Chapter 10
Walking back. Dreading getting lost.
...Getting lost.
Ugh.
Why, Sev? Why?
"Fleet Street is a straight shot, Sev," I said suddenly, making my tone as incisive as I possibly could. "...how, and I repeat, how, can you get lost?"
"There you go again." He muttered in reply. "Does my head taste good, Val? Are you enjoying the flavor?"
I pretended to spit out, gagging. "No. Not at all." I smirked. "That's...foul."
"Okay, okay," He suppressed a smile. "That's a good one."
We were navigating along the sidewalk, looking for something familiar, and telling jokes to make up for the fact that we were majorly starting to freak out, of course.
"Grandma's gonna kill you." I supplied, toneless.
Seville's expression was irriated, no doubt. But he wasn't speaking.
Ever since we came here, he's been so quiet...
Only two other people obviously knew why, and since the one I already tried for answers wasn't giving me anything, I'd just have to cope with the latter...
The rushed pattering of shoes from behind took me by surprise, and I couldn't flip around fast enough to prevent what happened next: A flash of red collided with my brother, and I jumped back with a shriek of alarm.
Seville stumbled, but he didn't fall. The reckless runner, however, did.
"Hey!" I glared down at the person who now lay face down on the cobblestone. "What's the big idea? Do us all a favor and watch where you're going!" I grabbed the person over the shoulder and flipped him over.
It was a kid.
He stared up at me with wide eyes, his cloudy, mouse-brown hair stuck to his forehead. He must've fallen into a puddle.
Seville was looking down at him with concern, lost for words.
"S-sorry," The stranger stuttered. "I-I'm in a hurry." He got to his feet.
I finally got a good look at him. He looked just a very little older than me.
"Hurry?" I questioned, my voice full of scorn. "What - late for dinner?"
"Just that, actually." He grinned sheepishly. "Aren't you?"
I stared at him hard, then turned to look at Seville with a shrug. "We haven't got a clue what Grandma has in mind, actually."
"Grandma?" The boy looked up in surprise.
"Yeah," I beckoned to Seville, and we began walking away. "and speaking of which, we really should be getting back."
"No-no-no, wait!" He exclaimed, tagging along beside us (to my annoyance). "You said Grandma. Don't you have any parents?"
"Of course we do." I snapped lowly. "And it's none of your business, anyhow."
"All right," Seville was actually the one that stopped me this time, believe it or not. "Hey, kid, I don't recongnize you. I've been here before, you see. Who are you?"
He placed a steadying hand on my back to keep me in place.
"I'm Derek," The boy did a little mock bow my way, and I recoiled from punching him in the face.
Why was I so angry?
Well, it was going to rain out soon, by the looks of it.
But then again, it always looked as though it were going to rain out here.
At my defense, I absolutely hate sharp, sudden introductions with sharp, sudden movements. Mainly, my brother getting run into on the street. Not by a car, but by someone who had the nerve to -
"Val?"
I looked up, shaking my head. "What?" Okay, I admit... I perhaps sharpened my voice a little too much.
"Didn't you hear?" Seville looked puzzled. "He said his last name is Barker."
I blinked. "Did he?"
My brother nodded.
"Er..." I turned back to Derek Barker, an apologetic gleam in my eye. "...you must be Officer Barker's son, huh?"
"Yeah," He perked up. "How did you guess?"
"We met him yesterday morning." Seville told him.
"And, if you're his son," I went on. "then you must know how to get around here, right?"
"I suppose." He looked a tad more questionable as he gazed at me now. "What is it you need?"
"We need to get back to our Grandma's. We're lost."
"Um..." Derek took a hesitant look over his shoulder, but in the end, he smiled at us. "I guess Mum wouldn't mind me staying out a little longer."
I breathed a sigh of relief.
"So, what's the address?"
I froze, then looked up at Seville.
He sighed. "186 Fleet Street."
Derek had already bolted a few paces down the walk by now, but at this mention, he froze himself and turned around to face us, his eyes round with shock. "What?"
...Okay, I was really starting to get tired of this.
"Here you are." Derek led us around a sudden corner, and I was surprised to be right back in front of the pie shop again.
"Wow, thanks!" Seville exclaimed gratefully.
Derek gave an earnest smile. "I grew up here for as long as I can remember." He told us, then looked up at the shop before giving a plank of wood nearest to him a pat. "I passed by this old place quite a lot on my way to school. Erm...but since summer break, Mum's been keeping me home as much as she can manage."
"Why?" I tilted my head.
"Oh, uh," He suddenly looked horrified. "I-I'm not supposed to talk about it." He turned away. "I'll see you two some other time though, eh?"
Seville gave a stiff nod of his head.
"See you." Derek gave us a weak smile, which looked an awful lot like his father's, before running down the street. I had a funny feeling he let his scared expression go as soon as his back was turned to us, though.
