The Skeleton In Me

Chapter Three

Chapter three

Cousin Ignominy. Cousin Icon. Monster. Abomination of man. Freak of the century. Psycho of the night. No matter what he is labeled, my heart ached for him. He's known for being something so impure, and maybe he is, but at this moment, all I wanted to do was help him-it, whatever it is.

I didn't know what to do, what to say, what to think. As I was sitting on my knees, head-to-head with Cousin himself. It was as if the eyes of the mass of men behind me suddenly seized to exist, as if it were now just me and the clown, alone on the stage.

I held my hand up, not thinking twice about it, I slowly reached it over. Part of me wanted to touch him, to see if he really was real.

The other part of me wasn't so sure.

"You're not an animal." I said low enough for only me and him to hear, "You're not a man's creature, you're a man of creature." Mr. Father was a creature a vicious one. Believing he could take a freak and make him a slave. A pet.

My hand was now inches from his face. His black hair covered his eyes, and I thought maybe I could just move it away. Maybe if I did that, he'd see me.

His hair brushed the top of my fingertips, and I thought for a quick moment that he'd allow me to touch him, but he flinched, suddenly becoming so tense I thought he might attack. I quickly drew my hand back and inched away from him.

He didn't attack.

Instead, he was now staring up at me, with a gaze so dead one would mistake him as a well-decorated mannequin. A Halloween figure.

The look in his eyes was monstrous. Evil, I saw nothing but disgust in in his face, as if he were an open book, describing his hatred for humanity without shame. And as much as I wanted too, I couldn't blame him for hating me, hating everyone around him. He'd be insane not to.

I recalled the feeling of his hair against my fingers, strangely, it was soft. His body was rigid, but he didn't back away. In fact, it seemed he was forcing himself to stay near me. Like it was a mere trick he had learned, like a dog. Stay still don't bark, play nice.

No biting.

I felt my eyes prickle with tears, and I quickly wiped them away before they were too noticeable. The longer we looked at each other, the more I wanted to scream and shout this was unfair. There was a look of absolute fatigue in not just his face of rage, but in his body movements, in his stance, and suddenly, I began to wonder what he'd look like with the face of a healthy individual. A well fed and clean -man?

"Bexley" I heard my name be shouted from the midst of the crowd which successfully snapped me out of my trance.

I glanced over my shoulder, to see my sister, and her boyfriend, Jace, standing below the stage with worried looks trapped on their faces.

I had forgotten to even think of my sister, how scared she must be seeing me up here with this creature.

I looked back at the creature, as if to say my final goodbye. Instead, I found myself luring back into his odd atmosphere that was radiating off of him.

"I'm sorry." I said, though I'm sure he was probably glad I was leaving, "I must leave you."

Silence.

"I wish I could stay up here."

More silence.

"And I wish you could speak." Maybe he could speak. Maybe he could understand every word I had been saying this whole time, and thought of me as the freak. I even began to hope that was the case. The he'd see us all as the strange ones.

Not knowing what else to say, I stood up, and turned back to the crowd. The crowd was in an uproar. Cheering, shouting, clapping their hands loud enough I feared they'd fall off. Even Mr. Father was complimenting my 'bravery'. Encouraging the crowd to be louder and louder until my ears rang with the voices of men.

I walked passed Mr. Father, unable to touch him for I saw him as the only creature on this stage. I hopped off the stage, and the crowd moved over, making a path for me as if I were royalty. My sister and Jace ran over to me.

"Oh my God, Bexley!" She embraced me in the tightest hug, but I could hardly feel it. I felt so numb. To leave that clown on the stage, knowing he was going to return back to a life of torture. I felt like the monster in this situation.

After she let go, I began to walk again. I had to get away from the crowd. Maybe go cry somewhere alone.

"Are you alright, Bex?" Jace asked, as he and my sister gave me worried looks.

I shook my head, not even trying to lie, "No." I admitted, as I turned my back on them, "No, I'm not alright at all."