Jerome Valeska: Circus Love

Jerome Valeska: Circus Love Chapter 5

Chapter 5- Guilty Until Proven Innocent

Sadie had not been seen since the night of Jerome and Alphonse's fight, the Lloyd family was made up of the large clown troupe in the circus and they had half heartedly banded together to look around the city for the young girl, but the search had lasted little more than a few days and fizzled out quickly when no leads were found. The only Lloyd who even seemed to care was Mary, the teenage cousin of Sadie, a pretty brunette who had always seemed to Jerome unnaturally kind for a Lloyd. The girl had been out into the city every day with a little scrappy picture of Sadie asking around hopefully, but even she had had no luck. She had at one point approached Jerome to come with her and help, he had declined, Jerome respected Sadie's escape and her right to get lost if she wanted.

Lila had been her delightful self during the Gotham run of shows, returning in a usual bad mood from her bender she had lashed out more at Jerome's taunts dealing out extra punches and slaps whenever she could catch the slippery boy. Luckily her day drinking impeded her aim and Jerome had escaped with minimal injuries on most occasions.

Towards the end of the three week stay in the depraved city Jerome had started to suspect something underhand, he had noticed Jeremiah had been jumpier, wound even tighter than his normal nervous self. He had on a few occasions walked in on his mother and brother whispering watching them halt instantly at his arrival, he brushed it off, assuming they were trying to mess with him and he couldn't care less about their stupid little secret.

After a particularly hard day shovelling dung Jerome arrives home late, mustering just enough energy to shower before collapsing into his bunk. Jeremiah appears at the doorway just as Jerome's lids are drooping heavy with exhaustion, the last image he sees is a dark gaze from Jeremiah, something unsettling in his eyes. That night Jerome dreams of his brother's face, a black stare of fear and hatred holding a violent secret, demons lurk in the shadows reaching out they pull him back into the darkness, he feels himself being engulfed in black flames. The dream feels so real, the burning smell so true overwhelms Jerome's nose surging into his lungs, he can feel the soot of the smoke making him cough.

Jerome wakes coughing, but the smoke has not disappeared, in fact it fills the tiny bedroom, and the heat is there coming up from the bunk below. Jerome rolls off his bed still half asleep, he falls to the floor the blanket of the bottom bunk is on fire. Jerome reacts immediately batting the flames and folding the blanket in on itself to put the fire out, he pulls at the sheets in search of a body but the bed is empty. Turning he sees Jeremiah tucked motionless against the wall watching him, the darkness of his thoughts spread evilly across his face.

"What the hell Jeremiah?" Jerome shouts, picking himself up from the smouldering ashes he marches to his brother gripping him tight by the throat he thrusts his head into the wall, almost knocking his glasses from his face.

"What's going on?" Lila bursts through the narrow bedroom door with a stagger, she is dressed in a green kimono that hangs open revealing a black silk nightdress, she looks at the scene, the burnt bed still smoking, Jerome holding Jeremiah threateningly against the wall.

"What have you done? Get away from him Jerome!" Lila spits her words, she grabs Jerome by the scruff of his neck and drags him into the corridor, he falls against the wall as she continues to pull him down the length of the caravan. Pulled off balance he stumbles and finally loses his footing as Lila thrusts him out of the main door, he drops out onto the dirt below face planting hard.

"Lila....wait, I didn't do this...Mom, please" Jerome holds up his hands from the ground below pleadingly, but Lila ignores his denials stepping out of the caravan she approaches and begins to hit her son repeatedly while shouting inaudible angry accusations. The attack is brutal, viscous smacks land hard and Jerome can all but block his face as he waits for his mother to tire.