The Boy with Words for Skin

Chapter 27: A Leader

They wanted to talk to just me and Kit alone, but she refused. She demanded that anyone who wanted to listen could listen. I was surprised when Face didn't fight her on that at all.

We went to the dining area and sat down at the table. Everyone was still seated. All of the food was still on the table. Everyone's plates were only half-eaten. Another holiday had been ruined.

"Face and Tang need to tell us something," Kit said to everyone. "If you want to hear it, then stay. If not, then go. It's up to you."

The air around Light dimmed, Keys hid his hands underneath the table, and the twins stared in silence. Evry's fork stuck to her hand and Rope whimpered and clung to Legs' neck. Everyone looked nervous, but no one left.

Kit and me sat across the table from Face and Tang. She crossed her arms. I glared.

I was surprised when they didn't glare back. Face had his head bowed. Tang also had his head lowered, but he kept peeking up at everyone. They looked nervous. I'd never seem them that way, inside or outside of the house.

"What do you want?" I asked. I was tired of waiting for them to speak up.

Face looked up at me. I almost looked away because I expected to see my dead sister reflected back at me. Instead, I saw my own face twisted in anger, the lines of words wrinkled and bunched in ugly ways. I realized that I didn't have my beanie on, but I didn't care. I looked dangerous, and I didn't want to cover that up. I wanted them to see that.

"It's Porcelain," Face said.

Kit twitched. "What about her?"

"She's in trouble," he said.

"What do you mean?" she said.

"It took her."

The room dimmed even more as Light trembled in his chair.

"It," Kit said, "as in the thing that's been walking around at night? The thing that growls in the basement?"

Face nodded.

"The same thing that attacked Keys and ripped off one of his fingers?"

He nodded again.

Kit took a deep breath. "Is she alive?"

"We don't know. We . . . hope so."

Legs grabbed her sister's hand.

My mind raced with questions, but I had to stay calm. "What is it?" I asked.

"We don't know. We've never seen it."

"Stop lying," I said, suddenly furious all over again. "If we're going to help we need to know what it is."

"We don't know! We really don't!"

I rolled my eyes.

"It stays in one of the rooms on the other side of the basement from where we are. We were told if we gave it its space and fed it that we'd be safe."

"Fed it?" Evry said.

"We've been trapping animals," he said.

"What?" I asked. "When?"

"We go out at night."

"But we're not allowed to go out at night. We have to be back by ten. It's a House Rule," Kit said.

"We don't have to live by your rules," Face said, his voice harsh and tense. "Just shut up and listen."

I clenched my fists but didn't say anything. We all waited for him to continue.