Before note: I am a slow writer [and a bit lazy]. I'll try to schedule myself a bit more for next time.
For all my reviewers: I LUV you guys :3 You are awesome! I am glad all of you liked my first chapter! (drowning in joy)
Inspiration: Lemony Snicket is my role model now. I finished a Series of Unfortunate Events the other week and I am just AMAZED at how creative his writing can get. I just love that guy.
Disclaimer: I do not own any Sonic the Hedgehog characters, they all rightfully belong to SEGA and/or Sonic Team.
"What's a freak like you doing in a place like this?"
Miles was stiff with fear and stayed silent. He wasn't expecting this. He didn't want this to happen. All he wanted was a bite to eat. That was all he wanted. That was all he wanted.
But he had never gotten what he wanted.
"Not a talker, eh? No worries, you are coming with me anyways", the clown concluded, his high-pitched voice and malevolent tone only increased Miles's fear. His grip tightened on the kit's shoulders. The twin tailed fox yelped in protest, but the clown was already dragging him along while skipping gleefully in his large, red shoes.
It was no use to struggle; it would only make matters worse.
The kit dropped his gaze to the ground, trying ever so hard to ignore all the insults and pointing fingers directed at him as he was pulled roughly through the bright carnival crowd. Everyone rushed out of the way, as if the plague was coming in.
"Mommy! He has two tails!"
"Ugh, let's go somewhere else; I don't want to be close to that thing."
"He's a freak."
"Freak!"
"Ha-Ha! Freak!"
Miles drooped his large fox ears flat against his head in shame and tried to keep up with the clown, whose steps were large compared to the kit's tiny ones.
Freak freak freak freak freak freak
The word echoed in and out of the kit's head. How many times had he been called that?
Too many, he supposed.
Rough tugs on his arm to quicken the pace made Miles snap his head back on the path. They were headed toward a dark colored tent that was embroidered with golden lining. It was isolated at the far end of the carnival as if it was too good to be around the other tents. The fox then wondered who he was being taken to and what exactly was going to happen to him.
Judging on his luck, he wasn't going to face anything good.
Miles could hope and hope, but nothing good was going to come out of this. The twin-tailed fox had learned this the hard way. Hoping wouldn't always get you what you want. The world just didn't work that way.
They stopped in their tracks right in front of the tent entrance, which was blocked by a dark curtain. The malevolent clown pulled the fox up from the ground by his arm and swung him into the tent. Miles felt the soft fabric slide against his skin, but he landed with a rough 'thud!' onto a carpet. He gave a small yelp and tried to get up as quickly as he could. Stumbling on his own two feet, Miles finally stood up and saw the silhouette of the clown towering in front of the entrance, the colorful carnival lights shining behind him as if in spotlight.
"Hey boss! Look at what I found!" the clown announced. He put his hands on his hips, trying to look like a hero.
Miles looked around the room, his childlike curiosity taking everything in. The room was dark, with the exception of the two lamplights located at each wall. The floor was messy with stray clothes that lost their way to the laundry hamper, and various papers that lost their way to the trashcan. The only furniture in sight was a wooden desk by the entrance and a king-sized bed at the far end of the room, its sheets all scrambled up like this room it was in.
"What have I told you about entering without my permission you meddling clown!" a voice was heard from a corner of the room. Miles heard the clown sigh and when he turned around he saw him rolling his eyes. The kit tilted his head sideways, but snapped his attention to the other side of the room as he heard shuffling noises. There was a folding screen, and Miles could only see the silhouette of a person changing desperately, piles of clothes flying in every direction. The person behind the folding screen was definitely a bit on the overweight side. However, telling by the shadow, the person was tall with long, thin legs and his belly was in a very odd, round shape.
At last, the mysterious figure walked out from behind the folding screen. He was wearing a white tailcoat with golden buttons and tuxedo pants with black boots that went up to the knee. Dusting off his shoulders and adjusting his black bowtie with his gloved hands, he then placed a white top hat with golden lining on top of his bald, egg-shaped head.
He was the ringmaster.
"Oi! What do you want right now?" the man scowled deeply, his thick orange mustache twitched, "We are starting the show in fifteen minutes, go and get ready!" his gaze fell upon the kit at his feet and his scowl deepened. "Who is this runt?"
The clown burst into a huge grin. "He was trying to steal from the hot dog stand and I caught him. I thought you might want to use him." That last part was said in a sing-song tone, and the clown swung back and forth on his heels.
