Page 9 of Obsessive Love
FABLE
“I just knew you were going to be awake,” a voice said, pulling me from my sleep.
My eyes flew open, and I stared into the prettiest brown eyes I’d ever seen.
“Oh, you are.” She slowly stepped back, giving me space, and then she looked around the glass cell.
She was short and not as curvy as I was, but she had a nice shape.
Her hair was laid, and if I didn’t know anything about hair, I wouldn’t have been able to tell it was a wig, and her makeup was a natural beat that would have bitches hating.
“Who the fuck are you?” I asked as I sat up. I didn’t know her ass, and if I had to fight, then I needed to be ready.
“Xoey plus twelve,” she laughed as she put her hand out for me to shake.
“Excuse me?” I reared back because what the fuck did she mean plus twelve? It was only two of us in here, and if she saw someone I didn’t, then I needed to get the fuck out of here asap. “Plus twelve?”
“That’s how many voices are in here.” She tapped the side of her head and shrugged. “Or, at least, that’s how many I’ve announced.” She dropped her hand and shrugged. “I’m not sure at this point.”
“And who exactly have you told about your additional voices?” I cautiously asked. Even though she looked normal, that didn’t mean shit. I’d seen enough documentaries to know that the successful serial killers all looked normal. “And when did they start?”
She sat at the edge of the bed and crossed her legs. “They started when I was eight; one fucked up night changed the course of my life,” she sighed and shook her head. “The voices started that night.”
“I’m sorry,” I genuinely replied. “I know what it's like to have something taken from you and not be able to fight back.”
“Girl, what?” she reared back, her face twisted in confusion. “What was taken from me?”
“What happened to you that night?” I answered.
Xoey’s eyes softened, and a sincere smile blossomed on her face before she fell over laughing. “Girl, didn’t shit get taken from me. I killed a nigga.”
“What?” I replied with a serious expression on my face. “You killed someone?”
“Girl, yeah.” She wiped the tears that fell from her eyes and shook her head. “A nigga came at my daddy wrong, and a voice in my head whispered to shoot they ass.” She shrugged. “And I did.”
I stared at Xoey, trying to figure out how this woman was freely walking the streets, and I was locked in this glass cell. I sat back, resting against the wall and staring at her. The way she laughed was contagious as fuck, and I couldn’t help but join in.
“How much is your monthly check?” I chuckled. There was no way she didn’t get one.
“Enough to pay a few bills if I had them,” she answered with a shrug. She glanced over at me and smirked. “Why, you trying to get a cut?”
“Nah,” I denied and shook my head. “I’m good with the income from my bakery.”
“You’re a baker?” she excitedly asked, and I nodded. “Oh, you’ll get along with Chef.”
“Who’s Chef?” I asked, and she tapped the side of her head. “One of the voices.”
“Yep,” she answered with a smile on her face. “She comes out to play occasionally, but there’s no doubt you’ll meet her. Especially dealing with Pyrite.”
“Pyrite?” I repeated the name, and Xoey nodded. “As in Pyrite Stone, the owner of the Kings?”
“And the Queens, Bishops, Rooks, and some other team I haven’t heard the name of yet.” She waved me off and rolled her eyes. “Weird ass has a thing for chess, in my opinion.”
“Fucking Javien!” I sighed and wiped my hands over my face. “I should’ve known his no-good ass was going to get me dragged into some shit.”
“Yeah, your big brother did some fuck shit,” Xoey agreed. “Honestly, your entire family is on some fuck shit. Your daddy didn’t do a good job procreating or choosing who he procreated with, for that matter.”
“Well damn,” I laughed. I wasn’t offended by what she said because it was true. Javien Sr. picked the wrong women to have kids with, and in return, my siblings weren’t shit. “Tell me how you really feel.”
“Well, not you,” she said, shaking her head. “Just the other people.”
“I bet if Pyrite let me talk to Javien, he’d give him the money,” I said, nodding. Xoey let out a small laugh and shook her head.
“Baby, it ain’t about the money,” Xoey said, patting my leg. “Pyrite’s made it clear that at this point, the only thing that will satisfy him is seeing both dead. Pyrite isn’t known for his patience. If anything, he’s the most impatient of the Stones, and that’s not saying much.”
“Shit,” I hissed. “That means I’m going to be next on this list.”
Xoey laughed loudly as she stood, “Not at all,” she replied. “Pyrite is fascinated with you.” She walked around my cell, looking around. “If he wanted you dead, you would be. Whatever you did to keep him from killing you worked.”
“I maced him,” I announced.
Xoey stopped pacing and turned to face me with a surprised look on her face. “You did what?”
“Maced him in the parking lot of my bakery after he shot out my car tire,” I answered.
Her head tilted to the side for a second as if she were trying to process what I was saying.
Then, she smiled, turned, and walked to the cell door.
I thought she would be met with resistance when she pushed the door, but it opened, and she walked out of the cell and to the couch.
She picked up the remote, turned on the TV, and changed the channel until she found what she was looking for.
Then, she sat on the couch. On the screen was an empty office.
“Pyrite Stone!” Xoey called out. “Let me see your face again.”
“The fuck you want, Xoey plus twelve?” Pyrite appeared on the screen. He sat at the desk with a mug on his face. Just like earlier, I couldn’t help but notice how attractive he was.
“Bestie maced you?” she laughed. “Like, legit maced you?”
“Who the fuck is her bestie?” I whispered to myself as I watched Xoey and Pyrite's interaction.
“Xoey plus twelve, you’re about to piss me off,” Pyrite replied, and Xoey shrugged. “I’m about to hang up.”
“No, you aren’t,” she said, waving him off. She sat forward and tilted her head like she’d done to me earlier. “I can't believe you let her little ass get the drop on you! I swear, I’m snitching to the fellas as soon as I see them.”
“They already know,” he replied with a shrug. “And that shit won't happen again.”
“She gonna beat your ass every chance she gets,” Xoey giggled. “I can't wait to see this shit.”
“You’re lowkey off as fuck,” Pyrite replied and shook his head. His hair hung loose around his shoulders, and my hands itched to run my fingers through it.
“It’s high key,” she announced. “But that’s beside the point. Is the food ready?”
“Give me a little bit, and I’ll bring it down,” he said, then his eyes went to me. Even though I hadn’t said a word, he knew I was there, and my nipples hardened under his gaze. “Itty bitty.”
“Pyrite,” I acknowledged him. His left brow rose slightly, and a smile tugged at his lips before the screen went black.
Xoey turned around, rested her knees on the couch, and hung over the side to watch me. “Y’all cute together,” she smiled.
“It’s not that kind of party,” I denied, shaking my head. “That nigga kidnapped me, locked me in a glass cell in his basement, and probably already has plans to kill me once he gets his money.”
“If you say so,” she laughed, then got up from the couch. “See you later, Bestie.”
“You’re going to just leave me here?” I stood in the middle of the cell, confused as fuck. “Seriously?”
“Girl, this is not my story!” Xoey said as she went up the stairs. “But I’ll be around, though!”
“That crazy ass girl ain’t no fucking help,” I said after the door slammed shut. I sat on the bed and then laid down. This shit was not going to end well for me; I just knew it.