CHAPTER 6: Enemy or Friend?

 Madalen followed Joe out of the box of madness.

"And now?" she asked him.

"I'll settle here for now." He looked around and saw an empty little tent set up near the circus. He went ahead and entered. "Here's everything you need. Better than a caravan," he commented.

The tent looked abandoned, as if someone had lived there before and left it to its fate. She wondered if it was his before Jio locked him in the cell. Joe dusted off some chairs and motioned for Madalen to sit down as he lit a wick in a lamp. He left it on the dusty little wooden table next to him. The table had some books and papers on it. There was also a bed and a wardrobe.

"Won't they find you here?"

"Jio is terrified. He has already sent the troupe to look for me, but they won't find me."

"How do you know?"

Joe gave a wry smile.

"Trust me, they won't find me," he said with certainty.

"How long were you locked in there?" she continued with the questions.

Joe looked at her but didn't speak right away.

"It doesn't really matter."

"How long?" she insisted.

"Since when Jio's psychological problems started, almost from the beginning, that is."

"I guess that's a long time…" she commented wistfully. "And how did you get here?" she continued, noticing the faded gray-yellow color of the tent.

"I would ask you the same."

"It's a weird and crazy story."

"I'm sure it will fit in with the craziness that's here."

Joe seemed more reasonable than the rest. In some strange way, he seemed normal.

"I was in a circus with my brother, I fell into a hole, and suddenly I was here. Actually, I was following Jio, who took my cell phone."

Joe looked at her with a small smile, noticing her blouse.

"Do you like Alice in Wonderland?" he asked her.

"It's one of my favorite books."

"Don't you think it suits you?"

Now that she thought about it, he was right.

"Yes, but I'm not related to Alice, and this is definitely not Wonderland."

Joe laughed.

"And yet, it is."

"What do you mean?"

"It's Jio's Wonderland."

Madalen once again did not understand. She felt that no matter what she asked, the answers would never be clear.

"And you? Will you tell me how you got here?"

"Jio brought me," he said with a small pause, as if thinking about it.

"You too? Did you come by force, against your will?"

"Not in the same way," he said. "I kind of came on purpose."

"Why? Who would want to come here of their own free will? But right, I forgot, he's your brother."

"Yes, I couldn't leave my brother alone."

The tinge in his voice sounded strange.

For all his logic, he spoke enigmatically like Jio.

"Can you tell me why Jio trapped us here?"

"Because he can. It's a game, you're not the first."

"Yes, I understood something from what Jio said… What happened to the others?"

"What do you think?"

For a moment, Madalen froze in shock.

"Did they die?"

It didn't sound like a question but a realization. Terror and rage began to boil within her. "Did Jio kill them?"

"Hmm… that's a good question… In a way, yes." After a pause, Joe continued, "I feel your rage and that's why I can help you not to be next," he told her.

"How?"

"We'll get Jio to hand over the circus to me. If we can do that, then I can set you free!"

"Really? And how are we going to do it?" she immediately agreed excitedly.

"Leave that to me. All I want from you is that you trust me. Do you trust me, Madalen?"

Madalen hesitated for a moment. But what choice did she have?

"Yes," she said tentatively.

"I am glad. You will see that I am the only one who can put an end to this madness!"

She believed his words, she felt a relief. It was the first time in a while that she felt a bit of hope in this place.

"You can stay with me if you want, but you'll probably be better off in your room."

"Yeah, I'd better go back," she said and immediately thought of Jio. "What am I going to tell Jio?"

"That you changed your mind and that you don't want to be with me. It's better that way. Even if he doesn't believe you, it doesn't matter."

He stood up and gave her his hand to lift her from the chair like a gentleman. She took it and stood up.

"Tomorrow morning, meet me at the gate. If all goes well with my plan, tomorrow I will help you leave."

"So soon?"

"Yes, we don't need to wait. I think the sooner things are done, the sooner we will both be free," he said, looking at her strangely. "See you again, Miss."

He escorted her out of his tent.

"And as we said…" he put his finger in front of his mouth, signaling her to keep quiet. He winked at her and stepped back into his tent.

