Muerte's Circus

Chapter 1

Homework there, homework here, homework in my brain. Is there any place to escape it? Probably not. In a couple of years will be none because I am Year 11, 16 years old and living in Aunt Lucy's Orphanage for girls. Lucy is horrid. The staff are alright, but sometimes they are so unfair. 'Finish your homework before you watch your stupid television show.' I don't even have a dog to eat the work for me! Not even a fish. I have a spider called Rim, living under my bed in a box with holes in it. He might be dead now though. I think the box was ventilated too well.

"Soh, homevork, ve meet vunce again." I can't speak French, but I do a pretty mean accent.

"Before I live a life like any ozzer normal teenaze girl, I muz complete you. You has not surrendered, you leave meh no choice." I leap across my room with a crazy grin on my face and grab my mini paper shredder.

"Come here homevork!" It doesn't move.

"Come here or you die!" I chuckle to myself, it'll die anyway.

"Aaaarrggghh! Vy must you be so difficult!" I roll my eyes and stuff the paper into the shredder, laughing like a hyena on drugs.

"Ariah, what has that homework ever done to you?" Oh my god the homework finally speaks.

"Homevork, it is too late to speak! You are dying! Hahaha!"

"Ariah!"

"Homevork, you muz adrez me as O Great One, you loozer!"

"Ariah, O Idiot One!"

"Homevork, zat is inzulting."  I add more paper with the homework to hopefully make it more painful. I heard it sigh.

"Ri, vhy muz you speak terrible French all ov ze time?" Wait a minute. Homework doesn't speak French. Or know my nickname. I spin around.

"Josie! How lovely to zee- I mean see you!"

"I would hope so! What are you doing?"  Josie's only six, but she sure knows how to kick butt.

I glanced at myself sitting next to the paper shredder with wads of homework in my hands, my face feeling like I have been smiling too long and my face is fixed like this forever. I looked back at Josie (my bestest friend in the world) and gave her what I hoped looked like a 'what the hell do you think' look.

"Math?" Josie asked. I nodded.

"And English and Spanish and-"

"Okay, Ri, I get it."

I'm dyslexic. Josie thinks it messes with more than just my ability to learn. After what she had just seen, I wouldn't be surprised. She's pretty brainy for a six year old.

"Ri how much paper did you shred!" Josie runs across my small room to the shredder before kneeling next to me. "We can go outside and pretend it's snowing!" And back to the playful six year old I love.

"But it's getting late Jo. Sorry," I reply.

"It's only quarter to five," Josie mumbled grumpily.

"What?" Oh my gosh how did I forget?

"I said it's only quarter to five! Sheesh!" she repeated, raising her voice.

"I'm late for work!" Before she can reply, I had grabbed my coat and was out the door. At the end of the hallway I called back to her, "and don't touch the shreddings!"

*

I work at the chemist down the road. My boss Sheila was waiting for me, really unhappy.

"Ariah Rosalyn Emerson, what do you think you're doing?" Sheila demanded.

"Coming to work?" I replied 'cool as a cucumber' as I hung up my coat. Sheila tapped her watch repeatedly.

"Half an hour late? Not acceptable Miss Emerson. Not acceptable at all! There is a young lady waiting for an ear piercing, now hop to it!"

I literally hopped to the piercings counter and could feel her eyes glaring into my back.

*

"Josie Amelia Tate why did you do that! My vase from China! Broken!" Aunt Lucy yelled as soon as I walked in the door. I can tell she's had a few drinks.

Josie always has a witty remark to make. "Aunt Lucy, did you actually go to China and get it? I think nearly everything is made in China. If you look underneath it-" she quietened down after a cold stare from Lucy. She had a point though.

"Josie you will be thrown out in the streets!" Oh no. I have to help her. But what did she do?

I walked up to my room quiet as a mouse, promptly, and looked around for clues. There was a trail of shredded paper leading from the culprit (the shredder) to the stand where the vase was balanced on. Hmm. Josie must have wanted snow fast and tried to run outside with it, knocking the vase as she went. I ran downstairs.

"Lucy, Lucy! I have something to say!" I cry.

"What," her eyes fixed angrily on mine.

"I did it," I heard Josie gasp, "I broke the vase and then ran to the shop to get some glue to fix it," I lied.

"So what was Josie doing there?" Lucy's stare focused on Josie. Josie flinched.

"Picking up the pieces, ready for me when I got back with the glue," I casually explained. Lucy stepped towards me, grabbed me by my shirt, her face inches from mine.

"Pack your bag, scum," she spat at me, "You leave in an hour." She then let me go. I ran up the stairs, followed by a quivering Josie.