A/N:Sorry for taking so long to complete this, I had some troubles while working on this. In apology, I've decided to upload this chapter today and tomorrow, I'll be uploading the third and finally part of this tale! I hope you all enjoy!

"Well, it's so obvious, then I don't see why I need to continue my story. It's obvious that you don't need my help figuring out why Mr. Nobody is so angry with Mr. Tophat, then," Cassidy snapped. She then stood and turned to leave the meeting.

Rachel sprang up at the sight.

"No!" she cried out, putting her hands out to stop her. Cassidy paused in her movement and looked at the younger girl. "Please, Cassidy. We want to know what happened. We promise not to interrupt anymore. Right, guys?" The teens rapidly nodded their heads in an effort to prevent Cassidy's department.

"Sorry, Cassidy. I promise no to talk until the stories over," Graham apologized, looking down in regret of his mistake. Cassidy looked at him critically but then sighed.

"Alright, where was I?" she wondered as she sat down once more.

Nicolet's eyes widened in fear and recognition as she realized where they were headed for. She quickly stepped in front of her friends and faced them.

"You told me that the carnival wouldn't be scary!" she screeched, causing people to look in their direction with curious stares.

"Yeah?" Julie scoffed. They moved a few steps forward in the line

"It's the Carnival of Doom!" she yelled, pointed her finger at the sign saying the name. The others looked at the sign and then at her.

"So?" Connor raised his brow.

"The point of the Carnival of Doom is to scare people!" Nicolet hissed back. Betty's eyes widened as this was the first time she ever saw the girl so livid and fierce.

"How would you even know that?" Julie asked. The line then shifted once more, causing the group to move.

"Because I've been to the Carnival of Doom. Several times in fact," she explained.

"I thought you hated carnivals," Connor said in a mocking voice. Nicolet shot him a glare, causing the teasing smile on the boy's faces to vanish.

"I do, and this place is the reason why," she replied. The group moved once more, moving closer and closer to the entrance.

"Why would you going there repeatedly then if you hate it so much?" Julie asked. Nicolet huffed and looked away into the distance before answering.

"My dad knows the owner," she admitted.

"Your crazy father is friends with the owner of the carnival?" Betty asked in disbelief. Nicolet snorted at the question.

"One, my dad's not crazy. And two, friends wouldn't be the words I would describe their relationship," she answered. Then under her breath, low enough so they couldn't hear her, "villain and victim would be more like it."

"So, what? Are you saying you want to leave? If so, you're on your own because we're not leaving just because you don't like the carnival," Julie explained. Nicolet sighed and thought over her options as the line moved. Finally, she looked at her friends.

"You promise you won't let anything bad happen?" she asked, looking her friend in the eyes.

"I promise," Julie answered back, match her stare. Nicolet held the look for a moment more before breaking it and nodding.

"Ok, I'll stay then," she finally agreed. She then turned to face the head of the line, just in time to watch as the people ahead of them entered the carnival and the ticket-taker called out for the next people. The group moved forward and turned to face him. The ticket-taker looking down at them behind a pair of sunglasses and a face full of clown make-up. His eyes seemed to come to rest on Nicolet, as he smiled at her.

"Little Nicolet! Been a while since you and your family's been here!" he declared, leaning forward and to take a closer look at her, flipping up his tinted lens to reveal a set of brown eyes from behind them

"Yeah, well, dad's still upset over what happened the last time we were here," she replied, ignoring the looks her friends gave her. She gave him a smile and handed him her admission money. He gladly took it and turned back to the others, his smile vanished and he held out his hand for their money. The group quickly handed over theirs, causing him to give them a smile as well.

"Enjoy!" he said. The friends quickly made their way away from him, unsettled by his presence. As they walked away, Nicolet looked back over her shoulder, watching as the clown leaned forwards and watching them walk away. He flipped up his glasses, causing Nicolet shutter as she took in his true set of eyes, or should she said his lack of any.

("Just like in Rachel's story!"

"Shut up, Graham!"

"Sorry.")

