Chapter Text
“Daddy! Where are we going?”
“I already told you to stop asking. You’ve already ruined my life, don’t ruin this car ride, either."
“...Yes Daddy…” Todd hugged his bear, Schmee, closer to him and turned to look out the window. Rolling fields dotted with cows rose and fell in the distance. The sight of all that open space made him feel queasy, especially since he had never been out this far.
“He’s going to abandon you out here ALL alone, Todd. The next time he has to stop for gas, take one of the lighters on the ground and blow up the whole gas station." Despite the stuffed bear’s smile, he never really said nice things about Mommy and Daddy.
One would think that a cute little bear like Schmee would tell someone to respect their elders and look on the bright side of things, but he usually just told Todd to burn things down or hit people in the head with blunt objects.
Todd’s eyes wandered to a neon green lighter that sat among the trash at the bottom of the car. He didn’t want to blow up Daddy or the gas station, though. He just wanted to go home and color in his room.
“He’s not going to abandon me this time, Schmee.” Daddy had done it in the past, but usually he stopped just outside of town. He had been driving for a long time, so maybe this time was different. Todd really hoped so.
“Stop talking to yourself back there. God, just hearing you speak is enough to give me a migraine…” Daddy’s harsh voice made Todd sink deeper into his car seat. He just wanted to go home.
—
They drove for three more hours. Todd had fallen asleep long ago, his head pressed against the seatbelt strap. An ugly red line was already forming on his face. The young boy was bumped awake after his father rolled over a pothole.
Todd squeaked as his head bumped against the door. “Ow! Daddy—”
The man swerved, and he was tossed against the car door again. Todd held onto Schmee as his father began driving even more erratically.
Despite his head constantly being bashed against the door, he managed to catch a glimpse outside. The rolling fields had been replaced by gravel and fences. Only in the distance was he able to see specks of green hills.
He winced. His sore arm was pushed against the seatbelt.
Another quick survey revealed a few tents farther in the distance.
Schmee was thrown off of his lap as they zoomed across another pothole. Todd caught him just before he hit the floor.
A few more frightening seconds later, and the car came to a sudden halt in front of one of the many tents in the lot. Todd’s head slammed against the back of the front seat. “Stop kicking the chair,” his father hissed. “This rundown car is the only worthwhile thing I have in my life!”
“S-sorry—”
“Get out. We’re here.”
Todd whimpered. What if he really was being abandoned? As soon as he stepped out of the car, he was fighting to keep up with his father’s brisk pace. Perhaps this wasn’t a ploy to leave him behind. Maybe they were just visiting a very strange circus.
He doubted it. Even in his mind Schmee told him that this was it, that he was finally being left behind for real.
It would probably be fine, though. Todd had gotten used to fending for himself. At least this time he had shelter. Last time he was just on the side of the road. In the middle of the night. Outrunning those coyotes was the hard part…
Well, if this new place may be his new home, he figured he should get a better look.
There were three tents. A tiny one off to the left, a medium sized one to the right, and a large one in the middle of the two. They were heading toward the smallest.
All three tents were striped, but they were so dull. The red and white looked more like maroon and gray. Todd thought circuses were supposed to be bright and colorful, not to mention…lively. The lot was completely and utterly empty.
There was no name from what he could see, either. There was simply a banner over the biggest tent that read: Z? In big black letters.
Todd felt himself drifting away from the tent, and for good reason. It was creepy and weird. Even Schmee thought so.
“ You should leave. This isn’t a good place. ”
The boy stopped to consult his teddy, but he was quickly yanked forward. He looked up to see his father’s angry face. A squeak escaped him as he was dragged the rest of the way. He struggled to stay upright as his shoes kicked up loose gravel.
“Bite him, Todd. Make him BLEED! Just get away from him, You NEED to get out of here.”
Todd finally had a chance to rest once they reached the smallest tent. His father stepped inside, and after a moment, Todd hesitantly followed.
The inside of the tent certainly made up for the outside. Mainly because it was really cluttered.
Racks of multi-colored costumes were shoved into the corner, along with a multitude of streamers, banners, and what looked to be a cannon…
Along one side of the tent there was a long table with a row of chairs. A few mirrors were lying about them room: Propped against the wall, leaning against costume racks, shoved beneath the table. Todd caught a glimpse of himself in one. His eyes were still a little red from sleep.
Two women were sitting at the table, and while one had already noticed Todd and his father, the other hadn’t. That or she was actively ignoring them.
