Chapter 1: The Ticket

When you were a kid, did you ever believed in monsters? Did you ever believed in the Boogie Man who lived under your bed or in the closet? Did you ever believed in witches, werewolves, vampires, or ghosts of old?

If you did, do you still believe in them?

No?

Well, that is understandable. The majority of people in this world stop believing in such things when they're a teenager.

But I assure you, some of those creatures that you read in comic books/novels or seen on TV/movies are real. Hell, there are other monsters in this world that no one even knows. There monsters and ghouls that are part of your everyday life. They are hiding and waiting, or walking among you in the streets.

In fact, I am one of those monsters. Two of them actually.

But before I tell you what I am, allow me to tell you who I am.

My name is Darrell Spectre, and this my story.

"And bugger off you little fucktard!" Yelled an mid-age woman, roughly pushing a young child out of the doorway, tumbling down the stairs and landing on the concrete sidewalk.

Darrell winced in pain as she slowly sat up, glaring at the woman. "What the hell is your problem?! You fucking cunt!"

"You and these damn arses are my problem! Every single morning, you always cause me problems!" The caretaker yelled, throwing Darrell's backpack at the orphan. "You are damn lucky that that man pays me every year to take care of you! If not for him, you would be living in the streets!" The old caretaker said before slamming the door, retreating back into the orphanage to torment the other orphans.

Darrell grumbled as she stood up, dusting her school uniform and she picked up her backpack. She ignore the people staring at her, not a single one asking if she was alright or report the police for this abusement.

Everyday is the same. Being pushed around and being swear at. All I needed was money for lunch today. Besides, if that mysterious man is giving her money to support me, it should be my money! That money is meant for me!

As Darrell complained in her inner-thoughts, she made her way to school. As she walked, Darrell left the main road and entered the friendly looking neighborhood. Darrell does this everyday, to escape the rudeness of the harsh streets and enter the calm and quiet streets of London.

Darrell sighed in happiness as she listen to the rustling of the trees at the breezed went by. And with her sharp noise, she could smell someone cooking eggs with toasted bread. And she knew whose house is that.

As Darrell approached the house, she felt a very chilly breeze at the back of her neck. She could see her breath, even though the sun was out and it was a cloudless sky. As she turned around, Darrell came face to face with an older looking man, around the age of 60. He worn tattered pants and jacket. He was missing a shoe and the only shoe he had was very ripped up. He had a flat hat with curly white hair to match. The man had a long and very curly beard and the old man stared at Darrell with sad green eyes.

"Morning, Old Burners. How are you doing today?" Darrell asked the old man.

The old man sighed heavily and stared up at the sky. "Dreadful little one. Just wretched and dead." He said as he look back at Darrell. "But you already know that."

Darrell nod her head towards the ghost.

This is one of the gifts or a curse I was borned with. I don't know why I have this ability, but I can see and speak with ghosts. I could touch them and they could touch me. I am like a battery to them that they can use to manifest themselves. Ever since I was a baby, I would play with them, according to what my parents told me. And I guess the story they told me that I was borned with no heartbeat might been a clue to why I could easily interact with the undead.

"I know being dead makes anyone upset and sad. But look on the bright side, you can watch over your family members who are still alive." Darrell said, trying to make Old Burners happy.

But the old ghost just shook his head. "I am alone in this world. Stuck in purgatory. Even if I could watch my family, I can't talk to them. And if I did, I would only frighten them."

Darrell frowned a bit.

It's true. Most ghost who try to talk to their love ones, only receive frighten reactions, having their family call out a priest or a ghost team or an exorcist. Same goes with ghosts who just cause harm.

But before Darrell could say anything, she heard someone calling her name. She turned around and saw a boy with jet-black hair, wearing the same school uniform, running up to her with a toasted bread in his mouth.

"Hey Darren. I see that you woke up late and only had eggs and bread for breakfast." Darrell teased as Darren brushed the leftover crumbs from his shirt.

