boy, most who enter here leave with much less confidence! You may think you know yourself, but you'll surely be surprised!"
Assuming it was all an act to freak people out, the boy just laughed and entered the tent while his friends waited outside. Emily tugged on Jack's arm impatiently.
"Wait a minute, Ems, I wanna see this." Jack wondered what his deepest fear was. He suspected it was probably drowning, because of that . . . incident. Then again, he feared greatly for his sister's safety. And it could be his own fears of his father. Actually, it could be a lot of things, now that he thought of it.
It was several minutes before the boy emerged, looking distressed. His friends asked him what happened with concern.
"Nothing, forget it, that place is dumb. Come on, let's go . . . do something else." His voice trailed off at the end, and he left with the disheartened group. Jack was astonished at his change in demeanor, and the announcer saw his expression.
"Ah, curiosity. I can smell it on you. Want to see what changed him so much? Want to know what your biggest fear is?"
"Jack's not afraid of anything!" Emily told him confidently. He smiled down at her.
"Why don't we just see about that?"
Jack didn't want to leave Emily out here alone, but he was desperately curious, a known weakness of his. The announcer seemed friendly enough, anyway, despite the whole 'this is a terrifying place' thing. He showed him his VIP badge and the man smiled, letting him in, and kneeling down to keep Emily entertained while he was gone.
Inside the tent was dark as night, the artificial lights from outside peaking through tiny holes in the cloth like stars. It was also quiet. No sounds of games and children and rickety roller coasters penetrated the tent. The entryway let him into a small, empty space, with another entryway in front of him. He went through and entered a slightly larger room, with a low table between him and a man.
The man sat dressed in all black, almost blending into the surrounding shadows, save for his striking golden eyes that almost appeared to be glowing. He had pale, grayish skin, and attractive angular features. Jack felt himself blush as he thought of his attractiveness, but it was overshadowed by the fear he felt in the small room. He found a small cushioned seat in front of him, and sat on it gently.
"No crystal ball?" he joked, trying to lighten the mood.
"I'll leave that to the fortune teller," the man replied in a deep, sexy British accent that made Jack swoon slightly. "Now, have you come for a dream interpretation, or do you wish to know your deepest fear?"
"Um, fear, I guess."
"Are you certain? Most people are quite upset with this knowledge. I'd hate to spoil your evening."
"No, it's fine, I'm sure. Actually, I think I might already know what it is."
The man smirked. "Everyone says that, but I have yet to meet a person that has guessed correctly."
Jack bit his lip, the fearful environment making him nervous. He nodded his head for the man to continue.
"Look into my eyes," he said calmly. The words reminded him of some cheesy hypnotist, but his tone reminded him of the calming, loving words of his mother. He found himself entranced in those golden eyes, losing track of time as they peered into his soul and searched for his fears. The trance broke when the man leaned back, never taking his eyes off him. "Loneliness," he declared.
"W-what?"
"Loneliness. Isolation. You fear being abandoned and ignored, cast aside. You fear being alone."
Jack felt the air freeze in his chest. Of course, it all made sense – he remembered being in the water, freezing and pained, and terrified. Only now, he remembers what he wanted. He'd forgotten, but now, he recalls his thoughts as he drifted through he darkness. It wasn't a coherent sentence, like internal monologue, but it was there. He wanted someone with him.
He felt so alone, so isolated. He knew he was going to die, and there was nothing he could do about it, so he accepted it. But what plagued his mind and drowned him in despair was his desperation for companionship. Just some spirit to hold his hand as he slipped away. He wished with all his heart that if he was going to die, at least he wouldn't die alone.
The man leaned forward again, pulling Jack from his thoughts.
"Don't be afraid," he said quietly. "You're not alone."
Jack didn't remember leaving, but suddenly he was outside the tent, with Emily laughing and pulling him to the next thing that caught her attention. He smiled and followed her, pushing the tent to the back of his thoughts.
They were on their way through the games, competing in rigged games for cheap stuffed animals, when the crowd began excitedly making their way to the large tent and an announcer came through shouting through a megaphone that the show was about to begin.
When he and Emily arrived at the entrance, they were led to a special VIP box right in the front. There were a few other people there, wealthy looking men in suits with stern faces. Jack thought they certainly didn't look like typical circus goers, and felt a little inferior next to them, but he ignored it for his sister, who obviously didn't mind and was jumping up and down excitedly.
The show was a typical circus show. The ringmaster announced the acts; first were the acrobats, then lion tamers, fire dancers, elephants, and finally, the clowns. Amidst their act, they even invited Emily up to help them with silly magic tricks; pulling things from behind her ear, and having her pull a bunny from a hat. They then made her disappear, which panicked Jack for a moment, but a small, kind-looking man quietly lead her back to her seat without the rest of the crowd noticing.
After the clowns, the tent grew dark and dramatic, and the ringmaster announced Mr. Moon's World Famous Freak Show.
