Chapter 5

After talking to Joey, JC decided to go and tell Justin that he was safe for the night. Maybe give him a better rest before it was time to leave. He got to Justin's door, and then hesitated before knocking.

"Justin, it's me. Are you awake?" He heard noise from inside the room, and then the door opened to him. Justin was at the door and he smiled at JC before searching the area behind him.

"I just wanted to tell you that my uncle went to bed, and he's not getting out tonight for any reason." He saw Justin loosen up and then smile sincerely at him.

"He was so mad today I was sure he would be up tonight." JC sighed and then was silent.

"How long ago did he go to bed, JC?" JC turned away, not wanting to look Justin in the face.

"I saw him visit Lance earlier and then he went to bed."

"Oh. . . Lance is gonna be fine, JC. You don't have to worry about him. He's real strong, and. . . " JC cut him off.

"I just wanted to tell you that you can get some sleep now, before we all have to get up."

"Thanks." JC sighed and waved as he left, listening for the door to close. When it didn't he turned around to look at Justin.

"He really will be okay, ya know?" JC nodded and left back to his trailer. When he did Justin finally sighed and closed his door, going back inside the trailer. JC made his way to his own trailer and sat down on his bed without turning on any lights. He punched his pillow and then lay down against it, attempting to salvage the few hours of sleep he had left, though he doubted sleep would come very easily tonight.

All of a sudden JC felt a hand on his shoulder and woke with a start. He looked up to see his sister's outline against the light of a lamp outside his window.

"Wake up, Jace. It's time to go."

"I didn't even realized that I had fallen asleep." Jessie giggled and then patted him on the back.

"Well, get outside. We need your help moving some stuff right now."

"Okay." JC stood up and stretched before leaving his trailer and following Jessie to the big tent. He immediately went to one corner and held onto it, waiting for someone else to come over and help him. He had helped take down the big tent before, so he knew exactly what was expected of him. Before the middle bar was taken down, though he felt another hand on his shoulder. He turned around, coming face to face with his uncle and an involuntary scowl fell upon his face.

"Yes, sir?"

"You don't have to do this, JC. I want to have a talk with you." JC searched around the area until his eyes landed on Jessie. She looked at him and simply smiled, making JC want to scream. Another person ran over and took his corner.

"Sure, Uncle Larry." He smiled and followed his uncle behind the trailers. He looked at JC with a very serious expression on his face.

"JC, did you invite any of the freaks to dinner last night?" JC sighed and wrapped his arms across his chest.

"I invited Joey, Lance, and Justin."

"Why?" JC let out a huff and rolled his eyes.

"They’re nice guys, Larry, so just leave it at that." He tried to get away, but Larry grabbed him by the arm before he could.

"They're not nice guys, JC. They're abominations. They don't deserve to be around you. You have a real talent. People come from all around to see you do what you're better than anyone else at. They are good for very few things." At that last statement memories flooded JC's mind and he nearly puked on his uncle's shoes. He stood still for a moment trying to collect himself, and after he had gained back his concentration on his uncle, JC interrupted him.

"Like what?"

"What?"

"What are they good for, uncle?" Larry looked at him quizzically.

"Entertaining people in the sideshow." It was said very hesitantly as if it were a trick question.

"Anything else?" JC gave him a hard stare and Larry looked thoroughly confused. He had never seen JC mad like this before, and he had no idea what was going on. He looked over JC's shoulder and then back into his cold eyes.

"What are you talking about, JC?" JC just stared at him, and then walked away.

"You know exactly what I meant." He left Larry behind the trailers in the dark, looking at him with a very confused expression gracing his face, heading for the big tent. He got halfway back to the tent and then was stopped when he saw Lance out of the corner of his eye. He was standing at the edge of the woods, watching the commotion around him. JC walked up to him, and caught his attention.

"Oh. Hi, JC. You never came back to my trailer."

"Yeah well, I didn't want to interrupt whatever you were doing in there, ya know?" He gave a forced chuckle, and Lance returned it along with a faint smile.

"Yeah, thanks for not opening the door when you first came."

"You're welcome, Lance." He clapped Lance on the back and sighed when Lance jumped. He was about to turn around and leave when he felt an explosion in his chest.

"That's it, Lance. I can't pretend anymore."

"Pretend what?" He seemed genuinely clueless.

"Pretend what?!" He tried to calm down when he saw Lance's fear-full eyes looking back at him.

"That I don't know what was going on in your trailer when I knocked. That I don't know what my Uncle does to you, and Joey, and Justin. You can't let him do that to you, Lance." Lance stepped farther into the shadows to hide his severe blushing.

"It's not that easy, JC. I can't make him stop."

"I'll help you Lance. Just come to me. If he ever gets near to you again, you just come to me."

"I can't. I can't make him stop."

"Why?! Why? Because, you have no arms, Lance? Please. That does not change a single thing. He can't do this. It's illegal and it's just plain wrong."

"But, he's like my Dad, JC. I can barely remember life before he took me in. All I have is little fragments of memories, feelings really. You don't know how hard it is." JC pinched the bridge of his nose as he let out a strangled reply.

"You're right, Lance. I don't know, but I'm trying to understand. I'm trying as hard as I can, but I can't understand why you let him . . . fucking . . . rape you." He cringed at the thoughts that the awful word conjured up.

"He punishes me."

"He rapes you." JC looked up to Lance's face and saw the moonlight reflect a tear on his cheek. He wrapped his arms around Lance and pulled him close against his body.

"I'm sorry Lance, but that is not a punishment for anything you've done. You haven't done anything wrong, especially anything that would deserve that. No one deserves that." He kept Lance in the embrace, holding the sobbing man against him under the moonlight, wishing that all of his pain would just go away, if at least for a little while.

Chapter 6