time skip-he is 14
I have yet to get used to the hot, sunny climate in Florida. Who knew such a place could exist? Mr. Sergei says I have to go to school when it starts, meaning that I can't spend as much time learning from him. I put the knife in my hand down, having finished sharpening it. Pausing to stare at the starry night sky for a second, I run my finger over the blade and feel a sharp prick. Blood runs down my index finger. I curse under my breath and run inside Mr. Sergei's house to ask for a Band-Aid.
"Mr. Sergei!" I shout, hoping he'll hear me. "Alexei! Did you finish sharpening that knife for me?" He walks towards me. I nod and hand it to him. He looks over my work, making sure it's perfect. Mr. Sergei smiles at me. "This is very good work, Alexei," he says. "Follow me. I'll show you what I needed the knife for." He leads me to the basement of his house and unlocks the door. My eyes widen and my jaw drops in horror when I see what's behind it. "Mr. Sergei—what is all this…?" I ask, unnerved. The body of a man lies on the cold stone floor of the basement. He is bound by handcuffs on his ankles and wrists that have been there so long I can see marks. Mr. Sergei tilts his head and looks at me for a second. "Today's kill!" He says, holding the knife in two hands and stabbing it into the manacled man's neck. I flinched as blood gushed out of the wound, a menacing glint in Mr. Sergei's dark eyes. I watched the life drain out of the man's eyes.
"Who the hell do I live with?" I ask myself, recalling that evening's events. Mr. Sergei's not your average man. He's a psychopath. This is not normal. How did I not see the red flags? For a second, it feels like I'm still in the basement with him, watching the man bleed to death from the wound in his neck. Watching another person die, seeing the red stain them too. Another taken by the Grim Reaper for his own. The scene keeps replaying over and over in my head, driving me crazy. I can't sleep. Tomorrow morning is going to be hell. After all, I live with the devil.