––– “Sometimes, you really don’t know who the real victim is.”

The paper looked very old. Its edges worn away, its sides bore tiny rips and faded to a yellowish color. The surface had little bumps and felt rough, as if it has been splashed by water droplets many times. On it, was a drawing. It was a drawing of two little boys with their names scribbled hurriedly above: ‘Jayden and Jasper’. The drawing isn't particularly well done—The black lines were a little wobbly, as if the artist's hands weren't steady. The coloring seemed to have been done with something like face paint, mostly faded away by the passing of the years. It wasn’t delicate, what could be distinguished was that the boys were holding hands and smiling, one with ginger hair and freckles, one with dark brown hair and slightly taller.

"The night of the grand performance of the circus, the night he killed our mother, was the night Jayden was sent to the asylum. The world has never been fair, but still, I believe it was all my fault... nine years ago..."

The heavy rain that drowned the city for several nights had finally stopped. The rain clouds had departed, leaving the half full moon floating warily in the night sky, unaccompanied by the stars like every other night. Like the rest of the city, the amusement park was lit up brightly, where the last show of the circus just ended.

 A cheerful melody rang from inside the circus tents, covering the chattering of the crew in the backstage. The crew’s trailers dotted here and there behind the large tents. One trailer door stood carelessly open, its surface covered with a thick layer of dust and stains, and despite the scratches covering the body, its original color was just discernible. Notably, the image of a green serpent was painted on the side of the trailer, which, in contrast to the rest of the vehicle, remained surprisingly clean and vivid. Inside, the grimy, greasy grey floor was littered with broken bottles and trash, while the boxes and coarse furniture crammed together inside the tiny space. A young boy burst out of the trailer, stomping through the muddy ground towards the central tent.

"Get out of here, you little brat! Can't you see we're cleaning up here? Don't bother me right after the show's over!" The gruff voice rang out from the central tent.

The fat clown, puffing and blowing his whistle, stomped angrily. The boy darted past the clown, a mischievous smile on his face. He had ginger hair, watery hazel eyes, and pale cheeks dotted with faint freckles. He wore a green plaid coat and a light-yellow shirt underneath, blue jeans, and sneakers that had faded to an indistinct color. His clothes were stained all over, with holes at the elbows and knees, looking as though it was his only set. Though skinny, the child was energetic, moving with a monkey-like agility. After creating a safe distance, he made a taunting gesture at the fat clown.

Fumed, the clown shouted at the top of his voice, throwing his fists angrily, “Jayden you pissant! If you don’t f**k off right now I’ll call Paul the chef to give you a good whipping!”

Hearing the name of his uncle, the little boy’s smile vanished instantly, and a shudder ran uncontrollably down his body. Suddenly, a beefed-up bald man around forty with a large mustache and sharp little eyes burst in from behind the stage curtains. He was the chef of the circus with his white chef’s cloak stained with soup and sauce spills and the large knife tucked in the belt. At the sight of Jayden, his uncle stomped towards him, his large arms swinging, each one capable of knocking the tiny ginger-headed boy out. Painful fear filled the child’s eyes as he searched for somewhere to run to, but the fat clown had blocked the way out of the tent. Just before Paul the chef’s big foot was about to step right in front of Jayden, a hand reached out from behind the curtain and grabbed Jayden by his hand and jerked him into the backstage. By instinct, Jayden tried to free his hand but then he suddenly realized it was Jasper, his twin brother.

Jasper was taller than Jayden, looking nearly identical except that he lacked freckles and had dark brown hair. He was dressed in a navy-blue jacket, a grey shirt underneath, black trousers, and white sneakers. His clothes were considerably cleaner and neater than Jayden's, and he appeared mature beyond his years. As Uncle Paul's heavy footsteps drew closer, Jayden's eyes, wide and watery, conveyed fear and panic, while Jasper's eyes were cooler, darker, and obscurer. Without uttering a word, Jasper swept the room with his sharp eyes. The main backstage was filled with costumes and boxes of equipment stacked high. Clothes hangers and shelves were crammed messily with items, and indistinguishable objects littered the floor. The room was thick with the smell of plastic and powder. Jasper grabbed Jayden’s hand and sprinted toward a wall covered by a large circus poster announcing the newly released performance dates. Jasper swiftly pushed aside the garments, lifted the edge of the poster, and shoved Jayden through a small gap between the tent walls, squeezing through after him. They ran until they reached a trailer marked by the image of a green serpent, where they stopped, leaning against it, panting.

"Oh my gosh, Jayden, please don't annoy Luke again. That clown already hate you enough to whip you next time you go there."

"But Jasper, he's so fat, and it's funny to see him trying and failing to catch me."

"Jayden, it's not funny. Next time Uncle Paul will be waiting for you, and you know what will happen."

 "Mm-hmm..."