The man was about to retort something back to his employee, but he stopped abruptly. Miles, already wide-eyed with fear, tried to figure out what made the ringmaster stop.
"I haven't had one of you in a while." The man spoke in a rough voice that slithered with a venom-like tone, making the fox shiver.
The young kit gasped as he was pulled by his tails and lifted from the ground, yet again. After inspecting Miles closely, the large man just dropped the child to the floor immediately.
Just a useless ragdoll.
"We'll use him," the ringmaster announced, "You know what to do." The man waved his hand dismissively and went to stack a few papers on his desk.
The clown grinned evilly and picked up the kit by the scruff of his neck. Miles had no clue as to what they wanted to use him for and his fear grew with every long step the clown took. Miles couldn't get out of this one, not this time. The fox was dropped into a rusty metal cage and a blanket was draped over it, hiding the world and all hopes and dreams from innocent eyes.
Miles wasn't scared. He was terrified.
The kit didn't know where he was, or what was going to happen to him. He had been moved around frequently in that metal cage he was in, with a lot of different voices echoing in the background. The people seemed to be busy. It wasn't that until the chattering of a crowd was heard, that it came to the fox that he was in the main tent. A few minutes of silence came by and Miles wondered what exactly must be going on outside the cage. A sound of a switch was heard nearby along with a booming drum roll.
"Ladies and Gentlemen! Kids of all ages! I, the great Ivo Bombini , welcome you to the fantastic, Carnevale di Gloria!"
The twin-tailed fox recognized that as the ringmaster's voice as the crowd cheered and applauded. He leaned in closer, his fox ear twitching in order to focus on what was going to happen next.
"We have a new, special opening performance!"
The audience whispered with itself in anticipation.
"Tonight, you will witness the most freakish scene of..."
Unfortunately for Miles, someone started to push the metal cage he was in, and the sound of metal against the ground drowned out any other sound heard before. The kit held on to the metal bars, so he wouldn't be jumbled around in the small cage as it was being pushed to wherever it was being pushed to. Someone pulled the blanket off from the cage and the sudden brightness blinded the fox for moments. He was brought out from the cage and when his vision adjusted, he was met with bright colors and a staring audience.
Miles went wide eyed, and instict told him to run in any direction off the stage. As he ran in one direction, a twin pair of clowns blocked his way, grinning symmetrically with small trumpets in each hand. The twin-tailed fox yelled, terrified, and ran in the other direction as fast as he could. Members of the circus band and clowns surrounded the stage. Their faces were pale with make-up and their grins couldn't seem to grow bigger. Their wild, colorful wigs made them look like they came out of a mental hospital and their bright clothes camouflaged with their surroundings. The evil laughs and colors seemed to blend and swirl into a nightmare all around the terrified fox. It all became a blur, and Miles couldn't take it anymore. He sreamed and ran in any direction he could. However...
The snap of a whip crackled in the air.
Gasps were heard.
And a twin-tailed fox dropped to the ground on his knees.
Miles hissed and gasped from the burning pain on his back. The blood started to ooze through his fur, his eyes were wide and his brain felt stunned; he dared look back over his shoulder.
Ivo Bombini glared down at the small child at his feet, one hand holding the edge of his top hat and the other holding a menacing leather whip. He knelt down on one knee to be eye level with the kit and leaned over to whisper in his ear.
"Listen, freak, you are part of this carnival now, whether you like it or not. This carnival belongs to me. In other words, you are now part of my property. You will do as I say, or things will not get pretty, understood?"
The words dripped with poison, and the child couldn't even look at the man in the eye. He locked his gaze on the ground, and his eyes widened as the man spoke his words. Even as the ringmaster stood up and faced the audience, explaining the situation and assuring that the show will go on, the fox stayed as he was, too scared to move.
Miles didn't understand how things had gotten from bad to worse, but he couldn't do anything about it now. He is now trapped in this malicious carnival that he might never get out of. The wound on his back stung and the kit flinched. No, he wasn't just trapped in a carnival.
"Freak!" a person from the audience yelled, and he bothered to throw his snack at the child. Everyone in the crowd laughed in amusement.
Miles was trapped in hell.
After Note: Well, there you have it, short, but that completes the first part of this story. It is a slow beginning, I know, but things will start getting into action in the chapters to come. I will try to update quicker, and since I have a three-day weekend with nothing much to do, I will use my extra time...wisely.
Ivo Bombini? Yeah, I suck with names.
Thank you for reading. Comments and feedback is always welcome! :D
