Masquerade's Mansion of Freaks

Prologue: Introductions

Deep in thick green woods lies a victorian-style mansion. A sign advertising what's inside is planted into the ground. Inside are performers, resting before their next show. What kind of performers you ask?

Well there's a snake boy;

"Edgar! How many times do I have to tell you to stay out of Symphony's room. You know how much she hates snakes" Cecil reprimanded one of the various snakes slowly slithering around him.

He paused as the snake made a hissing sound before speaking again "I don't care how warm her room is, no means no. You could end up dead one day. She could send one of her pet birds after you."

He paused again and he got a nod from the snake. He narrowed his eyes at the snake until only his slitted pupils were visible, then nodded his head when he deemed the snake to be telling the truth. "Good, now why don't you go play with Vincent and talk him out of trouble like I did for you" Cecil stared at his Kingsnake until it slithered away to a Viper not two feet away.

Then he laid back on his bed, puffing out his cheeks. He loved his family of snakes, don't get him wrong but, they were just too mischievous for their own good sometimes. He rolled to his side and just watched them for a minute before huffing and sitting up before grabbing his sketchbook and pencil and started sketching one of his cobras who was sunbathing on his window seat. Cecil then reminded himself to thank Masquerade for the art supplies later, he really was the best adopted father anyone could ask for.

There's a dragon girl:

Dia stretched her arms up into the air as she yawned, having just woken up from a nap. After that she soon started lazily scratching her ankle, or well at least attempting to. Her ankle had once again been chained to the ground near her bed. She sighed, the cuff around her ankle was really starting to bug her, it was itchy and cold. She wondered how long she'd need to wear it.

Masquerade always accused her of trying to escape, that wasn't what she was doing every time she left. She just wanted to explore more than just the forest around their house. So whenever she would venture farther than the woods, this would happen.

It was never for long, just a week at most, it was meant to annoy her more than anything. Doesn't mean she didn't wish it didn't happen. She got off her bed and walked over to her large shelf of books, the chains rattle whenever she moved. She thanked whatever higher being there was, that Masquerade made sure the chain was long enough to be able to at least move around her room and the attached bathroom.

She proceeded to flip through one of the new books Masquerade had gotten her and sighed when she heard Aquamarine yelling at one of her dolphins to just quit splashing her already. The walls were by no means thin but Aquamarine by no means was a quiet person. Sometimes she wondered how they were all able to get along. The house was large yes, but, there were at least seven people living there full time and the number could go up to nine or ten for a couple of weeks. As she sat back onto her bed and opened the book she'd chosen she thought to herself that she should ask Masquerade how he had space for all these people.

A mermaid lives there too:

Aquamarine sighed as Seashell, one of her dolphins finally stopped splashing her. She usually loved to play around with her friends but, it was only two hours until showtime and she really needed a nap before she had to get ready. Lying back in her bathtub she closed her eyes, for now just thinking. Really, she had nobody but herself to blame for being so tired these days. She was always staying up late because of. . .well maybe there was one other thing or person to blame.

She was staying up late because for the last couple of nights when she looked of the large window in her room she'd see something or maybe someone lurking about. Usually this didn't bother her because the sisters, Juniper and July who were friends of Masquerade did that sometimes. When she asked them why one time they had simply avoided the question. Aquamarine was worried because she could tell this wasn't them, whatever it was had the physique of a man a tall one at that.