Ditto's POV
"Get lost, freak!" A man kicks me in the stomach. The wind is knocked out of me as I fall over. Holding my stomach, I wheeze and try desperately to crawl away from the group of men. Tears rush down my cheeks as I hear them yell harsh words. Footsteps approach from behind. The same man presses a barrel to my head. Oh God, please no. I wake up crying. My body shakes badly as fear rushes through me. Libra hurries over and picks me up. She holds me close and rubs my back in a familiar comforting way. I calm down enough to look at her. Her blue eyes are filled with genuine concern.
"Buddy, what's wrong?" She asks.
"I had a nightmare, Mommy." I say, my voice trembling.
"Oh no, what happened?"
I stare at the black strap on her shoulder, finding it difficult to respond. Libra then sighs. She takes me back over to the bed and sits, holding me in her arms. After a few minutes, I relax enough to tell her.
"There was a man." I begin, "He was shouting really mean things and kicked me in the stomach." I feel Libra tense with anger, but she lets me continue.
"He put a gun to my head..." I trail off as fresh tears well up in my eyes. Libra wipes away my tears with her thumb.
"I'm sorry, little one." She says softly. I blush lightly. Little one, I like how that sounds. She holds me closer, letting out a soft growl, "I'll never let anything bad happen to you."
"I know, Mommy." I say.
Libra chuckles and kisses my forehead.
"You've been calling me that a lot." She says, "Do I remind you of someone?"
"You remind me a lot of my mom." I reply.
"How so?"
"You're really nice to me, even after what happened at the building. You care about me and you're beautiful." Libra relaxes and lays down with me on the bed. She's smiling softly like she usually does when I'm with her. It's hard for me to believe that this is the same person that claims to be a murderer. I have seen her fight, but that's only because that woman hit her in the face. She was angry, those people upset her. There's something bothering her, I know there is. But I can't find it in me to ask. I just met her and it would be rude to pester the person who saved my life. Maybe later, I tell myself.
"Are you always this quiet?" Libra asks.
I quickly shake my head, "No, I'm just...nervous."
"You're nervous because of me, aren't you?"
"No, it's not that."
She looks directly at me, staring into my eyes. I feel my stomach twist into a tight knot. She sighs and sits up.
"I'm sorry." She says, "It's no wonder you're afraid of me."
"I'm not afraid of you." I say quickly.
"Don't lie to me, Ditto." She snaps, causing me to flinch. "I scared the shit out of you by kicking a crate, held a fucking gun to your face, and killed three people in front of you in a blind rage. I'm not a good person. I never was and I never fucking will be."
"You told me not to lie, but you're lying to yourself." I say, trying to stay calm.
Libra pauses as her breathing changes.
"I'm not lying." She says. I sigh and touch her hand. Her body tenses again as she lets out a low growl. A warning.
"Libra, I'm not stupid." I say, "You've been acting strange lately and it's clear to me that something is bothering you"
"Why are you so worried?" She asks.
"Because I care about you."
"You shouldn't."
"But I do."
She groans, massaging her temples.
"You're only saying that because I practically kidnapped you." She explains, "You're experiencing Stockholm Syndrome. You should be taken somewhere safe. A place where you won't be hurt by monsters like me."
I hug her tightly. I don't care if she can hurt me, because I know she won't.
"You're not a monster." I say, "Not like what I've seen. You saved my life. I don't want to go anywhere else. I want to be with you."
Libra says nothing. I can feel her heart racing. Her body is shaking.
"Please don't shut me out, Libra." I beg, "I don't want to be alone anymore and I don't want you to be alone. "
She holds me close. One arm around my waist, the other against my back. She runs her fingers through my hair. Slowly, gently. She has bottled up feelings that she won't let out, because she's scared.
"It's ok, mommy." I whisper. The wall Libra put up then crumbles as a sound escapes her. A haunting yet beautiful sound, almost like the song of a siren. It's so entrancing. I feel something drip onto my head. I look up and see tears rolling down Libra's cheeks. She looks ashamed. I wipe away her tears and plant a kiss on her cheek. Putting my hand on her chest, I feel her heart racing. I look her in the eyes and take a deep breath, exhaling slowly. Libra catches on quickly and copies me. She focuses on me as she breathes. After a few deep breaths, her heartbeat slows. She starts to relax as she calms down. Minutes pass in total silence. She puts her hand on my cheek and sighs.
