Freakshow - His New Family

Copyright © 2017 of James A. Pettis, III

All Rights Reserved

Freakshow

Excerpt

His New Family

“Hey—HEY, WAKE UP!!!” a voice cried out. Ian slowly opened his eyes, his vision hazy and blurred. He could slightly make out a man leaning over him, but it was still very difficult.

              “Wha—what’s—going on?” Ian mumbled. The man leaning over Ian gasped happily and clapped his hands together.

                “I save him! I save him!” the man cried, as a young man rushed over to his side.

                “Oh my gosh, you did!” he exclaimed, placing his hands on the man’s shoulders.

                “Benny do good?” the man asked.

                “Yes, Benny do very good,” the young man replied. Ian looked at back and forth at the two, dazed and confused.

                “Am I—in hell?” he asked. The young man chuckled under his breath.

                “Not exactly,” he said stepping to the left of Ian and bending down. “You see, Benny here found you in the lake. So he pulled you out and resuscitated you.”

                “Ugh,” Ian groaned and closed his eyes, while the young man looked at Benny and back to Ian. Ian opened his eyes, his vision no longer blurred. He looked at the young man, who had short dark hair, brown eyes, and caramel skin. Looking over at Benny, Ian saw his ivory skin tone, baldness, and one eyeball in the center of his face.

                “What the fuck?!” Ian jumped up and back away from the young man and Benny.

                “What’s wrong?” the young man asked, staring at Ian confused.

                “What the hell is that thing?!” Ian shouted, pointing at Benny.

                “That thing has a name, and he’s a person like you and me,” the young man snapped back, standing to his feet.

                “Like hell he’s a person—he has one eye!”

                “Okay—and he was born that way, just as you and I were born with two.”

                “Benny not a thing, Benny a person,” Benny whimpered, putting his head down. The young man bent down by Benny, placing his hand on his back.

                “Yes Benny, you’re a person,” he comforted him.

                “More like a fucking monster!” Ian blurted out.

                “Don’t be an asshole,” the young man snapped again.

                “Benny—no—MONSTER!!!” Benny screamed, charging at Ian and knocking him against his head.

                “Benny!” the young man hollered, as Ian tumbled over on the ground. Benny placed his hands on his face, staring Ian in shock.

                “Benny sowy, Benny sowy! I no mean it Victor,” he cried.

                “I know you didn’t Benny,” Victor replied. He bent down by Ian and turned him over, seeing the upper part of his head was bleeding.

                “Oh shit!” Victor exclaimed.

                “Benny sowy, Benny sowy!” Benny continued whimpering.

                “Benny, it’s okay,” Victor reassured him, with a shaky tone. “Besides, he did call you a monster.”

                Victor placed his hand over Ian’s neck, still feeling a pulse.

                “Oh thank—freaking God!” he shouted, standing up again. “See, he’s just fine—you only knocked him a little unconscious.”

                Victor and Benny stood over Ian, staring at him while he laid on the ground.

                “Well, we can’t just leave him here—well, we could,” Victor thought out loud. “But we won’t; Benny, let’s take him back to camp. I’ll do all the talking.”

                Without hesitation, Benny nodded and picked up Ian, walking away from the lake and into the woods with Victor.

                Meanwhile, in a large tent outside the woods, a man paced back and forth in front of a group of men and women in costumes. The man was wearing a top hat over his shoulder length brown hair, his skin was pale ivory, and his eyes hazel-green. He stopped pacing and turned to the group, cracking a smile.

                “Now all y’all I’m sure are aware that tonight—is one of our biggest shows, am I right?” the man started. The group cheered and clapped briefly, as the man raised his hands to his shoulders.

                “That’s right, and I am confident that tonight—we’ll all do our best, and nothing will go wrong.”

                “Mister Larrabee!” a voice behind the man called out. He looked around and saw Victor standing at the entrance of the tent, while Benny stood behind him.

                “Victor, Benny! Just in time for the pep talk,” exclaimed Mister Larrabee.

                “We have a problem,” Victor told him. Mister Larrabee turned around, watching Victor walk up to him.

                “We don’t have time for problem’s tonight,” Mister Larrabee mentioned under his breath.

                “You’re gonna make time for this one,” said Victor. Mister Larrabee looked around Victor and saw Benny holding Ian, as he dropped him on the ground.

