Circus De La Freak by Piper (short story to read TXT) 📕

a cocoon. Aria looked crestfallen but nodded.
“G’night everyone!” she said cheerily before blowing out the lantern and plunging them into darkness.
“Yes, goodnight Maxx, Pip, Piper, Aria and Freakface.” Said Belle sarcastically.
“So says the moron.” I shot back sarcastically, a smirk on my lips.
“Hey! Don’t call my girlfriend a moron.” Piped up Aria from where she was snuggled against Belle. I rolled my eyes and turned over so my back was to them.
“Right. You’re both morons.” I stated, wincing as a slightly deflated pillow hit the back of my head.
“That’s what you get!” crowed Belle. I picked up the pillow to retaliate, but Piper stopped me with a glare.
“Everyone shut up and go to bed!” she snapped, wrapping her arms around Pip as if to shield him from our animated conversation. Aria sighed but nodded.
“Alright everyone. We heard Piper. Sleep!” barked Belle, pulling the covers over herself and Aria. Maxx sighed disappointedly but obeyed and fell silent, eyes shut. The only sound that accompanied us into sleep was the sound of the crickets chirping their mournful song…
Chapter Seven (Alice's POV)

Zed had explained everything to me. The ‘circus’ was a group of young survivors that Zed had taken under his wing. I personally found it suspicious at first that a middle aged man had taken a bunch of teenage boys and girls and left, but as we talked, I came to find that Zed really cared about these kids. He also told me about The Haven. The Haven was what Zed was looking for on the side. It was a utopia. A place where the disease hadn’t spread. It sounded like a dream! Too good to be true! Of course, it probably was too good to be true…I didn’t believe that we had any hope left. There was nothing we could do to escape the ones that rose from their graves.
With that encouraging thought, I leaned my head back onto the squished pillow and tried to calm my racing mind. I wanted to sleep. I was so tired, but my mind was still racing. I wanted to know who everyone was, where I was, what I was going to do! I tossed and turned for hours, trying to get to sleep but found I couldn’t.
I had just started to drift off at what I estimated was five am when I heard soft footsteps outside. I was instantly on edge. I jumped up and slipped out of bed, silently pulling the cloth flap aside. I peered out and saw the white haired boy, Zephyr I think his name was, standing outside. He was dressed in a gray jacket and jeans, his hands shoved in his pocket. There was a gentle wind blowing, making his bright white hair ripple and look like silver. The good side of his face was towards me, the moon lighting up his every detail.
He really didn’t look that bad. Smooth boyish features, tanned olive skin and that strange hair of his. I’d never seen anyone with white hair except for my grandparents. It paired rather well with his bright blue eyes though. His eyes were what struck me however. They seemed so cold. So distant. They were decorated with a masked pain that we shared. A like pain. The pain of losing someone. When you lose someone, it haunts you. It changes you. You can put on a smile, but that smile will never reach your eyes. He had lost someone dear to him, just as I had. I took a deep breath before stepping out of the small tent, feeling the cold dirt shift underneath my feet. I walked silently up to him until I was standing beside him. We stood in silence for almost ten minutes until he finally spoke.
“What’re you doing up?” he asked in a low, steady voice. I knew that voice. The one where you don’t let any emotion creep into your voice so people won’t be able to tell how you’re feeling. I did it all the time. I pushed my dirty blond hair behind my ear and looked up at him.
“Couldn’t sleep…” I said softly, my green eyes flicking over him as I soaked in his casual relaxed stance. He looked like he didn’t have a care or worry in the world. He was such a faker.
“You should get some sleep. We’re getting up early so we can move on.” He said tonelessly, startling me out of my judgmental thoughts.
“Oh, of course. I’ll head out before you leave.” I said, my eyes glued to the ground. Zephyr’s sharp brows furrowed and he looked over at me.
“You’re not coming with us?” he queried innocently. I shook my head. I felt like an outcast the moment I woke up. What with that black haired girl’s insults and all.
“No…” I said with a hushed sigh. “I don’t think I exactly fit in here.” I murmured with a rueful smile. Zephyr let out a sharp laugh and shook his head.
“Everyone fits in here. Even I fit in, and that’s saying something.” He said with a miniscule smile, looking over to face me fully. My eyes were instantly drawn to the scarred part of his face. It was disturbing a bit, looking at the scarred half and the unflawed side of his face at the same time. The scarred side was ripped and torn, the tissue having grown messily together. They were raised and rough, one cutting right through his blue eye that unlike the other bright vibrant one was dull and slightly clouded over. It was horrifying that a boy so young had so many scars. His other side though…it was completely flawless, minus a few small scratches on his skin. He had a smooth complexion and dark, tanned skin. His eye was a bright sapphire blue that sparkled every time it caught the light but still held a distant coldness. His features seemed rather stretched and worn thin as if he had matured too quickly. His features still retained some boyishness qualities, but one could tell that he’d grown up too quickly. He flushed when he noticed me staring and ducked his head, shielding his scarred half from view. I blushed pink and instantly looked away, feeling a small feeling of shame start to bubble up inside of me. How rude could I get to stare at him when he was obviously sensitive about it. Then I did something really stupid.
“What happened?” I blurted out before I could stop myself. I could feel the tension coming off of him double and he stiffened, obviously uncomfortable. I reddened right away, feeling horrible.
“It’s nothing that a girl like you would want to hear.” He said, his voice flat but holding a sharp edge to it that told me to drop it. Sadly, I couldn’t…
“Did you get into a fight over some girl?” I asked teasingly, trying to change it into humor. An annoyed look passed through Zephyr’s eyes and he shook his head.
“No, it wasn’t over just some girl.” He said agitatedly. I put on a teasing smile.
“So it was someone better than that?” I asked playfully, quirking my eyebrows and nudging him in the ribs. He pulled away, his good eye flashing brightly and his other eye flashing a little duller.
“Don’t try to make a joke out of this!” he spat angrily, glaring daggers at me. “Being attacked isn’t a god damn joke.” He said disgustedly, turning on his heel and storming away into the darkness, leaving me feeling terribly embarrassed. I was such an idiot…of course he’d been attacked! Those scars weren’t normal scars and I should’ve noticed that right away. I sighed miserably, starting to shiver as the cold air that Zephyr had blocked. I turned and started back towards the small tent where I had been set up. I lifted the flap and slipped back in, feeling suddenly exhausted. Zephyr was like me, whether he knew it or not. We’d both loved and lost and been attacked by the monsters that had taken away the people we loved.
I got underneath the thin covers, pulling them tightly around me to keep out the nightmares. I remembered a prayer my mother used to say with me every night before bed.
Now I lay me down to sleep,
I pray the Lord my soul to keep.
If I should die before I wake,
I pray the Lord my soul to take.
I pray the Lord my soul to take…

