Page 31 of Heartless Heathens
I was really taking in the chapel for the first time since they’d changed everything. Both the walls and the floor were a shiny black as well. There was a wall with nothing but upside-down crucifixes hanging from it and just below them was a table with a black cloth draped over it. Dozens of candles flickered pulling my attention in their direction.
He cleared his throat to bring it back to him.
Sonny looked like some sort of twisted angel, leaned back on the couch, boots resting on the table. He was wearing head to toe black, the only color on him coming from the bright red painting on his throat. He brushed his hair out of his eyes and gave me a menacing stare that didn’t match the crooked smile on his lips.
It sent a shudder up my spine. He thought he was scaring me. So far this had been the most comfortable twenty four hours of my entire life and I never wanted this feeling to end. Felix said Sonny just needed the truth from me, I could do that.
“Did you let Felix fuck you last night?” he asked me and my cheeks flushed with heat at the thought of the thing he did with his fingers.
“What does that mean?” I asked him and he frowned even further.
“You wouldn’t be asking that if he had,” he said dryly.
“Well, he didsomething, I just don’t know what it was,” I mumbled, looking down.
“If you don’t mean to be heard, then don’t speak at all.”
“Why are you so mean?” The words came out of my mouth just as fast as I could regret them by the look on his face.
“I’m not mean. There’s just nothing left to care for anymore.”
We were two sides of the same coin. All I wanted was to find something to care for so that Icouldfeel something, anything. He seemed to be running away from it. Hiding himself from it.
“Yes there is. There has to be something more.” I refused to believe that there wasn’t something out there, something that called out just to me.
“It doesn’t matter, whatever it is, it’ll hurt you in the end.” He crossed his arms over his chest.
“I care for books. A story can’t hurt you.” I exhaled, feeling like I’d successfully answered a riddle.
He was suddenly right in front of me, grasping my chin between his thumb and his index finger as his gaze burned into mine. “Oh Romina, that’s where you’re wrong. A storycanhurt you. A good story can wound, maim, and scar. A good story will leave you questioning what you believe to be right or wrong for the sake of pseudo-pleasure fulfilled by some neurons shooting off sparks in your brain. A good story will tear your soul out from your chest and keep you from moving on until you find another that can take its place.”
“I don’t think I’ve ever read anything like that,” I lamented and he tsked.
“Then you haven’t lived.” He dropped my chin at the sound of a knock on the door and walked towards it to open.
“Who the fuck are you?” Sonny asked, pulling the door open wide.
“Felix sent me.” She lifted a bag of clothes high in the air and Sonny tempered his hateful stare. Her eyes widened as she took in the sight of me and she ran over to the couch where I sat. “Is this her?”
I looked over to Sonny, feeling like I needed him to handle whatever was happening before I got it wrong.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about, leave the bag and go back to the dorm. I’ll compensate you for your things,” he said in a flat tone, sharpening his stare once again.
“Oh come on, Felix said I could meet her,” she whined and pouted her lip at him.
“Meet,who?” He stepped up to her, nostrils flaring as he looked down at her frame that was finally recoiling at his presence.
“Okay, okay, I get it.” She stood up, raising her hands in the air while backing out of the chapel.
Sonny made no attempt to hold in his discontent, slamming the door shut on her face.
“Put some clothes on, I’m late for class.” He crossed his arms over his chest as he tilted his chin towards the bag she’d left on the couch for me.
“I’m going to class with you?” I asked, trying to hide my excitement but failing.
“Why do you sound so happy?” he asked in a monotone way.
“Learning is a privilege,” I responded with a soft smile but he shook his head at me.
