Shilo moved fast down the rugged tunnel, Graverobber struggled to keep his footing. He'd tried to talk to her but she'd raised a hand and pointed upwards silently. He looked up and saw thin storm grates running along the ceiling. Now it was getting much darker, no more grates, no more light, he was only following the sound of her thick-soled boots scraping against the stone.
Finally, a heavy sounding door opened and Graverobber stumbled forward into the foyer of the Wallace home. It was…empty.
He'd never been here but he had expected some kind of furnishing in such a high class neighborhood. Things like framed portraits, fainting couches, ornate chandeliers.
This room was empty, a chandelier did hang but the metal was dark and rusted. The hardwood floor was bare, no decorated rugs. The walls had a faded floral pattern that flaked off when Graverobber ran a hand along it.
"Love what you've done with the place…" He mumbled to himself. He then remembered who led him here and turned to see Shilo, sliding the secret fireplace door closed behind her.
She was wearing a black hooded sweatshirt and dark leggings, perfect for skulking around tombstones. But it was clear that she'd developed as girls typically do. She had hips now, longer legs, feminine curves; Graverobber's mouth suddenly felt dry.
Shilo smiled at him.
"Hey." She said, her voice calm and a little deeper than it had been. Almost… sultry.
"Hey, Kid." Graverobber said, thinking of nothing else to call her. He'd never called her by her name. Why start now? Shilo's smile grew and he felt a strange sense of relief.
It ended quickly though.
"Thought you'd be halfway around the world by now." He said. It was true, had he been in her shoes, no friends, no family, no cash… on second thought he pretty much was in those exact same shoes, and he was still here.
Shilo twisted her mouth, eyes looking down. He knew it was a thoughtful face but to him it actually looked … sexy.
What the fuck was happening here?
He shouldn't be thinking that. She was only… what? Eighteen?
"After the opera," Shilo began, pulling Graverobber out of his internal calculations, "I came back here, I didn't have anywhere else to go really. Plus I needed someplace to go and detox."
Graverobber raised an eyebrow. That's right, the meds her dad had put her on. That must be why she grew so much in just ten months. Had he really been stunting her growth for seventeen years?
Shilo was still speaking. He had to pay better attention.
"It was really painful, almost two weeks of well, mostly passing out and puking." She laughed a little but Graverobber didn't think it sounded funny at all. She'd gone through that all by herself? "After a few weeks my hair started to grow and things got kind of… confusing."
Graverobber shifted uncomfortably.
Puberty was bad enough. Rapidly accelerated puberty without knowing anything about it and being completely alone? It sounded like hell.
"So how'd you figure it out? Hit up the library?" Graverobber didn't know how he managed to make a joke but it lightened the mood. He paced casually around the small room, trying to maintain a sense of normalcy.
Shilo smirked in response and fixed him with a pointed look.
"My dad was a doctor. There's a medical journal for every condition known to man in his room." She said. Graverobber stopped pacing, a coldness appearing in his chest.
Her dad was a doctor.
He was also a Repo Man.
Probably the most twisted one in history.
"Are you thirsty?" Shilo suddenly said, she walked across the room and went through a doorway next to the stairs. Graverobber followed, what else could he do?
The kitchen was also very scarcely decorated. Just an average wooden table, a couple tall cabinets lining one wall, a counter, a sink, a fridge; had he been so wrong about how the other half lived? Or was this Shilo's doing?
She went into a cupboard and retrieved two glasses, filling them at the sink she set one in front of him. He hesitated before taking it.
Shilo sat. Graverobber sat.
Shilo sipped her water. Graverobber sipped, getting momentarily distracted at the way the water made her pink lips glisten.
He shook his head trying to knock the thoughts loose.
"So what else have you been up to?" He said leaning back. Shilo shrugged.
"I got a job."
Graverobber raised an eyebrow.
"Doing what, kid?"
"I wash dishes at Juicy Lynn's."
