Disclaimer: I do NOT own Cirque Du Freak or any of the character in the book. I Do own Celina and her mother.

Note: For this chapter to introduce the cirque and some of the many characters I used lines and things from the first book, just saying so you not like that looks SO familiar. Some things like speeches done for the cirque are word for word and then some scrambled and shortened. Further in the story I will not be using them again when the cirque performs. (not sure if I need to or not but I feel like I should write that note)

Chapter 2: The Cirque

More annoying then awaking to the sun glaring you in the face has got to be the sound of my mom squealing in my ear first thing in the morning.

"This looks SOOOO cool" she giggled happily twirling in my room.

"HOW do you always have so much energy in the morning" I groaned covering my ears.

"This cirque du freak thing looks AWSOME" She giggled. She always did have a habit of being a snooper. "How'd ya get these" she smiled happily fidgeting on my bed side

"Some tall guy gave them to me" I groaned sitting up. Her eyes just kept lighting up more.

"was he handsome" she cooed. Only she would be more interested in how hot the guy was then by the fact some stranger had given her tickets to see a show.

"I don't know it was dark" I sighed in defeat.

"We are so going" she giggled running around "one ticket for little Celina and one for big momma" she yelled happily when she was out of my room. It took me a few minuets before I started falling on the floor laughing, big momma? She had to be joking around like usual, for she was far from big. I briefly wondered why I didn't notice the second ticket but it was a passing thought. After eating breakfast we went and started unpacking. The next day was tediously the same thing eating and unpacking with mom running around like a chicken with her head cut off. Strange thing is with all her running about she never did fall but I somehow managed to trip, stub my toes, and cut myself with a knife when I tried to peel and apple. We decided to watch t.v. that we got set up yesterday. To rest so we would not fall asleep during the show. Mom would shut up about it. She liked seeing things that she'd never seen before; though the idea of seeing a bunch of people made fun of made my blood boil I doubt my mom would stand bye if she knew that part. She was fairly unaware of the world around her or so she seemed to be most the time. If she saw something like what most freak shows I heard of were like she'd be out there with an anything she could carry to bust them all lose but then after words ask to have tea with them.

Ding, ding, ding the clock had struck eleven and mom had gotten up to get properly dressed "I doubt they'll care how you dress mom" I laughed when she came out in jeans and a black tank top. 'what was wrong with the sweat pants' I briefly wondered.

"you go get dressed to, it would be rude to go in your sweat pants" she scolded

"but I'm so comfy like this" I groaned playfully but scampered upstairs to put on some cargo shorts and a tank top that had a jeweled black widow on it. "I'm ready" I smiled when I was at the stairs. Mom pulled me out of the house and started walking I just starred at her amused when she finally stopped and slowly turned around to stare at me innocently

"Where was it at again" she said in a sweet voice. I could only laugh

"like ten minuets past our house in the opposite direction" I laughed as she grabbed my arm and once again took off.

Finally reaching the old abandoned house my mom skipped happily to it not letting go of my hand. Greeted by the tall man from before he smiled, I could now see what he looked at from the slight light in the room for the performance. He had huge bony hands, eyes black as coal, and some missing teeth though what was left were also black , I briefly wondered if he ever brushed them, and his tongue was a strange shade of yellow, and he. Seemed taller then when I first ran into him. It was then that I realized how much light being in the room does strange 

things to how something or in this case someone looks. As we found our seats in the crowd of people and sat I looked around restlessly as my mom starred ahead in pure excitement, as the show started. We were in the first row, not sure if I was worried about that or not though. The excitement was getting fairly loud when trumpets started to play causing everyone to start shutting up. As the trumpets played over time they grew louder and louder and as they got louder it got darker and darker in the theater this lasted till the theater was pitch black and we couldn't see the hands in front of our faces. I rather enjoyed the darkness for some reason it calmed me but my mother on the other hand, was shivering. She had a phobia of the dark I never did know why, I suppose it was an irrational fear of hers. Green lights then flashed on and the trumpets stopped playing. Two little guys in blue hoods came waddling out pulling a sort of cage that was covered by a huge bearskin rug. As they reached the middle of the stage they dropped the ropes disappearing back behind the stage, the trumpets played three short notes quickly and the bearskin flew off revealing wolf man in the cage. He was shaking bars and roaring as the crowd screamed in fear, mom was the loudest though, but that could be that she was simply closer to me then everyone else. As I watched him in the cage I couldn't help but feel a bit sad for him being locked up in there but he was terrifying so I assume it wouldn't be safe to let him go either way. His eyes were yellow but the red of his teeth is what made my stomach churn the color that reminded me so much of blood; that was my phobia. His only garments were a small piece of cloth and the fur that covered his entire body. Mr. Tall then walked onto the stage close but not to close to the cage, wolfman still shaking and roaring aloud.

"Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the cirque du freak, home of the worlds most remarkable human beings." His low croaky voice echoing through the seats. "We are an ancient circus, and have toured for five hundred years, bringing the grotesque to generation after generation. Our line up has changed many times, but never our aim, which is to astound and terrify you! We present acts both frightening and bizarre, acts you can find nowhere else in the world." He then went on both explaining and warning "I'm sure there are people who came tonight thinking this is a joke. Maybe they thought our freaks would be people in masks, or harmless misfits. This is not so! Every act is real. Each performer tonight is real. Each performer is unique. And none are harmless." His speech ended as he walked off stage leaving many silent in awe, fear, excitement, and a few unreadable expression, I myself didn't know what to feel at this moment. Then two ladies walked up in shiny suits and unlocked the cage. My mom buried her head in her hands still trying to peak through, my expression was very shocked.

