Chapter 2- Snicker Doodles
Day to day life in Haly's Circus suited Jerome, the nights were busy and hectic as the performers drew in the locals of each new town with their wild and wonderful acts, but this meant the days were quiet and left the young outcast with a wealth of time to himself.
As usual Jerome was hidden away in a crawl space beneath his mother's caravan, his lean body curled up behind the box containing his mother's beloved snake, a favourite hideout from his family and the rest of the circus folk. He fiddled with a piece of paper, turning it and flippantly folding it doodling along the creases with a red pen with little care or concentration.
"Hi Sadie." He speaks casually without looking up as the scruffy blonde appears under the axel behind him, she is light footed with her fragile frame but Jerome can always sense her presence for some reason. She crawls over him in the confined space pulling herself into a crossed legged position opposite the red headed boy, her back leant against the glass of the snake tank.
The pair sit quietly, Sadie taps lightly on the glass as the head of the giant serpent bobs gently towards her, she blows soft kisses at the scaled face and gets a little more comfortable in the dirt resting her giant work man's boots across Jerome's lap casually. Still fiddling carelessly with his paper Jerome throws a glance at his guest "Nice shiner," he speaks flatly with little show of concern or surprise. Sadie tips her head forward a little allowing her straggly hair to drop forward unconvincingly hiding the fresh purple bruise around her left eye.
"Wanna have some fun?" Sadie looks at Jerome expectantly as she changes the subject but he ignores her and continues fiddling. Sadie kicks him hard in the stomach knocking the pen and paper out of his hands. "Hey!" he shouts angrily pushing her feet violently off his legs as he reaches for the fallen items, but Sadie is quick and scoops up the paper before he has chance to retrieve it.
"What's this?" She says nosily pulling at the creases and folds roughly but Jerome does not bite.
"It's just some crap of Jeremiah's, one of those stupid puzzles he's always making," he rolls back over into the dirt putting the pen behind his ear.
"Ooh, you just wrecking it for fun then? Saw the brain-box over by Ring Master's camp, such a suck up." Sadie gestures over to the far side of the camp.
"No, look," Jerome snatches the paper back from Sadie's skinny fingers, he unfolds it to show a complex pattern created by the creases which he has highlighted with the red pen, a beautiful crimson weaving through the pencil maze on the paper. "It's not a 2D maze you see, you have to imagine how you would move if you were in there, how each corner would alter your direction and perspective, it's pretty simple really, and he's not as clever as you think." Jerome screws up the maze and tosses it to the ground.
"He is, but you're just as clever as him you know" Sadie speaks frankly like she is stating a fact of little importance as she scoops up the crumpled paper smoothing it out and peering at the clever folds "You know most people would never solve this, you two think the same, I can see it, you're just not as boring as him, you know how to have fun Jerome, but I think you still might be a genius" Sadie loses interest in the maze and throws it back down to the floor, "in fact lets go and have some fun now, what do ya say? I'm hungry, fancy hitting the Chuck Wagon?" she peers at him with a theatrically sad face as she rubs her stomach.
Jerome looks at Sadie with a mischievous glint in his eye, "Well it is Snicker Doodle day, and I do owe Uncle Zak a little pay back, come on let's go!" Jerome crawls out followed by an excited Sadie.
The Chuck Wagon is a huge silver trailer with rounded sides and a large hatch on the side for serving the circus workers their main meals. The hatch is currently closed and Uncle Zak can just be seen through one of the small windows chopping and preparing for the lunch time service. He wears a white vest and a dirty apron, sweat collecting on his ginger goatee in the heat of the kitchen.
Jerome and Sadie cower behind the strongman's trailer opposite, a painting of a large black man with the name 'Lunkhead' underneath adorns the side of the vehicle, his image standing proud in a leopard print leotard holding two giant dumbbells. They creep around the strongman's trailer just out of view of the Chuck Wagon windows, cowering close and giggling. They stop both stooped over hidden slightly by the last wheel arch.
Sadie goes to lean forward to take a peak but is forced back hard by Jerome's forearm as he pushes her back against the trailer.
"Ow, watch it, you're stronger than you look J" Sadie screws up her face but allows herself to be held back as Jerome puts his finger to his lips with an angry look.
