As always, Independence Day was one of, if not, the most attended day at Phantasma. Over the years, Mr. Y had turned the 4th into a daylong spectacular festival that no other amusement park on Coney Island could compete with. Competitions for the guests against his workers, a parade in the park, and the night ending with the ever-popular firework show getting grander and grander.
There was one person in the crowds who was not exactly thrilled about the extra bustle the 4th of July brought. Mr. Y insisted on letting the carriage men control the zebra carriage rides much to Charlotte's annoyance. In her mind she was demoted to carrying for her younger brother.
"You want to be a better young lady right, my Darling?" Erik asked her. "You do not want to be seen as a brat and spoiled? Then you will not get your way this time. You can watch Arthur this Independence Day."
She held the boy's hand tight as they navigated the busy boardwalk.
"We get to ride the Ferris Wheel today right? And a Coney Island Dog? And the Ferris Wheel?" Arthur looked up at his sister but his oversized sailor cap prevented him from seeing much of her. The hat not only matched his new sailor suit, it obscured a significant amount of his deformity without hiding it.
"Yes, Arthur, the Ferris Wheel," Charlotte sighed. "You're as obsessed with it as I was the Merry-Go-Round when I was your age."
"And Boris? The Strong Man always lets me help him run his booth and the High Striker"
Charlotte's chest tightened. Not Boris. Rasputin's cousin. Would Rasputin come by? I still have his jacket.
"So what do you want to do first?" Charlotte smiled at her brother, hoping it hid her feelings.
Aimless walking had decided for them as Boris' booming voice was heard, "Such a weak man. Are you sure you married the right man?"
"I am not a weak man!" A man a few years older than Gustave handed Boris some money.
"Darling, you don't have to ring the bell to prove you are strong," A young woman placed her hand on his shoulder. "This is our honeymoon; we are here to have fun."
"Boris! Boris! What do we have here?" Arthur pulled away from his sister and made a beeline for the Strongman's booth.
"Young Mister Arthur, Mr. Jackson here wants to prove to his new bride that he is strong."
The child's eyes widen, "You mean he hasn't rung the bell?"
Boris tucked the money into the brown apron tied around his waist, "I'm afraid not."
"It's not that hard," Arthur lifted the mallet up off the base of the High Striker. He wobbled a bit with the weight of the mallet.
The man laughed and motioned at the boy, "Are you really going to let this child do this? He can barely hold the mallet."
At this point Charlotte finally walked up to the booth, "Arthur, what are you doing? This is absurd!"
"Now, now, young lady, let the child try," Boris walked out and straightened the boy out. On his way back into the booth, he let his foot ever so lightly tap a lever at bottom of the side of the High Striker putting it on easy mode.
In a dramatic swing for his size, Arthur hit the mallet to the base and the puck flew to the top. The bell rang out loud as the puck slid back down.
Arthur turned and smiled at the couple from beneath his hat, "I told you it wasn't hard."
Boris crossed his muscular arms in front of his chest and laughed.
The man's eyes narrowed and his face wrinkled, "Of course it's not hard for you, you little freak!" He pulled Arthur's sailor cap off and tossed it to the ground. "You abominations stick together!"
The man's wife screamed upon seeing Arthur's full face.
"Yes, my darling! Gawk and react!"
"It's just a birth mark…birth mark…" the abnormal resolve that five-year-old Arthur had was breaking as more people gasped and pointed. Tears ran down his cheeks and his lip began to quiver.
"How dare you!" Charlotte stormed up to the man and pushed him. "How dare you bully a child!"
Before she could push him again, the man wrapped his hands around Charlotte's wrists, "And look another one! They were correct in saying we'd get our money's worth of freaks at Phantasma! I just didn't expect to see them among us!"
As Charlotte squirmed against the man he squeezed her wrists tighter. She kicked her boots against the boardwalk, "Let me go!"
"Not yet! come here, Darling and get a close look at this one! She's not quite as ugly or deformed. Can almost pass as polite society."
"She said let her go. I say let her go and you go!"
Charlotte would know that thick Russian accent anywhere. She felt a rush of air as an arm flew over her head and a six fingered hand punched the man in the face. The man dropped her instantly to the ground and she wasted no time finding her crying brother. She gathered him in her arms and found shelter under Boris' booth.