“Heyyy! Are you here for the show? Sorry man, we’re not open right now.”
Todd yelped as he was shoved toward the woman. He looked up at her, his eyes already watering. He didn’t want to stay at a creepy circus with weird people he didn’t know.
“I’m not here for the show. I’m giving you the boy.”
The woman’s eyes widened. “Ohhh…hm…” She stared at Todd as if buying a child from someone shouldn’t be met with an immediate ‘NO.’
“Well, we could use a clown…” She smiled at the young boy, then focused back on his father. Todd stared at her green eyes with a frown. “But I mean…are you sure you want to leave him here? There’s food and stuff but—”
The woman was cut off by the man’s groan. “I don’t care if you feed him, just take him. ”
Todd sniffled. He didn’t want to be a clown, and he wanted food! What if…what if he never ate his favorite snacks again? What if he starved to death? Slowly…painfully…surrounded by clowns and their scary clown noses making their loud clown noises…
“Alright…If you say so.”
So focused on his own terrified musings, Todd hadn’t even noticed their transaction.
“Huh? Daddy!” Todd turned to watch his father leave the tent and get into his car.
“YOU RUINED MY LIFE!!!”
The last words he heard from his father, shouted out the window as he sped away.
“Wow. What a jerk.”
Todd squeaked as the woman behind him spoke. He had almost forgotten about her. She didn’t look like a bad stranger, but one never knew. She seemed to have a perpetual smile on her face. That made Todd a little nervous, but it didn’t look like a mean smile. He sort of liked her hair, too.
“Hey there, kid. Man, that must’ve been rough. Your dad must hate you a lot. I mean, abandoning you at a sketchy circus with some people he doesn’t even know? Come on!” She paused when she saw Todd’s bug watery eyes and his tiny, sad face.
“But don’t worry! It’s nice here. You’ll love it. We have popcorn and soda and cotton candy and—well, the cotton candy is off limits. That’s just for Johnny. We can have the funnel cake, though.”
She bent down beside him and held up a little skeletal doll. “We’re going to have so much fun here you’ll forget all about that jerk. You, me, and…Spooky! Your little bear friend can join in, too.”
Todd held Schmee closer and shuffled his feet. “Um…okay.” He tried to smile at her. It was tiny, but she seemed pleased. “I’m Todd.”
“You should stick with her, Todd. She’s good. Safe. you can trust her.”
“Schmee says you’re good…”
Tenna gave him a thumbs up. “Spooky thinks you’re great, too, Todd. I’m Tenna, by the way. Isn’t that cool? Both our names start with Ts.”
The dark woman stood up and jabbed a thumb behind her to where the other lady was sitting. Her face was caked in black makeup, and she was wearing mainly black as well. Her dress sort of reminded Todd of a really big bat.
“That’s Anne. She’s always hanging out here cause this is where all the makeup is. She’s also our one and only Acrobat slash contortionist. She’s pretty good at it, too. You should see her when she’s in action!” Anne had the barest hint of a smile on her face. The praise appeared to lift her spirits. She didn’t acknowledge the compliment, though. “There’s some pretty awesome costumes, too. I’m sure I can find one for you.”
“Um. Thank you.” Todd stared at Anne. She was applying black lipstick. She caught him looking and gave him a sour look. The boy looked away, feeling even worse than before. Schmee said some very bad words about her that he tried to ignore.
“You’ll be the cutest little clown in no time. I’m sure everybody will love you.”
Todd gulped. Everybody? That meant…more. He whimpered as he thought of his warm bed back at home. “There's other people?”
“Yeah! People come in all the time for the shows, and then there’s us. Me, Spooky, Anne, Devi—that’s my gal pal—and everyone else that works here. And now you!” She grinned at him.
The boy remembered the other tents. He imagined them packed with strangers and scary people. Clowns and aliens and every other terrible thing that he was frightened of. He thought of his father abandoning him and how he was trapped here with nowhere to go. It wasn’t like he could just walk back home. This was his life now.
While the thought was a little depressing, and more than horrific, it brought the smallest amount of relief to him. At least he wouldn’t be bothering Mommy and Daddy anymore.
Tenna had even said that he could eat popcorn and drink soda. He never got to do that home unless his parents were gone.
As Tenna led him outside to the empty lot, a tiny part of him wondered if this would be as terrible as he first thought it would be.
The boy’s small glimmer of hope about his new home was splendid. It was better that he got used to it now instead of wallowing in despair.
It wasn’t like he’d be leaving any time soon.