Nicolet quickly turned away as the man gave her a devious smile and flipped them back down as he leaned back to face the next guests. Betty and the boys looked over at her with curious looks.

"what happened the last time you were here?" she asked excitedly.

"Let's just say my dad wasn't happy with the owner for trying to make me part of the show," she answered, doing jazz hands at the end.

"Cool," Maxwell said as he shared an awed look with Connor. Just then, the announcement system came to life.

"Will all guest make their way for the large tent in the middle of the carnival. The opening show will begin shortly," a baritone voice announced over the system. Julie shared a look with Bettie, Connor, and Maxwell before looking over at Nicolet.

"Nicolet, will you go get us some popcorn for the show? We'll save you a seat," she sweetly asked. Nicolet gave her a look but nodded her head. As she headed for the nearest concession stand, the rest gave each other smiles as they headed for the tent.

Nicolet arrived at the tent by the time most of the other guests were already in their seats. She looked around for her friends for a moment before finally seeing them wave at her from the middle of the left row. She quickly made her way over and handed them each their bags of popcorn.

"Thanks, Nicolet!" Bettie cheerfully said as she ate a few kernels. Nicolet nodded in acceptance and sat down as the lights dimmed and a one-armed man stood in the middle of the show area.

"Ladies and Gentlemen! My name is Bartholomew!" Bartholomew bellowed into his microphone. "It is with great honor I present to you, a man known by many names. A man who is a friend to no one man! Mr. Tophat!" He turned and waved his only hand with the mic in hand to the curtains hanging in the back of the tent. The spotlights overhead followed his wave to shine bright on the area. Slowly, a man appeared from behind the curtains, keeping his face hidden underneath his large top hat. He slowly made his way to the center, with each step he took, he slammed the golden tipped cane in his left hand down and with it, the audience stomped their feet as well. When he finally reached the center, he gave the crowd a smile.

"Welcome one and all! Ladies and gentlemen. Goblins and ghouls. Witches and warlocks! I welcome you to the show of your nightmares. Where everything that goes bump in the night comes to life! Welcome to the Carnival of Doom!" Mr. Tophat greeted, his voice rising higher and higher as he went until finally becoming a shout. He threw out his hands, and with so, revealed his face. Mr. Tophat was a handsome man with rich brown curls and enchanting pale green eyes. He wore a red velvet coat over a black shirt and a pair of gold and black sequined trousers. His eyes scanned over the crowd, taking in the faces of his audience. His eyes came to rest on Nicolet, his smile widened as he chuckled to himself. "It's always so nice to see a familiar face in the crowd." he cooed as he watched her nervous face. He finally looked away to look over the rest of the crow once more. "Tonight, you will see things that make frighten you. That may shake you to your core. But know this. No matter how scary it may all seem. It's all. part. of. the. show!" He ticked off each word with a finger in his free hand. Nicolet whispered the words along with him as he did. She watched entrancing all the whole spiel, reliving the memories of each previous time she came and watched him perform. "I welcome you all to enjoy yourselves tonight. As you ride the rides and have the living daylights out of you, remember to just have fun! And always remember It's all.." he then pointed to the crowd, prompting them to repeat his previous words.

"Part of the show!" they all cried out. As they did, Nicolet felt something tickle her shoulder. Thinking one of her friends wanted to say something, she turned to look over. Crawling along her shoulder was a bunch of different bugs. Her sight flickered down her arm as she noticed more and more bugs scattered all over her side, finally coming to a rest on her bag of popcorn, which now had its own bugs sprinkled on top of it. She let out a terrified scream at the sight of them, jumping up in her seat and frantic to get them off of her and away from the disgusting creatures. The sounds of her friends' laughter froze her in her place, causing her to look up with tears in her eyes as they all laughed at her expense.

"Aw, what's wrong? Is little Nicky scared of some little bugs?" Julie sneered with delight.

