by Rue Volley
“I would love to kiss you right now,” he said to me. I looked at him and blinked a couple of times.
“You don’t even know me,” I said. He leaned in and stared at me.
“I do.” He whispered.
I tilted my head and started to stand up. He placed his hand on my face and looked at me.
“Do you think that you are the only protector in the world?” he said. My face went blank.
“I have to go now,” I said to him in a slight panic.
“Why...? Don’t be afraid of me… I won’t harm you, I promise... I am neutral,” he said.
I stood up and the curtain rose. I looked out at Josh with a blank look on my face. I turned around as a huge mirror was rolled up behind me. A pretty girl, dressed like a twisted fairy tale in a red, black, and white dress and a small top hat, smiled at me. She held onto the mirror and grinned at the crowd.
The boy moved behind the mirror and reached his hand through it. I looked at his hand as the crowd ooh’d and ahh’d. I touched his hand and felt a vibration; he pulled me through it and I stood there as he held me, a little too close to him. I cleared my throat and pushed him off of me. The crowd applauded and the girl rolled the mirror away from us just as he grabbed me and dipped me. He planted a kiss on me and I struggled with him, more out of awkwardness than anything. He popped me up quickly and I staggered. Josh jumped up on the stage and grabbed my hand and pulled me off. I looked back as the boy was bowing to the crowd.
“What the hell?” Josh said, as he looked back at the stage.
I didn’t know what to say. Josh pulled me through the crowd and found a slit in the side of a tent pushing me through it and then he stepped in behind me. I looked around, it was filled with costumes. I was in shock until Josh grabbed me and turned me to him.
“What just happened?” he asked me. I grinned.
“He is a protector like us, I think,” I said as I kind of swayed. Josh stared at me and shook his head at me.
“I got that, I mean the kissing stuff,” he said. I straightened up.
“He kissed me, not the other way around,” I said as I found my thoughts getting clearer.
Josh let me go. He stepped to the slit in the tent and peeked out. He started to step out and I grabbed his arm.
“What are you doing?” I asked him. He pulled his arm from me.
“I am going to kick his ass,” he said. I bit my lip.
“Don’t do that, he was harmless.”
“Really...? We’ll see,” Josh said as he stepped forward.
I grabbed at him and we both turned when we heard a voice behind us. There he was, smiling. Josh stepped up to him.
“Who are you?” Josh asked him. He tipped his hat and did a theatrical bow to us.
“I am Jonah… like ‘Jonah and the whale’,” he said as he stood back up and stared at me.
I felt a little blushing coming on. He was very charming, in a wicked way. Josh grabbed my hand and Jonah looked down at our hands interlaced.
“Oh, I apologize, I did not realize that you were together,” he said. I looked at Josh and let his hand go from mine.
“Well, I don’t know what we are,” I said as Josh sighed.
Jonah stepped up and held his hand out. I placed my hand in his and he kissed it as he looked up at me, and then at Josh. Josh rolled his eyes and cleared his throat.
“So… you work at a freak show, nice cover Jonah,” he said, sounding like he was starting to pick a fight. Jonah stood up and looked at him.
“Well, it’s a great cover. I get to use my power and live amongst humans, it’s a fair trade.”
Josh stepped up to him.
“You feed on your audience?” he asked him. Jonah looked at me and grinned.
“Well, I prefer small woodland creatures, but occasionally I borrow a little energy nothing too upsetting to any of them.”
I grinned. I had to. He didn’t look at humans as food really, thank god. He winked at me. Josh grumbled. I loved it… jealousy, such an ass kicker.
“Well, I apologize for freaking out on you,” I said to him. He smiled.
“I don’t think that I could be upset with a creature as lovely as you,” he said.
Josh coughed out, “bullshit”. I shot him a look and hit him.
“Be nice,” I whispered. Jonah looked at him and then back to me.
“Well, would you be so kind as to join us for dinner tonight?” he asked me. Josh leaned forward and so did I.
