A More Fortunate Series Of Events (Editing)

Circus Freaks

The five pondered on what they just heard and looked in surprise as the woman from the top bunk came swinging down.

"Yeah well what good are normal shoulders attached to hands that are equally good at using a knife and fork?" Kevin asked plainly.

"Oh Kevin. I know it's depressing to be so freakish, but at least you're better off than I am." The woman calmly spoke turning to the children.

"My names Colette. And if you're going to laugh at me, get it over with. I don't blame you for laughing at a contortionist." She huffed.

"Contortionist?" Violet asked in disbelief.

"I can bend my body into all sorts of unusual positions."

Colette demonstrated this by taking her arms and folding them behind her.

It was quite odd, but definitely not freakish as they see it.

"You see I'm a complete freak." She sighed.

"Bravo!" Sunny exclaimed from the bed.

"I think that's amazing! So does Sunny, I mean Chabo!" Violet gushed.

Selena tapped her chin fixing her sliding glasses, "These have amazing gifts."

Arlo's eyes were still wide, "You can bend your bones like elastics?!!"

Colette chuckled, "That's polite of you all to say, but I'm ashamed to be a contortionist."

Klaus spoke up, "If you're ashamed why don't you move your body normally instead of doing contortions?"

"Because I'm in The House of Freaks. Nobody would pay to see me move normally."

Hugo and Kevin nodded in agreement.

"It's quite a dilemma. At tomorrow's show crowds will be waiting for Colette to twist into strange abnormal positions. For Kevin to write his name with both hands and for me to try out one of these coats." Hugo explained.

"So watching people with talents struggling is fun?" Selena scrunched her face.

Colette nodded, "Pretty much Alex and not talents. Abnormalities."

"Well you don't have to do that. None of you have to do any of that." Klaus shook his head.

Kevin raised his brows, "You sound like the old Madame Lulu. She was encouraging us to apply to community college."

Hugo pointed to him, "Yeah, even offered to pay our tuition. But the world would only see us as freaks. What other jobs could we have?"

A sad silence hung as the children looked at the Carnival freaks. In quite the contrary they did have the opportunity to go to community college and aspire for a job elsewhere, but what truly held them back was themselves.

"I'll go pop this popcorn for the concessions stand." Kevin walked away.

Colette went over to her bed taking up some things, "I need to twist these pipe cleaners into finger puppets to sell in the gift caravan."

"I'd better get back to overseeing marketing and brand management. If you don't mind pitching in, you could pick sequins from that laundry pile over there. They get everywhere." Hugo told them.

"Oh, it's a tough world out there. We freaks have to stick together." He held up his fist smiling sadly before leaving through the door to the caravan.

The five looked at each other before going to the basket to help with the sequins. None of them said any words for a moment, but Violet finished the silence giving Arlo the shirt before sighing loudly.