Empty Shells (reader insert)

Chapter 6

"You're right Mimi. But didn't the professor say something about them not eating in a week?" You say remembering the man's words. "How can they do that?"

"Well, the professor told Mimi once why." Mimi says tapping her chin and thinking. "When we eat, we get energy from our food. It makes our lives longer and since it's so filling, we don't have to eat all the time like humans do. Some wraiths can go for weeks between eating, but some like the others can only go about a week. But Mimi can go a week and a half. Mimi's trying to get it to go longer but it's not really working."

"Mimi," you say, already dreading the answer to the question you're about to ask. "Since you didn't have human food before I came, does that mean you can't eat human food?"

Mimi tilts her head like you asked a strange question. "We could eat human food, but then we would have to eat everyday. Eating people is better since it lasts longer. Why would we want to eat human food?"

"Mimi, don't you ever feel guilty about eating people?" Your breath almost catches in your throat at the word 'people', but you have to ask. A little girl like this, she can't be like Marel. You refused to believe that someone innocent like Mimi could enjoy killing humans.

"Guilty? Why would Mimi be guilty about eating food?" Mimi says smiling up at you. She doesn't even pause to think about the question.

You shudder remembering the fear in the eyes of the man that Marel touched. How can any living person not be affected by having to eat people? As you sit thinking Mimi's face changes and she has a eureka moment. "Mimi knows! (Fn) worried that Mimi will eat (Fn)." The girl says with a look of accomplishment on her face. "Don't worry (Fn), Mimi won't eat you. Big bro said no."

It's somewhat unsettling that even Mimi sees you as food. However, what makes you more surprised is that Tom is the one keeping you alive. He's always seemed impatient or irritated when you've been near him. You still have no idea why he took you or why he wants you alive. Whatever it is though, it can't be for something good.

For the rest of the day you and Mimi got both of your rooms ready. When Mimi wasn't looking you tested every window and door trying to find a way out of the house that would be unseen. There were a couple windows that you could open easily and quietly that could be possible options but nothing particularly right. What's worse is that the weather outside was starting to get colder. The warm late fall had become cooler. The wraiths had been taking you north and towards the coast so you expected to see snow any day now. And with it being halfway through November it was going to be cold.

Once you and Mimi have finished getting the rooms ready, Mimi pulls you into reading another of her books to her. As you look through the pages to find where you two last were the door opens and you both look up. Tom walks in and looks straight at you with his usual stoic expression. "Come with me."

You freeze at his words still mad at when he tried force feeding you before and go back to flipping the pages in the book. He gives you and uneasy feeling every time he's near. Maybe if you ignore him he'll decide you're too much trouble and will leave you with Mimi.

"Fine, kid. Since you want to be a brat." His voice says as if frustrated and you feel your arm being grabbed. You have to be careful not to fall as he drags you out of Mimi's bed and out her room. You try pulling your arm out of the Tom's grip but it's so tight you can feel it through your jacket. You half expect to have bruises later when he finally lets you go. He drags you to your room and after opening the door, almost throws you in. You turn to talk back at him, the anger at having being treated like nothing boiling up, just to have something hit your face. You reach your hands up as the green bag falls from where it hit your face to catch it. Looking back up you see Tom holding the door knob in one hand and a key in the other.

"What the heck? What was that for!" You say back finally letting out some of the stress that's been eating away your insides. "What's going on?"

"I told you to come, you acted like a spoiled kid, so I had to drag you. If you're too dumb to see that how did you get this far in life?" He answers with his monotone voice, but you swear you can hear a smirk. "Now, stay here. There's food and warmer cloths in there. The doors locked so don't think of trying to get out. There's a bathroom connected over there with no window. Know that if you do try to leave, there's at least a two hour drive in every direction from the nearest town. We'll be back in a day."

You give him a deadpan look. "So you're leaving me alone satisfied that I won't leave because it's a long walk? I could always use these supplies to make the trip."

He narrows his eyes at your comment. "If you're smart you'll stay instead of freeze outside since there's going to be frost tonight. And," he smirks slightly as he continues. "Mimi's also staying, and there's no way she would let someone she could play with get away."

That's dark, using someone who you can't say no to as your guard. He knows that you have a weakness for children already and it's only been a week. You puff a sigh reluctantly at having no way left to argue back. You also don't want to test the dark man too far in case his temper breaks and you die as a result. Then they would know about Vulpes and your whole reason to protect the fox would be defeated.

As you sit thinking and sighing the dark man narrows his eyes. There's nothing strange or different about you from any other human that he knows, but orders are orders. The only strange thing was that he had found you when he was looking for the white spirit fox. Since you didn't have a spirit with you at the time he assumed that you must be a normal human, but there was something strange about you when he almost touched your in the hallway. Some sort of pureness and warmth.

But that feeling's gone now. You're just like a normal human, except you survived being touched by Mimi. Maybe if he touched you he could get nourishment without killing you too...

No. He shakes his head. Orders are orders, and if he disobeys he could lose his chance. He can't forget that. He re-emerges from his thoughts and walks to the doors entrance.

The sound of the door closing snaps you out of your thoughts about your fox spirit friend. He had closed the door and you could hear the key turning. He's locked you in. You sit listening for him to leave so you can check the door but you hear nothing. After minutes pass you realize that he's standing outside the door in silence. Is he, trying to listen for you moving around? Creepy.

You get up and knock loudly on the door. "Didn't you say something about leaving? Or do you enjoy spying on the girls you kidnap as they sleep?" You say mockingly hoping to push just one more of his buttons.

You hear a click of the tongue and then steps walking away. That guy, out of the group he's not as cruel as Marel or Micheal, but you still can't stand him. He's always acting so superior and stoic. He just seems like the kind of person who would walk past a starving kitten and ignore it without a second thought.

You test turning the doorknob but it's locked. Duh, you just heard the key turn so of course it's locked. You than go check the window but looking outside you change your mind. He is right. It's too far to make it to the city on foot and there's frost starting to form in the window. You open the bag and see some sandwiches. Well, since it's starting to get dark and there's no indication of you getting out of here tonight, might as well eat and get some sleep.