"Yeah, is little Nicky going to cry for her daddy?" Connor joined in. They all began to throw jabs at her, each word feeling like a punch to the gut. She looked around her and took in the sight of the people surrounding them. Some looked over with sympathy as they heard the things the other children were saying. Some were laughing with them, enjoying her reaction. Others looked on with anger or annoyance in their eyes, most at the rude children who made her scream and some at her for interrupting the show. Mr. Tophat and Bartholomew were one of the ones who looked on with anger in their eyes, knowing fully well who she was and how easily frightened she can be. Unable to take it all anymore, Nicolet turned and hurried away out of the tent, ignoring the sounds of people calling after her as she did.

Nicolet sat in a curled ball hidden away from the sight of the other patrons, sobbing into her hands.

"Are you alright there, my child?" a voice asked from behind her. Nicolet let out a small scream as she jumped in surprise at the sudden appearance. Standing not far from her was a man. He was an older gentleman, his graying black hair making him seem older than Mr. Tophat but younger than her father. His outfit seemed slightly outdated, reminding much of Mr. Bartholomew's clothing. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to frighten you."

"I'm fine," she answered with a sniffle. He gave her a gentle smile and held out a handkerchief. "Thank you," she said as she took the offered handkerchief and dabbed her eyes with it.

"That was quite a terrible thing your friends did to you back there. Who in their right mind would pull something like that?" he shook his head. Nicolet shrugged her shoulders and looked at the handkerchief in her hands.

"It's not like it's anything new. Everything scares me and they know that. Seeing me scared even makes them laugh," she replied. The man frowned at the admission.

"That's no excuse. You can't help the way you are," he defended, causing Nicolet to become even more upset.

"I don't want to be so scared, though! I just want to have friends and Julie says that nobody wants to be friends with scaredy-cat!" Nicolet cried to the man. The man sat there with her with a sympathetic look in his eyes.

"There's nothing wrong with being scared, my dear," he consoled. "You don't deserve to be so mistreated by people who are supposed to be there for you when you are scared." Nicolet then studied the man for a moment.

"Who even are you?" she finally asked. He paused for a second before smiling to himself.

"My name is Mr. Nobody," he answered and held out his hand. Nicolet frowned at the answer.

"Mr. Nobody? What kind of name is that?" she asked, causing him to chuckle.

"Because, as you said, nobody wants to be friends with a scaredy-cat, and I, myself, would be delighted to be your 'scaredy-cat' self's friend. So, I'm Nobody, Mr. Nobody!" he said with delight. She stared at him before breaking out into laughter, finally taking his outstretched hand and shaking it.

"Well then, It's a pleasure to meet you Mr. Nobody," she greeted. "My name is Nicolet."

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Nicolet, my dear little tadpole," he greeted back.

"Tadpole?" she giggled.

"Well, from how you reacted to my presence, I would say you're jumpy like a frog, but seeing as you're only a child, you're nothing more than a little tadpole, my little tadpole," he explained. Nicolet gave him a look before laughing again.

"You're weird, but I like that," she replied. He gave her a bright smile and stood up.

"I think it's about time we returned to this little carnival. I think I heard someone else calling out your name as well no long before I happened upon you," he said, holding out his hand to help her up. With a moment of hesitation, Nicolet took his hand stood as well. They moved back to the open area of the carnival grounds and stepped apart. "Well, It was a pleasure to meet you, tadpole. As much as I would like to spend more time with you, I have things I have to see to." Nicolet frowned and looked to the ground in disappointment at her having to say goodbye so soon. Quickly, a finger placed itself under her chin to lift her gaze once more. Mr. Nobody gave her a small smile. "I look forward to when we meet again. Until then, farewell my little tadpole." The nickname brought a smile to her smile.

"Goodbye, Mr. Nobody," she replied. With that, he began to walk away towards the exit. Focused on watching him go, Nicolet was not expecting a hand grabbing onto her shoulder. She let out a small shout and spun around.

"Nicolet!" Bartholomew said in relief. "Mr. Tophat has been looking everywhere for you. Come along, he'll be happy to know that we found you." Without letting her respond, he began to guide her towards the back of the grounds, where the crew's trailers all rested. Soon they arrived at Tophat's trailer and Bartholomew knocked on the door.