As the twins were about to open the trailer door, a woman in her thirties approached them. She was relatively attractive for her age, clad in a shimmering green dress, her hair a messy tangle of curls, her face heavily made up, and her eyes exaggeratedly large beneath layers of eyeshadow, her eyelids lazily drooping. She stood there, swaying slightly, with a man behind her. The circus's new juggler? Thought Jasper.

 It seemed that their mother didn’t even notice them, she blinked her eyes drunkenly and only glanced at them annoyingly when the man behind her said, “Beatrice, your two little brats……”

When their mother's gaze swept over Jayden, it carried an unmistakable irritation and disdain……

Their mother was the snake dancer of the circus. She was always heavily drunk and often brought various "friends" to her trailer, where she would then expel the boys. She rarely spoke to them, seemingly unconcerned about them, unless they annoyed her, which Jayden often did, while the more astute Jasper knew when to remain quiet and speak with careful respect and gentleness, and even occasionally make requests.

 "Don't bother me, stay away, I don't want to be disturbed," their mother said indifferently, turning her head away before finishing her sentence, as if too indifferent to give them another glance.

"But, mom! I need—" Jayden began to speak, but Jasper quickly covered his mouth, looking up at their mother suspensefully. But luckily today their mother was too drunk to hit Jayden or to curse and yell at him as she usually does. After the mother and the man entered the trailer and shut the door, Jasper sighed, “Jayden, let’s go to my basement then. I remember I stole a fair amount of food last time, so we don’t have to go hungry tonight. And I’ve finished my map of the amusement park with all the secret passages and escape routes I discovered, you should take a look and try to remember those paths so next time you can escape when I’m not there.”

Jayden nodded and followed his brother to a secluded, dilapidated little house far from the main tent, used for storing unused equipment. In the corner of the house lay a trapdoor leading to a small basement. The basement was small, but big enough to place a bunk, a desk with a box of tools and food underneath, a stack of worn out books against the wall, and too broken chairs. The basement had an opening covered by something like a sewer cover that connected to the surface for air to circulate and to keep the basement cool. Despite the poor quality of the things, the room was neatly arranged and unusually clean, cleaner than everything outside. This was Jasper's secret base, a place he discovered and converted into a hidden sanctuary that no one else could find. He even made a key for the trapdoor.

Whenever Jayden and he was chased out from the trailer, denied food, or trying to escape from the circus’s raging drunkards, they would come here. Here, Jasper stored all his papers, books, and his little inventions.

“Hi, Jasper! How are you doing today?”

“Great, thank you Mrs. Harrison!”

“How about your little invention of the battery car?”

“Sorry Mr. Harrison, but I took it out to experiment last time and my uncle caught it and crushed it……”

“Oh, oh my god, you poor kid……”

Jasper was talking to the Harrisons, a wealthy and renowned couple who loved to watch the circus performances. One night before a show, they encountered Jasper as he was testing his first battery-powered toy car. The couples seemed very attracted by his talent when he started explaining the science and engineering used in this car. They were astonished to learn that such a gifted child had never attended school or received proper education. Since then, they made time to see Jasper whenever they came to the shows. Soon, Jasper had discovered that they couldn’t have children and were trying to adopt. Since then, he carefully planned each conversation, always polite and subdued, subtly letting them know that his mother would willingly send him away for a sum of money. The couples left for the performance, leaving Jasper standing there with a triumphant smile; he could feel that it won’t be long before the couples were completely won over by him. Then I could finally leave this foul and vile place, get an education, and pursue my dreams, just like any other normal child.

Just then, he heard a chaotic melody from the main tent, followed by a clanging and clinking sound. His heart missed a beat. It must be Jayden's doing. “Oh, that Jayden, why can he never keep to himself?” Jasper muttered angrily to himself as he rushed towards the tent.

“You dirty little bastard! What the hell do you think you're doing, you little bastard?!”

Jasper heard Uncle Paul's furious roar. He tried to stay calm, but inside he was seized by a wild panic. As he approached the tent, he stopped, not daring to enter, knowing he couldn't help his brother this way. He saw Jayden's face marked with a red handprint and scratches from nails, his body trembling, tears in his eyes. In front of him stood their enraged uncle and their mother, who was looking at Jayden with a gaze full of drunken indifference, disgust, and irritation.

“I... I just wanted something to play with... I've seen other kids, they all have toys I've never touched!”

“Shut up, you greedy little bastard! You should be on your knees thanking me for the food and a place to sleep! Do you think you're worth toys, looking like that?!”

“Mom––”

“Don't call me mom. Since the day you were born, I've never had a good day, you've always been nothing but trouble, I don't want to be your mother, I wish you'd never been born! Look at you, you're a pile of garbage! You make me sick! Now get out of here before I kick you!”

 Jayden stood still, trembling, staring at the ground, tears flowing uncontrollably down his cheeks.

“Get out, you filthy thing!” their mother screamed. Jayden took a step forward, but his uncle suddenly grabbed his collar.

