Just My Luck

4○ Food

V E R Y A N

"Put the ducks outside Nicoletta," Landon said, inching closer to me with ever flap of the bird's wings. 

"Let's cook them," I said, adjusting my glasses. My stomach was practically eating itself. Solving two problems at once. No more ducks, no more hunger.

"How could you say that? These are my children, the only things I care about," Nicoletta said as she hugged the creatures close to her tiny body as one of them tried to eat her hair. 

"A tad too attached are we now?" I said also backing away from their beady eyes.

"What can I say? When you love someone you don't ever want to let them go." The duck was really trying to eat her now.

I rolled my eyes at her statement as Landon sighed beside me leaning onto the bedroom wall. 

"Your 'someone' is a duck," I retorted, we were here to get clothes, not hold a discussion about love and ducks. 

"Nicoletta," Landon sighed again, "Just put the ducks away and get some clothes that might fit Veryan so he can leave."

"Fine fine," Nicoletta said as he flung the birds outside the window and headed for her wardrobe. Her room was homely, albeit it did smell like unwashed duck. Warm green walls and big furniture. This one room felt like an entire house, not because of the size, but it showed the presence of a person. A person with feelings and a heart. 

Unlike the one next to me who would only ever show apathy and solemn silence. He who was such an uptight bore. No different from 16 year-old Landon. I never thought I'd ever meet such an unexciting kid. But here he was, in front of me, just 6 years older now.

"Here," Nicoletta handed me some clothes with a terrible colour combination, "I'm gonna get my children, hopefully they didn't have a bad fall." She left the room, leaving a stiff quiet between me and Landon. 

"Change. Then leave," he said.

"You said you'd feed me. I might just collapse."

He sighed, an annoying habit, "Fine. Then leave." Him being so insistent on me leaving is making me want to punch him. But I couldn't say that I wouldn't be the same if I was him.

"Hey Landon," I called, turning my back to him. 

I took his silence as a cue to continue, "Why do you want me to leave?"

"Because," he sighed again, terribly unbearable, "Because. I want you to leave."

"Great answer dude, do better."

"I just need you to go. Okay?"

"Not okay. Tell me why."

"Why do you want to stay?"

Because I don't want to die by the hands of those spiteful fuckers and for now you're the only way that wont happen.

"Can't answer a question with another question try again."

"Answer me first," He said, sighing again.

"I asked first you jackarse."

"Veryan," he groaned this time, "I want you to leave because. I want you to leave. End of discussion."

He was so close to sounding angry. I wanted to push him over the edge. 

"No. Answer me properly fucker."

"Can you not curse?" He sighed again. Seriously. Won't he run out of oxygen like that?

"Can you not sigh you fuckface?" I turned back to him, now dressed in terribly clashing colours and mismatched sleeves.