                “Argh,” Ian grunted, sitting up and holding his head.

                “What in the hell is this about?” Mister Larrabee grumbled.

                “Well, it all started when I went to find Benny to prep him for the show,” Victor began. “He was playing by the lake and saw this ass—this boy, who appeared to be drowning.”

                “Well what the hell he bleeding for?” Mister Larrabee inquired. Victor sighed and cleared his throat, still looking at Mister Larrabee.

                “Benny resuscitated him—but instead of thanking him, he called Benny a monster...and he retaliated.”

                Mister Larrabee glared at Benny and frowned, while he squirmed in fear.

                “Which he’s already been reprimanded for and doesn’t need any more punishment,” Victor added. Mister Larrabee looked back at Victor and chuckled.

                “I’ll be the one to decide that,” he said, stepping over to Benny, while Victor rolled his eyes.

                “I say I sowy master Lawabee,” Benny pleaded.

                “Benny, I been told you ‘bout hurting folks,” Mister Larrabee chastised him. “Now—go on to your room, I’ll deal with you later.”

                Looking over at Victor with worry in his eyes, Benny walked out of the tent, whimpering under his breath. Mister Larrabee put his hand out to Ian and he stared up at him confused.

                “Howdy,” Mister Larrabee smiled, while Ian continued staring at him. “Now you gon’ take my hand or you just gon’ stare at it?”

                With unwillingness, Ian took Mister Larrabee’s hand and stood up.

                “So what you doing out in these woods? Tryna to kill yourself or something?” Mister Larrabee probed. Ian stared at him, slowly opening his mouth to speak.

                “Maybe,” he answered.

                “Aw son, there’s too much to live for to be doing all that,” Mister Larrabee told him, patting him on his back. With a smile, he stepped away from Ian and went back over to the group, clapping his hands together.

                “All right folks, let’s get ready for the show!” he declared. The group clapped and cheered again, when Mister Larrabee turned to Victor.

                “Victor, see to it that our guest gets cleaned up and put in some dry clothes,” he requested with a wink, leaving out of the tent with the group. With an annoyed grunt, Victor walked toward Ian and brushed up against him.

                “If you want to get cleaned up, I suggest you follow me,” Victor demanded, stepping out of the tent. Clearing his throat, Ian rushed out of the tent to follow Victor.

                Later, Ian was sitting in a dark candle lit trailer, watching Victor run bath water and prepare towels. Victor ran hot water in a sink and wet a small towel, throwing it at Ian.

                “Wipe your face,” he snapped, stepping over by the tub and continuing to grumble under his breath. Ian stared at Victor, knowing he was upset for the things he said to Benny. Ian stood up and walked over to him, trying to figure out what to say.

                “Don’t bother,” Victor told him, while Ian widened his eyes in shock.

                “Wh—what?” he replied.

                “I said, don’t bother. I have no intentions on being friends with a dick.”

                Ian put his head down, feeling slightly embarrassed.

                “I—I’m sorry for pissing you off,” Ian finally let out. Victor chuckled under his breath.

                “You did more than that, you hurt someone’s feelings—and you got them in trouble,” Victor informed him.

                “I didn’t mean to.”

                “Well, that’s irrelevant now isn’t it?”

                Ian sighed, still struggling with what to say.

                “I can tell Mister Lar—ra—bee what happened.”

                “Too late for that, Benny has most likely already been punished for what he did to you.”

                Ian put his head down again, gripping the towel his hands.

                “Not that you didn’t deserve it,” Victor added, as Ian looked up at him. Victor turned the water off running in the tub and stepped over to a counter top, getting clothes together.

                “Benny means a lot to you?” Ian asked. Victor paused for a moment, looking back at Ian.

                “Yes—yes he does,” he admitted. “But it’s also a principle.”

                Ian looked at Victor slightly lost, as he rolled his eyes and went back to getting clothes.

                “Like what?” Ian wondered. Victor grunted with annoyance, glaring back at Ian.

                “My mother always told me that just because you’re different, treated differently. Even if you’re different, you hurt just like normal people hurt—and you bleed just like normal people bleed.”

                Ian’s eyes became glassy, realized he had done what people had done to him for being different. He felt horrible, and couldn’t figure out what to say. Victor finished gathering clothes for Ian and dropped them on a chair next to the tub.

