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🅴︎🅿︎🅸︎🆂︎🅾︎🅳︎🅴︎ 🆃︎🆆︎🅾︎
COLE GRIFFIN SQUEEZED his eyes shut, blood dribbling under his nostril. He pulled the blindfold off and shook his head, his search for their missing sister being almost hopeless. He could feel her presence, he knew he was there, but she was a lot stronger than him. Eleven had managed to block him out, not allowing him to get to her.
"She's not there?" asked Kali from the couch, brows furrowed.
Cole shook his head once more, a look of disappointment on his face.
"We'll find her ourselves, then," the older sister said with a nod, refusing to let him feel bad about it. "She can't have gone too far."
༄༄༄
AS ALWAYS, MURRAYʼS home was warm with a light chill. It wasn't a bad chill, it wasn't the kind that would make anyone uncomfortable, it wasn't enough to make anyone shiver — it was just enough for them to feel the heat and comfort of their tea.
Cole sat on the couch, which was piled up with old clothes. He stayed quiet, playing with a rubikʼs cube while his sister did all the talking. His eyes occasionally lifted up to take a peek at the old man behind the kitchen counter, but he didn't really do much other than that. He didn't like to be around other people, the only person he trusted being Kali.
"You're a day late," Murray told the teenage girl, snatching away the files she brought to him. He wasn't scared of her, he had no reason to be. He knew everything, yet he knew nothing.
"Something came up," Kali dismissed, taking a glance behind at her brother, making sure he was doing something to distract himself.
Murray nodded, humming the words to a song, and poured himself and the girl a glass of vodka. He didn't bother to water it down before drinking it like a shot, and nor did Kali. Neither of them cringed, they didn't show a single reaction to the bitter taste, the overwhelming stench of pure chemicals and perfume. They simply drunk it down like experienced business men.
"I need something from you," said Kali, inspecting the man with careful eyes. "The files of all the missing children — you have them."
Murray nodded. "I do."
"I want them."
"Why?"
Kali sighed, crossing her arms and sending him a sharp look, revealing nothing. "That is none of your business."
"Kali, Kali, Kali," Murray tutted, shaking his head. "Sometimes I think you forget how we met." He raised his brows, crossing his arms also as he watched her. "You were fourteen, that one was six —" He nodded over at Cole, who looked up at the mention of him. "Neither of you had hair, a home, and I didn't give a crap about either of you."