“Yes,” I said, as Josh said, “No” at the same time.
I looked at him and he rolled his eyes at me. I looked at Jonah.
“Yes, we will eat with you… thank you for asking.” Jonah smiled and looked at Josh.
“Do you eat food?”
Josh crossed his arms “What do you think?”
Jonah looked at me and winked. “I thought maybe you would prefer pig.”
Josh stepped up to him and I slid in between them.
“We would love to eat, whatever you have Jonah,” I said.
Jonah walked to the costumes and looked back at us.
“You can both change if you wish to… there are plenty of clothes here. I am sure you will find something you like.”
He reached in and pulled out an awesome dress and turned to me. I looked at it and walked up to him, took it and held it up. It was black, with red stripes on it. I loved it. I smiled at him.
“Thank you Jonah,” I said as I turned to Josh and grinned.
Josh was not happy… too bad.
Jonah tipped his hat and nodded at Josh. Josh did some ass-like bow and a wave of his hand. I rolled my eyes. Jonah left the small tent and I looked at Josh.
“Do you always have to be so rude?” I asked him. Josh walked up to me.
“Me? You kissed him Rue!”
I sighed and walked over to the French looking divider and stepped behind it. I started to take off my leather. I threw the top over and hit Josh with it in the face. He pulled it off and grumbled.
“I did not kiss him. I think it was part of his show,” I said and smiled.
Josh walked up to the divider and peeked over. I hit him in the face with my pants, he grabbed those too.
“It was ridiculous,” he said.
I laughed. He had a lot of room to talk about ‘ridiculous’.
“Well, at least I didn’t go to bed with him,” I said as I started to pull the dress over my head.
Josh dropped my clothes on the floor.
“I don’t know how many times I have to tell you that I had no choice with Elin.”
I sat down on the floor and grabbed some heeled boots. I lifted one to the bottom of my foot and it looked like it would fit. I pulled it on and started to lace it up. I laughed again.
‘Uh huh… right,” I said.
I stood up after I laced both boots and pulled a corset from the top of the divider. I was going to look as hot as possible. I wrapped it around me and started to pull the laces on the front. I sucked in my breath and stepped out hoping for the best. I looked at Josh with my hands on my hips. He looked at me and started to talk, but it didn’t come out. He looked me up and down and grinned.
“Holy shit,” he muttered.
I turned and walked to the mirror. I looked beyond cute, I really did. He stepped up behind me. I grinned at him and grabbed a small round hat with netting on the front of it. I put it on my head and pulled the net down. I turned around and waited. Josh stood there and reached out to me. I turned and left the tent; he stumbled behind me. I walked a few feet and Jonah popped out of another tent. He stood there with a cane. He looked at me and took his hat off.
“You are a beautiful creature,” he said as I stopped in front of him. He looked at Josh.
“I see that you did not choose to dress for dinner.”
Josh tilted his head and put his hand on my waist. We stepped into the tent and found a table decked out in candles and a ton of food. I looked at Jonah as he flashed past me and pulled out a cha
ir. I pulled away from Josh and walked to the chair. I sat down as Jonah pushed it in. He leaned into my ear, “You look good enough to eat.”
I grinned and looked at Josh. Josh raised his hands and dropped them. He pulled a chair out and sat down. Jonah sat down next to me and poured some wine into a glass for me. I raised it to my mouth and Josh stared at me. I drank it all down and Jonah smiled and filled my glass again. Josh cleared his throat.
“Who are you and how did you end up in the circus?” Josh asked as he filled his glass.
Jonah smiled and leaned toward me.
“Well, since we have no patience. I am Jonah.” He was interrupted when a really pretty girl entered the room. She was the girl who rolled the mirror out to us. “And this is my sister Lily.”
Josh looked at her and back to Jonah.
“Okay… Jonah and Lily… where are your parents?” Josh said before she had a chance to sit down. Jonah laughed.