Wouldn't a being like that be too dangerous to let out I though in panic. One of the ladies then hypnotized the wolfman with her fingers, now if only I knew that trick to shut my annoying teachers up I thought happily .

"You must be very quiet" one said in what sounded like a foreign accent. "He won't be able to hurt you as long as we control him but a loud sound would wake him up and then he would be deadly!" she finished. They then lead him through the theater, he walked with a stoop, fingers lying around his knees. The whole time they kept warning people to be quiet as the walked by letting people pet his fur carefully, but never leaving his side. I did NOT pet him though neither did my mom, we liked keeping our hands. As they put the wolf man back in the cage and wheeled him out the next performer stepped up to the stage. This next one was a fairly…… large man. He then introduced himself.

"Hello I am Rhamus Twobellies, and I really have two bellies! I was born with them the same way some animals are. The doctors were stunned and said I was a freak. That's why I joined and am in this show tonight." The two ladies then came back on stage bringing two carts of food with them then leaving once more. A clock was then lowered down when he said "how long do you think it will take to eat all of this" the answers varied considerably the answers where all between thirty minuets to and hour. Everyone was shocked senseless when the clock revealed a tome of only four minuets and fifty-six seconds. That's NUTS! He then joked saying he could have used more dessert and everyone laughed and clapped in amazement. He then gave off a warning not to copy his next stunt and with good reason, the man started eating a glass statue for heaven's sake. He had what I would call a gut of steel. Well either way somehow after putting several things, that I know for a fact should NOT be put in a stomach, into his mouth and jiggling his stomach a bit he pulled out a chain with some of what he ate tied into it. A few small blue hooded people came out selling some stuff but didn't speak I tried to say thank you when my mother decided to bye like two of everything but they ignored me and went on about there business. Mr. Tall then 

came out telling us to not spend all our money right now and that there would be more novelties later, a bit late though. Luckily for mom she still had money for later, she was such a pack rat. Later on many others entered and did there show. A pretty lady named Truska came out which turned out to be the bearded lady, much to the surprise of everyone in the audience. Also a man called Carmac limbs, Alexander ribs, and Hans hands. There was supposed to be two more acts. Mr. Tall then walked back on stage

"Ladies and Gentlemen once again we ask that you remain calm and silent for out next act. It is a unique and perplexing one. It can also be dangerous so I ask you make no noise and do not clap until you are told it's safe." As he started walking of stage he shouted softly the name of the next freak to come on stage. "Mr. Crepsley, Master Shan and Madam Octa!" As the lights dimmed a creepy looking man walked onto the stage with a grim but slightly good looking kid. My attention was automatically on now. My mother seemed bored by this one though, she was so weird. The man was tall and thin with pale skin and a bit of contrasting orange hair tat was on the top of his head. A large scar ran down his cheek. The boy on the other hand, was skinny and didn't look like he was yet to grow into his full potential maybe a few inches taller then me. He was paler the Mr. Crepsley though, that was for sure, his dark hair was falling in his eyes a bit, his face looked grim. He then started talking about not all tarantulas being poisonous but that some are deadly.

"Though the tarantulas that can kill are rare I have one such spider." He then had the who must've been mast shan to open the spider door. The spider did many tricks as Master shan played a flute. I really wanted to know his first name though he seemed a bit young to be called master. The green and purple spider did a web over Mr. Crepsely's mouth and my stomach churned once more, I liked spiders but not enough to let them do that, though he seemed to enjoy the taste. That was his last trick when Mr. Tall came back on as they left announcing the end of the show. As we all walked tawords the exit a giant snake came out of what seemed like nowhere hissing and flicking it's forked tongue, beautiful and deadly were the words that came to mind upon the site. Everyone started screaming and running in panic, complete chaos, or at least till a thin boy came out with yellow green hair and very thin. He then charmed the snake wrapping her long body around his after slithering up to her on his belly.

"AND THAT LADIES ND GENTLEMEN IS THE REAL END OF THE SHOW!" Mr. Tall yelled from the stage as the snake-boy moved to the side to let people through. I over heard some people saying they wanted autographs but there was no place to meet the performers when I looked around to find my mom she was next to Mr. Tall smiling like always saying something when he nodded. We were the only ones left in the room.

" Hey mom, you shouldn't leave me like that" I said walking up to her. She simply smiled

"Celina were joining the cirque" she squealed. The only thing running through my head at that moment was, what in the world was this crazy lady thinking and when did she decide this. Mr. Tall stood there analyzing my facial expression silently as my mom spun squealing happily as I stood I shock. We had JUST moved here, and were already going to do it again. I then did something that I thought only happened in old bad movies, I fainted. As my world went black I don't really remember hitting the ground but I do remember a few worried words.

"Hon! ARE YOU OK?!" was the last words I remembered and the feeling of someone's warm chest holding me from falling.

I really hope your liking the story so far. I also ask if you guys could review for I have no other means of telling if you like the story or not. I'd like to know what I'm doing right and wring in your opinion so I can work harder to becoming a better writer.