A.N.: I haven't seen "Love Never Dies," but I have listened to the soundtrack. General disclaimer, it's not mine, and besides, there are a few plot points in the musical that I dislike. Anyway, now that that's settled, here is "Freaks."

XXX

Coney Island has something for everyone. Singers and dancers, food and rides, actors and acrobats. Of course, there are those who prefer a more strange and mysterious genre of entertainment. You will find such an audience here, at Fagan's Fantastical Freaks.

"Welcome, everyone, to the show!" the short, slightly rotund man on the stage shouted to the crowd in front of him. "I am Fagan. Prepare to be amazed and astounded by the feats you shall see this day! Let me assure you, ladies and gentlemen, there are no hidden tricks here, only inconceivable abnormalities!

"We'll start off slow," Fagan announced, crossing the stage to a closed curtain. "Gangle, come forth!"

The curtain opened, and a man ducked through the gap. As he let the fabric close again behind him, he straightened. The audience gasped. Gangle was impossibly skinny, and unbelievably tall. If there had been a ceiling to the amphitheatre, his short hair would have brushed it. His legs, arms, and fingers were very long.

Fagan pulled up one of the legs of Gangle's pants.

"No stilts!" he showed the viewers. "Would anyone like to try to touch Gangle's hand?"

Quite a few people rushed up to the stage, but no matter how high they jumped, Gangle towered over them. He grinned down at them, then moved aside.

"And now," Fagan said once everyone had returned to their seats. "Let me introduce to you the incredible Squelch!"

The curtain was again swept aside, and a large, powerfully built man stepped out. His head was clean-shaven, and his skin was completely covered in tattoos. Squelch flexed his muscular arms and legs impressively.

"Squelch here is the strongest man in the world," Fagan boasted, pointing to an enormous set of dumbbells lying nearby. Squelch walked over to the weights and calmly raised them over his head. The audience oohed and aahed.

An assistant pushed a long table onto the stage.

"Now, if I could have some more volunteers from the audience?" Fagan scanned the crowd. "How about you, sir, and you, and the well-fed man on your left…"

Soon, ten men had gathered on the stage. Fagan had them sit on the table.

"Now," he said, clapping his hands together. "Just in case you had any doubts as to the authenticity of that first display of his strength, Squelch will try once more!"

Squelch got down on his knees and stooped under the table, placing his hands palms-upward on the underside of the table. Very slowly, he lifted the table and the men sitting on it just as high as he had done to the dumbbells. The crowd went wild as Squelch held the table up there for several seconds before setting the men gently back on the ground.

"My friends," Fagan said, waving a hand dramatically towards the curtain. "You have seen height. You have seen strength. But the most astonishing person has yet to arrive!"

The curtain swayed slightly, and a young woman stepped out. The audience murmured in confusion. She looked like a completely ordinary teenager, albeit rather gaunt.

"This is Fleck," said Fagan, pulling the girl to the front of the stage and playfully tossing her long, raven hair. "Don't let her appearance fool you! She's as much a freak as Gangle and Squelch. Show them what you can do, Fleck!"

Fleck stared at him silently for a moment, then slowly raised her left hand. She grabbed her fingers with her left and pulled on them backwards. Her hand folded back against her arm. The audience hushed.

"More, Fleck," Fagan ordered.

Fleck climbed up onto the table and sat with her legs spread outward. She sat there for a moment, then leaned forward. As her torso sank towards the table, she began to gradually pull her legs up over her head and backwards, bending her body in two different directions at once. The audience screamed in a mixture of excitement and revulsion.

"More!" Fagan shouted over their voices. "You can do better than that!"

Fleck hesitated, but did as she was told. Her body trembled with exertion as she pressed her face and stomach to the table, and her legs went farther back until her thighs too met the table and her feet dangled over the edge. She held that position for a slow count of ten before pulling herself back into shape. The crowd cheered.

The contortionist slid off of the table, wincing slightly as her feet touched the ground and her weight settled on her aching joints. Her face was stained with fresh tears, but the audience paid them no mind. Fagan bowed again and again to his crowd's applause, and sent his assistant out into the crowd with a hat for extra money.

Fagan's Fantastical Freaks perform many times a day, to people who cheer, who laugh, and who taunt. As the day goes by, Fagan's pockets grow heavy with coins. It is not until late at night that the freaks get their food and rest.

"Nice crowds today," Squelch said conversationally as he sank his teeth into a small loaf of bread.

Gangle nodded. "Very appreciative," he agreed. "I thought that they would go hoarse with cheering this afternoon after you picked up that fat gentleman."

The strongman grinned. "He should go on a diet."

"But they cheered most for Fleck," Gangle said, raising his voice slightly as his eyes flickered to the other end of the dark circus cage that was their bedroom.

"They always do," Squelch added in the same loud voice. "And with good reason. Fleck's incredible."

They waited quietly for a response, but received none. The two freaks turned to look at Fleck, who sat against the wall, hugging her legs, which were drawn up against her chest. An apple lay, untouched, at her feet. Gangle shook his head sadly. Squelch handed him the loaf of bread, and walked over to Fleck.

"A hunger strike won't get you anywhere, Fleck," he said, picking up the apple and sitting down in front of her. She stared at him blankly, not reacting.

"It would be better if you ate," Gangle gently urged. "Stomach pains will only make you feel worse."

Squelch held the apple up to the small girl's lips. "Just one bite, please?"

Fleck blinked once, then opened her mouth. Squelch placed the apple against her mouth, and she took a bite. Juice dripped down her chin as she slowly chewed and swallowed.

Squelch smiled kindly at her, although he felt horrible. He could still remember the vibrant little orphan that she had been when she'd joined the freak show, nearly a year ago. She hadn't spoken for almost a month.

"I hate my life."

That was the last thing she'd said to him and Gangle, after a particularly bad day.

True, it was unpleasant to have people staring at you every hour of the day, especially knowing that they thought you were a hideous monster that should be kept away. Gangle and Squelch had had more than their share of cruelty. But Fleck, who was forced to go beyond her limits every day, whose old dreams of wonders and stardom had been mercilessly crushed, had taken the life of a freak worse than either of them.