I don't know why I did it. I know there should be a reason. They were people, too, with lives and families and stories. Is it really my responsibility to care, though? Their blood didn't seem so human when it stained my fingertips and pooled between my toes. Blood is blood is blood. Did you know that the ocellated icefish has clear blood because it has no haemoglobin or hemocyanin? The skink has green blood caused by high levels of biliverdin. Ours is the best, though. Red. Red. Red. What was I talking about? Right. The dead ones. The dead ones I killed? Perhaps. How many were there? Who knows? Not me. More bodies than the fingers on my hands. So much red. Everywhere, on everything. It was marvellous. Ann wouldn't understand. She thought blood looked better inside the dead ones. How are you supposed to see it then? That's why Ann was first; she would have stopped me. Too bad. She was my favourite. So pretty. Shiny red hair. Bright blue eyes. Sweet dimples. All gone now. Oops. Maybe I have forgotten myself?
I wrote her name in red on the attic wall. Anwen Priddy. So pretty. Do I miss her? I thought the doctors said I wasn't capable of things like that. Ava must have overheard the sounds of me missing her because she came up to my attic space with tears in her voice. I had to paint her name beside to Ann otherwise she may have told someone. Ava Lloyd. I hid the dead ones beneath the floorboards to prevent the others from finding them. After all, it didn't take Ava long to come looking for her friend. How would Thaddeus feel when he found out I painted with our sister? He wouldn't understand, either. I got rid of him soon after, followed by Mom and Dad. A few days later, Ann's sister Briallen came by asking about her. So did Ava's boyfriend, Dugal. I wrote their names on the wall next to Ann and Ava. Seven dead ones. The attic was running out of room. I had to start putting them in the cellar. A lady and her husband that Mom had invited over for dinner without my knowledge. A policeman whose name badge read Manning. The nosy paperboy. So much beautiful paint, so little wall space. I cleared out my bedroom of all furniture and drew on the walls, the ceiling, the floor. It was marvellous. Ann always said I was a good artist. Too bad she can't see now.
Ann was the only one who saw beauty in my creations. The others claimed that they were terrible, horrible, awful, cruel. Ann said they were lovely, wonderful, unique, beautiful. Just like her. The only piece the others didn't hate was the portrait Ann allowed me to paint of her. She was so pretty, and I did everything I could to capture everything she was; the gleam of her cherry curls, the spark in her kind eyes, the compassion in her smile. I wanted everyone to know who Ann was. When I painted her, I took a piece of her for myself that I never wanted to give back. She had taken every piece of me, but she seemed to have forgotten that when I caught her giving another piece of herself to Thaddeus. Even after that, I could never return the piece of her that she had given me.
Eleven dead ones now. Pale, stiff, and antisocial. It's been over a week since the first one. My darling Ann. Anwen means beautiful in Welsh. I always thought that name was perfect for her. Too bad. She was my favourite. I said that already, didn't I? Oh well. The police want to question me now. If they had come to my house, I would have just killed them on the spot. They came to collect me at school, though, so I couldn't. Now, here I am. Sitting in a cold, metal chair with a pair of cold, metal cuffs biting into my cold, metal wrists. Wait. That's not right. I'm warm and fleshy. Just like the dead ones used to be. Now they're cold, but they're still fleshy. Half chair, half human. Isn't that fun?
"Why are you laughing?" One of the officers asks. He has red hair, just like Ann. His name badge reads Roux.
"Even your name means red," I ignore his question. "Isn't that fun?"
"Tobias, do you know why you're here?" The other officer sounds impatient. He has black hair. How boring. His name badge reads Ryusaki.
"No," I shake my head violently. "No, no. You just drove me here from school." I cluck my tongue in annoyance.
