The boys then took Sam Gret around the camp, and he was fascinated with everything. He even wanted to give up his life for the cirque!
"My parents would never let me," he said sadly, "they don't really mind where I go, but then they'll never let me leave them for more than a day." I glanced at my shoes, and stared at my shoelaces. I don't like to talk about parents and not with that weird boy of course.
"Let's not talk about…families," Evra said, and I guessed that Darren already told him about our 'past'.
"Wait, I'm going to ask Mr. Crepsley something," I said, running around the tents.
"Did anyone see Mr. Crepsley?" I asked a group of little people. They looked at me blankly, so I ran to find him myself. Then, one of the little people grabbed my shoelace and I went flying.
"If you found Mr. Crepsley, you can just tell me and not make me fall!" I told them.
"Why did you need to find me?" Mr. Crepsley asked, suddenly standing in front of me, "I was looking for you guys."
"We went to the village," I said hastily, "and I'm just asking if I can be in the show in the next show."
"You can help play the flute," Mr. Crepsley said thoughtfully, "but you'll need to start practicing. Or you can be the one Madam Octa climbs on."
"I…I think I'll sell merchandize then, I don't exactly like spiders," I said.
"Alright, the show is…this Saturday. I can see that you have made some friends in the village, here are three tickets, give some to Darren," he said, and strode away leaving me with the tickets. I ran back to Darren and Evra.
"Oi Darren!" I screamed, waving the tickets. "Mr. Crepsley gave me these tickets; you can give them to your friends!"
"Cool!" Darren exclaimed, grabbing two tickets and handing one to Sam. "Here you go, Sam, now you have a ticket to come!"
"I'll be selling stuff," I told Sam.
"Maybe he'll let me play the flute," Darren deemed, and went back to talk about some cars and soccer with Sam.
"Why do…human boys like soccer so much?" Evra suddenly said behind me and I jumped.
"Evra, I didn't know you were behind me! Don't scare me like that!" I scolded, "Soccer's just this really boring sport where two teams of people chase after a ball you can't use your hand or arm to touch, and you try to kick that ball through the other team's net."
"What's so fun about that?" Evra asked, puzzled.
"I have no idea," I told him, and climbed up a tree next to me. "I seriously don't understand what's so fun about it either, there's no point in soccer." Evra didn't answer; he just climbed on next to me.
"Need a hand?" I asked when he slipped and almost fell.
"Yeah, thanks," he said, and a grabbed his scaly hand and pulled. My new vampire muscles made pulling things a lot easier and I pulled him up easily. "Is it cool to be a vampire? Waking up at night, drinking blood, having super strength and super speed, and a long life time?"
"I don't know, I'm just half of one," I told him, "and right now, I don't feel like a vampire is a great thing."
"Did you want to be a vampire? Why did you become one then?" Evra asked. I glared at him. How dare he ask such questions, when I didn't talk about it with anyone yet, unless it's quarreling with Darren?
"Sorry, I didn't mean to," Evra said, but I sighed and slide so I was sitting on the branch.
"It's ok to ask," I told him, "I shouldn't be so…tight. After all, it was about three months ago."
"So, I'm guessing that you didn't want to be a half vampire?" he asked, sitting down next to me.
"No, I didn't, and I still don't want to," I said, and suddenly everything burst out. "I never wanted to be a vampire, I never even believed in them. I had a happy life, my family cared about me, I have lots of friends and four best friends, nice classmates, a good school, and since my family was kind of rich, I didn't exactly live a normal life. Most people don't have sixteen inch computer screens and I-pod touch, you know? So I liked my life. But then Darren ruined it all. He…he stole Madam Octa from Mr. Crepsley because he was an air head, and he accidentally let her bite his best friend Steve! So Steve was paralyzed and between life and dead. Darren's house was in my neighborhood, and I saw him being fishy one night so I followed him to the empty theater, and no one found me until Mr. Crepsley saw my reflection, and he gave me a choice: either we both become half vampires or he'll let Steve die! Of course I'll have to, I can't let an innocent person die, so now I had to fake my death and leave everyone I cared about, and travel around the world hunting, cooking and washing for the people who ruined my life! It's like kidnapping me for their slave but no one will ever look for me because I'm presumed dead!"
"It must be hard to become a vampire if you didn't want to," Evra said, "but how come Darren looked happy?"
"He shouldn't be," I said bitterly, "he's the one who caused everything. He should be feeling ashamed of himself with guilt, but no, he complains about everything, about how the sheets are scratchy, how I shouldn't give him rats to cook when I can't find anything!"
"You must hate it here," Evra said softly, and I felt that he was sad.