A spotlight shone down on a man with hair as white as moon beams, wearing a sparkly blue suit. He began announcing his show, saying something about how they had traveled the globe and performed for famous and royal such and such – Jack hadn't really been paying attention. After his introduction, five people came out from behind the curtains. Mr. Moon introduced each one individually.
First was an older looking man with a long, white beard, guiding an enormous creature on a chain leash. He was introduced as Nicolas St. North and the Abominable Snowman. He tugged on the leash, earning a low growl from the creature, and went to stand on the other side of the stage.
Next was the small man that had guided his sister back to her seat. He had shed the dark cloak he was wearing earlier, and now appeared to be wearing a golden robe. He was introduced as the Sandman, and indeed both his hair and robe looked like they were made of bright golden sand. The Sandman drew two long whips of the same gold sand and twirled them around like ribbons at the end of a baton.
After he went to stand next to Nicolas St. North, a woman gracefully strode in, covered in colorful feathers with purplish wings on her back. There seemed to be several hummingbirds fluttering around her. She was introduced as Princess Toothiana: the Bird-Woman, and she did a little turn, spreading her wings and ruffling her feathers.
Next, a man walked in that appeared to be covered in bluish gray fur, and was also adorned with bunny ears. He walked on the balls of his feet, like a rabbit. Mr. Moon called him E. Aster Bunnymund: Half Man, Half Rabbit.
Last, Jack recognized the man from the tent he had visited earlier, the one that had told him his fears. His eyes glowed gold, his skin was pale gray, and his long cloak blended in with the shadows. The world seemed to darken just around him. Mr. Moon called him Pitch Black: The Nightmare King.
All five of them bowed dramatically before exiting. In a billow of smoke, Mr. Moon disappeared and was replaced with the ringmaster, who thanked everyone for attending and reminded everyone that many of the attractions would still be open until 1 am.
As they were exiting, Emily squealed excitedly, describing her favorite parts to Jack.
"Did you see when the clowns brought me up there?! That was so cool! They had this hat, and it was totally empty, but when I reached in, there was a bunny rabbit in there! How did they do that?! And, they pulled a quarter from behind my ear and they let me keep it!"
"I know, Ems, I was there!" Jack teased. They were stopped just outside the door by the announcer that had given them the VIP passes.
"Whoa, don't tell me you're not going to the VIP Freak Show! It's by far the most spectacular event you'll ever encounter!"
"I thought you needed a special invitation for that," Jack said, wondering what was different about the VIP show from the one they had seen.
"Consider yourselves invited," the man said, poking his VIP pass. Emily tugged on his hand excitedly.
"Oh, can we go, Jack, can we go?! Please?!"
"I don't know, Ems, it's getting pretty late . . ."
"Come on, please! I need to see it! I don't even have school tomorrow!"
Jack couldn't help laughing at his little sister's enthusiasm. "Okay, okay, we'll go! But straight home and into bed afterward, okay?"
"Okay!"
Jack let himself be pulled back into the tent by his sister. They had to wait until everyone cleared out, except for them and the other VIP members. It was incredibly quiet without the overzealous crowd cheering at every event. Even Emily tried her hardest to keep quiet, just now becoming aware of the strange men around them.
After a few minutes, the lights dimmed down again, and Mr. Moon approached. "Welcome, honored guests," he greeted. He spoke much more quietly now, speaking directly to the VIP box. "What you are about to see has been reserved for a select group. This show is not made up of mere tricks and costumes. The exhibits here are true freaks of nature, rarer than the most precious objects in any museum in the world, I guarantee it. Today, you will be allowed to get up close and personal with Mother Nature's most spectacular mistakes!"
Naturally, Jack had assumed that the freak show was a mixture of costumes and illusions, and he was well and thoroughly shocked by the following events. The same five people came back in. This time, Nicolas St. North came in with the creature unleashed. The beast walked more upright and had a higher air of intelligence. He even appeared to exchange a few words with St. North.
Following him was the Sandman, who seemed to be glowing, and was actually, literally, floating. Jack gaped in awe, speechless, as he watched the small man float next to St. North. Princess Toothiana flew in next, using her actual wings. Bunnymund followed her, hopping on all fours like a real rabbit, nose twitching and all.
Pitch Black came in last, at first walking in normally, but quickly shape-shifting into some sort of monster. He grew in size, his limbs elongated, black spikes grew from his skin, he bent forward to walk on all fours like Bunnymund, and his teeth sharpened as he sneered and growled lowly. His black cloak, still blending in with the shadows, covered most of his body, but he had a very feline appearance, lean and graceful.
"Honored guests," Mr. Moon said again, "come forward, see for yourselves that these are as real as you are."
The men stood and entered the ring, walking up to the people and examining them. Emily, after hesitating, got up too, and followed them. Jack was more hesitant. Enthralled in what he was seeing, he was frozen in a state of shock. Seeing his sister up there, though, cleared his head, and he went to stand behind her, putting a protective hand on her shoulder. Not that he was afraid of the people in front of him, but this whole thing was very suspicious and unnerving.
