Welcome to the Dark Carnival

It was a new day when the storm passed. Opening my eyes, I saw a guy standing over me, concerned about me. Backing away, I narrowed my eyes at him, suspicious of his actions. "Hey chill there, I ain't goin' to hurt you" said the guy. His voice was gravelly and I raised an eyebrow. "Who are you?" I asked, still keeping my distance. "Chris. My name is Chris Rouleau" he said. I stood up and dusted myself off. "Hannah" I said, not giving him my last name. "Nice to meet you. Do you want to tell me what you are doing here in Romeo?" he asked. "I'm in Romeo?" I asked. "Yeah, this is where I grew up" he said. "Wow, I ran a long way" I said. "Runaway huh?" asked Chris. I nodded and grabbed my journal. "Do you carry that everywhere?" he asked. "Yes, it's my way of coping" I said.

"Bad life?" he asked me as we started walking. "Terrible, but I've found some people to help me through it" I said, smiling a bit. "That's good. No one should ever have to suffer alone. People should help each other with their problems" said Chris. "So…Chris, do you mind if we go get some food? I'm really hungry" I said sheepishly. Chris laughed and nodded. "sure come on. If you don't have money, I'll pay" he said. Shaking my head, I grinned. "Nope, I've got money so I'll pay. Think of this as a repayment for finding me" I said. "I couldn't just leave you outside, it's freakin cold if you haven't noticed" said Chris. "Oh I've noticed, I just decided not to think about it" I said. "You are one weird chick" Chris said as we headed towards the nearest burger joint. "Where do you come from?" asked Chris. "Detroit. Not the suburbs, the city" I stated. "Wow" was all Chris said. "Thank you again Chris. It's not everyday you find a stranger willing to help you out" I said.

"Hannah, it's no problem, really" he said. 'I wonder if they are looking for me' I thought as I stared out the window. A moment of silence passed before Chris spoke. "You ok?" he asked. "Yeah, just thinking about my friends. I miss them a lot, they've done so much for me" I said. "I'm sure they're concerned for your safety" said Chris as we ordered our food. "So Hannah, how old are you?" he asked. I smiled at him. "21. I turned 21 a few weeks ago. You?" I asked as the waitress placed a root beer in front of me. "I'm 17" he said. "Aw you're still a kid" I said, teasing him. 'I haven't joked around like this since my mother was alive' I thought, realizing that everyone at Psychopathic was helping me. "So do you have a job?" he asked me. "Yes actually, I intern at a record label to help me pay for college. Once I have enough I'm planning on quitting" I said. "what about you?" I asked him. Chris's face turned bright red and he looked down at the table. "I'm…actually a stripper" he said softly.

My eyes widened but I soon recovered. "No reason to think I'm going to leave over that. It's helps pay the bills" I said softly. Chris nodded, seemingly ashamed of his job. "I really want to be a rapper though. I'm actually in a group called 2 Krazy Devils" he said. "A rapper huh? I think I can help with that a bit" I said, taking a sip of my soda. "Really?! How?" asked Chris. "I know people, as conceited as that might sound" I said. "I can't believe you can help me" he said. I chuckled and we finished our food quickly. "Actually, Hannah. I have this show at the Ritz. Me and this guy James Lowery are opening for a group called House Of Krazees. It'd mean a lot if you'd come see it" said Chris. "Sure thing! I'll go check my schedule and believe me I'm sure my boss will let me go" I said. Chris smiled and we soon went our separate ways.

After a few more moments of wondering, I decided it'd be better for me to head home. The walk was silent and tedious. I could feel my muscles practically screaming for some rest. All that running had taken so much out of me and I needed some decent sleep. Thinking back to Chris, I was happy he had helped me. 'I wonder if I can get J and Shaggs to let him work for Psychopathic, and just who are the House of Krazees?' I thought. I became so absorbed by my thoughts, that I hadn't realized I was on the front step of Alex's house. That is, until Monoxide opened the door. He stood there in shock while I shook my thoughts away. "Oh hi Monoxide" I said. "What a surprise. I come out for a smoke and here you are. You gave us all quite a scare" he said, stepping outside and shutting the door.