“Didn't you hear your mother tell you to get out?! You think you're grown up now, that you can defy your mother, is that it?! Now you can touch other people's things without permission, is that it?!”

 He turned to Beatrice, “Now, dear sister Beatrice, we must teach him a lesson he won't forget, to make this bastard remember!”

 Uncle Paul dragged the struggling Jayden to the table, grabbed Jayden's right hand, and thrust it into a pot of hot chicken soup that had just been prepared. Jayden's piercing screams filled the tent immediately; he cried out, kicking and hitting, struggling with all his might to no avail. Instinctively, Jayden looked to his mother, but she just stood there, indifferent, perhaps a bit tired of the scene before her, boredly lighting a cigarette. Jasper stood at the entrance of the tent, shaking, fists clenched so tightly that his nails nearly embedded in his flesh. The last vestiges of reason told him that to intervene now would only further enrage the two madmen, worsening the situation and possibly leading to more harm for Jayden. Eventually, Uncle Paul threw Jayden down. Jayden crashed to the ground, his right hand red and swollen, still trembling. Uncle Paul grunted coldly and turned towards the tent exit. Their mother discarded her cigarette, crushed the butt with the sharp heel of her shoe, grabbed a half-empty bottle of alcohol, and staggered out of the tent. Jasper didn't let them see him.

Once they were gone, he rushed into the tent and embraced his brother. With tears streaming down his face, he comforted Jayden, “Don't be afraid, Jayden, we'll go find Mr. Pip. He'll take care of your burns.”

“Uh-huh...”

 The brothers held each other tightly, silently shedding tears……

Weeks had passed. Jayden had mostly stayed in Jasper’s basement, his hand healing but scarred permanently. During this time, the Harrisons had decided to adopt Jasper. After seeking his consent, they gave his mother money and set a date to pick him up. Jasper's long-awaited moment had finally arrived, and he should have been excited, but thinking of his brother pained him. He had kept it a secret from Jayden, unsure of how to tell him. The morning when the Harrisons were to arrive had come, and the moment to say goodbye was upon them… “  Jayden, I'm truly sorry. I tried, but they don't want two kids……”

“But what will happen to me if you leave? How can you just leave me here alone?!” Jayden sobbed.

“I…I know, Jayden…but I have no choice,” Jasper clutched Jayden's hands, “Look at me, Jayden. Look into my eyes.” Jayden looked up into those dark, deep, determined eyes.  

“This is my only chance, our only chance. I have to go out first to be able to save you, otherwise, we’ll rot here forever! Do you want that? I promise, I will find a way to have the Harrisons take you out too. Trust me, Jayden!”

“Jasper……”

“Don’t cry, Jayden. Be strong, you have to be strong! And be a little good, a little smart, don’t provoke them, take care of yourself, please promise me, Jayden!”

“Mm-hmm…but you must remember to come back for me!”

“I will come back for you, Jayden. I will never give up on you. Remember that.”

“Jasper, I want to give you something…It's not much, but I did my best.”

 Jayden, tears silently trailing down his cheeks, rummaged in his pocket and produced a drawing. It was crude and simple––a scene under a blue sky and green grass, surrounded by flowers and small animals, both of them holding hands, smiling carefreely. The brothers embraced tightly, their tears wetting each other’s shoulders……

Jasper sat in the Harrisons' car. Its black paint shone, the interior was spotless, and the scent of leather filled the air. Jasper leaned against the car window, watching as Jayden became smaller and smaller in the distance until he seemed like a speck of dust. The red sign of the amusement park glimmered in the distance……

 Nine years later, at only 17, Jasper had graduated from a top domestic university and was involved in a new project sponsored by a renowned tech company. After Jasper left the circus, it dissolved, and the performers scattered. Jasper had tried to find and contact Jayden numerous times without success. Recently, he heard of a new circus in town. Before he could learn more, news broke of a murder following the new circus's first performance. The news devastated Jasper: a 17-year-old circus member named Jayden had killed his mother. The perpetrator was quickly apprehended and confined to a mental institution. Not long after, another report surfaced: the matricidal Jayden had vanished from the psychiatric facility, and despite an extensive police search, he remained missing……

Jasper stood amidst the deep green grass, his gaze fixed on the horizon. Dark clouds covered the morning sun, making the sky darker than usual. A breeze rustled through the trees. This park, newly built nine years ago and once filled with flowers and small animals, had turned into a chilling graveyard. A week had passed since Jasper's 18th birthday. Today was special; it marked nine years since he had left the circus, left Jayden. This place was significant––it was where he and Jayden had dreamt of playing together, attracted by tales of endless green fields, countless blooming flowers, and many lovely animals…….A gust of cold wind carrying fallen leaves passed by, prompting Jasper to pull his coat tighter around him. It seemed as if the souls beneath the gravestones were murmuring in the wind, their whispers building to a shrill cry, as if protesting the injustices and evils of the world……