Disclaimer: Yeah, Mr. Tall isn't mine; he was made by Darren Shan. And Tarzan belongs to Disney. Which really doesn't matter but okay moving on. xD

Note: Wow, I am so sorry this chapter took as long as it did! My dad moved into my mom's house and March has just been basically insane. Now I only have a computer on the week instead of the weekend, and you have no clue how much homework I get. Anyways, again, I'm sorry. Hopefully April will be a much better month.

Chapter V

Ariel and I quietly walked down the sidewalk. We were both excited, I knew that, but there was something on the look of her face that made her seem a bit upset. Eh, it was probably just me. A moment later she noticed me looking at her, and smiled. I glanced down at the sidewalk for a second then looked back at her, probably red. I'm so great with girls.. I thought, wanting to kick myself.

You know how when you're just around one person and everything is silent, and you just get that annoying uncomfortable feeling? Well, for some reason me and Ariel walked the whole way to Steve's house without talking, and after the embarrassment died off I felt perfectly fine. It was just like their was some weird understanding between us or something.

Anyway, we both walked up onto his front porch and rung the bell. A few moments later, he opened the front door. "Hey," Steve said, then smirked.

Ariel and I smiled back.

"You're kinda late.." He said, tapping his watch.

"Yeah, sorry.." I apologized.

"Okay, we better really hustle," Steve quickly shut the door behind him, and we all ran down the sidewalk. Ariel led the way.

"This is it." Ariel said, all of us standing in front of this old theater. According to Steve, it was shut down because a boy fell of the balcony and died. We stood there for a little, staring at the tall building. Jagged gray stones covered it, and there were a few dark, broken windows here and there.

"Are you sure..?" I asked. There weren't any cars or people to be seen.

"Positive." Ariel replied, trying her best to sound confident. But what if that guy had tricked her?

"Maybe the freaks had to move on, or they could've got busted." I said.

"Let's go inside." Steve said after a moment. "We have to know if they're here or not for sure."

Ariel and I nodded, agreeing. We started up the steps leading to the door, and entered.

The doors lead us to a long, dark, freezing corridor. There was a dim light on the other side, and everything seemed to get creepier as we went on.

"There's a door here," Steve whispered, making us all stop. When he opened it a jar, it sounded like a coffin being tugged open. Scared the crap out of me. After sticking his head in, Steve looked around then pulled back. "It's the stairs to the balcony.."

Where the kid got killed. I thought, defiantly not wanting to go up there.

"Should we try and find another way?" Ariel asked, her voice soft, and probably a little scared.

"We can try," Steve replied. "But-"

"Can I help you children?" Somebody asked from behind us. My heart rose up into my throat. I saw Ariel immediately bit her finger to stop a scream.

I quickly turned around to find this humongous man standing behind us, glaring down with his black eyes that looked like coals. A smirk slithered across his face as he looked at Ariel, who stepped back.

"Isn't it a little late for a few little kids such as yourselves to be out of bed?" He asked, his voice deep and throaty.

"Well, sir, we.." Ariel stopped and licked her lips.

"We're here to see the Cirque Du Freak." Steve murmured.

"Oh?" The man nodded.

Me and Steve nodded to Ariel.

"May I see them, Ariel?" He asked.

"Yes, their-" She froze and looked at me and Steve, both of them probably wondering what I was. How did he know her name?

A look of confusion crossed her face as she dug into her pocket. "I could've sworn they were right-"

"Try your other pocket." The man suggested.

She did as she was told, and thankfully, pulled three tickets out, showing them to him.

"Yes," He said, smiling. "And my name is Mr. Tall."

"Excuse me, how did you know Ariel's name?" Steve asked, bravely.

Mr. Tall kneeled down low, coming face to face with Steve. "I know many things. I know your names. I know you love her. I know you hate your mommy and your daddy. And I know Ariel is-" He paused and stood up, starting to walk.

"We must hurry, the show is about to begin." Me, Steve, and Ariel began following him. "Everyone else is already seated. You three are late, but fortunately there is a special guest here tonight and we must wait for everyone." Mr. Tall was only a few steps ahead of us, but when he turned the corner he was wearing a crimson hat and a pair of gloves. You know, the whole get-up.

"Tickets, please."

Ariel handed the tickets over. Mr. Tall then put them and his mouth and began to chew, then swallowed.

"You may enter now." He said. "Normally we do not allow children in, but tonight there shall be an exception.

Each of us- Me, Steve, and Ariel- shared an uncertain look, but we then continued down the end of the hall, past two spider web like curtains.

Soon we came across a huge auditorium, packed with tons of people all seated in deck chairs. Everyone here was an adult, and as we walked around looking for empty seats, I felt people's eyes on me and heard whispering.

There were a few empty seats- Four to be exact- A few rows from the front. We had to push passed a few people, and when we sat down it actually seemed to be a good spot. There weren't any tall people in front of us and we had a good view of the stage.

After a few moments of me and Ariel sharing excited glances, people chattering noisily, loud trumpets being to blow, becoming louder and louder. They seemed to blow for ages, and went on until every light went out. Once the theatre was pitch black, the trumpets came to a sudden stop. My ears were actually ringing once they were finished. The whole auditorium was silent, and after a moment a green, murky light lit the stage up. It looked so eerie. After a few minutes, two men pulled a cage that was covered with bearskin out onto the stage. Once it was in the middle the men ran back into the wing, and once again- Silence.

Then their were three, short, sudden trumpet blasts and the rug came flying of the cage, revealing the first freak.

And it began.

Everyone began screaming, even though it was pointless. Even though what was chained up inside that cage was pretty shocking, I think the people just did it for fun. Not because they were actually afraid.

What was inside that cage? The wolf man. Hair covered his whole body, and a long bushy beard covered most of his face, but you could see yellow piercing eyes and red fangs. Like Tarzan, he had a cloth around his middle. The creature shook the bars and gave an ear piercing roar. When he did this, a lot more people screamed. I wanted to scream to, but of course I didn't want to look like a little kid. Instead, I just smirked at Ariel and Steve, giving a short laugh. They smiled back- A somewhat shaky smile. It was obvious that we were all a little scared.

Soon the wolf-man calmed down and sat on his hind legs like a dog. Mr. Tall then walked onto the dim stage, not facing the audience. "Ladies and gentlemen.." His voice was deep and froglike, but still perfectly clear.

"Welcome to the Cirque Du Freak, home of the world's most remarkable human beings." He turned in a circle, catching every eye.

"We are an ancient circus. Tonight you will witness acts both bizarre and terrifying, acts in which you can find nowhere else in the world.

"Those easily terrified should leave now." He warned. "Perhaps some of you who showed up tonight came thinking our freaks were harmless, normal human beings in masks. This is far from the truth. Everything you will see here is real, unique, and anything but harmless."

And with that, he walked off the stage.