I didn't understand what he meant at first.

We would've had a higher chance of escaping if we had been.

Maybe he had failed so many times he thought being a toy would have been easier. Maybe he was just trying to bring me down. Maybe he wanted to be a toy. I really didn't know.

But once the time arrived when our only purpose of the day was to entertain the Pures, I knew…and I understood…and now I find myself echoing his words.

We would've had a higher chance of escaping if we had been.

oooooOOOOOooooo

It was pitch black in the basement and no other freak had their eyes open other than me and the boy. We sat in silence with our backs against the glass wall and our arms resting on our bent knees. Both of us where wide awake as the knot in our stomachs made it impossible to drift into sleep.

"Hey Mathew?" I asked the boy- Mathew- in a small whisper.

"Yea?" he whispered back.

"Can you tell me what's going on tomorrow?"

I heard him breathe in slowly and then out before answering "We are being transported to the show so the Pures can get their entertainment."

"You'd think they'd be bored of it by now" I said and Mathew sighed.

"No…we don't all go at once…the mistress chooses a group at a time…and with new creatures being caught every other day…I doubt they're gonna run out of new attractions any time soon." He said and felt silent once more.

"…So I'm definitely going tomorrow then…"

He didn't say anything for a while and I was starting to think he had fallen asleep finally, but a after a few seconds more he spoke. "Gilbert…make sure you do what they say…no matter how much you hate it."

"I was planning to" I replied and shut my eyes close for a few seconds…minutes…hours…I wasn't really sure but once I opened them again, our Keeper was standing in front of the glass cage with my chains in had ready to drag me away from my small corner.

"It's show time freaks!" he said sliding the door open. I stood up glaring and held my hands out without a fight. He laughed and wrapped my wrists with that uncomfortable metal bracelet at the end of the chain but didn't move from his spot.

"That means you too, princess."

Mathew looked up in surprise and stood up cautiously "but I was there last-"

"Sounds like a personal problem" he said violently pulling him out with the chains already in place and guiding us out of the basement. "It's a shame you had to be so ugly; your height would have been useful around here." He laughed and ran a hand though his spikey blonde hair. Neither of us said a word.

When we were out in the hallway the bright light blinded me and I had to keep my head low until my eyes adjusted properly. When I lifted my head back up I had no idea how we got where we were. It was not as bright as the previous hallway had been but it was much warmer. The Keeper opened the door and dragged us into a stuffy room where other freaks where being transformed into something worth paying to stare at. Some looked extremely uncomfortable in having someone hovering over their naked bodies while others, the ones who have been here the longest, just looked ashamed of being back in this room. Mathew was one of the latter.

We moved to the back of the room and where positioned in front of two empty mirrors. I was shocked when he removed our chains and walked away until I he stopped next to another Keeper. Scanning the room I noticed there were keepers standing in every available spot keeping an eye on their respective freaks.

Another room with no escape.

It wasn't long until the Artists, or so they call them, striped us of our clothes and looked us up and down deciding what to do with us. Artists are a rank or maybe two below the Pures; they are usually smaller and weaker than the Hounds and Keepers but much more able with their bodies and voices. Even so, their only purpose is to entertain and keep the Pures happy.

I was stuffed into the most uncomfortable black pants imaginable. They cut the circulation of my legs and my ankles ached from the white cloth wrapped around them like bandages. I wasn't used to stuff like this and to say that I disliked it was an understatement. Fortunately I was left barefoot and my upper half was naked except for the terrifying symbols painted down my arms and back with black ink. I don't think I could have dealt with more.

I looked over at Mathew and once again felt pity. His legs were constricted by stripped cloth, his shaggy hair pulled back out of his face and it was evident he was struggling to breathe as not only was his head held high by a choker wrapped around his neck, the Artist kept pulling the strings at the back of his outfit. From head to toe he was covered in black and red.

The strain on his face disappeared as he stared at the opening door. A tall, tan keeper walked in dragging a small raging boy who I recognized from my fist day here. The Keeper scanned the crowd and once he caught Mathews eye he hurriedly walked towards him and handed him the chains before walking out again. Lovino immediately wrapped his arms around Mathew and hid his face I his chest. No one else dared to look at him.

"That bastard…that bastard, that bastard, that bastard" he murmured over and over until he tired himself out. Mathew simply held the boy until he stopped shaking, growling at the Artist like a dog when he tried to separate them and growing taller until the he backed away.

"I'm going to paint you, ok?" Mathew asked and Lovino nodded finally separating from the other. Mathew grabbed the black paint without protest from the scared Artist and covered as much as possible of the others skin and clothes. I didn't understand why he wasn't being decorated like the rest of us until I noticed the sharp black spike dangling from his ear. He was a Toy…so what was he doing here?

oooooOOOOOooooo

We only had to wait a few minutes until we had the chains attached to our cuffs again. Once again we walked through the hallways into yet another strange room. It wasn't any different from the other rooms I have been before; dark, cold, and full of cages waiting for us. The only difference was that the cages weren't glass like all the others, they were metal cages completely sealed off. The Keeper tugged at the chains as I trailed behind making me stumble forward into the cage. "Oh don't worry. There's only and eighty percent chance you'll suffocate in there! " he laughed as he slammed the door shut leaving the small holes at the top of the walls as our only source off air.

"That filthy snake! He's lucky I'm tied up every time he's near 'cuz I swear if I wasn't I could just…just…aaagghh!" anger rushed through my body as I strangled the air in front of me wishing it was the Keeper's neck. "Why are we still listening to these guys? I bet you and I could take him, Mattie! I know! We can choke him with our chains as soon as he opens the door and then, and then…" I trailed off as I turned to look at the blonde, anger forgotten. He was breathing in painful gasps and gabbing at the chocker trying to keep it away from his neck.

"Hey, are you ok?"

"Of course he's not ok you bastard, can't you hear him?" growled Lovino. With him blending in with the shadows because of the makeup I had almost forgotten he was here with us.

"No…no….im fine" said Mathew in between breaths. "It's just…really hard….to breathe….in this thing and...the lack of air…isn't helping…"

"How long till they get us out of here?" I asked.

Mathew took in slow breaths before answering "It will be a while….it's kind of far from the institute…."

I sighed and slumped down the wall as the cage moved with whatever had its wheels on the smooth road….whatever was taking us to the freak show.

Sup people Duckling here quack! man I'm starting to miss Prussia's loud personality but anyways im definitely not gonna leave him this serious for long cuz I just can't deal with that. also ill try to make the chapters longer next time ANYWAYS I don't have much to say so im just gonna leave it at that SEE YOU DUCKLINGS NEXT CHAPTER! DUCKLING OUT QUACK!