𝐅𝐥𝐚𝐦𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐄𝐝𝐞𝐧 | 𝘈𝘴𝘴𝘢𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘯'𝘴 𝘊𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘥 |

45 | 𝐮𝐧𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐠𝐞𝐭𝐭𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞 𝐧𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭

We exit the lobby side by side, bringing our hoods up to get protected from the snow and the cold wind. I grab his forearm, dragging him towards our first destination. Excited to partake in a human celebration.

"Alright we have three activities for today, I will only say that the second one is to eat something, but the others are a secret." He quirks his brow, wonder at what I've planed.

"Should I be scared of those then?." I shrug, knowing that he won't probably like them at first, but with a little insistence..

"Maybe, depends if you'll man up for it." He opens his mouth, shocked at my words.

"'Man up'? You're spending too much time with Rebecca, she's a bad influence you know?." I smirk, bringing him to a nearby store.

We enter and I set off on a mission to find the desired item, going off in the toy section where I find a stack of them. He stands beside me and quirks his brows.

"Were you the naughty child in your younger days?." He stares between me and the toy, the man questioning his very existence in this moment.

"No.. I was always obedient, never caused ruckus or problems. Why?." I place the loud toy in his hands.

"You ever thought—even for just a second—to cause that trouble? Make people annoyed for once? Don't say no, because I know it's a lie." He swallows and looks down, probably analyzing the many ways this could go wrong.

"I.. okay fine, yes. I admit I sometimes did. But that was in high school and I always dominated my intrusive thoughts." I smirk at the panic in his eyes, the thin black rim of his glasses darkening them a bit.

"How about you let those thoughts take shape and reigns today. Come on, Shaun. It's only today, it won't kill you." He visibly weights everything he ever did right to everything that can go wrong and darken his image.

"God help me.." He grabs another toy from the shelf and hurriedly walks to the cashier, paying for both and quickly exiting the store, my frame behind him.

He looks everywhere and then back to me, our heights being about the same and making the contact much easier.

"Half of the first activity is done, now, it's up to you to decide where to use it. Make amends for what you didn't do when you were younger." Mischief clouds his eyes as he thinks to everything he probably ever wanted to wreck, tongue wetting his lips momentarily.

He hands me one toy and stacks his into his jacket pocket, I do the same in expectancy, the male looking like he already has his targets visualized. He grabs my hand and we make a hasty run, my braid flying inside my hood and loose strands hitting my face.

We run for what feels like forever until we come up to a church, a mass of people dressed in white filling the benches inside. We stop running and calmly walk in, sitting in a bench close to the exit. I give the reigns of trouble to the man, wanting to see what he will end up doing.

He nudges me, a malignant smirk on his face. He starts to take out the items and I do the same, keeping it slightly hidden in the pocket. He signals me with a finger to wait, watching the events of the congregation unfold.

A baby girl is dressed in a white dress topped with an extravagant bow too big for her small head, two people —who I presume are the parents—hold hands and cry as the preacher holds her, another man sprinkling the babe with water. By the heavens..

A baptism. I look beside me with terror, Shaun's eyes focused on the ceremony.

"Shaun, this is what you wanted to do? It's just a baby.." He looks to me and half shrugs.