No Happily Ever After (The Fairytale Diaries #1) (12 page)

Chapter 24

J
oshua "celebrated" his sixteenth birthday with a severe beating from his father.

Presumably, he'd "forgotten" to do his chores, which earned him ten lashes with the belt after being dragged from his bed before the sun rose.  Except, the chores he'd failed to do were actually his sister's.  When his father finished with him and angrily stormed away, Josh crawled into a corner, each movement of his wounded body causing him intense pain.  He leaned his head against the wall and wept bitterly.  The sound of his sorrow drew his mother into the room.

She crouched on the floor, and gingerly reached for him, pulling him into her arms.  She was the only one who didn't treat him like some sort of disgusting monster.  He leaned into her and cried, comforted by her warmth.

"Mama," Josh whispered.  "Please don't let them hurt me anymore."  It was the same plea he'd made to her a million times over the years.  She always responded by hugging him and quietly insisting that he just be good and get along.  He didn't know what else he was supposed to do to get along in life.  He did everything anybody told him to do and never complained.  In fact, he never said a word.  He knew he didn't look like other people, but somewhere in his heart, even after years of being told that he was, he didn't think he was ugly.  Just different.  But to the world as he knew it, different meant ugly.

That time, to his surprise and relief, her answer was different.  "You're right, Joshy," she said softly, stroking his messy hair.  "I won't let them hurt you anymore."

He looked up, peering happily and hopefully into her eyes.  "You won't?" 

She smiled kindly and patted his arm.  "Get ready for school.  I'll take care of it for you today."

Josh did just as she said, prepared for school, and went to catch the bus.  He was so relieved and overjoyed that he didn't even here the cruel taunts from his school mates on the bus or in class.  He wondered obsessively what exactly his mother would do to rescue him.

At the close of the school day, he found out.  A police officer escorted by his principal came to the classroom and asked for him.  Out in the hallway, the principal smugly looked on as the cop informed him that he would be taking Josh to the home of Thelma Dark, a local foster mom.  His mother had turned him over to be a ward of the state. 

After that day, he saw his siblings here and there in school, but he never saw his parents again.

***

Josh spent the remaining months of his junior year in high school in Thelma Dark's "care."  He never quite recovered from the shock that his mother's way of helping him had been to abandon him entirely.  He grew angry and volatile.  When people were mean to him then, he responded with vulgarity and fists.  He thought of Benjamin Bar's secret a lot in those days.

A lot of people would've thought Thelma Dark ran a horrible home.  But, to Josh, it wasn't that bad.  Not as bad as where he'd come from, anyhow.  Plus, living with Ella Cinder was a bonus.  Although, despite the fact that he found her highly entertaining to look at, he found her to be just like everyone else.  She seemed like a nice person, but she rebuked any effort on his part to befriend her.  Just like everyone else who'd ever passed through his life.  Even one of the kindest people in Faraway couldn't be convinced to be kind to him.  This made him even more bitter and hateful.

When summer rolled around, Josh managed to find some rare entertainment when the Carnaval de le Nuit came to Faraway.  The traveling carnival fascinated Josh.  He had no money to get in, but he managed to sneak in a rear entrance to see the sights.  He spent a sultry evening walking amongst the rides and tents, staring entranced at all the performers and their fantastic acts.  There was a fantastical looking man in black with long white hair who swallowed swords.  A dark haired beauty in an elaborate burlesque costume ate fire.  Men and women alike strolled about decked in glitter, sequins and gold.  He saw a flying trapeze act that took his breath away.  He observed beautiful fortune tellers, raking in money from their marks.  And perhaps the thing that attracted him most of all was the freak show.

The carnival performers were like a group of glorious swans to Josh.

Josh wished beyond reason that he could leave with these people; join their show.  Each player he passed, he contemplated asking them.  But he was still several months shy of his eighteenth birthday, and besides that, he had nothing to offer the outfit.  No special skills, no exotic beauty.  At best he could hope to be a freak, but even in that regard he considered himself unexceptional.  Late in the evening, Josh dejectedly left the carnival and returned to the Dark residence.

That very night there was a tussle at the house.  He saw the Dark twins abuse Ella Cinder.  Though Ella had never reciprocated any of his attempts at friendship, seeing her be abused reared Josh's ugly temper and he exploded.  Once the situation died down, Thelma informed him that he'd be sent to an orphanage on the morrow.

When the house finally rested for the night, Josh Cross snuck out a window.  His feet hit the ground and he took off running.