"No, I don't really hate it here. It's just like…I have a second life. I like my old life, but I can't go back to it. I don't know which one to choose if I had the choice," I said, "I wish that I was here but it was just an adventure and I could keep in touch with all my friends and family."
"It must be really tough," Evra said softly.
"How about you? Do you ever miss your parents, your friends then?" I asked. "You must have some friends at the orphanage." Evra shook his head.
"I hardly knew my parents; I don't even know how they look like. As for the orphanage, everyone was scared of me because I had scales; the people were happy to see me go with the circus. I had no friends at the circus either; they were all cruel to me." Evra said, resting his head between his knees. "Sometimes I hate the fact that I had scales, slit eyes and greenish yellow hair." I reached over and patted his shoulder awkwardly. I wasn't used to comforting people, as usually I was the one who caused them to be upset of being guilty in the first place.
"I think having scales and slit eyes are cool," I told him, "I've always dreamed of having scales and everything I owned used to have to do with snakes, it drove everyone crazy! They had to ban me from buying everything I see that has to do with snakes later. But my grandmother supported me; she's the one who gave me this ring before she passed away." I took off the glove and showed him a silver snake twisted twice around to make a ring, with rubies for eyes. Evra smiled a bit.
"It's a pretty ring," he said, "but you'd hate being a snake, you'll sleep all winter and if you don't you'll feel sleepy all the time. You also can't get any piercing or tattoos because needles can't go through scales."
"Why would I want piercing or tattoos? They're disgusting," I said, frowning, "They're just things people do to make themselves look silly." Evra laughed.
"I thought that girls always wanted to get their ears pierced, at least that's what I heard the girls who came to the shows talking about," he said.
"Most girls do, but I don't, they're freaky," I said, "Besides, they don't do anything." Evra laughed again.
"You're unusual for a girl and a vampire."
"I am always unusual. Some people hate me for it, and others just think that I'm a nerd, but I don't really care. As long as they don't tease me openly, they're not exactly any harm, are they?" I asked, "Just a bunch of immature people."
"Is school fun?"
"It's pretty boring, but then your friends are all there, and it's fun to piss your teachers off."
"Do the teachers beat you if you do something wrong?"
"This is modern times, Evra, teachers go to jail for beating people up. You get detention, which is basically staying for two hours more writing lines."
"What do you do when you hang out?"
"Just…hanging out, having fun, yeah. Boys usually play soccer, talk about cars, computer games and girls. Girls just talk about make-up, gossip around, books, any random thing, and boys."
"What's home coming? I heard people talking about it."
"Homecoming's just this dance high school people go to. There are no homecoming dancing in middle school, just normal dances where you…just dance to music. There's really not much difference, it's just that you dress in tuxedoes and gowns, and you have to go with a date." Evra stood up.
"I think I'll hate it if I have to go to school," he said sadly.
"Why? Are you afraid of going to detention? It's not that bad, it's just lines." I have no idea why he should hate school, is it because of scales again?
"I won't fit in. I don't know soccer, I am not interested in cars, and I don't know any girls to ask to homecoming." At that, I laughed.
"You don't need to play soccer, or talk about cars, or ask someone to homecoming! Those were just examples, what they often talk about. But they talk about other things too, just start a conversation and they'll talk about that topic!"
"But I have scales, they'll avoid me."
"Yeah right, there are lots of people who don't care! And some people are even weirder, like people with bald heads, hairy faces, and some people have tattoos all over their body!"
"You really are unusual."
"You keep saying that. Is that a compliment or an insult, anyways?"
"I don't know…you just are unusual." I stood up.
"I need to find Jans Vladimir and give him this ticket. Do you want to come with me?" I asked.
"Is he your boyfriend?" I almost fell out of the tree.
"Just because a boy's a girl's friend doesn't mean he's her boyfriend. A boyfriend's someone who…you want to marry in the future, I guess. Not all boys who are a girl's friend are a boyfriend. Like, for example, I'm your friend but you're not my boyfriend, we're just…friends, and it's the same way with Jans. Jeez, I only met him today!"
"Then Darren's your boyfriend?" Evra asked slyly.
"NO! Can you cut out the boyfriend business; you're getting on my nerves." I snapped. "Besides, I already don't plan on marrying. I'm a vampire now, and vampires don't marry. At least I'm not."
"Woo! Evan and Evra, sitting on a tree, k-i-s-s-i-n-g! First comes love, and then comes…" Darren shouted, and Sam joined in.
"CUT IT OUT!" I yelled down, "I'm not even in a …wait, I AM in a tree!" God, leave it to him to make everything look nasty. I jumped off the branch and landed in front of him.
