Juniper's Ring | h.s.

- puppeteer

"Now, I need you to help us find Ronny. If we can find him, we can shut down Juniper's Ring for good. No one else will get hurt the way you and your brothers were."

He perks up in his chair.

"Have you ever been to the circus, Juliet?"

I swallow hard.

"Once, yes... as a child." I feel guilty for it now.

His fallen face twists around in a terrifying way, as if he was trying to break his jaw. Clearly, he doesn't like my answer.

He tries to compose himself and wets his painted-lips with his tongue.

"And did you enjoy it?" His devious grin grows.

"It was a nice show, but there's not much that I can remember. My father brought me there when I was very young."

"Oh, Juliet..." his tone is slick and my name slides off of his tongue in a concerning way. "I remember girls like you." He hums.

My heart drops as I see his yellow toothy grin staring at me. You can see where his teeth are rotting away from his gums but the way he smiles so wide now.

"Girls like you liked to pull on my hair... girls like you liked to scream in my ear and kick my shins. Girls like you were some of the worst. Daddy's little girl got whatever she wanted..."

I can see the anger bubbling up inside of him but his smile never slips. I can honestly say I can't feel my heart beating anymore. It's past the point of racing.

"Puddles, I just want to know what the ring leader's name is..." I remind him. "I want to help you."

"You want me to help you find him? Help you FIND HIM? Find the CIRCUS? Find him? You want ME to find him?!! HAHAH, you think I know where he is?!!!" He rocks around in his chair, gripping the seat as he moves in all directions. My answer about the circus had clearly rubbed him completely the wrong way. He's beginning to ramble and is becoming unhinged.

It's as if a switch went off. His personality has completely switched.

He calms and sits forward. "You want me to show you to him?" His head tilts like a dog.

My grip tightens on my clipboard as my palms begin to sweat.

I clear my throat, "yes, um, do you know where he is?"

A smile appears on his face as he leaps up onto his chair, crouching like a frog as he grips the front of the seat and glares at me with glassy eyes.

"The circus is everywhere, Juliet. The circus never leaves town. It's always in the same damn place." I watch as his fingers knot around the seat tighter and his grin begins to shake. His one eye is twitching now.

I can feel my hands begin to shake and my mouth become oddly dry. Looking at him now, I'm terrified. This man who I pitied has become quite horrifying. The way his tongue slaps around his mouth as he speaks and his smile, so utterly forced, causes shivers to run down my spine. He's dead-eyed.

"I can always bring you to the circus. Do you wanna go? You can bring out the clowns this time." His smile looks like it might rip at the corners of his mouth as it turns upward even further.

"Puddles... I just want to know where you last stopped in the circus and what Ronny's full name is." That's the whole reason I came here to see him today.

He peers about the room, not really searching for anything in the space but rather words on his tongue. Then his eyes lock back on me.

"You'd be a very pretty clown..."