                “Well, I’m done helping you for the day,” said Victor. “I need to check on Benny, so my twin will help you finish up.”

                Victor brushed past Ian, leaving out of the trailer. Ian stood in place awhile, still feeling bad for what he had done. Closing his eyes to try and clear his head, Ian began to unbutton his shirt. Exhaling deeply, he took off his clothes and stepped over to the tub, feeling the water with his hand. As he removed his boxer briefs, the trailer door opened and a young woman walked in. She looked up and saw Ian standing by the tub naked.

                “Oh my!” she exclaimed, starling Ian.

                “Shit!” Ian yelled, grabbing his briefs and covering himself.

                “I—I’m sorry,” said the young woman, covering her face. “I thought you’d be in the bath already.”

                Ian stared at the young woman, his cheeks red from embarrassment. He walked backwards toward the tub and stepped in, sitting down and dropping his briefs on the floor. Ian wouldn’t look at the young woman, feeling awkward since she walked in on him undressing. Slightly smirking, the young woman stepped over to the tub and picked up Ian’s wet clothes. She dropped them into a waste bin and grabbed a stool, placing it by tub and sitting down. Taking a small towel from the stack near the tub, she dipped it in the water and rung it out while looking at Ian. He still wouldn’t look at her, staring off into space and breathing heavily.

                “So what happened to you?” She asked him, placing the towel on his bleeding cut.

                “Ow!” he whined, slightly pulling away.

                “Ooh, sorry—that’s deeper than I thought.”

                Looking around the room for a second, the young woman got up and walked over to a wooden case, pulling out a bottle of whiskey. Heading back over to Ian, she opened the bottle and sat down again.

                “Okay, this is gonna sting,” she warned Ian, pouring the whiskey on his wound.

                “Ow! Fuck—Fuuuck!” Ian screamed, shaking in place.

                “Wow, looks like we need to wash that mouth of yours too,” the young woman joked. She sat back and looked at Ian briefly, seeing Ian still wouldn’t look at her. Chuckling under her breath, the young woman put the bottle down and leaned back over the tub, holding the towel to Ian’s wound again.

                “So you can curse and scream, but you can’t answer my question?” the young woman mentioned. Calming down, Ian blinked his eyes, slightly side-eyeing her.

                “I—I called Benny a monster,” he confessed. Looking at Ian slightly annoyed, the young woman applied more pressure to his wound.

                “Hssh—ow!” he whined again.

                “Well, that was dumb, huh?” the young woman scolded him. Ian exhaled, finally looking at the young woman. She had dark brown eyes and dark hair that curled over her shoulders. Her skin was light brown, shimmering in the candle light.

                “Why are you staring at me?” she interrupted his daze, slightly surprising him.

                “I—I—I wasn’t” he stuttered, looking away.

                “I mean, if you think I’m pretty you can just tell me,” the young woman joked again, getting no response from Ian except a nervous gulp. Shaking her head, the young woman stopped holding the towel against his wound and took a bigger one from the counter beside her.

                “My twin must’ve really scared the crap out of you,” she giggled, wiping him down the wet towel. Ian looked at her confused.

                “Wait, you’re Victor’s twin?” he asked with surprise. The young woman stood up and smiled at him.

                “Yep, I’m Victoria,” she replied, placing the towel on the stool near the tub. “Now dry off and get dressed, still have to stitch you up.”

                Victoria walked away from the tub, stepping over to a vanity mirror and began to fumble through drawers. Ian watched her briefly, getting out of the tub shortly after to dress himself.

After about an hour or so, Victoria was finishing up stitching Ian’s wound. She had him in front of the vanity mirror sitting on a stool, while she stood over him by the desk.

“I’m almost done,” she said, pulling the needle and thread together. Tying a knot, Victoria took the needle and laid it on top of tissue paper. She dabbed the excess blood with a damp rag around the wound, placing an adhesive patch over it.

“You should leave the patch on for a couple of days, the stitches will wear off eventually,” Victoria told him.

“Thank you,” Ian acknowledged her. With a nod, Victoria walked over to the sink and walked over to the sink to wash her hands. Ian stared at his reflection, looking over at Victoria while she dried her hands.