That had Graverobber sitting up a little straighter. Juicy Lynn's was a popular place on the club side of town. It was the kind of restaurant you went to when you needed something to eat before going to the club, and someone to take home after. The waitresses were famous for being sassy, skinny, and oh so dumb. For ten units you could take any one of them home and never have to hear from them the next day.
A real drive thru kind of place.
"Dishes huh?" He pressed.
Shilo smirked and Graverobber felt a tiny shudder go through him.
"Just dishes. After I got all … sorted out," She gestured to herself generally, "I tried to get out and find a real cool job. But I realized something."
Graverobber waited, watching her unzip her hoodie, revealing a dark red, lace trimmed tank. He gulped at the new view. When did she get breasts? He forced himself to look back at her eyes.
"Realized something?"
Shilo grinned, probably knowing exactly what he'd been looking at.
"Yeah," She said, "I realized, I don't like being around people."
Graverobber laughed out loud before he could stop himself. The girl who busted down walls just to get out into the world, finds out she doesn't like being around other people.
"Join the club, Sugar." He laughed.
Shilo rolled her eyes.
"I went in and asked for a job cooking or cleaning." She continued, "Lynn was real confused, I guess when girls apply they usually ask for something else."
"Usually." Graverobber agreed.
"Yeah well, jokes on them. I make three times as much doing dishes cause I show up, I work, and I'm not addicted to Z." She threw two thumbs up and smiled proudly. Graverobber couldn't help but grin back.
"Careful, that's my clientele you're talking about." He joked. Shilo stood, taking her empty glass to the sink.
"My apologies, oh great Zydrate King." She said with a mock curtsey to him. Graverobber momentarily felt calm, the easy conversation felt nice. Refreshing even. It had been a very long time since he felt like he had a friend.
Shilo removed her hoodie the rest of the way and draped it over the back of her chair.
No more calm.
Graverobber took in the sight of Shilo's new body. She'd developed breasts, and clearly defined hips. In just the leggings and tank top and ankle high boots, Graverobber could see every line, every curve. He could also see the straps of a simple black bra under her tank and his mind wandered.
Dangerous. Shilo was dangerous now.
Eighteen. Eighteen. He repeated the word over and over again in his mind. He wasn't much older than that but it was enough to make him think about his actions.
Oh and the actions he'd do…
Eighteen!
Shilo went over to the sink again, her back to him, she reached up and unclipped her hair, shaking out the curls and running her fingers through it.
Eighteen!
His eyes settled on her butt and his pants suddenly felt tight. He shifted in his seat.
Time to go.
He stood up and Shilo turned, her hair falling to just above her shoulders.
"You probably want me out of here." He said, unsure of why it sounded like a question. Shilo's brow furrowed and she cocked her head.
"Why?"
Graverobber faltered. Why? He thought, Because I can't stop staring at your fucking tits.
He cleared his throat.
"Just figured."
Shilo walked over and stood in front of him.
"Would you mind staying?" she said, her enormous eyes pleading up at him, "You're kind of my only friend." She was just inches from his face. Did she know how close she was?
Graverobber backed up a step.
"You think I'm your friend?" He asked. Every memory he had of her was like a knife in his gut. He'd been racked with guilt over the role he'd played and she'd been thinking of him as a friend this whole time?
Shilo shrugged.
"You're the only person I don't hate."
Graverobber smirked.
"That is a friend." He stretched his shoulders out, the proximity making him feel confined. "Okay, what do you want to do?"
He could think of plenty of things he'd like to do. Plenty …
To his surprise, Shilo stepped back and wrinkled her nose.
"First, I kind of want you to take a bath." She said. Graverobber lowered his brow and Shilo snickered.
"I'm sorry, Graves," she said, "You just… stink."
Graverobber didn't know what surprised him. The fact that she'd used a nickname for him that he'd never heard before, or the fact that she was offended by his smell. He slept in a dumpster and spend every night in grime soaked alleys, around festering Z addicts, and lugging corpses through graveyards. What was he supposed to smell like? Roses?
"Come on." Shilo said, she turned and went out the kitchen door, heading up the stairs. Graverobber followed, mesmerized by her swaying hips.