Total pages in book: 114
Estimated words: 106003 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 530(@200wpm)___ 424(@250wpm)___ 353(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 106003 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 530(@200wpm)___ 424(@250wpm)___ 353(@300wpm)
“I didn’t decorate it the way it is because I like it. I… recreated my aunt’s house to a degree. The painting of the girls and the wolf is the original thing. I stole it from her after I… killed her. I must have been in some kind of frenzy. I hid it, then picked it up when I left juvie. I know it’s messed up, but it’s all I know. Before I had the cave, I felt I was losing grasp on what I was. I couldn’t find a place for myself, and as much as I hated my aunt’s home, I understood my place within it, so choosing furniture and décor she would have liked felt grounding. But I also filled the cave with my books, my clothes, snacks I like. And before you… I guess I never had to explain that, because no one else has been there.”
That is… very upsetting, and I find myself shifting closer, until my knee presses to Creep’s thigh. “But… why? Why do you want to be somewhere that looks like her place?”
His dark eyebrows furrow as he takes his time thinking through it. “Maybe… it brings me pleasure that I’m in it, and she’s dead?”
I hope he doesn’t mind me stroking his shoulder, because I really need to.
It makes me so sad, that the terrible woman who took away his confidence has such a firm grip on Creep’s life even in death. He should start separating himself from her and finally heal.
“And what if I helped you pick something new… something that’s more to your taste. Have you considered what your taste is?” I ask as my fingers glide over bare skin while the sound system plays pop music a bit too loudly. It can’t ruin this intimate moment between us.
“N-no? I’m sorry,” he adds, but the last thing I want is to amplify his distress.
“Don’t apologize,” I whisper, reining myself in before I can give him a full-body hug. “It’s not a mistake. I just think… you might feel nicer if the items around you didn’t remind you of her every day.”
“Could I get… a picture of you? I’ve got some on my phone, but maybe I could get it printed?”
Sweet or creepy? Maybe both?
Excuse me, officer, but I’m melting.
“Oh… of course. We can even take one together and make two copies so I can have one at home, and there’s another in the cave,” I offer, squeezing his hand.
Creep catches my gaze. “Or… you could come live with me there? We can rearrange the cavern. You can bring your things too, and if something’s too large to fit through the tunnels, I can just disassemble or cut it into pieces and then put it back together. It’s what I did with my wardrobe and bed. Your tapestry could go on the wall, and since the wall is at an angle, we could put Friend behind it so you don’t have to see him—”
“Friend? What friend?”
“Oh. My spider. He’s called Little Friend, but I just call him Friend.”
I’m at a loss for words, but if living with raging addicts has taught me anything, it was how to keep up a smiling face. “Oh, how old is Friend?”
“He’s at least five now, but tarantulas can live up to twenty, or even thirty years. I got him as a gift. Sort of. A kid in Vulture Hollow changed his mind about keeping a spider, and I thought it was cruel to just go kill it for such a reason. So I kept him.”
On one hand, sure, it’s cute how Creep lights up when speaking about it, but on the other… it’s a fucking tarantula.
“That’s very kind of you. I would be too scared to live with it,” I say, adjusting my hair as I chuckle. “A monster with eight legs? Count me out!”
I hate the way light dies in Creep’s dark eyes, but it had to be done. I lo—like him, but I can’t live in a cave. I love the sun, and it freaks me out to be so deep underground. And it’s also nice to have running water and electricity.
“Okay. Friend is pretty nice, even if strange,” he mumbles, slouching. “But I understand.”
I lick my lips, stroking his hand. “Wouldn’t Friend enjoy sunshine too? Both of you could chill on the porch each morning, and we could drink coffee together if you moved in with me,” I try, because if I am to pluck Creep out of his shell, he can’t live in the caves.
“Didn’t you just say you can’t live with a monster?” Creep starts tapping his foot a bit too fast. I wish I knew what was going through his head. “It’s fine, I’ll visit for now. I get sunburnt too easily, and I like my shadows.”
I lick my lips as I feel him drift away from me. “The monster can sleep in the cave. You can still visit him every day,” I whisper. “You don’t need to decide today,” I add to take the pressure off him. The messed up world he created for himself in the cave is clearly a safe space, so moving in with me might feel like a bit much.