The Cirque was hot and lively. Bright colours lit up the early morning sky, covering the pinkish clouds with vibrant reds and yellows. Flags and buntings decorated the campsite, hanging between colourful caravans and gaudy tents. As it was very early morning, the site was empty but signs of its inhabitants were littered everywhere. Flyers for the Cirque blew about Rose's feet in the wind and burnt scorch marks on the ground were the only signs of the previous night's campfires. Now and again, Rose thought she caught sight of someone watching her but when she turned to face them, they disappeared. She reasoned it was the early morning light playing tricks on her and ignored it until Mr Tall caught one by the scruff of its neck and ordered it to find Mr Crepsley. Rose stared at it in astonishment and disgust. The little monster was wearing a mask covering most of its face a cloak hiding its body but she could clearly see two bright green eyes watching her and the skin around it was patched and discoloured as though someone had sewn bits of old material together to make it a face. She dodged it as it ran through her legs and off into the distance as soon as it was dropped.

"To my tent," ordered Mr Tall, "the rest of you can rest now. Larten and I will take over from here."

The rest of the group sighed in relief and separated although one or two of them glanced over their shoulders to watch the girl being led away. Rose shrugged he man's hand off her shoulder. She did not want him to be nice to her; it made it harder to dislike him. The inside of his tent was dull and plain, unlike its vibrant exterior. She sat down heavily on a comfy looking chair in the corner and closed her eyes. She was exhausted and was beginning to feel hungry again.

"Drink?" Offered Mr Tall from across the room.

"Any blood?" asked Rose audaciously without even opening her eyes.

"Didn't think so," she sighed when her request was met by silence. Just then, a cold breeze drifted through the tent, let in by a man opening the entrance.

"Hibernious," said the man, greeting his friend. Rose tittered at the man's strange name, alerting the visitor to her presence. She stood up by way of greeting but he barely acknowledged her. Instead, he turned to Mr Tall.

"You brought her here?"

"I thought it safest."

"Safest? This could be a trap! Perhaps they know that Darren is-" The man named Crepsley stopped, certain he'd said too much already in front of the young Vampaneze. He turned slowly to see her facing him with her hands on her hips.

"I'm still right here," she snapped, gesturing at her position. Mr Crepsley walked forward and grabbed her shoulders.

"Who sent you here? Was it Mr Tiny?"

"Larten," said Mr Tall warningly. Rose blushed furiously at the man's impertinence. How dare he touch her! She wrinkled her nose and pushed the Vampire away from her.

"Gerroff! Mr who? I wasn't sent here, I was taken here! Against my will!" She added looking at Mr Tall meaningfully. Mr Crepsley studied Rose's face. Underneath the dirt which covered her face, she was pale apart from her blush. Her eyes had faded back to a hazel colour with only a hint of pink.

"When was your last meal?" He asked suddenly.

"What?" Said both Rose and Mr Tall in unison. Mr Crepsley turned to face to Mr Tall and spoke in a hurried tone.

"She's getting hungry Hibernious. She could get dangerous. Allow me to send Darren- I mean..." He trailed off helplessly.

"Evra?" Mr Tall offered.

"Evra to fetch my blood vials," he finished. Rose waited patiently while he went to find Erva. It was clear Mr Crepsley was trying to hide something from her. She planned to question him on his return. Meanwhile, to avoid awkward conversation with Mr Tall, she took her seat again and amused herself by letting her eyes wander around his tent. The room was filled with small, personal items whose only value was sentimental. There were several photo frames dotted around the place with pictures of him and various freaks. Rose found them oddly fascinating but grotesque. Out of the corner of her eye, Rose caught Mr Tall watching her. She quickly adjusted her expression and flashed him a broad smile however he interpreted it as something of a threat and quietly backed away. Fortunately, Mr Crepsley chose that moment to return and so Rose was saved from any apologies.

"Shouldn't be long," he said clasping his hands. Rose panicked as she noticed him turn to walk away from her. She had so many questions!

"Wait," she breathed, standing up. The two men turned to look at her in surprise.

"Err, I, um," Rose suddenly found herself unable to choose just one of the many questions that were currently swimming around her mind.

"Who are you?" she settled for. She saw Mr Crepsley almost crack a smile before his solemn and somewhat stern expression returned.

Mr Tall?" He offered, letting the tall man go first. Rose listened in awe while the man introduced the Cirque du Freak to her and told her of its history and stance in the ongoing Vampire/Vampaneze war.