Looking at my feet, I sighed. "yeah I know, I'm sorry. It's just…what J said…he reminded me of my father" I said quietly. Monoxide hugged me and I relaxed into his hug. "Listen, J's got a temper on him, but it's not because you did anything. In fact, it's because of something he couldn't prevent even if he wanted to. He doesn't know how to handle it. So if he says anything that might be mean, just ignore him. Can you do that for me?" asked Monoxide as he pulled away. I nodded and he smiled. "come on, get inside. I'm pretty sure Jamie is about ready to murder J" he said as we walked inside. What lied behind the door was nothing short of a battlefield. J was on the ground, getting his ass kicked by a furious Jamie. Rob, Alex, and Shaggy were yelling at Jamie, trying to pull him off of J. The look I saw on J's face nearly broke my heart. He was in such pain, both physically and emotionally that his eyes seemed lifeless while his face was scrunched up in pain.

Monoxide looked at me as I ran over. "Stop this!" I cried out with tears streaming down my face. My small voice seemed to reach Jamie over the chaos and he turned to see me standing against the wall with my hands balled up into fists, tears rushing down my face like a torrent. His eyes softened and he got up, causing J to look at me. No longer were his eyes lifeless, no, now they were heartbroken. "Jamie, leave Joe alone…please" I pleaded, trying to calm my breathing down. Blood dripped from Jamie's fists and J's face was painted in his own blood. I could see bruises forming under the blood. Monoxide moved to wrap his arms around me, but I ducked away, heading over to J. "Why?" I asked in a small voice.

"He…he hurt you!" exclaimed Jamie. Shaking my head, I turned to him. "And so you beat him to a pulp to get him back? James he could've died if you continued. What then?!" I asked, now no longer crying. Now I was glaring with all my anger. "Hannah…I" he started as he approached me. "Stay away from me" I hissed before looking at Rob and Shaggy. "Bring J into my room, please" I said before I left. Moments after I arrived into my room, J was brought in. "Now please leave" I said quietly. They complied and J just laid on my bed. "I'll be back" I said, rushing to the bathroom to grab a first aid kit. Upon returning to my room, I saw J sleeping. Smiling softly, I approached him as quietly as I could before beginning to tend to his wounds. "This wasn't how this was supposed to be" I whispered. "I'm sorry" said J, shocking me. His green eyes bore into mine and I saw regret in them. Smiling softly, I wiped off the blood on his forehead before placing a soft kiss on it. "Jamie scared you…didn't he?" asked J. "Yes, he reminded me of my father" I said quietly. After that I began to work in silence when the door opened. J pretended to sleep while Jamie walked into the room

My eyes hardened at the sight of him. "Look, Hannah…I'm sorry" he said, wanting forgiveness. "So you think acting like my father is supposed to make me feel comfortable?" I hissed. Jamie stilled and looked at me. "My father…he used to beat the ever living crap out of my mother. Over petty things too. She didn't deserve the pain, none of it she deserved" I said, looking at the floor. "He killed her…and now I see you beating J as badly as my father used to beat my mother" I whispered. Jamie walked over and sat beside me, pulling me into a hug. "Shit, Hannah. I didn't know and I'm so sorry. I just got so angry" he said. I started to cry onto his shirt while he rubbed my back. "I'm sorry your father was such an asshole. We won't let anyone hurt you" he said before leaving.

I turned back to J and saw him motioning for me to lay down next to him. "Aren't you sore?" I asked, hesitant to comply. "Like a motherfucker, but you look like you need a hug" he said, trying to grin at me. Chuckling lightly, I curled up against him. "I met someone today" I said. J stiffened and I had to let out a soft giggle. "not like that Joey. His name is Chris Rouleau. He's got a show at the Ritz coming up" I explained. J grinned and I looked at him questioningly. "Paul and James have a show there too. They're in the House Of Krazees" he explained. That caused me to laugh softly. "Monoxide's name is Paul?" I asked. J nodded and I curled up closer to him. "I want you to go see them" said J sleepily. As I was about to respond, I looked up to see J was asleep. His arms were wrapped securely around me, the bruises on his face showing me how bad he was hit. I leaned up and lightly kissed a bruise on his cheek before falling asleep in his arms.