Over her brother's crying, over the commotion of the crowd, Charlotte could still hear one voice loud and clear, "Now do we need to carry you out or you walk out like man?"
In the safety of his mother's dressing room, Arthur slept with as much of his body possible curled in his mother's lap. Charlotte sat on the vanity's chair, brushing her hair, which had become disheveled in all the commotion.
"I ruined Independence Day didn't I?" The girl sighed as she sat the brush down.
"Oh, Darling don't say that!" Christine exclaimed looking at her daughter's reflection in the mirror. "You had no control over that vile man's reaction."
"But Dada told me to watch after Arthur and I didn't! I let him run ahead to Boris!"
"And I am sure that will be forgiven," Christine ran her fingers gently over her youngest son's deformity. "We've assumed to be safe in the park for multiple years. There hasn't been an incident like this in a long time. We were lulled into a false sense of security with everyone knowing who we are now and with you in your shows…"
Charlotte spun around to actually face her mother, "What about my shows?"
Christine smiled at her oldest daughter, "There has never been a word spoken of your appearance. Just about how graceful and amazing your riding is."
A knock on the dressing room door ended the conversation. It opened to reveal Erik looking oddly calm and collected. However the moment he closed and locked the door, he leaned up against it and sighed.
"The police are gone; nobody is charged or arrested," He removed his mask. "All parties agreed to let the actions of the other go to prevent charges."
Charlotte stood and anxiously pulled on the lace of her sleeve, "Did they not want to talk to me?"
"It's taken care of, Charlotte," He was rash with her, not even meeting her gaze. He walked over to the couch and sat down next to his wife. He ran his fingers over Arthur's cheek. Tears ran down The Phantom's cheeks, "How is he?"
"He cried himself to sleep," Christine caressed the top of the boy's head. "He didn't let go of Charlotte until he saw me come in here."
"My poor sweet, son. I thought we would never have to deal with this again. I so hoped he would not have to experience what Charlotte and I did," The Phantom's voice growled. He was obviously trying to control his anger as to not wake the boy.
He then looked up at his daughter. While she looked at the floor, he could see the tears staining her cheeks. The tugging on the lace of her sleeve becoming more intense. Oh dear, Charlotte! My poor Darling! This whole time I've been so worried about Arthur, I didn't even consider the effect on her.
"Are you okay, Charlotte?"
She rocked back and forth on her heels, "My wrists are a little sore. I hope you're not angry with me, Dada. I should have held his hand tighter. I should have rode the Ferris Wheel first."
"Of course not! Why would I be?" He ran over to his oldest daughter and pulled her into his arms. "You were right behind him."
"But I should have known people are mean!" She buried her face into her father's chest.
Erik gently rubbed her back, "That's the problem. It's been so long since someone has been cruel to us. We start to believe we are part of the world. Then how easy they betrayed and shattered us!"
"We are part of the world though!" She looked up at him. "They may be cruel but as you told me, we don't have to be! I don't want to be anymore. I am learning to be better. I stood up for Arthur! And Rasputin…Oh! Rasputin! Is he okay?" She dug her fingers into her father's back. "Tell me he's okay!"
The Phantom furrowed his eye brows, "Rasputin wasn't there."
"Yes he was! He punched the man who pulled off Arthur's hat and held me against him. Rasputin punching him was the reason he let me go."
"He wasn't there. Boris said he was the one who punch the man in the face."
Charlotte backed away from her father, eyes wide, "You believe me, right?"
"Angel, it's clear Boris is covering for Rasputin," Christine spoke up. "He probably came by to visit his cousin just as all this was happening. He didn't want to wait around for the police to show up."
"You know I didn't see where anyone went," Charlotte pleaded. "I grabbed Arthur and hid."
"If that's the case, then I don't know how he is," Erik took his daughter's hands. "But I'll try to find out tomorrow. In the meantime, you're safe, Arthur is safe, Matilda is with her ballet friends and teacher and Gustave is with Rose." Not letting go of his daughter's hands he turned to face his wife and youngest son, "How about we skip the party tonight and just us ride to the top of the Ferris Wheel and watch the fireworks from there?"
"That sounds lovely, Dada," Charlotte smiled. "We owe that to Arthur."