Madalen went to her room, passing the troupe's rooms. All the doors were closed. Should she go talk to Jio and lie to him about changing her mind and being on his side? No, what was the point? He wouldn't believe her.

She entered her room and lay down on the soft white mattress. She closed her eyes, feeling so tired…

*********

Jio was at the circus. He looked around thoughtfully.

"Damn..." he said.

"What's wrong?" came a strange voice, which he could not determine where it came from.

"Leave me alone, I didn't call you," Jio's voice became harsh and nervous.

"And since when do I only come when you call me?"

"I told you not to interfere at all when Madalen came, that was the deal."

"I didn't abrogate it!" the voice seemed hurt.

"And how did she find Joe? Are you trying to convince me you had nothing to do with it? I know you well, you put your hand in!"

"I am only a spectator," the voice sounded strangely playful.

Jio didn't speak; he continued to be thoughtful.

"Let me tell you a secret?"

"No!"

"As you wish!" then continued. "Too bad Madalen is on Joe's side..."

It was obvious that the voice wanted to annoy him.

Jio looked worried. And the voice annoyed him even more.

"Madalen and Joe teamed up!" it sang mockingly.

"Not for long!" he said, upset but confident at the same time. The voice did not speak again; however, another voice was heard, just as familiar.

"Hello, Jio."

A figure appeared in front of the circus entrance. Jio's eyes narrowed. The figure advanced toward him. As the soft light of the circus bathed him, Jio saw clearly who was before him.

"Joe!"

"When are you going to stop being surprised whenever you see me?" he broke out a smile all implied.

"Never."

"What's wrong? Are you mad that I escaped? Or with Madalen, who helped me?" Then he added, "She's adorable."

"Don't you dare lay a hand on her!"

"Why, is she your toy? Oh yeah, right, you don't like them playing with your toys, I'd forgotten that," he said sarcastically.

"It's not my toy, unlike you who know how to manipulate minds. If you dare to touch her..."

"What? Will you kill me?" he laughed. "We both know you can't, that's why you chose to lock me away."

"And I'll do it again!"

"Do you think it will be as easy as the first time?" He squinted. "Unlike you, Jio, I can kill you."

Joe's eyes narrowed in hatred.

"You can't," he hissed just the same.

"This time I have an ace up my sleeve."

"Madalen?"

"Hmm, you're not that smart after all. Although yes, I also have Madalen with me."

"Because she doesn't know what son of a bitch you are!"

"Jio! Is that any way to talk to your brother?"

"We are not brothers! I know how ironic you are."

"Brothers, not brothers, what does it matter. We are..."

"I can change that," he cut him off, knowing what he was going to say.

"No you cannot!" he said confidently.

"I can imprison you again!"

"Again, sweet Madalen will come to my rescue."

"Leave Madalen alone!"

"Oh, but I'm not doing anything, it was her choice to come with me and from what I've seen of her, she has no intention of taking your side. After all, you are the reason she was imprisoned here."

"You know very well why Madalen is here!"

"Yes," he said sharply, and his gaze changed, becoming more menacing than ever. "I won't let her save you! I won't let anyone save you!"

His eyes were blazing with rage. Jio began to shake from his nerves. He didn't hold back; he rushed at him like a wild animal.

*******

 Madalen's eyes snapped open, as if she had had a bad dream, but she couldn't remember what. She had a headache. She got up and went outside to the amusement park. She wanted to take a walk to clear her mind. Approaching the circus, she looked at it with disgust and turned to change paths. She had a ton of things to explore and see at the amusement park, and definitely one of them wasn't the circus. After all, she had seen it from all sides. But something made her stop and look back. There was a loud commotion coming from the circus.

No, I'm not going back in there for any reason, she told herself.

She heard a scream.

What if someone needs help? No, what do I care? she thought as she unconsciously found herself in front of the entrance to the circus. She entered hesitantly. The first one she saw was Joe. He had pinned Jio under his feet and was pressing a knife to his neck. Jio was desperately trying to stop him, fighting with his hands against Joe's hands, which were gripping the knife tightly.

