Chapter Ten – Millie
Chapter Ten
Millie
The world snapped back into focus. The dust settled. Grim stood there, my protector, his dark form silhouetted against the bright sky. They were gone. Really gone? A shudder ran through me, a mixture of relief and terror. My keys. I needed my keys. They lay on the ground. My hand shook as I bent to pick them up, my fingers brushing against something rough and brittle. Clay. The Poppet’s face. That single, staring eye. I scrambled back, my heart pounding.
Get a grip, Millie.
Grim was already at the passenger’s side of the Bentley. I fumbled with the keys, my fingers clumsy. Finally, I managed to unlock the car, almost throwing myself into the driver’s seat. My hands were shaking so badly I could barely hold onto the steering wheel.
“You killed them,” I said, my voice trembling. “I didn’t know it was possible.”
“They can’t be killed because they’re not alive,” Grim said. “All I did was stop them from getting to you. For now. They will come again. Ma-Vasha can make hundreds of them if she wants.”
I took a few deep breaths, willing myself to calm down. This wasn’t the time to fall apart. Elysia needed me.
“Okay,” I said. “Okay.”
When I felt like I could at least hold the steering wheel without my hands shaking, I pulled out of the parking lot and sped towards Asterhaven. The silence in the car was heavy. What had Grim said? Hundreds? Hundreds of Poppets? I could barely handle three.
Grim didn’t pressure me to talk, which I appreciated. He just sat there, and it felt like riding with a shadow or a phantom. My thoughts were racing. I gripped the steering wheel tighter, my knuckles turning white. The familiar scenery of Mercer Island whipped past, blurred and distorted by my anxiety. The stately mansions, the lush green lawns, the sparkling blue water of Lake Washington – it all seemed unreal, like a postcard from a past life.
I’d been living in a bubble, shielded by wealth and privilege. Now the bubble had burst, and there was no going back. It was all my doing. I had summoned Ma-Vasha. It was my fault. But I’d done it for a reason, and a very good one at that – because I refused to lose my sister to leukemia. If death had to take one of us, better me than her.
Elysia was waiting for me in the foyer. Her expression was a mixture of excitement and worry, her bright blue eyes wide with anticipation. She launched herself at me the moment I stepped inside, her thin arms wrapping around my waist.
“Millie! You’re back! How’s Lady Mews? Is she okay?”
I knelt, gathering her close, burying my face in her soft, dark hair. She smelled like sunshine and crayons, and everything good in the world.
“She’s doing great,” I said.
“Can she come home? Please, Millie, please. I miss her so much.”
Elysia’s words were like tiny daggers to my heart. I hated that I couldn’t give her what she wanted, that I had to make her wait, had to prolong her agony. But what choice did I have?
“The vet said she needs to stay there for a little while longer, to make sure she’s all healed up.” I pulled away, reaching into my purse for my phone. “But I took pictures! Do you want to see?”
Elysia’s face lit up. “Yes! Show me, show me!”
I scrolled through the pictures: Lady Mews curled up in her little cage, her leg in a bright pink cast, Lady Mews blinking sleepily at the camera, Lady Mews being cuddled by the vet. Elysia’s smile grew wider with each picture.
“She looks so funny with that pink cast.”
“I know, right?”
I tucked my phone back into my purse. Elysia was quiet for a moment, her brow furrowed in thought.
“I’m bored,” she announced. “Can we play a game?”
“Sure, honey,” I said, forcing a smile. “What do you feel like playing?”
“Settlers of Catan?”
“You’re sure you’re up for that?”
“Yep! I’m going to beat you this time, Millie, I know it!”
“We’ll see about that,” I said, ruffling her short hair that was starting to stick in all directions.
The next hour was a blur of dice rolls, resource cards, and competitive banter. But the joy I usually felt spending time with my little sister was gone, replaced by a gnawing anxiety that I couldn’t shake. Grim stood by the fireplace, a silent, watchful presence, his cloaked form casting long, unsettling shadows on the wall as the day wore on. At one point, Elysia tried to coax him into joining our game, but he politely declined. Grim was not one for board games. Or any kind of games, for that matter. He took his job as my bodyguard very seriously.
