I didn't get enough sleep last night because I was crying. I cried because of the scars and bruises on my body. I forgot to mention that the mad man also brutally abused me when I wanted to run away from him. These scars and bruises remind me of what that mad man did to me. I don't remember getting asleep ever since the night I was taken.

"Breakfast time, Mari!" Joker walks in my tent with a plate of potatoes and bacon in his hands. He sets the plate of food aside and sits me up so that my back is up and places my pillow on my back so that I am sitting up right. Joker sits on the bed and grabs the plate of food and begins to feed me. He open my mouth and shoves the food in my mouth and gently moves my chin up and down so I can chew, then stroked my throat so I can swallow.

He does this all the time when I am under the drug. But thankfully, the drug had worn off over night. Which means I can only move my arms for now. But I didn't want him to know that or else he would drug me again. So I pretended to be still as a rock while he feeds me.

"Listen up, Mari. We might be getting newcomers today. A tall lad came by last night because of Betty snacking on him." Joker laughs a bit. "He was quite interested in you, but curious at the same time. Apparently he was the last one to leave when he didn't see you moving. He actually thought you were a doll or something. . . Let's keep it that way, shall we?" He gives me a serious look. I frown and my eyes wander down to my lap. He doesn't want anybody thinking that something is going on. So I have to be on my best behavior. "Alrighty then, I'll come back to get you dressed up for the newcomers." That said, Joker leaves my tent.

Once he is gone and out of my sight, I reach for the wooden knife I have been carving all night to stab him with. Ever since the drug had warn off, I thought I might as well come up with a plan to get myself out of this. I ripped off a piece of wood from the bed frame and carved it with my sharp growing nails. I got a few splitters here and there, but it was worth it.

I keep the wooden knife tucked under the pillow right when Joker returns. "Alright, let's get you dressed up. Nice and easy." Joker gently turns my body to his left, so that I am leaning against the wall while sitting on the bed, and begins to remove my clothing. The knife is placed behind my back and I am waiting for the right moment to use it.

Joker takes off my black nightgown and dresses me in my circus clothing, same as always. Black dress that reaches down to my knees, black dress shoes, a small back hat with a rope attached to it so that it ties around my head and chin so that it can stay perfectly on.

"I'll get Jumbo so he can carry ee'. I know I can't because I'll be showing the new folks around." He smiles and gets off the bed. "I'll be right back." The moment he turns around, I grab the knife and go to stab him right in the back. But because of my slight hiss out of anger, Joker sees this coming and grabs my wrist tightly.

He gives me a deadly look as he pins me down on the bed with my arms above my head. "I want. . . ," I try to say a few words as I glare at him. "I want to. . . leave. . . this awful place. . ." I manage to say that much.

"Sorry, lass. That's not happening anytime soon. You belong to us now." He reaches into his back pocket and brings the needle to my neck. "This one is ee' higher dosage from before. It will last longer." He injects the drug inside my neck and I wince in pain because of the sharp needle. I squeezed my eyes tightly as he pulled the needle out of my vein. "Now then, I'll be back with Jumbo. I want yee are your best behavior or there will be consequences." He says the last part with a much serious and angry voice.

Joker leaves me lying on the bed and a few moments later, Jumbo walks into the tend and sets me on his back. He places one of my hands over my wrist so I can hang on to him in case I fall. Afterwards, we head out to meet the newcomers.

They were the nobleman from last night. The young boy and the man dressed in black. But he is more dressed like a butler. I wonder why that is. Maybe he is a butler. "Welcome! My, aren't you a little sprout." Joker gives them a greeting smile. It appears his name is Finnian. Odd name for a boy like him. But what is a nobleman doing here? He's joining the circus?

"It's a pleasure to meet you." The boy, Finnian, smiles with a small bow and his eyes dart right at me. His face becomes quite serious when he looks at me. No doubt about it, this is the same nobleman from last night.

"Well then, what are yee good at, young lad?" Joker questions the small boy.

"I guess I'm alright at throwing darts, I suppose." The boy replies.

"Hmm. . . Throwing darts is simple as throwing knives. Dagger! Give this one some knives, would you?" Joker shouts out to Dagger and he gives Finnian a dozen of knives.

"Now then, let's see if you can throw them at that target there." Joker points to the target a few feet away from them. We all watch Finnian throw the knives like a pro. But in my eyes, something was very fishy about this. When the knives twirl, they hit the target straight on. Either someone is helping him or he's got good knife throwing skills like Dagger.

Finnian's next test was tightrope walking. He successfully got across to the other side, yet he was in pain. For his final test, Finnian had to smile. He struggled but he made it through. After the audition, Finnian's new name was Smile and the man who came with him was named Black. Their circus names.

Joker announced the new performers of the circus and after that, everyone went to do their own thing. Jumbo left me sitting on a crate so that he could grab something to eat. My head was straight, my hands were placed my lap, and my legs were closed. It looked like I was just sitting here waiting for carriage to come by and pick me up.

I noticed Joker showing Smile and Black around and I noticed Black turning his head to look at me. "Who is that there?" Black questions Joker.

"Oh, her? She's the little beauty we call Mari. Short for Marionette. She is our precious star of the show." Joker laughs. Black walks over to me and examined my sitting position. He kneels in front of me where my eyes meet his and we go to a staring contest. Because of this drug, I cannot blink as much as I want to.

"Is she alright? She doesn't appear to be moving a single muscle." Black informs Joker.

"She's fine. Not to worry about her! She just loves sitting around. Mari, why don't you say hello to these nice folks." Joker looks at me with a smile, but a face that tells me that I must do what he asks.

Stilling looking straight at Black, I whisper in a low voice, "Pleasure to meet you. . ." But what I really wanted to say was 'Help me' or 'Run'. However it was useless.

After greeting Smile and Black, they leave. "There you are, Mari. You need to get back to your tent until show time." Dagger picks me up bridal style and takes me to my tent. He lies me down on the bed and leaves afterwards.

While I lie down in my bed, I can hear so much commotion going on from the outside. Black must be performing or something. I only have a few hours until someone comes to get me for my performance. It was going to be a long day for me. . . Indeed it was. Which reminds me, didn't someone else show up here? What was his name again. . . Suit? Yes, that was his name. Something about him seems off. . . very off.

"Tsk, tsk, tsk. My, my, you're a weak little one. Perhaps it could be the drug." Remember when I said he's seems off. He is off. Suit stands over my bed with some gardening tool in his hands. I can hardly see him because of my eyesight. For now, he is dressed in bright colors. Like a clown of some sort.

His tool was underneath my chin, lifting my head up so I can look at him. There is something about him that seems different. I can see his eyes perfectly clear. They are green as if I am staring at death itself. I do not say a word to him as he adjusts his glasses.

"No, it is not your time yet. . . Not yet." He says and he is gone just like that. What did he mean it is not my time yet?