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“Do you feel better, love?” he asks smugly.
“No. I don’t fucking feel better, you monster. I want to know exactly what you plan to do with Charlie.”
He grins wider. “Ah. Charlie. Now, that girl is a shining light for all of us, isn’t she? She’s more powerful than anyone I’ve ever encountered. You feel it, right? It’s like a shot of heroin.”
“I wouldn’t know,” I deadpan.
“But you do feel it,” he states, knowing that I do. “And that power alone, that untapped potential, it would be intoxicating by itself. But Meredith, what she can do…”
He trails off, shaking his head and smiling, as if he’s imagining exactly what Charlie can do. What he’ll make her do.
“Leave her alone,” I scream at him. “She’s a little girl and she already doesn’t trust anyone. She’ll never do what you want, I can guarantee you that.”
“I have ways,” he says with a smirk. “Trust me, Meredith, I know how to get people to do what I want.”
“What! Do you plan to lock her in a cage and starve her when she doesn’t agree to help you?” I spit at him, bile rising in my throat.
He looks at me in surprise, regret marring his features.
“That was… an oversight,” he says. “Monty was never supposed to die. After you left, he was supposed to be transferred into my care, but my friends got greedy. Anyway, he was no use to me by then. He was already too broken to be of any good to me. You see, Meredith, children need to be nurtured. So, no, I won’t lock Charlie in a cage. I’ll let her taste how strong her powers are. I’ll get her addicted to using them.”
“What good is it to you if she can sense death?” I ask, genuinely confused. “She’s strong, sure, but it’s not the most useful gift if she has a fit every time she sees someone’s violent end.”
His eyes widen in surprise again. “Oh, Meredith,” he says in reverent glee. “You have no idea what that girl is capable of. I forget, your gift never was as strong as mine. You feel gifts as they are, not as what they can grow into. Charlie can’t only see death, Meredith. She can stop it. And she can cause it.”
A cold chill runs down my spine, but I try not to let him see how his words affect me.
“As for the fits, well, those will go away too once she learns to properly control her powers. She won’t need to touch someone, Meredith. She’ll be able to kill someone with a look. She’ll be my little Angel of Death, my right-hand gal.”
“You can’t do that to her!” I scream. “She’s full of love and compassion! She doesn’t want to hurt anyone. She hates hurting people.”
“I can do whatever the fuck I want,” he roars. “You have no idea what I’m capable of. How many gifts I already have at my disposal.”
“Children, you mean,” I spit back. “They aren’t gifts, you piece of shit, they are living, breathing human beings who are learning how to see the world.”
“All the better for me,” he answers with a sick smile. “I get to shape how they see the world. I get to control their world.”
“To what end? What do you want so much that you need to build an army of children under your control?”
He comes close to me and leans down until his mouth is right at my ear. My skin breaks out in chills from his touch. I feel like I might vomit.
“I want everything,” he whispers, then leans back and waits for my response.
I won’t dignify him by reacting. I stare at him blankly, refusing to speak until he reaches back and slaps me. My face sting and my eyes tear. Otherwise, I don’t react. He wants a rise out of me like he always did. Before he got it through love. Now he’s trying to get it through pain.
“What’s the point of putting the kids in the gangs?” I ask, resigned.
He looks disappointed by my question, as it doesn’t validate his grand plan.
“Well, that’s the best part, isn’t it?” he says. “I’ve already built my army and dispersed them throughout the city. When they get in trouble, they’re right back where I need them to be. I’m not paying for housing, am I? Once they’re in juvie, the state takes care of their meals, and I can visit them whenever I want.”
“You’ve got it all figured out,” I say, keeping my voice calm and trying to sound bored. “So what the hell do you need me for?”
“How can you not know?” he asks in the same reverent tone from earlier. “Meredith.” He laughs, and the laugh turns maniacal. “Fuck, Meredith, I thought you were smart. I’m in love with you!”
His words turn my stomach, and I’m sure Iwillretch now. Is this what he thinks love is? Getting me arrested and then breaking me out in chains? Does he think love is exploiting vulnerable children for his own gain? I’m ready to spit in his face when something catches my eye in the window. It can’t be…
But there, right in front of my eyes is Pocus. He’s signaling something to me, telling me to keep Damien talking. I look back at Damien quickly, hoping he didn’t notice. He probably thinks I’m contemplating his words.
