"Devil… Devil Thing." He breathes.
I've heard it from my mother's book. But then she snatched them away from me. "What is a Devil Thing?"
"If Hell had an abortion. It would sit on top of it."
"What?"
"Some things are like oil. But this type didn't float, it sunk. God said there are no more sins but the devil said I found five more." The Drunk speaks. "It's just Things down there."
"What does this have to do with Headcount. Is he a devil thing?"
"Yes and no…" the Drunk twitches, "You know it's a cult, right? The DOHRCC?"
"No. Tell me," I face him. I'm thinking he's going to drop information on the matter but—
"Headcount is your uncle. That's why you know what he's saying." He says.
My phone buzzes in my pocket. I get it out and roll my eyes.
Counter999: 01 Denial Floor, 02 Ridiculousness 03 Unconscious 04 Self-mutilation 05 Red.
?? Above the Rest ??: What are you saying now?
?? Above the Rest: Gettin' ?? real tired of the word what and no answer.
Counter999: Maybe you'll never fucking find it.
Then what the fuck is the point? This is aggravating.
Counter999: there is a gate… on the third floor.
Counter999: Find me.
Find. Find. Find. Find what? What do I need to look for?
Counter999: 1-Teeth
2-Wings
3-A heart.
The drunken vampire slaps the door. "don't pay any heed to his words. It's a Trik. A spell on his voice."
"What does it do?" If I say what one more damn time. "The power of WORD. The Fate Word is not a book of spells. Gangsta."
"Gangsta?"
"Black fourth (?)heep," he says. I was doing all of this for my mother. How did I wind up here? And images start swirling in my head fast, I can't describe what I see it's so quick. She told us to run… out of the house. Round the walls.
Counter999: No!
Counter999: Mom's dead. I didn't fuck that up and you wouldn't believe me if I said your mother made a change in your will.
My will—my purpose changed?
Counter999: Find me. Put me together.
?? Above the Rest ??: What does that mean?
I'm stabbing myself.
Counter999: You know. You did it. She did it.
The drunken vampire stretches his hand to me. "He wants a body."
.
.
.
My hands wrap around Thankful's throat, I can feel the air she needs coming and going. "Ka-Niishi" as I say the spell, Thankful's body is full of skin. "I've been reading every thought. I'm good at playing stupid, aren't I?"
She struggles to pull my fingers away, "Magna!" she gasps, scratching at my chest. "I'm fucking done with this whole adventure. "Who the fuck are you!" I shake her by the throat. "I'm just a nigger to you right?"
"No…" her voice is small; she kicks her feet against my legs. I'm six feet six, compared to her small frame, she'll die in my hands. I can barely hear her voice; I watch her lips move. Making out a sentence. "You are Toda!"
"Magna… No eres recto—" I squeeze her neck tight, pressing my thumb against her Adam's apple. Back at the motel when she pulled me out of the body.
//I got you again. Remember. I gave you a drink.//
//I took big brother and put him in the bottle.//
//You're drunk. You want to be drunk. Being Drunk is good.//
//Eat your arm just like mommy.//
"Stop talking in my fucking ear!" she started to gag, her eyes collecting the veins trying to get oxygen to her brain. "I'M NOT DRUNK. I'M NOT DRUNK."
Thief Grow Elementary
They stood in front of a bookstore. Neither one of them planned to go in, it wasn't Magna's idea to leave campus. They were at least 1.2 miles from the school. The principal announced that no one was permitted to leave school grounds.
What was Thankful thinking?
She pressed her back against the bricks of the bookstore. "Why did you bring me out here?" questioned Magna Carta. His hair was black and shaved on the side. The rest of his locks were tied into a bun. "You're wearing my favorite shirt." She spoke.
"Ok… what you drag me here for?" he looked around the empty streets. Thankful wore a shoulder top with a pink floral design. A lace neckband around her neck. "What are you looking for?"
