Blossoms of the Dark Continued

CXCVI Shouto: Faerie

Trigger Warning:

- mention of sexual assault

- mention of rape

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Selene had given me Aunt Ahearn's details to video call her.

But when I make the call, I do not expect a seven-year-old girl with pigtails to pick up.

Ourania – if I recall correctly – is her name.

She squeals when she sees me. "It's the touchy-touchy boy!"

My English may not be the most excellent in the world, but even I comprehend enough that 'touchy-touchy' is a weird description for someone. In fact, it could rub off the wrong way and lead to some serious misunderstandings. Taking care to really put thought into my words, I say, "Please don't call me that. I don't harass people. And my name is Shouto."

"But you touch Selene!" the girl counters.

"Yes, but not without consent!"

Ourania frowns. "There are boys at school who get all handsy. One of them asked if we could hold hands. I said no. He never washes his hands." My eyebrows shoot to the top of my forehead. Gross kid. She continues, "Another boy also wanted to hold hands. He always cleans up. And he doesn't make fun of me for liking pink." I am wondering where she is going with this. Young children can be hard to understand sometimes. "There is one kid whom I hate. He shoved me against the wall yesterday. He said girls were stupid, and girls who liked pink were stupider. Tillie told me to sucker punch 'those walking, talking juvenile douchebags.' She even taught me how to kick someone between the legs. I got suspended today for doing that."

For a while, I am silent. Ourania has given so many narratives, I am not sure how they relate to one another. That is, until I notice a pattern. She is describing all the people who initiated physical contact with her in one way or another. One of them had no sense of hygiene, a second one had, and the last time was a menace to society. I am concerned about the fact that she has heard the word 'douchebag.' Does she know what it means, too? And Tillie ... is that a nickname for her older sister, Thalia? Otherwise, the girl is trying to tell me something.

I take a gamble. Cautiously, I ask, "What kind of touch do you think I give to Selene?"

Her eyes light up. So my guess was right. She lifts the computer and carries it somewhere else inside the house. Maybe carry is not the right word. This little bundle of energy runs up the stairs and into what I presume is her room. She holds the corner of the device where everything I see is a blurry mess. As though she is holding it single-handedly, and it might slip from her grasp at any second.

Should I say something? I doubt she has a computer of her own. If this is her mother's ...

All of a sudden, the device lands with a thud on her bed. I get a clear view of her bedroom ceiling. It is covered with glow-in-the-dark stars. Oh, that's right. She mentioned having an interest in astronomy. That view is immediately replaced with an up-close perspective of Ourania's face.

Smiling uncomfortably, I tell her, "You might want to scoot back a bit. I am looking straight up into your nostrils."

"Sorry!" she yelps. After adjusting the computer properly, I see her sit cross-legged in front of the screen. "What was the question? I forgot." Now I grin. Without shame or hesitation. She is a cute child. I repeat it to her, and she claps her hands. Ourania exclaims, "Calliope says you touch her like you're her boyfriend! Are you her boyfriend?"

It is adorable to hear that from a girl her age. Selene and I ... our relationship is more complex than that, and I do not think she will understand that. Best I keep the answer as simple as possible. "Yeah," I confirm. "I am her boyfriend."