A/N: I'm sorry that I haven't updated in a while and this update is so short. HUGE thank you to phantomslover28. Without her, this chapter would not have been possible. She is like my best friend (even though I've never met her), so go read her stories because THEY. ARE. INCREDIBLE. Anyway, enjoy this short update :)
Chapter 36: Gustave's POV
Mr. Barnum kept me locked in a dark, empty basement. It was so dark that I could see anything, even if I put my fingers right in front of my face. I hated the dark. I felt like there could be many things in the room that I didn't know about that could hurt me. Mr. Barnum rarely came to feed me, and when he did, the food was either disgusting or was drugged with something that made me feel insane and very sleepy. I cried often. I didn't understand why I was here. Whenever I asked, he would say it was because of my "stupid parents" and he wouldn't say anything else. I knew mother and father weren't stupid, so I knew this man must be lying to me. I missed my mum and dad very much. I missed Phantasma and the freaks and my friends and my house too. I missed mother most of all. I missed the way she smiled and sang and read to me, I even missed the way she scolded me when I disobeyed her.
One night, in the middle of the night, I heard Mr. Barnum and some other man talking. It sounded important, so I snuck as close as I could to the door.
"Where is the boy?" a man with a thick Persian accent said.
"He's downstairs in the basement, your highness," Barnum said.
Royalty. So this guy is royalty. This is definitely important. I thought to myself.
"And you're sure he will lure Erik into our trap?" the other man said.
I froze. Father! This was all about father!
"Yes. I'm absolutely positive, your highness. This is his only child and to Erik he is more valuable than life."
Their voices lowered into hushed, serious tones and I couldn't hear them anymore. I crawled away from the door and leaned against a wall.
I knew that both father and I were in danger.