The Boy with Words for Skin

Chapter 21: Pressure

Kit cocked her head to the side. "Wait."

"What?"

"First, you said they were controlling it. Then, you said they said they had it under control. So, which is it?"

"What are you talking about?"

She sighed. "When you say they control it, it sounds like this thing will do whatever they want it to do. They're its master. But if you say they have it under control, that sounds like they just know how to handle it. You know, like they're a lion tamer or something."

"How is that any different?"

"They can either make it do whatever they want, when they want, or they're just trying to make it behave. It's a big difference."

When she said it that way it was a big difference. I didn't like either option, though.

"They said they have it under control. That we didn't need to worry about it."

"Worry about it? Like this thing's a responsibility or something?"

I hadn't thought of it that way. I nodded. "Yeah. I guess. It sounds like maybe they don't control it. They said something about feeding it."

Her eyes grew wide. "But whatever that thing is, it sounds huge! They hardly take any food down there with them. What have they been feeding it?"

I thought of my sister and was suddenly more aware than ever that I was sitting in the bathtub where she killed herself. I clenched my eyes shut and focused on breathing.

"They said if we stay in our rooms at night that we'll be fine," I eventually said.

Kit stood up and started pacing. "Okay, then. That's what we'll do."

"Do you think we can trust them?"

She kept pacing. "I don't know what other choice we have."

"They were going to kill me, Kit."

She stopped pacing and put her hands over her face. "I never should've let you go down there."

"I don't regret going down there." And it was true. It had been the most terrifying experience of my life, but I was glad I'd gone instead of her.

She lowered her hands and turned to me. "What are we going to do, Words?"

"You're right. We don't have any other choice but to stay in our rooms at night like Face said. We've been okay this far. Let's just hope nothing changes."

She nodded. "Okay."

"Did you ask anyone else if they've heard it walking around at night?"

She nodded. "No one has."

I didn't expect that. "Not even your sister?"

"I know. It's weird. She's not even that heavy of a sleeper."

"Do you think they're lying? Because they're scared?"

She shrugged. "I don't know." She turned her back to me. "I know you said she probably wasn't involved when they . . . but did you see Porcelain, at all? Is she okay?"

Guilt dug into my gut. "I didn't see her at all."

"And they didn't say anything about her?"

"No."

"They know she's down there. They wouldn't just let her . . ."

After a moment of silence, Kit came back to the tub and sat down on the rim. One hand went to her mouth and she bit her thumbnail. There was a click as she bit through it.