She freaked out as soon as she saw them.

"Madalen, call the troupe!" Jio shouted as soon as he saw her.

"Madalen, no! This is our justification! If I kill Jio, we will be free!"

Madalen was confused.

"He's lying to you!" Jio said breathlessly.

"Joe, stop!" screamed Madalen.

"Why?"

"Because I don't want anyone to die! And he's your brother! You cannot kill your own brother!"

"I am more than his brother! Isn't that right, Jio?" he scoffed.

Jio kept struggling to get away.

"Tell her you killed me first! You started it!"

Joe's eyes glittered with rage. He didn't blink; he looked like a hardened killer.

"I'd kill you again if I could!" Jio spat out his words.

"Do you hear him, Madalen? He admits it!"

Kill you again? What did they mean? Madalen didn't understand; she felt very confused and shocked. All she assumed was that the scar on Joe's neck was a sign of Jio's attempt to kill him. Apparently, it had brought him to the brink of death; that's probably what they meant.

She didn't think about it much. She ran off to find the rest of the crazy troupe. She ran out screaming. Purple and Yellow were the first to hear her. Soon the others heard her and followed her on stage. Joe and Jio were still in the same position. Purple and Yellow ran and grabbed Joe, pulling him away from Jio. Jio sighed. He was red and breathing hard.

"Thanks, guys…" Jio said. He turned and looked at Madalen. "And you, Mad!"

The twins helped Jio up. Joe struggled to get away, but Purple and Yellow wouldn't let him.

"Madalen!" he was shouting. "Don't let them lock me up again!"

Madalen was completely lost. She didn't know what to do. On one hand, Joe tried to kill Jio, which might have been the solution, but she didn't think it was right... And on the other hand, the others wanted to lock Joe back in his cell; perhaps her only escape.

"I don't know if I should let you," she finally said.

"Madalen, you know Jio is our problem too!"

"Yeah, but I didn't expect you to want to kill him… He's your brother!"

"I suffer from his existence!" he grimaced. All the hatred had appeared in his dark eyes. "You have no idea how much he made me suffer by locking me in that cell!" he continued.

"But if you kill him, you will not be redeemed."

"You are very much mistaken, Madalen."

"Mad, there's no point talking to him; he'll always find ways to trick you," Jio said.

"I don't understand... I don't understand you," she told them strongly, clearly confused, and started to leave, not knowing what else to do.

Meanwhile, Joe found an opening and kicked Purple's leg. Then he elbowed Yellow in the face and ran away.

"Don't let him get away with it!" Jio shouted. Madalen saw the entire troupe running after him.

********

Madalen sat on one of the amusement park benches, observing the misty sky. What was she supposed to do? Who was she to believe? After spending some time with her thoughts torturing her, she went to her room. But as she walked down the hall, a sudden urge to see Jio came over her. She didn't know why… Maybe she thought it was sad that his own brother wanted to kill him. Before she knew it, she found herself standing outside Jio's room. She knocked softly on the door.

"You may enter," came his voice.

Madalen hesitantly entered. Jio was sitting in the living room, while across from him stood Red, glaring at him. She must have interrupted them from some serious conversation.

"Madalen! Go," Jio said and motioned for Red to leave. He nodded and left, closing the door behind him, leaving them alone.

"Sit down," he told her gently.

Madalen sat across from him in the armchair.

"Do you want tea?"

"What's wrong with the tea?"

"Nothing, I just like it. You want something else?"

"Water."

Jio smiled and poured a glass of water from a jug.

"Well?" he asked her.

"What?"

"Are you here for a reason?"

"I wanted to ask what happened to Joe."

"Unfortunately, we didn't catch him. He hid somewhere in the circus, but he will reappear sooner or later."

Madalen sighed.

"What is this so terrible thing that has happened between you two that you want to slaughter each other?"

"Not me."

"What not you?"

"I don't want to kill him..." He thought again, " anymore." He continued, "Don't worry, he can't kill me."

"Why can't he?"

Jio smiled faintly.

"Let's just say we're bonded."

"You are a strange family."