Darren was one of the first friends Darrell made when she first came to London. She attended to the same school that he was already in but they didn't met until the 3rd grade. But ever since then, Darrell has been best friends with Darren.

"You and that nose of yours." He said before taking a big bite from his toast. "Oh! Do you think you can make it for the game after school. We're going to need all the help if we want to beat those middle schoolers." Darren said as both of them began walking towards school.

Darrell smirked. "Why? Scared of losing?" She teased.

"That's not it!" Darren defended himself although it didn't help much with bread crumbs all over his lower face. "It's just that, you hardly join us in our games. And you don't visit as often as you use to."

Darrell frowned a bit. "Well, you should know already. That munter is very strict with her rules and she wants me back right after school. No later than 5. And you know what happens if I arrive late." She said as she pointed to her right arm.

Darren gulped, remembering when he visited Darrell at the hospital because she 'accidentally' broke her arm. The caretaker said that Darrell wasn't careful when she was playing in the hallways, and she fell down the stairs. But that was a lie so that she wouldn't get in trouble. Darrell told the whole story to her friends but made her promise that they wouldn't tell anyone, for fear that she might get in more trouble.

"Yeah, I remembered what happened." Darren said as they slowly reach the school.

Both of them grumble, knowing that it's going to be a boring day.

Darrell tapped her pencil against her desk, which she shared with three other members of her class. Sadly, none of them were her friends. Her four friends all sat together and there's no room for her. But she doesn't complain because most of the students are scared of her. Because when she first came here, she saw so many ghosts that she wouldn't stop pointing them out. People thought that she was a freak or a crazy kid.

But only four kids liked her; Darren, Steve, Alan, and Tommy. Well, mostly Darren and Steve. Both boys are very interested in strange things, like monsters and ghosts and scary stuff like that. And seeing that she could see ghosts made them like her even more. They were only chance to make friends and she took that chance. Soon after, she met Alan and Tommy.

At first, they were quiet towards her, not saying much. But after getting Darrell out of her shell made them feel more comfortable around her. And Darrell learned not to talked about ghosts unless she only around Darren and Steve.

Darrell sighed in boredness, before gazing up at the clock.

Just two more minutes.

Then something hit her.

But why am I getting so anxious? It's not like something special is going to happen today. So why am I so fidgety? Sometimes, I rather stay in school than go back to the orphanage.

Then the bell rang and the students began to pile out of the classroom. As Darrell packed her backpack, she felt someone place a firm hand on her shoulder.

"So Darrell, are you coming or what?"

Darrell looked up and it was Steve Leopard. Or Steve Leonard. Leopard is his nickname that everyone gives him. Not only that he's quick on his feet, but his mother used to call him 'a wild child'. Boy, he done terrible things as he grew up. But somehow, Darren and the gang were able to keep him on a leash.

"I don't know." She said as she looked up at the clock. She knew that if she played the whole game, she would get back to the orphanage real late and that meant trouble. "Maybe the first half of the game?" Darrell nervously smiled.

"That's fine by us!" Tommy said. "Besides, I bet Darren would help us win the game for sure."

"Oh? So I am just back up?" Darrell said, a bit offended.

"Um...yeah." Tommy said, a bit nervous. "But come on! Darren is the best one here! If he could, he would win every game all by himself."

Darren embarrassedly rubbed the back of his neck with a small smile on his face.

Darrell shrugged as she stood up. "Whatever. Come on, we got some middle schoolers to school."

The gang cheered as they all ran to the nearby park. Luckily for Darrell, the park was not far away from the orphanage and the middle schoolers were already there.

"Alright, let get this game started!" Darren said, putting his stuff down first and kicking the ball high up in the air.

Darrell was sweating as she was able to tie the game. But before they could do the kick off, Darrell checked the time and gasped. Ten minutes to five!

"Time out!" Darrell yelled out as she called her gang over.

As the group approached, Steve asked. "What's wrong?"

"I have to go. And I mean now!" Darrell said, a bit nervous and scared.

