For some reason, I nod as I quickly stand, collect the box of dried pasta, then pause in front of the stove. “How much do you want added?”
“Whatever you will eat, sweet girl.”
Throw the boiling water over her and run.
It would be the intelligent thing to do if I didn’t need to befriend the bitch and make her think I’m one of them, so I add a few handfuls then set the box on the counter.
She continues instructing me to do different things until she’s finished cutting the chicken then washes her hands. I nearly laugh at that. She eats human flesh but she’s worried about food poisoning. Totally fucking sane.
There’s got to be a joke somewhere in the fact she stands beside me at the stove and opens one of the wall cabinets to take out a spice rack. She turns them, showing me before she uses a small spoon to scoop out different seasonings to add into the skillet.
Welcome to cooking with a cannibal, Delilah. You may not be crazy now, but you will be when the program ends.
I don’t move away or say anything as we finish making the strangest meal in history, which actually smells good. The cold nasty boiled eggs are forgotten when she makes up a plate for me, and I sit back at the table. There’s no cutlery, so I pick up a piece of chicken with my fingers.
“You are not an animal,” she snarls. “Eat correctly.”
The cutlery drawer rattles as she roughly pulls it out then slams a knife and fork on the table beside my plate. I don’t want her to take my food away, so I use them as she sits at the other end of the table. This bitch doesn’t allow me to have any peace though as she says, “You will not carry on the bad habits you developed under your parents.”
“I’m sure Harkin raped them out of me,” I mutter, stabbing into the chicken.
“Kane was correct.” She nods, lowering her voice. “Now you’ve learnt your place is here, no punishments will be required. However, I must stress the importance of learning your role. After some discussion, I understand the younger generations move at a different pace than I’m accustomed to. Also, you were not raised correctly. Both of you have been without guidance, so from now, I will be your guide.”
Keep eating. Don’t fucking say anything to ruin this.
The food turns bitter on my tongue as I swallow, forcing my voice to be lighter. “I’d like that.”
“Good. Eat, regain your strength, then I’ll show you the island.”
I feellike a child as I walk beside Helene around the grounds. She doesn’t have her stick, dressed like some lady of the manor in a long tea dress floating around her ankles. Her heels don’t sink into the lawn, while my sneakers squeak against the wet blades of grass.
“It really is beautiful.” I push my hands into the pockets of my sweats.
The grounds and the island are hauntingly mesmerizing. There are different broken structures showing how the island has weathered on our way to the steep edge. I stay a step behind her when she stops so she can’t throw me off as we stare at the lonely broken gate. She looks at it fondly, her voice softer as she says, “Those gates led to the garden. My children adored playing around the souls of their ancestors. Isadora would even collect flowers to make an arrangement for the table.”
“She was good at that,” I whisper. “Making a house feel like a home, warming it up.”
“She was. When she left, everything became colder.” She drags in a slow, weighted breath while staring at the gates. “I fear I did too.”
“I’m sure she missed you,” I lie.
She looks over her shoulder, smiling like she knows I’m talking shit. What I should say is,“If you weren’t such a wretched cunt, maybe your daughter would have wanted to be around you.”
I remain silent as she sighs. “A son can’t offer what a daughter can. They are made to advance you in the world, but a daughter?” She softly shakes her head. “A daughter is a part of you, existing outside of yourself. She—and any life she will go onto create—are all formed within you.” Turning to me, she places her aged hand on her stomach. “A female is born with all the eggs she will ever produce. It’s marvelous, isn’t it? One person can hold the next two generations within themselves.”
24
KANE
“One word?” Kid says.
Bringing my hands together, I hook my thumbs over each then flap my hands. He sits up on his knees on the bed, excitedly giving his guesses.
“A bird?”
I shake my head.
“An eagle?”