Emily started by approaching the Abominable Snowman. One of the men was there, looking over the beast, and he reached out a hand to pull back the creature's lips to look at his teeth. Jack felt his stomach twist at the way the man scrutinized it, like it was a shirt he was looking to buy.
Emily, on the other hand, seemed to look at it like a child would look at a puppy at a pet store. She smiled up at it, fearless with her older brother there. As the man became disinterested and went to look at the others, Emily ran her hand over the creature's furry arm. "My name's Emily," she said quietly.
Jack gasped as the creature grumbled and bowed before her, putting one arm behind him and the other in front of him, as if he was saying 'it's a pleasure to meet you, milady.' Emily giggled at him.
Next to them, one of the men was talking with Mr. Moon about the Sandman. He ran his fingers through his hair, pulling away with several grains of sand clinging to his skin. He rolled the grains between his fingers, talking in hushed tones with Mr. Moon.
On the other side of them, two men were looking at Toothiana, who looked very nervous under their scrutiny. One of them touched the tip of her wind, which flinched away from him involuntarily. The other ruffled the feathers on her arm. When she was distracted by the other man, he plucked one of her feathers out, earning a startled yelp from the woman.
To Jack's dismay, Mr. Moon sent Toothiana a sharp glare, and she responded with a shy apologetic look. Emily was enthralled with the woman, looking at her with wonder. Jack took her moment of distraction to look at the remaining two 'exhibits'.
Bunnymund was being poked and prodded by the same man that had been examining the yeti. He seemed to be resisting jerking away from his every touch, and somewhat failing at that. Pitch Black, being examined by three men, was much less restrained. In this monster form, he seemed to have more animalistic behaviors, as well. He growled quietly at the men looking at him, and snapped his teeth at them when they tried to touch.
The men started talking to Mr. Moon about him, leaving him alone for a moment. Jack approached him, leaving Emily, who had returned to the yeti. Pitch Black glared and growled as Jack approached, and he stopped where he was, recognizing the warning that that was close enough. Unlike the other VIP men, apparently, Jack wasn't a complete moron, and he knew how to act around animals. He slowly extended his hand, palm up, for the creature to smell.
He smiled when Pitch Black moved forward, sniffing his hand, and gave out a breathy laugh of disbelief when he started snuggling his hand. Jack moved closer to him and pet his hair while he rubbed his face into Jack's chest.
"Hey," one of the men said sternly. Jack looked up to see everyone looking at him, the first time any of the other VIP members acknowledged him. "How do you do that?"
"W-what?" Jack stammered.
"Touch it," Mr. Moon interrupted. "It never lets anyone touch it."
Jack's eyes widened. He looked down at the monster that had gone still against his chest, his low growl returning as he looked at the others who's attention had returned to him. "I-I don't know, I guess . . . I guess he just likes me."
They continued to stare at him, and he grew anxious. They slowly went back to what they were doing before, but it did nothing to calm his nerves. He pulled away from Pitch Black, who let out a small whine, and grabbed Emily. "Come on, it's getting late," he said in excuse. Emily protested vocally, but followed her brother obediently.
They walked home silently, through the crowds that had thinned out after the show. It was nearing midnight, and the buses had stopped running, so they had a long walk.
Jack couldn't stop thinking about the freak show. They were real. And Jack . . . Jack had a secret.
Jack was like them. He was like Mr. Moon said; rare, a freak of nature, a mistake. Ever since the accident, when he fell in the freezing pond after saving his sister four years ago, and woke up mysteriously on the shore of the pond, unharmed, with white hair and blue eyes . . . ever since then, he had been able to do things. Very unnatural things.
It started with making it snow in his room, making icicles on his desk, and making the wind dance around him. Now, he could conjure and control snow, ice, and wind, easy as he could walk. As he left the circus, he allowed his mind to fill with fantasies of running away with them, being in a place where he could show off his powers, earning a living by entertaining children with his abilities.
He could do it, too. How could this 'Mr. Moon' character turn down such a spectacular 'exhibit'? Sure, being scrutinized by wealthy men would be degrading and humiliating, but it would be worth it. Hell, anything would be better than living at home.
Jack opened the back door as silently as he could. The living room light and TV were on, and he was hoping to slip through the kitchen and up the stairs without his father noticing. Luckily, he was either asleep or passed out in his recliner, so he hurried Emily up the stairs to tuck her in.
"This was the best day ever," Emily said sleepily as she climbed into bed, teeth brushed and wearing her pink frilly pajamas. "I wish we could go to the circus every day."
"Really?" Jack teased quietly. "You don't think you'd get bored?"
"No way," Emily said through a yawn. Jack kissed her on the head gently, muttering a soft 'good night'.
There you go, first chapter! I already have chapter 2 written but I wanted to see how this one went first! What do you think of monster!Pitch? I read a fic and fell in love with the idea. Review please!