"Where? The bathroom?" Steve teased, causing the rest of the gang to snicker.

Darrell glared at Steve as she lightly punched him on his shoulder. "This is serious! I have to go before the munter catches me being late!"

"Don't worry, Darrell." Darren said. "Now get going. We can finish things here." He said as he smirked towards the middle schoolers.

Darrell nod before snatching up her backpack and running back to the orphanage. "And you guys better win!" She yelled at them before they could continue.

"You know we will!" Steve yelled back, while waving his hands up in the air.

Darrell ran with everything she got, even though she was extremely tired because of the game.

Well, I haven't been playing soccer for a while, so of course I'll be out of shape. But still, this is no time to be lazy! I gotta get back before 5!

She ran out of the friendly neighborhood and into the main street, where was a whole crowd bustling through the streets. They were entering and exiting stores and houses and theatres. The crowd was a problem because they were not moving out of the way so it was hard for Darrell to slither her way past them.

Come on! Can't these people move out of the way?!

Darrell navigated her way through the crowd and soon she spotted the orphanage. And she saw the old caretaker standing on the stairway. Darrell grumbled to herself as she walked up the stairway, coming face to face with the caretaker.

The caretaker looked at the grandfather clocked that was inside of the orphanage. Four Fifty-Eight. "Looks like you learned your lesson after all." She said as she turn back to face Darrell. There was no kindness on each other's faces. In fact, they look like they want to kill each other.

But another word was said as the caretaker roughly grabbed Darrell by the arm and pulled her inside. As the caretaker dragged Darrell through the orphanage, Darrell spotted several orphans doing manual labor. Some were sweeping the floors, others were dusting the shelves and sneezing while at it, and others were mopping the floors. Most of the orphans were a lot younger Darrell and couldn't go to school, for they don't have a mysterious person giving the caretaker hundreds of credits a year to sustain a child for their education.

As the caretaker unlocked Darrell's bedroom door, Darrell spotted Sophie, her roommate, wiping the table tops down the hallway and into the small library. But before Darrell could say anything, she was pushed into her room, which she shared with Sophie.

"And don't get any ideas of escaping!" The caretaker said as she shut the door, locking it as well.

Darrell grumbled as she turned away from the door and stared at the window, which was barred. Bar windows were meant to protect the people inside from intruders. But in this case, it is meant to keep Darrell in and not letting her escape during the night.

The bedroom was quite small. One bunk bed, which Darrell sleeps on the top, on small closet, which Darrell and Sophie has to share, one desk and one small wall mirror. The basic necessities.

Darrell tossed her backpack onto the top bunk and began to undress to her casual clothing, which barely fit her. Her clothing was either too big or too small. So Darrell usually wears the small clothing when she is trapped inside the orphanage.

Darrell wasn't allowed to roam the orphan for fear that she would escape and call the police on the caretaker for abusing the children. Darrell almost did it, but she was so young and too slow that the caretaker caught her a few houses away from the police department. And ever since then, the caretaker kept a closer eye on Darrell. The other children were too afraid of the old hag that they didn't dare disobey her.

Darrell sighed as she opened the window, letting some air in. She stared at the busy street of London and watching people go by. Taking in a deep breath, Darrell yelled out in rage, "THIS SUCKS!"

Ah, that felt good. She thought to herself as she jump onto the top bunk and began to work on her homework.

It was nine at night and Sophie was brought into the room. There was a click and both knew that the door was locked. Darrell looked at Sophie with a small frown.

Sophie is 8 years old, chestnut hair color which was always braided. Cream skin tone and amber eye color. Her faded pink dress was dirty due to all the mopping and dusty. Her hands were dirty and so were her shoes.

Darrell hop down from the top bunk and began to help Sophie to change into her pajamas.

"I can't wait to get out of here. I hate this place." Sophie said, crying a bit.

Sophie lost her parents in a car accident and she had no living relatives so Sophie had no one to take her in.

