He walks over to me with evil, devouring eyes. I find myself crouching back into the armchair. He leans over me, his unbrushed teeth yellow, and smelling like rotten food. He rests his weight on the of the chair, and looks me in the eyes, telling me that fear was the only way to live. "You are mine, and you own nothing, not your mind, eyes, opinions, not your body. " His other hand come to rest on the side of my thigh. I try to evade the touch, but he glares at me, and grasps my leg with unprecedented strength.
'Listen when I speak! You have no right to fight me." His green eyes go black with anger. "I own you. I will rape you until you cannot think of anything other than this."
I feel the tears run down my eyes. Is this what giving my life is? No. It is not. His hand was moving up, but i bite his arm, and kick the back of his knee with my foot. He falls, and I push him down, and run past him, but he takes a cigarette and throw it at me. it was lit. and at the exact moment it hit me, it felt like the fins under my skin were exploding.
must...WATER!
NOW!
I had to get to the pond, quickly. I run out of the trailer, barely holding back screams of agony. I hurriedly run the shortest route to the pond. It was through the thick of the park, but I ignore the people, and push past them all. There was no one there, and i dive into the water, and let my screams out there. Letting the water push me to the bottom, I lay there, the water cooling the burn of the cigarette. I lift my arm, to see that it had hit a fin... somehow, I shift, to get a better look. But fall asleep to the lulling of the ponds ripples, and the fish dancing overhead. A little crab curled up in the crook of my neck, resting.
There was a splash and the crab reflexively pinched my neck. The curse I let out was absorbed by the water and I open my eyes to observe what had awoken me in the water. I see a figure moving towards me. I must have been lower than I thought. My fins were out, I i quickly check the burn, gone.
The figure was now within viewable distance. It was Phin. his long blond hair floating about him like a halo. he was waving his hands at me. I groggily sit up, and push off the ground, after gently setting the crab down. Phin swims back to the surface, and when I surface, i see the faces of all my friends. Torro, Eliot, T'oile, the twin contortionist, Marmie (the bearded lady), Ornii, the element bender, and finally Phin who was being helped out of the water by Eliot.
"What are you all doing here? " I was worried there was a fearful mood about them all. Torro looks away, and Phin tugs at Eliot's hair. T'oile Glanced around. "Guys?" I go pale, a I smell smoke...
Phin steps forwards, his black suit dripping, "Inutile, what did Ruger try to do to you? This is important." the other now look at me.
"He- he tried to rape me. But all he succeeded in doing was burning my fin with a cigarette! I swear! What is the smell of smoke?" I climb out of the water with T'oile's assistance.
"Ruger is burning your tent down, he says that he'll kill you if you ever run away from him again. you have to leave now! before he notice us all missing!" Marmie says in a scared tone
Horror fills my stomach making it ache. "You came to say goodbye then?" They nod. I shake my head, and feel the fins retract. "No."
Torro steps up to me, "Yes! you have to leave now! Before he steals your life and everything you have! "
The others are quiet, "No, Torro. I'm not going. I owe Edgar my life. We'll stay and make this OUR circus. That's what he would have wanted. I will not accept any excuses."
There is silence for a while, until Eliot runs up to me and silently hugs me, tear streaming down his face. T'oile smirks, and claps me on the shoulder Torro and marmie embrace each other, and Phin crosses his arms, a sadistic plan already unfolding...
