Page 11 of Sour
I sat up and reached under the flimsy mattress pad, retrieving a key. It was one of BJ’s master keys he used to enter the rooms of his toys. During his last play sessions, I lifted it. A soft smile branched along my face as I raised it to the light peeking from the window. I eyed it closely. “Just so you know, Dream, you weren’t lying after all.”
ZIGGY
“There.” I stepped back from the padded wall and smiled at my masterpiece. My head tilted as I admired the red color, still wet and fresh. The sound of soft footsteps echoed from the outside hall. I listened, counting each one until they stopped just outside my door. I knew exactly who they belonged to.
A gentle tap against the small window of the thick door made me burn with excitement and anticipation. I slowly turned my head and looked over my shoulder with a large grin to see exactly who I expected. “Well, look who it is.” I turned to face the door, stalking towards it. Her eyes burned in the darkness, like two fresh buds of weed just waiting to be smoked. “Long time no see, Skittles.”
Koven’s face hardened as I spoke her childhood nickname. “Don’t call me that,” she whispered against the door.
“Oh? But you used tolovewhen I used that name. Tell me, which flavor are you today? Cherry? Grape?” She hit the door. “Oh, lemon. My favorite.” My breath fogged the glass. I raised my middle finger and drew a smiley face. Koven remained sour,unfazed by my behavior. Something felt off about her…this wasn’t the Koven I remembered.
The fogged glass faded away and I eyed her closely. Her hair had grown a bit, but her features remained the same. The only difference was the lack of light behind those green eyes and the gnarly scar I left along her neck. Seeing it again, so close, made my muscles tighten with a plethora of emotions.
“What do you want, Koven? I know you didn’t risk sneaking out just to say hi,” I asked as my smile fell. “That nurse didn’t bother you, did he?” My nostrils flared. The very idea of someone else touching her infuriated me. That fucking nurse was lucky I didn’t murder him when I had the chance. “Answer me!” I slammed my fist against the door.
My anger made Koven jump. “No,” she replied.
Fucking good.
Relief washed over as my temper mellowed.
I turned away and began to pace around the room. Koven watched me, the two of us meeting gazes. “So tell me,” I began. “Why did you sneak out of bed and slither all the way down here to me?” I grinned. “You missed me, didn’t you?” I pulled a cigarette and a small pack of matches from my pocket, lighting it as she eyed me.
“You’re not supposed to smoke in here,” she stated plainly. I exhaled a large cloud of smoke, ignoring her. “How did you even get those?” she asked.
I licked my teeth and shrugged. “Let’s just say I’ve already made some new friends.” Koven watched me closely. “Hey Skittles.” I turned and faced my fresh painting. “What do you think of my newest art piece?” Koven gasped loud enough for me to hear. It made my dick jump. “Beautiful, isn’t it?” I turned to face her, smoking my cigarette.
Koven had her mouth covered. She wasn’t excited like I was. She was scared. And that made me angry.
I rushed to the door and glared down at her through the window. “You don’t like my art?” I asked. She slowly lowered her hands and stared right back at me, almost challenging me.
There she is.
“That’s not art. That’s blood, Ziggy.” I nodded. “Whose is it?”
I raised my hand and revealed my bloodied index finger. “Such a beautiful shade, don’t you think?” My tongue extended from my mouth as I licked the blood from my skin. “I thought it was only fitting to mark my territory.” I glanced back at the giant smiley face running down the padded room wall.
Koven scoffed as I turned back to look at her, tossing my cigarette down and snuffing it out. “You can’t just claim shit, Ziggy. This place—Wellard Asylum—this isn’t like the world out there. Here, the rules of society don’t apply like they do out there. You can’t just beat your way to the top and threaten the staff. There are real consequences for patients like us.” I didn’t speak. “The staff here is sicker than we are, and they know there’s no one out there coming to save us. They can do whatever the fuck they want. And we have to smile and endure, because any resistance results in nothing but pain and torture. Consequences you never want to experience. Trust me.” Her voice fell and I tasted the pain that emanated from her tone.
Seeing her so broken and feeble angered me.
My hand slammed into the glass and Koven jumped. “I can do whatever the fuck I want, Skittles. The rules didn’t apply to me out there and they sure as fuck don’t apply to me in here. These wannabe doctors think they’re untouchable, but I’m going to prove them wrong. I’m not like the other patients locked away in here, too weak or scared to fight back. And I sure as hell don’t plan to let them break me.” My arms outstretched as I braced myself against the door. “Don’t let them break you, Koven. Show them just how sick you really are.”
Koven stared back at me with those cunning irises, trying to dissect every word I spoke as if they had some underlined or hidden meaning.
Still so mischievous.
God, I wanted her so fucking bad.
Koven stepped closer to the door. “Why are you here, Ziggy?” she asked. “Why? I thought you’d be in prison for what you did. You don’t belong here. You’re not fucking crazy.”
My smile widened and my head tilted. “You sure about that?” Koven didn’t speak. “Why don’t you open this door and find out?” She didn’t move. “What’s wrong, Skittles? Scared?”
Koven stared at me for a minute before she lifted her arm and slowly unlocked the door. I stepped back as she swung it open. Tension buzzed from the hallway and seclusion room, swirling all around us. There was barely any room for words as Koven and I just stood there, staring at one another in absolute silence. It had been far too long since we’d been alone together. And all I wanted to do was throw her on the floor of my room and show her just how bad I fucking missed her. The same way I dreamed of doing every second, of every day, since I learned she was alive. And oh, how I have missed her.
“Why are you here?” Koven asked again.
I stepped towards her, stopping mere inches from her body. The sound of her heart pounding in her chest could be heard in the dead silence, beating to the beat of her own twisted little drum. I stood at least a foot and a half over her, staring down into those fucking green eyes, remembering how they used to look at me with such desire and need. But this time, there was something different behind them.
