Chapter 3 #3
“Eris! It suits you! Not that you look vicious. Well, you do, but not in an evil way. You just look a bit… dangerous.” Denny let out a graceful titter. “A part of me wondered if you were going to kill me in my sleep.”
Eris smirked. Woulda, shoulda, coulda.
But Denny had said ‘wondered’, not ‘feared’, and that mellowed down Eris’ defensiveness.
After breakfast, Denny fetched Eris’ clothes from the laundry room, still warm from the tumble drier. She had to help Eris step out of the pyjamas bottoms, since her ribs were too sore for her to bend and pull them down herself.
“Look at you… It’s going to take a while to get rid of those bruises. You must be in so much pain.”
The big bathroom mirror showed Eris just how bad the situation was: the many blotches of angry red were veering to a dark purple, some eerily close to black.
The right cheekbone was covered in a pattern of dried blood and thin scabs where her skin had torn against the pavement.
The makeup had melted into black stains around her eyes.
Denny seemed determined to look anywhere but at Eris while assisting her in getting dressed. It was only when Eris had her t-shirt and cargo trousers on that Denny dared to lift her eyes on her.
“Wanna wash your face properly?”
Eris’ jaw clenched. Makeup was her second skin, she wasn’t comfortable being seen without it.
“You’ll want to brush your teeth, at least?
” Rummaging into a drawer, Denny pulled out a brand new bamboo toothbrush.
“I don’t have any makeup, I’m sorry.” She raised a hand.
Eris winced back. “Oh. Sorry. You have…” Mortified, Denny touched the underside of her own eye.
Mirroring the gesture, Eris brushed away a strand of hair that had caught in her nostril ring.
She glared resentfully at Denny’s kicked puppy face. Keep your hands to yourself, Blondie.
That was when she realised something was missing: the pocket at the side of her left knee was empty.
Her throat clamped.
She couldn’t have lost it.
That knife had been her loyal companion for seven years, her life insurance.
She had taken a perverse pleasure in stealing it, her father’s lucky charm.
Her disappearance certainly hadn’t affected him, but she was sure that losing the knife had.
It was her knife now, the reminder that she could push through anything, that she could survive no matter how nasty things got.
She looked around the room, scanning every surface, finding nothing but stupid plants and shiny trinkets.
“What’s wrong?” Denny’s voice came from far, far away. Eris’ ears were ringing. She wanted her knife. She needed her knife.
She frantically grabbed Denny’s arms, cursing her inner screams for not reaching her lips.
Give it back to me! Give it back!
“Eris!” Denny looked genuinely scared. She grabbed Eris’ shoulders, forcing her to still. Her grip was unexpectedly strong. “Eris, calm down, please!” Her hands moved up to cup around Eris’ face, urging her to look into her eyes. “Is it the knife? Are you looking for the knife?”
Yes! Yes! Where is it?
“I took it. Please, calm down. Breathe.”
Eris shoved her away. She leaned on the vanity, trying to control her breathing. A part of her knew she was overreacting, but she couldn’t imagine losing the knife.
“I emptied the pockets of your trousers before washing them,” Denny muttered. “I’m not comfortable with weapons. You don’t need it here, you’re safe. If I show you where it is, do you promise you’ll leave it there? Please?”
The nod Eris gave her was quick and perfunctory.
“Okay. I want to trust you. Can I trust you?”
Eris set her chin. The sense of adriftness she’d plunged into gradually waned after Denny pressed the knife into her hand. Eris held on to it tight enough to feel the familiar edges of the brass knuckles dig into her skin.
“Please, put it back now.” Denny was holding out a silver jewellery box. “You can take it when you leave.”
Eris glanced at the box, unmoving.
“Please. You promised.”
Who fucking cares? Eris wanted to snap, but her grip loosened under Denny’s pleading look and slowly, as if driven by a higher will, she dropped the knife into the box, rewarded by a grateful smile.
“Thank you.”
Eris stared at the red marks the knife had engraved in her palm. What the fuck had just happened?
“Look,” Denny began, toothbrush and toothpaste in hand, “I know I’m fastidious, but I’d feel better if you let someone check you up. No hospital! My aunt is a doctor—a paediatrician, really. Will you let her have a look at you?”
Eris wasn’t used to being fussed over like this. It was asphyxiating.
Why can’t you just mind your own business?
“She’s super cool and chill, won’t ask questions.”
A doctor who wouldn’t ask questions was acceptable. And Eris’ ribs really hurt. She had to make sure none of them was broken or cracked, because, if they were, she’d have to take proper care of it in order to be able to work. This wasn’t an opportunity she could pass up lightly.
“Please?”
Eris rolled her eyes, but gave a grudging thumbs up.
“Thank you!”
What the fuck are you thanking me for?
But Denny had already set off to brush her teeth.
This crazy bird was going to give Eris whiplash.