Well here ya go! This is a one-shot for the WONDERFUL Kristinaexpressive! :) I hope you like it! And don't forget to review si'l vous plait!!!!!!!

J'adore des Serpents

I've always loved snakes. The way they raced through grass and over logs with the speed of a cheetah enchanted me. To my misfortune my mother had a chronic fear of the serpentine creatures, so I could never keep one as a pet. You could say my love was more of an obsession, as I voyaged through our garden in search for snakes. Whenever I would find one I would let it slither and slide all over me, tickling my skin with its long tail.

My fascination eventually led to something more though…

"Pleeeeeeeeeeeease mom? I just have to!"

"For the last time, honey. No."

I stomped my foot angrily, knowing I was acting like a small child but not really caring.

"But it's the 'best show on Earth!'" I said defensively, pointing at the swirly black print on the flier.

"Kristina, freak shows are scams using innocent, deformed people. It would be disrespectful," my mother scolded.

"But there's a snake-boy!"

Mom shuddered. "All the more reason…" she muttered before leaving the room with a mug of tea.

Sighing, I sulked into the bathroom to brush my teeth for the night. I froze, staring at myself in the mirror. I pulled my dirty-blonde hair back into a tight ponytail and sighed for the second time that night. Suddenly it struck me that I still had homework. Curse 9th grade English! I shoved it to the deep recesses of my brain and leaned forward to pick up my toothbrush when an idea struck me.

I hurried back to the kitchen.

Sighing, I plopped into one of the chairs surrounding the mahogany kitchen table.

"Forgot the milk," mom murmured as she walked back in.

I sighed dramatically. "Well then can I at least go to Samantha's house? She just got that new movie I love!"

"The Batman one?"

"Yes!"

My mother stared hard at me. Finally she said, "Fine."

I cheered and dashed down the hall to my room. But I wasn't going to Samantha's. Nope. I was going to the Cirque du Freak!

***

"Welcome, ladies and gentlemen, to the Cirque du Freak!" An extremely tall man beamed at the audience from center stage, waving his arm dramatically.

The crowd cheered.

Earlier I MapQuested the address on the green flier and printed out the directions, which led me a couple miles away to an abandoned theatre. After a tiring bike ride I arrived, panting, at the theatre where I bought a ticket for myself.

Now I sat in the front row of a dusty old theatre, eagerly awaiting the arrival of the snake-boy.

A few minutes later the first act came on. It wasn't the snake-boy, but a wolf-man! His repulsive stench caused me to gag as he lumbered close by.

Many other acts soon followed, including a bearded lady, a man with two stomachs, a spine-tingling man who could control a spider with his flute, and more thrilling people. I didn't understand what my mom was rambling about earlier, how freak shows played the deformities of everyday people to their advantage.

A single spotlight illuminated a circle downstage. "Thank you for coming!" the tall man announced. "Don't forget to retrieve your belongings and have a wonderful night."

I deflated. What?! No snake-boy? All that money a waste? My sizzling thoughts were interrupted by a blood-curdling scream that rang throughout the theatre. Snapping my head around, my eyes came to rest on an enormous snake, dark green scales only disturbed with flakes of richer colors such as red and gold. It was beautiful.

Mesmerized, I didn't even flinch as it slithered closer and closer, causing a stampede in the aisles. Its head was within arm's reach. If I could only…

I reached forward to stroke its delicate head when someone stepped between us. Scaly legs? My eyes gradually traveled upward to reveal a boy, no more than 16, watching me curiously with yellow, reptilian eyes. He sported a long white robe, but his face and neck—and other parts I'm sure—were completely covered in deep green scales. He was amazing.

"What's your name?" he inquired.

"K-K-Kristina," I stuttered.

Without another word, he spun on his heel and crouched down. He lifted the snake and wrapped it around his neck like a rich woman's scarf, before slipping off his robe. People gasped, horrified, at the hundreds of scales adorning his body like tiny jewels.

The tall man materialized on stage again. "Now, that really is the end."

Grumbling, the audience hustled out of the theatre, all in a hurry to leave the dangerous place.

I lingered behind.

"Kristina?" a smooth voice called. I turned. It was the snake-boy!

His snake still rested lazily on his shoulders and he hadn't replaced his robe.

"I'm Evra Von," he stated, holding out a hand. I shook it. Instead of being sticky, his appendages easily slide across mine, the scales cooling my warm palm.

"Von what?"

"Just plain Von."

I smiled and pulled my hand away. "You're act was great!" I wasn't quite sure what else to say.

Evra grinned. Suddenly his expression changed into one of curiosity. "Why weren't you scared of my snake?"

"I really like snakes." I smiled. "I think they're fascinating."

Evra regarded me with a different curiosity and I felt my cheeks redden. "You want to watch me milk the poison from her fangs?"

I couldn't suppress my incredibly large smile and nodded furiously. Beckoning, the snake-boy led me toward the stage then slipped inside a doorway beside it. After descending a flight of stairs, we arrived in a long hallway with doors lining either side. The second one on the left was labeled, "Evra Von." Opening the door, he allowed me in before himself. His room was illuminated with numerous candles, which cast dancing shadows flickering along the walls. The rest of the room was pretty much bare, except for a small cot in the corner and an enormous glass case. Evra headed over to his cot and set his snake down.

He grabbed a small vial off the shelf near the glass case. It had a thin layer of some material over the opening.

"Hold her neck," Evra told me.

I sat on the bed and grasped the snake's head with both hands, squeezing gently when Evra told me to. This caused the animal to bare his fangs.

"This is latex," explained Evra, pointing to the material over the clear vial. "The pressure activates the poison glands." He pressed the fangs through the latex, and a few seconds later a milky white liquid dripped into the vial.

"That's amazing…" I breathed. Evra flicked his eyes up at me and smiled gently. I blushed.

Once we were done, Evra heaved up his snake and placed it into the glass case.

"So you're really into snakes?" he asked as he returned to the bed and sat next to me.

"I love them!" I responded. My cheeks grew even warmer as I realized the strangeness in that. I didn't know if snakes could blush, but if they could then Evra certainly was now.

An awkward silence ensued. Suddenly I wondered how late it was. There was a clock on the opposite wall that said 12:33.

"Crap! My parents are going to kill me!" I said, springing to my feet and reaching for the doorknob.

"Wait!" Evra called. I stopped in my tracks and faced him. He slowly approached me. "Before you go…Uh…C-Can I kiss you?"

I gaped at him as he grew nearer. Smiling softly, I nodded ever so slightly. Butterflies hatched in my stomach as his face came closer and closer. When his lips brushed mine, they felt smooth and cool.

A knock at the door interrupted us. "Evra, you in there?"

The snake-boy pulled away, grinning from ear to ear.

"See ya," I said.

"Goodbye," he said, a little sadly.

I opened the door and slipped into the hallway, making my way back home.

***

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