Freak Show {The Pack and Friends}

• Part 18 •

Preston's Perspective

"Jay..."

I placed my hand against the fabric of his tent. I hadn't seen him at all today, hiding back behind a fold of cloth.

"Jay, you need to come out and eat. You haven't since Friday night. We're all worried about you."

Vikk being gone had done something to him, yet I couldn't put my finger on what was wrong. He had only been gone a day.
To him, Vikk was like a brother, the only other vampire that he had ever known, and now he was gone.

"Jay, I'm coming in..."

I opened the tent, the poor vamp sitting in his hammock. He was holding onto a small leather book, slamming it shut when he saw I had entered. That caught my attention.

Jay quickly shoved the book into his carry along bag. He quickly wiped at his eyes, and I stood near the front of his tent. He looked paler than usual, and I don't even remember the last time he fed. The Aussie shot straight up from where he was sitting.

"Preston... What are you doing here?"

"I was coming to tell you that dinner is ready. You need to eat tonight. We're all worried about you."

Jay took a few deep breaths, his hand held above his chest.
"Jay... Can I ask you a question? Personally? Why are you so worried about Vikk being gone?

Jay nodded, meeting my gaze.
"I miss him Preston... As embarrassing as it is. He was my best friend, my little brother almost, He was a child when he joined the Cirque, and I've been with him almost his entire life. I'm so scared to think what's happening to him. With that Aussie and is he feeding enough, is the blood healthy? And where is he staying and what's he may be doing for money..."

"Hey, hey, just calm down. We know Vikk, he can get through this. Vikk can do anything, or, well, he thinks he can. And so can we."

Jay chuckled, wiping under his eyes again.
"I just miss him..."

"I know. But, I think I may have an idea. We've been performing here for a few nights right? How about we move on? We could go back, not to perform, just... For like a vacation. We have enough money to get a hotel or something. We wouldn't have to sleep in tents."

"We'd go back..."

"Yeah. It would be us, Jerome too. Ashley and Alesa have been complaining about getting a break from the Cirque. I think a small getaway would be good for us."

"Yeah, I agree..."

"What do you think Jay? I know we've never done this before, but, let's go back."
-
I waited until Jay had gone out hunting. I hadn't been able to get that little book out of my head. Sneaking back into his tent to find the leather booklet. It was where he had thrown it, the pages wrinkled and faded. I opened the leather cover, smooth from being handled.
The first page was all writing, the messy and barely legible writing I recognized.

Dear Diary,
I've been feeling a bit different lately. Not sick, just different. I've been having trouble sleeping lately. I can't sleep, it's impossible.

Dear Diary,
It's gotten worse, I can't go outside now either. Like today, I took the trash outside, and when I got back inside I had a bad sunburn. What is happening to me?

Dear Diary,
I cut my thumb today helping my mum in the kitchen. When I stuck it in my mouth to stop the bleeding, it tasted delicious. I know this isn't normal, trust me on that, but please. I know something is going on.

Dear Diary,
Today, my teeth started to grow. My pointy teeth. They look like fangs, like I'm a monster...
I'm not a monster.

Dear Diary,
The dentist appointment is scheduled. I'm getting these teeth taken care of.

The next few pages were mostly empty, a few messy scribbles and blurry, unseen polaroids. One page did stand out however. It was of Jay, a younger Jay. He held the camera over his head, a small group of three people standing behind him. Under the picture was more maniacal scribbling.

The Freak Show (1916)

As I flipped through pages I learned more and more about the vamp, completely losing track of time. One page featured a fuzzy polaroid of a woman, in a long white dress and veil. She was looking away from the camera, her face caught in a perfect profile.

Eleanor (1932)

A few pages later, there was a news article, the printed text smudged and faded. I had tried to make out a few of the words but with no avail. The picture was of a child, curly brown hair and icy blue eyes.

My little Eloise (1934)

But, the last page was my favorite, the most recent photo being one of us. The Cirque now. Vikk was caught mid laugh, Jay's arm thrown over his shoulder. Jerome was flexing at the camera, smirking. I was in the background, smiling wide. Alesa and Ashley had formed a heart with their hands, holding it above us all. Under the picture sat a simple caption.

My Family (2015)
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This was one of my favorite chapters when I wrote it the first time.

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