***

He ambled alongside the road and into Faraway city limits that night, ending up at a small all-night diner.  He ordered only water as he had not a cent to his name.  The waitress must've noted his disheveled and lost appearance and found some pity for him however, as she served him coffee on the house. 

Sitting alone at the coffee counter, he stared at the multi colored Formica and sipped the muddy drink, weighing his options.  Actually, he had no options.  So, he weighed his lack of options.  And then a sweet voice snapped him from his miserable reverie.

"Well, hello there, Joshua!"

He snapped his head up to see his high school counselor taking a seat next to him on one of the red vinyl swiveling stools.  His heart sped up as he beheld her sparkling dark eyes and her slightly too wide smile.  The woman was greatly loved among his high school peers.  But, something about Mrs. Bar thoroughly unsettled Josh.  She struck him as slightly too friendly.  Slightly too happy.  Her smile was slightly too bright, her eyes slightly too lively.  She was perfection; amplified…  Slightly.  It likely had a lot to do with the fact that he had pretty hard evidence that her son was an utter lunatic.  But the thing was that he found it hard to believe Benjamin Bar acted alone and got away with what he did without his parents knowing.

He had no choice but to believe that Mrs. Bar was a psychopath as well.

Nonetheless, he had yet to give away Benjamin's dark secret, and he wasn't about to start then.  Nothing on earth frightened him more than the prospect of any of the Bar's knowing that he knew.  So he forced a small, polite smile.

"Hi, Mrs. Bar," Josh said meekly.

"What brings you out so late, son?" she asked kindly, concern furrowing her brow.

His head began to hum.  He was out well past curfew and Mrs. Bar was an authority figure.  He was sure to end up at a foster home, or the police department.  Those prospects seemed equally horrible to him.  He didn't know what to say. 

"I…  Uh, I just needed to get out of the house for a moment," he said.

She frowned.  "You live at the Dark house don't you?"

His cheeks reddened.  He couldn't believe he knew that much about him honestly.  "Yeah, I sure do, Mrs. Bar."

"Listen, Josh…  Is everything OK?  Do you need my help?"

Seriously
, Josh thought. 
Someone finally cares about me and it has to be HER?

"Oh, it's no problem.  I'll just finish my coffee here and head home, alright?"

She studied his face, deeply staring into his eyes.  Her concentration on him made him crazy.  He wanted her to go away.  After a long tense moment she reached out and stroked his arm.  "Josh, tell ya what, why don't you come on out to my house.  I'll be honest, I'm not fond of Thelma Dark, and I'm sensing there's something going on here.  We'll go home, and I'll help you." 

WORST IDEA EVER
, Josh mentally screamed.  His anxiety climbed to an alarming level.  He suspected that nobody who went to the Bar house ever got any form of help.  He glanced around, thinking of darting for the exit.  She'd probably think he was running away out of fear of Thelma Dark or the authorities.  She wouldn't suspect that he knew about her family's dark secret.

Or would she?

He took a deep breath, thinking quickly.  "Sure Mrs. Bar, thank you so much.  I just need to make a quick pit stop if it's OK?"

Her overly pleasant smile returned.  "Sure, I'll wait for you here."

Josh concentrated on keeping his gait leisurely as he strolled to the men's room.  Once inside, he locked the door quickly behind him and darted across the tiny water closet.  He scurried onto the toilet and pushed out the screen in the small open window that was situated several feet above his head.  He hoisted himself up deftly and pulled himself out the window.  He dropped to the dry dirt below then sprang instantly back to his feet. 

And off he ran into the night.

Chapter 25

J
osh's situation had worsened far more than he'd ever anticipated.  He never thought he'd be wishing to return to his father's beatings and the cruel treatment of his brothers and sisters.  He found himself weaving through the streets of Faraway, looking for a remote location to hide.  From his crummy foster family.  From the social worker who'd ultimately take him to an orphanage.  From the police.  And worst of all, from a family of whackos.  Josh was convinced he'd narrowly missed being murdered and placed inside the cave of doom.  He was a realist, and in such, he knew it made perfect sense to pick him to be a murder victim.  Who would miss him?  Except, he wasn't particularly interested in being anybody's death experiment.

It was past two a.m. when Josh gained entry into a vacant house.  The place was dirty and dilapidated looking as though it hadn't known the presence of a human in decades.  But it was full of the life of the abandoned.  Skittering spiders inhabiting dusty webbed corners.  Rats racing between the shadows along the floor.  And the whisper of stories untold.  Josh shivered as he crept up the creaking flight of stairs, feeling forlorn that a place like this would be the only place he could feel safe.

