Chapter 6
“Lily! I don’t have time for your crazy shit! Aubrey’s passed out!” Grayson shouted.
I reached out and grabbed a fistful of Aubrey’s hair, yanking her right out of his arms.
She shrieked very much not unconscious anymore.
I clapped, laughing. “See? Wide awake now!”
Aubrey seethed. “How dare you! Grayson, call someone to lock her up!”
Grayson reached for his phone, but I snatched it. I grabbed Aubrey’s too..
Crack! Both phones shattered against the foyer’s decorative stone.
I tilted my head, grinning like a demon. “Now, no one can interrupt our little game.
Grayson swung a fist. “You’re fucking insane!”
I caught it, fingers tightening slowly. His bones creaked under the pressure, and he collapsed to his
knees in pain.
I tied them both to dining chairs. The electric stove hummed, chicken noodle soup simmering, its rich aroma mingling with their panicked breaths.
“Look!” I held up my blistered hand to Aubrey. “You burned me.
I ladled a bowl of scalding soup, golden oil swirling on its surface. “You said I burned you, but I can’t find a single mark on you.”
Aubrey’s pupils shrank, her chair creaking as she squirmed.
“Lying’s bad,” I sighed, shaking my head. Then, with a flick of my wrist-
“Aaah!” Scalding soup splashed her pale hand, raising angry red welts.
The sound was exhilarating.
“Bitch! I’ll kill you!” she shrieked, her voice warped with pain.
Slap! One hit silenced her.
I pressed a finger to my lips. “Shh. You’ll wake the neighbors.”
My fingers grazed her swollen cheek. “Cursing’s wrong. You need to be punished.”
I swung, unleashing dozens of slaps. The crisp sound was music. Remembering
face bruised by their hands, 1 hit harder.
Each strike was for her–one after another, relentless, until I counted the final blows under may breath: “Ninety–seven, ninety–eight, ninety–nine, one hundred.”
Aubrey’s face was a bloody, swollen mess, her mouth too wrecked to speak.
The soup still bubbled on the table. I gently lifted her chin, wiping blood from her face. “Look, you’re hurt now…wounded people need nourishment.”
I scooped a spoonful of steaming soup, blowing on it under her terrified gaze. “Here, I’ll feed you.
She shook her head frantically, soup splattering her trembling lips.
I pinched her cheeks, forcing her mouth open.
The scalding soup burned down her throat. Her eyes bulged, body convulsing like a fish out of water, before she collapsed, lifeless, in the chair.
“This time…” I patted her red, swollen face, “you’re really out.”
Grayson thrashed in the next chair, muffled groans escaping the rag stuffed in his mouth, veins bulging on his forehead.
I walked over, patting his face gently. “Don’t worry. Your turn’s coming.”