“Our parents, well… they met with an unfortunate accident, leaving Lily and I to fend for ourselves.”
I looked at Josh. He is so rude… I swear to God. I leaned towards Jonah.
“I am sorry to hear that.” I said. Josh laughed.
“Don’t be,” he said to me. I shot him a look.
“What is your problem?” I asked him. Josh stood up.
“Listen, Jonah, I appreciate the offer of dinner here, but I think that Rue and I need to go. We have people waiting on us.” He walked to me and grabbed my hand and pulled me up. I grabbed my glass and almost spilled it.
“What the hell Josh?” I asked him. He leaned up to my ear.
“We need to go… now,” he whispered.
Jonah stood up. “You don’t need to fear us,” he said to Josh. Josh smiled and pulled his blade from his back. He pointed it at both of them.
“Listen to me, I know what you are, you are rogue protectors. I don’t know if your parents died in the war or if you both bled them dry after. I don’t care, but I am leaving and so is she and if you know what is good for you…”
Jonah held out his hand.
“We are not innocent, I agree… but I assure you that we both abandoned our appetite long ago Josh… for humans.”
Josh gripped his blade and pushed me behind him. He started to back up and I let him push me backward. The energy in the room was changing quickly. Jonah flashed up behind him and grabbed my arm. Josh spun around and sliced his blade at him quickly. I ducked and fell to the ground. Lily flashed up to me and smiled, her teeth were filed to points. I screamed and Josh knocked her out of the way. Jonah crouched down and held a blade in his hand. He smiled at me and lunged at Josh. I scrambled out of the way. Lily crawled towards me quickly and I kicked her in the mouth. She grabbed at it and I pushed up to steady myself.
She stood up and tilted her head at me. Her eyes started to swirl red. I flashed towards the table and grabbed a knife then turned around just in time to stab her with it. She cried out and backed away from me. She held her stomach and pulled her hand away from it. She started to drop and Jonah screamed out. He lunged at me and Josh sliced his blades through the air so quickly I almost missed the fact that he cut off his head. It rolled to my feet and I kicked it away.
Josh grabbed my hand and we ran out of tent. We looked around and found an opening in the multiple tents that had been built in a cluster. We broke out of the carnival and across the field. We reached the forest and Josh scooped me up and flashed through the trees so quickly I barely noticed we were really moving, until he broke through the other side. He slowed down and I pushed myself from his arms. I stood there clutching at the bottom of the dress and looking around. I grabbed the hat off of my head and threw it on the ground.
“Damn it!” I screamed out. Josh looked at me and raised his hands.
“You just had to go to the carnival didn’t you?” he said. I threw my hands up.
“I can’t believe that! I love the carnival, now it’s ruined!” I yelled out. Josh started to laugh. “Are you kidding me?” he asked me.
“No… I remember going to the carnival when I was little. It was all elephant ears and unsafe rides. Why the hell did freak boy and his sister have to be there?”
Josh looked at me and shook his head.
“You just had to kiss him, right?” I started to walk away from him.
“Oh my god,” I said as I walked. Josh jogged up to me.
“Listen,” he said as he grabbed my arm and spun me. “Those were not normal protectors. There were some who simply left Valon, before the war. Some had children. Obviously Jonah and Lily killed their parents and spent their time feeding on people at the carnival.” I looked at him and shook my head.
“Like cannibals?” I asked him. He shook his head.
“Some protectors should not create. They end up having these creatures that have no morality, that was a couple of them. Trust me, we were dessert, they wanted to eat us,” Josh said as he looked around. I looked around too.
“Do you think there were more of them there?” I asked him.
“I do not know Rue. They are excellent at hiding their color, since they are tainted to begin with.” I looked at him.
“How many of them exist, you know like Jonah and his sister?” Josh looked at me.
“Some or a lot, I don’t know, I’ve never met one until now.”
I started to sway. My vision blurred. Josh caught me as I started to fall.
“I don’t feel right,” I said. Josh held my face.
