Page 21 of Heartless Heathens

“When’s the last time you took a bath?” I twisted my nose at her.

She tried to recoil from my touch, but I tightened my hold on her hair, forcing a whine out from her.

“I d-don’t know.” She shook her head and my face twisted up in confusion even more.

“Where do you need us to take you Romina? Is there someone you want us to call?” I asked her, trying to be as gentle as Felix but unable to strip the commanding tone from my voice.

“I-I don’t know what you mean,” she stuttered out and I exhaled, quickly losing my patience.

“What are you doing here?” I asked her and she shook her head again.

“Answer me.” I cut through.

“No.”

“What are you doing in my house?” I asked again.

“Yourhouse?” she asked with a dramatic flair like she couldn’t believe what I was saying.

“It’s not Frollo’s house anymore.” I loosened my grip on her hair without letting go, rubbing my fingers along the sore spots where I’d been pulling too tight.

She relaxed into my hand, leaning into my touch.

This girl was pliable as hell.

I fucking loved it.

“Please let me go,” she said in a barely inaudible volume.

“And where will you go once I do?” I brought my face as close to hers as possible and waited for her response.

Her eyes wrinkled from how tightly she forced them shut, as if she’d disappear if she squeezed hard enough.

“Tsk. One more chance. Where do you belong Romina?” I asked her. Her eyes darted down and she shrank away from my hold, back into the couch.

Felix appeared at the front of the hallway and crossed his arms over his chest. “Mina,” he beckoned her and her chin turned sharply towards him.

He tilted his chin towards the end of the dark hall and she darted over to his side without looking back at me.

Mina?

He directed her to a stool under the marble countertop island and she sat while he reached into the refrigerator.

“Are you feeding her?” I asked and he frowned, looking back at me from the sandwich he was making.

“She said she was hungry.” He shrugged, walking over to me. “So, we’re in agreement right? Not a fucking a ghost,” he said with a type of seriousness that only made me roll my eyes.

This wasn’t how spirits worked, he knew better than to entertain such ridiculous thoughts. I already knew Frollo had a hand in this somehow. He had a hand in everything. It wasn’t enough that he’d exploited the persecution of Lolita Escura and was personally responsible for her death. But he had used it as a badge to advance himself.

He was just a headmaster then, a clergyman, but he led the people on a holy crusade against Lolita. She was arrested, tried, and found guilty within the span of six days. The execution came before the week ended.

“What if those myths are kind of true?” Felix asked me, bringing me out of my chaotic thoughts.

“She’s not a fucking ghost!” I snapped and he shook his head at me.

“I mean, what if she’s…Frollo's? She keeps saying she doesn’t have anywhere to go. Something isn’t adding up.” He rubbed the stubble on his chin while he thought about what he said.

I didn’t need to think about it.