Act Two

Several months after Silco had taken her in, the identity of Jinx had solidified, helping her to separate herself from the girl who'd gone through so much pain and betrayal. She allowed herself to slip into the madness and accept that the voices in her mind were a constant part of her world. It felt natural, as easy as breathing.

"Jinx," said an exasperated Silco, giving her an unamused look that told her this wasn't the first time he'd tried to get her attention.

She paused with her tinkering, having claimed a corner of his office where she spent most of her days trying to stay out of his way. "Yeah?"

"I'll be going away for two or three days on business. Sevika will watch you."

That immediately made her heart race in her chest and her vision became blurry. He was leaving her. They'd spent every day together for the past five months, sharing this small, quiet space. He was the first thing she saw when waking up in the mornings and the last thing before falling asleep.

A round metal toy she'd been pulling apart fell from her hands, and she jumped to her feet to kick it across the room. It hit the wall behind Silco, but he didn't flinch from the sound of impact. The voices swirling in her head were all too jumbled for her to make sense of what they were saying, so she focused on taking large breaths, small shoulders rising and falling.

Silco stood up and rounded the large desk until he was standing only two feet away from her, lowering onto one knee so their eyes could meet. "You'll be safe here."

"I want to go with you." She rubbed at her cheeks when tears rolled from her eyes, hoping he wouldn't be angry at her for crying, for showing weakness.

"You can't," he told her softly.

When she tucked her chin to her chest, biting her lip to hold back the sobs, he reached out to cradle her face. Silco forced Jinx to look back up at him, an unmistakable softness beneath his usual calculated and stern exterior. In all their time together, whenever he was speaking to his henchmen, the hardening of his eyes never wavered, and she began to wonder if anyone else beside her had ever seen him look so soft. Or if it was just for her.

Feeling a little shy admitting it, Jinx said, "I don't like Sevika. She's mean."

Silco chuckled, the sound raspy. "But she'll watch out for you because I told her too."

"Can I sleep in your bed until you come back?" It was a simple - yet hopeful - request. Jinx had her own room down the hall from his now, but it never felt comfortable. She hated being alone, and no amount of nightlights kept the darkness at bay.

"If you wish," he agreed.

He left that very same evening, with the promise that Jinx would barely notice the time going by before he returned. She didn't believe him in the slightest but gave him a small smile and waved as he walked out the door. Sevika didn't have time to say anything to her before she darted back up the stairs.

Jinx dragged her pillow and toys down the hall into Silco's room, creating a little nest in the center of his larger bed. He'd gifted her with a small teddy bear shortly after taking her in, and it was now one of her most prized possessions. She made sure to keep the door open wide enough to let in the light as she dozed off.

Well into the early morning hours on the fifth night, the blanket on the bed shifted, pulling it tighter across Jinx's body as the weight of someone else settled on top. She rubbed the sleep from her eyes as she glanced up, the light from the doorway making it easier to see that it was Silco.

He sighed heavily and inched down the bed so that his head rested on the pillow beside her own. There was a stiffness to his movements and his features were drawn with exhaustion, but that didn't stop him from stretching an arm outward, resting his hand on the lump Jinx made under the blanket.

She continued to breathe shallowly, keeping her emotions at bay. "You were gone longer."

"I know," he muttered.

"You lied."

He didn't want to come back.

You belong on your own.

Jinx shoved her head under the blanket, pressing the palms of her hands against her eyes until she saw stars. The voices had become more aggressive and constant in the last few days, reminding her that no-one wanted her, that everyone would abandon her.

Silco sighed and rolled onto his side so that he could pull the blanket off of her. "It couldn't be helped. Was Sevika nice to you?"

She shrugged and glanced away, cheeks heating up with embarrassment. If he was asking her that question, then he probably hadn't spoken to the gruff, mean woman who served as his second.

"Jinx…" He said in warning, his good eye narrowing slightly.

"I was too afraid to go anywhere. It… smells like you in here," she admitted sheepishly. It wasn't a lie, though. His room had the same musky scent as his favourite cologne, and it helped to keep her calm.

"When was the last time you ate anything?"

"I'm not hungry."

He frowned and she instantly knew that that was the wrong answer. In truth, she hadn't eaten in a while, only braving leaving the room to use the bathroom or steal a snack from the kitchen in the bar. Sevika seemed content to let her sneak around, likely grateful she didn't have to put any effort towards looking after a child.

Silco grunted with the effort it took to climb out of the bed, tiredness weighing heavily on his shoulders. He gestured for Jinx to follow and she scrambled off of the bed to quickly trail after him.

They made their way downstairs to the quiet, dark bar, usually noisy and filled with drunkards, but a motionless tranquility this time of night. He helped her up onto a barstool before disappearing through the kitchen door. She tried not to panic in the short minutes he was out of her direct line of sight, telling herself that he wasn't leaving again.

A plate of various bits of food was placed in front of her, and Silco took up a spot on the stool beside her own. She tentatively picked at the bits of fruit and bread, not sure if she was hungry or not. Jinx never had much of an appetite, something that Vander used to make her feel guilty about.

Some kids don't get to eat, he used to say to her.

"What's wrong?" Silco lent forward on the bar, watching her rip a piece of bread apart without eating it.

When she remained silent, he made an irritated sound in his throat and shifted his stool closer to her. Jinx didn't complain when he pulled her onto his lap and slid the plate across so that it was in front of her again.

"I'm not -."

"Eat," he ordered.

Very slowly, she raised a piece of fruit to her lips and took a small bite, chewing a lot more than what was needed before swallowing. Her stomach growled in response to the first bit of food she'd eaten in a long while.

Silco sat silently with his hands wrapped around her waist as she ate half of the food he'd laid out for her. Both of them were comfortable in each other's silence, with his presence keeping the madness of her mind at bay so that she could relish in the peacefulness of it all.