I found her in the tunnel just outside of the entrance to the cavern. Her blond curls were tied back in a ribbon, and she crouched down on the concrete. A tub of fat sticks of colored chalk was spilled out next to her, and she scribbled furiously at a picture on the ground.
“Hey, Daisy,” I said, walking over to her. She appeared to be coloring a picture of a flying, purple hippo, but I could be wrong.
“Hi, Alice.” She glanced up at me, but her concentration was clearly on the picture.
“How are you doing?” I asked.
“Good. I got new chalk today cause I was bored. Mae says we can’t have music or Sesame Street down here. I hope we move soon.”
“Yeah, that’ll probably be good,” I agreed. “Is anyone else around here?”
“Peter’s inside.” Daisy pointed to the entrance. “Mae is gone, and I don’t know where that other guy went.”
“What other guy?” I asked, tensing up.
“I don’t know,” she shrugged. “The other guy that lives here.”
“Oh, Leif?” I had actually forgotten that he’d be staying here too, and my stomach twisted. I hadn’t talked to him since I found that picture of Milo and me. Then I remembered what Bobby had said about Leif being a killer, and that didn’t make me feel any better.
“That’s a silly name,” Daisy commented.
“It sure is. Well, I’ll let you get back to your coloring,” I said, and she just nodded.
The cavern looked much better than it did before, but you could only dress up a sewer so much. Mae had draped brightly colored curtains all over to add separations and to cover up the walls. In one corner, Daisy had a massive pile of toys and coloring books. Three mattresses had been made up and sat in different areas, and Peter laid on the one closest to the cliff, reading a book.
“Hey, Peter.” I walked over to him and dropped the towels by the bed. “I brought you some towels.”
“Oh. Thanks.” He set aside his book and sat up. “Mae didn’t think you heard her. She ran to Wal-Mart to pick up more supplies.”
“Why didn’t she send you?” I asked.
“Apparently, I forgot too much stuff the last time I went.”
“I see.” I looked around the cavern. “You’ve really dressed up the place.”
“It’s better, I guess,” Peter shrugged. “I was busy all day looking for somewhere to else to move.”
“Did you find anywhere?” I asked, sitting next to him on the mattress.
“Not yet. But we will soon.”
“That’s…” I leaned forward, resting my arms on my knees, and didn’t know what to say. It felt mean saying it was good that he was leaving soon. “Why are you leaving with them?” He gave me a look. “No, I mean, you can go anywhere. Why are you leaving with them? As opposed to anywhere else on earth.”
“Contrary to popular belief, I don’t want to wander the earth alone,” Peter said. “Mae and I were never as close as even she and Jack were, but I’ve always cared about her. I want both her and Daisy to be okay.
“And I’m doing it for Ezra too,” Peter went on. “Ezra’s done everything for me, for Mae. He’s been the rock that held together a lot of shit.” His voice went low as he thought of what they’d been through together. “But he can’t protect Mae from this, and I know it kills him. So I’ll go with her, I’ll take care of her, because he can’t.”
“How is Daisy doing? Is she better here?” I asked.
“Not really.” He glanced towards the tunnel, where Daisy had begun to sing the theme song to Sesame Street. “She wakes up screaming all the time because she’s in so much pain.”
“Pain?” I asked. “Her transformation is long over. She shouldn’t be in pain.”
“It’s not from that,” he shook his head. “She’s so hungry, all the time, and it leaves in her almost constant agony. A child’s body really isn’t meant to handle the change.”
“Oh my gosh.” I swallowed hard, listening to her sing. “What does Mae think about all of this?”
“I don’t know,” Peter sighed. “I think she’s just starting to realize exactly what’s she done to Daisy. Up until now, she’s been able to justify it that she saved Daisy, that the life she gave her would be better than death. But with Daisy being in so much pain, I don’t think Mae can say that anymore.”
“I’m sorry,” I said, unsure of what else to say.
“Not everything with Daisy is horrible, though,” he said. “Some of it’s just weird. She keeps trying to chase down rats and kill them, so I have to stop her from doing that.” He raised his eyebrows. “She eats cockroaches.”
“What?”
“She catches them and eats them whole, and then she gets really sick and throws them up because she can’t digest a bug. That’s why we need the towels.” He ran a hand through his hair and exhaled. “Along with the bugs, she throws up blood, so we have to feed her two or three times a day to keep her to keep her hunger down and her pain at a tolerable level. We’re going through so much blood.”
“I’m sorry,” I repeated.
“Well, on a positive note, she’s learned to say the alphabet in French,” Peter said.
“What? Why?”
“Mae thinks it’s good for her brain.” He shrugged. “Daisy’s actually really smart. She’s just… uncontrollable and blood thirsty.”
“Well, that’s always fun.”
“What about you?” Peter turned to me, his green eyes staring through me the way they always seemed to. “How are things in your life?”
“Great,” I lied. I could never tell him about what’s going on with me and Jack, especially since the two of them were actually repairing their relationship. “I’ve been training a lot, so I’m getting pretty strong.”
“Good.” He smiled, and it made me feel weird. Peter smiled so rarely, so when he did, it felt sorta magical, like a shooting star. “Now that’s one less thing I have to worry about.”
“What?” I rested my head on my arms and watched him.