"I'm going to find Jans and if I find out that you had touched my books you're going to find worms in your dinner!" I snarled, and started to walk to the village when I noticed that I have no idea where Jans lives. "Hey Sam, where does Jans live?" Sam paled.
"No way, you're not thinking of going to Jans Vladimir's house, are you?" he asked, shaking.
"Yeah, I want to give him something," I called.
"It's the house you see if you go all the way down the street. There's only one house there, but I suggest that…" Sam trailed off, and I didn't hear what he said after I don't suggest because I already ran into the trees.
I ran into the village, and just as Sam said, there was a lone road. I sprinted down the road until I reached the end of it where a huge dark looming mansion sat. That's Jans' house? No way…but since it's the only house near there, and then I think I should ring the door bell. Jans said that his parents wanted him to go to college and get a degree, so now I need a disguise.
Disguise #1: nerd disguise. I pulled out my glasses that I kept in my pocket as a lucky charm (don't laugh) and stuffed my accessories in. Next, I took a hair clip and pinned my hair into a bun, something Lexi taught me. Now I looked like some common school girl who studies till three in the morning and wakes up at six o'clock to study. The doorbell for the Vladimir mansion was a button on a gargoyle, and their front door looked Victorian. Good, I haven't chosen the wrong disguise. The door opened, and a tall lean man with neat black hair and a hooked nose looked out. It has to be Jans' house, because this man had Jans' eyes and his face was like Jans.
"Hello, how may I help you? Ah, are you by chance the spokes person for oxford? I did send a letter there a few days ago."
"No sir, I'm here because I need to see Jans," I said in a polite voice, pretending to be addressing the principal. Nice and easy does the trick.
"Ah, his room is upstairs to the right. You seem like a nice well educated girl, what's your name and which school do you go to?"
"I'm Evangeline Cho, sir, and I go to Irvine Middle school for talented youth." That was a lie, kind of, because although I go to Irvine every summer, I never went to school there. It was always an international school, until we moved to England this year. "I'm visiting here for educational reasons, sir; I'm studying about the frolic and history of England."
"Ah," Mr. Vladimir said again. Why does he like to 'ah' so many times? "Go ahead; I'll be in the study. Just go up and knock." And he left striding away to a door. So I need to go up and knock Jans' door? Would he be surprised to see me or shoo me out? I never been to a boy's room before, other than the time I had to get a baseball because I threw it through my neighbor's window. I knocked the door, and even though there were a lot of door to the right, one had music blasting through it.
"Alright, alright, I'll turn the volume down!" a voice shouted from inside. Yep, that was Jans' room. "Jeez, can't you just wait, I can heat up my dinner I'm just not hungry…" then he opened the door and his mouth dropped open. "…yet," he finished.
"Hey Jans," I said nervously. What if he doesn't recognize me? Some times disguises do that.
"Evangeline?" he asked in disbelieve.
"Yeah, don't ask. It's a long story," I said.
"I guess you should come in," he said, opening the door wider. I stepped into a huge and ultra messy bedroom. His walls were lined with posters like my old room, and he also had a large computer. Clothes were all over the place, with a pair of hockey skates near the window and books piled everywhere. Music was blaring from a boom box next to an electric guitar.
"So, what brings you here? Sit down, if you find a place to sit, that is. I don't bother tidying up." He said, gesturing at his room. I took a large stack of books from a swivel chair and stacked them even higher on to an already high stack of books. It was pretty simple for I used to pile all my books up too, until my sister took the liking to knocking them over.
"Wow, how did you do that?" he asked in awe.
"Skills and a lot of practice, as I don't bother cleaning my room either," I replied. "The thing is, I told you that I'm in the Cirque Du Freak, right? Anyways, I convinced the ringmaster to give me a free ticket for you, to the show this Saturday night," I said, and handed the green ticket to him.
"No way!" Jans exclaimed. "That is so cool! And they were fifteen pounds each! That is so great; you're going to be in the show, right? Oh man…" I smiled.
"Yeah, actually, I'm just selling the merchandize, the person I was replacing got better," I told him.
"That's still cool, I wish I could be you!" Jans exclaimed. "Will you stay for dinner? It's steak and clam chowder today." Steak and clam chowder, oh man, my favorite food! But I glanced at his alarm clock and saw that it was almost seven already. Dang it, I'll need to be training with Mr. Crepsley in a few hours!
"Sorry, but I have to go now. I need to help prepare dinner for the crew, and yeah," I told him, "but you'll see me very soon, I go to the field everyday!"