“I think he drugged you with the wine, be easier to feed on you.” I looked up at him.
“You look so funny,” I said with slurred speech. He scooped me up.
“We have to get out of here.”
He flashed across the field and I pressed my face into his chest. I just wanted a deep fried Twinkie, maybe a ride on something that creaked and shook a little too much. I didn’t want to get eaten, who would?
***
Lily pushed herself up and stood over Jonah’s body. She picked up his head and looked at it. She grinned. She walked to his body and placed his head on his neck and placed her hand over it. It started to glow and the skin pulled together. She stood up and her hand stared to glow over her bloodied stomach. Jonah sat up quickly and looked at her. He pushed himself up and picked up his hat and placed it on his head. He walked to Lily and placed his hand on her face. She grabbed his hand and bit it. He stood there while she licked the blood.
“Well, that was unpleasant,” he said. Lily stopped licking the blood and nodded her head.
Jonah placed his hand on her face.
“Looks as if we have a new game,” he said to her.
She nodded and he grabbed her and bit her neck. She threw her head back and he drank the blood. He stopped and looked at her. She licked the blood from his chin.
“Go and find a child,” he said to her. She nodded and left the tent and he sat down and smelled the glass that Rue drank from.
He licked the edge of it. Jonah sighed and threw the glass across the room.
“I will have you, you taste sweeter than honey,” he whispered to himself.
***
I was in and out. I opened my eyes a few times and knew that Josh had me in his arms. I didn’t realize that we had stopped moving until I felt a bed under me. I rolled over and mumbled something. I had to sleep. My eyes were so heavy that I couldn’t keep them open. I drifted off, no dreaming.
I blinked my eyes and started to see light. My eyes started to focus and I rolled over and my arm hit Josh in the face. He mumbled and sat up quickly. I lay there then tried to sit up. My head felt woozy, but I pushed myself up anyway. I looked around and realized that we were in a hotel. I tapped on Josh and he opened his eyes up and looked at me. I tried to smile, but I really didn’t feel like it. My childhood dreamland of the carnival had been forever ruined. I felt like an ass for dragging us there. God, what would have happened if I would have stumbled on that place alone? Well, I’d have been dessert… awesome. I hat
ed the idea that I couldn’t fend for myself. I knew that I had power, I just couldn’t control it.
Josh touched my face and I rolled off the bed. I walked into the bathroom and shut the door behind me. I looked into the mirror and saw that the dark circles had returned. Great. I look like I haven’t eaten in a year, well, long enough I guess. I kept trying to eat food, but it’s not enough. I needed to feed… and I really didn’t want to. What would I become? Like Jonah and his sister? Will I someday want to eat other protectors like some freaky cannibal? I couldn’t let that happen.
I opened the door up and Josh was sitting up in the bed. I looked at him and walked over. I sat down and looked down at my hands.
“If I ever start acting like them just destroy me,” I said.
Josh pushed himself up and turned me to him.
“You are never going to be like them, Rue,” he said as he looked at my face. He took his hand and raised my chin up so I had to look at him.
“I want blood, more and more everyday Josh. I can hear your blood in my ears right now,” I whispered. Josh looked at me and grinned.
“You can bite me if you want to,” he said.
“Shut up Josh,” I said as I turned my head away from him.
“Hey,” he said. I sat on the edge of the bed and looked down at my feet. I like these boots, I really do.
“What?” I muttered.
“You are not a monster Rue… you will hunger, its normal.” I turned to him.
“Really? Normal? No, normal would be me finding a college right and figuring out a major. Normal would be me wanting a big old burger and not a cup of blood. Normal is the farthest thing from what I am.”
He scooted across the bed and grinned at me.
“You need to own this, not the other way around.”
I looked at him and thought about that for a moment.
“I don’t want to ‘own’ it,” I said.
He touched my hair and I leaned away from him. He smiled.
“You need to accept what you are because it’s not going to change.”