"Kidnappers! I ain't trying to go missin'. My mama finna have a heart attack, a stroke, and death all at the same damn time."
"A stroke and a heart attack can lead to death."
Magna rolled his eyes. "So, like I said. All at the same damn time."
Thankful snorted, she pushed away from the wall. Tying her hands behind her as she moved towards Magna. "What's your favorite color? Orange, right?"
He rose a brow, he caught on weeks ago given that she had been acting awkward. Last week, she tripped into his chest and blamed a napkin on the floor from the lunchroom. The week before that, Thankful was chewing gum. She sat next to Magna Carta in science. Mr. Hill directed Thankful to get rid of the gum. She took the wad of chewed gum and stuck it in her hair. "Well, he didn't tell me where to put it."
"Thankful, he meant the fucking trashcan."
"Well… uh…," Magna had to struggle to get gum out of her hair until he asked his mother. Who recommended olive oil and nonstick spray?
"Thankful, what the hell is wrong with you?"
"Nothing?" she smirked, holding her left arm and a shy grin. "How are your new classes?"
"I moved up a grade. They make you take Military 101." He spoke. "Military 101?" she crossed her arms. "That's—That's good. I'm not that type of vamp." Her eyes glazed over at nothing but the pavement beneath. Balloons tied to the lamps and phone wires. Confetti littered the ground. "Can I tell you something?"
He noticed when she parted her lips, her small fangs poked through. He thought to himself how cute she looked.
Without any warning, Thankful leaned forward, her lips pressing against his own plump lips. She counted in her head to five and separated from him. Magna stood bewildered; his mouth opened slightly. "There. I can cross that off my bucket list."
He furrowed, "I'm on a goddamn bucket list?"
Her breath hitched, "Not like that or anything."
"You brought me out here to kiss me?" his mouth was contorted into a confusing smile. Thankful viewed it as irritation. She lowered her head. "Sorry."
"I mean, I like you too. Don't get me wrong."
//Don't be sad…//
Magna gawked at Thankful's lamenting face. His chest got tight; he took a step forward. //I wasn't trying to be an asshole. Aleigha's right… I don't know how to talk to girls//
As he stepped closer, enough to pick up the scent of her perfume. Tiempo de día, a citrus odor. He guessed that she wore it all the time because his favorite color was orange. She took a glimpse from the recesses of her eye. "What?" The way his pale gold skin appeared in the sun made him look like an angel. He placed his hands on the side of her face and pressed his lips against her. Bringing her closer to him, deepening the kiss.
When he parted, he stared at her brown eyes. Under her eyes, glitter made her look as if she was blushing. "You still put glitter in your eyes?"
"It's not in my—yeah, look I just—WHY DOES IT MATTER!" she stammered. He smirked and held her hand, "You wanna go out with me?"
Delightful news with a delightful response. "Yes." Her eyes fluttered, moving water away. "Say it in Spanish."
Magna lowered his gaze, he licked his lips, "¿Saldrás conmigo?"
Thankful lifted off her toes and fell back on her heels, "sí"
A black car came into view behind Thankful. In Magna's eyes, he saw a shiny black, vintage Cadillac, burning rubber down the avenue. The car turned around as it went down one side of the street to drive on the other. "Get that one! Get that one!" echoed a high pitch voice from the car. The windows were tinted black, the driver's window whined as it came down.
A big-headed, green-skinned creature peered out. His nose bulbous and hooked-like. "too many kids, don't do what your mother forbid. Do well to listen, stay away from the man with his teeth glisten."
The window pulled up, concealing the monster behind it. The back doors swung open. A large foot stepped out, his skin a light green. A snub pierced nose on the left, he stood up straight with a chain gun on his shoulders. "IMPS!" Magna grabbed Thankful's hands. "Run!"
The tall imp retrieved another long gun from the back of his pants. He balanced it with his left hand and focused on Thankful's back legs. Magna picked her up, the Imp's aim shifted to Magna's back.
"You'll be wishing for what went missing…"