Seville breathed out heavily and headed in, and I followed him.
"'Ey," Grandma's head poked out from within the parlor. "there yeh are, loves! You 'ad me worried." She came bustling in to check us over. "Are yeh 'urt?"
"No, no, we're fine." Seville reassured her. "This kid helped us."
"Kid?" She questioned. "What kid?"
"Derek Barker, his name was." I told her. "He was pretty nice. He knew his way around really well, so he had no problem with helping us back here when we got lost."
"Oh.." She looked mildly surprised, but I didn't bother asking why; I figured I'd find out soon enough anyway.
"Sev, let your sister sleep on the couch tonight." Grandma ordered.
"Ugh, fine." He rolled his eyes, and I held back a laugh.
We were just laying down. I took the couch, while Seville layed on the floor. It seemed like once the lights were out, he had no problem with sleeping there though. His snoring startled me from a dazed trance that was directed at the ceiling. I had noted that Grandma went straight to her room tonight. Would it be smart to go upstairs and inspect? What would happen?
As if to taunt me, the creaky pacing from above made my fists clench from under the blanket. I wasn't scared anymore.
Well...at least I didn't think I was.
After waiting a few heartbeats to make sure Grandma wouldn't come out to quiet the sound, I gingerly swung my legs over the side of the couch and set my feet down with care. Then I crept across the room, and once I reached the threshold, I felt the slightest tug of stubborn hesitance. It was when I looked down at Seville who was sleeping soundly on the floor. I hated leaving him out of this, but at the same time, I knew he would've wanted it that way. Besides, he could change his mind any time.
Fighting down the hesitance, I continued down the hall. The room was eerily lit from the dim street lights outside, but besides that, it was mostly pitch black.
I thought I liked the dark. But...I never liked this sort of dark. Or, at least I realized that only when I came here. Tonight, the moon was gone. It wasn't blaring like before.
The nearly threatening pacing from the ceiling seemed to be telling me to turn back for my own good, but...since when did I listen for my own good?
Instead, I yanked the side door open and was on the stairs in a flash. The air was cold and unforgiving, and especially with only a white t-shirt and thin pajama pants to keep me warm. The feel of splinters digging into the bottoms of my feet reminded me of the band-aid that I just removed the day before. I'd probably need a new one soon...
When I reached the top, my heart was pounding unnormally fast. What was I afraid of?
But then the vision of Seville's horrified expression pushed itself into my mind again, and I suddenly had the answer.
I tried to ignore it. How bad could this guy be, really?
I took comfortably small steps toward the door, and by the time I reached it, I noticed that the pacing sound had stopped. I cautiously peered in through the glass at the top. The bright outline of the large, sloped window came into my sight first. No one was standing in front of it, though. Other than the light that it brought, the room was, as well, dangerously close to being pitch black.
Swallowing hard, and at the same time realizing that I should have brought a weapon of some sort, I grabbed the knob and quietly pulled the door open. The bell at the top made the faintest noise, but it seemed to get lost in the dead air. It was equally cold in here too.
I was starting to get the idea that if I hadn't been lunged upon yet, all was good. So I took a few creaky steps into the dark room, trying to get a closer look at the window. The feeling of being watched - the feeling of eyes burning into my back - was making me simply too afraid to turn around.
I was soon aware of a chair in the middle of the room, nearer to the window. The little light the window provided illuminated the leathery barbering chair, highlighting strange, red streaks that seemed to be more so stained in. I leaned in, reaching out with a trembling hand, and traced the streaks with my fingers. It was dry.
How odd...
I couldn't help but hold in the smallest giggle; Had someone gotten severely nicked?
Ooh, I was so close!
Just as I was straightening up, my smile vanished. Because at that same moment, an arm with a pure white sleeve that ended on the palm swung around and caught me around the neck, dragging me backwards. I gasped out, but was simply too choked up to scream.
In silence, except for my protestive grunt, I was slammed against the wall, back first. I stared up into what I expected to stare up into: Dark, hate-filled eyes.
Something cold and shocking was pressed against my neck, but I couldn't move my head to look down at whatever it was. I was forced to look up into that ghostly face again.
Heh, and I thought I knew what being pissed off looked like!
After a short period of silence, I decided I needed to be the one to start up conversation, "...Mr. Todd." I greeted, emphasizing the name dramatically.
With narrowed eyes, he pushed away until he was at arms length of me. He obviously wasn't amused.
I tilted my head, despite his firm grip on me. "That...that is your name, right?"
He straightened further (if that were even possible!) at this question, and then gave a finicky flick of his wrist when he finally let go of me. "My one and only." He rumbled.
