"Well. Um. Lina. What... Why were you in the woods? Do you need medical help?"
I get up, and quickly rush to my bathroom to grab the medical kit, and rush back to Lina. Just in case, I think.
"Oh boy. Uhm... I'm Ivan." I'm tense, and when I'm tense I tend to fidget with my ponytail. The band I used to secure it breaks, and my black hair falls in a swath of darkness over my shoulders.
"You can stay the night here, no payment, promises, or deals included. But in the morning you have to tell me what the hell... what the hell you are. There's stuff in the fridge and you can get clean clothes from the basement, by the dryer. Don't devour everything in there, ok?"
I turn, and start walking away.
"..."
".........."
"Goodnight."
"What so you want now?" I'm still pretty groggy, so all I see are her red eyes glowing from the edge of my bed.
"If you need something to do, then go out for a walk or something. It's like midnight, so no one wi be awake, much less out on the streets."
I up and head out of my room, and grab a heavy fleece lined jacket from a black metal coat rack.
"This should keep you warm enough, and if you put up the hood you should just look like some lump of fabric wobbling around."
I give her the jacket as she's shooed out of my room. I need to get some sleep. But just like Lina, it's impossible for me to keep my eyes closed for long.
You can just wait for morning, I keep thinking. You made a deal that in the morning you'll learn more about her.
And before I know it, I'm opening my eyes to the sun glaring in my face. It's a Saturday, I think, so I have the probably the entire day to spend with that... that girl.
"Wait... what?" Still kind of groggy from sleep, but I can make out...
Lina, sitting on my dining table, with a bowl of popcorn I was saving for next week during movie night with my friends. Damn.
I walk over, and use a chair as a step to get onto the table. My legs are curled to me tightly.
I'll try to get some of her popcorn. I reach over and grab a handful.
"We made a deal, remember? Let's talk. Backstory. Now."
I grab her buttery bowl of popcorn and hold it high above my head.
"And you're not getting this back until you tell me everything."
She swallows the last of the popcorn in her mouth, then starts to explain herself.
"My mama and I lived alone in our house. She drank a lot, which made her angry and tired a lot. She was worried that she was gonna lose the house since she had to pay for everything." She wants to start crying, but she holds in all her tears.
"She got really mad at me. She said I'm 'ruining her life' and 'I wish you were never born' to me a lot. She also hit me a lot. Then, she decided to 'get rid of me.' She took me out to the woods and... well, you know." She points to the axe in her head.
Some tears roll down her face. She feels really sad talking about how she became what she is. "I feel like a ghost now, but I don't think that's what I am. I actually haven't had a good look at myself in the mirror after the 'incident' I had with my mama... Can I get a mirror?"