"Great, I'll meet you there tomorrow," Jans said, and I ran out the door to the Cirque.
"Did he try to kill you?" Sam asked eagerly.
"Why are you so eager that he killed me? I don't look like I'm dead or trying to escape, am I?" I asked. That boy is weird. "If I was killed, I wouldn't even be having this conversation with you, right?"
"I just heard that the Vladimir's killed anyone who goes into his house. Hey, I never knew that you were a nerd!" Sam exclaimed.
"I'm not, it's just a disguise," I snapped, pulling my glasses and the clip off. "Can we go eat? I'm starving."
"Truska's preparing dinner, its spaghetti and meat balls today." Evra called from the tree.
"Why are you still on the tree?" I asked him. It's terribly boring to stay on a tree for a long time, isn't it?
"I forgot how to get off this tree," was his reply, so I climbed up and told Darren to stand under Evra.
"What do I have to do?" Darren asked.
"Catch him," I said plainly, and gave Evra a big push. Of course, he lost balance and fell, until Darren caught him out of mid air. But the impact was too big and Darren got knocked off his feet.
"Hey, are you all right?" I asked.
"Yeah, I have a soft landing," Evra said, and stood up.
"Darren, are you ok?" Sam asked.
"Yeah, I'm alright, other than the fact I was squashed flat and that I'll probably have a scaly pattern on my skin," Darren said, shaking his head.
"I need to go home now, today's pickled onions day!" Sam shouted as he ran off.
"Who did you give the other ticket to?" I asked Darren as soon as Sam was gone.
"RV, we met him today too," said Darren.
"Isn't RV some kind of truck or something?" I asked with a frown.
"Yeah, but his name is RV. His nickname is Reggie Veggie, and we don't know his real name so we just call him RV." Evra said, "He's one of the peace hunters."
"Oh, the nature warriors," I said in a flat voice. "The stupid idiots who think walking around would help nature, as if."
"I approve of their nature walks," Darren said defensively.
"What ever, let's go Evra," I said.
"But I agree with Darren too," Evra disagreed.
"What ever!" I cried, and walked off myself. Boys, who know s what goes on in their minds?
"Hey Truska," I said, stepping into the kitchen. Truska said something in her seal language that I took as a hello.
"Can I prepare Darren's dinner? Which plate is Darren's?" I asked. Truska knew all our names, so she pointed at the plate that was Darren's.
"Ok, Truska, Darren is bad so I'm going to give him a replacement for his noodles, ok?" I asked her, and took out the jar that I was saving for Darren. Truska laughed then winked and poured the jar on to Darren's plate.
"Thanks!" I said, and hugged her then ran out.
"What are you smiling at?" Darren asked, "I have a bad feeling. When you're smiling it means something bad is going to happen to me."
"Oh, you'll see," I said with a smile. Come, Truska finished dinner and everyone's already starting to eat. We lined up behind a few people, and soon we reached Truska.
"Hey Truska," we all said, and I smiled at her. Truska winked back and handed us some plates. Fore some reason, my plate was wriggling.
"Evan, trade plates. I have a feeling that you and Truska putted something in my plate," Darren said, and pushed his plate to me.
"Sure," I said, and gave him my plate. I ate his spaghetti, which tasted normal. Then I realized something. Truska knew what I was doing, and she's a lot smarter! She knew that Darren would feel something is fishy so she gave me the plate that we did something to, knowing that Darren would want to switch! Good old Truska, I could always rely on her.
"Hey, why are my noodles moving?" Darren asked with a frown.
"You need to get your eyes checked," Evra said. "Wait a sec, they really are moving!"
"Evan!" Darren yelled.
At that point, I couldn't contain my laughter.
"I…switched the…noodles for…worms!" I laughed, "its pay back…to what you…did…this afternoon!" Evra laughed too, and Darren did too when he wasn't mad anymore.
"Holy, leave it to you to put worms in my plate!" he cried.
"Thanks Truska!" I called, and Truska waved at me. I gave her a thumb up sign in return and she laughed.
"That was so funny, and you were eating it in! Yuck!" Evra said, and we laughed again. Suddenly Darren stopped.
"I hear things moving," he whispered.
"Demons?" I asked with a smirk.
"No, near the wolf man's cage," he said with a frown.
"I'll go check," I said, "if its demons, I'm going to tell them to haunt you!" With that, we laughed and I ran to check on the wolf man.
"Is anyone there?" I whispered, but my voice was so low that no one heard it. At least I thought no one did. The sky was dark but with my vampire powers, I could see clearly, at least better than humans. There was a figure fiddling with the lock of the wolf man's cage!