Chapter one: Ties of the Past
The red moon rose sadly, it's shadows concealing me in darkness. I laid in a heap, my little body shivering. Large snow flakes spiraled down tiresomely from the overcast sky. They stuck to my body as they landed on me one after one. They stung. Horribly. I snuggled closer to my little blue blanket, trying to get as much warmth from it as possible. The wind bit at that little piece of fabric, my only warmth, trying to tear it from my grasp. My tiny hands pulled my blanket closer to my chest. I whimpered.
My eyelids grew heavy as I struggled to keep my vivid piercing eyes open. Tears streamed down my cheeks. My parents... How could they? What human could be so cruel as to toss their newly born child in a dumpster? I didn't know what had happened at the time, though I knew I was alone, cold, and hungry.
I clawed at my caved in stomach with my long fingernails. I was going to either die of hunger, or of cold. Either one, I was not going to last long. Suddenly, I heard a sound. The clanking of metal boots padding down the cobblestone street. I glanced upwards. A very tall man towering over me, bent down and scooped me up in his muscular arms.
"I am Hibernius Tall," the man said to me, his voice low and steady. He brushed a finger over my blanket, studying the cursive name inscribed on it. "I am going to take you to Cirque du Freak, young Evra Von."
I snuggled closely to Mr. Tall's warm body as he carried me through the streets. I knew it didn't matter, but I had still squirmed when my naked body was exposed as he had scrubbed me clean with some soap and water. I was a newborn baby. Nudity didn't matter. Only my life did.
Hibernius seemed like a nice man, but was very straightforward and quiet. I was scared of him, yet felt comforted by his presence.
Mr. Tall swerved a corner in a abandoned alley. The sun had just started to peek over the tiny specks of mountains in the distance.
"Vampire Mountain," Hibernius mused, pointing. I cocked my head to the side. It sounded like a place I didn't want to go to. The mountain, even from so far away, had a haunting chill that attempted to lure me into the skeletal grasp of it's bones, the bare white fingers of the tree branches. The air seemed to grow cooler as the nightmarish thought crossed my mind.
I must of drifted off in my rescuer's arms because I don't remember much of the trip to my new home. It might have been one of Mr. Tall's tricks, putting me to sleep so I wouldn't remember the way to the cirque. I awoke to the sound of gasps and excited talk all around me. I opened my eyes to see strikingly… different… people in funny costumes surrounding me. There was a bearded lady, a man with two stomachs, a grouchy looking vampire with crop of bright orange hair, a man covered in hands, and many more people. All of them seemed interested in the newest member of their cirque life. All, but the vampire. I watched him stride towards Mr. Tall.
He whispered, "Can I have a word?" then turned on his heels and left. Hibernius handed me off to the Bearded Lady.
"Take good care of little Evra Von. He's been through a lot on the first day of his birth. Can you… take care of him?" He asked her. She smiled beautifully and nodded. She was a nice looking woman, despite the facial hair. She took me away to a bright colored tent. Carefully, she took my blanket from me and began to clean it. She hung it to dry on a wire hanging across the top of the tent. Then, she used a cloth for my diaper. I rested while she used safety pins to keep the cloth on me. I was so scrawny it kept falling off.
The Bearded Lady was very gentle with me. She stroked my cheek softly, smiling. I glanced over at a six-foot tall mirror a little ways away. Her smile vanished. Her eyes saddened. She picked me up and set me in front of the mirror. What I saw made me cry wildly. Green scales in an dazzling array of shades covered my entire body. Narrow yellow snakes eyes stared back at me, scaring me. I had webbed toes and fingers. I touched the extra skin between my fingers. I yanked my arm back in fear and started to scream. I was a monster!
(Years later)
I stretched my muscles. I groaned and rolled out of my hammock. I flicked my forked snake tongue out. Rubbing my eyes, I sat up in my bed. Mr. Tall and the orange haired vampire, who I later found out was named Larten Crepsley, were in deep conversation just outside my tent. I brought myself to my feet. I pressed my scaled ear up against my personal tent.
"Hibernius, are you sure you want the," Mr. Crepsley paused, "Snake Boy, as an act in the cirque? To me, he seems too frail and shy by himself. Maybe we should get him a stage companion?" he suggested.
"A stage companion? I like it. How do you think he'd react to being a snake handler and trainer?" My eyes widened. A snake? I was getting a snake? I pressed my ear harder against the curtain, only to realize, well, it was a curtain. It came loose from the metal pole holding it up and I crashed into Mr. Crepsley.
"Oh…" I moaned. I was given a mean glare from the vampire. I cringed under his stare.
"I'm sorry." I muttered quietly. His eyes softened.
"Evra, how would you like a snake? As a four year old boy, do you think you can handle it?" I nodded enthusiastically.
"Snake," I chirped, "Snake Boy needs a snake!" That sentence right there got me a rare smile from the vampire.
