Thirty-Seven:
October 2001
'I've never been in a church before.' Dexter, still much shorter than me, whispered.
'Me neither.' I admitted.
In front of us Johnny limped up past fold out chairs and up to the wooden altar, where we were forced to follow. People stared at us as we passed, mainly because we made such a weird group- a scarred, broken down man, a 15 year old punk girl and an 11 year old nerd (don't tell Dexter I said that. He'd kill me).
The priest looked down on us without judgement or...anything really, but occasionally would make sure the flaps of the tent of his travelling religion.
Story had it that this dude could heal anyone from anything, be it cuts to bruises to scars to cancer. Yes, cancer. Cool huh?
I didn't believe it, but if it was true, we could at least get him to heal Johnny, find out his secret and kill the bastard.
'He's blind.' Dexter whispered beside me.
'What?' I looked down at him, and he pointed.
He was right- the dude's eyes were glassed over, not dead, but having had lost the sense of sight.
'Who are these lovely children with you?' The old man asked, and I clenched my jaw. We hadn't made a SOUND- how could he have known we were here?
And Johnny believed this liar over me.
'My niece and nephew.' Johnny explained.
'Wonderful. And how can the lord heal you through me?'
'Priest my ass.' I whispered to myself, and his head jerked in my direction. For a second I was going to get the scolding of my life, when he just laughed.
'It's not a good thing to whisper in front of a man with no eyes.' He laughed.
I clenched my jaw again, then slackened it just as quickly as Dexter punched me softly.
'Don't be insubordinate.'
'Sell out.' I hissed back.
Johnny went along with his problem, and the man tried to heal him.
Surprisingly enough, it didn't work.
'Told you so.' I muttered.
'I'll pay you when we get back to the motel.'
'You better.'
Little sell out.
At the motel, Johnny stopped me from going inside.
'What?' I asked, not rudely.
'What are you gonna do without faith, Bella?' He asked, not joking.
'No offence Uncle Johnny, but I've never had faith. What God would put us through all this?' I asked.
'Or,' He started. 'What if God really is on our side after all?'
'If God's really on our side,' I said, 'Then who's against us?'
December 2013- two weeks
When I woke up I was tied to a chair, again, and the side of my face ached.
'What the...what the Hell's going on?' I moaned, struggling to see straight. 'Dexter, why would you do this?' I asked, not putting any anger in my voice. It was hard, but it was a tack I had never tried before. Who knew, it could actually work.
'I'm sorry, Trixie, I really am. But I knew you wouldn't listen to reason.'
'Listen to reason my ass.' I growled back, and he sighed like some great burden were resting on his shoulders.
I was the one dying for his ass, but NOOO that didn't mean he couldn't work with the bitch of the demon horde and knock me out.
Sell out.
'Why am I here? If you're gonna kill me, you're a bit late. I'm dying in less than two weeks.' I said as Scarlett came around. She looked messy and fevered, drenched in dry sweat and blood.
I probably wasn't much better- I hadn't even properly brushed my hair in months.
'Nice hair.' Gloria commented.
'Nice face.' I retorted.
'No time for pleasantries.' She pulled about an inch of bone out of her jeans pocket, and my arm burned with the memory.
I still couldn't use my hand properly.
'You're a bitch, you know that?' I spat, struggling against the ropes.
I think we were in some time of storage room that could probably hold an aeroplane. It was cold and dank, and somewhere further along I could hear the steady drip of water. Sunlight barely made itself through the dirty windows, and the fluorescent lights were too strong.
'So I've been told.' She said dryly. 'Bellatrix, I want to help you.'
'I'm so sure.' I said sarcastically. 'That's why you've been brainwashing my brother all these years, been trying to kill us, killed our parents, and oh yeah, let some freak cut part of the bone out of my arm!' I was seething at the end.
'Had to be done.' She held her head high like a megalomaniac, but held the childish pout. 'I want to help you.'
'Right. Sure. You can help me by untying me and letting me send your ass roaring back to the pits.'
Dexter stood off behind her, not really looking at me.
'I need this if I'm going to try to save you.'
I clenched my jaw, thinking for half a second.
'Why would YOU want to help ME?'
'Because I'm your friend. And though we've been fighting, I think this is more important. I forgive you.'
''Coz I totally care whether or not I'm forgiven.' I rolled my eyes. 'Let me go!'
'Only if you're going to behave.'
'Bite me!'
'Then just listen.' She cleared her throat. 'You need a part of yourself to give up for the Crossroads Demon. You can also use a stronger, more important, deeper part of yourself away to take it back.'
'You make me sound like a hooker.'
'Be that as it may, I think that with your bone, I can save you. I mean, what's more personal than that?'
'Me kicking your butt.'
'That doesn't make any sense.'
I tried to shrug but couldn't. 'Frankly, I couldn't care less.'
