Page 57 of Heartless Heathens

I wrapped my fingers around the smooth black stone end of the blade and clutched it tightly to myself before following Corvin out of the alleyway.

No one had ever given me a gift before.

Though I didn’t understand the purpose of his gift, or why he cared if I screamed or if anyone tried to hurt me.

Didn’t he do the same?

Wasn’t he the very same heathen who couldn’t even tolerate my presence?

The girl with the short hair stood in front of the shop as if she had been waiting for us, a giant smile painted her face and she waved to Corvin as if he’d been looking for her.

He hadn’t been.

“I got a tattoo,” she squealed out, hiking the bottom of her pants up to show a bloody little pink blob scarred into her skin.

“What’s a tattoo?” I asked and Corvin growled out like my questions were becoming tiresome.

“The same things you see all over me and Sonny,” he told me, stretching out his collar as if his face wasn’t covered in them as well. “That.”He pointed to her ankle.“Is not a tattoo though. What the fuck is that?” he asked her and she grinned.

“It’s a strawberry!” she exclaimed.

“Have you ever even had a strawberry?” he asked her, crossing his arms over his chest and she scoffed.

“Duh, of course not. My parents always said my older sister loved the synthetic jam though,” she said, a wave of sadness flashing over her expression.

“Where is your sister now?” I asked her.

“She died from the virus.” Her lips made a flat line and she looked away, a strange demeanor that I didn’t expect from someone as bubbly as she was.

“My bad,” Corvin grumbled and scratched the back of his head and she shrugged a response.

I wanted to say something to her, but I wasn’t sure what you were supposed to say to sad people. I’d never seen one with my eyes before, except on TV shows and movies. I’d only ever had to make myself feel better, and even that was a lost cause.

“I’m sorry you’re sad,” I blurted out and Corvin bit his lips together like he was stifling laughter. “What?” I asked and he shook his head but gave me a sideways grin.

“I’m not sad anymore, but thanks,” she said, and I shrugged. “Did you get everything you needed?” she asked and I shrugged before looking over to Corvin for an answer.

“Yeah, no thanks to your terrible taste,” he said with a condescending tone that she didn’t seem one bit phased by.

“I didn’t realize you were going for the Necromancer Barbie look.”

We walked past the first shop and Corvin picked up all of the bags, shoving half of them at Reesa and carrying the other half himself while still debating about something. Their voices dropped to a muted volume and I let my eyes wander through the underground faux streets that made up what Corvin called The Court of Miracles. It was beautiful, something I didn’t have enough words to fully descrive, but the closer you looked the easier it was to see the filth covering the ground and the lack of anything organic growing down here.

But it didn’t matter.

They were free here.

I could appreciate that.

Something I was starting to realize wasn’t possible up there, not just for me. There were levels of freedom, and it wasn’t something that could so easily be bartered for like Corvin’s pretty blade.

“Ay, Ground control to major Tom,” Reesa called out, snapping her fingers in front of my face.

“Don’t do that shit. Some people don’t like that.” He smacked her hand away from my face before nudging my chin up with a single finger.

“You good?” he asked and I nodded, clasping his hand and threading my fingers through his.

He looked at me with surprise and pulled away. His eyelids began to flutter quickly and then he pressed his fingers to his temple.