Page 21 of Eat Me

“Yes, stitches. You’ll need two or three, nothing too serious. We can fix you up.” Elijah pauses, looking me over for a second. I briefly wonder how he saw me sitting here like this but quickly shut that thought away in a dark corner of my brain.

“We can get you cleaned up too. You did such a good job listening.” He leans forward a tiny bit, a smirk on his face. I didn't know whether it was meant to be mocking or amusing, but it made me narrow my eyes at him and hold my tongue from saying something snarky.

“Such agood girlyou are.” And there it was. A shiver went down my spine at his tone, but I didn’t want to think about that. Nope. Not today, Satan.

“I’m not a good girl. I am just trying to stay alive.” I tell him, not liking how his words were making me feel. No one has called me that before, and I don’t know if I like it now. It’s another thing to shove into a box at the back of my brain.

“That may be so, but you followed all the hints we had given you. You stayed true to them even when the other girls tried to get you to help them escape.” Elijah grabs my chin, so I look him in the eyes. His crouched-down form still makes me feel small. Looking into his green eyes, I see emotions quickly flash through them. Too quickly for me to be able to catch all of them.

“Why was that test so…different?” I curiously ask. The first one was way harder in my opinion compared to this one. Though, I got an injury from this, but it was only because of one of the other girls.

“We switched things up because we were curious about whether you would follow orders or be stubborn enough to try to escape.” Elijah gives me a knowing look before letting my face go. I didn’t know what to say to that. They did this test all because they wanted to see something from me? I don’t know how to feel about that either, so I’ll put it in the back of my brain, filing it away for another time.

“Now let’s go clean you up.” He pulls out a cloth and ties it around my eyes, being careful about the wound on my head. I feel his fingertips graze my cheek before he pulls away. I was expecting to be helped up to my feet… but instead, he lifts me off the ground.

“What are you doing!” I yelp out, not expecting to be carried. I’m fine with walking. I may stumble a couple of times, but I can make my way out of here. I don’t need to be carried like a damsel-in-distress!

“You’re very pale and I can see that walking isn’t the best idea for you.” Elijah tells me, amusement clear in his voice. I try to stay as still as possible while in his arms. I don’t like this one fucking bit.

“Now be the good girl I know you are and stay still. I’ll get you fixed up and we can have a chat while in the infirmary.” I can feel his chuckle as it vibrates through his chest I’m leaning against. Forcing myself to stay still is easy, but my mind going a mile a minute on what we could have to chat about is about to make me scream.

I just want to go back to my cell and sleep this injury off…sadly, fate isn’t on my side.

Chapter Eighteen

Victoria

My body tenses as Elijah sets me down on what feels like an examination table. The hard table’s uncomfortable and hard under me. My head is still pounding, and I can feel the dry blood on the side of my face.

"Now, let's get you cleaned up," Elijah says as I hear him moving around, opening drawers and cabinets. "This may sting a bit."

I hiss as something cold and wet touches the side of my head where I'd been hit. Elijah gently cleans the wound; his touch is quick and efficient. Though his touch lingers a little too long sometimes.

"You need a few stitches, just as I said before," he tells me. "I'm going to numb the area first." I feel a sharp pinch as he sticks me with something, and I feel the area slowly go numb. After a few moments, the pain in my head dulls to a faint throbbing.

"There we go," Elijah murmurs, voice almost going soft. "Now hold still while I put in the stitches." I try not to flinch as he tugs the needle and thread. Elijah works quickly and efficiently. After a few minutes, he ties off the last stitch.

"All done," he says, looking me over through his dark hooded eyes. "I'm going to clean up the rest of the blood now." A warm, damp cloth gently wipes my face and neck. Elijah's touch is surprisingly gentle as he cleans away the dried blood.

"You can open your eyes now," he tells me once he’s finished. Blinking a few times, I allow my eyes to adjust to the bright lights. The room appears to be a small medical room. It’s sterile and white, with cabinets lining the walls and a few exam tables. Elijah’s standing in front of me, disposing of the bloody gauze and other medical supplies he just used.

"How are you feeling?" He asks, turning back to me. His gaze is intense as he looks me over, again. He’s trying to make sure nothing else is wrong with me.

"Like I got hit in the head with a vase," I mutter quietly. My head still has a dull throb, but the sharp pain from before is gone.

Elijah's lips twitch in amusement, "Well, at least your sense of humor is still intact." I give him a small glare at that comment as he let a chuckle escape his lips.

Glaring at him, from under my hair, "Glad you find this amusing."

He sobers, his green eyes intense as he studies me. "You did well today, ‘Darling’. Better than we expected."

"What exactly were you expecting?" I ask warily, twitching at his use of the nickname but know better than to say anything right now. I’m also too tired to do a lot of pointless arguing. Especially when I know that I will only end up losing. He gets to call me what he wants, annoyingly.

"To be honest, we thought you might crack under the pressure. Most girls do by this point. They either have a breakdown or lash out violently."

I know I’ve got to choose my words carefully. "It seemed pointless at the time. Even if we had somehow gotten out of that room, where could we go? We have no idea where we are or how to get away from here. Besides, I knew you were watching us - any escape attempt would just make things worse. All in all, it felt like a trap and it in fact, was a trap."

Elijah nods at me, looking pleased with my explanation. "Very good. You're right, of course. We were watching the entire time. Any escape attempt would have been futile." He leans forward a bit, his eyes flashing with something before going back to normal. “You're thinking strategically, considering the long-term consequences rather than just reacting emotionally. That's exactly what we want to see."

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