Name: Gendry Anderson
Age: 28
Role within the circus: Psychic/Fortune Teller
Short bio/additional info:
Growing up an only child is often lonely, but for Gendry it was far more than that. Shortly after his birth, both of his parents were killed in an automobile accident. Gendry was sent to live with his aunt in a small town just outside of Paris where everyone seemed to know everything about everyone. His abilities as a psychic developed at a very young age. Being hardly more than a toddler, he had no idea that he should be hiding his talents from those around him. He freely spoke to people about the dead, his conversations with them, and even how he could see ‘movies’ of things that hadn’t happened yet. Needless to say, by the time he realized he should keep these things to himself the damage had been done. He was branded the town freak before he hit puberty, and never quite outgrew the label.
In junior high the other students were beyond horrible to him. They bullied him verbally and physically, and often made him the butt of their cruel games. No one stood up for the strange child who often had “unexplainable” scrapes and bruises. Even the adults turned a blind eye to his torment, too frightened of the boy who had once claimed to be psychic. By the time he reached high school, Gendry had learned how to take the beatings with the least amount of damage. He began to run every morning, lift weights, and took up boxing in order to defend himself. The last time anyone ever bullied him was when he sent the star quarterback to the hospital in self defense. After that, people were afraid of him for more than just his rumored abilities and generally left him alone.
Gendry ran away with the circus when he was eighteen. The small town life held nothing for his future except for torment, loneliness, and the certainty of eternal misery. The circus, on the other hand, promised adventure, acceptance, and even the possibility of happiness. Years of hiding himself from those around him have given him a seemingly permanent stone faced demeanor. Those who are lucky enough to get past his nearly impenetrable walls, though, will learn that even though he is truly and completely a sass-master asshole, he also has a heart of gold.
How did they find the circus?
Gendry didn’t find the circus, the circus found him. It appeared in his hometown one morning, less than a mile from his house. He was the first to discover its arrival, as he was an early riser. He often wandered about the town in the early hours of the morning as a way to see the town without fear of running into his daily tormentors. When he found the circus, he immediately felt drawn to its gates. The temptation to enter ahead of opening was great, but he resisted. He visited the circus every night that it was in town, and befriended many of the acts. When it was time for the circus to go, he was invited to accompany it and left without a second thought or even a glance at what he was leaving behind.
What is their attitude toward the circus? What do they hope to gain from it?
The circus is the only place where Gendry has felt that he can be himself, no holds barred. For most of his life he was looked upon as a freak, someone to be feared and teased. It wasn’t until he found the circus that he realized he could be more than that, and even fit in somewhere. He loves the circus, and that love is one of the only emotions he will freely show.