Norah

Norah stretched luxuriously as she sat up in bed, reveling in the popping of every joint in her body. The previous night's activity had brought an excellent feeling of release, after almost a month without a killing. She licked her fingers, savoring the lingering taste of Paul's blood. It had been so long.

She jumped as the door to her room swung open, but relaxed when a familiar, smiling face popped through the doorway.

Although fully dressed, Norah faked a look of terror, then threw the covers over her head. "Russell! Go away, I'm not decent."

"Norah, you've got to be kidding me." Russell pulled away the sheets and hauled her to her feet. "It's ten o'clock, and I've got to get to work. But first, I need to make sure you get out of bed."

"And why is that?"

He pushed her out the door and into a dimly lit hallway. "Because you need to be a functioning member of society. You lounge around all day, then disappear until morning. If you keep this up, you'll never find yourself a nice boy and settle down."

Norah grabbed a pipe sticking out of the wall and stopped her forced progress, before whirling on Russell. "Settle down! You do realize who you're talking to, don't you? What'll I do, be a nice, docile housewife?"

"I was thinking more along the lines of 'getting your lazy ass out of my house'. I can barely feed myself, Norah, let alone you."

She would not be deterred. "Russell, you and I both know that I eat out every night. I never even touch your food."

"Yeah, well then what about space? I have to sleep on the couch, while you get the only bed I own!"

"Russell, we can switch places any time you want. You know I'd be fine anywhere you put me." She paused, then crossed her arms angrily. "I think you just want to get rid of me."

"Well, yes. I can't be there for you all the time, and when you get out into the world again, I don't want you to end up like you did last time. I'm afraid you'll never learn your lesson, if I keep coddling you."

"Who are you, my father? I was doing just fine on my own."

"Norah, you fell against my door, starving, pale, and with enough drugs in your system to kill a horse. I had to hide you from the police after they found out you killed some kid. God, someone saw you licking the blood off the ground."

Norah turned away from him, but he pulled her back with a hand on her shoulder.

"You've finally gotten better, but now you're getting used to having someone look after you. You have to learn to be safe on your own. I don't want you to drop that low again."

She slapped his hand away and walked to the door, now genuinely angry. "Nothing's changed."

"Yes it has, Norah, and you know it. Would you rather still be out on the streets, stuck in the gutter with a needle in your arm and nothing in your pockets?"

Norah stopped, her hand on the doorknob. She spoke quietly, without turning to face Russell. "You know, I never asked for someone to save my eternal soul." She said it mockingly. "I don't need some knight in shining armor to come riding in to rescue me, whenever I'm off the straight and narrow."

Russell approached her, his hand outstretched. "But you need one. You've been a mess for as long as I've known you, because no one ever showed you any compassion, any decency. I've tried to help the best I can, but I can't do anything if you refuse to change."

She opened the door, and stepped out. With the door half-closed behind her, she turned around and stared deeply into Russell's eyes.

"Maybe I don't want to be saved."