"Ah, don't worry about it. A lot of couples found you charming. Maybe one of them might adopt you." Darrell said, while helping Sophie put on her shirt.

But that didn't raised Sophie's spirit and she just remained silent. Darrell help Sophie finish changing, once that was done, Sophie went straight to bed. But not Darrell. She couldn't sleep. The night was active with ghost and Darrell kept spotting them floating around the streets and entering houses, include the orphanage. Most of the ghosts say nothing, only stare for a few minutes then leave. Some stay and decide to bother Darrell, but she mostly ignore them. Others like to try and scare her, but that doesn't work either.

Since the beginning of her life, Darrell has been surrounded by ghosts and she got use to their presence to the point that they don't scare her at all. But some do, like the dark ghosts. She can't see their faces nor tell who they are but they always make her feel ill. As if they were draining her very life energy. Normal ghosts don't do that but the dark ghosts do. Luckily for her, she hardly sees them so she hasn't had a problem with those ghosts for a long time.

As Darrell stared out of her window, she saw a cloak man walking through the streets. She rarely see anyone walking through the street late at night, but this man look very suspicious. His cloak was solid red besides the strange looking hat that was on his head. It was also red but had black stripes, like a candy cane.

The strange looking man walked pretty fast and before Darrell knew it, the man was out of her sight.

Dang! I couldn't get a good look of his-

Next thing, Darrell heard loud knocking at the orphanage door. In a couple seconds, Darrell could her the caretaker cursing under breath, complaining on how it's late and 'who in the devil could this be' stuff. Darrell quietly got off her bed and went up to her door. She knew that the door was locked but she pressed her ear against the door and listen closely.

At first, Darrell couldn't hear anything. Almost a minute passed until she could hear the caretaker's voice. She sounded...happy? Boy, that's a miracle. Sadly, Darrell couldn't tell what she was saying. But then she heard someone else speaking, a male's voice. Deep and very mature, from what Darrell could tell. Darrell heard the door closing and the voices continued, this time she could somewhat tell what they were saying.

"-she's been doing well! Such a hard working child. Always does what she is told." The caretaker said.

"And I hope that you are doing your job as a caretaker." The man said bluntly.

There was a short, awkward silent before the caretaker spoke again. "Of course I am. What do you take me for? I use the credits that you give me to support Darrell in school."

"How is she doing in school?" The man asked.

"Quite well. Although she is hanging around with the wrong crowd." The caretaker said, a bit more serious about this topic. "Her grades are average but her friends are not what you say...normal."

"Normal?" The man asked.

"Yes. One boy loves spiders. I mean, he's obsessed with them. What kind of normal person likes spiders?!" The caretaker said.

Darrell grumbled silently. She talking bad about Darren. I bet she's gonna do the same with Steve.

"And her other friend loves monsters. That's all they talk about! Spiders, monsters, and ghosts! I worry for her." The caretaker said, trying to sound sweet and innocent.

Darrell fumed in rage. Oh! If I wasn't locked in this room, I would burst out of her and call her a big, fat liar!

But the man said nothing about Darren and Steve. "Well, I shall leave you the same amount of credits for this year." The man said and Darrell could hear something writing against something.

Must be a check. There was a tearing noise and the door opened. Darrell heard the caretaker speak but she couldn't tell what the words were. The door closed again and Darrell raced to the window. She spotted the man walking away but as he reached a lamp post, he turned around and stared at the window which was Darrell's bedroom.

The light of the lamp post gave Darrell a small glimpse of the man's face. The man had a slight v-shape face, somewhat blocky. But his was very pale, to the point that it look grey. Darrell tried to figure out the color of his eyes, they look...orange? Red? Is that even possible? But the last thing Darrell spotted was a long scar on his left cheek. And with that, the man turned around and walked away.

The next day at school, Darrell couldn't stop thinking about the strange man. She tried her best in her drawing and tried drawing his face and the hat he was wearing. But sadly, Darrell's artistic skill were not good enough and his face came out very sloppy. Darrell decided to give up and listen to the lesson.

