Heathens | A Jerome Valeska Story

Chapter 3

The tour of the circus had been exciting, but it had also worn Ellen out. It was getting late and the adrenaline rush of running away was finally wearing off, leaving Ellen feeling sluggish with her eyelids drooping.

After the Ringmaster had introduced her to the Grayson family, whom she would be training with, he directed her back to the trailer Jerome shared with his mother.

"I'm sorry I can't walk you back myself, but I remembered something important I have to do before the day ends," He had said. "Welcome to Haly's Circus, Ellen, and I hope you get a good night's sleep."

It was with that warm welcoming that he had sent her off and Ellen found that the walk by herself was relaxing. She was ready to crawl into bed by the time she reached the trailer, but when it came into her sights, she stopped dead.

The trailer was large and a shiny silver colour. There was a sign on the door that read Lila in fancy cursive writing. A big red cage was sitting on a table in front, a gigantic snake lazily slithering around inside. Ellen remembered Jerome had said his mother was a snake dancer.

However, what was concerning her was the fact that Jerome was sitting on the ground with his back against the trailer, his knees pulled up to his chest, and his face buried in his hands. His shoulders were shaking and Ellen thought she could hear him sniffling.

Is he crying? She wondered worriedly.

She quickly walked over to him, plopping down on the ground beside him. Jerome flinched slightly. Ellen figured she must have startled him. He warily lowered his hands, but upon seeing that it was Ellen, visibly relaxed some. Ellen's eyes widened as he looked at her.

His nose was bleeding.

"What happened?" She asked, immediately concerned.

Jerome turned his slightly red eyes away from her, frantically wiping at his tears with his sleeve. His hands were also covered in blood.

"I-It's nothing..." He said hurriedly.

"But why is your nose bleeding?" Ellen persisted, not keen on letting this go.

"Just... It's fine."

"But Jerome--"

"I'm okay."

"But why is--"

"My Mom got mad, o-okay?"

Ellen went silent, promptly shutting her mouth. Jerome looked away from her, his breaths coming out shaky. There was a heavy silence that settled over the two, and Ellen nibbled on her bottom lip, not quite sure what to say.

"I'm sorry," She finally said, her voice no louder than a whisper.

Jerome only gave a slight nod in acknowledgment. Another period of silence sat uncomfortably in the air until Ellen spoke up once more.

"Why did your mom get mad?" She asked timidly.

For a moment, Jerome didn't react. Ellen wondered if he had heard her. She was about to ask again, louder this time, when he suddenly let out a sigh, turning his face back towards hers. However, he didn't meet her eyes.

"She got mad because I invited you to live with us without asking her first," He said slowly. "She said she didn't want the...responsibility of looking after two kids. I think that's what she said."

"Oh," Ellen said quietly. She didn't know what else to say to that. "Why is your nose bleeding?"

"Um... She... She slammed my face into the wall more than one time."

"Oh," Ellen said again, but this time, she knew what else to say. "I'm sorry."

"I-It's okay," Jerome stammered, sniffling a little.

The two children lapsed back into silence for another minute or 2. All of sudden, Ellen pulled her backpack from her shoulders and opened it. Furiously, she tore through it's contents, looking for something in particular.

"What are you doing?" Jerome asked softly, giving her a strange look.

Ellen didn't answer; she just kept searching. Soon, she pulled out a grey t-shirt and thrust it towards Jerome.

"What is this?" He asked.

"You can use it for your nose. I never liked this shirt anyways," Ellen explained. "I don't know why I even packed it."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes!"

Carefully, Jerome took the shirt from her, gently dabbing at the blood still running from his nose.

"Thank you," He said quietly.

"You're welcome," Ellen answered, giving a proud smile; proud that she had helped.

Jerome couldn't help but grin back at her. Ellen's energy was always so contagious. Ellen also couldn't help but notice that Jerome always seemed a little happier around her.

"So, um...is your mom still in the trailer?" Ellen asked warily, not wanting to ruin the good mood.

She was just afraid of what else Jerome's mother might to do him. Or to her. However Jerome shook his head.

"No, she left. She...usually does after doing something like this to me," Jerome admitted.

"Oh," was Ellen's response.

Another pause.

"Would you like me to show you the inside? Of the trailer, I mean," Jerome suddenly said, grinning at her. Well, as much as he could with a t-shirt still held to his nose.

"Okay," Ellen agreed, zipping her backpack up and hoisting it back onto her shoulders.

The pair both stood up and Jerome led her up the three steps to the door. He pulled it open and let her wander inside first, shutting the door once they were both inside. Ellen looked around, the smile that had already been on her face widening.

It was fairly large for a trailer, bigger than Ellen thought it would have been. In front of her was a little kitchenette, but it had a full sized fridge. There was plenty of counterspace, a sink, and a stovetop. A row of cabinets lined the wall above the counter and there was a little garbage can beside.

To the left of the kitchenette, was a little bit of a living area. There was a small TV with a loveseat across from it. A side table sat beside the loveseat with a lamp, giving the whole trailer a warm glow.

On the far left wall was a single sized bed with a large wardrobe beside it. Across from the bed was a table with a mirror. The mirror was lined with bright white lights and the table was covered with all types of makeup Ellen could imagine. She figured that's where Jerome's mother slept.

To the right of the kitchenette, there was door, presumably leading to a bathroom. Then, on the far right wall, was another smaller bed with a moderately sized dresser beside it.

"That's my room," Jerome said, following her line of sight.

Ellen looked towards him and saw that his nose had stopped bleeding, his hand holding the t-shirt hanging at his side.

"Also, we only have two beds, so...are you okay sharing with me?" Jerome asked, almost sounding nervous.

"Yeah, I'm okay with that," Ellen replied happily.

It was then that Ellen noticed a dark red curtain gathered against the wall. A track ran along the ceiling to the other side of the wall. She pointed at it, turning to Jerome.

"What's that?"

"Oh, that's for when we go to sleep. See?"

He walked over to his 'room', tossing the grey t-shirt on top of his dresser in the process. He pulled the curtain across the room until it completely hid his bed. It kind of reminded Ellen of a hospital curtain in a way.

"It's like having a wall, so you can have privacy," Jerome explained, then shrugged. "That's what Mom says. She has one for her room, too."

"That's cool," Ellen smiled, then walked over, slipping behind the curtain. Jerome followed her, leaving the curtain closed. Ellen dropped her backpack on the floor at the foot of the bed, failing to fight back a yawn.

"You look tired," Jerome stated flatly.

"I am..."

"Then you should go to sleep."

Ellen nodded tiredly and kicked off her shoes, leaving them by her backpack. She crawled into bed, laying on her side and facing the wall, snuggling deep into the covers. Her eyes fell shut almost immediately and she was almost asleep when she felt a weight dip into the bed beside her. Sleepily, Ellen lifted her head and looked beside her.

Jerome had also gotten into bed. He was laying on his side as well, only he was facing the curtain. His breathing was soft and slow; Ellen assumed he was almost asleep.

Suddenly feeling much more relaxed, Ellen laid back down and closed her eyes again. A content smile was on her face as she drifted off to sleep.

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hey everyone :)

how's everyone enjoying the story so far? i know it's kinda slow right now but i want this to be a long story so...

get ready for more cute moments between ellen and jerome while they're still kids x3