“You.” He looked away and picked at something on the concrete by his foot. “I still will, I’m sure, but at least in some part of mind, I’ll know you’re safe.”
“Hey, Daisy,” I said, walking over to her. She appeared to be coloring a picture of a flying, purple hippo, but I could be wrong.
“Hi, Alice.” She glanced up at me, but her concentration was clearly on the picture.
“How are you doing?” I asked.
“Good. I got new chalk today cause I was bored. Mae says we can’t have music or Sesame Street down here. I hope we move soon.”
“Yeah, that’ll probably be good,” I agreed. “Is anyone else around here?”
“Peter’s inside.” Daisy pointed to the entrance. “Mae is gone, and I don’t know where that other guy went.”
“What other guy?” I asked, tensing up.
“I don’t know,” she shrugged. “The other guy that lives here.”
“Oh, Leif?” I had actually forgotten that he’d be staying here too, and my stomach twisted. I hadn’t talked to him since I found that picture of Milo and me. Then I remembered what Bobby had said about Leif being a killer, and that didn’t make me feel any better.
“That’s a silly name,” Daisy commented.
“It sure is. Well, I’ll let you get back to your coloring,” I said, and she just nodded.
The cavern looked much better than it did before, but you could only dress up a sewer so much. Mae had draped brightly colored curtains all over to add separations and to cover up the walls. In one corner, Daisy had a massive pile of toys and coloring books. Three mattresses had been made up and sat in different areas, and Peter laid on the one closest to the cliff, reading a book.
“Hey, Peter.” I walked over to him and dropped the towels by the bed. “I brought you some towels.”
“Oh. Thanks.” He set aside his book and sat up. “Mae didn’t think you heard her. She ran to Wal-Mart to pick up more supplies.”
“Why didn’t she send you?” I asked.
“Apparently, I forgot too much stuff the last time I went.”
“I see.” I looked around the cavern. “You’ve really dressed up the place.”
“It’s better, I guess,” Peter shrugged. “I was busy all day looking for somewhere to else to move.”
“Did you find anywhere?” I asked, sitting next to him on the mattress.
“Not yet. But we will soon.”
“That’s…” I leaned forward, resting my arms on my knees, and didn’t know what to say. It felt mean saying it was good that he was leaving soon. “Why are you leaving with them?” He gave me a look. “No, I mean, you can go anywhere. Why are you leaving with them? As opposed to anywhere else on earth.”
“Contrary to popular belief, I don’t want to wander the earth alone,” Peter said. “Mae and I were never as close as even she and Jack were, but I’ve always cared about her. I want both her and Daisy to be okay.
“And I’m doing it for Ezra too,” Peter went on. “Ezra’s done everything for me, for Mae. He’s been the rock that held together a lot of shit.” His voice went low as he thought of what they’d been through together. “But he can’t protect Mae from this, and I know it kills him. So I’ll go with her, I’ll take care of her, because he can’t.”
“How is Daisy doing? Is she better here?” I asked.
“Not really.” He glanced towards the tunnel, where Daisy had begun to sing the theme song to Sesame Street. “She wakes up screaming all the time because she’s in so much pain.”
“Pain?” I asked. “Her transformation is long over. She shouldn’t be in pain.”
“It’s not from that,” he shook his head. “She’s so hungry, all the time, and it leaves in her almost constant agony. A child’s body really isn’t meant to handle the change.”
“Oh my gosh.” I swallowed hard, listening to her sing. “What does Mae think about all of this?”
“I don’t know,” Peter sighed. “I think she’s just starting to realize exactly what’s she done to Daisy. Up until now, she’s been able to justify it that she saved Daisy, that the life she gave her would be better than death. But with Daisy being in so much pain, I don’t think Mae can say that anymore.”
“I’m sorry,” I said, unsure of what else to say.
“Not everything with Daisy is horrible, though,” he said. “Some of it’s just weird. She keeps trying to chase down rats and kill them, so I have to stop her from doing that.” He raised his eyebrows. “She eats cockroaches.”
“What?”
“She catches them and eats them whole, and then she gets really sick and throws them up because she can’t digest a bug. That’s why we need the towels.” He ran a hand through his hair and exhaled. “Along with the bugs, she throws up blood, so we have to feed her two or three times a day to keep her to keep her hunger down and her pain at a tolerable level. We’re going through so much blood.”
“I’m sorry,” I repeated.
“Well, on a positive note, she’s learned to say the alphabet in French,” Peter said.
“What? Why?”
“Mae thinks it’s good for her brain.” He shrugged. “Daisy’s actually really smart. She’s just… uncontrollable and blood thirsty.”
“Well, that’s always fun.”
“What about you?” Peter turned to me, his green eyes staring through me the way they always seemed to. “How are things in your life?”
“Great,” I lied. I could never tell him about what’s going on with me and Jack, especially since the two of them were actually repairing their relationship. “I’ve been training a lot, so I’m getting pretty strong.”
“Good.” He smiled, and it made me feel weird. Peter smiled so rarely, so when he did, it felt sorta magical, like a shooting star. “Now that’s one less thing I have to worry about.”
“What?” I rested my head on my arms and watched him.
“You.” He looked away and picked at something on the concrete by his foot. “I still will, I’m sure, but at least in some part of mind, I’ll know you’re safe.”
