Chapter 1
He ran as fast as he could, not daring to look behind him for fear of being caught by the gypsies. Erik had been running for some time, the days and nights blending into a ceaseless blur in an effort to evade his captors. His lungs burned from the exhaustion, as did his legs but he knew that if he stopped even for a moment, the gypsies would enslave him once more.
After running for what felt like an eternity, Erik finally saw what appeared to be a town, denoted by a collection of buildings, however he could not be entirely sure for his vision bounced with every step he took, which were not very large due to the fact that he was only 12 years old. He had originally been captured by the gypsies when he left home at the ripe old age of 10. He had tried many times to escape, however none of them had gone as well as this one and for that reason he was happy. He hoped it would last, however he knew that good things never lasted long no matter how much he wished it were different.
The air was not too cold due for spring was upon France which was a blessing for there was always a fear of hypothermia in the winter. The breeze rustled the fields that he passed and occasionally he could feel it on his face, despite the fact that he wore a makeshift mask which covered most of his face even though his deformity only covered half his face.
At last Erik reached the collection of buildings that he had seen earlier in the evening, which were indeed a town however he was out of time.
The gypsies had managed to track him down and reach the town a few hours before him. Javert smiled with sick pleasure at having caught his number one attraction- The Devil's Child. When Erik caught sight of his master, his heart sank for he had begun to relish his small taste of freedom and yet once again he was forced to be someone's slave and entertainment. He hated the gypsies for what they put him through- the daily torture of trotting him out for the masses and revealing his face. His shame and self-loathing grew with every showing and he wished to permanently ensure his freedom no matter what it took. He would be free.
