Potions of the Witches in Orion

3. Freak Show

Akira Sage

         A circus was my home for 4 years. My parents sold me because they couldn’t pay their debts. I hated them for that. I was only 6 years old back then, and was raised to perform. I was taught to bend my body in ways that most humans couldn’t, my stage name was Flex. It brought the ring master lots of money. People would pay anything to see me fold myself into a tiny box. It all made me sick; I didn’t want to be a freak. I became the main event and I knew he wouldn’t let me go. By the age of 8, many wealthy people wanted to buy me so I could perform for them at their homes, but the ring master turned down all their offers. He told me that finding another contortionist is too hard, and I was a star. I didn’t want to be a star, I wanted to be normal. I felt as if I wasn’t alive. When I was 10 years old, a man and woman came to see me perform. The way I folded myself to the size of a drawer had them amazed. None while I preformed did I smile, I had no smile, because I had no life there. At the end of my performance, the man and woman spoke with the ring master. They said something that made the ring master gasp for air.

         He told me to pack my things and meet him in the front of his trailer. As usual, I did as I was told. The man and woman were waiting with the ring master. He told me that I would no longer be performing for him, and that the man and woman had bought me for forty million dollars. Was I really worth that much? The man crouched down and asked me my name, “Akira.” He asked me my last name as well, “I have no last name.” With that, the man and woman led me to a car. I got in and we were on our way.

         The woman’s name was Shyan, the man’s was Andrew. They were a nice looking couple, not too old or too young. When the car stopped, we were in front of a large house with a beautiful garden. The man opened the door and turned on some lights. The home was beautiful. They told me I’d be living with them from now on. I asked them when I had to perform and they only laughed. “Akira, we didn’t buy you so you could perform for us, we want you to be our daughter. I did not understand. They led me to a room, they called it my room. I’d never had one before. I touched everything there as they watched me with big smiles on their faces. “Your name is now, Akira Sage. You are our 10 year old daughter.” I looked at them, and smiled the littlest bit. They also told me I had to attend school. With that, they left me alone.

         Some weeks passed and I got use to living with them. I’d even taken a liking to my new mother, and I started calling them mother and father. My father was a business man and a wealthy one at that. He ran his own business that his father passed down to him. We had a maid too. She didn’t like me at all, mostly because I would hide from her. She scared me and I always thought of her as a witch.

         When fall rolled around, I had to go to school. I’d never been and felt awkward. I sat in a corner by myself and didn’t talk to anyone. We had to sit in a circle with our teacher and she said we had to tell the class one interesting thing about ourselves. When it was my turn I stood up, “I’m a contortionist.” All the students were confused and the teacher asked me to explain to the class. “Well, it’s when a person can bend their body in any way they choose.” A boy shouted that it was impossible, so I grabbed a box, emptied it out on the table and set it on the floor. I folded myself into it, and the entire class was amazed. My teacher nearly fainted. I demonstrated some of the stuff I could do and they were all mesmerized. When I was done, they all clapped and we continued. During recess a girl named Eva came up to me and told me I was awesome. I didn’t know what that meant but I took it as a complement. She asked me if I wanted to be her friend, and I said yes. So now, we’re best friends, but it doesn’t stop there. When we were 13 a small girl named Nari was being picked on by a couple of stuck up, snotty rich girls. Eva and I scared them away and found out Nari was new. We asked her if she wanted to hang out with us and she agreed. Now we’re 14 years old and loving life together.