"And therefore, once World War 2 had effectively concluded around the globe, the total number of casualties was more than 72 million." Mr. Dalton said. But listening to the lesson was boring so Darrell lean back a bit to see what was going on Darren's table. She notice Darren reading a paper, but Darrell couldn't tell what was on the paper. But she spotted making his way towards Darren. Ah oh. Darren is in trouble.

And Darrell was right. Mr. Dalton snatch the paper from Darren's hands. "What is this?"

Darren slowly and nervously stood up. "It's an advertisement, sir." Darren shuttered.

"Where did you get it?" Mr. Dalton asked. But when Darren didn't answered, Mr. Dalton asked again. Darrell swallowed hard, praying that nothing too bad would happen. Suddenly, Steve stood up. "Mr. Dalton, it's mine!"

"Yours, Steve?" Mr. Dalton asked, an eyebrow raised.

"I thought it looked interesting, so I picked it up." Steve said, causing Darrell to roll her eyes. He's putting on the sweet act. "I was going to ask you about it later, at the end of class." Steve finished.

"Aha! I see, then that's different. Nothing wrong with an inquisitive mind. Sit down, Steve, Darren." Mr. Dalton said as he tapped up the poster up on the blackboard.

Real smooth Steve. As usual. Darrell said, now more interested in the new topic.

"Long ago, there used to be real freak shows. Greedy con men crammed malformed people in cages and..." Mr. Dalton began to explain until a student interrupted.

"Question! Sir, what does "malformed" mean?" a student asked.

"Someone who doesn't look normal." Mr. Dalton answered the student's question. "A person with three arms or two noses. The con men put those poor people on display and called them freaks." Mr. Dalton continued.

Freak, huh? Someone like me? Darrell thought as she looked outside the window, spotting several ghosts, lost and afraid.

"They charged the public to stare at them and invited them to laugh and tease." Mr. Dalton continued, receiving negative reactions. "And these poor people were no different from you or me, except in looks. Freak shows were banned years ago, but every so often you'll hear a rumor."

Then Darren raised his hand. "Mr. Dalton. Do you think the Cirque du Freak is a real freak show?" Darren asked.

Mr. Dalton, with a sigh, stared at the poster before facing the students. "I doubt it; probably just a cruel hoax. Still, if it was real, I would hope nobody here would dream of going."

Then Steve raised his hand, while smiling. "You'd have to be really twisted to want to go to one of those!"

Then the bell rang, as the students began to pack their bags, Mr. Dalton continued. "Steve is correct. I'll be keeping this flyer. See you tomorrow!"

As Darrell began to leave the classroom, someone grabbed her backpack and dragged her to the school. "Whoa! Hey! Let me go!" She yelled out as she was able to hit the person dragging her. "Ouch!" Darrell looked around and it was Steve. "Geez! What was that for?"

"Well, you're not suppose to grab someone so suddenly!" Darrell lectured. "What do you want?" She asked as she noticed Darren, Alan, and Tommy.

Steve looked around. "Too many people. Let's all go to the park." Steve and the gang went towards the park. Darrell grumbled but decided to follow. It only a few minutes to get to the park. Steve took out the poster from his backpack. "Look, I got the poster back." The gang was surprised to see that. Alan grabbed the poster. "Too bad Mr. Dalton snipped off the address." He said.

"But hey, at least you convinced him to give the flyer back!" Tommy said.

Darrell looked at Steve. "What did you say to him?"

"Huh? I said I wanted it for my bedroom wall." Steve simply said.

"Are you kidding me?" Tommy yelled. "He's way too soft to you!"

"Adults will do anything as long as you butter them up!" Steve snickered. "So what's the plan? Are we all going?" He asked.

"Yeah! There's no way we're missing this!" Darren said with excitement.

Darrell was taken back. "Wait, you guys are actually going?"

"Of course! When is the last time you heard of a freak show?" Tommy asked. "This is like a one time opportunity!"