"You remind me of her." She mumbles, kissing my forehead.
"Who?" I ask.
"A friend of mine." She replies, "She was young and kind, just like you."
Her friend. Is that what's been bothering her?
"But, it doesn't matter now." She says, "I have my little one with me."
"Mommy, can we cuddle?" I ask, "I'm not ready to get up yet."
She nods and pulls the blanket over us. For the rest of the morning, we cuddle in silence. Then Libra lures me out of bed with the promise of food after I take a bath. She carries me to the bathroom, placing me on the floor as she draws the bath. I giggle excitedly as she pours in the bubbles. After a few minutes, she helps me undress and places me into the warm soapy water. I let her wash the dirt and specs of dried blood from my body. I haven't had a bath in days and I was probably starting to smell. Squeak squeak. I turn to see Libra holding a rubber duck. My eyes light up as she drops it in the water. I giggle and play with it as she washes my hair, humming softly while she does it. She rinses my hair and lets me play in the bath for a few minutes. I scoop up some bubbles in my hand and blow them at Libra. She chuckles as the bubbles hit her cheeks. She then picks me up and wraps me in a towel.
"You cute little shit." She says while drying me off, "What am I going to do with you?"
"Love me unconditionally." I reply.
She softly growls and kisses my forehead, "I'll do that for you, little one."
Libra dresses me and I follow her into the kitchen. She opens the refrigerator and sighs.
"For a drunk, this guy has a decent amount of food." She says and looks at me, "How does bacon and eggs sound, buddy?"
"That sounds delicious, Mommy." I say smiling.
"Alright, bacon and eggs it is."
"Is there any juice in there?" I ask.
"There's apple juice." She says, "Is that ok, little one?"
I nod. Libra gets me a sippy cup full of apple juice and starts cooking. She preheats the oven and lays the strips of bacon on a baking sheet.
"Why not just use a pan?" I ask curiously, earning a chuckle from her.
"My friend showed me how to "properly" cook bacon." She explains, "She told me that bacon tastes better if you cook it in an oven. I usually don't eat human food, but it tasted pretty good when she made it like this."
"You've mentioned your friend before." I say, "What was her name?"
"Leo."
"She sounded important to you."
"She was. Even though she was human, I considered her my sister. That's how close we were."
The oven then beeps. Libra then places the sheet of bacon in the oven and sets a timer. She then begins making the eggs. I sip my juice, pausing as I hear her start singing.
"Today, up on this hill, I'm counting all the killers."
She adds salt and pepper, then scrambles the eggs.
"They sway as they swarm. A look of gluttons in their eyes, they mutter as the body loses warmth."
She sounds so pretty as she sings.
"They pick your bones like locks inside a tomb, and take great care to not take care of you."
"You have a pretty voice, Mommy." I say
"Ah, thank you, little one." Libra chuckles.
She pats my head and goes back to cooking. About 20 minutes later, the food is ready. We sit at the table and eat. Her friend was right, the bacon tastes incredible. Libra stares out of the window with a piece of bacon in her mouth. I follow her gaze and see a crow. I then remember the woman I shape shifted into earlier to deceive the bad people at the hotel.
"Mommy?" I ask.
"Hmm?" She looks back at me and I giggle.
"You look silly." I say, trying to distract her from the bird outside.
She grins and eats the bacon. The crow flies off and I sigh in relief. We finish eating and I take another sip of the apple juice. Libra puts the dishes in the sink and lets them soak in soapy water.
"Mommy, can we go to the park?" I ask.
Libra looks at me and pauses for a few seconds. She looks like she's picturing what could go wrong if we go out. She then smiles softly.
"Sure, little one." She says, "Let's get ready."
I get off the chair and hug her, "Thank you, Mommy."
She brushes my hair and helps me put on my shoes. After grabbing her keys and making sure everything is turned off and secured, she grabs my hand and we go outside. Libra locks the door and we get on the motorcycle. We then make our way to the park.