Page 78 of Mortala
Sadie screams her protest which mixes with the aggressive flow of sink water.Her arms flail about, hitting the counter with rough blows.
Jagged, pathetic excuses for nails barely hang onto the tip of her fingers as they desperately claw for traction across the now wet marble.Which gets her nowhere near freedom.When she figures out I’m not going to let up, she resorts to kicking like a mule.
We've done this before, Sunshine.Go ahead.
Suds gradually build at her crown, giving me more lather to work into the rest of her hair.Next, I’ll drag her into the bathroom and throw her into the bath where she’ll stay while I brush out the rat’s nest.
Fuck, she needs it.I couldn't smell it at first, but she's let her hygiene go, too.
Jerking the sprayer out of its holder, I start to rinse off the foam as she calls me every name in the book and a few more.
"I fucking hate you!You don't do this to people!Abusive piece of shit!Stupid motherfucker!"
"Correction..."My hand grips the back of her neck a bit harder."I've done far worse.Be glad I like you; others don't get the pleasure of breathing while I do this."
I continue to spray.
"I can't breathe now!"
"Sure are screaming a lot for someone who can't breathe."
Next, I wrench her head to the side and get her hairline, where strands are so light they’re nearly translucent.She has her eyes squeezed so hard, the skin around her brows is turning red.Looks like it hurts.Darn.
Wondering if the other side is doing the same, I tilt her head the opposite direction and rinse that side too.Focused, I don’t realize she hasn’t jerked around for a bit.Instead, she’s shivering now—whether from fury, the cold, or exhaustion, I can’t tell.All three’s my guess, plus some other bullshit thrown in there.
Probably plotting my death like a fucking brat.
When the last bubbles rinse free, the sprayer retracts back into its housing as I gather the uneven chunks and squeeze out some of the water.
She smells a little better, even though the scent of her dish soap is mixing with the sour aroma of her neglected pits.
Yeah, we’re fixing that, too.
Water trails behind us in the shape of her bare feet and my boot treads as I lead her out of the kitchen to her room.
Then I see them—her meds.They're scattered all over the pale carpet.Whole bottles worth are thrown about like confetti between us and the bathroom door.
Sadie gasps and takes me by surprise.
Hmm.
I don't speak.Watching and waiting to see what else she’ll do, if anything at all.
"M...my p...pills.What happened?"
Seriously?
"Why don't you tell me?"
"I—I don't know.Why would someone do this?"
"Sunshine, you were alone,” cautious of my tone.She seems genuinely confused.I take a step to the side and watch as devastation crosses her face.
She doesn't remember...
"You know no one else was here, right?"
"N...not even you?"Her voice catches.