Darrell thought it over. True, it is a one lifetime thing. But is it worth it? Worth sneaking at night then getting beat up when I come back?

"Hey! Maybe you can show the circus your ghost stuff!" Darren suggested. "You might be able join them!"

That hit Darrell like a huge bucket of bricks. I can escape. I finally have a way of escaping.

"So Darrell?" Steve asked, causing Darrell to come back to reality. "Are you coming with us?"

Darrell grinned and nod her head. "Hell yeah!"

"But what about the money?" Alan asked. "It's $20 for a ticket, right?"

"Why do you think we play soccer for money?" Steve asked. "We've got $200 just from that!" Steve smirked.

"What about the directions?" Alan asked.

Steve pointed to his head. "All memorized!" That pumped up the gang and they began to toss Steve into the air, chanting "Our hero! Steve the Great!"

Once the gang set him down, he did a thumbs up towards the gang. "I'll sneak out at night and buy us the tickets! See you tomorrow! Hope you're excited!" And with that, the gang all went home.

Darrell was locked inside her room, but she did not mind for the idea of escaping was fresh in her mind. She stared at her backpack and then at her closet.

I could wear my uniform tomorrow but not have my school supplies, only my clothing. Then I could meet up with the gang after school. Why haven't I thought of this before? Because I had no place to escape to.

Darrell began to put her plan into motion. She emptied out her backpack and began to grab the clothing that was too big on her. She had no use for the overly small clothing. She was able to fit some of the clothing and her extra pair of shoes.

As she was doing this, her grin reappeared as she imagine herself leaving this awful place and living with a bunch of circus freaks.

Freaks got to stick together! She thought as Darrell finished packing. That should do it. But I got to make sure that I don't look suspicious tomorrow morning.

And with that, Darrell pretended to do her homework until Sophie entered the room. She didn't look so bad as before but Darrell still helped Sophie to clean up.

"Darrell? You look different today." Sophie said, staring at Darrell very suspiciously. "You look happy...tell me, what's going on?"

Darrell knew that she couldn't hide this secret plan from Sophie, so she decided to tell her. "Alright Sophie." Darrell said in a quiet voice. She leaned in and whispered. "There's this freak show in time and I'm planning to join them."

Sophie was shock. "Take me with you!"

Darrell shushed her, for fear that the caretaker would hear. "I'm sorry, but I can't. I don't know if they would let a...normal kid join."

"But you're a kid too!" Sophie complain.

"I know I am. But I'm not normal." Darrell said as she spotted Old Burner outside the window.

"Oh! Just because you can see ghosts, makes you special!?" Sophie yelled out.

Darrell grumbled. "That's not it!"

"Then what is it?!"

"Because...because I have this feeling...that you'll get adopted soon...and not me." Darrell was lost for words. "Having this ability doesn't make me special. It makes me...a freak. Being surrounded by the living and the dead. It's not fun." There will be at times, where Darrell hated seeing the dead, knowing that she will be one soon enough. "But, you have a chance Sophie. I don't, not in the slightest. But now, I found a place where I belong. This is my one chance. And I'm sorry, but living with freaks for the rest of your life, is not your world." And with that, the conversation was over.

Darrell would have loved to bring Sophie with her, but Steve is only getting four tickets, and that ticket is her chance of getting out. And Sophie has a better chance on getting adopted and continuing her life as a normal person.

Darrell finished dressing into her school uniform, carrying her notebook and pencil case at hand. As usual, the caretaker ignore Darrell and made sure that Darrell was headed towards the school. Darrell decided to go to school today, so that the school wouldn't report to the caretaker that she didn't come to school.

As she entered her classroom, Darrell spotted the gang talking to Steve.

"I'll tell you after school. Too many people here." He said as he tear out a white page from his notebook. He began to cut it in half. "We don't want anyone hearing, do we?" And with that, the bell rang and everyone went back to their seats. While Darrell focused on the class lesson, she would glance at Steve, and he was still cutting up paper and putting them into his lunchbox. Surprisingly, the day went by quick and the gang met up at the park.

