Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
Nancy~
Creeping back into the house after visiting Bette and Dot was hard, and I thought I'd gotten away with it... until I saw Dandy standing in my room waiting for me.
"Oh Nancy.... Nancy, Nancy, Nancy." He says, shaking his head and circling around me, "where have you been?" He asks patronisingly. I frown at him.
"Nowhere." He gets really close to my face now. Laughing a psychopathic laugh.
"You must think I was born yesterday." He says grabbing my hand and pointing at my ring. "Who put that ring on your finger?" He raises his voice which makes me flinch.
"You did." I swallow hard. I try to shake my hand from his grasp but he grips harder and it hurts. "Let go of me!" I cry, shaking harder and trying to push him away with my other hand. He throws me onto my knees.
"You pathetic girl. You boring pathetic excuse for a girl." He steps on my fingers as he walks out of my bedroom. Slamming the door.
I let out a cry of pain and clutch my aching fingers in my other hand. I run to my vanity table and start to write a letter.
Dear Bette,
I need to get away, away from Dandy, away from my life. I can't stay here with that psycho anymore. If there is any way in your heart that you could let me stay with you? I'll sleep on the floor, I don't care. I just hate this life. I'll work for it, I don't have anything to offer to the show but tell Elsa that I will work for it, I'll do anything. I just need your help. Halloween is coming up, and I'm scared that he has some sinister plans, he keeps talking about it. It's his favourite holiday, but I don't want to stay around to find out what he's going to do. Love, Nancy.
I write the information on the envelope and put it in the postbox immediately. Dora shouts me to dinner as soon as I get back into the house, I don't want to sit at the table with Dandy, so I go into the kitchen, my wrist and fingers still sore.
I'm not supposed to go in the kitchen. I've been sneaking in there to talk to Dora. The only interesting person.
This isn't the life my father wanted me to have.
Bette~
The letter I just read from Nancy is really scaring me. I don't know what to do. I don't think she will be allowed to stay here, and me and Dot are going to Hollywood soon. I really want to help her.
Dot loves Jimmy, but Jimmy loves Maggie. We don't like her much. She's new here. If Dot loves somebody who doesn't love her, then why can't I love who I want?
Dear Nancy,
I want to help you, but we're going to Hollywood. We're going to be stars... my heart aches for you. I'm in love. I don't know how or why it happened, but it's happened. I hope that you feel the same becaus-
I stop writing and screw up the page.
I know I'm classed as a freak but if I said how I'm feeling then I would get frowned upon even by the other freaks. My own sister would definitely want to get the surgery then.
I quickly write another reply.
Dear Nancy,
I'm sorry, me and Dot are going to Hollywood, so we can't help you anymore.
Love, Bette.
It hurt my heart writing that, but I post it quickly and don't think about it again.
Elizabeth Tattler. You cannot be in love with a woman. It's just simply wrong.
Nancy~
I help Dora cut up vegetables for dinner.
"Have you always worked here?" I ask, as I'm peeling potatoes.
"Yes, I worked here to support my daughter Regina, her and Dandy used to play together."
"Has he always been weird?" I ask sheepishly.
She looks at me shocked and laughs, "oh yes. I'm just glad you see him for what he is. If I were you I'd get out now before something happens."
"But I have no money of my own, I couldn't possibly run away." I shake my head but can't help imagining my life free from this hell.
"You could sell that pretty little ring, I bet it's worth a fortune and a half." I look at my beautiful gleaming ring in the kitchen lights.
"Steal it?"
"Honey, it's not stealing, way I see it that ring belongs to you now. Although I'm surprised Ms. Gloria has found someone willing to marry that boy. I'm surprised he likes you as well, every other woman his mother has brought for him he has turned away."
"He doesn't like me. He shouted at me the other day, I just visited the Freakshow. He's so boring. I can't stand sitting through all his puppet shows. He's like a baby, not a husband." Dora laughs as I say this.
"Why don't you run away to that Freakshow? You like it there?"
"Yeah..." I sigh and think of Bette and Dot. I hope Bette got my letter and will be able to help me, or I don't know what I'll do.
"Follow your dreams, it's what I tell my daughter, you're a bright girl and a breath of fresh air in this place. You will be successful no matter what you do." She puts her hand to my cheek. "Now, why don't you run along before you get caught in here?"
I head for the door but turn around, "Thank you Dora. You're by far my favourite person in this house. I love helping you, it reminds me of being at home and helping mother cook."
"I won't tell if you don't." She says winking slightly and chuckling. I nod and run to the garden to help Gloria water the flowers.
"Nancy, I think you should try on the wedding dress. The wedding is only a few weeks away now and if you don't fit into it we can always get it adjusted." Gloria tells me as she finishes off watering her flowers.
"I don't think Dandy likes me much..." I say. I really don't want to try on the dress.
"Nonsense. Dandy has never loved a girl like he loves you before. He just has trouble showing it dear..." she trails off, the sadness in her eyes haunts me. "He was a troubled child... but he's better now. That's why he can be childish sometimes..."
"Mother?" We jump as Dandy speaks behind us. Neither of us heard him come behind us.
"Oh Dandy! You frightened me! I was just telling Nancy here that she should try on her wedding dress." Dandy looks me up and down and glares at me, then smiles at his mother.
"Oh but of course mother! In fact, she should try it on right this second!" He grabs my hand roughly.
"Dandy, it's bad luck for the groom to see his bride in her dress before the wedding."
"Mother that's just a bunch of nonsense and you know it. Come on... Nancy." He says eerily.
He drags me up the stairs and into my bedroom, going to my closet and shoving the dress into my hands. "Change." He says harshly.
"Not here." I say, making my way to the bathroom. He stops me.
"Here."
"You vile boy. I won't do it." I raise my voice. He starts laughing, then his face goes red with anger.
"I said change!" He screams, holding me to the wall by my neck. I cough for air. Then spit in his face so he will release me.
"Go to hell. You childish freak." I scream back, running down to the kitchen to Dora. I feel safe with her.