Jerome peeks fractionally round the metal of the wheel arch and watches Zak chopping away, the grotesque man makes the boy feel nauseous, the deep seated hate bubbling away inside. He catches Sadie looking at him with a vague air of concern on her usually uncaring face, he forces the anger deep down and plasters a wide grin across his face and winks at Sadie trying to disguise Uncle Zak's effect on him. The look seems to do the trick as Sadie begins to grin back with a menacing smirk.
Jerome watches for a few minutes, the two youths holding their positions silently, eventually the fat chef turns to retrieve something from the far side of the Chuck Wagon turning away from the window. Jerome does not hesitate, grabbing little Sadie by the lapels of her leather jacket with one firm hand he drags her in a quick dash across the space between the trailer and the metal Chuck Wagon. He almost throws her down against the steel under the window just in time as Zak promptly returns to work.
The pair crouch motionless, backs pressed hard against the Chuck Wagon both looking up to the window even though they can no longer see inside. Jerome tilts his head to angle his ear up to the slightly open window listening carefully to the chop, chop, chop escaping through the greasy frame.
Sadie looks at Jerome, watching the concentration on his freckled face waiting for a signal. The chopping suddenly stops and Jerome can make out the familiar sound of the cutlery drawer opening and a hand fumbling around the knives and forks. He turns to Sadie giving her a little nod, she knows the drill, Zak stashes his cigarettes in the cutlery drawer and would soon be leaving the wagon to go on his cigarette break.
Sure as anything moments later they feel the gentle rock of the wagon as Zak's hefty body stomps down the steps out of the back, they wait a few moments and shuffle silently to the front of the vehicle. Jerome climbs up nimbly onto the tail bar and eases himself slowly higher to take a peek through the large window above. He waves Sadie up and she carefully places her feet just in front of Jerome's so they share the tiny space of the tail bar, she pushes herself up to the window, her back touching Jerome's front as they balance. Stood this close it is obvious to see how small Sadie is compared to the lean young red head, despite their similar age she stands almost a head below him, his arms seeming quite large wrapped around her to hold onto the rim of the front window.
The excited pair peep through the glass from their balanced perch, each with a playful excitement on their face adrenaline pumping through their veins, Uncle Zak is visible out the back door some 25 feet away smoking a cigarette with his back to the interior. Sadie gestures over to the nearby work surface where a tray of oat flapjacks stand cooling.
Jerome reaches over little Sadie's blonde tangles and gently pops the window open, they both freeze at the tiny noise but Zak remains undisturbed. Jerome lifts the window out further and agilely climbs through, delicately manoeuvring around his partner in crime as he does. He pulls himself onto the counter into a crouch and lowers himself down to the floor silently, swiftly he gathers a handful of flapjacks handing them back out of the front window to an eagerly awaiting Sadie.
Jerome and Sadie share a mischievous smile, the ginger thief begins to head back, taking a last glimpse to check his Uncle is still out back, he notices a red spotted tea cloth draped over a mound on a counter nearer the middle of the kitchen and stops his retreat, now intrigued by the mystery food. Sadie shakes her head and beckons for him to come back but Jerome just smirks at her cowardice and begins to tip toe towards the cloth. He makes it undetected and lifts up the material apprehensively, a gleam of joy swells across his pale face as tray of warm snicker doodles are revealed.
Zak takes another deep drag on his cigarette and Jerome grabs a few of the cookies, slowly he heads back to Sadie the warm cookies grasped in his hands and a look of pride as he smiles to his accomplice raising his eyebrows cockily. Sadie mimes hurry up and Jerome makes it to the front and begins to carefully clamber onto the counter, just as he starts to turn to start his escape Zak coughs a loud tarred choke making Jerome jump, this tiny flinch sees his foot move just slightly and clip a metal sugar shaker that rests on the side. As if in slow motion the criminal pair helplessly watch the shaker topple off the counter and hit the floor, the clatter like a siren in the silent kitchen wagon.
Jerome grimaces, not a look of fear but a dark knowing of what will come, he lunges out of the window striking fast as viper towards Sadie, pushing her hard toppling her off the trailer tow bar sending her flying. She looks up at him, helpless, she inches back towards him but his face flares with rage as he mouths the words 'GO! HIDE!' with a terrifying anger that Sadie dare not disobey, so she runs.