"Completely neutral," he finished with a proud smile. Rose was impressed by his bravery. In her opinion it seemed safer to choose a side to be protected by however the Cirque clearly thought that by stepping out of the ring, it would avoid the fight and merely watch it take place. A little sceptical, Rose assumed the Cirque would eventually get sucked in sooner or later, especially since they were currently hosts to both a Vampire and a half - Vampaneze.

"My turn," said Mr Crepsley sarcastically. Rose did not appreciate his tone. In her opinion, the man seemed rude, arrogant and sardonic however she sat back and listened to his side of the story. Mr Crepsley explained how strained the relationship between the Vampires and the Vampaneze were and how her intrusion at the camp threatened the peace they currently held. More than a little offended, Rose pointed out that she hadn't wanted to come to the Cirque but Mr Crepsley interrupted her.

"Irrelevant girl. The point is you're here now and we can't risk the peace we have."

"Or the Cirque's neutral stance," added Mr Tall.

"Right," agreed Mr Crepsley, although he seemed less bothered about that part, "Rose, we need to know about your history. Why did you run away? Could it be possible that they're looking for you?"

Rose glared at the floor and ignored the prickling feeling behind her eyes, aware that the bridge of her nose suddenly felt tender. Sadness overwhelmed her as she remembered her final moments with Steve. The argument had been immense, they'd screamed at each other until their throats were raw. She'd accused him of being a murderer, a monster, a soulless killer. He'd reacted by throwing things, breaking the room around them. Their fight had echoed in the dungeons around them where they'd been staying. Rose shivered as she recalled how horrible the conditions had been down there; damp, dark and dismal with the stench of death filling her nostrils. Her short time spent among the Vampaneze had been a far cry from the adventures Steve had promised her. Bitter disappointment ached within her as she longed for the Steve she had known in her previous life. Looking up, Rose was aware the two men were still watching her carefully.

"He won't come after me," she choked, "I ran away for lots of reasons. You don't need to be concerned. He – they won't try to find me."

Mr Tall and Mr Crepsley exchanged a brief glance before the entrance to the tent opened once more. Through it stepped a boy around Rose's own age carrying several vials of blood. His skin was covered in snake's scales and he was wearing baggy trousers with a beanie. The boy handed the small bottle to Mr Crepsley, eyeing her carefully. Suddenly tired with everyone tip-toeing around her like she was some kind of unexploded bomb, Rose stuck her tongue out at the boy and grinned bashfully. Taken by surprise, the boy had no time to respond before Mr Tall ushered him out of the tent.

"Thank you Erva," called Mr Crepsley after him. He poured out the contents of a vial into a glass and handed it to Rose who took it greedily.

"Drink up," he ordered, "We can't have any midnight feasts can we?" He eyed Rose warily but she merely smiled at his comment.

"Better give me a tent away from the crowd then," she joked, downing the remainder of her glass. The morning sunlight drifted through the gaps in the canvas and lit up the room around them. Rose shifted the position of her chair slightly so that she was out of the beam of direct sunlight which fell across the floorboards. After so long spent under the ground in the dark and moist with the Vampaneze, sunlight itched her skin and turned it red easily. She did not offer an explanation to the questioning looks the men threw at her. Rose finished her glass and yawned. The night had been an eventful one and she was beginning to feel the effect of it.

"Got a spare bed – I mean, coffin?" She grinned sleepily. Mr Tall nodded and Mr Crepsley stood up to guide her to her resting place.

Outside, the morning sun shone through streams of white clouds which drifted carelessly through the open blue sky. Rose covered her red eyes with her hand to allow them to adjust to the bright light. Mr Crepsley led her through the colourful tents and caravans which besieged the site and through the freaks roaming around, many still wearing dressing gowns or slippers. Feeling a little nervous, Rose tried not to stare as she passed them however her cocky attitude returned after realizing they should be afraid of her. After all, they were only freaks – she was a monster. Too busy with trying to keep pace with Mr Crepsley, Rose didn't notice Erva the Snake boy watching her from outside his tent with his best friend Darren. The two watched on as their mentor led the strange girl with the crimson eyes to the furthest point of the Cirque, to a solitary black tent away from the other.

"I wonder what that about?" marvelled Darren.

"Probably find out sooner or later," reasoned Erva. He dodged back inside his tent, leaving Darren to watch the small black tent thoughtfully.