freak

“That was so much more than a number. It connected the moment to one six decades earlier. It connected Cal Ripken to freaking Lou Gehrig. It evokes memories and emotions unlike numbers in any sport.”

Set in 1915, the story features twins who escape the clutches of a serial killer and find a haven among a group of so-called “circus freaks,” including a two-headed woman and dog-faced boy.

"Here it's a pattern. It's no longer a freak accident," he said of school shootings in the US.

"I immediately freaked out and text my group chat incoherently. Just excitement and disbelief, really."

It was, ‘He’s a freak because he doesn’t eat sugar.’