Circle of Freaks

Ivy Sloan

Since I was a little girl, I fell in love with the circus. It's all I ever wanted to see up close or be a part of. There was no room for things like that where I grew up. There was no room for anything except bad memories and bad expectations.

Every year around Devil's Night, since we moved to Stockbridge, the Circle of Freaks paranormal circus comes to town. It's an eighteen-and-over horror show in which no one talks about what goes on inside because they can't.

But this year is different. This year, my prayers have been answered by gifting me a ticket. Despite what people think of me at school. Despite the girls gone missing––– Found dead. I wasn't prepared for what I would see.

I wasn't prepared for…him.