The Pariah

"I'm everything you can't control." ---Evanescence

The door opened and it wasn't Carter who walked in through the door, instead it was a girl. She had long black hair that was pulled back into a ponytail and icy blue eyes, but her eyes weren't cold. They were just the color of blue ice, and held some hesitation in them. They didn't scream numbness, they were actually kind of...warm? Nick didn't know how to describe them because her eyes were a paradox. They seemed to dance with fear and something else, maybe sympathy? He couldn't put his finger on the emotion. Not that it really mattered, what mattered was Nick didn't think she was a psycho murderer. At least, not yet anyway. People had a funny way of showing their true colors when they got comfortable and thought they could use you.

Her skin was very pale as if she didn't go out in the sun much, it was like she was a ghostly white as if she may have died a long time ago. It wouldn't surprise Nick if this was a ghost that had come back to haunt this place. He was sure Carter had hurt a lot of people and a lot of people would want revenge. Nick hoped one of those idiots would end up killing him. Then he would get the last laugh, and it would be so sweet.

He decided she wasn't a ghost because she had two, blue trays clutched in her small, thin hands. The trays had sandwiches on them with some fruit cup on the side and some sort of green muck. Maybe spinach? Nick wasn't sure. He didn't really care, he was going to choke it down either way.

She was dressed in jeans and a pretty flower blouse with nice flats. Nick knew she must be part of the Barbatos family or a very good friend of Carter's because of her economic standing. As well as the fact she was allowed down here, which Nick was pretty sure the Barbatos family didn't just let any old guy off the street walk down the stairs. That meant she was dangerous.

"Who are you?" Nick questioned her, his amber eyes watched her closely. He wasn't going to hit a girl. He was a good guy, and good guys with any respect did not hit girls. At least, that's what he believed.

The girl put down the trays and slid them to him with her foot. "My name is Maxine, I'm Carter's and Griffin's sister. That's your dinner." Maxine said, her blue eyes watched him.

Her voice was soft but it did have an edge to it. It was probably why she was sent down here, because she was soft but tough all at the same time. He wasn't sure what to think, he wondered if this was another twisted test. He wondered if she was going to try to choke the life out of him too.

"Did my brother do that to you?" Maxine asked in an almost matter-of-fact way, she was pointing at the bruises on his neck.

Her question puzzled Nick, why would she ask about something she already knew the answer to? "What do you care?" He asked as he picked up the first tray and put it on Mia's bed. He would force some of it down her throat when she came out of the bathroom.

Maxine shrugged her shoulders lightly. "I care because if you die Carter will lose his shit. He hates when his playthings break early, and then he takes it out on the rest of us." Maxine said moving her sleeve a little to show off an ugly scar on her hand. "It's in my best interest that you are alive and well fed."

Nick raised his eyebrows at her, she was very upfront with him which he appreciated. He knew being the sister of two psychopaths couldn't be easy. He was sure she was nuts herself, but he couldn't help but feel a little kinship with her. She was trying to just survive and would do anything to make sure she got out of this mess alive. A lot like Nick himself, that had been his whole entire life.

"Carter did that to you?" Nick deflected back in the same tone she had given him for his reply. He wasn't sure what else there was for him to say. He didn't trust this girl as far as he could throw her. She had an interest in keeping him alive and he had an interest in staying alive so he wasn't going to scare the crap out of her, yet.