Split

Ask Dennis

Patricia had been watching me closely over the past few days, she'd been the only one to supervise me today and the day before so I guess she was worried that I might corrupt Dennis further. I was getting sick of seeing her and had stayed in my room most of the time she was around.
I was reading when the door opened for the third time that day and, expecting Patricia, I hardly looked up.
"Hey, what ya reading?" Hedwig asked cheerily and I looked up.

"Oh, nothing it's just something about romance."

He pulled a face, "why would you want to read that? Miss Patricia said you could stay in my room now, come with me" he backtracked through the door and to his room, leaving me to wander behind.
When I reached my new room he was already standing in the middle of it, smiling proudly, "look, I got you a comfy chair" he pointed to a beanbag in the corner of the room, "and I thought that I could sleep on the floor and you could have my bed."

"Oh, really? I don't want you to have to sleep on the floor-"

"I don't mind! I have a new sleeping bag," he beamed, clearly excited about it all.

"Okay, if you're sure," the sofa was better than the floor, but probably not as comfortable as my usual bed.

He nodded enthusiastically and grinned, "you wanna listen to music?"

"Sure."

He put the CD player on and stood next to me.
"Mr Dennis asked me to check on you, why do you need checking on?"

"I don't know, but I'm fine. You can tell him that I like the room."

He looked around proudly, "I'll tell him."

"Do you know why he's not allowed to see me?"

"No, but Miss Patricia said that if you talked about Mr Dennis then I shouldn't listen."

"But you know what? Dennis told me that it was okay for you to listen to me."

"Mr Dennis isn't allowed to tell me what to do anymore. Miss Patricia said so."

"But it involves you too, Hedwig. Don't you want to know if something bad is going to happen to you?"

He looked alarmed, "something bad? What's something bad?"

"I don't know..." I saw my chance, "I shouldn't say anything if Patricia has told me not to tell you..."

He got closer to me, staring me in the eye, "you can tell me, I was kidding before."

"But Patricia said-"

"We don't have to tell Miss Patricia, she doesn't have to know," the corner of his mouth curled into a smile, "it could be our secret."

"Okay, but you can't tell Patricia."

He shook his head, "swear."

"Okay, what have you heard about the beast?"

He frowned, "Miss Patricia said he will be the one to help us."

"Anything else?"

"No, just that he's strong and will fight for us when no one else will."

"Well... when the beast comes, he kills girls."

He snorted in amusement, "what girls?"

"Do you remember the girls that were here before?"

"Yes..."

"He killed them, and he ate their insides."

"What?" He scoffed, "no he didn't, Miss Patricia let them go."

"She didn't let them go, Hedwig, the beast murdered them."

"You're lying, Miss Patricia said that they were here to be scared and then let go, she wouldn't tell me that if it wasn't true, she said she would never tell me lies!"

"She is lying to you, ask Dennis, he took the light after the beast and said he could taste their blood in his mouth, he told me that himself, and if you take the light when the beast has been then you'll have those girls inside your stomach too."

He shook his head rapidly as if trying to get rid of the thoughts, "no, that's not true... why would he do that?"

"Because he kills the girls so he can be more powerful, and what happens when he needs more? Think of all those poor girls that are going to die because you're helping Patricia and the Beast... it'll be your fault as well as theirs."

"How do I know you're not just trying to trick me again?"

"Ask Dennis, he'll tell you."

He looked worried and stood up, "I'm gonna go speak to him, don't go anywhere." He darted out of the room and left the door open-not planning on going far from the room.

Instead of Hedwig returning to the room after a few minutes, Patricia stood in the doorway, arms crossed and looking furious.
Shit.