"Enter!" A voice called from inside. Bartholomew quickly opened the door and pulled Nicolet inside with him. Mr. Tophat was seated at his vanity, his signature top hat and cane rested upon the couch behind him. He lifted his head from where it was resting in his hands, the exhaustion on his face was quickly replaced with delight when he saw Nicolet before him. "Nicky! We've been looking everywhere for you!"

"So I've heard. Why?" She answered in return, glancing out of the corner of her eyes towards Bartholomew before looking at him again.

"Why? After that nasty little incident back at the tent, how could we not look for you! We just wanted to make sure you were alright!" Tophat replied in false sincerity. Nicolet couldn't help but rolled her eyes.

"Well, I'm ok, so now that we have that all settled, I should be going," she gave a fake smile and tried to turn and leave, but Bartholomew held tight to her shoulder.

"Now, now. There's no rush! It's been so long since we last saw each other, why don't we catch up," Mr. Tophat smiled back. He waved for her to sit on the couch. Seeing as she had no other choice, she complied. As she sat, she studied the cabin. Everything was in the same place as they were since the last time she was here, although, now taped to the upper right of the vanity's mirror was a picture of a smiling young woman.

"Who's that?" She pointed to the picture. Looking up to where she was pointing, the smile on Tophat's face fell.

"No one, no one that matters. Not anymore at least," he said, a flash of sorrow appearing in his eyes as he looked to it. Turning to bring his attention back to her, he placed his hands on his knees and leaned forward. "Now, let's talk about those brats from the show."

"My friends?" She offered. The reply seemed to catch him off guard, shock showing on his face.

"Those were your friends?!" He said. Nicolet let out a sigh.

"They were the only people who were willing to be, though I'm starting to reconsider it," she replied.

"Friends are overrated anyway, there's a reason I'm known as the friend of no man. No offense Bartholomew," Tophat turned to look at his companion.

"None taken," Bartholomew returned. Tophat smiled brightly at him before turning back to her.

"Now, do you want me to steal away one of them? I'm sure they would make a fine addition to my carnival," he gave her a wicked smile.

"No!" She quickly replied, fear squeezing her heart. "You know I hate it when you take someone I know! I would never forgive myself if you did and I let it happen!" Mr. Tophat raised his hands to pacify her.

"Fine then, I'll look somewhere else for a new employee. Now, let's call your husband and see if he can come pick you up now," he said, waving Bartholomew away so he can go complete the task.

"I'll have to find the others and tell them I won't be going home with them then," Nicolet moved to go, but Tophat quickly raised his hand to stop her.

"No need. After what happened, we threw them out of the carnival. Bartholomew heard one of the girls calling her mother to come pick them up and said you were staying later here," he said. She then sat down and nodded. "So, while we wait, how have you been? It's been a while since you were last here."

"Who's fault is that? You were the one who tried to nab me and make me one of your workers," Nicolet replied coldly.

"Fair point. I apologize, I was in a bad mood after having an argument with your father about my curse."

"He still refusing to help lift it?" She frowned deeply when he nodded in answer.

"Claims there's nothing he can really do. Won't even try to see if he can help," he admitted. Before Nicolet could reply, the door opened and Bartholomew stepped inside.

"The false prophet is on his away to pick young Nicolet up, her father is, unfortunately, busying with something in his lab," Bartholomew said. Tophat nodded and clapped his hands.

"Well then, until next time, Nicky. Take care," he waved her away and turned back to his mirror, busying himself with other things. Nicolet gave him and nodded moved towards the door. She paused in the doorway briefly and turned to look back at the ringmaster.

"Perhaps, one day when I'm older, I can see if I can free you from this curse," she offered.

"Perhaps," Tophat returned without looking away from his table. Nicolet nodded to herself and turned back to Bartholomew. With silent nods, the pair walked away into the night, towards the entrance where they will wait for her uncle's arrival.

A/N:Mr. Nobody finally appears, but there seems to be more to him than meets the eye! I'll have final part uploaded by tomorrow night and afterwards, I'll try to resume my Sunday upload schedule. Fingers crossed that I'll be ability to stick to it!