Death Becomes Us

2) Child or Monster

 Child or Monster

         

    In a haze I sat at the table eating my breakfast of corn flakes as The Man who owned me sat across from me, watching the morning news. Once upon a time I had great respect for The Man and I was known to call him Father. Of course that was before I learned he was a lair, a cheater, a deceiver, a heartbreaker, and probably the reason my mother lost her battle with breast cancer.

    I glanced up at him watching as he waited for his whore to bring him his breakfast. His black hair was graying around the sides and his blue eyes had worry lines around them. The Man only cared about himself but when you put him in front of his peers he would pretend to be the world’s greatest father. I would love to put him in the hot seat. To place a gun in his lap and ask him what would he do? I would love to take The Man to the Fun House but I knew already. He would kill both of them before Mr. Reaper even stated the rules.

    I’m a shark Skylar. The very words he’s told me before. It was the motto that he lived by. If you want to survive in this world you had better be a shark. It was true that sharks are deadly but they are stupid as well. I’d much rather be Death, because not even a shark can escape death.

    “Look at this shit,” The Man said as he turned up the news. They were showing the picture of a missing woman and I suppressed a smile when I noticed that it was Laura whose picture they were showing. Her husband was on the TV crying begging for her to come home or be returned. The police was urging anyone who saw her to call and give information. Seeing Laura just made me remember that I had to clean out the trash in the Fun House and set up for the next game.

There were three more deserving playmates to be had. Three more tainted souls to be taken and the question to ask once more; would you kill to save your life? “What time did you get in last night,” The Man asked me and I pulled my eyes from the grieving husband on the television to look at him.

    “Late.”  I gave him a one word answer. Just as I gave his answer his slutty bimbo came in with his plate of food. The new tits that he brought her were bursting out of her top. She gave new meaning to the words dumb blond. That Woman was the butt end of every blond joke one could think of. Her green eyes found their way over to me and she smiled.

    “Sky.” That Woman kept calling me by my nickname as if we were friends. As if she had earned the right. “You always eat cereal. You should try a warm breakfast for once,” She said and I did my best not to frown my face at the thought of eating anything that she cooked. Maybe The Man had to choke down her disgusting food because he fucks her but I don’t. I stood up and The Man looked at me.

    “When will you be home,” he asked and I shrugged my shoulders at him.

    “Late,” I answered as I left my house getting in my car and heading out for school.

    Mr. Brown, third period English teacher, single, no kids, no parents, one sister that lives out of state, and addicted to gambling. Mr. Brown has racked up over sixty thousand dollars in debt and now the loan sharks were coming for him. I wrote his name down in my note pad with a question mark next to it. How would a man with nothing left to lose play the game? Would he play the game even harder to hold on to the one thing he had left? Or much like Luke, would he give up everything for a stranger?

    “Sky,” A soft voice said and I turned around to see the girl of my dreams sitting behind me. Big pretty honey brown eyes look out form long eyelashes, long curly chocolate brown hair, smooth flawless skin, big boobs, and a tight body. Alyssa Jacobs was the girl that every boy at this school had a hard on for. I’ve only wanted her since I was in sixth grade and I never even knew that she knew my name. I never even guessed that she knew I existed at all. Plus she didn’t say my name she said my nickname a sign that she knew me. Those prefect pink lips uttered Sky as if saying it was second natural to her.

    “Yes,” I answered keeping my cool playing it smooth and doing my best to control my drooling. She passed me a note that was folded and my chest tightened. What was this? A love letter maybe? A confession of love to me, a letter that she has always wanted to make but never had the courage? My heart skipped a beat when I unfolded the note and looked at the small girlish neat writing that was on the page. It was like a knife to my soul when I read the words she had there.

Does Jake like me?

    It came completed with a heart to dot the “I” in like and a no and yes box to check. Jake Landon had been my best and only friend since first grade and Alyssa was asking me if Jake likes her. I was just the middle man. Just the messenger, the lowly earn boy. It was a wound to my ego that she would ask this of me. Of course she didn’t know anything about me. No one in this school knows. Beside who wouldn’t want Jake? Captain of the football team, straight A student, president on the student council if I didn’t know him I would think he was perfect.

    He was popular and fun and the “IT” boy at school. All our lives people have flocked to him so it only made sense that Alyssa would as well. They both ran in the same circle and I was the freak on the outside. The bell rung freeing me and I took off before Alyssa could say anything. I found my normal table and sat as I did my homework for my next class.

    “Freak Alert,” One of the so called jocks said before bumping into me. Dan Moore, linebacker, D grade student, father abandoned him last year, mother killed herself three months ago, been living with his aunt since then. Dan Moore was your first class idiot who thought that he could bully me. How quickly we forget our encounters but in time Dan would learn again. If he wanted to bully, I would have to teach him how.

    Bullies are such idiots; at least they all seemed to be, as though they lacked the smarts to know who to bully. Dan should remember that there is a very good reason for why the people in this school leave me alone. I could be a bully to if I wanted. We all know that bullies have the ability to kill. All of that pinned up rage inside of Dan is just waiting to release itself. So the question was would Dan kill to stay alive. I put a star next to Dan’s name. I wanted him for my next game.

    “Sky,” Jake said as he sat down across from me. I looked at my friend of twelve years. We were an odd pair Jake light hearted and fun and have been since the first day that we met in the sand box. While over the years I became twisted and dark. I passed him the note Alyssa gave me as I watched him. His eyes ran over the one line on the page and then he smiled then laughed as he checked the NO box.

    “How can you not like her? She’s Alyssa Jacobs,” I said and he rubbed the apple he had on his tray off on his shirt before he passed it over to me. I just stared at him not one to give up when I wanted to know something. I like to study people and for the years that I’ve known Jake, I still don’t understand anything about him.

    “Alyssa is a girl. I only date women,” He said and pointed to Mrs. Bell the Spanish III teacher. “Remember that rumor that said she gives the best blow jobs ever,” Jake said and I vaguely recalled the boys at school whispering about it around the bathroom. I was too busy setting up the Fun House to have paid much mind to it but I still nodded my head so that Jake could go on with his story. He got that crocked smile that he has when he thinks he’s done something great. “Well it’s true,” he said.

    “You fucked her,” I hissed looking at my friend and then the teacher.

    “Oral hardly counts. Damn Sky if you got laid once in a while you would know that. How long has it been since Dawn and you broke up.” It was some time ago. At least three games ago. I wasn’t sure because as Dawn put it, ‘I was hardly there doing the relationship’. A few dates here and there. Then it was the meaningless sex in her house or mine and then nothing at all. “What are you doing tonight,” Jake asked me.

    “Nothing,” I answered absently. It was a lie of course. I needed to clean the Fun House tonight. I needed to set up for the next round.

    “Then you’re coming to Dan’s party with me. You’re going to laid and be a normal kind for once in your life,” Jake said and my eyes slid over to him but Jake was stubborn and it was easier to give in to him then to fight him. I sighed and nodded. That was classic Jake never asking just telling. Maybe that’s why people respected him. He was a great leader. I never ask for things either. I take what I want. While Jake makes you give it to him. It made me wonder though. When faced with death what would someone like Jake do? Save his self or die?