"We are more than that."

Madalen once again did not understand.

"Why so much hate? Ever since I came here, I feel confused, almost..."

"Don't let the madness take over you. There's a logical explanation for everything," he interrupted, pouring some more tea into his cup.

"I highly doubt it."

"I wish I could explain."

"Why can't you?"

"The circus won't let me."

"The troupe you mean?"

"No."

"Then?"

Jio took a sip of his tea, avoiding looking at her.

"You'll understand at some point."

He didn't give her any further explanations. Madalen was getting used to his riddles and secretiveness, but at the same time, it irritated her.

"Why didn't you want me to die?" he asked her after a while. He must have been thinking about her words when Joe had pinned him down with the knife.

"Because no matter how crazy and weird you are, I don't think dying will solve anything. Whoever dies won't help the situation."

"And how do you know that?"

"I don't know… But I can't accept that human lives lost are the key to getting out of here… I just can't bare it…"

"I like the way you think," he smiled strangely.

After she finished her conversation with Jio, although she always had the feeling that they left the conversation in the middle, she left for her room.

Purple was waiting for her outside, holding his chainsaw.

"We need to talk a little."

Purple's eyes were dark, and the expression on his face showed no emotion.

Madalen swallowed hard. For some reason, she felt threatened.

"Um, see you later, I have to go," she turned her back and quickened her pace.

"You have nowhere to go."

He sneered and started to follow her.

She thought about going into her room and locking the door, but she pictured Purple hacking the door to pieces with the chainsaw. She knew Purple wanted to talk to her about the chainsaw she stole, but she didn't feel like the conversation would be calm. She had a feeling it would end ignominiously, perhaps with several cuts on her body.

She opened Green's door looking for help, but once she saw the dozens of snakes on the glasses and on the bed, she quickly closed the door in regret.

"Oh come on now Mad, I want to talk," she heard Purple's playful voice full of innuendo behind her.

"If you put the saw down, we might as well talk," she shouted.

Purple laughed.

"But that won't be fun."

"That's what I imagined too."

She quickly entered Blue's room and slammed the door shut.

"What's wrong, Madalen?"

She turned and looked at Blue. The sight she saw made her feel so uncomfortable that she turned red. Her eyes widened with a puzzled expression, while her breath hitched for seconds.

Blue was half-naked, with two women and two men sitting on the bed. Everyone was in their underwear.

"Uh… Sorry, I didn't mean to bother you," she said in a drawn-out voice.

"You're not bothering at all, on the contrary."

Blue stood up and walked over to her.

"I better go."

"Don't you want to hang out with us?" he walked over to her, bringing her within breathing distance. He reached out and tapped the door with his palm next to her cheek, making her feel even more uncomfortable.

"Better not…"

A fake awkward smile appeared on her lips. She made to open the door, but Blue stopped her.

"Oh come on Mad. Now that you've come, are you going to leave?"

Madalen slid aside and avoided him. He had become a nuisance. The others in the room laughed.

"I don't want to participate!"

She swerved to avoid him as he tried to catch her. After doing a small chase circle around the room, Madalen found herself in front of the door again. But at that moment, Blue grabbed her, pulled her, and threw her on the bed. He stood over her, holding her hands when the door opened and a voice interrupted him.

"Blue! Didn't we say we don't play with Madalen?"

Blue grimaced a little.

"You want everything for yourself," he said plaintively.

Madalen looked behind Blue when she saw Jio's crooked smile. Jio held out his hand for her to stand up. She immediately took it willingly and rose to her feet.

Jio escorted her out and closed the door.

"We never go into Blue's room."

"And how should I know? I wanted to be saved from Purple," she complained.

Jio laughed.

"Purple told me you were looking to hide and that you went into Blue's room. Don't worry, he talked to me. He won't chase you anymore."

"So I was right, he wanted to cut me up with the saw!"

"Haha! No, he just wanted to play, to teach you a lesson for taking his saw."

She wanted to ask about Blue but didn't dare.

She went to her room and locked the door. She lay on the bed hugging the pillow, trying to calm down from the scene she just experienced.