He found a room off a long dark hallway that contained peeling paper and an old striped mattress propped against the wall.  He pulled it down to the floor and dropped exhausted onto it.  A cloud of dust rose up around him and he coughed and fanned it out of his face.  Once the dust settled, he too settled back onto the musty mattress, his hands propped behind his head.  He lay staring up at the cracked and stained ceiling, thing of so many things that he essentially thought of nothing at all.  In no time, his eyes drifted closed and he fell into a deep and dreamless sleep.

He woke with sunlight streaming across him and sat bolt upright on the bed, wide awake.  His sleeping mind had revealed the answer to him.  It was the last day that Carnaval de le Nuit would be in Faraway.  He would make his way to the carnival and throw himself on the mercy of the carnies.  He would beg them to take him away with them.  This was it.  This was his last shot at fleeing his awful existence and building a real life worth living.

And if they refused, he would simply end his own life. 

***

Josh found his way into the carnival once again under the blazing heat of the summer sun.  He stuck to the shadows cast by the tents, trying to stay somewhat cool, and also avoid being seen.  He wasn't really worried anybody would notice him, but on the off chance any of the Bar family was there, he wanted to remain as hidden as possible. 

He once again observed the magical carnival performers.  When he caught sight of a beautiful fortune teller, perched in a red and white striped booth, he stopped to watch her for a while. 

She wore a provocative silky purple gown.  Long shining black hair flowed down to her waist and swished prettily against her olive skinned face as she moved, speaking and smiling at her querients as they took their seats in front of her.  She had kind eyes. 

When the line of people looking for her advisement finally cleared, Josh took the seat before the beautiful gypsy.  She gave him a smile.

"I need help," Josh said quietly.

She smiled wider and extended her palm.  "Five dollars, child, I will help you."

Josh dropped his eyes, blushing furiously.  "Uh, that's…  Not what I mean.  I don't have any money."

The woman's smile faded but she pondered Josh for a long time.  "What is it?  What's the matter?"

"I…  I want to join the Carnaval.  I want to come with you when you leave."

She sighed and reached across the table to pat Josh's hand.  "Oh dear one, you can't do that."

"Please!" Josh said, his voice rising slightly.  "Listen, no one will miss me.  No one will come looking for me."  The woman gave him a look of concern, but said nothing.  He continued.  "My whole life, I've been beaten and tormented.  Nobody loves me.  No one on this planet.  I'm not safe here."  The woman's face revealed that her heart was breaking for him.  He began to think perhaps she was an authentic fortune teller.  Perhaps she really could feel his sorrow.  He pressed on.  "If I stay here, they'll just continue to hurt me.  Please, please, I beg of you.  Take me away from here."

After another moment the woman rose.  "Stay here.  I'll be right back."

Josh waited anxiously fidgeting in his seat.  His eyes darted around nervously expecting to see Mrs. Bar at any moment.  Finally she returned with a gigantic muscular man who wore an epic handlebar mustache in tow.  Josh's heart sped up and his hopes crashed, assuming he was about to be tossed out of the carnival.

"I'm Boss," the man said gruffly.  "What can you do?"

Once again Josh blushed and his eyes dropped to his lap.  "Well, I…  Um…"  He didn't really know what to say.  He mustered as much courage as he could and returned his gaze to meet Boss's eyes.  "I can learn."

Boss grinned, revealing a row of silver teeth.  "That's a good answer son, follow me."

***

Carnaval de le Nuit and its members transformed Josh into exactly what he'd always envisioned for himself.  They trained him, gave him strength and he was soon in perfect physical condition just like the rest of them, with rippling biceps and six pack abdominals.  He got tattooed and pierced by the carnival's incredible artists.  He was given a stylish haircut and an outrageous new wardrobe.  And, fittingly, he was taught the art of escape for entertaining crowds. 

His new family accepted him warmly and lovingly.  They gave him all that he'd ever lacked and he finally found a place to flourish.  He had an exciting and happy life, traveling all over the country. 

Which brought him to his present conundrum, sitting in the library and staring at the computer screen.  Faraway represented his old family.  He had information that could help them, and he struggled to decide whether or not he should go forward, or just go on living his Faraway free life.

After much consideration, he logged off the Internet and resolved to forget all about it.