Lusus Naturae — Erin Lee

Lusus Naturae – Latin for freak of nature. It's probably the only name that made sense for a curiosity like me, who was born with the uncanny ability to read thoughts even quicker than tarot cards the townies pay me to decipher. I've carried my family's circus legacy since the day I came out of my momma's triangular womb and heard her think of what a mistake she'd made in bringing another anomaly into a cruel world.From that very day, I was determined to set the record straight. We freaks, you see, are the true marvels of the world. Superheroes in our own ways, I'm determined to use the circus to change hearts and minds about the peculiar attributes and talents of my chosen family. I just didn't know it would be so hard.From a husband known as Lizard Man with scaly skin rendering him virtually unemployable to the rabid Dog Boy, who has taken the idea of running away from his past to the circus to a whole new level, things are complicated. Here, at Circus Lusus Naturae, where the show goes on no matter what our resident sociopath snake charmer says, personalities and agendas are getting harder and harder to manage. It's no wonder I can't get pregnant.On the hard days—where Skeleton Man refuses to ride a miniature pony or the twins won't stop whining about being double-mint conjoined—I try to remind myself that realities are only illusions. And, as the troupe's surrogate puppet master, I do have some level of control. Today, I'll work on getting Dog Boy out of here so we don't all end up on felony charges. First, I should probably check on the fried pickles. The show goes on and magic, like Momma always said, is actually a verb.