Jerome Valeska: Circus Love

Jerome Valeska: Circus Love Chapter 2

Chapter 2- Snicker Doodles

Day to day life in Haly's Circus suited Jerome, the nights were busy and hectic as the performers drew in the locals of each new town with their wild and wonderful acts, but this meant the days were quiet and left the young outcast with a wealth of time to himself.

As usual Jerome was hidden away in a crawl space beneath his mother's caravan, his lean body curled up behind the box containing his mother's beloved snake, a favourite hideout from his family and the rest of the circus folk. He fiddled with a piece of paper, turning it and flippantly folding it doodling along the creases with a red pen with little care or concentration.

"Hi Sadie." He speaks casually without looking up as the scruffy blonde appears under the axel behind him, she is light footed with her fragile frame but Jerome can always sense her presence for some reason. She crawls over him in the confined space pulling herself into a crossed legged position opposite the red headed boy, her back leant against the glass of the snake tank.

The pair sit quietly, Sadie taps lightly on the glass as the head of the giant serpent bobs gently towards her, she blows soft kisses at the scaled face and gets a little more comfortable in the dirt resting her giant work man's boots across Jerome's lap casually. Still fiddling carelessly with his paper Jerome throws a glance at his guest "Nice shiner," he speaks flatly with little show of concern or surprise. Sadie tips her head forward a little allowing her straggly hair to drop forward unconvincingly hiding the fresh purple bruise around her left eye.

"Wanna have some fun?" Sadie looks at Jerome expectantly as she changes the subject but he ignores her and continues fiddling. Sadie kicks him hard in the stomach knocking the pen and paper out of his hands. "Hey!" he shouts angrily pushing her feet violently off his legs as he reaches for the fallen items, but Sadie is quick and scoops up the paper before he has chance to retrieve it.

"What's this?" She says nosily pulling at the creases and folds roughly but Jerome does not bite.

"It's just some crap of Jeremiah's, one of those stupid puzzles he's always making," he rolls back over into the dirt putting the pen behind his ear.

"Ooh, you just wrecking it for fun then? Saw the brain-box over by Ring Master's camp, such a suck up." Sadie gestures over to the far side of the camp.

"No, look," Jerome snatches the paper back from Sadie's skinny fingers, he unfolds it to show a complex pattern created by the creases which he has highlighted with the red pen, a beautiful crimson weaving through the pencil maze on the paper. "It's not a 2D maze you see, you have to imagine how you would move if you were in there, how each corner would alter your direction and perspective, it's pretty simple really, and he's not as clever as you think." Jerome screws up the maze and tosses it to the ground.

"He is, but you're just as clever as him you know" Sadie speaks frankly like she is stating a fact of little importance as she scoops up the crumpled paper smoothing it out and peering at the clever folds "You know most people would never solve this, you two think the same, I can see it, you're just not as boring as him, you know how to have fun Jerome, but I think you still might be a genius" Sadie loses interest in the maze and throws it back down to the floor, "in fact lets go and have some fun now, what do ya say? I'm hungry, fancy hitting the Chuck Wagon?" she peers at him with a theatrically sad face as she rubs her stomach.

Jerome looks at Sadie with a mischievous glint in his eye, "Well it is Snicker Doodle day, and I do owe Uncle Zak a little pay back, come on let's go!" Jerome crawls out followed by an excited Sadie.

The Chuck Wagon is a huge silver trailer with rounded sides and a large hatch on the side for serving the circus workers their main meals. The hatch is currently closed and Uncle Zak can just be seen through one of the small windows chopping and preparing for the lunch time service. He wears a white vest and a dirty apron, sweat collecting on his ginger goatee in the heat of the kitchen.