“Are you a part of the show?” Ian asked, when Victoria glanced back at him.

“I am sometimes, usually alongside Victor,” she said. “We were supposed to perform tonight, but we were asked to help you instead.”

Ian opened his mouth to speak, but couldn’t say anything. Clearing his throat, the thought of Benny crossed his mind.

“And Benny?” he inquired.

                “Yes, he does—usually for every show. But because of what happened—he wasn’t allowed to tonight.”

Ian gasped sadly, feeling to blame for the shows missed performances.

“It’s my fault,” he stated out loud. Victoria looked at him, seeing regret and sadness in his eyes.

“It’s honestly not that big of a deal, there’s always back up performances,” Victoria mentioned. Ian shook his head, standing up quickly.

                “I’m going to talk to Mister Larrabee,” Ian exclaimed, walking toward the trailer exit. Staring at him confused, Victoria rushed behind him, grabbing his hand. Ian looked back at Victoria, stopping where he stood.

                “The show’s already over,” she told him. “Mister Larrabee is most likely in his office.”

                “Great, so we won’t have any interruptions,” Ian proclaimed, pulling away from Victoria. He walked over to the trailer entrance and went out the door, while Victoria stood still.

                “Oh geez,” she said, placing her hand on her forehead. Shaking her head, Victoria left out of the trailer to go after Ian. Once outside, she saw Ian afar off, when Victor walked over to her.

                “Where the hell is asshole going?” Victor asked. “Did you scare him off for good?”

                “No, he’s going to find Larrabee,” Victoria replied, crossing her arms.

                “What the hell for?” Victor grunted. Victoria shook her head and threw her arms up.

                “Grrr, got dammit!” Victor mumbled. “Larrabee does not have time for his bullshit.”

                Victor stormed off after Ian and Victoria followed closely behind him. The two arrived near the show tent and stopped, seeing Benny sitting on the ground with handcuffs on, while he picked flowers. While the watched him, Ian walked by Benny and stopped, staring at him.

                “What is he doing?” Victor fussed, about to step over to them, but was stopped by Victoria.

                “Let ‘em be,” she whispered. “Nothing’s happening.”

                “Yet,” Victor retorted, while Victoria rolled her eyes at him. Ian bent down by Benny, who squirmed when he realized it was him.

                “Me no want no trouble,” he pleaded, holding his hands in front of his face. Ian placed his hands over Benny’s, lowering them down.

                “It’s okay, I don’t either,” Ian assured him, looking at the handcuffs on Benny’s wrists.

                “Why do you have those on,” he asked. Benny put his head down, sniffling a little bit.

                “When Benny do bad, Benny get cuffed,” he told Ian. Ian began to frown and sighed, glancing back up at Benny.

                “I’m sorry I got you in trouble,” Ian apologized. “I shouldn’t have called you a monster.”

                Benny looked up at Ian and smiled.

                “Benny forgive!” he exclaimed, leaning up against Ian. Ian cracked an awkward smile and hugged Benny, until he pulled back from him.

                “And thanks for saving me,” Ian added.

                “No problem for Benny!” Benny smiled. “What your name?”

                Ian looked at Benny and smiled.

                “It’s Ian, my name is Ian,” he replied.

                “Ian my friend?” Benny requested, still smiling. Ian reached over and put his hand on Benny’s shoulder.

                “Yea, I can be your friend,” Ian answered.

                “Yay!” Benny clapped with glee. Ian smiled, standing up and looking around.

                “So, who put those handcuffs on you?” he wondered.

                “Mister Larrabee have the key.”

                “Okay, I’m gonna go get it and let you out of those.”

                Benny stared at Ian with surprise.

                “Whealy?” Benny asked, while Ian gave him a thumbs up.

                “Yea—really,” he responded. “I’ll be right back.”

                Ian darted off from Benny to find Mister Larrabee, while Victor and Victoria watched on.

                “See, he’s not as bad as you thought he was,” Victoria mentioned, while Victor stared at her side-eyed. “He even has a name.”

                “I still don’t like him,” Victor nagged, while Victoria shook her head.

                “Are you on your period or something?” Victoria laughed, when Victor stared at her angrily.

                “Actually, I am,” he snapped, walking away from Victoria.

                “Oh God,” she exclaimed, throwing her hands up.