The Vampires Assistant Page 0,13

show the night before, most of the freaks and their helpers had gone to bed early, and so now they were up and about earlier than usual.

I was fascinated by the hustle and bustle. I hadn't realized there were so many people working for the Cirque. I'd thought it would just be the performers and assistants I'd seen the night I went to the show with Steve, but as I looked around I saw that those were just the tip of the iceberg. There were at least two dozen people walking or talking, washing or cooking, none of whom I'd seen before.

"Who are all these?"I asked.

"The backbone of the Cirque Du Freak,"Evra replied. "They do the driving, set up the tents, do the laundry and the cooking, fix our costumes, clean up after shows. It's a big operation."

"Are they normal humans?"I asked.

"Most of them,"he said.

"How did they come to work here?"

"Some are related to the performers. Some are friends of Mr. Tall. Some just wandered in, liked what they saw, and stayed."

"People can do that?"I asked.

"If Mr. Tall likes the look of them,"Evra said. "There are always openings at the Cirque Du Freak."

Evra stopped at a large campfire, and I stopped beside him. Hans Hands (a man who could walk on his hands and run faster on them than the world's fastest sprinter) was resting on a log, while Truska (the bearded lady, who grew her beard whenever she wanted) cooked sausages on a wooden stick. Several humans were sitting or lying around.

"Good morning, Evra Von,"Hans Hands said.

"How are you, Hans?"Evra replied.

"Who's your young friend?"Hans asked, eyeing me suspiciously.

"This is Darren Shan,"Evra said.

"The Darren Shan?"Hans asked, eyebrows raising.

"None other."Evra grinned.

"What do you mean, The Darren Shan'?"I asked.

"You're famous in these parts,"Hans said.

"Why? Because I'm a"- I lowered my voice - "half-vampire?"

Hans laughed pleasantly. "Half-vampires are nothing new. If I had a silver dollar for every half-vampire I'd seen, I'd have..."He scrunched up his face and thought. "Twenty-nine silver dollars. But young half-vampires are a different story. I never saw or heard of a guy your age living it up among the ranks of the walking dead. Tell me: Have the Vampire Generals been around to inspect you yet?"

"Who are the Vampire Generals?"I asked.

"They're -"

"Hans!"a lady washing clothes barked. He stopped speaking and looked around guiltily. "Do you think Larten would enjoy hearing you spreading tales?"she snapped.

Hans made a face. "Sorry,"he said. "It's the morning air. I'm not used to it. It makes me say things I shouldn't."

I wanted him to explain about the Vampire Generals, but I guess it would have been impolite to ask.

Truska checked the sausages, pulled a couple off the stick, and handed them out. She smiled when she came to me, and said something in a strange, foreign language.

Evra laughed. "She wants to know if you like sausages or if you're a vegetarian."

"That's a good one!"Hans chuckled. "A vampire vegetarian!"

"You speak her language?"I asked Evra.

"Yes,"he said proudly. "I'm still learning - it's the hardest language I've ever tried to learn - but I'm the only one in the camp who knows what she's saying. I'm excellent at languages,"he bragged.

"What language is it?"I asked.

"I don't know,"he said, frowning. "She won't tell me."

That sounded weird, but I didn't want to say anything to offend him. Instead, I took one of the sausages and smiled thanks. I bit into it and had to drop it immediately; it was piping hot! Evra laughed and handed me a glass of water. I drank until my mouth was back to normal, then blew on the sausage to cool it down.

We sat with Hans and Truska and the others for a while, chatting and eating and soaking up the morning sun. The grass was wet with dew, but none of us minded. Evra introduced me to everyone in the group. There were too many names for me to remember at once, so I just smiled and shook hands.

Mr. Tall soon appeared. One minute he wasn't there, the next he was standing behind Evra, warming his hands over the fire.

"You're up early, Master Shan,"Mr. Tall remarked.

"I couldn't sleep,"I told him. "I was too - "I looked over at Evra and smiled "- wound-up."

"I hope it will not affect your ability to work,"Mr. Tall said.

"I'll be fine,"I said. "I'm ready to work."

"You're sure?"

"I'm sure."

"That's what I like to hear."He pulled out a large notebook and flipped through the pages. "Let's see what we can find for you to do today,"he said. "Tell me: Are you