Lost In The Darkness {Edited}

Chapter~38

"I was just giving it to you for formality," I quipped, swiftly pulling the plate away from his reach and resuming my meal. However, I found myself pausing midway when his laughter filled the room.

"You are hilarious," he managed to say between his chuckles, his genuine amusement breaking through any remaining tension, and his laughter becoming contagious, spreading a sense of warmth and connection between us.

"Are you stupid?" I frowned, my hand almost instinctively reaching out to poke him in the eye, though he swiftly pulled away with impressive reflexes.

"What the hell? Are you trying to blind me, you whacko?" he scowled, his expression a mix of surprise and irritation as he recoiled from my sudden attempt to poke him in the eye. His eyes narrowed, conveying his disbelief at my behavior, while his tone hinted at a blend of incredulity and frustration.

"Nah, that's Vanessa's forte," I remarked with a casual whistle, shaking my head as I spoke. "If she could, she'd play marbles with people's eyeballs. A real whacko, I tell ya," I added, emphasizing my point to him.

"At least she doesn't see people like a walking and talking skulls, fresh to be peeled, a real psycho you are, I tell ya," Emma's voice rang out from outside, laced with a mixture of frustration and protectiveness for her favorite human.

In response, I raised my voice to match hers, my tone carrying a hint of amusement tinged with mock offense. "And that's why you're getting demoted from my favorite," I retorted, playfully asserting my stance in our banter.

"Wait a second, the skull in Dante's office, did you give him that?" Nicolo interjected, his curiosity piqued.

"Why, yes," I replied nonchalantly, a playful smirk dancing on my lips. "His office was as dull as 'The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It'," I quipped, shrugging my shoulders as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. "And there was a desperate need to spice things up, so I generously gifted him my least favorite skull," I added, with a touch of dry humor in my tone.

"Cool, that thing looks freakishly real. Where did you get that?" Nicolo's curiosity was evident as he leaned in, his face displaying keen interest.

With a casual shrug, I replied, "Morgue," and watched as his eyes widened in surprise. His reaction, however, took a comical turn as he suddenly choked on his sandwich, the realization sinking in. It was almost as if he hadn't expected such a casual response to his inquiry.

I couldn't help but suppress a smirk at the sight, inwardly amused by his sudden discomfort. It was a reminder to him, perhaps, to eat more slowly and not rush through his meals—a lesson learned the hard way.

Quickly, I reached out to pat his back, attempting to soothe his coughing fit. But as I did, I couldn't help but notice his hand inching towards the glass of juice sitting nearby. Anticipating his move, I swiftly grabbed the glass and downed the rest of the juice in one gulp, thwarting his attempt to claim it for himself.

After Nicolo finally calmed down, he looked at me with a mixture of horror and disbelief, his voice trembling slightly as he asked, "Tell me that was a joke."

I simply shook my head in denial, meeting his gaze with unwavering honesty. There was no need for pretense or deception—after all, the skull in question had indeed been stolen from a morgue. So, why would I lie about it?

He was about to say something when his phone pinged with an incoming call, eliciting a weary sigh from him. With a resigned expression, he picked up the call and brought it to his ear.

"What?" he answered curtly. "Oh, okay." "We'll be back in an hour." "Noted." "Are you sure the timing's right?" "Well, alright then."

With a final groan of frustration, he cut the call and turned his attention back to me, his expression a mix of annoyance and resignation."It's time to head back home, you whacko," he teased, ruffling my hair playfully. I swatted his hand away with a mock scowl.

"Why the frustration, then?" I prodded, curious about what had gotten under his skin."Our cousins found out about you, and they want to meet you," he confessed, his tone indicating his lack of enthusiasm for the idea.

"Let me guess, they want to meet today?" I ventured, already anticipating his confirmation.He nodded, confirming my suspicion.

"Well, I would love to play with them," I exclaimed, a mischievous glint in my eyes as I entertained various ideas on how to mess with their mind and traumatize them for life.

"I don't even want to know what you mean by that," Nic shook his head in amusement, clearly wary of my intentions, while I simply grinned, already plotting my next move.

What a delightful day to have cousins.

*~*~*
"For the umpteenth time, I have no idea. I've never injected acid into anyone's eye nerves," Nicolo groaned in exasperation, his frustration evident.

For the past thirty minutes of our drive, I had bombarded him with questions, each one seemingly more bizarre than the last, leaving him thoroughly creeped out despite their genuine nature.

"What about pulling someone's eyeballs and burning the empty socket? Would that hurt?" I inquired, posing yet another unsettling question, fully anticipating that it would likely go unanswered.

Nicolo's frustration was palpable as he gripped the steering wheel tightly, his knuckles turning white. "What the hell? Why are you even... oh my god," he muttered under his breath, his tone a mix of disbelief and irritation as he struggled to comprehend the bizarre nature of my inquiries. Despite my assurances that the questions were genuine, he seemed thoroughly unimpressed with my line of thought.

"I need to pick one thing, I'll be trying it on our cousins after all, so just answer me," I sighed in exasperation, growing increasingly annoyed by Nicolo's persistent complaints about my questions.

"What the hell do you mean by that? You're not going to hurt anyone, you whacko. They're family, and we don't hurt family," Nicolo pleaded, his tone a mixture of concern and exasperation as he tried to reason with me. But his attempts only earned him a dismissive eye roll from me, indicating my frustration with his attempts to dissuade me from my mischievous plans.

"You know what, fine," I replied with a hint of defiance, my smile betraying a sense of satisfaction with my decision. "I'll just go for their heads."

I relished the thought of acquiring more skulls to add to my collection, finding a strange sense of fulfillment in the prospect. However, it appeared that my announcement didn't sit well with Nicolo. He responded with an exaggerated whine, resembling more of a fake cry than genuine distress.

Observing his melodramatic reaction, I couldn't help but shake my head in amusement. Despite his protests, I remained steadfast in my resolve. After all, a few missing skulls wouldn't hurt anyone, right?

"Today is going to be so much fun and bloody, figuratively and literally," I thought to myself, excitement bubbling within me as I anticipated the events that lay ahead. Despite the protests of my fellow accomplice, I couldn't contain my eagerness for what was to come. After all, a little chaos and mischief never hurt anyone, right?

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