I tried to focus on the game, to lose myself in the strategic placement of roads and settlements, but it was no use. My mind kept drifting back to Ma-Vasha and the deal I’d made. I could feel Grim’s gaze on me, as if he could sense my unease. I tried to smile, to pretend that everything was okay, but I knew it was no use. I wasn’t fooling anyone, least of all myself.
Elysia seemed to sense my distraction. After a while, she pushed the game away.
“This is boring. I’m going to my room.”
“Okay, honey,” I said. “Get some rest.”
She nodded and trudged out of the room. I watched her go, my heart aching with a love that threatened to consume me. The moment the door to her room clicked shut, I turned to Grim, my fa?ade crumbling.
“This isn’t right,” I whispered. “I can’t do this anymore.”
“Do what?”
“Pretend that everything is okay when it’s not. Pretend that I’m not terrified. Pretend that I’m not going to…”
I couldn’t bring myself to say the word. Die. It was too awful, too final.
Grim took a step towards me, his skeletal hand outstretched as if to touch me, but he stopped short, his fingers curling into fists.
“Millie…”
I shook my head, willing myself to pull it together. This wasn’t me – this constant state of near hysteria. It was pathetic. Elysia needed me to be strong. Hell, I needed me to be strong.
“Forget it,” I muttered, wiping my eyes with the back of my hand. “How about a movie?”
Grim tilted his head, a strangely human gesture for someone who looked like he’d just stepped out of a mausoleum. “Okay.”
“Great.” I tried to sound upbeat, but it came out flat. “It’s not like we have much else to do, stuck inside.” I made a face. “This is no life, being trapped here like this. Fourteen days. An eternity.”
“It’s for the best,” Grim said. “Keeps you safe.”
“I know, I know,” I sighed. “But for what it’s worth, I’m actually glad to have these moments.” I pointed the remote at the TV, scrolling through my streaming queue. “As weird as it sounds, it almost feels normal. Like we’re a real family. Except, you know, with you being a Grim Reaper and all.”
I cringed inwardly. I really needed to work on my filter.
Grim didn’t seem to notice, or if he did, he didn’t let it bother him. He just shrugged.
“Ever seen Groundhog Day?” I asked.
“No.”
“Seriously? It’s a classic!”
He just looked at me, his eyes, or rather, the dark hollows where his eyes should have been, unreadable. I shook my head.
“Okay, I don’t believe it! It’s my favorite movie, I’m putting it on. You’ll love it, I promise.”
And with that, I hit play.
We settled in on the couch, me curled up on one end, Grim at the other, a respectful distance separating us. The opening scene filled the room, and for a little while, I almost forgot about the Poppets, about Ma-Vasha, about the ticking clock counting what remained of my life. Almost.
“I love how repetitive this movie is,” I said during a particularly amusing scene where the characters were throwing snowballs.
Grim didn’t reply, but I could feel his gaze on me, curious, maybe a little amused.
“It’s like… I know what’s going to happen next, you know? Every line, every beat. It’s comforting, in a weird way. Like a security blanket. Safe.”
Safe. God, I craved safe. Like a drowning woman craved air.
“Wouldn’t mind being stuck like that myself,” I continued, my voice barely a whisper. “Going through the same day over and over again. Maybe right here, right now. With you.”
The words tumbled out before I could stop them. Heat crept up my neck. What was I doing? What was wrong with me?
Grim was silent, his form still in the flickering light from the television screen. I held my breath, waiting for him to say something, anything. I risked a glance in his direction, but it was too dark to make out his expression.
I needed to fix this.
I scooted closer to him, my heart pounding. I rested my head on his shoulder. I felt his hand, skeletal and cold, resting on top of mine. His touch sent a jolt through me. Our fingers intertwined, and I took it as a sign that he wasn’t mad at me.