Sometimes things are thrown at you, without any warning. Sometimes things go by so fast, that you scarcely know how it all happened. You forget what you used to be like, and you forget your old life. The next thing you know, you're searching desperately for who you are, and what your purpose is. And when you find it… well, I don't know what happens after that. But I should probably tell you that my name is Marie, and I'm afraid of spiders.

I have absolutely no idea why they creep me out. Maybe it's something that has to do with the long legs and the abundance of eyes. Especially the poisonous spiders are the ones that really scare me. Even though their grace is impressive, I've just never been fond of the creepy, crawly, eight-legged arachnids.

You're probably wondering why I'm telling you this, but I'm here to tell my story. My story of what happened with a mysterious but deeply courageous boy. And what happened with his best friend. And I'm here to tell you about what it's like to be a monster. And it all started at a place that we all know and love—the Cirque du Freak.