Wattys Shortlist 2022 -
When she isn't looking, they call her the Princess of the Ghouls, but they haven't seen the assassination order on her secret identity: viper.
Stuck in Lake Darling, ruled by her father's gang, Vi has one objective... run awa...
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Reid's leg brushes mine and I shift away, looking at the plate he put in front of me sceptically. Amusingly, I catch Gisselle gawking at his handsome, angular face. She looks like she can't quite believe that his good looks are almost royal even beneath those scars and gold jewellery. Prince of Lake Darling. What a stupid idea.
"Why didn't you get me any?" Elias looks at the food, grinning.
Reid arches an unamused brow at Elias, ignoring me, "You're getting fat." He snarks and Gisselle's lips pull into a cheeky grin. Elias gestures at me with his eyes but Reid disregards it, taking a bite of his food.
His glare lands on Gisselle, but it notably softens as he raises a brow at the kid. "What're you doing here, Teacup?"
Gisselle coughs a bit like she's been caught red-handed. Her mannerisms make me wan' laugh. "Him my partner." She jams a thumb at Elias, and Reid's face tightens.
"Thought you was gon' show these Ghouls what a real pick pocket looks like." He passes the tension off, and Gisselle grins. Her wonky teeth are a cute addition to the crinkle that settles beside her eyes.
"Oh so you not a Ghoul no more?" Elias parrots.
Reid wrinkles his nose at him mockingly, like Elias is just some gossiping mother, before he turns his attention to Ellie with an amused glint.
"I'm too scared to pick off her," Gisselle looks at me as she talks, but our eyes catch and she smiles a bit, trying to tell me she's only playing.
"You can try," I quip back, and at first her face goes stricken like she can't tell I'm joking, but then she sees my grin and she relaxes.
Reid looks at his food then at her. "Teacup." This time with a sombre voice, "You seen Bloom?"
Gisselle swallows, casting her eyes downward, "I think the soldiers got her, but I haven't seen her in here."
The mood dies, so I focus on shifting my food around my plate.
"So did you guys already share a room?" Elias breaks the ice. He tries to sound serious, but then Reid and I turn our heads at him in presumably the same fashion because he starts snickering.
I nearly smack him up the head like his Nona did when he burnt the cooking, but the mischievous sparkle in his eyes is so disarming that I just look away with a grin.
To my dismay, Elias catches me smiling so he barks a laugh and pokes me in the ribs, "First grin you've cracked all night."
"Oh," I complain, grabbing my side, "Bro I'm all beat up." Though a little smile pinches my lips.
He pouts, "Mickems, you wan' me to kiss it better...? Myers?"
I bark a laugh, smacking his arm as I give him my best attempt at an outraged glare, "You done?"
