The Skeleton In Me

Chapter Sixteen

Once again if I accidentally type 'inanis' instead of 'cousin' pls don't hesitate to tell me to die

The bone cutter is glued to my brain I think he owns it

Chapter Sixteen  

I returned from the dining tent, my body still sore as I hoisted myself up into the train. "Eat this." I tell Cousin, as I pull out half a loaf of bread from beneath my jacket, and hand it to him.

When he wouldn't move, I sighed, "You said you'd agree to my deal, I need you to do your part. There's no way we can get out of here if you weigh only as much as the bones beneath your skin do. You need muscle, and you need strength."

He stared at me for a long, silent moment, before reaching a crooked hand out, and taking the food.

I swallowed back the victory that erupted through my chest.

"Okay." I tell him, as I watch him stare at the food in his hands. "I'm going to start thinking of a plan to get out of here. I need you to keep acting on stage and do whatever Mr. Father tells you."

He shot me a look, as if to say, 'Does it look like I have any other choice?' and to that, I shrugged.

"Just don't act out of the ordinary, is what I'm saying."

I watched as he broke the bread in half with his warped fingers. He wasn't eating it, just picking at it like it was foreign to him.

Given the garbage they feed him, and what little amounts of it, it probably was foreign to him.

I sat on my knees beside him. Amazed at his very existence. His life story was one no one would believe, and yet he was right here before me, living, breathing, existing.

But I knew he wasn't really living, not really. I hoped he would keep his side of the deal, that he would withstand the humiliation a little longer until I could get him out of here safely.

There was sudden shouting coming from outside the train cart. Cousin stiffened, and we both locked eyes.

I crawled over to the door and peeked out. Mr. Father was walking out of a tent, towards the train. Candace was following him, yelling profanities and not caring who heard.

I wasn't exactly sure what they were fighting about, but I waited until the were in their own train cars before closing the door and returning to my spot beside Cousin.

"I think," I tell him, "That everyone is still on edge since the incident." The incident meaning Mr. Father getting drunk and beating the breath out of Cousin. "Candace has been giving Mr. Father hell since it happened." I don't know why I was telling him this, or why I thought he cared at all.

Maybe it'd give him a bit of peace to know not everyone agreed with the treatment he gets here.

The look on his face was expressionless. The one thing that frustrated me about Cousin was that he was so good at masking his true feelings, I never knew what he was thinking. Did he want me to shut up? Was he interested in what I had to say? Did he want to kill me?

I'd never know, because he hides his feelings with a mask of indifference.

I eventually fell asleep, deciding I wouldn't bother Cousin with a bunch of useless words.

The next day, I hung around Cousin until our next show. Mr. Father avoided me the entire day, which was for the best, seeing as if he put one wrong eye on Cousin, I would gut him.

Candace was being extra nice to me, probably because he still felt bad for me getting hit by our boss. I wished I could tell him that I didn't want his special treatment.