The Freakshow (Sanders Sides Fan-fic) {DISCONTINUED}

II

I should've known. How could I be so stupid? He said I needed to go to a meeting with him to play with another kid that'd be there. But when I woke up to find that black eye staring at me, I knew I had been lied to. Tears came to my eyes, but after the mood Father had been in all day, I knew better than to cry. So I had to watch the kids forced to torture themselves and others again. Most of them were the same as before just altered slightly. There were a couple new kids though. It made me wonder just how many there really were hidden behind the scenes. Once again, Father and The Ringmaster spoke in hushed voices at the side of the stage. Only The Ringmaster got angry this time. "Enjoy as much as you can before the night is done. You are to never come here again."
   
    "Hey, it's nothing personal-"
   
    "Get out of my sight." The Ringmaster growled, making me tremble in fear. My father stormed out of the room with me in tow. I was forced to sit on the bottom step and watched him walk upstairs. A short while later, my focus on the clock was disrupted.
   
    "Hiya!" I jumped at the sudden voice. A boy stood in front of me with a big grin on his face. "I'm Remy, you?"
   
    "Um...Roman..." I mumbled.
   
    "Cool! Hey, wanna see something?"
   
    "Sure?" I tilted my head and followed him. How can he be so happy in a place like this? I followed him to a room with a black club on the door. Inside was a dark room with a stage and no chairs. The only light came from behind the curtains, but so did the voices.
   
    "Be quiet." Remy whispered and intertwined our fingers, walking towards the light. My heart beat faster in fear as one of the voices from the stage shouted. Remy stopped at the stage and pointed at the space underneath the curtains. Peering into the gap, I saw feet walking around. I jumped and slapped a hand over my mouth as a boy yelped and suddenly fell to the stage floor. He was shirtless exposing more of the scales that covered most of his torso and half of his face. He hissed and whimpered when one of the adults kicked him.
   
    "The little brat tried to bite me!"
   
    "At least it's not venomous anymore." The other adult snapped, "Now, hurry it up. If this thing ain't in its cage before midnight, we're fired!"
   
    "Fine. Fine." The boy was picked up and his protests were muffled. Remy pulled me away from the stage and out of the room. We sat on the stairs, and I hugged myself again.
   
    "Why..." I whispered.
   
    "Momma said they bad kids." Remy shrugged, "She says bad kids come here. Bad kids like me."
   
    "What?" I looked at him with wide eyes, and he shrugged again.
   
    "Are you bad?"
   
    "I..." I paused. Am I? Was this all a punishment? A warning from Father that I'd end up like these kids if I didn't obey him?
   
    Remy yawned and extended a pinky towards me, "Pinky promise you won't stay here?"
   
    I wrapped my pinky around his and nodded slowly. "What about you?"
   
    "Momma gave me medicine to make me sleep... They say I have to stay... I saw you talking to that man, and I not want you here too."
   
    "I not want you here either! How you sound so happy before if you knew you were staying?"
   
    "Too late for me." Remy shook his head and stifled another yawn, "I just smile and talk loud and fast. When I not play pretend that I happy, Papa hit me. I used to it."
   
    "Remy, there you are." A woman stomped over and pulled him to his feet.
   
    "Wait!" I whined, but I was ignored. A man picked Remy up, and he waved sleepily as he was carried away.
   
    "Roman, let's go." Father came downstairs and grabbed my wrist. I just stared at the couple who had Remy as they disappeared into a room with The Ringmaster. Before he shut the door, he stared right at me. His face held no emotion as he stared. It wasn't until we were out the door did I escape his terrifying gaze. And once again, I was asking myself: Why?