Jerome turns his body on the counter and Zak is already standing next to him, an evil wide smile pulled taught across his face. The boy jolts towards the open window, he has to at least attempt an escape but the shovel like hand of Zak grabs hard at his skinny ankle, a hard tug back and the red headed boy hits the floor of the Chuck Wagon with a thud. Jerome instinctively puts his hands up to deflect a barrage of punches; he feels one land particularly firmly on his eye socket and instantly finds it much harder to see. The fists keep beating at his face and body, Jerome blocks what he can until the fat sadist finally slows and stops, the boy waits, knowing better than to make any sudden moves.
Panting, Zak raises up to tower over the battered and bruised boy laughing as Jerome cowers still in a protective ball.
"Stealing again are we nephew? You little shit, you never learn huh?" Zak wipes the sweat from his brow with his reddened knuckles and bends down grabbing Jerome by the throat "Well what shall I do with you now then? Gotta teach you a lesson don't I, can't say as I don't enjoy it though Jerome."
Zak drags the injured boy up by his throat choking him as he does, Jerome grabs uselessly at his Uncle's strong hand as he splutters and coughs, blood from his busted eye and lip pouring down his purple blotched face. The merciless chef drags the boy down the length of the Chuck Wagon halting at the stove where various pots bubble and steam cooking away.
"So, are you hungry Jerome? Maybe you think you can just take what you want? Well let me see if I can't stem your appetite a little?" Zak uses his free hand to waft the steam from the nearest bubbling pot into his face, pulling a delighted look of approval, "Oh yes, chicken stock, this should do the trick don't you think nephew?" with this Zak pulls the boys face down into the steam, holding him inches away from the bubbling liquid, Jerome squirms in panic while Zak laughs heartily at the boys dread. Zak pulls the child's head back sharply still gripping his now aching throat tightly.
"You are a useless kid Jerome, a bloody embarrassment to your poor mother, a pathetic little worm, and it gives me great pleasure to do everyone a favour and teach your sorry as a lesson or two." Zak spits venomously into Jerome's face with real hatred. Jerome musters his last ounce of self respect and in that moment stops fighting and spits right in his Uncle's greasy face, a giant globule of saliva and blood landing smack into the man's fat face, a proud smile leaking wide across his young battered face revealing his blood soaked teeth, an unsettling cackle defiantly escapes from his restricted throat.
Zak stands seething clearly thrown by his nephew's lack of fear, he furiously wipes the spit and blood from his face as the boy continues to laugh uncontrollably in his grasp. Jerome catches a glimpse of blonde tangles lurking by the back door of the Chuck Wagon over his Uncle's shoulder, but just then Zak seems to make a decision and grips Jerome's wrist with his free hand, lifting the boy up by his throat he moves him to the pan of chicken stock holding the kids hand above the bubbling liquid. Jerome tenses trying to hold his hand back as best he can but he feels the spits of boiling liquid splatter on his skin as bubbles pop next to his hand. He looks his Uncle straight in the eye, defiant and enraged, for the first time he refuses to be a victim even if he can't win.
Zak stares back with a heartless grin and without breaking eye contact forces his nephew's hand into the boiling liquid. Jerome wants to scream with every inch of his body but he looks straight at Sadie and grits his teeth growling beneath, with every ounce of self control he refuses to scream, he will not cry, he will not give Zak the satisfaction. Sadie stares back deep into Jerome's eyes, no pity, no sympathy, but a dark understanding, she seems to turn off emotionally as if the violence is all too normal, but this is what Jerome needs as he disengages from the pain taking his mind somewhere else until the moment is over and Zak throws him to floor.
"Now get out!" Zak kicks Jerome as he scrambles out of the back door holding his scolded hand to his chest.
Jerome runs through the camp and into the back of the big top tent, it is dark inside and the animals can be heard from their pens, he heads straight for the elephants in the gloom at the back and thrusts his hand deep into their giant water trough, panting and grimacing at the stinging cold.
He collapses next to the trough keeping his hand submerged, his breathing starts to slow down as he calms, he knows Sadie is there in the dark. She shuffles out slowly taking a seat next him on the ground. They sit there silently for a while, Jerome eventually turns his uninjured hand towards Sadie opening up his palm to reveal two slightly crumbled snicker doodles. Sadie takes a cookie and they sit there in the quiet darkness and eat.