I was shocked to see a gleaming, silver straight razor come away from my neck with such care. Mr. Todd hadn't moved from where he stood, but he wasn't holding onto me anymore. I could've slipped away if I wanted to...
...but that was the thing. I didn't want to leave yet. Not until I got some answers.
"What are you doing here?" I murmured, gazing up at him intently.
"Strange, lass. I was getting ready to ask you the same question." He told me, his voice level. His attention wasn't on me anymore. He was lifting the straight razor into the nearest light, admiring it.
When I couldn't find the right words to reply with, he added in a fairily dangerous, low tone of voice, "What are you doing here, Valerie?"
I still didn't have an answer. But that was okay. He'd strangle it out of me.
Silence again.
It was only broken when Mr. Todd gripped the front of my t-shirt, nearly lifting me off the ground. "What are you doing here, when I told your grandmother to make sure you were kept away?"
"D-don't blame her." I finally stammered, shivering under his icy touch. "It-it's not her fault. She doesn't know I'm here."
Noticing my struggle, he let go of me once more and turned on his heel, striding across the room until he reached the window. "You know, Valerie... I no longer have patience for children."
"Well, that's good," I was starting to get my confidence back just seconds after he let go of me. "Because I'm not a child."
"How old are you, Valerie?"
"What?" I looked up, startled.
"What is your age?" He grumbled.
"Twelve." I stated, standing a bit taller.
Mr. Todd snorted with amusement. "You've got unreliable spirit, Valerie."
"Meaning?" I crossed my arms over my chest, raising an eyebrow.
"Meaning, quite obviously, that if I were to raise a blade to you, I'd expect you to hunker down."
"I don't hunker down," I pushed off from the wall, taking a few daring steps toward him. "And what do you mean "raise a blade"?"
He paused, then turned around to face me with a blank expression that suggested I said nothing at all. "Wait a moment, lass," He gently pressed his gloved hand against my chest, pushing me backwards a few paces. "...your grandmother did the same when Seville and I met." He murmured.
Chills throbbed through my body, turning every organ to ice. Why was he so cold?
"D-did what?" I stammered, backing off.
Mr. Todd was silent. He was placing the razor back into the holster on his belt-wait, whoa, whoa, whoa! He has holsters for those things? Augh!
"Kept us at a distance." He finally replied, oblivious to my shock. His dark, gloomy eyes met mine. "I stay up here, and you stay down there." He turned away again, as if hiding something...
"Don't you get lonely up here?" I asked softly. My voice was a little above a whisper. I'm surprised he heard it.
"Why should I seek conpanionship from anyone below this shop?" He countered.
"Why not?"
"Because the world is pitch black. The sooner you learn that, the better."
Silence fell upon the room again. I didn't know what to say. How do you reply to something like that?
Mr. Todd shook his head, clearing something invisible. He then turned to face me, a hard look returning. "You should go," He said gruffly. "Your grandmother and brother would not be pleased to know you've come and seen me."
"If you're the one stating that, they should be fine with it." I pointed out.
"Maybe," He looked somewhat thoughtful now. "But in any case outside that door," He motioned with his head to the door. "I don't want you here."
I frowned. "Oh." I sauntered across the room, my head low. I knew for a fact that he was still watching me leave. But the way the floor boards creaked, I could tell without even looking that he had turned around to stare back out the window, and over the rooftops.
Then I said something completely out of the blue - something that shocked even me.
"Can I come and see you again?"
I swiftly flipped around to see his reaction.
He visibly froze, then casted me a look over his shoulder. "...Why would you want to do that?"
I shrugged as soon as I knew he could see me. I didn't like the idea of leaving him alone in this cold, dark room. I knew I wouldn't have liked that.
As if reading my thoughts, he looked away and plodded back into the shadows - just beside the desk propped against the wall, to be exact. I cringed at the sound of the razors which clanked against their holsters at every step he took.
It made him sound dangerous.
"Well?" I leaned in. I was growing impatient.
He spoke sooner than I thought he would. "I can't find sense in reasoning," His voice was low and deadpan again. "And if you think you'll come out a better person for coming up here day after day, who am I to stop you?"
"I didn't say I'd come up day after day." I blinked, puzzled.
"...I can only assume your grandmother put you up to this, surely?" His voice had an edge to it.
"She didn't." I shook my head.
"No?" His pale face reappeared from the darkness as he gazed at me. "Well then, I can't say your decision is a wise one, Ms. Lovett, no..." The faintest smirk was present on his face, but it vanished as he went on. "If you were wise, you'd leave this street immediately."
Cliffhanger time, once again. But OH, was it a friggin' relief to write about Sweeney again!
:D
TheBrightsider - Your inspiration worked! 8D Yeah, I felt more natural writing this chapter. Not as choppy as the last one, in my opinion.
I'm getting right on the next chapter now. Expect it soon!