The Boy Who Wasn't Real

Bajah

Not even an hour after Rue fixes Isaac's eye, she finishes making his eyepatch. It's gold with black embroidery. She said she made it that way so it would match his other eye. Really, that's the only material The Hollow has that Rue can use with her needle, which she apparently keeps with her at all times because, 'You never know when you need to sew something.'

Vivian, Rue, Claws, Isaac and I are all crowded in the bathroom, staring at Isaac's new eyepatch in the mirror—and yes, crowding together was Rue's idea.

"Do you like it?" asks Rue, meeting Isaac's gaze in the mirror.

Isaac touches the eyepatch with his finger and replies, "It's very nice. Reminds me of my old eye a little bit."

At Rue's grateful grin, I roll my eyes. "Can we please get out of this bathroom?"

"I agree with Baj," says Vivian, "It's a little claustrophobic in here."

We're about to leave when Claws holds up a hand. Staring at our reflections in the mirror, she mouths, "What was the monster that you saw in the Grotto, Isaac?"

Isaac answers, "There were two. A Cactus Cat and a half-dog, half-human thing."

Claws' eyes go wide and she turns on the shower to the hottest setting. When the glass starts to fog up, she uses the pads of her fingers to write Adlet on there. I see it backwards in the mirror at first, and so does everyone else. When we turn, Vivian stares at her reflection, not reading the monster's name.

"Adlet," I read aloud for Vivian's sake. I don't know why she's not looking at what Claws wrote, but I just thought I'd help her out by saying the name.

"What's an Adlet?" inquires Rue.

Always so curious, Rue.

Walking around the shower door, Claws mouths, "Monsters from Inuit lore. They are cannibals and have a human top attached to a dog bottom. I would not be surprised if the one Isaac saw had Vivian as its top half. That happens sometimes with the Adlet."

"Did it have Vivian on top?" Rue asks Isaac.

"Almost," replies Isaac. "It was more of a cross between Vivian and her brother, Cad."

"I'm getting out of this bathroom," I say, "It's getting too steamy for me."

I'm the first one to leave the bathroom, followed by Vivian and Claws. Isaac and Rue stay in the steaming-hot bathroom, discussing Gods know what. I go into the bedroom where my blood still stains the pillowcase. Vivian comes in with me and sits down on the edge of the mattress, looking up at me like she knows something. Claws stands behind me, her arms crossed like a bodyguard. With her hair pulled up, I can see a tendril of black ink curling up her neck.

"Are you gonna ask me why I didn't look at what Claws wrote?" Vivian stares at me, a challenge written on her face.

I shrug. "I wasn't really thinking about it, so sure. Why?"

She tugs on the gold necklace around her neck. It unclasps itself and the chains curls in her open palm. "Remember when you read this engraving and I said I didn't know Latin? Well, I don't know Latin, but that wouldn't matter because I can't read. Unless you count my name, that I can read."

"So you can't read? Why didn't you just tell me when I pointed out the engraving?"

"Because you're an asshole who spits out insults like they're lifelines and the person you're talking to is drowning. And I didn't want to kill you after just meeting you. That wouldn't be fair to Rue."