Giving it away

68 3 3
                                    

"Hiya, need a hand?"

Alysha peeled open one eye and looked up at the overly smily Luci, before shutting it again and leaning back against the rock, settling herself comfortably.
"I'm taking a break, so currently no. Besides, I got the impression that you didn't like me making you pull your weight. What changed?"

"I decided I really want to get out."

"Everyone wants to get out, Princess."

Luci flinched involuntarily.

Alysha opened one dark eye to look at her again, mouth twitching a cat-like smile. "Settle down, dear. You're giving everything away far too quickly." She purred.

"I haven't given you anything." Luci scowled. "You don't know me."

Alysha chuckled low in her throat.
"Oh, really?"
Both eyes were open now, and she turned slightly to scrutinize Luci, head slightly tilted.
"You're​ proud. It's the way you walk, the way you hold yourself. You see yourself as above the others and need to command respect from them. Except... You can't. You're having to quash it, and Princess? You're so not happy about it.
But you can be patient, when you have to be. You can play the waiting game. Watching and waiting. I can see that in your eyes.
Both the patience and the anger.
And then..."

Alysha blinked innocently, gesturing to Luci with her finger as if she were tracing the girls body very quickly.

"... An then there's the way you speak.
You know how to use words to get what you want. Very... Uh, persuasive, as it were. When you want to be."

She was leaning forwards now, looking directly into Luci's face. Suddenly, Luci couldn't remember the last time either of them blinked.

"And then there's the mask. Covering what you don't want others to see. I can't see past it, don't worry. But I can see it's there."

Alysha's voice was low and quiet, almost hypnotic but with a terrifying undertone.
Her eyes were wide, for a second making her look almost mad.
Her smile bore a sinister edge.

"And then, there's the fear. I see that too, slipping through the cracks."

Suddenly, she leaned back against the rock, the intense moment shattering between them.
"And that's just from observation."
She chuckled at Luci's face.
"Don't look so shocked. It's just good deduction. Like the kind used by detectives, or psychologists, or really good fairground con artists.
Besides, you're less obvious than some people."

She gestured her head towards Maddie.
"Actually, Evelyn's the worst. It's easy to see what makes her tick."

She examined Luci again, expression giving nothing away.
"Actually, you remind me of someone. I like her too, by the way.
Totally abhore her sometimes, but like her.
Now, I'm resting, so go over there or something, I'm not chatting anymore."

I felt we needed to introduce a more intense, scary side of Alysha, as whilst we know she is manipulative and dangerous, it's never quite been portrayed how dangerous.
Even this isn't everything she is, just another layer of it.

What do you think?

Reflections of MistWhere stories live. Discover now