Less than Perfect

10. Strange New Him? {part one}

                                       Chapter Ten

                                  Strange New Him?

                                          Part One 

Johnny caressed Skye's cold and frail cheek, whispering eerie words in her ears. "That's a good girl, sleep now." He said, brushing his finger around her chin and pulling her limp body into his arms. He lifted her off of the ground, her still body dangling in his arms, and brought her out of the office, setting her down on the bathroom floor to clean her off. Blood had spilled out of the thin slashes across her chest and arm, coloring the white tiles of the floor as he set her down.

   He leapt to his feet, swiped a towel off of the counter, and hurried back into his office. Wiping away at the puddle of blood that had leaked onto the floor, he could feel the dirt of what he had done. He hadn't wanted to kill her, just scare her and teach her a lesson, but he was starting to worry that maybe he had gone a little too far this time.

   Standing up, he looked at his quick clean up job and smiled wearily. "You've really gone a little far—she's different than what you ever could have imagined, Johnny." He told himself, choking on laughter as he finished it.

   He hurried back into the bathroom, tossing the bloodied towel into the hamper and grabbing a clean one. He crouched down next to her and wiped the blood off of her arm and floor, cringing as he smelled it. For someone who causes so much blood to spill, he's never liked it. "It's okay, Princess, I'm going to fix you up." He told her motionless body in a hushed tone. Soothing her, he cleaned up the blood from her chest and tossed yet another bloodied towel into the hamper.

    "Dirty and unclean blood," he grumbled, scrubbing his hands clean of what little blood had gotten onto his hands in the sink. He dried his hands and looked down at her breaking down form, smiling faintly as he thought about how much she looked like her mother—aside from the vandalized frame. He thought she looked peaceful like that—unconscious—and he didn't want to wake her from that peacefulness. He knew that his life with Leah and Skye was so much better than any time he spent in the life with Maria, yet he still kept placing himself in that life. He kept placing himself in the betrayal, and as far as he knew, it was all because of a few insecurities.

    The doorbell rang, snapping him from his stare. He shook his head and tried to calm his suddenly quickly beating heart, maneuvering himself out of the bathroom and down the stairs. Anger coursed through his veins as he walked down those steps, worrying that the people at the door could somehow have been the authorities.

    He stopped at the door, taking a deep breath and regaining what composure he had so many times used on Leah. Opening the door, he looked for the visitor, frowning when he realized it was a young man. "May I help you with something?" He greeted the boy, faking a small smile.   

 "Hey, uh—actually, I was just stopping by to say a few words to Skye. Is she home?"

   Johnny leaned against the doorframe, blocking the boys' view of the inside. "And you are?"

   The boy laughed nervously, shrugging his shoulders and tucking his hands in his pockets. "Right, Sir. Jules, Jules Rane." He informed him, reaching a hand out to shake Johnny's.

   "Jules," Johnny inclined, tapping his finger against his chin thoughtfully, "as in Julian?"

   For a moment, Jules was taken aback, but he covered his surprise with a crooked smile. "Yes, that's right."

   "Skye's not feeling well, you won't be able to see her tonight."

   Jules suddenly looked worried, afraid that she had gotten hurt again. "Has she been home all day?"