Summary: This is a total rewrite of the Cirque Du Freak series with Darren Shan being a girl and discover some extra "powers" she will have on the way. There are spoilers up to book 8. The whole story will be from Darren's point of view.

Disclaimer: I do not own the Cirque Du Freak series. I do own this fan fic, and I am using almost direct passages from the book.(using "she" for Darren instead of "he"

Introduction (some direct passages out of the book)

I've always been fascinated by spiders. I used to collect them when I was younger. I'd spend hours rooting through the dusty garden, hunting the cobwebs for lurking eight-legged predators. When I found one, I'd bring it in and let it loose in my bedroom. It used to drive my mom crazy, especially since I'm a girl, and girls are supposed to hate spiders. I'm different though. I hang out with all boys, I like spiders and soccer, I guess you could call me a tomboy. It probably comes from having a boy's name. I even loved to scare myself like a regular boy. Anyway, my story started in the bathroom.

Chapter One (some direct passages out of the book)

I had come into the bathroom feeling sick, and left class. The bell had rung for lunch, and Steve, my best friend stuck his head in the door of the bathroom, not my stall (he wasn't afraid of the girls bathroom). He yelled

"Darren, get your butt out here! We need you!"

He was meaning the soccer game. I felt a little better, so I decided to come out. After I finished playing the game (we lost), we ended up having Mr. Dalton (our history teacher) for math, 'cuz our regular math teacher was sick. Alan, another friend of mine had a mysterious piece of paper that I really wanted to look at. During class I kept passing notes for him to give it to me, and finally he gave in. He first passed it to Tommy, my third and final friend, who read it three times he was so amazed. I stared at it in awe when it was finally passed to me. It read

CIRQUE DU FREAK

FOR ONE WEEK ONLY-CIRQUE DU FREAK!

SEE:

SIVE AND SEERSA-THE TWISTING TWINS!

THE SNAKE BOY! THE WOLF-MAN! GERTHA TEETH!

LARTEN CREPSLEY AND HIS PERFORMING SPIDER-MADAME OCTA!

ALEXANDER RIBS! THE BEARDED LADY!

HANS HANDS!

RHAMUS TWOBELLIES-WORLD'S FATTEST MAN!

NOT FOR THE FAINTHEARTED! SOME RESTRICTIONS APPLY!

I was so wrapped up reading it, I didn't notice Mr. Dalton right behind me. He began explaining how cruel freak shows were and how none of us should even think of going, but I wanted to go SO badly. Steve mouthed that we were going, and I wished so badly that it was true. After school, all four of us tried to figure out how much money it would take to pay for all four tickets, and Steve said he would sneak out and buy the tickets. I hoped that he would get them.

My brave Steve. The truth-I love Steve. I don't know if he loves me back or ever will, but I love him all the same. Tommy likes me, Alan doesn't. I can always go out with Tommy to make Steve jealous… Oh well. For now, I just hope he gets the tickets. All I can think about is the freak show. The performers, they all sound so neat. Annie, my little sister could tell that I was daydreaming and said

"What's wrong with you?"

"Nothing's wrong with me!"

"There is I can tell!"

Finally, I gave in and told her all about the freak show. She looked at me wide-eyed, and made me promise that if I went I would bring her back something.

The next morning, all of us waited for Steve outside the gates, but he didn't show. Tommy thought that he couldn't face us because he didn't get the tickets. I knew that wasn't true. We dragged through our classes, the way people do when they're disappointed or bored. Steve came in with his mother! I whispered to him where he was, and he said he was at the dentists. The dentists! I was dying to ask him if he got the tickets but Mrs. Quinn, our teacher was watching. When we got outside for recess, all three of us were attacking Steve with questions. He told us that Mr. Dalton with police had been at the freak show, to bust it, but when Steve turned around a little man was there who told him that he could buy tickets. He would only sell two of them though. Steve automatically gets one of them, but who would get the second one? Steve said that we should rip papers up that are about the size of the ticket, and the person who can find it first wins.

Steve put all the papers into a bag and let them go. I was just about to start grabbing, but I had the urge to do something strange. What I did was stick out my hand like a blind man, and something in me screamed NOW and I closed down on the piece of paper. I didn't look, and Tommy and Alan said

"We can't find the ticket anywhere!"

Steve said softly

"What do you have in your hand Darren?"

I opened up my hand and stared. It said

CIRQUE DU FREAK

"YESSSSSS!"