Chapter 1:

When I was 14, my mother left me with that creepy uncle everyone speaks of. I remember her kissing the top of my head and saying "I'll be back for you, Maggie." but she never came back. They never do. Part of me knew it then. That was the sad part. I knew by the way she had packed up her favorite dress and all the money in the house. Yet, some part of me still had hoped that she wasn't really going to leave me here with him. Stanley was the creepiest man I had ever met. He always walked around his trailer in old underwear and a white ripped up tank top.

Growing up, Stanley didn't have money. It was the 50's. It made it impossible for me to get a job and Stanley was just too lazy. He thought he was too good to be a waiter, and too casual to be a businessman. One night, we watched a movie at the drive-in. That's where we got the brilliant idea of being con artists. We got decent sized jars, and glued any bones we could find together. Then we would fill them with a mixture of gelatin and dirty water that came from the sink in Stanley's kitchen.

I'll admit, I felt bad at first. Lying to famous museums about what we were really selling them. But then it became an addiction. I couldn't stop. I had money. I could buy things that other girls had. I bought clothes, makeup, hair curlers, and still had a bit left for food. It wasn't enough for a house of my own or a car, but it was enough to get by. That's all I really needed. Then one day, the gig was up. Stanley and I had been caught for what we called a baby sasquatch skull. We had no choice but to get something real, something authentic.

That's how we ended up at the Freakshow.

After the events with the clown, Jimmy had felt familiar to me. I remember the first time he tried kissing me. I wanted to kiss him back, I really did. I felt terrible that he thought it was because of his deformities that I didn't kiss him. That wasn't it at all, in fact his deformities made him unique and special. It was just that I need to protect him from Stanley. Stanley would hurt him faster than anyone if he saw that I actually felt for him. I looked up and saw Jimmy walking towards me.

"Esmerelda." he said, nodding his head.

"Good morning, Jimmy." I replied.

"We got a show tonight. You think you can pull an audience member up and read their future?" he said.

"Um... I could try. How do you know they'll admit that I'm reading their future, though?"

"What do you mean?"

"Well, if I read something they don't like, they might claim it's a lie or wrong."

"Well we know you're the real deal here, toots." he smiled, but it vanished fast.

"Jimmy... Can I talk to you in private?"

He nodded and we walked back to his trailer. He opened the door and I stepped up. It was hot in here and smelled of aftershave and teenage guy.

"What's up?" he asked.

"I just... Can you keep a secret? A big one? From everyone? Ethel, Dot and Bette, Dell, Stanley?"

He sat down.

"Of course, Maggie. What's going on? You can trust me." he said.

"The reason I didn't kiss you the other night wasn't because I didn't want to. I did want to! I just need to protect you from Stanley. He's not.. good. He's not who he says he is, Jimmy." I said. I felt anxious telling him.

"Okay... Who is he?"

"He's a con artist...and..."

"And what?"

"And so am I. I'm not a fortune teller. I'm Stanley's niece. My mom left me with him when I was 14 and we needed money to get by. Stanley wants to kill the freaks and sell them. I don't. I promise you, Jimmy. I really don't. I thought it was going to be different..."

"Wait a second! You came here to kill us on behalf of Stanley?!"

"No! I mean... no! He wanted me to but I told him I'm not down with murder. I thought he just wanted to buy the Freakshow and show them off at a museum! I didn't think anyone would get hurt Jimmy. Please believe me!"

"How could I?! You're a liar, Maggie! Leave! Get out!" he shouted, pushing me towards the door.

I left his tent. I started walking back to my tent. I couldn't help but cry. I was almost back when I ran into someone.

"Oh, excuse me!" he said.

I recognized that voice. Where had I heard it? I wiped my eyes and turned to the man. Something felt familiar and now he was staring at me as if thinking the same thing.

"Do I know you?" I asked.

He started laughing maniacally. He reached towards me trying to grab me. I jumped back. I grabbed the pin in my hair and stabbed his hand with it before running off.

"YOU STUPID GIRL! I HATE YOU I HATE YOU I HATE YOU!" he yelled.

Then it all clicked. The clown from that night. The one who had hit me and Jimmy. The one who forced me into a box. I looked for some way out of my trailer other than the door. I saw a door leading to the roof. I opened it and struggled to get out of it. Now the first clown was trying to open the trailer door. I grabbed my suitcase and put it down. It boosted me up and I climbed out of the top. I had to get to Jimmy.

I took off my heels and quietly crawled down the ladder, making as little noise as possible. I waited till he was busy trying to break open the door and snuck past him to Jimmy's tent. I opened the door to see Dot and Bette consoling Jimmy.

"He doesn't want to see you, tramp!" Dot snapped at me.

"It's an emergency. Jimmy, please, the first clown. He's at my trailer. He's trying to kill me!" I said to Jimmy.

"Whoa, you serious?" he said, clearly untrusting of anything I told him.

"Yes! What do we do?"

"This." he grabbed a shotgun and started to walk towards the door.

"Wait!" I walked over to him and kissed him.

He smiled at me. He walked out the door. I sat on the ground almost too scared to notice Dot glaring at me. Almost.