The Reason

author note: ok. I know it's been a long time. A REALLY LONG time. and I don't have a reason or excuse. sorry. now on with the show!

Meeting the Boss Man

"Dear God, how can any one boy be so lazy?" Wesley was back. And he looked cranky. "This is a problem that we're going to have to fix. It will certainly not do. Not do at all!" Wesley opened up the cage and pulled out a little boy who had just awoken. Erik looked worn and tired even though the day had already started. He was trying to forget the nightmares he'd had all night. The ones about his mother. Leaving him here. Walking away into the crowd. Abandoning him for money.

"You had better wake up boy or you might go back to sleep while you're standing..." Wesley pulled Erik up so he was on his tip toes and looked him in the face. "That would be terrible wouldn't it? First you're up and next ya' know, you find yourself on the ground looking up at the sky." He dropped Erik, who fell to the ground, unable to support his weight quick enough. "Oops. Wittle Erik fall down go boom. Well get you're lazy ass up so we can get you started for work!" Wesley acted as if he had told a fabulous joke and started laughing wildly. "Hahaha! I can tell you this is going to be a wonderful day. You get to meet the boss, and then be introduced to you're adoring fans."

Erik had barely understood what Wesley said. He'd already given up on hope. Knowing that his mother had left him totally crushed his spirit, and now he was just a shell of a boy. But he knew that he'd better walk with Wesley before he was threatened with something painful. He trudged after Wesley out the back entrance of the red and yellow tent and followed him across a small grassy space and into a much bigger, brighter tent.

This had to be a very important person's tent. The ground was covered in intricately detailed Persian rugs, lavender filled the air, and the desks and tables in this tent were not simple and made for work. They were all a dark ebony wood, dragons wound their way around all the table legs, and, barely noticeable in the faint lantern light, golden wire had been laid into the edges of the wood into a dizzying swirl pattern. Everything gave off a safe, secure feeling, which Erik knew must be false. Finding a safe place in this hell would certainly be impossible. Right? Just as Erik was thinking about the probability of a safe haven in the circus, the thought was immediately incinerated.

A man had walked through the flap at the other side of the tent. Erik looked up to the man's face. He felt like crying right there. Just bursting into tears and banging his tiny fists into the ground. The man, he was so cold. He looked down at Erik and smirked. It was one of those smiles that makes you want to run away and cower in a dark corner. Erik almost did exactly like. He turned around and looked for the entrance he had used but before he could go anywhere Wesley had grabbed his arm firmly and turned him back around.

"Well that's no way to meet your new master. Say hi. Didn't your bitch mother teach you any manners?" Erik tried to say something, anything! But he could only manage a small whimper.

The man who had just entered the tent, sat down on an over stuffed seat cushion and motioned for the boy to sit in front of him. Scared to feel the man's wrath, Erik sat down where he pointed and looked down at the ground. He was too frightened to even look at the man.

"Well if you are mute then I guess I will do all the talking." Erik looked up into the man's pale face. "So, boy, I know Wesley and Blake have told you the reason you are at my circus. But you have yet to know what you will be doing as your job. I will not have you sitting around while I pay for your necessities." Erik almost felt a small burst of joy at those words. He thought maybe if he had work to do he could keep his mind off of his mother and the life he used to have. "What will I be doing, Sir?"

"Ahhh, so he does speak. Well boy, I'm in need of someone ugly." Erik became very confused. He was unaware that he was very ugly. He knew he wasn't a prince charming but he thought there must be boys uglier then he. Catching Erik's confused look the man said, "I do not mean normal ugliness. I mean deformed, oh my God what is that thing, ugliness." Erik was still confused. 'Why does he think I'm deformed?' Erik had grown up with no one pointing out his face and so he had never realized there was something different about him. His house had never had no mirrors. "But Sir, I still don't understand."

"Well it doesn't really matter. I don't care if you understand or not. I just thought you might like a head's up how people will treat you. But seeing as you are too stupid to comprehend anything maybe you should just start you're job and learn as you go. Don't scream too loud boy, wouldn't want people coming to the circus just to damage their ears." That last sentence had really bothered Erik. Why would he be screaming? And there was still the question about his deformed ugliness. Maybe the man had been right and he should just learn as he goes. What ever he had planned for Erik he would not learn what it was until it was later.

As he'd be thinking, Wesley had steered him away from the large tent and back into the small dirty tent his cage was in. Erik was suddenly frightened again. He did not want to go back in the cage. So dirty, and small. Erik looked up to Wesley with a pleading look on his face. His eyes held a silent question. "Yes you stupid little boy! Back into the cage. Or we'll start your work early!" Even though Erik didn't yet know what he was to be doing at the circus he knew that whatever could make Wesley grin like he had must not be good for him. So he crawled back into the rusty cage. Wesley placed a tiny plate filled with table scraps, like meat fat and dirty carrots, into the cage and locked it. Erik was starving so after briefly wondering if he would get sick from this, he grabbed the plate and ate all the disgusting scraps on it. Slightly less starving, but still miserable, he leaned up against the side of his cage and sat there. And drifted off into sleep filled with dreams of screaming.

thank you for reading. i appreciate.