Chapter Eight (Zephyr's POV)

“Don’t try to make a joke out of this!” I snarled angrily, glaring daggers at the girl. “Being attacked isn’t a god damn joke.” I said in disgust, not even giving her a chance to reply before I turned and stormed back into the sleeping quarters. I clambered into my bunk and huffed in annoyance as I dropped onto my side, my back to the others sleeping in the room. I closed my eyes, frustrated beyond belief. I was only laying down for a few minutes before I felt a small hand on my shoulder. I rolled over and came face to face with Pip who was looking scared. I instantly sat up, a worried look on my face.
“What’s the matter, Pip?” I asked in a low tone, helping him into my bed. He scrambled clumsily into my lap, his brown eyes wide.
“I’m sorry to bother you, Zephyr, but I had a nightmare.” He said in a tremulous voice. I sighed, reminded of how my younger sister would climb into bed with me if she had a nightmare. I smiled comfortingly at Pip and let him get situated in my lap, his small hands gripping onto my shirt. I rocked him back and forth as if he were a small child, just like I used to with my sister.
“Why didn’t you get your sister?” I asked quietly as Pip appeared to calm down. Pip bit his lip and sighed.
“Don’t get me wrong, I love Piper, but she would just panic…” he said softly, talking like a mature adult again. Pip oftentimes spoke like that, sounding like a teenager instead of a six