Destroy Me

04 // I'M GOING TO NEED TO FIND A PREGNANT DUCK

AFTER THE ICE-CREAM SHOP, I wanted to go home. I didn't feel up to whatever other shenanigans that Elijah had planned after that run in with Isiah. But Elijah said that our adventure wasn't over yet, which was oddly cynical.

We were in the car, the radio off, and heading towards the outskirts of town. I was about seventy percent sure that he was going to take me out to where no one could hear me scream and kill me.

"You know, anyone a duckling meets after ten minutes of it's birth becomes its parent," Elijah told me as he took a left.

"Why are you telling me this?" I asked.

"I'm thinking about getting a duckling," he answered. "But I don't want a sad duckling, because it will probably be sad if I take it away from it's parents. So I'm going to need to find a pregnant duck and wait until it gives birth, then steal a duckling."

"That's really mean," I scoffed. "You can't just steal a baby from it's parent."

"But that's the plan Dev," he smirked, "I'm going to be the parent, so it'll be like... adoption."

"So you do have a soft spot," I chuckled. I pulled my phone out of my pocket to check the time and frowned. "Eli, it's almost seven. I need to get home and finish my homework."

"It's fine," he assured me. "I can help you with any homework you have."

"How?" I rose an eyebrow at him. "We've been back for probably a week and a half and there had been at least five pieces of homework that was supposed to be handed in, none of which you had so tell me Eli. How could you possibly help me with the homework that you haven't even done?"

"Okay, you got me there," he sighed. "I just want you to see this. I think you'll really like it."

"Like what?" I demanded.

"It's a surprise," he said, "no one wants to ruin a surprise."

"Fine," I sighed and rested my head on the window.

It was starting to get dark and I knew that by the time I got home, my entire family would be gone. Both of my parents picked up as many shifts as they could, not because we had money problems but because it meant they could keep apart from each other a little bit longer. Vincent and Lindsay both disappear during the nights, Lindsay stumbles in drunk at five in the morning and Vincent would just be there, silently slipping in at whatever time he pleased.

Was it wrong that I actually hated being home?

It took a little while longer, but Elijah eventually stopped the car in front of an old movie theatre, the kind that had light bulbs around the board with the movies showing in block letters, because electronic boards hadn't been invented yet apparently.

"What the hell is this?" I demanded.

"What?" He asked innocently. "We're just going to watch a movie together."

"Is this supposed to be some heinous plan to ruin my life?" I narrowed my eyes at him. "You're going to take me into a dark cinema where we will innocently watch a movie, then you'll throw the popcorn bucket over my head and take a picture to show everyone and laugh at me."

"I don't know what you're taking," he chuckled, "but I want some."

"Eli," I snapped, "I'm serious. If this is some kind of prank then I will take it upon myself to-"

"To what?" He smirked. I pursed my lips at him to stop myself from saying 'destroy you', because I know if I did then Elijah would laugh at me. "Come on Dev, I don't want to miss the start of the movie."