God and Monsters

Chapter 28

I pinch the bridge of my nose and wonder how much Tylenol it's going to take to kill a Liv-induced headache. She's currently in a fucking argument. With her goddamn self.

"Mortis, I told you, the police are looking for me everywhere. We can't go outside for a walk, or to get some alone time-we're trapped!"
She quietens, listening to whatever her imaginary boyfriend is telling her.

A disgruntled sound leaves her throat. "I miss those things, too, but this is the way things have to be. Timmy-stop trying to take my clothes off in front of Lisa!"

"If you do that, I will literally lose my shit," I snap, shooting her a murderous look. I'm already two seconds away from losing it anyway. Her eyes snap to mine, wide with innocence.

"It's not my fault!" she screeches. She points her finger to a random spot, assumingly where she thinks the culprit is. "It's his."

Groaning, I rub my hands over my face roughly. The whole argument started because Liv wanted to be the one to plant the USB drives in Jimmy Lynch's office. I simply reminded her she couldn't be seen, and the conversation took off in a different direction. Apparently, her henchmen wanted to go to some fucking sex shop a few blocks from Jimmy's office. I said no, and here we are. Seeing her in her element, fully believing that her henchmen are real despite people telling her they're not, it's as fascinating as it is sad. I know her childhood was horrific-so much so that she created people to keep her company and get her through something incredibly difficult. A young girl that's known nothing outside of a diabolical cult, wandering a strange city aimlessly, all alone. Her brain was protecting itself, and the henchmen were born.

"It's cold outside today. We can bundle you up in winter clothing, and no one should notice you," I reason with her. "But you cannot go anywhere else. No detours. No pit stops. Nothing. Not unless you want to end up in the psych ward again."

She looks off in the distance. "You hear that, Mortis? So, don't try to convince me to be bad. I'll get locked up again, and you'll never see me for the rest of your life."

He must agree with her because she turns to me, a satisfied smile on her face. "We're all in agreement. Don't worry about me, Lisa. You can trust me."

"You know what? I believe you, Liv."

Her answering grin lights up her entire face. And I realize that Liv is a beautiful girl.
I hope to God she finds something real one day.

********

"You look fucking ridiculous," I state dryly, looking her over with a critical eye.

She stares at me like I've personally wounded her. "Why?" she asks, dropping her gaze to her outfit.
She looks like a fucking Cheetos puff, but in bright neon pink. She's wrapped in several layers of clothing, with a massive puffer jacket three sizes too big, ending at her ankles and barely concealing the yellow polka- dot rain boots. To top it off, she's been doing her makeup again, however, she has shied away from the broken doll look. I suppose it was too raw of a wound. Thankfully, Rosie has been teaching her how to properly apply it, and it wouldn't be half bad if it weren't for the monstrosity of a fucking outfit.

I allowed Liv to do some online shopping soon after she arrived, and it turns out, she has no idea what size she is nor how to dress herself. She's only ever worn the clothes provided to her by her father and the costumes Satan's Affair had in their houses. So, she just ordered a bunch of random shit in whatever size, most of it ill-fitting.

Liv is tiny. Her stature only comes to about five-two, and she has very little meat on her bones. Rosie glances at me, regret on both of our faces for not monitoring her while she shopped.