"Come on, Steve! Don't mess around with us. Did you get them or not?" Darren asked.

"I have some good news and some bad news." Steve said as he took out two tickets. "First, the good news. As you can see, I got the tickets!" He said as he showed the tickets to the gang.

"Huh?" Darren manage to said.

"That's all of them?" Alan asked.

Steve frowned. "Yep, that's the bad were the only two I could get. In fact, these were the last two tickets before the show was sold out." Steve finished saying.

"Sold out?!" The whole gang gasped loudly. Tommy and Alan were the only ones complaining but Darren and Darrell were speechless. "So...who get's the tickets?" Tommy asked.

The gang began to think until Darren gave off a suggestion. "Well, Steve has to get one. He snuck out of the house at night to buy them, so he has to get one. Agreed?"

The gang nod their heads as Steve put one of the tickets into his pocket. "As a matter of fact, I've already thought of a way to determine who gets the other ticket." Steve said as he opened his lunch box. There was a bunch of papers that filled up the whole box! And they were the same size and shape of the tickets. "Nice and fair." Steve said as he put the last ticket into the box and began to shake it.

"So that's what you were making during class." Darren said as Steve kept on shaking the box.

"Yep! I'm putting the other ticket in here and shaking it up." He said as he began to climb a tree. Once he safely sat on the branch, he looked down at the gang. "I'll open the case and drop them all from above! Whoever grabs the ticket first wins! How's that?"

Darrell nod her head. "I like it!"

"It sounds like fun!" Darren agreed. "Are you guys in?" He asked Tommy and Alan, who nod their head.

Steve did a countdown, and once he said "Three!", everyone began to grab as many as papers as they can. Darrell was searching for the paper but she couldn't find it.

At this rate, I'll never be able to join the circus!

As soon as the paper were release, the paper were already on the ground. She watched as Tommy and Alan were searching the papers on the ground. Darrell turned around and saw Darren, with his eyes close, hands raised high up in the air, holding two papers in each hands.

Was he like that the whole time?

Steve climbed down the tree and ran up to Darren. "What's in your hands, Darren?"

Darren opened his eyes, and he looked like if he was in a daze.

"He doesn't have it. He can't have." Alan said, glancing at Darren and Steve.

"He had his eyes shut!" Tommy said as he kept on searching on the ground.

Darrell decided to go up to Steve and Darren. "Maybe so, but there's something in those fists of his." Steve said.

"Yeah. Let's take a look-see." Darrell said as Darren opened his right hand. It wasn't the prize ticket. He then slowly opened his other hand...and there it was! The prize ticket! Darren jumped in joy, he was so happy! Tommy and Alan were slightly disappointed but they were happy for him. But Darrell, she couldn't help but frown. Her once chance; gone. Darren noticed her sadness and stop grinning. He looked at the ticket and then at her. "Here." Darren said, offering the ticket to Darrell.

But she shook her head. "Sorry, but you won it fair and square." She said as she softly pushed his hand back at him. "Besides, who said I'm going through the main entrance." Darrell smirked.

Steve and Darren grinned. "Does that mean you're running away?" Steve asked.

"You bet!" Darrell pumped her chest proudly. "Just tell me where the circus is at, I'll sneak in and wait until the right moment."

Steve nod his head and told her where the circus will be at. "Well, we'll see you there I guess."

"I hope so." Darrell said as she picked up her backpack. She looked at Tommy and Alan. They were smiling sadly at her. This will be the last time they'll see her. Darrell hugged them and they hugged back.

"You take care of yourself." Alan said.

"And if you can, come and visit." Tommy said.

Darrell pulled back and smiled at them. "I will." She turned around and began to walk towards the Haunted Theatre, at the edge of town. As she kept walking, she turned around and waved bye at them. Tommy and Alan wave because Steve and Darren will see her tonight. Darrell kept on waving until she couldn't see them anymore. She turned around and hurried her way to the theatre.